Examples of OCD Tool Box Over the Top Organization
 

I find it very difficult to work when I have to keep my area clean or I can't stay focused. I just watched an episode of Home Built by Jeff where he gave a tour of his garage. He was semi organized but by his own admission he is not the neatest. But it seems that he is perfect because if you keep things too organized you can't focus on actually starting to work!

I thought I would post a couple of pics of my tool box and some of my drawers.

Let's see your OCD tool Organization.....

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If you got rid of the foam, there would be a lot more space for more tools.

I am extremely organized....friends make fun of the way I organize my tools. guns, cloths, shoes, books........ but those drawers would drive me crazy. I have way too many tools to display mine like that. My box is 7' long and 5' tall and it is full. So much that my most used tools are in a portable box.......

The 5 S's is part of the LEAN manufacturing methodology.
Typical 5 S tool box
sweep
sort
simplify
standardize
safety

This is the problem my background is in manufacturing and I'm a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and help manufactures with process improvement / continuous improvement. 5S is in my blood... or 6S with (S)safety.

Did Marie Condo send you an award certificate?

I’m at work again today , so here’s my work backpack .
I go through it once every six months or so to remove things that haven’t been used .
This helps with the weight .

.

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I have a very similar tool box. I'd be embarrassed to post pictures of the insides of the drawers after seeing your pix.

But I find the tools I need when I need them. Socks too.

Very tidy, nothing like me.

BUT what I am going to do is get the dremel out and put readable size numbers on my wrenches. It annoys me not being able to read the 12mm or whatever on them.

I grew up with my father telling me that a clean workshop full of perfectly organized tools is a sign of someone who does very little. To me, there's a reasonable compromise somewhere between that and the utter chaos that was my father's shop and tools.
I have a place or a drawer for every one of my many tools, but they don't always exist there!

Well my tool boxes don't look anything like the OP's.......but i know where everything is.

I don't have enough room for all the tools that I have. I should just splurge and buy one huge instead of messing around with two smaller ones. I've been trying to figure out a good way to organize sockets. I don't have drawers big enough for ones like the OP has. I swear to god, I have 12 10mm sockets but I can't ever find one of them.

i bought my 1st tool box in America back in 1985-It is a black and gold Sears, for $400 and to this day i still have it ,with more tools of course..serves me well all these years to do all the work on 911 and rebuild engines...even though i have moved over 20 000 miles with it;-)
http://img.pccreation.net/photos/202001200023159411.JPG
in France little garage thou...
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+1

I'm retired Rockwell/Boeing too, Kaizen good, Muda bad
Lots of visual management stuff on my race car & stuff as taught by Toyota.
LEAN methodologies & Motorsports are a natural pairing IMO

Foam !
 

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You fit more tools laying them on their sides...

The worst part is I will get a new wrench and then I don't have any room for it in my wrench drawer because everything is already in place and cut out in the foam.

I'll tell you what I don't have a problem with... finding a tool that I know I have.

You posted this right when I was saying I didn't have enough room for more wrenches!

Nice organization!

Time to turn the wrenches on their side. Sears does not sell their drawer foam anymore, where did you get your foam?

Looks nice, but quadruples the amount of toolbox space you need.
That could be 3 small piles taking up one small corner of that drawer

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This is craftsman but search on line ... many sources out there.

The sizing bar is a neat trick.

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Sorter-Wrench-Organizer-Red/dp/B00HNZWPCQ

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There's a lot of wasted space there. How many times do you use a crescent wrench? About never for me.

I have way too many tools to store them that way!!! I would need so many tool boxes!!!

I do real work in my garage and spend a bit of time organizing, but NOT ALL THE TIME!!!

Drawers are where tools go to die.

I like that!!

I thought I would annoy some of you messy people with some pictures of whats in my drawers... My Nuts! Enjoy.

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I love these Bisley organizers, I purchased them at The Container Store, about $90, plus the cost of the organization trays. They have all types of inserts for organizing small to large items.

Your nuts and bolt assortment is pure OCD.
I love it, but I just go to the local hardware store for that stuff, as needed.
You would be the ideal neighbor !

A guy on Rennlist invented these over 20 years ago. I bought mine from him around that time.

Mark

Much easier to just get a set of socket labels: Socket Labels

Mark

sockets sit on top of the box with drawers - I hate trying to read the tiny numbers on the sockets too

who knows why some are working side up and others the opposite way??


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commonly uses 'speed' wrenches

others in drawer on plastic 'racks'


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Have a little time so I thought I should clarify my thoughts.

There is a difference between organization, efficiency and clutter. This is something I’ve learned The Hard Way™.

Putting things in drawers so things look tidy does NOT automatically mean they are efficient or organized. This is where I have big disagreements with people I see writing about how to organize a workspace.

My workspace is not my living room. It serves a utilitarian purpose.

The reason I don’t like putting tools in drawers is because it is not efficient. If I have a drawer full of wrenches, the one I need is lost in a pile. I waste time sorting through the drawer to find the one I need. They are insidious little bastardz. They like to hide.

I use pegboard for most of my tools, especially things that are frequently used. Some people don’t like pegboard because it looks cluttered. But I know exactly where it should be. And I know where to put it back when I’m done.

My most commonly used tools are within reach. That’s efficient for me and how I work. Some people might say it is visually distracting. But it’s better than tools in a drawer.

I don’t have a problem with the foam cutouts in drawers. Similar concept. The only thing I don’t like is it is a relatively expensive use of space and it is a pain to change.

Thanks Mark. I like the look of those!

I like the look of those socket labels to. Anyone know how well they hold up over time, that's one tough place to put a stick on label.

"If I have a drawer full of wrenches, the one I need is lost in a pile. "

not if you use plastic wrench organizers in the drawer

I have been using them. Only one has come off. Tight space and it rubbed off. I would put some degreaser on a rag and wipe the sockets down before applying the labels.

don’t like ‘em. I may have 3 of one size. different lengths. or one normal and another gear wrench. then I need a different organizer for each type...

same holds true for pliers, hammers, screwdrivers...

My point is that you can throw each type of tool in a different drawer. That is organized. Each tool has a place. It is probably really efficient in terms of space density. To the casual observer, you could say it appears neat because everything is put away. But it is not efficient for productivity.

I have two of those tool-sorter trays. They're great. And they're divided out for metric and imperial. So if you don't use both, you have double the space. I have three sets of metric wrenches and one imperial in my two trays. Then the Snap-On & BluePoint sets are in the trays they came in.
There are some wrenches 'loose' in the drawer, but I use the trays and one large divider to keep them relatively corralled.
The pin-style socket organizers are a godsend. Again, multiple sets with multiple sets of sockets on them. As big as my box is (68" wide), I'd need 3 of them if I divided my tools for presentation like the OP.

I'll take some pics tonight if I remember. But I tend to agree with whoever said a tidy workspace is likely unused.

OP, I mean no offense. It is a fantastic display and worthy of admiration.