Joint-compound buckets are just too durable and plentiful to ignore as containers for carrying tools, but I’ve always been bothered by the way tools end up jumbled together in a bucket. Tools need to be kept in dividers to make sure they’re easy to find and to keep any edge tools from getting damaged. I solved the problem by using duct tape to hold a selection of 3/4-in. to 4-in. plastic pipes together, as shown in the drawing. I put a tester cap on the bottom of each pipe, which allows me to lift the tubes out as a single unit — tools and all — if I need the bucket for some other purpose.
Mark Russell, Lakeville, MN
