Anybody have any suggestions for a fastener storage system that is square, fits inside something like a milkcrate (square or rectangular), and nests inside each other?
I am considering the Bucket Boss trays, but they are round, and that makes for wasted space when stored on a shelf…
Dehumidification is listed as a selling point for HPWHs, but are they actually effective at lowering humidity?
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I use these...
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Buy fasteners in whatever quantity is economical and refill the trays as necessary.
Edited 10/8/2008 7:40 am ET by RalphWicklund
Edited 10/8/2008 7:42 am ET by RalphWicklund
do your fasteners end up smelling like bait??.
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
you trolling? I never used bait for that , spinners worked best.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Don't use no stinkin' bait...
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Edited 10/18/2008 2:18 pm ET by RalphWicklund
Parachute bags. Though unfortunately the good ones aren't made any more. (Yes, they're round, but they will conform to any shape.)
Those old parachute bags were great! I searched and searched for them in recent years and came up empty. I even called the company and asked why they stopped making them... they said it was due to cost. So I asked if they would mind if I made some for me and some friends... they said no problem. I should've recorded that conversation. I figure I could get my seamstress friend to knock out a few dozen and could make a mint selling them to old carpenters and the like. Those used to be the heart of the Bucket Boss system. Tools on the outside, fasteners on the inside. We had a bucket for screws and nails, another for plumbing, and another for electrical. Those were the good ol' days.GK
Yeah, I was considering getting together some orders and having the Amish around here sew some up. But I'm not really cut out to organize that sort of thing.I did find some halfway decent smaller ones being sold by CyberGuys. They're smaller, and 8 pockets instead of 6, and the lacing isn't done quite right, but they're better than the carpy thing that Bucket Boss sells now.
Corporation: n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. --Ambrose Bierce
Duluth Trading has parachute bags. Are these not decent quality?http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/28125.aspx?feature=&kw=parachuteI've never used them, so I'm just curious...
I've invented an automatic parachute - It opens on impact.
Nope. They're not laced right. The lacing is supposed to come through the middle, so when you pick up the bag by the lacing it closes up nicely and you can just use the lace to toss it across the room without droping a screw.
Corporation: n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. --Ambrose Bierce
I have a multi-part storage system, I use the Stanley organizer for "pound" storage needs such as for 1lb and 5lb boxes of nails and screws that I use most often. I like the way that each bin is removable for use at my workbench or in my toolpouch. These bins run around $18 at Homedepot.
For "ones & twos" items like cabinet hinges or small packs of pop rivets, I use the Workforce adjustable small parts bins. They have removable plastic dividers that allow me to use anywhere from a 2cubic inch space to a 2"x2"x14" space. I even have one just for black pipe fittings and another just for copper pipe fittings. These bins run around $10 at Homedepot.
Inside a few of the Workforce bins, I took out all the dividers and these locking organizers fit in perfectly. They are great for keeping together assortments of the same size nuts, washers, lock washers, nylon nuts, and a couple lengths of bolts all of the same thread size. Again, they are conveinient to take to the workbench or stick in the tool belt. I got them from Michaels Crafts for about $5 each.
Also inside the bins, I use small resealable bags to organize oddball "ones&twos" of leftover screws, bolts, etc. that may have come from an appliance install or leftover parts from a broken power tool or plumbing/electrical job. I get these for free from my wife's work but you can order them from Uline or just save them from jobs.
For very small parts, I use stackable "cups" that screw together. They are all clear allowing me to "size up" a screw or nut prior to opening them. I also got these from Michael's for about $2 for a stack of 5.
As for the use of milkcrates (which I buy from various gas stations for $3 each) I reuse the smaller coffee cans and fill them with stuff I don't use all that often like lag bolts, carriage bolts and nuts, and plywood clips. I generally put a piece of duct tape over the can to seal it better and to provide a clean place to write the contents. I can perfectly fit 18 cans in one crate.
All of the systems stack and fit into my Adrian Steel shelving in my van. For the bins, I put a bungee vertically through the handles to keep them in place.
I also label everything I can using either a marker, a label maker, or by cutting off the label on the boxes and double sided taping to the bin/sticking them in the bag.
It's a good system and only took me a day or so to set up.
GK
jjapogee,
Ralph is on the right track. Go to your local Bass Pro Shop or Gander Mountain and look for fishing lure boxes. I'm not totally sure about Gander but I know Bass has a huge selection of small parts storage boxes.
Joe
The old parachute bags were great. Somehow, nobody has been able to make a comparable unit.
The problem with all those platic tray type units is that the lids are not firm enough. A couple of bumps and everything is gravitating to the bottom. Anybody found some stout ones?
Great ideas, all!The tackle boxes look good for small items: nuts, bolts, 'ones & two's'. The parachute bags look interesting- too bad the good ones seem to have disappeared. In particular, I have lots of nail types to organize, from big 16d to teeny brads. Some kind of bins that would fit inside milkcrates of varying sizes would be ideal, especially if it allows the crates to stack neatly. Keep the ideas a'comin!
just as a word from someone who has been there n' dunit...I used to have a milk crate system sorta like what you seem to be after and grew tired with it. I had to un-stack everything to get to some item I thought was on the bottom then stack everything back. If something opened and spilled then it went to the bottom and through the grate... next time you carry it to the job, you're dropping screws or nails all the way up the driveway without even noticing. Flat tire-a-go-go.
I also tired of never knowing what I had without digging. I really like it now that everything is at a glance, nothing falls out, I don't waste nails/screws by having to toss a handful in the tool pouches even though I may have just needed a few... you know the rest just stayed in the belt till belt cleaning day, then they went in the dumpster.FYI, those parachute bags from the CyberGuys look alot like the real deal. I might try 'em out.gk
I've been thru a couple of 2 sided tackle boxes and the problem is that when carried vertically, the small screws leak into other compartments and get mixed up because the lids bow outward. I found at Walmart in the fishing dept. a lure tackle box that had 5 or 6 large plastic clear boxes stacked horizontally for $17
DavidW