Don't Post Pics of Your Tool Storage

Recently discovered "French Cleats" when searching for pics of tool storage.  Anyone use them?

And also sliding walls.   

I use french cleats a lot. But not yet for tool storage. They work amazing for hanging flat screen tvs without a bracket however... My tool wall is mostly just big nails but also some hooks. Nails are much faster than french cleats.

Menards had a bunch of slatwall on clearance a few weeks ago and in hindsight I should have bought it all.  I might get some pegboard for my inventory of new stuff on hanging cards.  Otherwise i prefer to keep my tools in toolboxes and not hanging on the wall

Many years ago I got slatwall that was removed from a clothing store at a mall. Free out of demolition dumpster, I asked the guys working there before taking. Dumpster diving can provide a lot of things.

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I'm thinking of doing something with my tools so they fit better in my narrow garage...  Have some ideas, but hoping for a more off-shelf solution. 

Cleaning up this mess is going to be one of my Corona Boredom projects. 

My tools are jammed in a storage unit except for a small kit in my Jeep. So have an old photo of my grandfather's tools/projects/disaster

Nothing to add except that an Ace Hardware near me had sliding double walls for some of their tool displays.    And I bet those were thrown away with the recent re-model.  *sigh*

Those would have been great in MY garage!  lol

I bought this toolkit to take to the track, and since all my work spaces are in flux, it is essentially my only tool storage.

I did the mx3 engine swap at the barn with essentially just this for tools.  However, must be careful as the sockets are not locked in, you get disaster if you are not careful, which happened at Laguna!

I use french cleats to hang TVs.  Just rip a strip of 3/4 ply or 1x lumber with about a 30 degree bevel.  Hang one on the wall, drill and bolt the other to the TV.  Edit:  Robbie beat me to it

I do that primarily because that means the TV is only ever 3/4" away from the wall which is better than most TV brackets, and also because I can do it with free scrap in 15 minutes instead of $75 and reading an instruction booklet.

My current 55" is hung that way.

Another thing I want to try for cordless power tools:

^ that is gold Curis!

I never understood the hanging of powertools. I have a few cordless that I use in the garage, but generally speaking I need them somewhere else. I have most of mine in toolboxes so that I can keep the bits, blades, tools, eye protection, etc all in one case. Grab and go.

Woody - Id go for a tool box or two, or a heavy duty cabinet or two underneath to hold most of those.  I bet they don't take up much room when organized in 6 drawers

that, coupled with a few shelves above the bench and you'd be golden

buzzboy said:

My tools are jammed in a storage unit except for a small kit in my Jeep. So have an old photo of my grandfather's tools/projects/disaster

What is clamped in the vice. That is fascinating. 

Tools are in a couple of different tool chests. Mostly sorted by what the tool does. 

For instance, lathe and mill tools are all under the lathe as are all the perscision measuring tools.

Welding tools, grinders and all the consumables for metal work are all in the welding cabinet. 

Mechanics tools are all in a HF rolling tool chest sorted by what they are. Specialty tools are all still in the boxes they came in and stored in the bottom of several cheap rolling tool chests. 

Most of my power tools stay in the boxes they came in and all sit on a roll around shelf. Battery stuff has a shelf dedicated to it with the chargers. 

Most of my wall space is taken up by cabinets, shelving or large tools, so I don't hang much stuff on the walls. It all goes in boxes or tool chests. 

jfryjfry said:

Woody - Id go for a tool box or two, or a heavy duty cabinet or two underneath to hold most of those.  I bet they don't take up much room when organized in 6 drawers

that, coupled with a few shelves above the bench and you'd be golden

There are two full roll away tool boxes next to that bench!

All you guys with too much garage/not enough stuff . . .

A variety of repurposed kitchen cabinets (closer to full than to empty) also works quite well. 

This is what happens over 41 years and change when the storage grows up around the amount of stuff that needs to be (sort of) put somewhere and the garage can't get any bigger.   Yeah, I need to get at the bottom of the door.

Norm

I'm pretty boring... mostly drawers...

HF roller cabinet for most things

More HF cabinets in my workbench.  I moved most of my metal working tools (drill bits, files, punches, dremels, etc) into this after building it.

Welding/grinding/clamping stuff in the welding cart.

I kept a smaller welding cart for bearing press kits, dies for the tubing bender, etc.  Some power tools in their blowmolded cases reside in the white cabinet along the wall.  Most things on wheels for playing garage tetris.

In reply to Toyman01 :

i should put my lathe on a chest to make max use of space, but mine is way heavier.  will have to look into that.  that would free up the welding table that the lathe came bolted to for stuff like welding.  

What's you guys' source for casters for these sweet, heavy carts that you build? I am in need of some, and not sure of a decent source without paying an arm and a leg.. Love the ideas posted so far, I need real help getting mine together a little better!

In reply to classicJackets :

I've been using the HF casters for years with good results.  I just make sure to Ieave plenty of headroom in the ratings.

In reply to classicJackets :

The last couple of things I've put on wheels, I have used furniture dollies from Harbor Freight. Most of them are good for 1000 pounds and at $8-$16 each you can afford to use two of them for stability.

This is good timing, I’m getting ready to do the other part of my garage. I’m mostly done with the single car side. I took all of the cabinets with me when I sold my old house 2 years ago, and fit them into the single car side of the new house. I had peg board at the old house, and swore I’d switch to slat wall with the new house. But the greater availability and the greater variety of hangers available for peg board, along with more up/down flexibility led me to stick with peg board...

This was against the back wall in the old house, but fit well as an island between the 1 car and 2 car sections of the garage...

I recently added this hardware section to the wasted space between the garage doors. It’s worked out well so far...

I used peg board in the shed I recently built too...

I’ve found that I like to have my frequently used tools hung up with a dedicated home. I can find them much faster and I tend to put them back where they belong. I save the workbench drawers for materials. Plumbing drawer, electrical drawer, hardware drawer, etc. 

Thanks to this and the recent workbench thread, I’ve got some great ideas for the two car side I’m starting on. The single car side will be for woodworking and home projects, the two car side will be the automotive and metal fabrication side. So far, I’m looking at something like Rodan built for a workbench, and French cleat systems for the walls. 

I have been cleaning along with working on racecar.  I built some overhead storage above my workbench, and still have a lot of cleaning to do.  I can walk around my shop now, and slowly cleaning.

I have noticed that it appears that I will need to get another tool box.  This is one that I need to look into.  I really like Toyman1 lathe setup.  I need to pull in my lathe from my Dads house and will implement that.  I will have to get some pics of what I have and post it up.