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

[kscott]

LIL
I chose option 2. I am a compulsive collector of stuff and if it wasn't organized I would not know where anything is. I have a DB of everything and where it is and printed it into a booklet I refer to when I need to find anything I rarely use. If you have only a few things then this might not be the best for you but as you collect stuff (I'm almost 70 and have had 50 years to accumulate stuff ) you will find that organization is your friend.
Ken

[cpw]

I keep things that I buy in 1lb or bigger boxes just in the boxes stacked on a shelf. I also have a cardboard box that is the remnants of my McFeely's variety pack + replacements on a shelf in their original boxes.

For other stuff that I purchase in small packs or bags, I store them in two deep tray organizers that have handles and I can take with me places. I don't try to get each container within the organizer unique, but I have a container that contains washers of various sizes (mostly in the original bag or box if possible, so they are well labeled). One of the organizers has more wood-working type things (shelf pegs, hinges, etc.), the other has more home improvement type stuff (drywall anchors, machine screws, etc.).

I used to save extra screws, etc. that I would get with drawer slides, furniture, or other stuff; but now I pretty much always junk them after the assembly. It just isn't worth it to me to have so much stuff that I'll likely never use and have to sort through.

[kscott]

Some pics.



All of the cabinets have drawers which have dividers.



Library storage drawer setup.



Blue print drawers which are divided into storage areas and the database I did tells where everything is.

HTH
Ken

[fredhargis]

kscott said:

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Some pics.



All of the cabinets have drawers which have dividers.



Library storage drawer setup.



Blue print drawers which are divided into storage areas and the database I did tells where everything is.

HTH
Ken

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HOLY CHIT, what a setup!

[Alaric]

If I ever have that much stuff to store, just shoot me and bury me with it.

That is a very impressive storage system, but honestly, I hope to never need something like that. Its a hobby and I don't use $100 worth of fasteners and hardware in a year. So I prefer to keep my shop storage small and there is little economic incentive to spend money and effort to store hardware beyond a few boxes of fasteners and bins. So the best system to use is this storage system:



As you can see, everything is labeled and sorted and easy to find (unless you live near Port St Lucie ) and best of all I did not have to arrange it and waste precious space in my garashop.

[daveferg]

With all respect to those with amazing storage methods, that's exactly the point I was trying to make earlier. I could store my parts bins on the street for everyone in the neighborhood to use and still never be rid of all the stuff.

[Shovel Man]

Alaric is on a good path. Toss out a lot of the old junk your grandfather saved. It can take a few steps to get there, and Alaric may still have a few steps to go to reach Nirvana.

One day I was stirring thru my washer bin and realized that since I don't use lock washers they were up to about 70% of the collection. It was my first purge.

[t4d]

alright.........this is very nice to get these responses..........please keep them coming, much appreciated!!

there are many great ideas that have been submitted, from the simple to the complex. So.......of course.....the natural thing to do is to start simple and then get more detailed, if required.

This morning I began to tackle the hardware...........started simple with 4 containers: screws, nails, nuts bolts & washers, and misc.

That didn't last long, and already, in less than a day, I have the following containers:

• 
  short nails < 1&1/2 inches
  nails > 1&1/2 inches
  short wood screws
  long wood screws
  metal washers
  "regular" nuts and bolts
  "odd" nuts and bolts (toggle, screw eye, lag, etc)
  assorted drywall screws (in addition to several boxes of them)
  hinges, brackets, casters, etc
  sheet metal screws
  electrical type machine screws (6-32)
  cable wall staples
  hook & eye type screws
  also made a small tackle box for hanging pictures with brackets, small nails, etc
  also made a special electric box with wire nuts, multimeter, shrink wrap, heat gun
  also made a special plumbing box with rubber washers, teflon tape, plumbing hardware, etc

And you know what........I'm looking at the stuff that is turning up from my junk bins and figuring that I'll need to add more containers. This is like a SICKNESS or something.........is there something in our brains that make us want to (over) organize? Or do I just need to learn to have a certain level of detail, and then NO MORE!!?

Well, of course I'm being dramatic, but seriously....why can't I keep things simple? Does a person have to train himself to do that? Or will all these containers actually help?

Again, thanks for all the great responses.........and please continue to comment because I like to get the opinions of others who have "already been there"

[Alaric]

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

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.

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

I'll be no help, I'm afraid.

I tried jars, library card files, tackle boxes, small organizers, old microfiche cabinets, and plenty of other ideas and was never satisfied.

Then I just caved in. This was the beginning;









All new.

I'm about ready to double that install on the opposite wall.

There's about 50% more in my hand tool room. Fortunately, I found a local supplier that gets these for me pretty darn cheap.

I just walked into my local hardware store and took pics of their organization and am copying it.