# Shop storage and organization for misc screws and fasteners?



## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

How do you store all the random nuts, bolts, washers, screws, etc?

If like to have something that would consolidate a large selection of fasteners to one central place that is organized and easy to find items. 

Right now I'm accumulating random boxes of all types of stuff everywhere.


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

I do pretty much as you do and it's getting to be a mess and takes to long to find anything you need.Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
I find myself lately trying to buy nails and screws in the large plastic containers that are stackable and have a handle.Even if you don't need them all now it's a good value and will eventually use them.
It just does not work for some special fasteners.
Good topic and I'm interested on how others do.


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## builditguy (Nov 10, 2013)

You need to stop the madness now. Eventually you will have a ton of misc. screws and nails sitting with a thick layer of dust. 

You will be on the job buying more, thinking, I've got these at the shop, but I need them now. 

I work hard to not accumulate. Still have to clean out about 2 times a year.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Install a 2x4 flat (3-1/2" face horizontal) to the wall. Place the fastener boxes on the 2x4. Prevents the piling up of the boxes. 

Tom


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

builditguy said:


> You need to stop the madness now. Eventually you will have a ton of misc. screws and nails sitting with a thick layer of dust.
> 
> You will be on the job buying more, thinking, I've got these at the shop, but I need them now.
> 
> I work hard to not accumulate. Still have to clean out about 2 times a year.


The madness.That's an understatement if I ever heard one.
I like shelf standards.I have installed them everywhere there is room for them.You can buy any sized brackets you want want.Throw a board on them and adjust as needed.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

I'm thinking something like this:


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

Usage determines storage.

You've got wood screws and otherwise, of different lengths, of different diameters. 
From scrap corrug. cardboard, make rectangular boxes of all shapes of 2, 4, 8, 16 & 32 cubic inches, 1" to 3" deep, that just fit in your available cabinets. 
Label them. 

These boxes will last longer if you coat them with stain.

Try to copy how stores lay them out. 
If it's not visible, it's like you don't have it. 
With boxes in back of one another, put the larger ones in the back.

Since this stuff has value, it's technically not 'hoarding'.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

I store almost nothing at the shop. I have two dedicated boxes on the van for that stuff(I don't want to know what it does to mileage). One is pretty bad and looks a little like what you have there but I fixed up the other one last fall with a bunch of Dewalt Deep Pro boxes, some older Stanley boxes that also had latching sides and a lot of Plano boxes for the smaller and miscellaneous stuff. It's very easy to manage and will be more so once I install more shelves so it's no more than one big box or a few little boxes per shelf.

For a shop setup I think what you showed would be good. Harbor Freight actually has a lot of that crap but I know you like the nice stuff:whistling


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

I have thrown out so much it's unreal but like some say it gets out of hand. It gets to the point you have so many random bits and never enough to complete a job so you end up going to buy more and not touch the stuff you had stored. I prob threw away $250-300 worth of carriage bolts, nuts, screws etc etc the other day from just the trailer let alone the rest I have in basement just sitting in a mess in 25lb screws boxes. 

The only stuff I do bother keeping and organizing is stainless fasteners as I don't often use them and when I do I only need a couple at a time.


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## elementbldrs (Sep 26, 2010)

Lots of these. The bulk fasteners go into 5 gallon buckets. Our shop has dozens on old file cabinets doll of bolts and misc crap. Seriously.


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## elementbldrs (Sep 26, 2010)

elementbldrs said:


> lots of these. The bulk fasteners go into 5 gallon buckets. Our shop has dozens on old file cabinets doll of bolts and misc crap. Seriously.


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

I have several of the DeWalt containers as shown in your pics.They are handy to have but generally don't contain enough of any specific fastener I need.Still very handy for small things and I have several.


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

EthanB said:


> I have two dedicated boxes on the van for that stuff


I had the stuff in plastic see-through sandwich bags. They conform to odd-shaped containers and you get very dense packing, no air spaces almost.


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

I use labeled coffee cans.


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## Alan M (Jan 18, 2015)

Spencer said:


> I'm thinking something like this:



i absolutely hate those systems. total waste of time. you need someone with ocd to keep everything in its own bin. 
everything ends up mixed up eventually. 


I keep screws in the box they came in but also keep a selection in a dewalt tough drawer unit in the van. the individual boxes are great. 

nuts bolts, random fixings, stainless, all sorts of useful crap , I put in plastic boxes with dividers in them. I don't mind this too much because those things don't get used that much


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## KAP (Feb 19, 2011)

First thing you should do is determine exactly how many of those screws you really need... each time of screw can be used for many purposes and may not necessitate all that... whittle it down to the minimum... and then break it into two case carrying totes for different cycles on the job... rough and finish... 

Keep a shop supply of what it is needed at the shop at the tables you use them at...

IMHO, that storage system is a time waster... it's like trying to look at an excel spreadsheet full of numbers and thinking you can scan them all to find what you are looking for efficiently...

Case carrying totes like in post #11, show you at a glance what's in front of you...

.


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

Alan M said:


> everything ends up mixed up eventually.


We had a draw for the 'orphans'. It never was empty.


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

elementbldrs said:


> View attachment 168618


I have 10 of those in my trailer for specific tasks.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

I have four of the Dewalts, three Stanleys that are a bit smaller and a few mixed Planos for smaller stuff like finish nails, etc. I need about 1-2 more of each. 

For bulk storage I don't bother with the organizers because we're just going to blow through them. I have a few Rubbermaid Roughneck totes that I drop on the job and fill up with the big boxes. For decks I have one full of brackets and one full of structural nails and screws.


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## LockTalk (Dec 15, 2014)

Peanut butter jars!!!

I have asked family friends co workers to keep them they are generally all the same size are durable easy to label. 

Costco sells mixed nuts and they are more square then round in starting to collect those now and when I'm done eating I throw them into a old cardboard box till I have time to convert


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Thanks for all the thoughts. Sounds like the consensus is leaning towards organizers. It could work for me if I stayed on top of it. I like if the compartment that I am putting something in is over sized, that way if I buy a whole box and need to go somewhere with it I don't have to worry about the compartment being full and the box not being empty.


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## JFM constr (Jul 26, 2014)

OP had a picture of various boxes of to many different things .though i have many ways to handle screws nails etc . For the stuff in the picture i found myself putting them in old drawer boxes .either drawers boxes made to the wrong size or salvaged . each box has a type of fastener .washers go in one ,star drive screws ,lags etc .the boxes get shoved on a shelf but can be taken easily to a bench and picked through or into the truck to be taken to the jobsight . once in the shelf they are open enough that i can see generally whats in the box . they are easily moved .system has worked to well i made a few boxes with 1/2" ply . they can get a bit heavy if the box is to big.


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## madmax718 (Dec 7, 2012)

costco nut jars. They are square. Hold a lot. use them to store lots of random parts.


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## RichVT (Feb 28, 2009)

I use a lot of 1 quart plastic oil bottles with the tops cut off. I've got some in a drawer, some in an old wall hung first aid cabinet and some in a library card catalog cabinet.

For finding what you want in a container of mixed fasteners, try these:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=70669&cat=1,43326


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

For shop use, I like see through drawers, easier to get to than taking out one of the Stanley boxes, opening its latches (2-4 of them), then closing it all back up again.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

I have lots of bins that tilt out for bigger stuff. And then a cabinet like you with more mixed stuff.

I still see old timers with dozens of baby food jars full of misc stuff. The lids screw to a ceiling or shelf and you unscrew the jar for access.


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

Recently bought a few of these at a local farm store.They are handy for things you don't need a lot of and are visible.You can set them on a bench or hang them on a wall.


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

There is wasted space between cylinder shaped storage so I go for containers with corners.
If I have to go with glass I wrap it in cardboard so it doesn't easily break.

If the holding shelves are deep and high, the containers are narrow, deep and high.

With an excess of one type of fastener, that type is somehow adapted for use for all home projects.

With coat hanger wires you can hang stuff between joists in unfinished basements (not for tall people).


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## walkinplate (Oct 11, 2014)

mako1 said:


> Recently bought a few of these at a local farm store.They are handy for things you don't need a lot of and are visible.You can set them on a bench or hang them on a wall.


We use these too. 

You can store, see, and take to the job quick & easy.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

If I was go do it all again for fasteners I would go all systainer. That way it's easy for me to add and remove the sustainers based on what I'm doing. 

Here's how I currently have it done. 

Misc in these Stanley boxes but soon to all be moved into Systainers once I find time

















And what's already in Systainers


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

I have several sustainers and they are handy.My problem with them is:If I happen to need something in even the biggest compartment ,I always come up a few short.
Just luck I guess.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

mako1 said:


> I have several sustainers and they are handy.My problem with them is:If I happen to need something in even the biggest compartment ,I always come up a few short.
> Just luck I guess.



When I do a big job where I know I'm gonna use more than I have in the systainer I just add them to the job order and have them delivered on site. The stock I carry is more for back up and small job use to save me leaving the job to grab small bits


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## mako1 (Sep 1, 2013)

That's what I try and do but sometimes think"I've got enough of these ,why order more" They still get charged to the job.


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## Builders Inc. (Feb 24, 2015)

We use old army ammunition containers. Very sturdy! Only downfall is you have to look into them. (not see through). I have also used various plastic jars, like mayo jars.


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

Ridgid pro organizer for most frequently used stuff like construction screws and gun nails. For less used stuff I have a bunch of husky organizers. I find that the ridgid is every bit as heavy duty as the systainers at a much lower price and they stack too.


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

L-racks with drawers. Keeps everything organized and easy to see. Of you need to take screws.on site you can grab the appropriate drawers from the shop and off you go.

I've got my drill and impact in an lboxx 3d which has room for two drawers. Here's a pic, but the drawers are pretty empty atm.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

madmax718 said:


> costco nut jars. They are square. Hold a lot. use them to store lots of random parts.


Yup. And for really mixed bins, they work pretty well with the "dump and search method":
1) dump jar onto piece of cardboard that's creased
2) grab what you need
3) use cardboard to pour stuff back in jar.


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## GettingBy (Aug 19, 2010)

MarkJames said:


> Yup. And for really mixed bins, they work pretty well with the "dump and search method":
> 1) dump jar onto piece of cardboard that's creased
> 2) grab what you need
> 3) use cardboard to pour stuff back in jar.


I use bath towels or tablecloths or pillowcases for this that would have otherwise gone to charity. 
Also, with a towel you can pull out the entire contents of the toolbag, find the tool and then put it all back in one move. Some heavy tools at the bottom of the bag will keep the bag on the floor while you lift out the rest of the contents.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

BCConstruction said:


> When I do a big job where I know I'm gonna use more than I have in the systainer I just add them to the job order and have them delivered on site. The stock I carry is more for back up and small job use to save me leaving the job to grab small bits



For the larger quantity stuff I have been leaving a few of the shallower Roughneck totes on site. I think we work on similar sized stuff so it might work for you. I have 2 totes full of boxes of nails, Fastenmaster stuff, CopperGreen, bolts, etc. and on that is full of miscellaneous galv. joist hangers, etc.. I hate realizing that I am missing a hanger, strap or bracket when I want to rework the design a bit.


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## csv (Aug 18, 2009)

Have a few of these for about 5 years. They work well but have seen better days. 

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Husky-22-i...Organizer-with-Metal-Latches-189746/202021301


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