Learn Me Tool Chest Organization

Today, I am officially a car guy, because I finally got a tool chest. Lowe's had a pretty ridiculous sale going on, and I got the floor model on top of that for a dang good discount. Here's the model I got (not mine, just found this on the googles):

Before I start putting stuff in here, I'm curious as to how other people organize their tool chests. For instance, what's the best use of the "top" part? Do you put 1/4" drive tools in one drawer, then 3/8" in the next, followed by 1/2"?

I'm open to suggestions from everyone as to what seems to work the best and most efficient!

This Guy has lots of awesome videos on how he does his toolboxes. I have followed much of his advice and have not regretted it.

I started going through my box, drawer by drawer. But that missed the point. So let me try by philosophy.

I want my sae tools gathered together and separated from my metric tools. I sub split wrenches from sockets.

I want my screwdrivers gathered together and sub split Phillips vs standard.

Ratchets together, along with breaker bars, extensions, swivels, etc.

Pliers, together. Vice grips, together. Files, together. Hammers, together.

Basically a grouping together of like tools. Hammers are gathered near chisels, things I bang with, things I bang on. Files are near saws, they both remove metal.

dunno if its the best or not, but for me it goes (my tool box is very similar to yours):

top hatch = gloves, standard hammer, flashlights, wipes, measuring tape, pencils and pens, general crap
drawer 1 = flathead screwdrivers, rasps, files, trim removal tool
drawer 2 = phillips screwdrivers, other screwdrivers (torx, square, etc)
drawer 3 = Pliers, vise grips, cutters, crimpers
drawer 4 = ratchets and extensions, and all the non-socket sockets (1/4 to 3/8 drive converter, spark plug sockets, torx bits, hex bits, o2 sensor socket, etc, etc
drawer 5 = non-ratchet wrenches, hex keys, flare nut wrenches (metric left, std right)
drawer 6 = all the sockets on hansen socket trays
drawer 7 = ratcheting wrenches (metric left, std right)
drawer 8 = long tools, prybars, torque wrenches, breaker bars
drawer 9 = big hammers, some boxed tools (pilot bushing puller, tap set, fuel quick connect release tools, pulley puller, etc
big drawer at bottom = electric impact, torch, bigger boxed tools.

ratchets, sockets, extensions at the top big awkward stuff at the bottom

Get an old yoga mat and cut it up as a DIY liner, if yours doesn't already have one.

I saw some tool organization right here

The stuff I grab the most are at belly-button level; sockets in one drawer, wrenches above that, ratchets, extensions, and adapters above that. Other than that, the tool box will organize itself over time.
I wrenched professionally for years, that's how I did it, seems to work.

OHSCrifle wrote: I saw some tool organization right here

I don't have a hundred grand in tools to make tool holder for my tools.

Keep in mind that different drawer heights are suited to different types of tools. Wrenches go in flat, so they typically want shallow drawers, sockets go in vertically, so they want medium-depth ones, impact guns are bulky and need deep drawers. Some cabinets let you move the drawers around, others don't.

So in my tool chest I have:

• 2 shallow drawers of wrenches, one SAE, one metric

• 2 medium drawers of sockets, one SAE, one metric

• one shallow drawer of plier-like tools and other wrenches (vise-grips, crescents, etc)

• one medium drawer of socket-related tools (ratchets, extensions, U-joints, etc). This would be shallow except I'm out of them.

• one medium drawer of screwdrivers, screwdriver bits, and the like.

• one medium drawer with wiring tools (crimp tools, connector pinning tools, etc) and rolls of tape (unrelated, but neither was big enough to take a whole drawer and I ran out of space)

• one medium drawer of fabricating tools. taps, dies, drills, knives, etc.

• one medium drawer of measurement devices. Tape measures, dial indicators, calipers, micrometers, etc.

• one deep drawer of miscellaneous large tools. Impact wrenches, tin snips, hammers, large cold chisels, etc.

As far as socket organization goes, I really like holders that have closely-spaced vertical pins to slide the sockets over. It's dense, it's well-ordered, sockets are easy to find, and it's also very easy to tell when you're missing something. This is my metric socket drawer (plus a few random other things that needed a place to go):

DrBoost wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote: I saw some tool organization right here

I don't have a hundred grand in tools to make tool holder for my tools.

but it'd be fun to do if you did.

Hansen Trays!

Just like what cordus posted. If you're lucky enough to be near a Menard's (I miss Menard's ) they have actual name brand Hansen trays 1/2 price a couple times a year, at least used to.

Wow, awesome advice so far, thanks!

Depends on what you're doing, also. I haven't had an SAE car in about forever, so the last reorganization I did, I dumped all the SAE tools into a single, jumbled drawer. It freed up another drawer to better organize the metric stuff.

I have one roller box for metric, one for SAE and another for misc. stuff like pliers, special tools, tools I made for a single purpose.

3/8" drive stuff goes in one drawer. 1/2" drive goes in another. Extensions in one, ratchets in another. Impacts in a drawer.

I'm getting to where I'm like the Texas A&M Library. If something is mis-filed, it is lost forever. If anyone is helping me, I put the stuff away.

That stainless box is nice.

One of the best things I did in my shop was to get a compact tool cart. The reality is I use 10% of my tools 90% of the time, and going back to the big boxes for something just seemed needlessly convoluted. Having the small cart lets me roll it right up next to me under the car where I have pretty much everything I need right at hand.

I got this one for $120 with a coupon. It's definitely at the high end of the HF quality scale.

In reply to Sky_Render:

I bought a similar combo at Lowes over the winter. I couldn't figure out how to best use the top cabinet (I had an existing wall mounted cabinet and I was hoping to remove the lid on the stainless top unit but I couldn't), so I returned the top and bought a second bottom cabinet. I ended up with more drawers and a nice work surface.

Compartmentalized is key here. Like items with like items. Small stuff in small drawers, big stuff in big drawers.

I really like the Westling Machine billet socket organizer set

My wrenches are in two drawers. Metric up top and SAE below

Metric

I adore the adhesive backed snap on wrench rails. One of the cheapest things on the truck too!

I am doing my tap and die drawers shadowed

Metric

I will get some better pics when I get back to town Monday.

Is that 911 Diamond Blue?

Jumper K. Balls wrote:

In reply to Woody:

No idea. That was a while ago.

I have three of the carts JG posted from harbor freight, one for sae sockets on top, specialty wrenches in the top drawer and regular combo wrenches, one cart the same for metric, and one for drill bits on top and taps and dies in the drawers, metric and sae.

My big tool chest has a drawer for flat screwdrivers, one for Phillips, one for torx and misc, and one for punches and chisels on top, one each for 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" ratchets and extensions on the bottom, plus one for hammers, one for pliers and vice grips, and one for adjustable and pipe wrenches.

I also have a slant top toolbox for the first quality sae tools (snap on and the like) and another for metric that serve as traveling boxes.

Since inheriting so many tools and boxes from my dad I also organize by task. For example, one smaller toolbox has my Freon manifolds, vacuum pump, and one of every wrench or tool I have needed to test and charge an ac system. Another box has copper pipe tools and saws, plus the propane torch. Another has wiring and connectors, plus crimping tools and testing equipment for trailer light wiring.

You guys made me realize I really need to get something to hold my sockets in the drawers!

IMSA Sponsor SONIC Tools has some cool Foam Inlays for different size drawers and tools.

Link

JG Pasterjak wrote: This Guy has lots of awesome videos on how he does his toolboxes. I have followed much of his advice and have not regretted it.

Can you link any? I only found his socket organizer discussion and description of the sonic toolbox

jfryjfry wrote:

JG Pasterjak wrote: This Guy has lots of awesome videos on how he does his toolboxes. I have followed much of his advice and have not regretted it.

Can you link any? I only found his socket organizer discussion and description of the sonic toolbox

Yeah, those are the only ones I found, as well.