How to store tools?

[Mick Metcalfe]

I had thought of making a tool roll put of fabric tbh. It wouldnt be too hard to do as you could fold some cloth sp that one side is higher than the other, as this will aloow you to see the tools when in their compartment. Then sew up the side of the tool with a sewing machine to form the pocket. If you ever went anywhere and needed to transport a few tools, then ypu remove the ones you dont need and condense the size. Its also lighter than toolboxes and allows flexibilty of storage and transportation too. you could even hang it on the wall if you desired to do so.

Mick

[gerrymcm]

Haven't got around to this as yet but I'm going to try vertically hanging a tall thin board or boards (ply/osb) against the wall in the corner of the shed. If I cover it with tool clips stuff be taken off easily and as it's hinged you could use both sides. It could then "fold" flat against the wall almost.

I also thought about making hinged boards in between the rafters of my shed so that they could flap down. again a project for another time.
Gerry

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[Brucey]

going OT a bit here but I too have played around with the idea of hinged toolboards. I wondered if they could be made into a slim cupboard-esque affair (where the 'doors' are full size and overlap one another) that opens out to reveal the tools inside. Thus a space 2' by 4' (say) and ~5" deep on the wall could contain three 2' x 4' boards. With tools on one side of each board only you would have 24 square feet of space. If you used both sides of one 'door' all the tools would still be hidden when the thing is closed up but there would be 32 square feet of space in total.

Why closed up when not in use? Well I have found that in many sheds the condensation that occurs is enough to set the tools off rusting if they are mounted on exposed shadow boards (BTDT). Closed over is much better, but to deter this from happening altogether, I have wondered about using a greenhouse soil heater inside the 'cupboard'; this will come on automatically when the temperature goes below a certain point and uses a mighty 5-10W (or something , not much anyway) when it is on. If it works; no more rusty shed tools!

cheers

[Flinders]

If you want a wooden box, artists use them all the time, and so you can easily buy them empty. Look up empty wooden boxes on art materials supplier sites. Some have trays as well, and most of them are not expensive.

Great Art have some, and are a German firm so I think would supply across Europe
http://www.greatart.co.uk/index.php?sto ... wooden+box

And there are these:

http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/howden-emp ... n-box.html

http://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2012/12 ... nda-boxes/

and there are lots more about.

"brush box" would get you a long thin one.


You can get a nice fingerjointed one for a modest outlay. Some have internal trays, some are completely empty for you to customise yourself, some are like briefcases, some are deeper. Avoid those for pastels, they just have lots of tiny compartments.

Otherwise, search for the same on ebay if you are happy to have a 2nd hand one, you can get a good deal there.

[Flinders]

I had thought of making a tool roll put of fabric tbh. It wouldnt be too hard to do as you could fold some cloth sp that one side is higher than the other, as this will aloow you to see the tools when in their compartment. Then sew up the side of the tool with a sewing machine to form the pocket. If you ever went anywhere and needed to transport a few tools, then ypu remove the ones you dont need and condense the size. Its also lighter than toolboxes and allows flexibilty of storage and transportation too. you could even hang it on the wall if you desired to do so.

Mick

I make rolls for paintbrushes or small pouches for tools out of leather. You need either very strong hands to sew it, and a pad to push the needle through, or to use a special leather needle in your sewing machine (or a friend's sewing machine), though the machine needs to be a reasonably butch one. I got a bag of leather pieces from a tanner that hadn't come out of the tanning process very evenly, so weren't good for garments but were fine for the job.
I just put fairly tight fitting loops of leather in for each brush, like this on in cloth:
http://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/01 ... ncil-roll/
I usually put zips round mine, but cloth ones usually just have a tape/tapes that tie/s round the roll when it's rolled up.

[Flinders]

It was in a Leroy Merlin that I saw the plastic toolboxes I didn’t like. They were unbranded, Dexter, and Stanley in order of increasing price. The smell when I opened them (all brands) was unbelievable. Is it some kind of outgassing from the polypropylene? Presumably this passes, but it really turned me off. It stuck in my nose for the next half hour!

The plastic boxes were also flimsy – not the boxes themselves but their hinges and catches – and the interiors were black or dark navy, which I thought would make it hard to find tools.

I also looked at two traditional metal toolboxes, both red, with folding trays. An unbranded one around €14 was terribly constructed and didn’t look like it would last a week. The other, by Facom, was a bit larger than necessary and nearly €70 but otherwise attractive.

I may also check Bricomarché and Point.P – thanks for the suggestions.

I have a big Stanley one for my bigger work tools, with a simple open base and top tray, which is fine, but it would be well OTT in size for bike tools, and it stank of plastic for a long time, though it doesn't now. I don't get on with the metal cantilever ones. Mr Flinders has several of different sizes. They're heavy and sharp, and the upper trays are really too shallow and narrow for a lot of tools, which then get wedged together and jam it, so it becomes difficult to pick up. A small one might work for bike tools though, I suppose.

[Samuel D]

Here’s an English version of the Facom toolbox catalogue Psamathe linked to earlier. (It’s a ZIP file that contains a PDF.) What do you think of the BT.9 toolbox on page 149 of that catalogue? (Actually page 8 of the PDF.)

The BT.9 is smaller than the BT.11A, since it omits the second layer of drawers. I think it would easily hold my bike tools, but it wouldn’t leave as much room for nuts and bolts and other small non-tool items.

Usefully, it’s cheaper than the BT.11A: not very much more expensive than the old box Brucey found on eBay (thanks! I also found this one, but I bet that will attract bids).

I also found this BT.11A at €50, but it’s a bit out of my way.

I like the wooden boxes, Flinders, and may get one of those for organising bits and pieces. But they seem a bit light for heavier tools.

[Psamathe]

Here’s an English version of the Facom toolbox catalogue Psamathe linked to earlier. (It’s a ZIP file that contains a PDF.) What do you think of the BT.9 toolbox on page 149 of that catalogue? (Actually page 8 of the PDF.)

The BT.9 is smaller than the BT.11A, since it omits the second layer of drawers. I think it would easily hold my bike tools, but it wouldn’t leave as much room for nuts and bolts and other small non-tool items.

Usefully, it’s cheaper than the BT.11A: not very much more expensive than the old box Brucey found on eBay (thanks! I also found this one, but I bet that will attract bids).

I also found this BT.11A at €50, but it’s a bit out of my way.

I like the wooden boxes, Flinders, and may get one of those for organising bits and pieces. But they seem a bit light for heavier tools.

I like mine primarily because things stay where they are put and you don't have to lift out trays from which tools spill into other trays. pen it out and everything is accessible straight away. Closing the box effectively puts covers over each tray (which means I can turn it on end, etc. and it's all happy. It is tough (will outlive me and whoever gets it next). But other negative comments people have made about such designs are also true; they are heavy and the edges are not as rounded as most plastic toolboxes. Bash it into a wooden door (corner on) and the toolbox will not be marked whereas the door might be.

Ian

[pete75]

Steel cantilever tool boxes, steel multi draw cabinet of the type no longer used in offices and canvas tool bags for plumbing and carpentry type tools.

[Psamathe]

Here’s an English version of the Facom toolbox catalogue Psamathe linked to earlier. (It’s a ZIP file that contains a PDF.) What do you think of the BT.9 toolbox on page 149 of that catalogue? (Actually page 8 of the PDF.)

The BT.9 is smaller than the BT.11A, since it omits the second layer of drawers. I think it would easily hold my bike tools, but it wouldn’t leave as much room for nuts and bolts and other small non-tool items.

Personally I would want everything together i.e. the toolbox would include some lubes, spare nuts, bolts, etc. so you only have to carry a single box to the bike (pretty well anyway). As for the BT.9 being big enough - I have no idea about how many/large tools you have and how many more you might get in future (i.e. how close you are to having "everything"). Assuming they are at the higher end of the price range then do make sure you get one to last if you can afford it and think the design appropriate.

Ian

[Flinders]

I like the wooden boxes, Flinders, and may get one of those for organising bits and pieces. But they seem a bit light for heavier tools.

I take your point. I generally wouldn't put a big claw hammer in one, but I'd be happy to put my more modest selection of bike tools in one of the larger ones. (At present, mine are in a cardboard box in my loft rather than my cellar!) They do vary rather a lot. The weakest point is usually the hinges - on cheap boxes they are more like jewel box hinges, but often the box itself is okay, and a new pair of stout brass hinges can make a big difference.

The best artists' easels are of beech, and therefore, as we tend to like the wood we know, there are some beech boxes around, as well as other harder woods, which are fairly robust. Older second hand ones can be butch-er too.

[Mick Metcalfe]

I make rolls for paintbrushes or small pouches for tools out of leather. You need either very strong hands to sew it, and a pad to push the needle through, or to use a special leather needle in your sewing machine (or a friend's sewing machine), though the machine needs to be a reasonably butch one. I got a bag of leather pieces from a tanner that hadn't come out of the tanning process very evenly, so weren't good for garments but were fine for the job.
I just put fairly tight fitting loops of leather in for each brush, like this on in cloth:
http://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/01 ... ncil-roll/
I usually put zips round mine, but cloth ones usually just have a tape/tapes that tie/s round the roll when it's rolled up.

Ah that sounds a cool idea to make it out of leather. I was thinking more of making it from a cloth though tbh, as it would be lighter and wouldnt shrink and gain weight should it get wet. I recall my dad having a cloth tool roll when I was a kid too, very adaptable as it can also change shape depending on where you need to store it.

[Flinders]

I make rolls for paintbrushes or small pouches for tools out of leather. You need either very strong hands to sew it, and a pad to push the needle through, or to use a special leather needle in your sewing machine (or a friend's sewing machine), though the machine needs to be a reasonably butch one. I got a bag of leather pieces from a tanner that hadn't come out of the tanning process very evenly, so weren't good for garments but were fine for the job.
I just put fairly tight fitting loops of leather in for each brush, like this on in cloth:
http://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/01 ... ncil-roll/
I usually put zips round mine, but cloth ones usually just have a tape/tapes that tie/s round the roll when it's rolled up.

Ah that sounds a cool idea to make it out of leather. I was thinking more of making it from a cloth though tbh, as it would be lighter and wouldnt shrink and gain weight should it get wet. I recall my dad having a cloth tool roll when I was a kid too, very adaptable as it can also change shape depending on where you need to store it.

If you can't get the leather, a good heavy denim would do, I should think. I use a roll of that for my large Yankie bits; the slots are tight enough for the bits not to slide out and have a closed end, I have a flap that folds over the open end just in case, and then the whole lot rolls up.

[Brucey]

I have occasionally seen fabric tool rolls for sale in the pound shop. They didn't look to be super quality, but they would at least be functional for a while.

cheers

[AlaninWales]

Fabric rolls have everal advantages as mentioned above. Their principle disadvantages are that they will wear (particularly when tools have sharp edges/points) with use and movement and that (unless plastic - which cracks) with age) they will hold moisture directly on the tools. One way to mitigate the latter is to spray them with oil and/or moisture displacer (e.g. WD40), however that means they get horrible to handle and pick up grit and dirt. Great for tools that are only very occasionally used (for me that means chisels - but a carpenter would make a wooden box for those ).