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Feb. 3, 2009 8:30 a.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork

Since the Civic is "finished" I've been cleaning the basement. Part of that is better tool organization / populating the bigger tool box. I've had a pretty good socket set for the past 15 years or so, but it came in one of those blow molded plastic cases and it gave up the ghost long ago. I hate all of the drawer organizers I've seen, so I decided to make my own.

Ingredients:

2' x 2' sheet of 1/4" plywood. I got a nice piece of cabinet grade stuff for $7.

1/4" x 36" dowel

3/8" x 36" dowel

1/2" x 36" dowel

Varnish

A few hours organizing, drilling, gluing, and staining later and we have this -

I like it better than store bought options and have maybe $20 in it.
Feb. 3, 2009 8:31 a.m. patgizz Dork

organization for the anal retentive toolbox!

i leave all my sockets on rails so i can bring the set to what i'm working on.
Feb. 3, 2009 8:44 a.m. pete240z HalfDork

patgizz wrote: i leave all my sockets on rails so i can bring the set to what i'm working on.

I do the same thing. A rail of metric's, a rail of SAE. A rail of 1/2" drives.....

Although your board looks really nice. Great job.
Feb. 3, 2009 8:49 a.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

I like that Idea...I may have to steal it :)

I have something like 4,000 sockets I got at an estate sale.
Feb. 3, 2009 9:13 a.m. joey48442 Dork

I've seen the same thing in plastic. Yours is MUCH nicer. Also, I think the one I saw was about the same price.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

Since the Civic is "finished" I've been cleaning the basement. Part of that is better tool organization / populating the bigger tool box. I've had a pretty good socket set for the past 15 years or so, but it came in one of those blow molded plastic cases and it gave up the ghost long ago. I hate all of the drawer organizers I've seen, so I decided to make my own.

Ingredients:

2' x 2' sheet of 1/4" plywood. I got a nice piece of cabinet grade stuff for $7.

1/4" x 36" dowel

3/8" x 36" dowel

1/2" x 36" dowel

Varnish

A few hours organizing, drilling, gluing, and staining later and we have this -

I like it better than store bought options and have maybe $20 in it.
Feb. 3, 2009 9:17 a.m. 4cylndrfury Reader

Grtechguy wrote:

I like that Idea...I may have to steal it :)

I have something like 4,000 sockets I got at an estate sale.

that is a lot
Feb. 3, 2009 9:20 a.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork

pete240z wrote:

patgizz wrote: i leave all my sockets on rails so i can bring the set to what i'm working on.

I do the same thing. A rail of metric's, a rail of SAE. A rail of 1/2" drives.....

Although your board looks really nice. Great job.

I've tried the rails. Don't like them. They are a lot more transportable than this, though this box pretty much lives in the workshop. I've got a traveling box with a separate small set that goes to events, junkyards, etc.
Feb. 3, 2009 10:15 a.m. dculberson New Reader

Dave, that's great. Looks incredible. (much nicer than the plastic alternatives.)

I use socket rails for now, but don't like them. I might make use of this idea if I'm finding myself unable to focus on a project at hand. Thanks for sharing!
Feb. 3, 2009 11:09 a.m. John Brown UltimaDork

I have a 2"x1/4"x48" magnet that I throw my sockets at ;)
Feb. 3, 2009 11:59 a.m. poopshovel Dork

SECKS. Even the color combination is hawt. Maybe one day your kids can hire my kids to frame the display in a shadowbox.
Feb. 3, 2009 12:19 p.m. Jensenman UltimaDork

Looks great, Dave!

I leave my stuff in those plastic snap in things Craftsman uses so I can carry a selection to my project. That way I don't spend all my time wandering back and forth to the tool box.

My 'travel box' is, in short, a bloody mess. Everything just gets thrown into the bottom.
Feb. 3, 2009 12:56 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

4cylndrfury wrote:

Grtechguy wrote:

I like that Idea...I may have to steal it :)

I have something like 4,000 sockets I got at an estate sale.

that is a lot

gets worse.....only paid $12 for the lot
Feb. 3, 2009 6:37 p.m. pinchvalve UltraDork

When what you make for your toolbox looks better then what most people make with their tools, you know you've made it.
Feb. 3, 2009 8:03 p.m. Carson HalfDork

Cool! What are you going to do for the screw drivers and wrenches?
Feb. 4, 2009 5:16 a.m. Feedyurhed Reader

I likey!! Good job.
Feb. 4, 2009 8:21 a.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork

Carson wrote:

Cool! What are you going to do for the screw drivers and wrenches?

Throw them in a drawer!

One of the advantages of the new box is more drawers though, so I can seperate flat head and phillips, metric and english, etc.
Feb. 4, 2009 8:26 a.m. John Brown UltimaDork

Dave you puss.

Build a nice matching "L" bracket that holds the drivers and locks in when the top closes.
Feb. 4, 2009 8:47 a.m. m4ff3w Dork

Grtechguy wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote:

Grtechguy wrote:

I like that Idea...I may have to steal it :)

I have something like 4,000 sockets I got at an estate sale.

that is a lot

gets worse.....only paid $12 for the lot

Sell them to me for $60 +shipping. Not every day that you get a ROI like that.
Feb. 4, 2009 11:02 a.m. Karl La Follette Reader

super cool ,, we get junk car tool socket sets and have to banish them as not to contaminate our regular box. Nice idea just counted 18 3/8 socket wrenchs
July 6, 2009 5:57 p.m. Grtechguy UltraDork

I have to bump this..... presenting my newly organized drawer.

Gotta love having a retired dad looking for woodworking projects
July 7, 2009 5:29 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

Pretty work, not for me. I also am a rail guy.

Walking back and forth between the car and the box for a socket change drives me nuts.

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