What to use to organize nuts, bolts, screws, etc?

[paperfist]

I need to clean my basement.

Badly!

I have a glut of miscellaneous screws, nails, nuts, bolts, wire nuts, etc.

I've tried these: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-1...yeoYIJk0Yq3cZPX-KIg_yhoCwrDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Which are pretty nice, but I'll need 20 - 30 of the things. What I like about them is they can be left upright or laid down and carried from job to job. Job meaning stuff around the house.

The downside is sometimes you need smaller bins and I don't see that you can buy smaller ones.

Soooo what do you guys suggest?

 

[Greenman]

I use a lot of plastic single gang junction boxes and cut the nail tabs off. At about 20 cents each, it's the cheapest storage bin you can find.

 

[herm0016]

I have a 4 drawer bolt bin from a hardware store. Look on Craigslist for bins, you can usually find them fairly cheap.

 

[shortylickens]

tupperware with lots of little compartments.

or a sturdy tackle box.

 

[Humpy]

I toss everything in a 5 gallon bucket and then fish around in there every time I need that thing that I'm sure I have a couple of.

I suggest not tossing everything in a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[paperfist]

I use a lot of plastic single gang junction boxes and cut the nail tabs off. At about 20 cents each, it's the cheapest storage bin you can find.

Buy god you're a genius! Those boxes are essential the same as what Dewalt, Stanley, etc use in their cases. I wonder if I can find a case to fit them in

I toss everything in a 5 gallon bucket and then fish around in there every time I need that thing that I'm sure I have a couple of.

I suggest not tossing everything in a 5 gallon bucket.

Man doesn't that get old after a while?

tupperware with lots of little compartments.

or a sturdy tackle box.

Not a bad idea, but do they make square tupperware?

I have a 4 drawer bolt bin from a hardware store. Look on Craigslist for bins, you can usually find them fairly cheap.

I think I know what you're talking about, they are all steel with a hinged top?

 

[I Saw OJ]

Harbor freight has quite a few storage options in different sizes at fairly cheap prices. I have a couple of them, and for what they do they work perfectly fine.

 

[DrPizza]

If I had an individual bin for every size screw, washer, nut, cotter pin, wood screw, bolt, phillips vs. flathead, etc., It would take up half the space of a long aisle in a hardware store.

Bolts, nuts, washers go in one big tub (old 3 gallon pretzel tub or something) Screws, etc., go in another. Miscellaneous goes into another. If I need something, I dump the bin out, search through the pile, and either find what I want, find something that's close enough, else say "crap" and go to the hardware store.

For stuff like bulk screws, bulk nails, I have them mostly in the original boxes, in two or 3 big storage totes. Each tote is at least 50 pounds. Hell, each box of framing nails for my nailer is around 20 pounds when full... and I have 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/2" framing nails. Not to mention all the finishing nails, half a box of roofing nails, etc. I could drywall a house or two with all the drywall screws I have, and build a deck or two with deck screws.

So, the thought of those little storage things - egads.

 

[herm0016]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/OLYMPIA-...SUh1nCCVR-p8rO4tTandoaAh6g8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

like this, but mine were free.

 

[lxskllr]

Bolts, nuts, washers go in one big tub (old 3 gallon pretzel tub or something) Screws, etc., go in another. Miscellaneous goes into another. If I need something, I dump the bin out, search through the pile, and either find what I want, find something that's close enough, else say "crap" and go to the hardware store.

I use various food storage containers also. I'd look around the grocery store for things I'd like to eat, that also come in useful containers. Telenti gelato comes in especially nice packaging.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I have something like this. The one I have has two sizes of bins. It can be hung on a wall or just set on a shelf.

For some things, like computer screws and standoffs I use small plastic bins that are typically used for fishing tackle. I also have one of these for my assorted drill and driver bits that aren't in an organizer. Three bucks from Wallyworld, they're handy for a lot of things.

 

[Greenman]

I toss everything in a 5 gallon bucket and then fish around in there every time I need that thing that I'm sure I have a couple of.

I suggest not tossing everything in a 5 gallon bucket.

We use a system similar to this on the job. The first layer is stainless steel or powder coated screws that are expensive and hard to find, then we add AFCI breakers at $39 a pop, and some solid brass plumbing fittings. The next layer is generally parts for tools or fixtures that we need to save. The top layer is always garbage, then we clean up, see the bucket full of garbage, and toss it in the dumpster. My crew has perfected this system, they've tossed out brand new tools, light fixtures, and irreplaceable hardware using it. The last time I ran out of English and actually started swearing in tongues.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I think that's the system my Gramps used, except on a smaller scale. The buckets looked like this:

Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, pencils, springs. He knew exactly where they were. Took a while to retrieve anything, but he knew where to look.

 

[Greenman]

I think that's the system my Gramps used, except on a smaller scale. The buckets looked like this:

Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, pencils, springs. He knew exactly where they were. Took a while to retrieve anything, but he knew where to look.

And he drank lousy coffee.

 

[vi edit]

My grandpa had 1x6 shelves hanging in his garage. He'd take the old gerber baby food jars and hammer the lids to the underside of the shelf, fill the glass jars with whatever widgets he wanted to store and then twist the jars back onto the lids. It worked well for him.

You could scale up to peanut butter jars for larger pieces of hardware.

 

[mrblotto]

My grandpa had 1x6 shelves hanging in his garage. He'd take the old gerber baby food jars and hammer the lids to the underside of the shelf, fill the glass jars with whatever widgets he wanted to store and then twist the jars back onto the lids. It worked well for him.

You could scale up to peanut butter jars for larger pieces of hardware.

That's a pretty cool idea!

 

[Drako]

My grandpa had 1x6 shelves hanging in his garage. He'd take the old gerber baby food jars and hammer the lids to the underside of the shelf, fill the glass jars with whatever widgets he wanted to store and then twist the jars back onto the lids. It worked well for him.

You could scale up to peanut butter jars for larger pieces of hardware.

I do the same, except I use mason jars with the solid lids. Mostly use half pint and pint jars.

 

[paperfist]

I think that's the system my Gramps used, except on a smaller scale. The buckets looked like this:

Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, pencils, springs. He knew exactly where they were. Took a while to retrieve anything, but he knew where to look.

Ha my grandpa used those. I think that's where half of my nail, nuts and bolts collection came from!

 

[shimpster]

mason jarz r the best

 

[readymix]

I think that's the system my Gramps used, except on a smaller scale. The buckets looked like this:

Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, pencils, springs. He knew exactly where they were. Took a while to retrieve anything, but he knew where to look.

That's what i use. A couple sizes of decking screws and machine screws with taps and i can cover nearly everything. Have one for electrical and misc. too. Also have a three-forths full
spackle bucket of everything from 17 yrs a plumber. wish someone would steal it.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My grandpa had 1x6 shelves hanging in his garage. He'd take the old gerber baby food jars and hammer the lids to the underside of the shelf, fill the glass jars with whatever widgets he wanted to store and then twist the jars back onto the lids. It worked well for him.

You could scale up to peanut butter jars for larger pieces of hardware.

My grandfather does the same, although some jelly jars too.

Having tried it myself, I strongly suggest NOT USING GLASS JARS IF YOU ARE A KLUTZ.

That is all.

 

[tynopik]

the circular file

you'll never need them, they aren't worth wasting time or space on

 

[Jerem]

We use a system similar to this on the job. The first layer is stainless steel or powder coated screws that are expensive and hard to find, then we add AFCI breakers at $39 a pop, and some solid brass plumbing fittings. The next layer is generally parts for tools or fixtures that we need to save. The top layer is always garbage, then we clean up, see the bucket full of garbage, and toss it in the dumpster. My crew has perfected this system, they've tossed out brand new tools, light fixtures, and irreplaceable hardware using it. The last time I ran out of English and actually started swearing in tongues.

It doesn't really matter. Nobody ever puts a couple small holes in the bottom of the bucket and it fills with water. Everything rusts and corrodes and you wind up throwing it all away anyhow.

 

[Mike64]

I have something like this. The one I have has two sizes of bins. It can be hung on a wall or just set on a shelf.

I like those too. I'm not familiar with the brand ("Akro-Mills"), but Home Depot has a few. A search on the manufacturer's name oddly yields "no results", but does show a few (or maybe all) of its organizers as "customers also purchased" items on the search results page. The upside is that it's really easy to get at stuff even if you aren't organized enough to label the drawers (or methodical enough to stick to what the labels says should go in the drawers), the downsides are that they're not portable and don't give any protection from humidity. I actually use mine more for electronics components than hardware, but obviously they'll work just as well for anything that'll fit in the drawers.

[ETA, days later:] I just discovered that whatever genius programmed their site's search engine managed to do it in such a way that searches on "akro mills" and "akro-mills" yield no results at all, but a search on "akro" by itself brings them all right up.

As to hardware, there's something to be said for tynopik's suggestion, at least for stuff you aren't likely to use any time in the foreseeable future and that will "always" be available at places like Home Depot or Lowe's. But since I rarely actually take that advice myself, I tend to use freezer baggies (they're sturdier than the regular ones), mostly with cut-outs from the packaging for ID, or if that's history, whatever info I need on a scrap of paper tossed into the bag. Superficially it might sound disorganized, but I always end up digging through piles or stacks of containers no matter how organized the little jars, etc. start out. At least the baggies are easy to paw through in one, larger bin and tend not to get scattered around the way little jars do... And if I need to take anything somewhere else, it's easy to throw the relevant baggies into larger one, and then just toss 'em back in the "home bin" when I'm done...

 

[paperfist]

Mike64 I use these crates from Akro-Mils http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=54905

They are really well built.

I'm sure I have a lot of stuff I may never use, but I'm always working on a projects and the odd nuts and bolts come in handy. The biggest problem is I can't find them so I end up buying something and finding it in the cellar later. d'oh!