I love the idea and ingenuity. I'm a shop teacher and I need good projects for my students to help them organize the shop tools and hopefully one day their own. Any project that requires a bit of math, measuring, cutting and gluing is a good learning opportunity. Thanks again!!
Another thought after reading some comments. I like the fact that the foam is strong enough to hold the wrenches, yet because it's foam, NO marring of your Beautiful chrome wrenches. Thanks again for sharing your talent and videos, Rodney
Try silicone mats too. Non-stick, reusable. You can use them for gluing, soldering (they’re heat-resistant) - pretty much anything that makes a mess. 👍🏻
This is by far the most easy and cost effective tool organizer I have seen so far. I saved everything to word and ordered the foam from Amazon. It will be here in 2 days. So I know what I am doing this weekend. Thanks. Oh, I just became a subscriber and hit the bell.
"Get the wife to do it" great idea brother. I sure as he'll didn't want to do it. There's engines to rebuild. But this will keep her involved and productive.
that's because she knows you will save money by not going out to buy another set of wrenches because you don't want to bother looking for the one wrench you need but cant find, I know Ive been there
As an Industrial Mechanic that works in a fast paced environment, there isn’t much time to keep your tools organized. Just make sure your wrenches are in the wrench drawer, sockets in the socket drawer,ect and move to the next area
Hail, fellow southpaw, showing the world that we too can be handy! This is a very neat job - I hoard foam from packaging to make things with. A scrap of foam + a multi-hole punch = a drill bit or hex bit holder.
I like the idea and downloaded the template. I am very dis organised but I do find that having a toll holder with individual spaces for each tool helps me to keep up with putting them back in the proper place. I also need to incorporate a holder of some sort to hold some form of wipes to easily wipe the tools clean as I put them away. Thanks for sharing!
Wasn't ready to drop $15/piece on some organizers for a new tool cart I just got. I was looking for some inspiration for an alternative, this is the ticket man! Stopped by Michaels today; foam sheets are $1 each and you can get 2 organizer out of one if you're careful. Thanks for the inspiration and templates!
dial2fast yes, thank you for sharing this video as well as the time to make the template available. Apologies for the haters, there's some people that wouldn't be happy if you made it and transferred their wrenches for them. Their mothers never gave them any love =/ Thank you!
Cool Magic trick at 7:43-7:44 It was bothering my OCD-ness having that one combination wrench flipped over that way. NICE VIDEO! I will do this with some plywood scraps I have sitting around. I know, plywood will be noisier!
I'm totally trying this! I might even try and grab a rattle can of clear coat for the foam to try and prevent fluids from the wrenches soaking into the foam! Thanks!
Oil in the foam wont hurt anything it will just help your tools from rusting. Old timers used to put felt in the bottom of their tool boxes for that reason (and sound deadening) little oil in the felt keeps the tools looking fresh and new for along time
I'm thinking instead of making individual trays, I would have cut out, and/or fit together enough foam to line the drawer completely. Then made the rails, organized it the way I wanted it on top of the foam drawer liner, and then cut slots in the bottom piece of foam that lines the whole drawer. That way you can drop in and/or glue the rails into the foam drawer liner. Then the rails are supported and/or glued from all all sides making the whole system twice as strong! Plus the added bonus that there would be zero chance of any "trays" moving around when the drawers are opened, closed, and/or slammed in either direction. If I were to do this, that would be my take and variation of your idea;) Love the idea and the video, great job! I hope my $.02 worth helps you or anyone else who does this in the future.
I guess one good thing occasionally comes of the Google empire tracking everything we do- UA-cam recommended a video based on searches I made for toolbox organization. Thanks to the original poster for this video. The wrench racks are working out great! I made one with the PDF template and didn’t like it. Made the rest from the hand drawn template. I like the spacing much better. Thinking about trying his idea for socket organizing.
If you put a 4MM flat instead of a point at the top of the template, you can just flip and reverse the template, layout and cut two at one time with less waste. There is NO difference between the two templates, they are identical. The only difference is in the order the wrenches are stored in the holders.
Very nicely done sir. I would make the tops flat as well then you could put them back to back and only cut the middle once instead of two to get on wrench holder. These would also be nice if you make them out of sheet metal and just bend the sides up. Still very nice job. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
I had the same thought about sheet metal, but with my fat fingers, was lost as to how to keep from cutting myself to shreds. perhaps the rubber coating that you dip plier handles into.
Terrific idea, I thought that the foam would be a little flimsy. Using the 6mm foam is pretty rigid after gluing it. I would recommend printing out the templates you need and using spray glue to stick them onto the foam for cutting. It will save you some time. Or do what I did and cut the foam out on a laser cutter.
I made something similar some years ago but using alloy welding rod folded around a jig made of nails in wood. I used alloy welding rod as it is easier to bend and less likely to mark tools.
Your project _is_ a lot of work. The wrench holders I make are much easier to make. I just take a scrap piece of 2x4 and I cut angled kerfs in it wide enough to hold the wrench bodies. I leave some wood on the end so I can drill a handle into it too. I can carry my wrenches in the holders I make. Or hang them up, or stand them up on a workbench. But I don't think the holders I make are suitable for use in a drawer.
Thank Odin and God for ingenuity. Well done, Man. A simple fix. If a user is concern about securing, all they have to do is use a piece of the same foam to lay across and hold with velcro glued on one end.
This is a great idea. I wonder if it can be adapted to a vertical position? A whole at the top then I can put it on the peg board. I do not a roll around. This would be nice because I would not have to take them all off to get the one in the back. Good vid thank you.
Great idea!! I was thinking I have a bunch of scrap 1/4” plywood. I feel that that would also make great material to make these out of. I was also thinking about cutting 4 blanks and taping them together. So all I have to do is cut out 1 rack and get 4 from it.
A tip I use when hot glueing anything, for example your setup on the paper towels, I would have set up a wet paper towel to glue on, when hot glue is still warm, it can be nicely smoothed out with just a little moisture, you can see what I'm talking about if you put a dab of it on something, lick your finger tip, and then run your finger over the dot of clue, and see just how much you can really manipulate it.
Great idea and wanting to give a thanks. I am building some myself. However I did not make the base straight like yours. I cut mine to taper in to fit the wrenches better
Some interesting comments on your video. A number of them talk about doing something in metal. Personally I like the foam idea to cut down on the metal on metal banging around when placing wrenches back in the holder and opening/closing the drawers. I realize there is still some when the wrenches hit each other which maybe a design change could fix that too. Also a number of comments on why make it yourself when you can buy ready made ones cheap? Where to start there... DIY is not all about just saving money... satisfaction of making something yourself? Ability to customize it exactly as you want not how someone else decided to make it?
One of the more well made videos because it was well planned out before filming it, not many um's, in the video because of this.. 2 thumbs up It was a pleasure watching it..
There are some free cad programs out there that can handle this level of complexity. Because of logistics, you might have issues saving the file. Contact your local vocational schools or even a high school that has a vocational section. Welding, drafting \ cad, or even a CATIA class. You can convert a 3D file into a 2D . Type file.
We CNC'd a new batch for all of our wrenches. We originally had sets that were 3D printed but didn't last from being used on a daily basis. We are a STEM program based in Little Rock, AR
Although i respective effort and the fact you shared how you make your own wrench rails, but are you aware that you could buy beautiful brand new Ernst wrench rails for 4 bucks and they not only look and work better but you will save time? Just my opinion. Cheers!
Excellent job great thinking especially when that person is just starting to fill a box and to start buying the additional organizers can really add up I like even more that you had a PDF file to verify the sizes 4 measurements that would have been my first question but you stated it at the end that you had a file not sure where the file is but yes definitely a great idea and thank you for sharing.
The metal fab side of me wants to make this from one piece of 1/8" stainless, throw it in a brake to bend each side up and 2 bead rolls down the middle of the empty space...
I love the idea and ingenuity. I'm a shop teacher and I need good projects for my students to help them organize the shop tools and hopefully one day their own. Any project that requires a bit of math, measuring, cutting and gluing is a good learning opportunity. Thanks again!!
I made two of these so far, for wrenches that don't fit most trays (short ones). They are even better than I expected! Thankyou.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Another thought after reading some comments. I like the fact that the foam is strong enough to hold the wrenches, yet because it's foam, NO marring of your Beautiful chrome wrenches. Thanks again for sharing your talent and videos, Rodney
Wax paper works well when gluing up. The paper towel sticks to the glue, where wax paper does a much better job. I use it when gluing wood together.
Try silicone mats too. Non-stick, reusable. You can use them for gluing, soldering (they’re heat-resistant) - pretty much anything that makes a mess. 👍🏻
make the peak of the separators the same 4 mm as the valley and you could make 2 at a time. because the cut would mirror itself.
You are supposed to say "trust me, I'm an engineer" hehehe
What the.... dude you're way right! Lol. Genius
Very creative. The reverse wrench rack really lets maximize use of space. You can really customize these as needed as well.
I bought wrench racks at Amazon for 2.50 each and they have handles to carry your wrench sets to your work location. It pays to shop around.
Add Shipping and handling
So funny to come across a video 4 1/2 years ago😍😀nicely done !! Very creative. Thanks for sharing your talent and videos, Rodney
This is by far the most easy and cost effective tool organizer I have seen so far. I saved everything to word and ordered the foam from Amazon. It will be here in 2 days. So I know what I am doing this weekend. Thanks. Oh, I just became a subscriber and hit the bell.
a credit to youtube..nice to see people taking time out for others 10/10
if you add 4mm to the top of all 45 degree cuts, you'll have 2 marked out with limited cuts.
Very slick idea. It sure beats some of the other UA-cam video suggestions which involve using wood or plastic and a lot more work.
Thanks for your comment!
I never thought my wife would get so excited to make me something to organize my tools. Great video.
"Get the wife to do it" great idea brother. I sure as he'll didn't want to do it. There's engines to rebuild. But this will keep her involved and productive.
that's because she knows you will save money by not going out to buy another set of wrenches because you don't want to bother looking for the one wrench you need but cant find, I know Ive been there
That's because you wanted to go to the craft store with her lol
As an Industrial Mechanic that works in a fast paced environment, there isn’t much time to keep your tools organized. Just make sure your wrenches are in the wrench drawer, sockets in the socket drawer,ect and move to the next area
Hail, fellow southpaw, showing the world that we too can be handy! This is a very neat job - I hoard foam from packaging to make things with. A scrap of foam + a multi-hole punch = a drill bit or hex bit holder.
I like the idea and downloaded the template. I am very dis organised but I do find that having a toll holder with individual spaces for each tool helps me to keep up with putting them back in the proper place. I also need to incorporate a holder of some sort to hold some form of wipes to easily wipe the tools clean as I put them away.
Thanks for sharing!
Ahhh . . . the Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 pencil. Excellent choice, sir.
They really are the best pencil. I was thinking the same thing.
Several years later and several racks later I still think they are great!
Wasn't ready to drop $15/piece on some organizers for a new tool cart I just got. I was looking for some inspiration for an alternative, this is the ticket man! Stopped by Michaels today; foam sheets are $1 each and you can get 2 organizer out of one if you're careful. Thanks for the inspiration and templates!
+Dallas Sullivan Enjoy your project!
dial2fast yes, thank you for sharing this video as well as the time to make the template available. Apologies for the haters, there's some people that wouldn't be happy if you made it and transferred their wrenches for them. Their mothers never gave them any love =/
Thank you!
Dang, i went to Michaels today to get some foam... It was a pack of 4 black sheets for $10, or 4 white ones for $7.50
Just a thought if you angle the bottom a bit you can get even smaller wrenches on the trays. Nice idea btw!
Cool Magic trick at 7:43-7:44 It was bothering my OCD-ness having that one combination wrench flipped over that way. NICE VIDEO! I will do this with some plywood scraps I have sitting around. I know, plywood will be noisier!
I'm totally trying this! I might even try and grab a rattle can of clear coat for the foam to try and prevent fluids from the wrenches soaking into the foam! Thanks!
Oil in the foam wont hurt anything it will just help your tools from rusting.
Old timers used to put felt in the bottom of their tool boxes for that reason (and sound deadening) little oil in the felt keeps the tools looking fresh and new for along time
some of us still do
When cutting the side panels you can save time by cutting two layers of foam at once. This also makes both sides exactly the same.
this is actually helpful to us wood workers, we can make this piece on a long board and cut it out in slivers then glue it up!
Ran across this by accident and by the middle of the video, decided I need this in my life. LOL.. Thank you dial2fast.
Great idea. The foam makes the holders very quiet. 👍🏼👍🏼
+Bob Johnson Thank you Bob!
This is one of the most useful tool organization videos I've seen! Thank you for this!
I like it! This is where a laser CNC would come in really handy!
Great job! I'm actually going to be making mine out of wood but using your templates. Thanks a lot!
Jodian Gaming, for wood, save yourself a lot of fiddle cuts by drilling holes for the bottom of the slots.
thank you martha,can't wait for your christmas special.
You just saved me dozens of dollars lol. Great idea. Tks
I'm thinking instead of making individual trays, I would have cut out, and/or fit together enough foam to line the drawer completely. Then made the rails, organized it the way I wanted it on top of the foam drawer liner, and then cut slots in the bottom piece of foam that lines the whole drawer. That way you can drop in and/or glue the rails into the foam drawer liner. Then the rails are supported and/or glued from all all sides making the whole system twice as strong! Plus the added bonus that there would be zero chance of any "trays" moving around when the drawers are opened, closed, and/or slammed in either direction. If I were to do this, that would be my take and variation of your idea;) Love the idea and the video, great job! I hope my $.02 worth helps you or anyone else who does this in the future.
I use the same wrench holders for my screwdrivers. It works well for both.
I guess one good thing occasionally comes of the Google empire tracking everything we do- UA-cam recommended a video based on searches I made for toolbox organization.
Thanks to the original poster for this video. The wrench racks are working out great!
I made one with the PDF template and didn’t like it. Made the rest from the hand drawn template. I like the spacing much better.
Thinking about trying his idea for socket organizing.
Thank you very much for taking the time to make and share this video and all the references for templates and supplies.
If you put a 4MM flat instead of a point at the top of the template, you can just flip and reverse the template, layout and cut two at one time with less waste. There is NO difference between the two templates, they are identical. The only difference is in the order the wrenches are stored in the holders.
I just made a modified version with thin plywood scrap, works great
+CrazyIrishMedic Thanks for your feedback!
I also marked them with sizes so I know where everything goes :)
Play with them more you'll figure out where they go thats the fun part
Yes I was thinking of plywood as well.
Very nicely done sir. I would make the tops flat as well then you could put them back to back and only cut the middle once instead of two to get on wrench holder. These would also be nice if you make them out of sheet metal and just bend the sides up. Still very nice job. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes n Blessings Keith
I had the same thought about sheet metal, but with my fat fingers, was lost as to how to keep from cutting myself to shreds. perhaps the rubber coating that you dip plier handles into.
Terrific idea, I thought that the foam would be a little flimsy. Using the 6mm foam is pretty rigid after gluing it. I would recommend printing out the templates you need and using spray glue to stick them onto the foam for cutting. It will save you some time. Or do what I did and cut the foam out on a laser cutter.
I made something similar some years ago but using alloy welding rod folded around a jig made of nails in wood. I used alloy welding rod as it is easier to bend and less likely to mark tools.
Your project _is_ a lot of work. The wrench holders I make are much easier to make. I just take a scrap piece of 2x4 and I cut angled kerfs in it wide enough to hold the wrench bodies. I leave some wood on the end so I can drill a handle into it too. I can carry my wrenches in the holders I make. Or hang them up, or stand them up on a workbench. But I don't think the holders I make are suitable for use in a drawer.
You ought to do a clip showing yours, I'd like to see them.
Thank Odin and God for ingenuity. Well done, Man. A simple fix. If a user is concern about securing, all they have to do is use a piece of the same foam to lay across and hold with velcro glued on one end.
This is a great idea. I wonder if it can be adapted to a vertical position? A whole at the top then I can put it on the peg board. I do not a roll around. This would be nice because I would not have to take them all off to get the one in the back.
Good vid thank you.
Great idea!!
I was thinking I have a bunch of scrap 1/4” plywood. I feel that that would also make great material to make these out of. I was also thinking about cutting 4 blanks and taping them together. So all I have to do is cut out 1 rack and get 4 from it.
That's pretty cool man.
Whoa, it's HumbleMechanic.. What are you doing here?
L
A tip I use when hot glueing anything, for example your setup on the paper towels, I would have set up a wet paper towel to glue on, when hot glue is still warm, it can be nicely smoothed out with just a little moisture, you can see what I'm talking about if you put a dab of it on something, lick your finger tip, and then run your finger over the dot of clue, and see just how much you can really manipulate it.
Using a light bit of spray paint over the template on the foam , you can mark the layout very quickly.
Great idea and wanting to give a thanks. I am building some myself. However I did not make the base straight like yours. I cut mine to taper in to fit the wrenches better
At 2:09 of this video I decided to order online from Harbor Freight. Cheaper and faster. Not all DIY makes sense. Merry Christmas. :)
I opted for Snapon, $3 more and can be used in parallel instead of the N shape you have to use with HF.
Awesome - thanks! Now to find foam!
if you just bought thicker foam stock you could just do a single slot in it instead of the teidious triangles. the wrenches will press fit then.
just wanted to say thanks. And here I was going to buy some.....I like the ones I made from your templates. thanks again.
Don’t need this but will look at your other videos as you have some helpful ideas.
Some interesting comments on your video. A number of them talk about doing something in metal. Personally I like the foam idea to cut down on the metal on metal banging around when placing wrenches back in the holder and opening/closing the drawers. I realize there is still some when the wrenches hit each other which maybe a design change could fix that too. Also a number of comments on why make it yourself when you can buy ready made ones cheap? Where to start there... DIY is not all about just saving money... satisfaction of making something yourself? Ability to customize it exactly as you want not how someone else decided to make it?
One of the more well made videos because it was well planned out before filming it, not many um's, in the video because of this.. 2 thumbs up It was a pleasure watching it..
Thanks for your comment!
project for the weekend. ..thank you for this idea
+Frenky158 Enjoy!!
Fantastic video! None of my local craft stores seem to sell 1/4 foam but I'm going to try some different ideas.
Very nice of you to do this pdf file....thank-you so much!
I need to convert this to a CAD file, so I can laser it out of aluminum. Sweet!
There are some free cad programs out there that can handle this level of complexity. Because of logistics, you might have issues saving the file.
Contact your local vocational schools or even a high school that has a vocational section. Welding, drafting \ cad, or even a CATIA class. You can convert a 3D file into a 2D . Type file.
We CNC'd a new batch for all of our wrenches. We originally had sets that were 3D printed but didn't last from being used on a daily basis. We are a STEM program based in Little Rock, AR
Even faster go to harbor freight n buy them already made $2.99 wonderful idea !!!
Although i respective effort and the fact you shared how you make your own wrench rails, but are you aware that you could buy beautiful brand new Ernst wrench rails for 4 bucks and they not only look and work better but you will save time? Just my opinion. Cheers!
Out of all the tool box organization videos I have been watching for the past 3 days, this is the best one for wrenches! Thank you so much!
Great video, and very nice of you for giving away the templates.
Hope you have a wonderful Holiday and New Year.
Awesome video, and great idea! I love how you linked to EVERYTHING you used, wish other content creators would do the same.
Great video and fantastic piece of information! Thanks for sharing with us! Will look for the templates. Thanks!
Lasted ok for a cpl years but I remade these for some new additions. Used thin MDF and sprayed it with plastidip
awesome idea. If you could, can you post the measurements
very well designed & great idea. definitely saves $.
Thanks for your comment!
Your going to need something more durable than the foam. It won't hold up over continued use?
Nice. Think I'll try it. Thanks for attaching the PDF, very cool. Cheers!
Excellent job great thinking especially when that person is just starting to fill a box and to start buying the additional organizers can really add up I like even more that you had a PDF file to verify the sizes 4 measurements that would have been my first question but you stated it at the end that you had a file not sure where the file is but yes definitely a great idea and thank you for sharing.
Awesome idea! I just ordered the foam from Amazon! Thanks for sharing.
great idea, I may try to adapt this to angle iron
Very nice! Best regards, Rob
Thank you for the video. It worked like a charm and turned out good.
+Jj Obermiller Thanks for sharing!
You're the fastest scissors user I ever saw!
Thanks for the idea works good i might ask a buddy of mine and see if he can lazer cut the foam so i can make multiple for me and friends
MrBloodburner That will be awesome if your friend can do that. It will make the project super easy.
Thanks fod putting up the pdf!! Real human of you!
Awesome video and thank you for sharing your template!
The metal fab side of me wants to make this from one piece of 1/8" stainless, throw it in a brake to bend each side up and 2 bead rolls down the middle of the empty space...
68shortwide
Go fer it. My dad made his 40 years ago and they’re mounted on the wall beside his tool box.
Made one tonight… it’ll last forever but way overkill. Cut a few of the 45°s too thin and had to tack but thanks for the idea!
That is a excellent idea. Thank you for sharing with us..
As observation: If you cut the pattern with a razor knife from the foam, you can make a pair at a time.
Nice video and adaptable for other tools.
Thanks
great hack. I'll definitely do this one.
Awesome tutorial, just made a couple of trays, awesome video!!!!
Great video. Wish I'd seen that before I bought. Great and easy job.........
Thank you for making the video. It’s simple and effective. Love it.
Thanks for this video and thanks for the template. I'm gona go out and buy foam and try this out.
nice job, great imagination
Thanks for your comment!
AWESOME, Craftsmanship, Doing it right now
Thank you for the PDF files of the template.
Another very helpful video
+Thomas Moore Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for sharing it's great and works even with thicker foam!
Good video ....how is it holding up???
Brilliant! Inexpensive and still looks high class. Good job.
Awesome video man!
you're quite a craftsman.
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to show others. Much appreciate this!
I couldn't find the link you said you would put on. Please post again
See video description. They are there.
Nice job. Looks great. Thanks!
Very nice and thank you for taking the time and sharing your template. 👍🏽
Well done, like that idea, its happening in my tool box this afternoon. Great Job and thanks!
Thanks for taking the time for the pdf.