Like any good mechanic, you’ve got an array of OEM tools and all kinds of specialty items like a Ranger motorcycle lift, a tie rod puller, your trusty Cook hammer, and probably a mobile swamp cooler and a 72 inch toolbox. If you’re working space is starting to look like a bomb went off in it, it might be time to think about some organizational strategies. If you’ve never appreciated the joys of a well organized 72 inch tool box, you won’t believe how much easier it is to work when you can easily find everything you need. Here are a few tips for organizing things so you can get the most out of your tools and your toolbox.
- Start by marking everything. a lot of people start out by marking the drawers with some sort of permanent labeling system. But since your 72 inch tool box is almost certainly made of metal, the smartest thing you can do is to print off the labels you want to use and attach them to magnets. Magnet roles with sticky backs are easy to get and can be cut to whatever size you want. Get yourself a label maker, and you’re ready to make labels that can be moved need time you decide to adjuster organizational system.
- Put your most used tools on the top. you would think this would go without saying, but you might be surprised how many people are neglecting to consider this step. Whatever is on top is typically the easiest to reach (with one exception which we’ll get to in a moment) so take a few minutes to look through all of your tools and determine what you want to be able to reach most easily.
- Save some room in the bottom drawers for the fiddly bits. The one exception to the above rule are those tools that you typically need when you’re working underneath the car. Whether you’ve raised the car with a QuickJack 7000 or you just rolled underneath it old-school, the bottom drawers of your 72 inch tool box will be most accessible at this point.
Whatever wrenches and other tools you want to have access to when you’re in that position should be in the bottom drawers. In fact, if you’ve got some tools that you’ll typically need both under the car and at lots of other times during a project, consider investing in two sets and keeping them in separate drawers.
- Organize your tools according to type. For example, in one drawer you should have all of your knives, scissors, or other sharp blades. In another drawer, keep all of your drill bits, Allen wrenches, and interchangeable screwdriver tips. In a separate drawer, you can keep your fixed tip screwdrivers. Or, keep the fixed tip screwdrivers and the interchangeable tips in the same drawer if that fits your pattern of thinking better. Another drawer could hold everything that you need for sanding purposes such as sandpaper, steel wool, and even masks. If you have electrical tools, keep spare wires and extension cords in the same drawer.
- Keep weightier stuff on the bottom. While you do want to keep your most used tools on top, all other things being equal do try to keep your 72 inch tool box from becoming too top heavy. While most of these toolboxes can handle strange weight distributions, it’s always best to be safe rather than sorry.
These are just a few tips for getting your toolbox into great shape. And who knows? Once that 72 inch tool box is organized maybe you get around to organizing the entire garage.