Many people tell me they want their toolbox to be organized, but don’t know where to start. Let’s talk through the step that has helped many people get the ball rolling. That first step is deciding how you want to group your tools. With that decided, you can test it in one drawer to see if it meets your desired outcome.
Below are some possible tool groupings with explanations. Select the one that seems the best to you and give it a try. Rather than trying to do your whole tool chest at one time, start out with just one drawer. Doing this keeps the project manageable, which is key to getting started. Once you have success in that drawer you can expand from there.
Group your tools. Think about how you use your tools and apply this as the basis for your groupings. There is no one right answer, since the goal is to find the arrangement that works best for you. Your best layout will be different from someone else’s. This personalization is part of what makes the process fun.
Common function- Group tools together that perform the same or similar function. Examples include screwdrivers, wrenches, or hammers. This is a frequently chosen approach, and makes it easy for others who may share tools in your space. A set of labels on the drawer handles make it easy to zero in on the tool that is needed. If I need to tighten a screw, finding the drawer with the screwdrivers in it is all that is needed.
Frequency of use- If you are focused on efficiency of movement, you may want to locate tools in the drawers closest to your working height that you use most frequently. This makes the top drawer or two of a toolchest prime real estate, where you can easily go for the tools you use the most often. A great technique here is to simply empty to top drawer of anything that is in it, and as you use tools, return them to this space. In a short period of time you will have your most frequently used tools collected in your easy to reach location.
Size or thickness- This may seem like an odd category, but it is a consideration driven by the tool box itself. You may want all your woodworking chisels type tools in one drawer, but find that some of them don’t fit well in a particular drawer size. Once you begin to place tools into drawers, you may find that there are restrictions on where a tool may fit which will cause you to group some different tools together which were not part of your original thinking pattern. For instance hand planes may not fit in the thinner drawers of your chest and so end up being added to other tools with thicker features.
Task connection- Here you are grouping all the tools needed to do one particular task that you do periodically. Having everything together in one place can save time gathering the tools when you do that project. An example may be tools related to soldering. In addition to your soldering iron, you may want to include needle nose pliers, wire strippers, and heat sinks.
How to get started- The most important step in toolbox organization is simply to begin. The key is to not get hung up on which method, but rather to get started. Pick a drawer, remove all the things that are filling it up and give your method of choice a test. You’ll be glad you did.
Check out the gallery pages at www.bespoketooltrays.com for some inspiration. Drop me a line and let me know which approach you decided on and how it worked for you.
Steve