After all these years, I bought myself a decent toolbox.

[Psychoholic]

So here is the question for the community as a whole - how do you have your toolbox organized? What is your recommendation for the one I bought? It's a 41" 13 drawer Husky.

IMG_4136-1.jpg

[pyro]

I'm a tool freak, and a clean mechanic. Tools are organized by drawer. Specific types, like the screw drivers and torque wrences are up top. Pliers, ect. are next drawer down.

[chestypuller]

looks like a good start

[Psychoholic]

So Pyro, with the layout of drawers I have, would you recommend an SAE drawer of wrenches, a Metric drawer, and split the screwdrivers by type or what?

[sgath92]

I need another set of toolboxes, since I have enough tools for three of them piled up. I'm so overrun in tools I'm having to use an antique secretary to store my woodworking tools. I've never organized screw drivers or drill bits since they get broken/lost the most but I can't stand not having wrenches & sockets separated by metric/english. I just never know what to do when I have a mixture of 3 or 4 sets with many dupes though.

[mr x]

Ya man that is a nice box. I would go with Pyros lead. Organize as much as ya can. I would divide the screwdrivers up ... Phillips , and so on. The more you are organized the easier and qwickr it is to find stuff when you need it. I try to that but things get disorganized fast for me. Plus i don't have half that size box... looking good tho.

[LMS]

I have a large black cock... no tool box, one of the craftsman industrial series ones, and a smaller cheaper red craftsman one beside it both full, and another small red one my welder sits on with welding stuff inside.

I have a metric wrench drawer and an SAE drawer, but then I have a crap load of wrenches. I also have a third wrench drawer for the really big stuff, a 2 inch jaw wrench does not fit well with the smaller ones.
I have a drawer for screw drivers only, 1 for all types of pliers, one for A/C stuff, a drawer for drilling and grinding stuff, one for cutting devices.
I keep all my 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets and sockets in one drawer... one very heavy drawer. all my 1/4 inch stuff is in a smaller drawer and the 3/4 inch drive stuff is in another tool box with the big wrenches.
Many other drawers full of stuffs as well.
You definitely want to organize it, but you need to do it in a way that works for you. Also wipe your tools down before putting them away each day, it will mean more than you know in the long run.

At work I have a nice Snap-on box and a cheaper camouflage tool cart.

[BIGEVIL]

Garage cabinets.jpg

Since I don't use my tools for professional use, I'm not embarrased to say I buy mostly Harbor Freight tools.
Unless I know I am going to beat the crap out of it, then I will pick up an industrial tool from the Snap-On truck.

Every drawer in the boxes has a theme.
There is a "Hammering" drawer that has hammers, punches, dollies etc.
A cutting drawer for saws, blades, razors, cut off tools.
All scewdivers are in the same drawer, but I rivited a piece of aluminum angle to the bottom to separate flat from philips.
SAE and Metric wrenches are in separate drawers.
The big top drawer is fast moving. All sockets, ratchets, extensions are there.
All vice grips and c-clamps are in the same drawer.

Go with what makes sense for you. What I keep in the bottom "once in a while" drawer, may be in the top fast moving drawer for another guy.

[chestypuller]

harbor freight, they only sell top notch stuff. i aint ashamed to say ive shopped there.

[Psychoholic]

This is all very solid advice.

So what I've gathered that seems to be universally accepted:

Order by what is used most frequently.
Separate wrenches by SAE and Metric, and if you have crazy big stuff, try and put that in it's own drawer.
Sockets and Ratchets seem to have differing philosophies - could do metric/sae drawers, could do by drive size. Not sure how I'm going to do that one.
Screwdrivers in the same drawer, but divided by type
Pliers definitely get their own drawer
Then other drawers by function, such as hammering, drilling, grinding.
Probably put all my air tools in the bottom drawer, and leave all my corded tools on the shelf.
Drawer liners are a must
Wipe down tools before they go back in the box.

Thanks guys!

[Psychoholic]

Also:

Employ the Adam Savage theory of First Order Retrievability, where you can grab any tool without moving any other tool and that everything has a place.

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/inside-adam-savages-toolbox/

[LMS]

where you can grab any tool without moving any other tool and that everything has a place.

I would need 3 more tool boxes to do that. lol
Some of my drawers are piled to the top.

Also go ahead and glue your drawer liners down, trust me.

[chestypuller]

my tools dont have time to "rest" in my tool box.

[Scary Guy]

You shouldn't play with them so much. You'll go blind or at the very least get a nasty rash.