Tool storage around the house

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neil_w

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Wondering what you guys all do for tool storage and organization around the house. I do not have a huge collection (just basic set of hand tools and whatnot) but it's still enough to give me an organizational challenge.

I live in a 2-story house with basement. In the basement, I have my pegboard, with a general assortment of stuff, including (most importantly) whatever I need for rocket work. My adhesives, cordless drill, and miscellaneous screw and nail collections all live there.

Upstairs, I have a 20" plastic toolbox that for some reason lives in my bedroom. In that I have a selection of stuff that I would commonly need for upstairs tool tasks: screwdrivers, basic pliers, picture hangers, screws and nails, a hammer and a level, plus a few other things.

In the garage I have a very small toolbox with just a few things: screwdrivers, pliers, and an old hammer.

I've survived like this for years. I'm convinced that I could be doing it smarter, but am not sure what a smart strategy is. I often find myself needing to collect tools from different places for a job. Most likely, I should downsize my upstairs toolbox, but that would leave some items that are commonly used upstairs homeless.

Wondering how others approach this. I know a lot of you have extensively equipped workshops, but I'm really thinking most about hand tools and the likely accessories that go with them.
 
Growing up we had the Outdoor/heavy job tools out in the carport/garage, and necessary items for a big job would be collected at start (then a kid sent running to get X as needed)
Indoors we had a pretty complete set for anything indoors related (handful of duplicates of an outdoors tool) that didn't require heavy demolition or major remodeling. (Large saws, sledgehammers, etc...)

I guess it boils down to different sets of tools for different places (with duplicates as necessary). Admittedly, having an upstairs hammer and a downstairs hammer may be excessive for your needs, but it all depends on how much you want to visit the various tool storage areas to get a job done.
 
We have a small-ish house with a garage in the basement. Upstairs has the kitchen, living room, office/guest room, and a bedroom. A few tools (screwdriver, small hammer, measuring tapes) live in the junk drawer in the kitchen. My younger kid has some personal tools in the upstairs bedroom, and the rest of the tools live in the garage which also holds a car. Projects involve gathering tools in the garage and taking them to the project site. We try to minimize trips back and forth to get more tools or materials, but they happen.
 
This is within reach underneath my bed. I probably have at least one tote like this in every room of the house. The spare bedroom is where I do my building though. Then early morning I paint in the garage or patio.
 

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It really depends upon what tools you're talking about. I've done a lot of different jobs, had a lot of different hobbies in my life. There are the "big" tools; automotive, woodworking, etc. There are "medium" sized tools. The highest number are probably the "small" tools used for things like rocketry, electronics, and computers. For the first two (and depending on how many you have), a roll-around tool cart, or large tool boxes work well to store and organize. Tool boxes also work well for the small tools, but I find I am increasingly using food storage containers for storing both tools, and projects under construction/repair. They seal up air tight which helps prevent rust, and they're designed to stack neatly.
 
but I find I am increasingly using food storage containers for storing both tools, and projects under construction/repair. They seal up air tight which helps prevent rust, and they're designed to stack neatly.
I used to work for a while in the radio department of our railways, back in the early '80s. Difficult repairs, on handheld transceivers typically, would be put in a "coffin" to keep all parts together. These were food storage containers. They kept all the parts together for the duration of the repair, and could easily be shelved, along with the other coffins, when more important work came along. Coffins were always a spare time activity, and pulled out of the cupboard when time permitted. I remember there was one unit that took me quite a few days. It had a total of seven faults, four of which were intermittent. Entertaining. I think that was my first exposure to surface-mount components.

I should resurrect that system at home now. Need to go purchase some containers...
 
All over the place, I do my best to keep 'em off the floor.
If my associate trips on something, she'll kill me...
 
I have put all tools related to a certain "type" of repair in boxes and store them in the garage storeroom.
For example the "roofing supplies" box has a caulking gun, gutter spikes, roofing cement, etc.
The "Plumbing tools" box has teflon tape, washers, O rings, seats, fixtures, silicone caulk, etc.
I may need them only once every few years, but I know where they are.
I keep the larger automotive tools in there as well, and keep a smaller set of tools in the car trunk in case of a breakdown. Cuz a tire iron and jack are sometimes not enough. Jumper cables, tow strap, tire pump, etc.
And a portable power pack for jump starting my car, although I use it more for launching rockets.
Shelves for oscillating tool, reciprocating saw, rotary tool, yada yada.....
That way I have more room inside the house.
For building rockets!
Heh.
 
#1 hand tools and archery tools, 3D printing stuff
#2 measuring tools, needle files, delicate tools
#3 work bench tools, clamps, hardware storage
#4 hand tool storage, hole saws, hand held power tools, drafting equipment
#5 garage tools, blower, sawzall, grease guns,
#6 automotive hand tools, air tools, vice grips, pry bars, grinders, rivet guns, cleco tools,
#7 1" impact gun, 20 ton jack and jack stands
 

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For small items such as screws, bolts, nails, brads, etc. I cut holes in a strip of board with a hole saw.
Then put them in used empty plastic medicine bottles. These bottles would otherwise just be thrown away.
The board can be wall mounted with a couple of angle brackets.
0815211822[1].jpg
 
For small items such as screws, bolts, nails, brads, etc. I cut holes in a strip of board with a hole saw.
Then put them in used empty plastic medicine bottles. These bottles would otherwise just be thrown away.
The board can be wall mounted with a couple of angle brackets.
View attachment 477670
I've got so many of these bottles filled with random things. They are perfect for small items. What sized hole saw did you end up using?
 
I've got so many of these bottles filled with random things. They are perfect for small items. What sized hole saw did you end up using?
I had two sizes of pill bottles.
I used what I had, 1 1/4" and 1 1/2", which were both a hair too small. Had to ream out the holes a hair more with a file.
So maybe a slightly larger size in mm would work perfectly.
 
There are two different answers to this. One is the system as intended, and the other is the reality of where the tools are. The as intended goes like this:

I have a four generation old work bench with some integrated too storage, but not enough. I have a large (by some standard) plastic tool box for more, similar to this one:
1629131718561.png
Both of those are out in the garage. There's also a small tool kit in the house, similar to what you describe in your garage.
#1 hand tools and archery tools, 3D printing stuff
#2 measuring tools, needle files, delicate tools
#3 work bench tools, clamps, hardware storage
#4 hand tool storage, hole saws, hand held power tools, drafting equipment
#5 garage tools, blower, sawzall, grease guns,
#6 automotive hand tools, air tools, vice grips, pry bars, grinders, rivet guns, cleco tools,
#7 1" impact gun, 20 ton jack and jack stands
My system has a bit of a resemblance to this, without as many categories, and the divisions are just by which compartment of the bench chest and plastic box things are in, not which of several workstations. (Note the color of the text.)

OK, then there's reality. Reality is about 50% as above, and the rest is equal parts misfiled, left wherever I last used it, in a box I still haven't unpacked, buried somewhere on the workbench, and disappeared into the Twilight Zone.

I am obviously the wrong person to ask...
I've seen worse. And I will see worse again the moment I get home.
 
I have to hide all of my tools, because if the wife or daughter find them, they disappear!

Case in point... two nights ago I couldn't sleep so I got up and built my Majestic. Now I DID have two pairs of scissors on my work bench, but when I needed one, were there any to be found? Of course not! Got my favorite pair back earlier today from my daughter's bedroom... still haven't found the other pair yet! :mad:

Edit to add: I don't mind them using my tools so long as they put them back where they found them... something that very, VERY rarely happens!
 
Now I DID have two pairs of scissors on my work bench, but when I needed one, were there any to be found? Of course not! Got my favorite pair back earlier today from my daughter's bedroom

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can remember mum's (mom's) "GOOD scissors". She could hear them being misused from the other end of house even with music blaring and whatever commotion going on in between - "NOT WITH MY GOOD SCISSORS"!!!

TP
 
I'm sure I'm not the only one who can remember mum's (mom's) "GOOD scissors". She could hear them being misused from the other end of house even with music blaring and whatever commotion going on in between - "NOT WITH MY GOOD SCISSORS"!!!
TP
Absolutely. My Mum would have had my guts for garters if I had been caught using them. I was just thinking about that the other day, since they are now my main scissors in my workshop. She is probably turning in her urn 😂 😂.
 
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I have to hide all of my tools, because if the wife or daughter find them, they disappear!

Case in point... two nights ago I couldn't sleep so I got up and built my Majestic. Now I DID have two pairs of scissors on my work bench, but when I needed one, were there any to be found? Of course not! Got my favorite pair back earlier today from my daughter's bedroom... still haven't found the other pair yet! :mad:

Edit to add: I don't mind them using my tools so long as they put them back where they found them... something that very, VERY rarely happens!

Be glad you have children that want to (or at least know how to) work with tools.

Neither of my kids has EVER borrowed a tool to do tool things.

I'd embrace it.
 
Be glad you have children that want to (or at least know how to) work with tools.

Neither of my kids has EVER borrowed a tool to do tool things.

I'd embrace it.
That's unfortunate but they may have talented gifts elsewhere.

One of my children likes to borrow my tools and has about a 20% "return to proper location" rate. The problem is that she opened my tool chest...without using the key. I now have a tool chest with three drawers that I cannot access and the rest are accessible from the various locations they are sitting in my garage.
 
That's unfortunate but they may have talented gifts elsewhere.

One of my children likes to borrow my tools and has about a 20% "return to proper location" rate. The problem is that she opened my tool chest...without using the key. I now have a tool chest with three drawers that I cannot access and the rest are accessible from the various locations they are sitting in my garage.

Perhaps. Older son is an IT tech. Younger son is a musician and works as a band director/music teacher. Most of their skills are outside my Venn diagram.

I prefer to build/make/modify stuff to make my life better --Edit or at least more interesting. Not everyone is that way. What I get interested in may be anything.
 
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I have to hide all of my tools, because if the wife or daughter find them, they disappear!

Case in point... two nights ago I couldn't sleep so I got up and built my Majestic. Now I DID have two pairs of scissors on my work bench, but when I needed one, were there any to be found? Of course not! Got my favorite pair back earlier today from my daughter's bedroom... still haven't found the other pair yet! :mad:

Edit to add: I don't mind them using my tools so long as they put them back where they found them... something that very, VERY rarely happens!
Any time I can't find a tool the missus has borrowed, I go buy a new one. Eventually there are enough.
 
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