How did you organize your tool chest

After 35 years of collecting tools and having them in bins, on shelves, in multiple tool boxes, migrating to neighbors and family as "borrowed", I finally bought a upright tool chest. I was going to get the cool Kirkland ones but I don't think I had room in my small garage. I ended up with one of these yesterday for half the price and size.



Now I've been finding all of my tools and putting them in piles.



This is just a start. I have a slug of pneumatic tools, drywall & painting tools, tiling tools, etc.

Question: How do you organize your tools in the tools chest drawers? I started with wrenches, clamping things like pliers, hammering, sockets, screwdrivers, nut and torx drivers, measuring things, cutting things, drilling things, sawing things, etc. What is a good method?

 

I organize much like you mentioned.

Sockets go in one drawer. Screwdrivers in another. Torx, Allen, and misc goes in another.

It's pretty much just been a game of put stuff in, go to use it, figure out if it works in that spot or move it to another. I've rearranged my toolbox three or four times in the last three months (when I got it). I've now decided to get a service cart to go with my toolbox.

Of you go to. Garagejournal (another forum for tools and garages) you will find a thread with thousands of people posting their toolbox setups

 

Not by throwing them on the floor. I put them IN the tool chest.

 

I hang all my wrenches. Pain to look through a drawer to find them and I have 3-4 of each size.

Sockets get two drawers -- 1/2" drive and associated breaker bars, ratchets, extensions then a separate drawer for 3/8 and 1/4" drive stuff.

There's a drawer for pliers/vice grips/c-clamps of all types. Another drawer for all screwdrivers. One with hammers/chisels/pry bars.

All in all very similar to how you have things split up.

 

In seriousness, I actually have the same chest almost.

Top two
- drill bits and knives,
- drill accessories.

Full width drawers:
- metric sockets
- standard sockets and ratchets
- screwdrivers and nut drivers
- wrenches in organizers
- adjustable wrenches
- hammers, pry bars and measuring devices
- clamps
- random power tools (not drills)
- random large items since it's a big drawer

 

The only real carpentry or non mechanical tools that go in my double box is one drawer of hammers and one of various measuring implements.

I use Rubbermaid silverware holders (garage sale stuff, 50 cents, rubbery, not hard plastic) designed for kitchen drawers to hold wrenches. One drawer of metric, one of SAE. There's room left in those drawers for ratcheting wrenches, nut drivers and crows feet too.

All sockets are on socket organizers and hang on the peg board over the workbench. Unfortunately 50 years of sockets (deep, regular, 6 point, 12 point, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 drive, swivel, all in both metric and std do take a lot of room. But at least I know where they are.