An idea: make one bag / box , with all the general purpose tools, that you might need, and a second one for all the other chores that you might be doing.

Then you can grab the " possibilities bag", along with the chore specific bag, and have everything you might need ( usually).

Possibilities bag has pliers ( several different types), screwdrivers (set), hammers several types, sizes, pry tools, bullet level, tape measure, brush to sweep dirt, dust, cuttings etc up, and more possible useful tools, as they become apparent.

ED

 

That's a good idea. I was also thinking like a chore specific bag + 5 gal bucket w/ tool apron that can be loaded with the more general tools like drill/impact, pliers, hammers, etc.

I don’t like digging in bags for the right tool. For my general purpose tool carrier, I find a 5 gallon bucket with tool apron to work best for me.

Here’s a link to a bucket apron.
https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Leathercraft-4122-Bucket-Pocket/dp/B0000DYVAJ/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_469_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W2D8WF6ZV4T44J9CEG14

These aren't bad, I have one bucket boss now, but one bucket is definitely not enough. I find myself dumping too many big items in the center where they get stuck on each other trying to get them out and I regularly "lose" my impact bits in some of the pockets that are deep. I suppose maybe separating into two buckets could alleviate that problem though.

 

I don’t like digging in bags for the right tool. For my general purpose tool carrier, I find a 5 gallon bucket with tool apron to work best for me.

Here’s a link to a bucket apron.
https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Leathercraft-4122-Bucket-Pocket/dp/B0000DYVAJ/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_469_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W2D8WF6ZV4T44J9CEG14

 

@dtbingle, Like you, I am an avid DIY'er. Primarily for myself, but if friends need help, I will gladly help.

I have 3 main tool chests. All are Husky. 1 is a 46" 9 drawer with a wood top, one is a 26" 4 drawer with a wood top and a steel peg-board bag and the last is a 27" 5 drawer cabinet with a 26" 5 drawer chest.

https://images.homedepot-static.com...b0c12702d97/svn/textured-black-husky-bottom-tool-chests-uat-h-26051-64_1000.jpg
https://images.homedepot-static.com...d-4e84d0cfb6a7/svn/textured-black-husky-top-tool-chests-uac-h-26005-64_1000.jpg

Because I am in the middle of renovating our house, I have put together 3 main totes for tools and accessories so I am not constantly running back and forth the the tool chests. Or downstairs work area, or where ever my wife has helped me tidy things up to.

The first is my electrical tool tote. It looks a lot like this one. But it is a Husky instead of AWP. And it holds all the things I need to work on electric circuits, except for the parts.

For the small parts, I use a parachute bag like this for the wire nuts, etc.. And for the other parts I might need, I just grab them from the storage bins and put them in the second pic to bring them along.

I am also installing engineered hardwood flooring and I have one of those last bins to hold various nails/staples I use in laying down the hardwood, plus I have the following to house the rest of the stuff I use:

Both of the Big Box stores (We don't have Menard's here) have storage stuff on sale during the holidays and I tend to buy a lot of the small totes to help store odd ball things or to carry stuff I need for a particular job to and from the workbenches. I like the Husky ones as they seem to be made pretty well.

I am "building" 3 more work specific tool buckets/totes. One will be for plumbing, one for paint and one for tiling. Mostly because they have specific tools that don't overlap. I just need to devise a system so that my wife (and I for that matter) can remember which tool goes in which bucket.

 

I'm a professional handyman, so I have to be ready for anything. I have given this a lot of thought. I think a lot of this applies to DIY as well.

I have a tool bag with all my most commonly used general purpose tools. I grab that for every job. That's got a utility knife, hammer, screwdriver, etc. I prefer a tool bag over a box because of the pockets. Much easier to find something if there is a specific pocket it is supposed to be in. And there is also room in the middle for bigger stuff.

Check out this thread: https://www.diychatroom.com/f29/my-tool-bag-439826/

I tried the bucket organizer thing. The pockets are nice, but it's too big and top heavy. I can throw my tool bag on the passenger seat and drive around. A bucket would fall over and spill all my tools.

I love mini tools. How often do you need all 12 inches of a combination square? I carry a 6" one. How often do you have to really torque a nut? A 1/4" ratchet works 95% of the time. Big flashlight? Waste of space.

I keep another toolbox of larger, less commonly used general purpose tools. Rubber mallet, heavy duty snips, caulk gun, clamps, etc. I reach in there a lot, but I never take that box out of the truck.

I have a box of "bits and blades". Jig saw blades, reciprocating saw blades, utility knife blades, various kinds of drill bits. That is small, so that stays on the truck.

I have a box of anchors and fasteners. You can never have too many of those. One of my favorite tools is my $10 Harbor Freight bolt cutters. It's impossible to carry every screw I might need, so I frequently grab a long screw and cut it to size.

I have a box full of commonly used power tools: drill, grinder, jig saw, reciprocating saw, sander, oscillating tool, clamp light, charger, extension cord

Then I have tubs for special purpose tools like masonry, drywall, plumbing, etc. The tubs stay in the garage unless I need them for a job. There really isn't any overlap. Except caulk guns. I have about 85 of those.

If you don't want to take a whole tub full of specialty tools, take what you need and put it in a bucket along with the new parts you just got at Home Depot and an empty garbage bag. When you get to the job, put the bag in the bucket and you have a nice trash can. Every job has trash. When you finish the job, take out the garbage bag and use the empty bucket to carry all your tools back home.

 

Very good ideas and detailed descriptions.

ktownskier, your setup seems almost identical to what I'm after.

Here's a better view of the current setup with most stuff in one location in toolboxes

Made a trip to the Depot yesterday and saw that Husky version of the AWP bag you posted. I opted for the zip up bag version to keep dust out since it's stored in the garage and make lots of sawdust in there, but it does seem more inconvenient to grab tools out of. Might swap it out with the open box frame version you have and cut up an old sheet for a makeshift dust cover.

This is the "specialty test bag" for with the few main items....long nose pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, multimeter, tape, NM sheathing strippers, crimpers, outlet tester, non-contact stick, tape. We'll see how this works out.

Also picked up this 10-bin parts storage bin for screws/fasteners. Attempting to make "category" boxes, such as this "anchors" box, for the screws/bolts/fasteners/etc that have smaller quantities.

How do you like those parachute bags for large quantity item storage and how do you store them? For example, do you stack the parachute bags inside a 5 gal bucket? Hang on wall, etc?

They seem great for large quantity items that you need repeated access to.....wire nuts, cable staples, 2000 pack of drywall decks, and so on.

 

How do you like those parachute bags for large quantity item storage and how do you store them? For example, do you stack the parachute bags inside a 5 gal bucket? Hang on wall, etc?

I'm not a fan of the storage bins. I've tried several of them and I always get a lot of cross contamination. And there is always a lot of wasted space. They might be okay for an electrician who is using the same wire nuts over and over. IMHO, your DIY hardware supply has to be much more robust than 10 bins.

I had to google parachute bags. Looks like an awesome concept. But I have an even better one:

I went on Amazon and bought a bunch of super heavy duty ziploc bags in various sizes. They are great for organizing small tools and hardware. You can easily see what's inside. They don't take up any more space than you need. And they keep stuff clean. I've tried regular ziplocs and they fall apart pretty quickly if you try to fill them with drywall screws. The heavy duty ones cost 5 times as much, but they work. And they are still pretty cheap compared to other storage solutions.

 

Had a problem with this stuff recently. My family moved to another house (it`s much smaller than our previous one, unfortunately) and there was no place for me where I could keep all the tools - the garage is quite small though the amount of tools is enormous.

I am a professional designer very much keen on DIY housekeeping so I decided to create something modern and useful for my wife not to be mad about a mess. There were some options, like, to divide a big room into two so we could use the smaller one as storage but it actually was quite hard and I decided to create shelving in the garage. And here I had to choose which one was better:

1) In a shape of letter H along the walls (winning in the length in this case but the width was too big)

2) In a shape of letter T in the corner along two walls (in this case the shelves can be of arbitrary width)

3) At the end of the garage opposite a front door (this option was ideal because of a great width of the shelves so I decided to create that one). I put everything on the shelves in a convenient order and wrote down the names of each. Looks quite modern and original.

Actually, I am sure that bags are much better than shelves which take a lot of space anyway, but when you have got so many tools no bags are big enough - well-organized shelve is the best idea!

 

This is all assuming we're working in or around our homes, and not looking to go portable for handyman work around town ...

I find that there are some scenarios where a dedicated tool box/bag makes sense, and others where i prefer to pull a specific selection of tools to put in a bucket or tote for each task

Plumbing, for example, is fairly specific, in that flux, thread tape, crescent wrench, etc., can all live together in their own bag, and they're only pulled for that purpose. Emptying all that stuff back out into a drawer in a tool chest, and back into a bucket each time is hard to argue for. My cobras and a hacksaw, however, i don't want to be tucked in a bag somewhere.

That said, i hate larger tool bags. Stuff gets piled on top of everything, and you loose things that you just had 5 minutes earlier. A good tote, used in conjunction with a small tool pouch on my hip, or a larger belt (think hammer, pouch of screws, nails, etc.) allows me to pull what i need, take it to the work area, then still have a place for everything to keep me organized.

You could also blow a ton of money on, say, a bunch of milwaukee packout containers, line them with Kaisen-foam inserts, and organize to your heart's content. They clip together, so it's just as easy to grab and move 1 as it is 5.

 

I guess I am just a simpleton, because I like keeping it simple. Load it, carry it, dump it, do the work, load it back up and carry it back to the garage. Put the tools back in the roll cabinets. Clean the bottom of the bucket later ? Maybe, maybe not. :smile:

 

That's my approach pretty much. Hand tools in roll cabinet, power tools on shelves. If I do go something for someone as a favor, I grab one of the tool bags that came with one of my tools and put almost everything I need in it.

 

Buckets with inside bucket tall organizer (separates screw drivers from wrenches, etc), outside apron and snap together bucket handles.
https://www.amazon.com/SNAPPY-GRIP-...JD8G4EA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=bucket+hadles&qid=1564708912&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spell
For small bits, look for thin cases, steal from the family.:smile: For drill bits, this craftsman case has a lid on one side that can hold specialty bits, extra and countersinks.
https://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-9-64071-Titanium-Coated-Drill/dp/B00FZ1OM94/ref=sr_1_104?crid=3NDIJNXCVYMIE&keywords=craftsman+drill+bit+set&qid=1564709395&s=gateway&sprefix=craftsman+drill%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-104


For bunch of spade bits, I make a pouch out of sturdy cardboard, wrapping it with boxing tape. Big enough to tight pack and no individual pouches or cases. Some bits and things come with their own cases but these were too thin and too bulky.


Once the work gets going, I just keep a small cardboard box beside me with most used tools inside. I found this arrangement is better for me than even specialty pouch like electricians pouch when sitting next to the outlets.

 

While writing down the things I think should be in the different bags/totes I want to build, (plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc), I realized that there are some things that are going to be common among all the the bags. Or that should be.

Take a look and let me know what you think:
Sharpie/MarkzAll
Pencil/Sharpener
Folding Utility Knife
Tape Measure
Hammer
P1,P2,S2,K, C Screwdrivers (P Phillips, S Square, K Keystone, C Cabinet Slotted)
Non Contact Voltage Tester (You just never know)
Torpedo Level
Small Speed Square
Moulding Puller
Adjustable LED Flashlight

 

I have a series of these https://www.walmart.com/ip/Plano-Medium-Pro-Latch-Organizer/16351075 that I use in my business and for my own projects.


One is for electrical small parts, one for data wiring parts, one for coax terminations stuff, one for fiber. etc, etc.


They are stored in a small rolling suitcase, and a second small roller carries the various drills, wrenches, etc, etc, in compartments I made up using plexiglass.


That's for my to go stuff.


In the shop I have everything under the sun on the walls on pegboard.


I don't mind making trips back and forth. Hell, I need the exercise...:biggrin2:

 

This is great - lots of different perspectives and ideas.

Electrical specific bag
Already ditched the thin, long bag for the square open top tote for the "electrical bag". Ran into the same thing ktown just described. Started loading all kinds of crap into it, then realized that the majority should be in a "general purpose" bag - channellocks, hammer, level, tape measure, etc. Stripped it down to just basic electrical tools and did a test run installing an outdoor outlet. Worked very well and seemed to have all the basic electrical tools quickly accessible right next to the work space.

General purpose bag
Loaded a 5 gal bucket + jockey for the general purpose tools for this outdoor outlet job and it worked well, but the bucket gets heavy quick and the inside of the bucket ends up being a dump bin and becomes aggravating to dig through. Might try out a larger open tote for general purpose instead of the 5 gal bucket (like this)

Small parts, fittings, screws, etc
I'm really liking the 10-12 compartment parts containers as a general fastener storage. Just picked up some parachute bags to load up with bulk fittings such as 50-pack copper fittings, the tub of cable staples, drywall and deck screws, etc. This setup seems to be doing okay for keeping everything organized in a single location, but obviously need to figure out getting the various needed fasteners to the work area.

Maybe a load a couple of these to toss in the bag? Electrical for example, could fill one with cable staples and another with wire nuts and toss it in the bag.

Another option could be the fabric zip-up pouches or the heavy duty ziplock bags that mathmonger mentioned.

 

This is great - lots of different perspectives and ideas.

Another option could be the fabric zip-up pouches or the heavy duty ziplock bags that mathmonger mentioned.

The main thing is, you have to find what works for you.

The items I posted above as common things were not meant to be in a separate bucket, instead, I was planning on putting them in every bucket I build. I have enough extra tools that I have acquired over the years to put them in each bucket.

It would also form the basis for a general work bucket.

One of these days, I will take a picture of the assorted mess of stuff I have and my attempts to wrangle them into making sense of what I have.

 

Something that I have found "handy as heck", is a Leatherman type combo tool, hanging in a belt pouch, at my hip.

Amazing at how many times that I am reaching for it to do something with the several different blades, or the needle nose pliers, on it.

A lot of good experiences being related on here, with tips from this group!

Keep em coming.


ED

 

Ed, I agree with the Leatherman style tool, they are wonderful. In addition to the multi bit screwdriver I have in each of my cars, I have one of those. They usually have one on special during the holidays at one of the big box stores.

I was debating whether or not to put it in basics part of each toolkit. Instead, I will suggest it as something each person should carry with them in a sheath, along with a Maglite type LED flashlight and a knife.

 

I've got a few big rollaway boxes of hand tools but I also have some bags to use for occasions like you're talking about, where I want to take them out in the yard, to a neighbor's house, etc. Years ago, Boeing used to have a warehouse that sold off old tools, parts, machinery, office supplies, you name it. One thing they seemed to always have was a pallet-sized bin full of these tool bags. They're made of heavy canvas, about 18" long and 12" deep and have some sewn in dividers big enough to fit pliers, screwdrivers, etc. They were $1 if I recall correctly. I think I have at least a half dozen. I keep one filled with electrical tools to do basic jobs, one for simple tasks around the house and a few empty ones in the lid of one of my toolboxes that I can quickly fill with tools for a specific type of work, so if I need to do some plumbing, I'll grab what I think I need and then bring them back when I'm done.

 

This is going to sound ridiculous since this post is so old but, I have been searching all over the Internet, flea markets, and antique stores for one of these bags for my husband. Google led me to your picture and then to this post. Is there anyway you would be willing to sell one of the bags you have? I'm more than willing to pay! I'm not sure how this forum works but if you're able to message me here that would be great!

 

New and improved

 

That's the great thing about this, you get to relate what works for you and if others like it, they can adopt it.

I like the maglite style flashlight because it is small and can fit in more places for a quick look/see. I typically don't use it as a primary light source because it is small. Instead, I have several headlamps that I use. I find those to be very handy as I can tilt the light and focus it as needed.

Your light looks handy as well. I have a lantern that I use, it is bigger and bulkier, but it has a bluetooth speaker built in and I like that.

Next time I am at HF, and I have the coupon, I will pick up one of those, they look good to have around.

One thing I also do with my things is to label them. I have a Dymo tape labeler, with different tape sizes and different type tapes. I can put in clear tape, print backwards and put them on the inside of a screw container indicating what size screw is in it. And then on the outside, I label what type of screws are in the holder.

It satisfies the inner OCD in me.

 

This one was helpful for our home.

 

@aneten, that would fit just right behind the seat of my truck Seriously, HD has a great sale on roll about tool boxes lately. Just wish I could justify one.

 

And I wish that I had room to put another one.

Maybe if I bought a 8 X 14 enclosed trailer to drag behind my vehicle.

ED

 

Milwaukee is an excellent tool bag with plenty of tool pockets. There is an open pocket on the front and 2 small pockets on the side with 2 additional loops for a couple of screwdrivers also. The base is plastic so sits up straight quite nicely. There are also 4 small pockets around the bag, 1 at the front and 3 inside which is quite handy for keeping small items.

 

There have been some excellent tool suggestions here. However, there is one very important tool a lot of people seem to overlook yet should be in every garage or shop (and kitchen as well), that would be a good quality fire extinguisher rated for Class A,B and C.

Class A fires
These fires are those that involve materials that can be extinguished with water. Common household examples are paper, wood, and cloth.

Class B fires
Class B fires are those that involve flammable liquids, such as cooking grease or paint solvents.

Class C fires
These fires involve electrical equipment, often things like a television, a fuse box, or stereo are found to be center-stage.

The extinguisher should be inspected regularly to ensure it is properly charged and ready for use.

 

@Drachenfire is quite correct, one should have a fire extinguisher in the garage as well as in the kitchen and in other areas where there is a chance that fires may occur.

But getting back to tool storage, you need to use whatever works best for you. Personally, as I have mentioned before, I use a combination of things. I have rolling storage racks that I got from HD. Husky brand. I also use soft sided cases for job specific cases like electrical and plumbing. And a variety of other cases, buckets and bins for other jobs.

I have a bucket for flooring jobs that holds a speed square, rubber mallet, flooring puller, flooring striker and a bunch of tools related to flooring jobs.