Strategy for hardware...........how to organize

[kscott]

You have to keep a couple of things in mind. First, I have over 50 years of stuff. Second, I am inherently incapable of throwing away something that is potentially useful. It seems that EVERY time I look at something, think I'll never use it and toss it within a week I am looking for one. I am the same way with wood. I have enough "shorts" to heat my shop for quite a while (wood stove). Luckily LOML is very understanding (as long as it is in my shop). BTW, cabinets were $10 each and the 3 drawer blueprint units were $5 each. Yard sales and CL can be your friend.
Ken

[Cian]

kscott said:

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That's not hoarding.

That's HOARDING WITH ORGANIZATION! I dig it.

[t4d]

Alaric said:

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Sounds like you have a good start, but I reduce all these

[blockquote]t4d said:

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• 
  short wood screws
  long wood screws
  assorted drywall screws (in addition to several boxes of them)
  sheet metal screws
  electrical type machine screws (6-32)
  

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to just big screws and little screws (for loose screws in bins). I mix the wood screws and machine screws and sheet metal screws since it is easy to tell them apart. Your mileage may vary.

I keep drywall screws in the store box and don't hang on to loose drywall screws.

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[/blockquote]

OK, that makes good sense to me.......but how do you treat the electrical 6-32's..........aren't they actually more like bolts than screws?

[JDuke]

This was my solution.


The trays are portable and each small container is also removable.



I will agree with several, don't try to sort the junk bucket.
Start from here.

[kscott]

LIL (again)
One of the problems with low granularity storage is that you don't really know what you have. You could spend significant time looking through the screw can looking for a 2" #8 square drive screw (usually more than one) and either not finding them or not finding enough. There may be pain at first organizing things, believe me, I know that. However, once the first sweep of organization is done then from then on you just add containers as you need them or, if you find a GREAT sale on organizing containers then stock up. I did that with the 36 drawer parts drawer cases as well as the maple cabinets and blueprint drawers. I gradually filled all of them. I realize that going to the insane length that I did is not for everyone but if you start with a highly granular setup now and continue with it you will always know what you have and do not have. Labels are a must and if you have the time a DB or spreadsheet of what you have and where it is can be very useful, especially when you have more stuff and/or get old and forgetful like me
Ken

[hairy]

I'm a glass jar and coffee can kinda guy, but they are at least all in one place and easy to use .

Real simple tongue and groove, cleat and plywood shelf construction.

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[Steve Friedman]

JDuke said:

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This was my solution.

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I like this a lot, but prefer the Plano boxes to the Stanley ones. I have a slew of the Plano boxes, but they're sitting on top of each other and I always seem to need something from the bottom one. Need to build one of these. Looks like you used 3/4" for the shelves. Wouldn't 1/2" be plenty thick?

I still can't give up my Akro boxes hanging on the wall for commonly used screws and nails. Too convenient and easy to grab a box off the wall.

Also, just want to add that for any hardware storage, a P-Touch label maker is worth its weight in gold.

Great ideas in this thread.

Steve

[Mr_Mike]

I find the p-touch labels peel from most plastics and I sometimes resort to sharpies.

I did build a stacking cabinet for the plano boxes. I prefer the pro-latch series. The slots are two short bins high and accept one tall bin as well.

The planos are good for seldom used things, I still like the tilt out bins for oft used items.

Acro bins are relegated mostly to the shed for more home improvement and construction hardware. I don't like non-covered bins in the woodshop. Too much dust.

[JDuke]

Steve Friedman said:

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I like this a lot, but prefer the Plano boxes to the Stanley ones. I have a slew of the Plano boxes, but they're sitting on top of each other and I always seem to need something from the bottom one. Need to build one of these. Looks like you used 3/4" for the shelves. Wouldn't 1/2" be plenty thick?

I still can't give up my Akro boxes hanging on the wall for commonly used screws and nails. Too convenient and easy to grab a box off the wall.

Also, just want to add that for any hardware storage, a P-Touch label maker is worth its weight in gold.

Great ideas in this thread.

Steve

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It's 1/2" ply and these aren't stanley brand boxes.
They are harbor freight boxes.

[Alaric]

That is a very interesting solution.

Looking at those boxes on the HF website it looks like it might be possible to construct a carcass where the HF box literally becomes a drawer instead of resting on a shelf.

I may just stop at HF on my way home for a closer look.

As long as they don't smell like HF, I also see some potential for putting a couple in the storage cabinets in the laundry room and for a stack under the sewing/craft table.