Hi All,
I have a shelf in my basement piled high with boxes and bags of screws and nails. Whenever I need some, it’s a royal pain digging through the mess to find what I need. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to organize and store them? I’d prefer to keep them boxed somehow so I can take them to whatever project I’m working on. Thanks for your help!
Replies
one or five pound boxes?
I have a plastic organizer whose individual pullouts will hold a one pound box, got it at the hardware store
alternativce is clear plastic boxes then keep yout "like" fasteners in the same container (in their boxes) so you can get the one you want.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
Greetings lurker.
Tape a sample of the contents to the outside face of each box so you can see all the contents of the various boxes at a glance.
And place the bags inside boxes.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. A bird sings because it has a song.
Good idea Rez. Hot melt glue works too.Pete Duffy, Handyman
For smaller quantities plastic milk jugs work well. Cut away the spout enough to reach in, but leave the handle.
We get our coffee in the smaller size coffee cans (Don Francisco brand - it's really good). I just keep tossing the empties in the garage, and have been using them to store fasteners. It's an easy size to hold, and the plastic top stays closed pretty well. Hot gluing or taping on a sample is a great idea.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
They still make coffee cans??
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Bucket stackers from Duluth Trading Co.
Ditto on the bucket trays.
Fy favs are the Drop in a bucket Originals...
but alas I have not seen them for a few years now.
I have 5 buckets w/ trays that I carry around:
DW/cab scews
ext & deck screws
framing and sheathing nails in galv and sinker
Nuts bolts lags washers lead shields
Specialty screws and misc parts you always need.
I could fill another five or six but these are the ones that get me by."The truth, when told does nothing but bolster a mans character."
I like the parachute bags I have that I keep in the van at all times for an assortment of nails and screws
http://www.sandman.com/pdf/Page15.pdf#search=%22parachute%20bags%22
I also have shelves full of fastners in the garage - these are mostly small quantities in plastic peanut butter jars
Then for the gun nails and staples, I use old army surplus ammo cans
Small screw assortments are kept in plastic fishing boxes - snap lid with adjustable compartment sizes
That parachute bag looks pretty slick!Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Yeah, for smaller amounts, parachute bags are the way to go. They hold as much as a Bucket Boss tray and won't spill, even if you toss them. And the're more compact in a bucket.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I have almost all of my fasteners stored in 1/2 gallon milk cartons, which are stored in plastic milk crates. There are 9 cartons per crate and I have 8 crates at the moment. Conveniently, one is galv. nails, one is SS screws, one is interior screws, one is dowels/biscotti/plugs, one is framing and duplex nails, etc. etc. They stack nicely in my storage area. The types of fasteners I need to take to jobs are usually grouped conveniently (exterior jobs I grab the galv and SS crates, etc.). The milk cartons are big enough for me to stick my big meaty fists into, and they were free. You can easily see in to know when you are running low.
On a jobsite, you can use a scrap of plywood over a crate or two to make a convenient lunch seat.
I did not personally steal any of the crates, however I am probably guilty of receiving stolen property. Since I have had them all for years maybe the statute has expired.
I have one 5-gallon bucket with about 6 Bucket Boss trays for sheet metal screws and other tiny stuff. It works but I actually hate that thing.
find the products ya use in clear platic cubeish shaped containers..
dog treats, mayo, cashews, coffee, peanuts... a host of stuff..
the containers all seem to be the same size...
work great.. lasts a long time...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Harbor freight has those yellow parts bin. Myself I use concrete test clyinder molds. They have lid and you can write on them. good for latex paint too.
Peanut butter jars.
Peanut butter jars,,,,but plastic.
http://grungefm.com
I go to a local drive-in and get empty 1-gal Hershey's syrup cans. I have also used the gallon milk jugs and they're great with the handle.
Do they make them from anything else? - lol
At my house, peanut butter is considered to be one of the basic food groups so there's always some in the pantry. The jars come in three sizes so I buy whichever size I need for storing screws, nails, etc.
I like them better than coffee cans because of the screw-on lids - and because they're clear so I can see what's inside.
I remember reading somewhere of a guy that would secure the lids to a ceilng and turn the jars from their lids for removal.
be but whatever adhesive they use on the pb labels is some gooooodshid 'cause it takes a long soak for removal.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. A bird sings because it has a song.
Unfortunately, my storage method sucks. Broken boxes piled up all over, cans with mixtures of various stuff unsorted, some bird feed buckets with a couple inches of stuff all mixed together. I have a brand new parachute bag never been used. Usually I end up buying something new because I can't find the ones I already have.
Ughh. Maybe a good winter project to sort them properly?
Surrender to your inner ADHD child. You're naturally disorganized, and attempting to enforce someone else's concept of order will never work. Instead, play around with schemes that at least keeps things grouped reasonably well (those big plastic flip-top storage tubs, plus lots of shelves, eg), and try to spread things over enough area that you don't have to tightly package everything.BTW, one parachute bag is useless. You need 3-4 minimum, in a bucket. Try to find the 6-pocket ones, not the cheapie 4-pocket ones.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I lack any type of organizational skills. Seriously. I'm going to have to start doing something about the hardware mess though.
You should see my garage. The screws and nails are about the only thing that's halfway organized.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
It would be nice for me to have one thing halfway organized.
I use a lot of old film cans. They're about 1 1/2" deep, and come in a variety of diameters from about 4" to maybe 20". The bigger ones are great for sorting thru the "misc" stuff.
As for categories, I first went thru with a magnet and separated the brass and stainless into a separate can. Then the rest are roughly sorted, like there's a can marked "wood screws under 1 inch", another "wood screws near 1"", "wood screws over 1""....
I keep some little plastic bags handy, so I can save the results of my sorting efforts in the can as I pick screws for a project.
There's also a can for Piffin screws, they're completely sorted by size and bagged. ;-)
-- J.S.
> I remember reading somewhere of a guy that would secure the lids to a ceilng and turn the jars from their lids for removal.My grandfather (a machinist) did this in his basement workshop. Had jars of several sizes, the larger ones secured to the ceiling, with baby-food-size jars on a square horizontal rod so that four sets could be mounted in the space and spun around to pick what you want.This really only works well with a low ceiling, though.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I remember seeing that in what seemed about every basement I ever went in as a kid growing up.
Back then it seemed everyone did all the work on there own homes so everyone had a stash of supplies they worked from.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. A bird sings because it has a song.
I have the "baby food jars w/ the lids fixed to the bottom of the shelves" system in my basement too.........works great for working at home, can't take em w/ you though.
For travelling....I have a "briefcase style" container (from HD I think) with compartments that hold a 1 lb box in each. I put the boxes right in there, if I have a 5 lb box, I grab a handful, put it in case, and store the big box on a shelf.......so far, so good......
I only use about 10-12 different "pifffin" screws though. Speciality screws for hardibacker, durock etc are kept in their orig heavy duty plastic boxes.....which, btw, make great stor and carry containers.....
Need to start collecting those, any body w/ extras?
Rez, I've heard of this too. Just a bunch of glass jars with metal lids (jam, salsa, etc) with a scew through the lid into the ceiling joists. Unscrew the lid to get the jar - the lid stays on the ceiling.Its nice in that you can see everything through the bottom of the glass jar - I just don't like the idea of a bunch of screws hanging over my head.
Its nice in that you can see everything through the bottom of the glass jar - I just don't like the idea of a bunch of screws hanging over my head.
You can attach them to the bottom of shelves too.
I have a shelf unit w/ 8 shelves each w/ 10 jars. makes a nice display. Also can group....1 shelf for bolts, 1 for nuts, 1 for washers, 1 for brads etc.
I used to try to clean the labels off of the jars but gave it up. Even when they're on, it's easy to see what's inside.
I tried that screwing the lid to something trick years ago when we had lots of baby food jars but that turned into a hassle. I also didn't care for having glass jars in a shop with a concrete floor - and two daughters hanging out with Dad - lol.
I second the motion for Peanut Butter jars. I buy JIF Extra Crunchy ( yum, yum ) and, since it's business related, I expense it out as a business expense.
; )
Greg
The previous guy, I think said glass. Not good for rattling around in the truck, lol.
http://grungefm.com
I use old money carriers from bank drive thrus. I have an endless supply since I remodel them. Work pretty slick.
Whatcha got to trade for some?
"I went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, and no one there was mad at me." DustinF 06'
http://www.hay98.com/
I use coffee cans, plastic and metal.
I just started using the empty laundry detergent bottles with a hand sized hole in them. They are made with thick plastic and hold their shape good.
What the problem is?
I love these yellow bin racks - $40 at Harbor Freight usually, $20 on sale occasionally. There are six racks here. easy to take a bin or five out to a job.
View Image
Recently been dividing up bolts ny grade; keep from getting "house" bolts confused with "car" bolts/
Forrest
I use empty one gallon lacquer thinner cans. Cut the top with a can opener and fold it under the handle. Peen over the cut edges. You can easily store up to 10 lbs. of most fasteners. I store about 40 of these on shelves built to handle 4 wide by 5 high. Forest , You asked where I'm at on another thread.( 2 Years Later) I am in Columbus GA. Keep up the good work. How do you post your pics in the body of the post.? I am on a MAC 10.1Chucklive, work, build, ...better with wood
Before I hit "post", I hit "preview". Then each in turn, I click on the each attachment, when it pops up I right click & copy it, hit "back", then down at the bottom hit "revise", then get my cursor to where I want the pic in the body of my post, and hit "paste".
Sounds complicated; it's not.
Forrest
Heres a hint;;if u use bucket boxes ..keep the bucket in a milkcrate so that it wont tip over so easy.I lost the whole bucket when it slid out of the back of my truck on a steep hill in town and ended up with a 20lb mixed bag of screws hastily swept off the street with the help of a lil old lady who was laffing the whole time.
This summer I finally dumped about 15 lbs of assorted hardware from 6-8 cigar boxes that I would torture myself with dumping on the table hopelessly looking for that one odd screw for hours.Got a nice bin rack from Harbor frieght and went to Lowes and bought boxes of my most used sizes.Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........
But what are kids for, except for sorting hardware! Providing they're young enough, that is! That's the kind of job that can keep my son happily "working with daddy" in the shop, but not underfoot, for hours on end!
Forrest those are great , but i have been looking for something for the trailer wall.. does anyone know of a source for bins like that that will hold over bumps and still be able to see whats in them..? Arthurhttp://www.thesmallbuildingcompany.com
I have an enclosed trailer we house all of our framing tools and hardware in. I have four 5-gallon buckets inside, one for 8's, one for 12's, one with the Bucket Stackers for Misc., and one for anchor bolt nuts & washers. I just screwed them to the trailer floor--no more shifting buckets!
I used to have a small plastic bin (like the blue one in McDesign's pic) but there was no way to keep them from sliding out on a sharp turn.
American Van offers heavy duty steel bin systems for vans and trailers, but they are pricey.
I agree with the peanut butter jars or other individual containers of that type. I started out that way, then thought I'd switch to the stacking bucket trays. I set up one bucket with all different sizes of sheetrock screws. It looked real nice but those screws are sharp to grab. I switched back to the jars.