#OrganizeThis - Small parts bins

Get your workshop organized without breaking the bank by making your own small parts bins to house screws, nails, bolts, and hardware – better still, attach them with a french cleat system for easy removal and return.

Good morning everyone!

It’s a GREAT morning – mainly because I’m part of a group challenge today called #OrganizeThis. Seventeen of the best DIY Bloggers in the business were put to the challenge to organize an area of their home that has become out of control. We were tasked with coming up with a clever solution for our chaos and then to build it.

These ideas are AWESOME! Easy, inexpensive and perfect for getting your Spring clean on – so be sure to click through all the submissions to see what these DIY Divas have come up with.

My #organizethis submission isn’t really a re-invention of the wheel; I’ve seen small parts bins like these for sale at Rockler and Harbor Freight, but why buy when you can DIY right?

I give you my Workbench storage bins on a french cleat system:

I wanted a system where I could keep stock of how many I have of each small part, but also be able to remove each bin separately so I can bring it to where I’m doing the work.

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I based the size of my small parts bins on the section of my new workbench that I want to store them on. You can go bigger or smaller depending on your needs, but for me these were a substantial improvement from the Husky 28-Drawer Small Parts Organizer that I’ve used for the past couple/few years.

Don’t get me wrong, the small parts organizer is awesome, but has a limited capacity, which meant I was buying screws in smaller quantities and not taking advantage of larger, bulk orders. These larger bins will save me money, and time spent running back and forth to the home improvement store when I run out.

Workbench Storage Bins

(2) ½” wood cut to 3 ½” by 3 ¾ for the sides
(1) ½” wood cut to 3 ½” by 6 1/8″ for the back
(1) ½” wood cut to 3 ¾” by 7 1/8″ for the bottom
(1) ½” wood cut to 2 ¼” by 7 1/8″ for the front

I used my mitre saw to cut a 45° from the centre of the top, to the centre of the side on the side pieces (see diagram).

My small parts bins were glued together with wood glue and then reinforced with 1 ¼” brad nails.

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I made 15 bins, and even though there is room for a few more at the bottom, I really didn’t have anything to put in them, so I thought I’d quit while I was ahead. Besides, the extra space might end up being used for two larger and deeper bins down the road.

The best part of these is the french cleat system that I built to hang them; I used ¾” scrap plywood ripped down to 4″ wide. I then angled the blade on my table saw to a 45° angle and ripped that same 4″ strip down the middle.

One side of the strip I attached to the side of the workbench,

and the other side I cut down to fit the back of each bin and then attached:

The angle on the back of each small parts bin will tuck easily into the cleat rail that is on the workbench!

I sanded down the sharp edges on all the hardware bins because they are situated between my mitre and table saw and I will be walking back and forth by them a lot. (Thought I’d spare myself a bruise or two. lol)

These are all made from scrap bits of ½” plywood – so I wasn’t out any money in buying more wood – in fact, these are a great scrap wood project that will not only get you organized, but will use up all of those little off-cuts you have lying around your workshop.

I’m still finalizing what storage and organization solutions to use on the rest of my workbench (aka “ultimate saw station”) but the plans will be available soon – I promise.