Storing stuff??

[bmuir]

I am cleaning my basement/workshop. Ugh! Eight bags of junk so far.

I am coming up with lots of "stuff." Like handles, wheels, lag screws in bags, lots of small screws, angle brackets, wire, etc.

How do you all store all the "stuff?" Ideas and photos welcome.

I am drowning in stuff!

Thanks,

Bill

[crokett]

I'd like to know too. I have it all stuffed in drawers but don't really have any idea of what I have.

[movnup]

For the small stuff I use plastic fishing tackle boxes. They are cheap, lots of dividers to sort things out, and has saved me many a trip to the Borg for that one little part to finish the job. I also have some of those plastic jars that hang from my pegboard behind the workbench.

For the bigger stuff I have two metal tool boxes that I got for x-mas e.g. four total which means I don't know if I'm highly organized or just a pack rat!!!

[LarryG]

Depends on what it is.

For really small items, either in physical size or quantity, I have a wall-mounted storage unit thingie ... you know, one of those deals with 8000 little clear plastic drawers crammed into about two square feet. Each drawer is the right size for a packet of brads, a three-pack of toggle bolts, a pack of pop rivets.

Anything I have in sufficiently larger quantity to not fit into one of these little drawers goes into those orange plastic jars that powdered Gatorade comes in (being a cyclist, I have a perpetual supply of these things). These jars are about 4" in diameter by about that high; just about right for, say, a box of drywall screws, or three or four packs of tee nuts.

Larger and bulkier stuff mostly goes into cardboard boxes, which of course tend to get tattered and have to be replaced periodically, and which are stored on a couple shelves in my materials storage room.

Lumber cutoffs and scraps go into one of several big plastic tubs, with lids, that I buy at Dollar General for maybe six bucks apiece.

That's my system. I ain't saying it's a good system. Excepting, maybe, the Gatorade jars. Those have proven to be almost exactly the right size for a surprising number of different things.

[ChrisD]

1.) I finally started building drawers for two of my mobile cabinets. When I'm done I will have six of varying depth, which should be plenty. Fasteners, drill bits, router bits, safety devices, jigs, and other miscellanies will all find their way to these drawers.

2.) Stackable plastic boxes for things I don't use much but would never throw away.

3.) The Container Store (www.thecontainerstore.com) = A place that I thought I would never find myself in until a couple of weeks ago when, at the urging of my daughter who has a thing for small colorful boxes, I finally walked into one. The first thing I thought was "They thought of everything!".

[Thom2]

A little bit of everything here .....



On the left: Plastic Folgers Coffee Cans
Center low: HF plastic bins in cases made by yours trully
Center High: shoebox size plastic boxes from the dollar store and cardboard bin boxes (courtesy of my employer)

What you can't see in the photo is the other crapload of drawers and cardboard boxes that the overflow wouldn't fit into

The shop has been rearranged since this photo, but the same storage rules apply (ie: CRAP EVERYWHERE )

[LarryG]

1.)When I'm done I will have six of varying depth, which should be plenty.

Please allow me to be the first to say ...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ...

(Ain't that right, Thom?)

[Thom2]

Please allow me to be the first to say ...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ...

(Ain't that right, Thom?)

Don't think for a minute that I wasn't thinkin' it when I read that, you just typed it out (I think I would have had more ha's tho )

[Tom Miller]

The first step is to try to think of logical groupings, so that at least you know a specific place to look for something; kind of like aisles in a well-planned store.

I make a lot of use of the ubiquitous plastic storage tubs of all sizes. This simple shelf unit is really a quick-n-dirty set of 9 drawers. The height of the shelves is such that the tubs don't really need covers to keep dust out, but the covers will fit if I want them. An added benefit is that I can see into my "drawers". (Oops, now everyone can. )




Additionally, every bench/cart I make gets it's own set of drawers. This is true for my workbench (15 drawers), SCMS bench (9 drawers), BT3 mobile cart (8 drawers), outfeed bench (8 drawers), and drum sander cart (3 drawers).

Regards,
Tom

[TheRic]

For the small / medium bulky stuff I like using plastic pencil boxes. Can normally find them on sale after school starts, and around Christmas time. They are about 8" X 5" X 2", last time I picked them up for 10 cents a piece. They stack nice. Downside the lid is 1/2 the height. So for things like screws, nails, your wasting space. For bulky things and things that don't stack nice they work great.

[crokett]

Please allow me to be the first to say ...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ...

(Ain't that right, Thom?)

I was thinking the same thing Larry.

[Tom Miller]

OK, Chris, it's time to show them your 2 cu. yard drawer design. That'll shut 'em up!

Regards,
Tom

[ChrisD]

Please allow me to be the first to say ...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ...

(Ain't that right, Thom?)

That's exactly what I said when somebody once commented that my kitchen had "too many" cabinets.

But looking at my acquisition pattern over the past two years, I really think I'll be set with my existing storage capacity for a while.

Chris (waiting for more HA's...)

[Tom Miller]

...I really think I'll be set with my existing storage capacity for a while.

Chris (waiting for more HA's...)

I'm not going to say anything....




...how are you set for clamps?



Regards,
Tom

[Kristofor]

But looking at my acquisition pattern over the past two years, I really think I'll be set with my existing storage capacity for a while.

Chris (waiting for more HA's...)

In my experience how much storage you need has significantly lower correlation to purchasing patterns than disposal patterns.

That said... Six drawers??? You're a better man than I (or at least more minimalist)