One major drawback of accumulating tools is they take up space and you have to store them somewhere. Many are large, take up a lot of space, are awkward, and are difficult to store easily. The more time goes on, the more tools you accumulate. Without having a good way to store them, you’ll eventually have a hard time finding what you’re looking for when you need it. It’s easy to put one down anywhere when you’re done with it. Then the next time you look for it you can’t find it! We’ve all been there before.
So what is the best tool storage system? Like most questions, the answer is that it depends! It depends mostly on what you’re storing and what kind of work you do. Let’s take a look at the best storage systems for different types of tools across various types of work.
What you can expect to read:
Garage Tool Storage
The garage is one of the most common places that people store tools because they’re easy to get to when you need them. For example, if you’re doing yard work outside you want to be able to get to your yard tools quickly and easily. If you do a lot of woodwork, you want your chisels and hand planers close by. The garage is where most tools are kept but where the most organization is needed. Most garages serve as storage for items other than tools as well. You may have to work around cars, storage bins, Christmas decorations, and maybe even your trash can. When you’re working around all these other obstructions, it’s that much more important to have an organized work area!
Garage Pegboard Ideas
If you’ve got a garage, you most likely have a work bench. Behind that workbench on the wall is a great place to store tools for quick, convenient access. One way to hang tools is on pegboard with pegs, hooks, and brackets made for various hand tools. The main benefit is that you can see everything all at once and it helps to keep it all organized.
You can buy traditional pegboard at most home stores. It comes in a compressed fiberboard type of material that can wear out over time if you’re rough on it or if it gets wet often. Newer types of pegboard are made out of galvanized steel and will hold up longer. You don’t have to worry because they accept the same pegs as conventional pegboard. It can mount directly to studs or to sheetrock without having to build a special support for you. You may find that you’d like to frame your pegboard to make it look nice and create a border.
Metal Pegboard Benefits
- Guaranteed to last a lifetime
- Comes in various colors, not the pegboard brown or white
- Accepts the same 1/4″ hooks you most likely already have
- Installs quickly and easily
- Magnetic so you can adhere other things to it
Yard Tool Storage
How often have you gone in to your existing tool storage shed or closet and tripped over the metal rake when trying to reach for the shovel? It happens to everyone. Yard tools are big, hard to store, and are easy to just throw in a corner and be done with it until you’ve got more yard work to do next weekend. The best way to store yard tools is with the Rubbermaid Tool Tower.
Rubbermaid Tool Tower Benefits
- Great way to organize and store long handed yard tools
- Easy to assemble
- Includes casters to move easily
- Easily holds 20 or more tools
The Bucket Tool Organizer
One additional consideration for tool storage on a jobsite is the need for mobility. Jobsites can present a wide variety of issues for some products. For example, concrete won’t be poured at the beginning of a job so it will be hard to roll a cart with wheels. Something you can pick up and carry will do the job better. Another consideration is durability. You may encounter all kinds of obstacles that can wear down a tool box. In addition, what about flexibility to store a wide variety of tools? One solution that meets these three challenges is a normal 5 gallon bucket.
The first Bucket Boss Tool Organizer was invented in Duluth, MN on a jobsite when men started carrying their tools in a 5 gallon bucket with a canvas organizer. Just think about carrying all your tools in the freezing weather with cold fingers. There had to be a better way!
Bucket Boss Features
- Will fit most 5 gallon buckets
- 30 pockets and 3 loops
- Manufactured with poly rip stop fabric
Drill Charging Station
How many battery powered drills do you have in your house? If you have more than one, this is a solution to keep your power tools organized. It’s easy to plug in the charger and leave it laying on the floor or a counter just using it when you need it. Making a dedicated space for the growing collection of drills, impact drivers, chargers, and accessories can save a lot of time and hassle.
The convenience of not only having a dedicated space for drills but having batteries always charged is a complete game changer. How many times have you gone to use a drill only to find the battery is dead or very close to being dead? You’ll never have this problem again if you keep it all in a Drill Charging Station.
Drill Charging Station Benefits
- Easy to store cordless drills upside down
- Holds up to 5 drills or impact drivers
- Two shelves and one compartment
- 30 day money back guarantee
- 1 year warranty
Mobile Tool Box
If you’re a professional tradesman and your work requires you to be mobile, the DEWALT Mobile Storage Box is the answer to many of the problems of working on the go. You’ll see these mobile boxes at most hardware stores because they’ve become very useful and have grown in popularity. First, the large interior size allows placement of larger tools or objects that you are working on without hassle. Think about if these objects were just thrown in the back of a van how difficult it would be to keep organized.
DeWALT Mobile Tool Box Features and Benefits
- Holds up to 110 lbs
- Interior usable space of 9 x 16 x 11 (H, W, D in inches)
- Weighs 4.88 lbs
- Deep box to store a variety of tools
How to Make a Custom Tool Organization Board
In Conclusion
That should give a lot of ideas for different ways to store tools in your home, garage, shop, or worksite depending on what type of work you do. Everyone is different and no two people are the same so there should be plenty of options to choose from here. May your shop be organized and you complete a lot of projects!