Cheap Storage Bins to Store Hand Tools

Cardboard Boxes

• Cardboard boxes can be picked up for free at many stores. If you take the time to find sturdy boxes that are the right size, you can use them for effective tool storage without spending any money at all. Shoe boxes work well for small tools and supplies, while larger corrugated boxes can store power tools such as circular saws and belt sanders. Build some shelves in your shop to store your cardboard boxes, and use a magic marker to write the contents of each box on its front. This will maximize your efficiency and save wasted time searching through boxes.

Plastic Bins

• Keep an eye on sale catalogs from your local hardware and home improvement stores. These stores sell many different sizes and shapes of plastic containers. When they go on sale, you can buy a number of them at once and use them for inexpensive and convenient tool storage. Plastic bins with tight fitting lids are particularly useful for storage of sensitive or rust-prone tools in damp environments. Getting some small packets of silica dessicate and putting them into the plastic containers with the tools will help to ensure that the tools don't rust.

Tackle Boxes

• Tackle boxes are designed for fishing but can also be very useful for small tools. If you are a jeweler or a wood carver, you probably have a large number of small tools that need to be kept safe and organized. Tackle boxes offer many small compartments that will keep things from getting mixed up. You can buy metal or plastic tackle boxes at most sporting goods stores. They can also sometimes be found at pawn shops and charity stores.

Milk Crates

• Milk crates are ideal for holding mid-sized hand tools. They aren't suitable for tiny items because these will fall through the holes in the crates. Stacking milk crates against a wall with their openings facing outward creates a useful tool storage system that doesn't take up too much floor space. Milk crates are useful if you move a lot, because you can simply pick up your belongings in the crates and move them, without having to pack and unpack everything.