Brian87

Hi guys I'm new here

I was just wondering how you are currently organizing your tools. I have a hard time sorting my smaller parts and my tools in my garage. I was thinking about getting a tool organizer/ tool chest which doesn't take up too much space and is not too heavy.
Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Andrew R Stewart 

This is a very preference dependent answer. If you're using your tools often, say in a shop setting, then having common/often used tools in a cabinet drawer is a pain, especially a cheap cabinet with slidering and not bearinged drawer action. Both at work and at home I hang the vast majority of tools I will use daily on peg board. This is the LBS standard way and what I've gotten use to. But I do have a lot of tool boxes and cabinets with speciality tools in them. Taps, cutters, drill bits, files, precision stuff, bearing presses, driver bits, punches and picks and other seldom used stuff goes inside a drawer.


If you're not doing wrench work frequently or have a concern about tool drift (like when they are able to be seen by those who you don't trust) then hiding (I mean storing) them in a drawer makes a lot of sense. Dirty shops (wood working, sand blasting) also calls for more drawers. The portability of a roll around cabinet of carrying a tool box can also be a nice feature.


Not mentioned are the tools that need a clamping to a surface like a bench vice or a truing stand. While mounting these on a roll around or a stand alone cabinet is doable mounting them to a solid and non vibrating work bench is FAR more preferable.


Here's a few shots of my home shop to get ideas from. Two are the frame fabbing side (as in both dirty and precision aspects) and the third is the more common bike repair area. All are from a couple of years ago and currently there's a bit more tools hung. The flexibility of peg board is a nice feature as one grows their tooling. Andy.

1nterceptor

CRAFTSMAN STAINLESS STEEL 40IN. by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
SCREWDRIVERS by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
0 DEGREE ERGO GRIP by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

Phil_gretz

Peg board as long as your shop area is secure from unwanted visitors. Also, a good work surface as well as a strong bench vise and good task lighting. How much room do you have?

rumrunn6

• toolbox
• dresser converted to tool storage & bottom drawer for old parts I can't get ride of
• short baker's rack over dresser w plastic bins for non-tool, bike stuff. exceptions would be box cutter, scissors & files
• staging table for tools I've taken out of storage & am using more frequently. bench vise at the end & that's where I like to keep my hack saw, next to the vise
• work table where select tools live during projects

even w the best intentions, I'm not good at putting everything away when I'm done. particularly this winter cuz I've been messing w 2 bikes, 4 sets of fenders & ongoing adjustments. I'm not putting anything away until the snowless tire swaps

fietsbob

Me? Poorly.. I lived in apartments for most of my life.


in the Eugene bike Co Op, they all had a peg with an outline of the tool that goes there..



...

Brian87

Thanks! These set-up are awesome!
I actually use peg board for my most used tools, but I was looking for additional storage (boxes or drawers).

I found this Sortimo solution online. It looks like a great mobile set-up, not too heavy, not too big, perfect for my little workshop.
Has anyone tried this yet?

blakcloud

Living in a condo means you sacrifice things like a garage so my storage solution is meant for others who read this thread.

At first in my apartment I used this. Which was ideal. I kept my tools and accessories in this. I loved it.

But I got tired of this in my living room so I moved to this. This keeps most of the tools in one place. My Park DAG tool and Park Truing Stand get store in a closet.

Brian87

Does all your stuff fit in just one case?
But that's a really nice solution!

blakcloud

No, just the top unit fit into the case. The rest held saddles, extra derailleurs, crank sets, etc. I now keep the extras in a storage case under the bed along with my Feedback repair stand.

I dream of owning a garage some day.

superstring

This article by Jim Langley might be of interest:

Jim Langley's Bicycle Beat: SHOPTALK: Making a bike workshop toolboard

grizzly59

Look for "toolbox" on craigslist, amazing what you can find for cheap. Get one you like and that you can LOCK. Tools always grow legs, they wander and seldom come home.

Brian87

Really good advice there

Vintage_Cyclist

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...tribute-3.html

ExpertTools

rm -rf

I got 6 of these plastic boxes from the local supermarket. I should get a couple more of these. I had previously tried much larger shallow plastic boxes, but they weren't useful--too big.

Most of these are dedicated to one type of tool or supplies. I use a sharpie to write the type of contents on the edge of the lid, and stack them. The label still shows even when stacked. (Rubbing alcohol removes sharpie writing if I change the contents later.)

My commonly used tools, some hex wrench sets, small screwdriver, etc, are kept in a small tool organizer.

This box says "Hex, Cassettes, Pedal", and has my large hex wrenches that are occasionally needed, cassette tools, and pedal wrenches

woodcraft

Then there's those of us on the less-tidy end of the spectrum, sigh....

OTS 

^1

Leebo

I use a 5 drawer tool chest, much smaller than the ones pictured here. I also have a rolling bike stand that I can hang tools from as well.

Brian87

Are these boxes sturdy enough? Do they not break easily?

cyclingarri

My bike tool collection was growing. My parts, and other bike supplies needed a home. All of which I wanted together in a handy dandy, lightweight, mobil something. I found this AWESOME Craftsman Cart on eBay for $97.49, with free shipping. Got to my house 2 days later, and was a little tricky to figure out hardware when building. But, no big deal.
Has 2x sliding drawers that I store my tools in, then top can be a used as a working area because instead of opening upwards, the tray slides open for another deep storage area. I keep all my other bike tool/supplies in such as grease gun, tool sets, tension meter, zip ties, tape, pens, ref. book, magnets, bearing gauge, gloves etc. I also keep a awesome $.99 store find a small parts box for my fasteners, lock washers, bearings, ferrules, spoke nipples, barrel adjusters, patches, glue etc. Then the bottom tray storage area, is open and has a nice high clearance. I keep another small parts box that I found at a yard sale for $2.00, with my extra brackets, reflectors, brake pads etc. Also, my "inventory parts box" with cables, housing, handlebar wrap, tubes, and other extra components. My beloved Evaporust, air pump, and woodblocks also get stored here. I added a bungee with a roll of paper towels, and "THERE YOU HAVE IT, ALL IN ONE SHOP!", lol! It rolls and is super light. It can feel like it might tip over if you have both drawers open, but not a deal breaker. I also have a Matco rolling stool with a tray (inherited from my uncle), that I use to sit and roll around on as I wrench. I store all my products on the tray in a tool bag ($4.99 Harborfreight) such as penetrating oil, chain oil, frame polish, wd-40, bleach white for tires, steel wool, brushes etc. Higly recommend my Craftsman Tool Cart perfect for home/garage shop.