Thread: Best way to store bolts

I use these Spare Parts Boxes - Box Biz fiitted into a suitable particle board (or similar ) enclosure, this mob have been around since my mother was a young girl, they wiil post them to you or there may be somewhere in Qld that makes them

I find long bolts sit pretty well in cheap plastic cutlery trays.

Originally Posted by BobL

I find long bolts sit pretty well in cheap plastic cutlery trays.

All those empty silicon/cartridge tubes when empty are fantastic for all sorts of uses.
For bolts, just cut the nozzle screw tip off, cut tube to length of bolt, black texta to write the length on and Bobs your uncle.

They also make great tool caddies, 1/2 doz snug fit in a box and away you go

Also good if you pull the plunger plug out, screw on a new nozzle, trim nozzle to appropriate size hole and use on the end of a vacuum cleaner to suck out dirt in those hard to get places, Can extend nozzle with plastic tube if really hard to get to

These are just some of the uses I put them to. Imagination is the only limit

Jill,
try these:

12 - Boxes on the left are small 5 compartment boxes from woolies but they are a common aussie brand and I've seen them around all over the place at auto shops, craft shops and sewing shops. About 4$ each (from memory) from Woolies/Big W/Coles. Multi compartments means you can separate smaller (1/8 - 3/16) nuts/washers/countersunk/normal bolts etc. Clear or clear tinted boxes are usually the way to go 'cos you can see what is in them, but I also label them with masking tape and texta (cheap, simple and can be easily changed). This style of box has been on the market for years so you should be able to get more later when you want them (something to think about if you only do a partial tidy up job for now!).
- Boxes on the right with the blue lids were some I bought from Spotlight (craft shop) in Sth Aust. Actually better than I thought they would be. They are basically 3 containers which snap together. This is good for the larger bolts (1/4-3/8). You can have bolts, washers, nuts all in separate "trays", but in the same box.

13 - Or you could make a bunch of boxes. These are 75hx100wx150d. 12mm MDF front and rear with 3 or 4mm mdf sides and bottom. I originally was going to make a set of small shelves to keep them in but found they were accurately made enough that they would stack very neatly. Often a middle one can be pulled out and the others stay put. obviously over time the less popular items work their way to the bottom of the stack anyway. No lids so the dust can get in, but you can make as many of these as you want, now and into the future (and apart from time to make them, they are dirt cheap, less than $10 of mdf will get about 30 boxes.)

15 - For a while I was using video boxes, they were about $1 each from BigW at the time. Haven't looked to get them recently. Labels can be printed on paper and slid into these sorts of covers. If you want to get flash, hot melt glue some dividers in. Also use the hot melt glue to glue the spine so it can't fold away from the main box (you'll get what I mean if you can get some boxes and look at them) . Basically, there are things which aren't "workshop" containers but with a bit of imagination can be used quite happily.

Hope there were some useful ideas there.
Don't overlook the normal kitchen storage stuff like Decor TellFresh boxesand Klipit(?) brand. Normally too expensive to buy in quantity for shed storage but quite good to stock up with when on special (I noticed a couple of the big chains here did some half price specials recently)

Regards
SWK

Hi Jill,
I think you could have some fun making you own, being of 5 pieces.
It is quite easy these days to get free timber.
I see Bunnings put out all those different Pallets now, & you can ask or just take them, or pull them apart there.
They even have a rather decent Ply, MDF, Chip Board & Pine.
If you have a Table Saw, all you need is 2 settings, then cut to length, & edge glue them 1 edge to 1 side, & wrap some Masking tape around & leave to dry.

Love the MDF Boxes idea !

Hi Jill,

Nothing as sophisticated as the above for me.
I use 20L drums with the tops cut out, in one are paired bolts and nuts. Unmatched in another and washers and large hinges, barrel bolts etc in the third. To find what I'm looking for I tip the contents into a large tray on the floor and when finished put them back in the drum with a square mouth shovel.
The 20L drums stack neatly on top of each other, so don't take up much room and the lower two are protected from dust and moisture by the overlap of the one above.
This system has worked for me for over 30 years.

Regards,
Geoff.

I used to have my stuff all in little drawers but was for ever opening and closing them as I could never remember which drawer anything was in.
So I took out all the little drawers from their enclosures and put them all in one big one.

I call it my "drawer of doom".
As you can see it's now full and will have to start another soon.

from BobL's pic, I can see how useful the kitchen drawer containers are for the big bolts, but they do seem to take up a lot of space

Jill,
Here is what I use. I made this hardware cabinet from plans in Shopnotes. You can make the compartments any size you want. I made the labels for the drawers on my computer. The groove on the front is made using a dovetail bit so it will hold the label.
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I make a P-touch label and place it on the dividers.
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I also saved all the baby food container from both of my boys. I must have 200 of these things. They are clear and I put a P-touch label on top.
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Bret

Bret... its too damn neat! The "Shed Police" will visit and give you a citation due to you being able to lay your hands on a particular item in less time than the customary half a morning!
Seriously, its great, when doing a job, to go to a draw/what ever and there is what you need with, say a nut and washer, at hand and ready to go. How much time do we waste looking for that part we know we picked up the other day. Any system is way better than no system.
I use 650mg/1 pound fruit cans to hold my fast moving screws/bolts. I paint them and label them and store them on narrow shelves that are 1 can deep, so none can hide. Its also handy to have a system so when you know you are going to the hardware store a quick check through the containers tells you if you need to stock up.

After I sent my earlier one, I remembered a year or so ago I tidied up the workshop of a club I am a member of.

And then I saw Bret's chest of drawers and this offering now seems very meagre (very swish storage, Bret!)

Anyway, 2litre milk containers.
I suppose a modern version of Chambezio's fruit tins. Cut them all around about half way up (green line) will give a roughly 120mm cube. In SA the ones we have have a rib at this point which makes a good guide. Or cut out one face opposite the handle (like the purple line) to get a deeper container with a handle. I did this style for the club workshop. The bottles I got from our work canteen. Got a mountain of them in a couple of days.

Regards
SWK

This is my nail file but it would work for bolts. It uses coffee jars the ones in the picture have been replaced by later ones that are oval and 6 fit in a row so I have 60 jars in a 600mm (2ft) cube and don't have to move any to get the back ones out.
Regards

Hugh, how do you stop the jars from crashing to the ground when you pull them out of the cabinet? Very impressive layout, well done