donsrods
Well-known member
I know a lot of people and professional mechanics like the rollaway tool chests with all the drawers in them, and I have a couple myself, but never have been a fan of them. I find myself pulling out a couple of drawers before I find the one I was looking for. I realize you can put labels on the drawers to indicate what is inside, but that takes time too.
I also realized that my tools are separated into a couple of groups:
1) The ones I use almost every time I am at the shop
2) Ones I use only occasionally.
3) Ones I do not use often at all, like ring compressors, pickle forks, etc.
So what I decided to do was move the tools I use most often onto a separate cart that I can roll around the shop easily and put it near where I am working. What I used was a used MAC tool cart with one tray that I bought at a swap meet recently for $20. And, because I like to just reach and grab a tool, I added a 2 foot high piece of pegboard supported by some angle iron. That allowed me to hang up a lot of stuff that I use a lot, and I can get at them quickly and put them back quickly.
Here is the pegboard back I built onto the rolling tool cart:
I used the top tray in the cart to hold the sockets I use the most, both in SAE sizes and Metric sizes, as well as rachets, extensions, and various adapters. I put all the SAE on the left and Metric on the right.
In the one drawer that this thing has I put various combination, open end, box end, and other wrenches. These are the ones I use for various tight spots and special applications.
On the very bottom tray I put all the big heavy tools , like my impact tools, impact sockets, hammers, pry bars, and various chemicals, like antiseize, permatex, etc. Having all the heavy stuff on the bottom keeps the weight of the peg board from tipping over the whole thing because of being top heavy.
I put my most common screwdrivers on the sides, phillips on the right and slotted on the left side.
The whole back of the pegboard was bare, so on it I hung tools that wouldn't fit anywhere else, like my breaker bars, serpentine belt tools, some Metric combination wrenches, inspection mirror and magnet, etc.
Since I built this thing my life has been so much easier and organized. If I use a tool I can put it right back in it's home, and if one is missing I can see a bare spot right away. Rather than me having a lot of tools laying around until I gather them up and carry them way back to the rolling tool chest, I now have the cart right there beside me. Clean up is so much easier.
I am finding that this cart is saving me a lot of trips back and forth, because you know you always think you needed a 1/2 inch wrench and it really was a 9/16. Instead of two trips I now just reach right into the tray and exchange the wrong one for the right one.
This won't be for everyone, but I thought I would share it in case someone else might find it useful.
Don
I also realized that my tools are separated into a couple of groups:
1) The ones I use almost every time I am at the shop
2) Ones I use only occasionally.
3) Ones I do not use often at all, like ring compressors, pickle forks, etc.
So what I decided to do was move the tools I use most often onto a separate cart that I can roll around the shop easily and put it near where I am working. What I used was a used MAC tool cart with one tray that I bought at a swap meet recently for $20. And, because I like to just reach and grab a tool, I added a 2 foot high piece of pegboard supported by some angle iron. That allowed me to hang up a lot of stuff that I use a lot, and I can get at them quickly and put them back quickly.
Here is the pegboard back I built onto the rolling tool cart:
I used the top tray in the cart to hold the sockets I use the most, both in SAE sizes and Metric sizes, as well as rachets, extensions, and various adapters. I put all the SAE on the left and Metric on the right.
In the one drawer that this thing has I put various combination, open end, box end, and other wrenches. These are the ones I use for various tight spots and special applications.
On the very bottom tray I put all the big heavy tools , like my impact tools, impact sockets, hammers, pry bars, and various chemicals, like antiseize, permatex, etc. Having all the heavy stuff on the bottom keeps the weight of the peg board from tipping over the whole thing because of being top heavy.
I put my most common screwdrivers on the sides, phillips on the right and slotted on the left side.
The whole back of the pegboard was bare, so on it I hung tools that wouldn't fit anywhere else, like my breaker bars, serpentine belt tools, some Metric combination wrenches, inspection mirror and magnet, etc.
Since I built this thing my life has been so much easier and organized. If I use a tool I can put it right back in it's home, and if one is missing I can see a bare spot right away. Rather than me having a lot of tools laying around until I gather them up and carry them way back to the rolling tool chest, I now have the cart right there beside me. Clean up is so much easier.
I am finding that this cart is saving me a lot of trips back and forth, because you know you always think you needed a 1/2 inch wrench and it really was a 9/16. Instead of two trips I now just reach right into the tray and exchange the wrong one for the right one.
This won't be for everyone, but I thought I would share it in case someone else might find it useful.
Don
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