fastener storage

[Joe Jensen]

I have a few stack on bins, but I am considering buying some dandy drawers.

http://dandydrawers.com/


MK

I made some racks with Dandy Drawers like 25 years ago. They have held up incredibly well in the heat of Arizona.

[Arvid Podsim]

Best method I found is to store parts in shallow drawers to keep the saw dust out. Thinking about 112 Plastic box assortment from
http://www.schallercorporation.com/servlet/StoreFront

[Darrin Davis]

Two words.....Card Catalog

I was lucky enough to get 4 card catalogs from our local high school's library. With computers these days card catalogs are not used any more and are usually just sitting in storage. Our librarian was happy to get rid of them since they were just taking up space. They already have drawer pulls on them ready to insert labels into. I took some 1/8" hardboard to line the bottom with since they were built with an open slotted bottom. I also had to remove the inner drawer hardware that the cards slide on. Now I have more drawers than I could possibly need. I guess I need to order more stuff to put in them.
card catalog.jpg

[dennis thompson]

I have the most sophisticated method, old peanut butter jars screwed to the bottom of every shelf in my shop, label them ,easy to see through & cheap (of course you have to be in a household that uses a lot of peanut butter)
Dennis

[Lee Ludden]

I use the same containers as Jay. I picked them up on sale at HF. I use one for each size/type of fastener. I built this basic cabinet to hold all of the containers. Here it is before I put the face frames and drawer fronts on.
FastenerStorage.jpg

[David Hostetler]

I've got a few of these containers:
http://www.harborfreight.com/19-bin-...ase-93928.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-bin-p...ase-93927.html
I bought mine at the big blue Borg, but the units at Harbor Freight appear to be identical (at a lower price).

I use them for fasteners that I need to keep mobile. I've got one for outdoor fasteners (SS, deck screws, etc.), one full of anchors for hanging stuff around the house (pictures, etc), and another one full of drywall screws.

The rest of my hardware is slowly making the trip into rack mounted Akro bin clones:
http://www.harborfreight.com/wall-mo...ins-65889.html

When I finally get enough bins and boxes, I'm planning on building a rolling cabinet to contain it all along with other hardware bits like hinges, knobs, etc.

Jay,

Thanks for the links. I am going to have to go to HF with a stack of 20% off coupons. I have a set of the "real" Akro bins from the BORG, and they charge for 3 of them, what HF charges for a Dozen of the blue ones, AND a dozen of the red ones, AND the wall mount rack...

Those briefcase style containers will solve most of my storage problem though. I seriously need to cram the same amount of stuff in less wall space... And I want to add portability... Do you have any trouble with the small parts going between compartments when they get moved about?

[Lee Ludden]

David

Do you have any trouble with the small parts going between compartments when they get moved about?

None at all. Even the small 1/2" #4 screws stay in place. The lids have ridges in them to keep the tops of the boxes lined up.

[Jay Maiers]

Jay,

Thanks for the links. I am going to have to go to HF with a stack of 20% off coupons. I have a set of the "real" Akro bins from the BORG, and they charge for 3 of them, what HF charges for a Dozen of the blue ones, AND a dozen of the red ones, AND the wall mount rack...

Those briefcase style containers will solve most of my storage problem though. I seriously need to cram the same amount of stuff in less wall space... And I want to add portability... Do you have any trouble with the small parts going between compartments when they get moved about?

Just so you're aware: people report that the bin hanger doesn't work real well. I used some z-clip scraps from work, so I never had to contend with that issue.

The containers work quite well for anything with a little thickness: screws, etc. Washers can slip from section to section. I keep all of my washers in baggies inside of the compartments to prevent migration.

[Don Bullock]

Two words.....Card Catalog

I was lucky enough to get 4 card catalogs from our local high school's library. ...
card catalog.jpg

Darrin, you were indeed lucky, especially if you got them at a good price. The sets I've seen in stores here are several hundred dollars.

[Don Bullock]

Just so you're aware: people report that the bin hanger doesn't work real well. ...

That is very true. I just bought Wall Mounted Storage Bins from HF. The blue bins fit on the plastic wall mount, but the red ones don't. The flange on the back is too small. I just cut mine in half and am using just the blue bins. It works for me, but I'd suggest not buying that set from HF.

[David Cefai]

These jars are disposable, meant to be used for chemical sampling. I get mine from work, after they have been used to collect water samples.

Any Laboratory Supply company should have them and, being disposable they should be quite cheap (sorry, never bothered to ask the price). They come in boxes of about 100, I believe.

[Joe Von Kaenel]

This is what I did. It is IMAG0055.jpgexpandable. I found I would have 3 boxes of the same fasteners before organizing.

[Larry Fox]

I use one of those Festool Sortainers. It was given to me as a gift and it is definitely overkill for what I need. I do like the portability of it though.

[Gary Herrmann]

I really like these. These are the deep version. They have a shallow version and a much smaller one. My wife keeps trying to steal them for her hobbies. Maybe not as convenient as tipout bins, but I can pick up a whole case and take it with me anywhere or just grab one of the removable boxes out of one. I'm not prepared to admit how many I have...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...1t:429,r:5,s:0

[Jon Endres]

I really like these. These are the deep version. They have a shallow version and a much smaller one.

That's essentially the exact same thing as Harbor Freight sells under its' Storehouse brand. I was not prepared to spend the money for the Stanley/Made in China version over the HF/Made also in China version so I picked up one of each, deep and shallow, in HF yesterday. I realized quickly that I need about a dozen more. They are decent, stuff doesn't not fall out, they latch tightly. The QC on their molding process is a little off, but otherwise they are good. I am going to built a shelf unit to store them flat, and label each one for contents.

I also like the Plano utility boxes as well, and I have a few of them. I am trying to consolidate my fastener storage.