The weather’s not yet changing, but Fall is here and it’s bound to get cooler any day now. That means that this is the perfect time to tackle all that garage and workshop clutter you’ve been meaning to square away. Why wait until the Spring?
This week we will be discussing and reviewing a couple of neat storage products and accessories that we’re quite fond of. But we’re also very interested in hearing about which products you guys use and love.
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Whether you’re just starting out with a new garage, or have already mastered the art of workshop organization, we’d love to hear from you!
If you don’t have any favorites just yet, you could alternatively ask for recommendations.
JG
After tons of research a went full TSTAK and never looked back. Screws, bolts etc. are stored in china made micro drawer units. TSTAK is perfect for people living in apartaments or just renting and on the move all the time.
fred
One of our commercial shops had mostly Lista storage and the other shop had Stanley-Vidmar plus Rotabins. Both had their nice features – but I think that I liked the Lista equipment a bit better for most things – but the rotabins were certainly convenient for small part storage.
My home shop solutions have been a bit more modest – with lots of shop-made shelves/cubby holes to fit and organize small parts – many stored in glass jars collected over nearly 50 years. I do have some spots that use bins (a la Akro Mills – and about 25 aluminum loaf pans that I got a good deal on) and have travel boxes a mix of Stanley (mostly #14710 compartment boxes) , and more recently Kreg, Bosch and Festool.
I have some small plumbing parts stored in round trays that fit into 5 gallon pails – but I really don’t care for them much.
One gadget that I do use a lot is a Teerco 00013 funnel sorter tray like this one from Rockler:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=318
This comes in handy when I grab the jar of 1/4-20 mixed nuts and want to sort out the brass ones, wing nuts etc. from the others
John S
It would be pretty slick to have Lista for your home though 🙂
Hang Fire
For the garage, I put up FastTrack rails and assorted hooks. I hung all the bicycles, put the balls up in a ball holder, etc. Some hooks really need to be screwed down to be useful, but it has transformed my garage.
Tom
I use pegboard and akro bins.
Hang Fire
Yup, the first thing that goes up in a new workshop is the pegboard. Unfortunately, lately the home centers have been selling useless hooks with only a top peg and a plastic strap to hold the rest down. ???? Fortunately good metal hooks with two pegs are readily available online.
Sammy
IKEA kitchen cabinets are great as garage cabinets…. cheap, solid and comes with great hinges. Most of my small clutters go there. For the tools I have Harbor Freight roller chest, which cost me only $150 but indistinguishable in quality from my buddy’s $600 Snap-on.
John S
‘indistinguishable’ – really? That is impressive if you really mean that.
Is it this one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/26-in-8-drawer-roller-cabinet-with-8-drawer-top-chest-67831.html
Stuart
I think he means the cart – http://www.harborfreight.com/580-lb-capacity-four-drawer-tool-cart-95659.html .
John S
Thanks Stuart. Duh 😛
Sammy
Actually I have this one.
http://www.harborfreight.com/five-drawer-service-cart-95272.html
JeffD
For smalls parts and fasteners I have 2 of the the Akro-Mils Series 19 Heavy Duty Cabinets. I literally have hundreds of pounds of fasteners in the 28 drawer version. No issues whatsoever. Well worth the investment.
For my wall and locker style cabinets I went with the Seville cabinets from Sam’s Club. They have held up nicely with no issues and were priced well within my budget.
Irving Krasnoshteyn
I’m always on the run and need to keep hundreds of small parts secure but easily visible because we work with a bunch of guys who share equipment. After trying many, the Dewalt Deep Pro organizers. (Part #DWST14825) came out on top. It does everything better. The latches secure with a solid click every time, Just like the L-box from Bosch (but better because the top is see thru), and unlike the cobalt and stanley models which latches are deceptive, resulting in parts all over the place. And the internal removable bins are very tough. Stackable, and rust resistant, and a lifetime warranty, i only wish i had found it sooner.
willis stose
Is this product still available? If so, overall size, bin size and cost. Thnx.
Stuart
Yes, by Akro Mils. You can find them at industrial suppliers, and also Amazon:
9 drawers
15 drawers
16 drawers
20 drawers
28 drawers