nuts and bolts organizer

[Mark from the Fort]

Anybody have a good source for purchasing (or good ideas) nuts and bolts organizers?
I'm not a big fan of the plastic, open, pullout drawers.
I do woodworking and solid surface work in the same shop I tinker with the ol tractors--the sawdust and S.S. Dust really fills the open containers.
I'd like to find the old cardboard boxes with the nut and bolt info on the ends.
My fathers old "pic a pac" storage bin is still in his shop. Haven't got the heart to remove it and use it.
Thought you guys might know of a source.
Thanks Mark

 

[Dennis Minn]

I use old peanut/cashew containers. They fit within a stud space(3.5 inches) and I paint the container with gray spray paint. The beauty is the lid snaps on the tubs, keeps everything clean, and is apparently a "green" idea. Bad part is that I've taken quite a while to gather enough, but I've asked family to save these for me. Hope this helps,

Dennis

 

[Dale in WV]

Other than those dinky 16-tray cabinets with pull-out plastic trays, for the stuff that won't fit in there easily or I just have too much -- well can you really ever have too much hardware? , I use the clear plastic peanut butter jars.
Big enough for plenty of everything from drywall screws through half-inch bolts. Helps to have a family that bakes and uses peanut butter -- and a supportive work location that frequently responds to in-house e-mails OF Help and old scrounge organize his workshop -- bring me your empty peanut butter jars.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Grainger

 

[rexhellwig]

Your post just reminded me of something..

My dad used to have a carrousel mounted above the old farm shop workbench. It swung about a dozen of those glass Gerber baby food jars. The metal lids were fastened with two screws each to the rotating carrousel. It was easy to look up and actually see what you needed without digging through different cans and trays. You unscrewed the jar from the fixed lid, dumped the contents into your hand, picked out what you wanted, put the rest back in the jar and screwed it back on to the lid up above.

 

[Steve Sewell]

Mark: I have one of those plastic bin / shelf units. I put thin plywood on three sides and doors on the front to keep the dust out.

- Steve

Steve Sewell
Albany, Ohio USA
[email protected]
[email protected]

 

[Anonymous-0]

If you choose jars, cans etc. I can give you a heads up--go to the recycle bins at schools, food places, care centers and so on. Many times they are washed out and ready to take at no cost.

 

[Kevin in OK]

We use primarily old coffee cans, the metal ones. Same idea really as the others, a small (or large, just depends) container with a lid that closes up good. I kind of like the PB jar idea, you can see into it without taking off the lid.

Kevin

 

[jack12345]

I use two systems: for larger bolts/nuts hardware made bins out of wood and plywood bins vary in size depending on whats being stored.Bolt/screw onto wall with a 2x2 under it for weight support.
For smaller parts I use 2x6" boxes that can be removed and dumped on work bench to get to part required the 2x6" boxes are stored side by side in a file cabinet type drawers label drawers nut/bolts/screws/etc The cabinets can be made or purchased.Can be made in sections to meet your needs as your hobbies grow. You can
store a lot goodies in each box/drawer/cabinet.

 

[Mike of the North]

Try hear.
www.mcfeelys.com/search/storage

 

[TGIN]

All the parts bins I`ve looked at seem pretty expensive for as poor as they are put together . I made a wall rack out of scrap lumber about 6 ft. tall that holds coffee cans at about a 3/4 angle , works good and looks like it belongs there .

 

[Cman]

I use instant coffee jars, about a quart in size. I use instant coffee at home and at work so I have a pretty good source for the jars. I have probably thirty lined up on the back of my work bench. They work very good for me. I have like 3/8 SAE bolts in one jar, 3/8 USS in another jar beside it. The jars are glass so you can see what is in it. Have to use certain amount of caution since they are glass, but in the past twenty years I have only broken a couple
Also I write the sizes on the outside of the jar with a magic marker and two inch masking tape. Also have small jars for smaller parts and screws.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I found an old military drawer file that has drawers about 2 inches deep by about 18 by 22 inches. The drawers can be lifted out to take to the work. I have the bolts and nuts all seperated by thread size. The drawer makes a nice place to spread the pieces out so different sizes can be located without dumping the contents out onto a bench surface. Since it is all enclosed it keeps the dust and dirt out. The whole thing is very heavy and can only be moved with the drawers out.

 

[Scott.ID]

You might take a look at thr Garage Junkies forum and do a search for not and bolt storage, etc.

LOTS of good ideas over there, but beware. You can spend hours on the posts and shop stuff can be as much of a "mission creep" issue as old tractors.

Scott
Garage Journal

 

[Anonymous-0]

Some premium fastener supply companies would furnish you their drawer bins as long as you bought from them but probably don't do that now. Industrial supply places that sell Durham bin drawers can help or local industrial or bolt supplies may have a good deal on those too. I have some that are Durham and some from Lawson they furnished are drawers with plastic insert dividers and will slide out of cabinet and can also remove the drawer box to take to job site if needed. mcmaster.com, grainger.com , mscdirect.com , fastenal.com lawson.com , auveco.com

 

[Anonymous-0]

I mark contents on the plastic lid with a sharpie marker.Coffee cans large and small make good parts containers.Jars are ok until I drop one.

 

[Crem]

Here is my answer to the bolts and nuts storage. I salvaged a large free standing electrical panel and added shelves in it. It has doors on it so that it can be closed up. I cut pieces from an aluminum TV antenna to make the spacers between the yellow boxes which they got rid of at work. Besides buying bolts of varying sizes, whenever I scrap something, I save and sort the bolts into the proper bins. It sure is handy to be able to find a needed bolt by just walking over to the bin. I have done a lot of that digging in a pail though. ))

 

[John Niolon]

Hi Mark

My shop is only 24x24 and in it there is a "53 f-100 torn down to the frame, plus all my other stuff. I gave up on coffee cans and buckets years ago and decided to get organized. I use everything from those 16 drawer cabinets
from "The Walmart"

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage002a.jpg
http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage003a.jpg


to floor to ceiling parts drawers I bought used at office supply and warehouse sales and such. This is an old picture, almost every drawer is full now.

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage007a.jpg

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage008a.jpg


it seperated by size and grade and labeled with large type labels.

I"ve also got smaller cabinets/drawers for brass and stainless stuff
http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage006a.jpg

and for things I want to keep reasonably clean I built these shelves and used plastic shoeboxes

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage005a.jpg



http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/n_bstorage006a.jpg

There is also a rack with about 60 of the "yellow bins" in another area where the bigger "clunkyier" stuff is kept.. conduit fittings, copper stuff, pvc fittings etc. When you don"t have a lot of room you have to get it organized

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/misc/shop1.jpg
http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/misc/shop2.jpg


john

 

[John Niolon]

well, that didn't work... let's try this

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4887.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4886.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4884.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4885.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4889.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4888.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4890.jpg

https://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/pieces/v4891.jpg

 

[John Niolon]

I give up on posting pictures !

john

 

[John Niolon]

one more time

 

[Fergienewbee]

I use PB jars and nut cans. You can also use those plastic containers from bulk food stores. They come in different sizes and the lids snap in. Work great for DW screws, nails, etc.

Larry

 

[Slowpoke]

Hey John,
are you sure those are not pictures of the shop of M5 Industries, aka Myth Busters?

 

[Slowpoke]

I find the peanut butter jars are now plastic with screw on lids.

 

[Slowpoke]

If you have a Michaels store nearby, you can get the plastic "Floss" boxes with 17 compartments. Great for small parts and cheap. There is a 40% off coupon every week in their flyer. It brings the cost of the box to $1.29, regular $1.99. HD also has larger plastic storage boxes for about $4. I store springs, small nuts, bolts, washers, screws, etc. All nicely separated and no dumping to get the parts.