Tool Chest Organisation

ChrisR

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I have just bought a tool chest so looking for inspiration on how to best organise my tools without rebuying everything in the trays!

Let’s see yours.....!
 

lennyd

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Trays for the win. Everything with a place, in it's place
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gingfto

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If you can’t buy trays that suit the tools you have then the sheets of high density foam aren’t too expensive, cut out the tool shapes - even if it’s only to do a few drawers with bigger/less used tools or just as a bit of a basic divider throughout.
 

quattro Rick

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I also like the tray layout, they fit perfectly in the box, though my top compartment is full of Halfords tools as their trays are different sizes, so threw the socket and bits onto an organiser

Have since added a few bits and pieces here and there, deltec half inch set has been relegated out of the box in place of a tray of vice grips and adjustable wrenches

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Seen a few sets with the foam inserts in every drawer and they look just as tidy too
 

ChrisR

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ChrisR
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Mine is being used for sorting bike tools rather than car so there’s loads of one off / odd tools.

I am tempted by buying sheets of foam and cutting to shape but I imagine it would be difficult to do neatly!
 

-Pete-

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4,067
I like the idea of the trays but like yourself chris I have too many oddball tools that where bought as one offs and Id just be making too much dead space cutting foam to hold them. I usually have drawers sorted by function or tool type so pliers and cutters are one drawer, engineering tools/precision stuff is in another to stop getting banged around. wrenches etc in another and electrical stuff in another. mostly its all loose though but since I have the non slip drawer liners, nothing moves around even when opening or closing the drawers.
 

Coog

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GTI
Label on the front of the drawer with one of those wee label makers and everything in that category bucked in.
 

RevT

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Label on the front of the drawer with one of those wee label makers and everything in that category bucked in.

If you need labels you’re not using it often enough. I know right away where each thing I’m looking for is.
 

John_MK5

RMS Regular
Messages
978
You can buy shadow foam and what not but personally I find it a waste of time and I’m on the tools 14 hours a day. Us pro do magnetic spanner racks which are good, buy yourself a socket tray that will do 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 or buy good quality rails.

Personally I use Mac Tools rails, not expensive and good quality when throwing them in a tool bag for a breakdown.

just to add about the foam being a waste of time, I know people have bought it and cut everything nicely to then have to buy more bits when they buy new tools As the layout is wrong or they haven’t left space.

tool grids are another option - plastic liner with removable clips. Kinda like a peg board thing.

This is one of my two boxes at work. It’s a snap on KRA 40” and I have a boxo 42” stack with the foam inserts and I never go near it now because there’s no room to add more into it.

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-Pete-

RMS Regular
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4,067
You can buy shadow foam and what not but personally I find it a waste of time and I’m on the tools 14 hours a day. Us pro do magnetic spanner racks which are good, buy yourself a socket tray that will do 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 or buy good quality rails.

Personally I use Mac Tools rails, not expensive and good quality when throwing them in a tool bag for a breakdown.

just to add about the foam being a waste of time, I know people have bought it and cut everything nicely to then have to buy more bits when they buy new tools As the layout is wrong or they haven’t left space.

tool grids are another option - plastic liner with removable clips. Kinda like a peg board thing.

This is one of my two boxes at work. It’s a snap on KRA 40” and I have a boxo 42” stack with the foam inserts and I never go near it now because there’s no room to add more into it.

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Thats nigh on identical to how I have my own tools laid out in the drawers, no foam or anything just the non slip mat and everything neatly placed and it doesnt slide around or move anywhere and just like you said, when you get new tools or change things, you can easily integrate it into the space. There's a trade off between being too fussy and everyday practicality and efficiency.
 

John_MK5

RMS Regular
Messages
978
Thats nigh on identical to how I have my own tools laid out in the drawers, no foam or anything just the non slip mat and everything neatly placed and it doesnt slide around or move anywhere and just like you said, when you get new tools or change things, you can easily integrate it into the space. There's a trade off between being too fussy and everyday practicality and efficiency.

That’s it in a nutshell. To me foam inserts are alright if you buy a complete kit and don’t intend to add much. Work supplied me with this boxo set. Brilliant value for money but broke a ratchet and replaced it with a Snap-on which doesn’t fit yet I don’t want to cut the foam 😂😂😂



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greyfloppyhat

RMS Regular
Messages
1,548
Location
Tassagh
You can buy shadow foam and what not but personally I find it a waste of time and I’m on the tools 14 hours a day. Us pro do magnetic spanner racks which are good, buy yourself a socket tray that will do 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 or buy good quality rails.

Personally I use Mac Tools rails, not expensive and good quality when throwing them in a tool bag for a breakdown.

just to add about the foam being a waste of time, I know people have bought it and cut everything nicely to then have to buy more bits when they buy new tools As the layout is wrong or they haven’t left space.

tool grids are another option - plastic liner with removable clips. Kinda like a peg board thing.

This is one of my two boxes at work. It’s a snap on KRA 40” and I have a boxo 42” stack with the foam inserts and I never go near it now because there’s no room to add more into it.

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It always goes to **** in the bottom drawer, there are no rules in the bottom drawer
 

ChrisR

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ChrisR
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Foam ordered to do my top 3 drawers, this should be fun!!
 

jonny.92

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Messages
652
I've done my screwdrivers and socket set in Shadow Foam but it was just for the look of it really, I'm not using them every day.

Handy for seeing what's missing, but takes forever to do it right. I bought a circle stencil set and a box of scalpels to do the socket drawer.

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