Treat your tools right with tool organizers.

Treat your tools right with tool organizers.

You need a tool intervention if you consider a bucket of tools ‘organized.’ To me, a bucket brimming with tools is a semi-mobile pile. With walls.

To get it done, tools need to have homes. And it all has to be mobile, rugged and ideally suited to the no-look grab.

There’s no one set of tool organizers that are the ‘right’ one. But carpenters who can keep up and DIYers who actually ‘D,’ all seem to have something in common: they do stuff with tools. That means they can find their tools.

I’ve been finding a lot of tools in the tool organizers CLC sent, notably the CLC 18-inch Dual Compartment Tool Carrier. On one side it’s set up to hold, separate and organize some of the bajillion things carpenters and DIYers need all the time: screwdrivers, gloves, tape, drill bits, snips, pliers, wrenches, and so on.

The other side is open and can carry an impact driver and charger. Or longer items that try to stay homeless, like demo bars, knee pads, tile trowels or drywall knives. Or flashlights. Or coping saws. Or a trim router and bits.

Heck, you can even dump your lunch or after hours libations in there. Now that’s making the most of your tool organizers.

The whole thing is comes together on an uber-tough looking steel handle that looks near impossible to break. What I dig about the handle is that it pivots out of the way so you can store the bag on a shelf, in the truck or under a bench without a major snag point—it even has a built-in light to make finding tools in the dark a lot easier. And for long walks to and from the job, the shoulder strap helps bear the brunt of getting work done.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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