Screw/Bolt Storage

[Pass Christian WW]

Been agonizing how to store all of my random screws and bolts. I am a multi hobbier, cars, woodworking and boats so have varied collections of bolts and screws. You name it and I either have it or can get close. But this assemblage is driving me nuts. The derfault is a floor to ceiling bin storage unit such as this:  https://www.zoro.com/durham-bin-unit-112.../G3500080/

or four or  five drawer cabinet which i will fill with drawers and stack two or three on top of each other. Such as this : https://www.zoro.com/durham-drawer-cabin.../G7799732/

Would like suggestions on these options and four or five drawers. Also what do you guys suggest? Some of my bolts a heavy. 
Thanks.

[ez-duzit]

I use heavy duty compartmented plastic boxes with non-removable dividers. Each box contains one style of fastener (hex bolts, nuts, pan head machine screws, etc). McMaster-Carr has a great selection. Bulk miscellaneous old bolts go in coffee cans; these I use to weight down glue-ups.

[hbmcc]

Those bins look to be for storing the hardware factory boxes, possibly designed by an employee at Tacoma Screw ... Products. I know this supplier will be censored. 

Little plastic 'drawers' in the 5-inch deep cabinets always get stuck and brittle with age. If a cabinet tips over, a pile of hardware happens that needs to be resorted. 

I had a few Boeing Surplus hardware trays with movable dividers--look and work like fishing trays, but industrial strength--and the hardware stays put when tray is dumped or tipped. I was wondering about your conundrum when I found 7 more Boeing trays. I am just going to make plywood pigeon holes for them. You might do a google for Plano fishing boxes.

I am going to attack my boxes of screws and nails, and bolts on a couple fronts. Little and big storage containers. It's about the best I can think of.

[Hank Knight]

Keep my screws, nuts, bolts and washers as well as other small hardware in plastic tilt-out bins. I have a 5 foot wide stack of them that is about 6 feet high. Next to that I have a very old army surplus metal cabinet with 24 9" X 12" X 4" drawers that hold larger bolts, washers and miscellaneous hardware and sandpaper. Finally, I keep a decent supply of brass and stainless nuts, bolts, washers and screws in separate smaller plastic pull-out parts drawer boxes. Several drawers in the metal chest and in the plastic pull-out boxes hold random assortments of miscellaneous, similarly sized hardware and fasteners. If I'm looking for something out of the ordinary, a few minutes scratching through this stuff usually produces it. But all of my commonly used items are segregated and have their own labeled bin or drawer, so I don't usually have to waste time looking stuff.

IMG_0419 by Hank Knight, on Flickr

[Cecil]

Think about how you work.  Do you take the fasteners to your work?  To me it looks like you reach into the floor to ceiling options and pull out a few fasteners.  With your second option, you could pull out an insert tray and take it to your work.

[Gary G™]

Are those old blue ones Akro Mills?
Those were the bomb!!

[Pass Christian WW]

Thanks for the replies. The concept of using precious floor space for a floor to ceiling storage is moving me closer to the pull out stackable ball bearing ones. I will have to go nuts with my label machine but may take up smaller space overall.

[daddo]

I'm waiting for someone to sell one of these cheap so I can split it and place them under the counter for screw/bolt storage.

[Bob10]

I'm waiting for someone to sell one of these cheap so I can split it and place them under the counter for screw/bolt storage.

any chance you could find some flat file cabinets to get what you want done?

[Admiral]

You guys are out of my league; I'm still using cigar boxes (Antonio y Cleopatra Grenadier, the old white design) that my father saved and filled (he passed in '92) with "small," "medium" and "large" written on the outside, one for each type of fastener. I must have 30 of them. Strangely, it never takes me more than 3 or 4 minutes to find the size I need......