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Thread: Drawer foam? Do you use it?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    MA
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    2,255

    Drawer foam? Do you use it?

    How do you all organize your drawers?

    Mine tend to be a 'piling' system. While that fits a lot into the drawer it means digging through to find what I am looking for, and as I age I no longer 'know' where every little item is. Plus some items I dont like banging around in a drawer (anything delicate, or with a sharp edge)

    I see beautifully laid out drawer organizers using foam cutouts. My first thought is if I were to try that I would need 3x the amount of storage (just doesnt seem practical use of space but looks amazing - I feel like I should try it). Other times I see smaller organizers in drawers. And over/under slides can create some 'layers' for a given space.

    In fact, I use all three - some drawers are just piled on. Others have smaller bins (I tend to use little organizers from walmart). And a couple I have made fancy CNC cutouts in wood.

    To date I have used very little wall space or vertical storage - gravitating instead to drawers (One reason being my shop has limited wall space). Dust collects in my shop so drawers also keep things away from dust (some of you have absolutely spotless/dustless shops which amazes me!). Plus I have a combo of woodworking and auto and metal working equipment.

    Of course it will vary wildly for each of your specific circumstances, and it is somewhat philosophical in purpose/style, I am looking for all your great ideas to consider.

    What works particularly well for you - share your favorites!

    Hand tools (screwdrivers, pliers, sockets, etc)
    Planes/chisels (quite a wide range with accessories like guides)
    Saws
    Clamping (in addition to wall hanging clamps)
    Measurement
    Tooling (cutting bits, drillbits, sawblades, etc)
    Templates, jigs, fixtures
    Machine accessories (miters, guides, etc)
    Fasteners, bits and bobs, misc
    Sandpaper (seemingly every variety known - spindle, belt, sheets, discs)
    Hand tools - do you use the boxes they come in or some other storage? Key battery powered hand tools seem to live on top of my bench, with a charger.
    Electrical (wire, heat shrink, solder, etc)
    Oils, paints, finishes, lubricants, solvents, etc etc (I have a metal cabinet but some of these are on open shelves as well)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    8,973
    If I had a fixed number of tools in any drawer, I might consider it. My drawers always seem to need an addition to any category. The best method of attack is divide to conquer. I add more drawers and what was one category gets divided into more categories. This of course requires more tool cabinets, and at some point, like the one I'm at now, requires a shop addition.

    I keep very few boxes that tools come in, except the big ones like the one for the 10-1/4" circular saw, and the similar sized metal cutting circular saw.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    SoCal
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    My personality makes me see red if I have to paw through things to get at what I am after. Certainly there are exceptions but I try to save these for the things I use least often . . . as in a few times a year. I put plastic trays or build dividers into drawers.

    drawer slide (5).jpg

    I build pullouts into commercial cabinets.

    New Shop (482).jpg

    I use plastic shoe boxes and tackle boxes for large and small hardware.

    New Shop (481).jpg

    Any machine that dares to show up without drawers gets them added.

    G1276 (26).jpg

    And I generally include drawers in anything I make for the shop.

    TS-Outfeed (38).jpg

    I found out early that standardizing on a tray or divider system and sticking with it made organization quick and easy. I still have areas where I have to move a few things around to get to the item I am after. This is generally things like drill motors in a drawer or routers on a shelf.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,690
    I made some inserts from HDU (sign foam) scraps while still at the old shop to hold some smaller items and hope to do similar at the new shop as I eventually figure out where I want things. I like the idea for sure since I'm one of those folks that likes things organized and generally I put things back nearly immediately after use "in their place". The inserts insure there is "that place". But it's time consuming to execute on for sure!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    The whole cutout foam thing rubs me the wrong way. IME, the system is constantly evolving- tools are added, replaced, needs and focus change, and spreading things out like that takes up way too much space. Of the mechanics and tradespeople that I admire- in person and on Youtube, only one has used any foam cutouts- a specialty subcontractor with installation kits for field crews. Last time I saw, those kits were looking kind of random and disorganized.

    For fasteners, I use a lot of cut off paper milk cartons, plastic oil containers, and vitamin bottles in drawers. There are a bunch of simple wooden boxes on shelves.
    I do spend a frustrating amount of time looking for things that have been relocated to use the space.

    Here's a few representative shots. The tool chest was upgraded end of last year, so still settling.

    IMG_4042.jpgIMG_4043.jpegIMG_4044.jpegIMG_4045.jpegIMG_3245.jpg

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    MA
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    2,255
    Glenn, that last picture shows a table with drawers underneath and they are all empty?

    That just isnt right....


  7. #7
    I keep things oeganized, every drawer has similar items in it generally. This goes for mechanics tools as well as woodworking tools. Easy to find, no digging, also easy to see if something is missing.
    Foam cut outs, not in my shop.
    IMO that's just for those with too much time and money on their hands.
    Certain tools do need special care and attention but the whole cut out thing is right up there with outlines of tools drawn on pegboard.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    River Falls WI
    Posts
    490
    When I used to work on Aircraft in the Air Force, we had assigned tool boxes with foam cut outs. Each Airman had a set of tags we called Chits. We had to put one in each cutout that we took a tool from. It allowed us to quickly realize we were missing a tool and to look for it on the Aircraft until we found it. I only like the Foam cutouts now for very specific tools, such as router bits, sockets and other small tools that need to be sorted. For my wrenches I either use a pouch roll or the plastic tray they come in (Gearwench seems to have the best ones). I also use magnetic holders and small trays/boxes for my Bit sets. I have no idea why all of one type of bit migrates to the box I did not bring with me on a job.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
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    5,548
    I like to add sliding trays inside drawers. They are usually half length to slide back and forth, but some smaller ones lift off to expose the bottom layer.

    For example, a 4" deep drawer with a sliding tray about 1 1/2" deep for screwdrivers or whatever small, and larger stuff underneath, or on smaller drawers like under my DP, a 3/4" deep lift out tray holding drill bits, with larger stuff underneath.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    southeast Michigan
    Posts
    676
    For years I've used the inexpensive toolboxes, usually the kind that have a lower chest and upper drawer section. I was up to 5 of them when I decided that it was getting harder to remember which box/drawer some items were in. So about 3 years ago I bought a couple of larger toolboxes from my local orange store and was able to pretty much transfer everything to them. One neighbor was gifted one of my old combos and the rest went to my local Habitat for Humanity.

    I don't like foam cutouts but expect they are the way to go for portable boxes that would carry what I would consider sensitive type tools. A couple of the things that attracted me to my new boxes are that they came with anti-rust rubber sheets that hold tools, like wrenches, from sliding around when you open/close the drawers. The soft close drawer slides help prevent that too. And this time around I labelled each drawer with the contents although a couple of them include "misc".
    big cab.jpgchest.jpg

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    337
    I'm trying foam for hand planes in gasketed plastic bins, as the tools will probably be moved between sites, with one more humid than the other.

    Before using foam I tried making cutouts in several layers of glued cardboard, it worked to a certain degree but Rocker had a sale on their house brand foam so I gave it a go, about $12 for a 1-1/2" 2'x4' sheet if I recall correctly. Depending on how tight you cut the foam to the tool the foam does seem to hold the tool better/snug than cardboard. Edit: Which will hopefully help when transporting the tools.

    As others have said , the foam doesn't adapt well for changes.

    Regarding the Rockler foam, my cut foam did not easily pull apart as in the sales video. I wound up cutting a 3/8" wide grid to pull the foam out, it seemed to help keep a constant depth.


    plane bin.jpg
    Last edited by Mike Soaper; 03-28-2023 at 9:53 PM.
    Hobbyist woodworker
    Maryland

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Cashiers NC
    Posts
    603
    I have been trying to clear out clutter and get my shop close to the 5S model. I have been building drawers and trying to get everything in a place where my memory will function when I need something. I just build a drawer set under my bench where I used to lay tools on a shelf. I wanted to use the foam for my measuring tools but the cost is high. Today I found some gray play mats. The kind with dovetail edges. I cut to the drawer size and outlined the tools with a black marker.2B689CAF-4569-4FC4-9193-053B06FFCDFD.jpg
    Charlie Jones

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Cashiers NC
    Posts
    603
    I forgot to mention. Those florist foam blocks work great for router bits. You can just push the bits down into it. Get the dry type.
    Charlie Jones

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    73
    About 14 years ago I had a beautiful, big set of craftsman mechanics tools and a nice metal craftsman cabinet with ball bearing drawers (ALL made in USA). I became set on the idea to create foam inserts for all my tools because I wanted to easily know if a tool was missing and I thought it would prevent clutter and encourage neatness. It was a ton of work and time but it worked out well.

    A few years later during hurricane sandy, all the tools and countless priceless family items were destroyed and/or swept away by flood water. I managed to find out of hundreds of tools, maybe 10, corroded but still using them today.

    Foam inserts work well for some use cases but it's not practical to use the for every bit of storage due to the time needed to set them up.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2022
    Location
    Northern Colorado
    Posts
    1,066
    Quote Originally Posted by John Ziebron View Post
    For years I've used the inexpensive toolboxes, usually the kind that have a lower chest and upper drawer section. I was up to 5 of them when I decided that it was getting harder to remember which box/drawer some items were in. So about 3 years ago I bought a couple of larger toolboxes from my local orange store and was able to pretty much transfer everything to them. One neighbor was gifted one of my old combos and the rest went to my local Habitat for Humanity.

    I don't like foam cutouts but expect they are the way to go for portable boxes that would carry what I would consider sensitive type tools. A couple of the things that attracted me to my new boxes are that they came with anti-rust rubber sheets that hold tools, like wrenches, from sliding around when you open/close the drawers. The soft close drawer slides help prevent that too. And this time around I labelled each drawer with the contents although a couple of them include "misc".
    big cab.jpgchest.jpg
    This is my preferred method. I have 3 nice Husy toolboxes (the big ones) and everything has a place but I just set the tools on top of the anti-slide mat. Coupled with soft close drawers they move very little. I have serious OCD when it comes to organization and cleanliness in the shop, but foam inserts that cuddle a tool seems a bit ridiculous to me and a bit inflexible as things change, tools break, get replaced, upgraded, etc.

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