How I store my nuts ........ and bolts

Anyways i tried all sorts of solutions to sort my nuts and bolts

Bulk nuts of every size in one plastic bin
Spread out in a drawer in tool box
Cut off 1L plastic oil cans
Industrial bolt bin
Plastic food containers
Metal index card cabinet

It all worked but for some reason was not the solution for ME

This is what i came up with, i have a used industrial Stanley vidmar floor cabinet that i wanted to use for more then just a catch all.

I measured the drawers, found a shipping crate at work and went to work with my table saw ....

Cut the base the size of the drawer
made strips to box it in
made strips to run across
then cut dividers

this was all glued and nailed

put it in clamps while the glue did its job

 

This is LIKE the cabinet i have, i made them to fit into the 2 and 3 drawers

 

I'm all for DIY but your trial and error would have pissed me off enough to just buy a Lawson drawer or fishing lure box. At least what you do is a custom fit to the application though.

 

This is true ! it was pissing me off, all the attempts at different storage solutions have come as my collection (or stash) has expanded. If i scrap anything (Dishwasher to truck) i take the hardware from it if its in good shape. The sorting of Nuts, bolts, washers, locks, screws worked in plastic Shoe Box size bins in a deep drawer in my tool box, and if i had a handful of one type of faster i put them in a cut off 1L oil bottle.

I was fixing my wife's ski doo and needed a handful of m8's that were all the same as you would see them. Two trips and $20 later from local hardware store i had what i needed.

This all started when I was asked to call someone into restock the bolt bin at work ...... shopped around and came to the conclusion that i was going to buy some hardware in bulk for myself. Example i was paying $0.15 for one washer i bought 100 for $2.00

After spending $200 the need for proper separation for the new hardware was evident.

FYI i love buying in bulk ......

 

My plan is to have one drawer metric and the other standard, sorted for NEW hardware only

 

I found this works very well. I had to fight off my GFs attempt to commandeer it for her own repurposing uses (she's an English prof). I search C list every so often but they are hard to find. I did get a small 6 drawer unit for her birthday that she loves. Keeps it in her office and stores tea, candy and other stuff in it.

 

I have a few of these for nuts, bolts, and washers.

 

Previous storage options

 

I find they fill up with dust if they are not put in a cabinet.