Free Small Parts Organizer

One of the biggest storage problems in my workshop is all of the small parts and pieces that I have to keep track of. I like to have all of these separated as much as possible so that when I need a particular screw I can just reach into the bin for that type of screw and pull one out.

The most popular commercial storage solutions are the rows of plastic bins that you can label and store things in. I have one of these units and it is really nice. The only drawback to these is the cost. For each one of those little bins they can be $3.00 or more. The perfect solution to this is to save the everyday containers that we all are constantly throwing away and use them as the bins. I have been saving these cans for a couple years and they work perfectly for small parts bins. There are many types of containers that work well for this, from coffee cans to milk jugs.

I built two simple frames for the cans to sit in. These are easy to build and were made with scrap lumber I had laying around. It is best to have the container sitting partially horizontal so it is easier to reach into them and they take up a little less wall space.

The frames I built were simply two side pieces with strips going across them. For one of them I used a piece of plywood for the back, and for the other I just put a strip on the back for each strip on the front. In both cases the front of the can lies on the front strip and the back rests on the back. The front strip can then be labeled with a piece of paper and some clear packaging tape. I put a label under each can.

I have a lot more cans that I have been collecting lately so I will soon be building another frame for these. When I do I will create a new page detailing the process of building it.