What modular tool storage system would you recommend?
I have many tools for many different DIY and home improvement projects. My ADHD means I am just awful at maintaining long term organization of those tools. I want to use a system where I can have a box for each discrete activity or tool type. That way I can take out only the boxes I need and then or those tools away immediately when I am done. I don’t mean bring them back to the workshop and put them away, but instead have their mobile tool box be the thing that is also used for long term storage.
For example, I might have the following boxes ready to go:
- Everyday box - screw drivers, allen keys, hammer, rubber mallet, speed square, torpedo level, pencil, sharpie, blue masking tape, etc.
- Basic electrical - multimeter, insulated tools, electrical tape, assorted common wire nuts, wire stripper, etc.
- Painting - assorted brushes, rollers, roller covers, and masking tapes as well as a painters multi tool, roller tray, hand held paint bucket, sanding sponges, etc.
- Drill - cordless drill, drill bits, screw driver bits
- Driver and rachet - cordless impact driver, impact bits, hand rachet, rachet bits
- Pocket hole - my various Kregg products
- More as needed
If I am going to paint a doorway, I can grab the painting box. If the wall needs repair, I can grab the painting and drywall boxes. If I am hanging pictures, I can grab the everyday box and the drill box if I am using screw anchors. This should make cleanup easier, because picking up the job location is also getting things sorted to go back in storage. That second part is my weakness.
What system would you use for this? I feel like a system that includes both wall storage and multiple bin types would be best, but I am open. I want to use the same general storage system for other DIY hobbies as well, so I would rather not break the bank.
If it matters, all of my cordless tools are DeWalt. My electric yard tools, though unlikely to factor in, and Kobalt.
Any and all recommendations are welcome. Alternative thoughts are welcome. How would you approach this?
Rigid’s tool storage boxes are the best value and can allow for categorization of job types. Milwaukee is more versatile(more options and accessories) and durable, but has a higher cost(you do get what you pay for). Both allow you to stack multiple boxes and wheel them around instead of carrying them. Both offer compartmental storage boxes for fasteners.
You can cheap out on fastener organizers, but lose the secure stacking. You can preserve the stacking but increase cost by using cheaper fastener organizers that go into a larger compatible box. I find that a refined system has the compatible stacking organizers and smaller sub organizers that can be grabbed for portability/convenience and refilled from the main organizer as needed.
See if you can find first gen Ridgid large wheeled boxes used, the new one with the detachable wheels/handle are slightly questionable in terms of durability and function in a few spots. The 2nd Gen wheeled boxes have a hinged lid, the 1st Gen has a detachable lid so you can pop the locks and access the contents without removing the stacked box from the bottom lid. The front of the 2nd Gen is more likely to crack in the top middle from inward flexing. The rest of the 2nd Gen boxes are solid. If you are cautious and can secure the box for transport(not sliding around a truck bed) then the 2nd gen large wheeled are fine.
Both support wall mounting, but consider 2x4 and plywood shelves to store everything because you can accommodate more with greater flexibility and lower cost.
To really have job/task specific boxes will require multiples of the same tools unless you want to move more to do one job because there is 3 tools from one box you need. Moving tools around between boxes means a higher likelihood disorganization will breed within your system. I prefer to keep those common tools in a compatible basket instead of a closed box for access, visibility, and you can toss stuff in them easier for transport within a jobsite.
You could probably get away with 2 wheeled, 2-4 medium, 2-3 “briefcase” style, 1-2 baskets, and probably 2 small stuff bin organizers. That all depends on your power tool space needs.
This is great - thank you! Rigid and the Craftsman/DeWalt combo are on my shortlist. Rigid keeps coming up as great value for the quality, and Craftsman/DeWalt because all of the systems are compatible, letting go cheaper or more expensive as needed. I am not too worried about duplicate tools because my goal is to have most of the multi-purpose tools in the everyday/general box. I also have more duplicates than I should, which is part of what led me to think about this as an option.
Thanks as well for the estimate of how many boxes and what style I might want. That is extremely helpful for thinking about total cost.
Old school peg board is my way to deal with this. With all the custom hook shapes they make, almost anything can be hung, and being able to see everything spread across a “2 dimensional” plane helps me remember what I have and where it is, and it makes it 10x easier to mindlessly put it back where it actually belongs. (Plus I love to look at it and just imagine projects…)
Thanks! I used pegboard at my old house. It will probably be part of the new system, but I found that whenever I did a project outside of my garage, I failed to get everything back onto the pegs in a timely manner. The theoretical solution is to just do that right away, but I won’t. Pegboard or slat wall will work great for clamps, miter saw blades, and other items that live almost exclusively in the shop or are just too big to live in a box (longer levels, drywall square, etc.).
Ah yeah, that’s my one issue with it as well, but I’ve started putting all tools I need for a project away from the board in a big crate/box/wagon, and then wherever I’m working, I put them back in the box as I finish. I find that I move them back to the garage more consistently when they are all in a single thing, and then eventually get them back on the board
This is how I store my tools. I have a tool bag for each activity.
