How do I make or what should I use for small parts bins in my garage shop nuts, bolts, screws, nails, etc.?

Question

Would really like to know an easy way to "make" some small parts holders.

Answer 1

Someone you know or knows someone with a baby, and tons of old jars. Just screw the lids to a piece of wood ,and then fasten the wood to the bottom of a shelf. You now can fill the jars with whatever and when youre done with it just screw the jar on the lid. You can see everything and its out of the way.

Answer 2

get 2 large hooks that can hold the weight of everything and extend 6-8 inches from the wall/ceiling (or get wood to make a brecket to extend them)

get a 2x2 or 4x4 piece of wood - drill a pilot hold and insert a long nail/screw into the center of each end and leave it extended 2-3 inches

get a few dozen glass baby food jars in assorted sizes (if you dont have little ones ask a friend who does they will go thru hundreds of them) - soak the glass jars only (not lids) in water for 2 hours to remove the labels

remove the lids from the jars - attach the lids to the piece of wood (so the top of the jar is against the wood) to do so use a nail/hammer poke a small hole in the center of the lid - slip a wash onto a screw (to make the head wider) put some glue (for extra security) onto the top of the lid then screw it onto the wood randomly so you do not hit other screws inside the wood

leave 2-3 inches between lids for fingers!!! this is very important!!!

hang the bar from the hooks using the nails (this way it is round & will spin)

put all your little washers screws bolts in the baby jars then attach the baby jars to the lids already attached to the bar!!

the bar will spin like a paper towel rack and you can see everything you have - the length of the wood you need and the number & sizes of jars depends on how much stuff you have

my friend build of of these for his moms garage he has several long dowls with everything from screws & nuts to car fuses & rubber bands they love it!!

it gets everything organized and off the counter - you can even use a sharpie to write the size of the bolts/nuts on the bottom of the bottle - but remember always make sure the bottle of on the bottom side before you unscrew it to avoid spillage!!!

Answer 3

With 28yrs in the construction trades, I have tried just about everything you can think of for storage of the small parts your talking about. I have used everything from cigar boxes to plastic butter tubs. the main thing is to keep your parts dry. if it is parts you don't often use, store in something with tight lids. anything that can rust, spray a quick shot of WD-40 in the container then place lid on tightly. the WD keeps the items from rusting. this works well on most everything made of metal. now getting back to the storage part, find what ever works for you the best, open type bins collect dust and dirt and get ugly after a short time. You might want to stay with something with lids. Check out the many new storage systems available on line such as wood working supply, Sears tools. or other tool or industrial type companies.

Answer 4

Food jars...baby food jars....are good for this ...you use a shelf and screw the lid to the bottom of the shelf and then fill the jar with whatever you want then you simply screw the jar to the lid....
or if you have alot of them you can use coffee containers, good luck or go to wal-mart or k-mart and buy the things with the bins or check at the local craft store.....for things good luck!!!

Answer 5

ME has the whole idea-- however you may need larger jars than baby food jars-- same principle but larger jars--
There are plastic peanut butter jars in the pint size-- Account for the combined weight of all the jars with contents--
I've dropped a glass baby food jar with contents on concrete-- I was not happy.

good luck

Answer 6

I went to the "bead" store (or craft) and have a lucite box with a variety of sections (17) - it's absolutely perfect - as you can see without opening it. Another model has adjustable compartments. Also good for vitamins or sewing accessories.

Answer 7

my dad always used baby food jars.

Or you could go to a discount store and buy a little box that has little drawers - usually for around $10.

Answer 8

I've read some of the comments here and I would be afraid to use glass! How about empty plastics containers? Some medicene containers are nice, bigger ones of course.

Answer 9

jars with lids, you can attatch the lits to the underside of a shelf so that when you are not using them you can just screw the jar into the lid and it will be hanging there, use see through so you can see what is in them.

Answer 10

Food jars...baby food jars....are good for this ...you use a shelf and screw the lid to the bottom of the shelf and then fill the jar with whatever you want then you simply screw the jar to the lid....