Need small parts storage ideas

[Hogleg]

I am in the process of building my new shop. I want to have a wall area of small bins for sorted small parts, nuts, bolts, etc. I see these plastic hanging wall bins but they look cheesy. I am thinking of building a unit out of wood.

any ideas of unique ways to do this? Pics of what you built or bought? Antiques that you got for a song that worked well?

John
 

[Chris(WA)]

I have a "wall" of drawers that I inherited from a shop.Kitchen drawer size drawers. Two columns of drawers 12 drawers high. It is the best! Not sure where you would ever go to to get another like it. I'm sure it was shop built.
Also have a big wooden "locker" with shelves where I keep chemicals and large power tools.
That all said, we do use the plastic bins in our vans and really like them. Very tough and light weight compared to cardboard. We have them sitting on shelving as opposed to sispended from the edge. I bet they would break or distort used that way!
 

[dave2]

depending on how big/much you're talking about....


 

[NCWayne]

What your storing is going to determine what you use more than anything. The bins give you a decent amount of leway when it comes to sizes of things as there are different size bins, things can stick out the top a bit, etc. Like you I think the whole deal of them hanging on the wall is a bit cheesy looking too. That being the case, I've got a couple of shelves setup such that the bins slide in on the shelf. This gives me the ability to put stuff in a bin, or if it won't fit, to remove a bin and put it on the shelf itself.

Now if your storing things like bolts, etc the best thing will be some actual metal bolt bins. Being metal the dividers, etc all take up less space than using even 1/8 plywood as dividers. As a result you wind up with more actual storage space for a given dimension with the metal bins than the wood.

If your looking for something in the way of drawers, things like old card catalogs from a library, etc can be repurposed for that. I've had several Uncles that did that in years past, and my Dad actually has a couple of sections in his shop that were origionally used for that purpose. They work pretty good, and depending on what you get, there are some out there with dfferent sized drawers in them.

If the objects are really small, like screws, electrical connectors, tube fittings, cotter pins, etc, etc, then nothing beats a few of the units with the divided, slide out drawers.

Beyond that, anything that will hole what your looking to store, do it in the space available, and is to your liking is fair game. In the end it's all about making space and convenience, and if you can accomplish both, regardless of what you use, then all is good.
 

[dave2]

[Lamar Fudd]

Well, I'm certain to catch heck for this, but I got a two sided parts storage rack from Harbor Freight on casters. One side is devoted to Metric and the other side is SAE. The bins are removable and the casters make it easy to turn around depending on what is needed. It stores against the wall and can be moved where needed and swept under when needed. I think it was $75.00 including the 20% discount. Before this, I had a plywood storage rack that was immoveable and always had a lot of wasted space when storing nuts, bolts and washers.
 

[paul]

Dad got a bolt bin made of wood, the bins are old metal cans, the flat type gallon in size, with a side cut out.

I've seen similar made from plastic gallon jugs - not as durable. Also seens smaller ones from the quart oil bottles.

--->Paul
 

[jackinok]

the newer baby food bottles doesnt work as well as the old ones did,simply because the lids are so thin they rip out (my experience anyway).freind of mine here made a shelf unit out of wood that holds the square plastic one pound coffee cans on a angle.it works pretty good and the handle lets you pull them out and carry the whole bin somewhere if you need to. he collected the cans at work where we drink a lot of coffee.works for him, since i havent built a shop building yet i still use the old 5 gallon bucket method!
 

[dave2]

[tractor300]

For enclosed rodent proof storage space I use old kitchen cabinets. For bolts, nuts and etc, I use the small plastic bins set on shelves or could be in a cabinet, with a small ledge in front so they will not slide off. When I need several things on a job I just remove the bin I need and take to job. Just remember to replace after finished so it is available next time. I have a habit of not always returning it to proper place. This works great for me.
 

[Butch(OH)]

Look for hardware/ farm store/ auto parts store auctions. They are your best bet as for quality vs cost often times the bolt bins are sold with contents. I have a couple plastic hanging units also. They are OK for light stuff but not hardware, at least in quanities as I like to keep. If you have the skills homebuilt from wood is great because you can fit the unit to your space and unit size requirements. Another plus for wood in a non climate controlled shop is for unknown reasons things dont rust nearly as bad when stored in wood as compared steel or plastic.
 

[Terry G]

Here is a cheap one for small parts

 

[Scott.ID]

I know it's a pic of the bike, but you can see the Costco bins in the background. Small bins for nuts, bolts, washers, etc, medium bins for plumbing and electrical fittings etc, large bottom bins for "extra" tractor and rig parts, etc.

If I'm working on something, I grab the appropriate bins and take them to the bench. Clean-up consists of putting the bins back.

 

[Dave Sherburne NY]

In the big shop I built in WI I built wooden Bolt bins right into the wall with 2" of foam between them and the outside wall. The rest of the shop had 8" of insulation in the walls. Next place I built shelves on one whole wall except for about 4x6' that I hung plastic racks on with drawers in them at the time, about $14 for each set of drawers. When I got to this place the PO had shelves built on almost every wall in the shop. I'm not doing enough to warrant any bigger bins than I brought from the last place for nuts washers and bolts. For screws and nails I use clear plastic Pbutter jars or empty peanut jars some of which are square so they take up less room
 

[Hogleg]

Keep the ideas coming guys!

Had to comment, on the plastic oil cans - Wow! What a great idea for small parts storage! Going to definitely do that one for small hardware...

I like the costco bins for the larger stuff. Plus a natural way to clean up the bench when done.

John