I've been doing woodwork for almost 10 years. Throughout that period, I've tried just about every option imaginable for organizing hand tools. There has been a plethora of portable toolboxes. I've had rolling tool chests similar to those used by mechanics. I've used those plastic drawer thingies from the large box store's container section. For a while, I tried every baby boomer's favorite pegboard. None of these options was ideal for me, but they were enough for my needs at the time.
The majority of people do not equate plastic household containers with hand-tool woodworking. Aside from the pure satisfaction we receive from building things out of wood, many of us do it to lessen the quantity of plastic in our life. Therefore, why would someone store hand tools used for woodworking in plastic containers?
WORKPRO 2- Drawer Stackable And Interlock Parts Organizer
Of course, there were some drawbacks as well. Certainly, the drawers did not open and close smoothly. As the weight of the instruments inside the drawer increased, so did the problem. Tools would roll around and collide with one another. There was very little true organization. Plus, it was made of plastic! The plastic drawers finally cracked. The plastic frame snapped. The entire unit was rendered entirely worthless. It served its purpose for the brief period that it was required. Nonetheless, I would not advocate this approach for long-term use.
Portable toolboxes are one of my favourite home improvement storage ideas. I have one for carpentry tools, another for electrical tools, another for hand-held power tools, and yet another for plumbing supplies. This makes it simple for me to grab the box I require and transport all of the tools to the task.
For the past 20 years, I've had a mechanic's rolling tool chest. My wife gave me the cabinet for my birthday shortly after we moved into our first house. For many years, I kept all of my tools, including my woodworking tools, in this cabinet. The cabinet now only houses the tools I need to service our vehicles, as well as some metalworking tools and a few larger home improvement tools that don't fit in portable toolboxes.
Click for more: WORKPRO 7- Drawer Roller Cabinet
You've probably heard about pegboard if you grew up in the United States between the 1950s and the 1980s. Every suburban American handyman has a pegboard tool wall in their garage or basement, replete with tool outlines. Every hang hole you see bored into the sole of an ancient hand plane is due to pegboard. I have an ambivalent connection with it.
A variety of hand tools were hung on its pegboard. Crescent wrenches, Vise Grips, Snap-on ratchets and sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, and whatever else a tinkerer would need were available. I recall spending many evenings in the basement with my friend and his father, just messing around with whatever was on our minds at the time. I'll never forget his pegboard tool wall. I wish I had a photo of the space to put here. But that was before cell phones and the internet.