Tool-apron storage
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Mount tool apron pockets to a wall or door
Tool aprons keep tools handy
Tool aprons can be modified to store nearly any household
item. Just sew a variety of pocket widths in the
aprons, then mount the aprons by screwing a wood
strip through the top of each and into a door. For
hollow-core doors, use hollow anchor fasteners to hold
the screws firmly to the door.
Storage pockets for skinny things
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Cut PVC into short pieces and mount on pegboard
Short PVC pieces keep things organized
Saw off short pieces of 1-1/2-, 2- or 3-in. PVC plumbing
pipe with 45-degree angles on one end. Screw them to a
board to hold paintbrushes, pencils, stir sticks and just
about any other narrow paraphernalia in your garage.
Mount them by drilling a 1/4-in. hole in the angled end, and
then drive a 1-5/8-in. drywall screw through the hole into
the board.
Double-duty shelf brackets
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Mount brackets and bend hooks to suit your tools
Use clothes hanger shelf brackets to store long tools
Shelf brackets designed to support
clothes hanger rods aren’t just for closets.
The rod-holding hook on these brackets
comes in handy in the garage and workshop
too. You can bend the hook to suit
long tools or cords. Closet brackets cost
about $3 each at home centers and hardware
stores.
Cutlery tray tool chest
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Cutlery organizers come in many sizes.
Use cutlery organizers to store tools neatly in drawers
Be honest! Somewhere you have a tool
drawer bursting with a combination of
screwdrivers, nail sets, tape rolls, utility knives,
scissors, scrapers, measuring tapes, files and knives. And often
you have to dump everything out to find one tool. Here is a solution. Fit a large
cutlery tray in the drawer to organize the tools so you
can see and grab the one you want in a second. The tray is easy to lift out and carry
to a job, and if you use a metal mesh tray, dust can’t build up between the tools.
Electrical box toolholders
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Junction boxes comes in different shapes and sizes.
Junction boxes hold a variety of tools and gear.
Junction boxes can hold a lot more than
switches and wiring. Nail or screw them
wherever you need handy holders for
small stuff. They come in different sizes
and shapes and cost 50¢ to $2 each.
Cannery row hardware storage
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Screw wood clips to plywood and put cans to work.
Recycled cans make great hardware holders
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Mount cans using homemade wood clips.
Notched wood clips hold cans securely
Don't recycle those steel or aluminum cans quite yet. Set aside a few months’
worth of fruit and coffee cans and put these cannery rows to work organizing all
of the small hardware in your shop.
All you need are some homemade
wood clips and a chunk of 3/4-in. plywood
screwed to a wall. To make the clips, rip
a 3/4-in.-thick board into 1-3/8-in.-wide
strips. Saw or rout a 3/8-in. x 1/4-in.
rabbet along one edge.
Drill 1/8-in. screw holes every 3/4 in.
and then cut off 3/4-in.-wide clips. To
mount the clips and cans on the plywood,
screw on a clip, notch end down,
then set a can on the clip and screw on
a second clip overlapping the can's rim
about 1/4 in.
That’s it! Keep adding
clips and cans until every
screw, bolt, nail and nut has
a can to call home. Label
the cans, and keep one
loaded with surplus
clips and screws
for adding on.
Overhead garage storage
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Mount this simple PVC rack
Smooth PVC makes loading and unloading easy
Stow bulky items overhead by cementing together a
simple rack from 2-in. PVC pipes and fittings. Bolt the
straight pipe to the ceiling joists to support heavy loads,
and screw the angled pieces from the "wye" connectors
into the cross brace to stabilize the whole rack. The PVC’s
smooth surface makes for easy loading and unloading.
Screw storage
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Use a clear water bottle with a pop-up lid.
Clear water bottle keeps screws clean.
If you keep screws in a coffee can,
you're probably used to the screw
points pricking your fingers. The
can also collects dust and dirt.
Instead, buy a clear water bottle
with a pop-up lid and pour the
screws into the bottle with a funnel.
The screws stay clean, and you can
shake them out of the bottle one at
a time.
Ladder pouch
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Mount a tool belt on your ladder.
Ladder pouch keeps tools where you need them.
There's no need to load up your tool belt when you're working
from a ladder. Any type of hook, pouch or pocket made for a
tool belt works just as well when mounted on a ladder.
