STORAGE FOR HAND TOOLS

Cabinets for storage of tools and supplies is very costly unless you think outside the box and re-purpose other things to fit your needs. I have lived on 15 acres in central Oklahoma, USA for over 40 years. Keeping that mowed requires a lot of equipment and storage for the tools and supplies I use. This chest of drawers was a US Army map drawer cabinet. I bought for $50.00 several years ago. Since it was too deep, I had to cut off 12 inches of depth (front to rear) to match the other benches I made. The drawers are all very shallow, but that's great for tools like pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers, chisels & punches. I have 2 shelves on the bottom stand for cases containing staplers, O ring assortments, Hole saws, etc.

Step 1: BOLTS, NUTS, SCREWS, NAILS, ETC

I made this out of 1 X 6 lumber and filled it with 1 quart oil containers that I sawed 1/4" of one side off with a radial arm saw. If you do this, make sure they are THOROUGHLY clean and dry before sawing them. I write the name of the contents on the front of each......such as 1/4" SAE, 1/4" Fine, 16 P nails...... and so on. May not look good, but it's really nice and handy.

Hanging on the right side of the cabinet is a pan I made to dump the contents into while I sort out what I want. I then dump the pan back into the oil container. Having and using the pan is a must.

Step 2: AIR TOOLS & SOCKETS

This is a wooden cabinet with doors the local school set out by the dumpster. I put temporary shelves in it and store my sockets, air impacts, air drills, high speed grinders, polishers, torque wrenches, etc. Having the doors helps keep everything clean.

Step 3: STORING LARGER THINGS

This shipping container is 8 foot x 8 foot x 40 foot and cost $2000.00. 320 square feet @ $6.25 per sq foot. The going rate for constructing a building that size costs10x that. It is totally mouse proof and rain proof. No more sticking stuff up in the attic.