Tool Organization Help.....

[Elmoclayman]

I teach Ceramics Classes at the High School level and will be moving to a newly renovated room sometime around December of this year.  I am trying to pack up the "Stuff" I have accumulated over the 20 years I have been here and the 30+ years the teacher before me was in this room.  I have collected a number of hand building tools that I keep in small trays in a cupboard, separated by size and type, (ie. loop tools of one type in one tray, wooden modeling tools in another tray).  The problem is its hard to see what tools are in each tray.  I am looking for a possible clear plastic drawer system that you have seen, or possibly use in your own studio or classroom.  I would like to be able to see which  tools are in each drawer when I open the cupboard. 

Pics would be very helpful if you have anything like this.  Thanks in advance!

[Callie Beller Diesel]

How much do they have to hold, and do you know what size space they have to fit in? Do you have a price point you want to stay within?

[Marilyn T]

I found the right container for my needs at the Container Store.    (someone else suggested this on this forum).   In California they have several locations so you might be able to find what you need fairly close by. 

They do deliver to Canada but use a company called Borderfree and the delivery was slower than I expected.  In addition, the shipping and exchange doubled the  price, but I couldn't find the size/shape I wanted anywhere else.

[neilestrick]

Would it be possible to just label the front of each tray?

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I got a pile of something similar to these for my kids’ assorted drawing implements. Check the third picture to get a clear (heh) image of them. They’re a nice size that you could either build individual kits in each drawer, or they’ll fit the equivalent of 24 Sharpie markers, with room at the back (front?)of the drawer. A great size for most pottery hand tools. You’d probably want something bigger for sponges. Dollar Tree apparently sells them by the case. 

[Pyewackette]

I use whatever clear plastic food boxes my tools will fit in.  I also use the food delivery boxes from a particular restaurant here - they are sturdier than similar products from Ziploc and the  cheaper stuff from Rubbermaid, but only the tops are clear.  I think they are made by Glad for the food service industry.

Shoeboxes should also work well for some longer/larger items.  And there are also tool bins from places like Harbor Freight and Home Depot - that's what they use at the community studio where I currently work.  They stack and its easy to glance inside the large openings and see what's there.  Bonus - since they're open to the air you don't get mold and rust.  Stuff can dry more easily and more thoroughly.  I use a cheap tall water bottle for brushes, and another for my wooden cutting and modeling tools.  Right now I've got all my wooden tools soaking in mineral oil in one of the water bottles.  They were so dry they were floating LOL!

While the plastic boxes work ok for most of my stuff because I tend to dry things thoroughly, you (a) can't expect that from high school students (rather the contrary) and (b) some things just won't live nicely in a closed plastic box - not even a slide out drawer type of thing.  So tool bins or open boxes for things like sponges and shammies is probably your best bet for those things at the very least.  I'm carrying all my wet stuff (sponges, shammy, cutoff tool) in a bag meant for washing bras LOL!  Very effective at letting stuff dry rather than mold - and I don't have to remember to open the box of wet stuff to let it air dry when I get home (I schlep all my tools back and forth).

I strongly recommend Armaly ProPlus Grouting and Concrete sponges, which I got at Home Depot.  They last practically forever.  I cut them up to use instead of those crappy little tack sponges that tear up at the drop of a hat. I get a dozen out of one big sponge.  I stuck one on the end of a chopstick for a sponge-on-a-stick (I cut a "tack" sponge size in half, cut a small slit in the narrow end, shoved the narrow end of the chopstick in there about halfway down the length of the sponge, and fastened it with a silicone "rubber" band). I have two of the "tack" sponges in my kit, and those two still look brand new. I donated a half dozen (full size ones) to the community studio a bit over a year ago and every single one is still in service.  Only 2 are starting to look raggedy and one of those came from the factory damaged already LOL!  I used a Hefty "knife" that uses super sharp box cutter blades to cut the sponges up - marked them with a Sharpie and a ruler and just cut along the lines, to make the "tack" sponge replacements.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Pyewackette

[Elmoclayman]

 

On 2/24/2023 at 1:06 PM, Callie Beller Diesel said:

How much do they have to hold, and do you know what size space they have to fit in? Do you have a price point you want to stay within?

I need to stay as cheap as possible.  I only get $900 for all materials for the year.  I do beg for voluntary donations, but that seems to dwindle each year.  I have seen some clear plastic 3 drawer organizers at WalMart and Target, but at $10 a piece, I would need 7 or 8 to store all the tools.  I will be moving into a new classroom but I don't know what kind of storage I will have as of yet.

[Elmoclayman]

On 2/25/2023 at 8:31 AM, Callie Beller Diesel said:

I got a pile of something similar to these for my kids’ assorted drawing implements. Check the third picture to get a clear (heh) image of them. They’re a nice size that you could either build individual kits in each drawer, or they’ll fit the equivalent of 24 Sharpie markers, with room at the back (front?)of the drawer. A great size for most pottery hand tools. You’d probably want something bigger for sponges. Dollar Tree apparently sells them by the case. 

These look like what I am looking for, but 5X5X1 is a little small.  Most of the tools I have are a minimum of 6" long, many are 8"+

[Hulk]

Any chance vertical storage would work?
If not glazed cylinders left over, perhaps some other cylinder, e.g. half gallon black plastic planter (drains well), plastic tumbler, five quart snap lid (Home Depot) container...

I keep my throwing and trimming tools in separate cylinders, then switch them out from the wheel's basin when changing task.
The tools that I don't use very often are in drawers.

The points and edges may dull when stored with the sharp bits down, however, the sharp bits facing up is when, not if, someone gets hurt.

[Pyewackette]

@Hulk Put a slab of closed cell foam in the bottom to protect sharp bits.  It won't get soggy like other kinds of foam.  I'm talking the black or grey stuff like they use to make pipe insulation.  It is sometimes used as packing material.  I try to snag it whenever it appears.  SOOO many uses.