If you are looking for some clever ideas on how to store all those tools you’ve collected over the years, you have come to the right place. Over the course of four decades in the business of dealing with tools and those who buy them, you better believe we have heard just about every idea out there when it comes to organization, safety and efficiency. The following 10 tool storage ideas are just the ones we consider the most useful for the most people. Keep checking back for more tips.
1. Rake Rack
Number one on our list of tool storage ideas is named for its alliterative value, but it can actually be useful for storing shovels, hoes and even brooms. Drill holes in two plywood racks and mount them to the top of your garage or shed. The just slide any tool featuring a long, thin pole through the holes for efficient storage that gets them out of the way.
2. Blade Guards
Any tool that features a sharp blade can be easily and immediately relieved of its danger when stored away with nothing more complicated than old rubber garden hose. Just cut the garden hose to length and then cut a slit through it long enough to fit over the teeth of saws and any other sharp blades. Perhaps this one should actually make this list of 10 tool storage ideas become a misnomer since it also succeeds in clearing out space currently being taken up by old hoses.
3. Color Coding
Buy yourself a few cans of brightly colored paint and use them to spray an immediately identifiable ring around your tools. When you then organize your tool collection according to any color code that works best for you, this not only qualifies as a clever tool storage idea, but it serves the dual purpose of identifying your tools if you are in the habit of lending them out.
4. Preventing Rust
Your basic set of hand tools are subject to rusting in garages and unfinished tool sheds. You can stem the absorption of moisture that is the catalyst of rusting by placing a couple of bricks of plain charcoal inside a cloth bag and placing them inside any drawers or toolboxes in which you keep your tools.
5. Protecting Sharp Edges
Any hand tool with a sharp edge like a chisel is subject to losing its edge by getting dinged and banged around when kept in proximity to other tools. Here’s a top 10 tool storage idea for all those without the option to create a completely secure environment for those tools with sharp edges. Cut a slit inside a small rubber ball and slide the sharp edge snugly inside.
6. Elastics
When it comes to top 10 tool storage ideas, perhaps few are quite so necessary as a way to deal with all that elasticity that comes with a great tool collection. Forget about pawing through a drawer and instead invest in some PVC pipe with a large enough diameter to suit your needs. Drill some holes spaced vertically apart just far enough to allow the tension to do the job of keeping any kind of elastic cord in place.
7. Muffin Pans
Muffin pans can almost be used to make up a list of 10 tool storage ideas on their own. The multiple indentations in one pan come in handy for storing nuts, bolts, screws, washers and any of the other small items that require the tools stored around them.
8. Efficient Tape Dispensing
If your use of tools tends to depend quite heavily on the utilization of duct tape, masking tape, electric tape or, well, any other kind of tape, then this tool storage idea requires a visit to the bathroom department of your local home decor store. Invest in enough toil paper holders to hold all the different types of tape you normally use in your workshop. Then just replace the toilet paper roll with the roll of tape in question.
9. Proper Tool Board Storage
If you are new to the world of storing tools on a peg board and think it looks really cool to have those outlines, there is one very important tool storage idea you need to become familiar with. Make sure that you give each tool enough space to easily pull free with your hand. This means enough space not just horizontally, but vertically.
10. Slanted Shelves
If you have deep shelves that contain a number of tools and find yourself constantly having to move the ones in front to see what’s in back, consider investing in some slanted shelves with dividers. Or just glue on some wood trim to make dividers and then install the shelves at a slant. This will allow you to separate tools and accessories on a single shelf to increase efficiency when you are looking for something specific.
For other tools tips visit our Tips Page or contact us if you have any other questions.
