Garage Shop: Tools

Damn, one of these days I'll have a garage. Right now I've got a tiny craftsman toolbox up in the closet and the toolbox in my truck bed. Any work is done in a friend's driveway/garage or in the apartment parking lot.

Til then, I'll just stare at your guys' shit in envy.

 

I JUST bought my first house. It's an odd feeling now that I can do even basic things like change my own oil without the Super gestapo enforcing the no vehicle maintenance policy on my lease.

 

if i owned an apartment complex i wouldn't allow vehicle maintenance either. you know renters wouldn't give a care in the world over spilling oil on the concrete or asphalt.

 

Oh I totally get it. I am right there with you. Just sometimes as a competent and respectful person it is hard to deal with the fact I couldn't do a simple 15 min maintenance item.

Although I had a small garage on the property so I would just shut the door and do the simple stuff myself when I could.

 

What’s everyone using to organize their bolts and hardware. I’ve outgrown my current setup and need something better.

 

Right now I use

1) Akro mills hardware "cabinet"...you know the ones thats like 6" deep and has a bunch of pull out bins. it holds all my metric nuts and bolts
2) 2 of the "stack-on" small parts organizers with dividers for specific metric nuts and bolts (for a project)
3) A drawer in one of my tool chest has a bunch of "Schaller" bins in them for my SAE nuts and bolts.
4) More of the Schaller bins hold other stuff in different drawers as well.
5) More drawers are filled with some Dewalt divider trays that came in their tough system cases and hold yet more stuff.



4) A giant coffee can of random, unsorted stuff I hope i dont have to dig through >.>


If a good deal ever pops up for one, Ill end up with a Lista/Vidmar cabinet just for this.

 

Picked this up when Sears was closing their store here. Has little bins inside for small parts. I also use some other smaller bins for storing fasteners and what have you.

https://www.sears.com/craftsman-tool-chest-storage-system/p-00916685000P

 

I’ve been using the harbor freight version of these as they just sit on a shelf. They work well especially when working on stuff outside the garage but now at 8 bins and all of them full and just got a bunch of bolts and screws and nails and orther hardware from an estate sale I need something bigger with more room and leave those small bins dedicated to mobile hardware.

 

Our complex seems to not care. Then again, only the maintenance guys have seen me working on my truck. I've also stained wood and spray painted things on the patio outside our doorwall...
My conditions for when we get our house are a basement and a garage big enough for tools (or a shed/garage dedicated to tools)

 

I can eek my truck in the garage. Parking inside is a game changer.

 

Nice looking place!

Yeah, parking inside here will be nice with all of the hail we get but I might be willing to sacrifice that if it means tool space... I could always build an overhang or something with said tool space

 

Also, pic of tool corner for now. Gonna relocate to the other side and build me a proper bench as well. Plus getting a 30gal air compressor from a friend who's converting to #vanlife.

 

Typically my wife gets the space my truck is in right now, but god is it amazing to be able to have a project in flux in the garage. It's tight though as you guys saw.

Shock relocate stuff by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Other thing is nice is prepacking a truck for a trip, fridge and all precooled on AC power, a quick plug change and drive out the door the next day/when I get home from work and I'm on the road.

 

My fridge stays in my truck near full time. I just turn the thing on the nigfht before, then hit the grocery store Friday over lunch pre-departure. Being able to have it all packed the night before so it's turn key Friday or Saturday morning is pretty sweet though.

 

Oh so is mine, I just usually precool the fridge on AC instead of using the DC of the truck since I don't run it as a DD anymore, it's not run as much anymore.

 

Ah. Mine is my daily, so it isn't an issue for me. Although I have a wild hair to pick up a 1st gen SCSB 4 banger as a grocery gettin go-kart for in town errands.

 

Nice looking house!

 

Thanks man. I have no idea how it didn't get scooped off the market before I went to look at it. Prob the bestest house I was ever gonna find in my price range.

Backyard is even more baller!

 

Very nice and I hope you have a back up fridge for the beer .