Tool holder that makes it easy to see the tool?

[kearnold]

I have a very small space to use when working on my ships.  My tools are all in a plastic holder that prevents me from seeing what is what, so I end up with them sitting on the cutting mat usually, and getting in the way.  Craft/fish tackle cases never seem to have enough bins unless they are huge.  And space is a premium.

 

Is there a portable tool caddy on the market that doesn't take up a huge amount of space and let's me separately store them?

[Moab]

Approximately how many tools do you have? Could you possibly take a picture of them?...Moab

[kearnold]

9 hours ago, Moab said:

Approximately how many tools do you have? Could you possibly take a picture of them?...Moab

 

[Jaager]

HomeDepot sells craft size sheets of 1" thick Styrofoam.  Cut one into brick size rectangles. you define the brick.  Glue two layers together using PVA and glue that on to a 1/2" economy quality plywood base.    Punch holes in the top layer to hold tools.  A 2" thick  stack will hold about any model size hand tool in a vertical position. The tools can be as close or far apart as suits.  With two or more, tools can be grouped by what is needed for a general task.   The foam will not dull a knife blade and blade down saves getting inadvertent holes in your hand.  A single smaller block with a white adhesive backed paper layer on top is a way to hold drill bits and the ID can be written on the paper.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

 

 

[RichardG]

I got these recently from my local Walmart for about $7. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Made-Smart-8-Piece-Organizer-Bin-Pack/21063180. 

[AJohnson]

I use one of these little workstations, it has a cutting matt and tool/paints/brushes holder at the back.  Can be a little restrictive if working on the complete hull, but doing assemblies and small parts it is just fine.  Matt is 18 inches  by 12 inches.

[Jack12477]

I created these small stands 

 

[kearnold]

31 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

I created these small stands 

 

I like this idea.  It doesn't look like it takes up much space

[barkeater]

I'm a lazy susan type of guy.

[Jack12477]

3 hours ago, kearnold said:

I like this idea.  It doesn't look like it takes up much space

They don't.  The plier cradle is 12 " long x 3.75 " wide  x 0.25 " thick stock, bar is 0.25" thick by 1.25 " wide 

 

The piece for the exacto knives and tweezers is 1.5 " wide x 18 " long by  2" high. Holes  were drilled with a 3/8 " Forstner bit.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Jack12477

[Roger Pellett]

A block of wood with holes drilled in to it works fine.

[Ponto]

I have plenty of proper storage for tools but they all end up in a pile during a build session.  When I spend more time locating a certain tool as opposed to building I need to clear the pile and do a complete re set.

[kearnold]

1 hour ago, Ponto said:

I have plenty of proper storage for tools but they all end up in a pile during a build session.  When I spend more time locating a certain tool as opposed to building I need to clear the pile and do a complete re set.

This is my problem too

 

[Nirvana]

8 minutes ago, kearnold said:

This is my problem too

 

Me too..... lol

[Bob Cleek]

It's hard to say what's "not enough space" in a workshop. The bench top, of course, is another matter entirely. I try to have a place for every tool and every tool in its place. If I'm going to use a number of tools repetitively, and they threaten to clutter my bench top, I use a wheeled tool cart so tools in use are readily at hand, and unused tools aren't piling up on my bench.  There are two models  from Harbor Freight which are relatively cheap and a pain to assemble, but great time-savers and tool storage solutions. They hold a lot and it can be laid out in organized fashion so tools can quickly and easily be located. When I'm not working, the tool cart can be rolled out of the way into a closet or wherever.

 

This is the four drawer model. One will run you $200, but "Horror Fright" has them on sale for 20% off frequently. If you've got one of their stores within driving distance, you can save the shipping cost. They have a five drawer model as well, for forty bucks more. If I had it to do over again, I'd get the five drawer model, but they didn't have them when I got mine. (They come in a bunch of colors, if that matters to you.)

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-storage/tool-carts/30-in-4-drawer-tech-cart-black-64818.html

 

I also have a couple of mechanic's tool chests on roller bases. These cannot be beat for storing small hand tools. Mine are Kennedy brand, one of the better quality brands I bought ages ago at Costco, which occasionally has such things for sale. Here again, Harbor Freight has the cheapest and the US General brand is sufficiently good for hobby use. It's not like you have to buy Snap-On brand chests for five times the price just to keep up with the other mechanics in the shop!  

 

Here's a reasonably priced $300 roller chest. Note that the shallow drawers are  perfect for laying out small tools so that they can be seen instantly when the drawer is opened, instead of digging through a jumble of junk in a deep drawer. They are perfect for things like pliers, files, and knives.

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-storage/26-in-x-22-in-single-bank-roller-cabinet-yellow-56233.html

 

The top chest is matched to fit on the lip on top of the rolling chest above, or can be used separately.  It expands the amount of shallow drawer space a lot and the combination of rolling base and top chest can store everything you'd probably ever need, at least until you got into table saws, lathes, and milling machines and their tooling. Figure another $200 for the top chest, so you'd be in for $500 for a stacked set that would permit every hand tool you'd ever need to be at hand conveniently and safely stored away when not in use. As with all Harbor Freight merchandise, signing up for their email ads and mail catalogs (which, rumor has it, they are discontinuing) will get you all their coupons and discount sales codes which generally knock off around twenty percent off their retail list prices. (Disclaimer: I don't own stock in Harbor Freight and I don't consider their products "finestkind" by a long shot, but approached conservatively with an eye to quality and value, there are many bargains to be had from them... along with a lot of junk. Stay away from anything that runs on electricity or has to perform precision work!)

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-storage/26-in-single-bank-top-chest-green-56231.html

 

 

If one doesn't think they need as much storage as a rolling base and top chest, an old fashioned machinist's tool check may serve their needs until they realize that their initial needs assessment was erroneous.  Old-time master machinists favored the US made Gerstner International chests, made of oak and lined with felt. They are a bit pricey beginning at around $450, but they are quite beautiful, so you could probably get away with keeping it in the dining room if your a "dining room table"  modeler. 

https://www.amazon.com/Gerstner-International-GI-T24-11-Drawer-Chest/dp/B076H7WGWG/ref=asc_df_B076H7WGWG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309807921328&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2792838456457911656&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032113&hvtargid=pla-569775039015&psc=1

 

Harbor Freight again comes to the rescue with an $80 knockoff that's no where near the "fine furniture" quality of a Gerstner chest, but passable in a utilitarian way. If you wear a Rolex, you'll want the Gerstner.  If you're like most folks, the Harbor Freight knock-off is just fine. (Asian made, but not a copyrighted design. Politics aside, I figure it's somebody's "rice bowl," and since there's nothing electronic about it, it ought to last. Like anything bought at Harbor Freight, save your sales receipts! They'll take anything defective back and replace it, but you've got to have the receipt.)

 

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/eight-drawer-wood-tool-chest-94538.html

 

I have also found magnetic tool holders to be very handy all around my shop. Some I have fastened to walls and other's I've placed on metal rolling tool cabinets (the magnets will hold them in place on metal surfaces.) These are another item that's "safe" to buy at Harbor Freight, although they are widely available elsewhere, probably from the same Asian factory with somebody else's label on them, for a higher price. Harbor Freight sells them for $4.79, but they are often discounted. I bought a half dozen at one "parking lot sale" for something like $2.75 apiece. They're great on the side of a tool cart for holding pliers, scissors, and files within reach when working at the bench.

 

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-magnetic-tool-holder-60433.html

 

I realize this post may seem to some like overkill when it comes to tool storage. I've come to learn from professional tradesmen that organized tool storage is essential to working efficiency. While not at all a professional, I've learned that while my time may not be worth as much as the professional, having tools conveniently at hand makes enjoyable tasks far more enjoyable and onerous tasks far less protracted. I've also found that having the right tool readily accessible greatly reduces my bad tendency to use the wrong tool for a job and mess it up because I was too lazy to fetch the right one.

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[Moab]

Made the file holder from left over wood and the black one from foamcor. Purchased the first one online ...Moab

[wefalck]

OK, I am tool-junkie and have lots of tools, many of them have to be handy, but not all of them, of course (but then I forget that I had them). I am currently at the 5th incarnation of my workbench after so many moves around Europe, but I created a sort of desk-like structure that has on one side a chest of drawers and the work-surface made from a piece of beechwood kitchen-top rests on the other side on a shelve inside an IKEA Billy-bookcase. The other two sides are surrounded by frames that support panes of hardboard with holes for hooks etc. On these the most frequently tools are arranged in easy reach. There are also a couple of narrow shelves on which little tools, such as dental burrs, drills etc. etc. are stored on plinths. The chest of drawers also has a box built in that is subdivided into various shallow (1 cm or 3/8" deep) drawers in which scalpels, pin-vices, files, and other delicate tools are stored within easy reach.