Editor's Notepad

A Place for Everything

comments (2) December 1st, 2010 in Blogs

Patrick McCombe, Associate editor

Made from AC plywood, 2x4's and framing nails, my long-handled tool organizer has already improved my life. The steel post bar that hangs horizontally a few inches above the floor is incredibly useful for digging in New England's rocky soil and tamping backfill around posts and pipes. It's one of my favorite hand tools.

Add Comment
Print

I’m generally a pretty tidy guy, especially when it comes to organizing my tools. I like to know where stuff is, and I like when it’s easy to get. So the pile of shovels, rakes, sledgehammers, and other long-handled tools stuffed in a back corner of my basement had really been getting on my nerves. The final straw occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday when a toppling rake handle smacked me in the forehead while I was reaching for a broom.

So Saturday morning I braved the crowds in the home center, looking for a quick way to organize my shovels and rakes. I came home with a 3-ft.-wide plastic organizer that I hung up with the help of my 4-year-old son. When we finished, I started hanging up the tools. At this point it became painfully clear that the manufactured organizer was complete garbage, despite a $35 price tag. Even the lightest tools slid through the grippers meant to hold them, and many of the tools simply didn’t fit.

Bright and early the next day, I pulled down the organizer, put it back in the box, and returned to the home center. This time I came home with a $36 sheet of AC plywood, six 8-ft. studs, a box of 3-in. screws, and 25 tapcons. I spent about $100 in total. At the time, I wasn’t exactly sure how my homemade organizer would be configured or constructed, but I’m very happy with the final result. And I still have a couple of studs and half a sheet of plywood left for another organizing project.

The best part of my custom setup is I can easily tell when something is missing and don’t have to move other tools to get the one I’m after. And when my storage needs change, I can easily swap things around. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m planning to write the name of the tool on the plywood behind the tool handle, so it’s easier to put everything back when I have more than one or two tools removed.

posted in: Blogs

Add Comment Print

Time to give up CAD (Cardboard Aided Design).

Back to List

Is There a Checklist for Building a House?

Comments (2)

sodbuster writes: Nice layout - I did a similar one in the garden shed. I found that it also helped to write the name of the tool on the wall or sketch the outline of it in heavy, soft pencil. The outlines & labels help when several tools are taken out for use at once. It also helps when some tools 'migrate' to and from the garage for seasonal use - like the ice scraper that replaces the summer rake. For some long-handled tools I drill a hole in the handle, and hang it on a 4" common nail - cutting the head off the nail produces a fine 1/8" diameter peg.

BTW I agree about the use of the pinch bar - very useful persuader.

(thanks to Dad & the navy for the tool 'shadow' technique on the wall.(
Posted: 7:50 am on December 6th

real2x4 writes: Patrick,

Please edit out the spam in your comments section. It's a problem here and on Fine Homebuilding's face Book page.

Thank You
Posted: 9:07 am on December 2nd

You must be logged in to post comments. Log in.

Stay connected with Fine Homebuilding