On 12/17/2012 12:14 PM, Steve B wrote:
I have about four 5 gallon buckets of fasteners. Plus half empty boxes.
Plus coffee cans. Plus, plus, plus. I got fasteners coming out of the
woodwork like cockroaches.
....

What size ranges are we talking of here and how much are just
one-of-a-kind versus actual stock?

I have one sizable assortment rack that was bought as a supply that
covers from 1/4" to 3/4" up to 4" in length machine bolts, nuts and
washers w/ a couple rows along the bottom for plow bolts, etc.

Nail are organized on shelves in either 10-lb boxes or the occasional
50-lb box of certain things (fence staples, roofing 5d galvanized, 16d
common, etc.) or one of many of the old metal rectangular anti-freeze
cans w/ the top cut off. They're almost ideal for nails.

For square head and carriage bolts and machine screws of the smaller
sizes, years ago Dad bought a whole passel of bread pans from the local
bakery when they upgraded their ovens. These have four 1-lb loaf-size
drawers each w/ a metal band around them that fastened on a conveyor
belt. I have several racks of these in the barn that have the
aforementioned stuff as well as assorted lag screws, eyebolts, etc.,
etc. etc. They also work for the smaller amounts of pipe fittings up to
1" and nipples up to 12".

For the smaller stuff there are quite a few of the plastic cabinets and
I have built drawers as well w/ small dividers owing to what seems to me
to be the unconscionable prices for the plastic bins and storage
cabinets such as you mention.

I routinely troll the aisles of the local Ace and farm supply hardware
sections and when they've been restocking "borrow" the empty cardboard
boxes nails, bolts and screws, etc., come in and add to the collection
that way as well...

I just went through the shop and have been reorganizing (probably more
accurately w/o the 're' ) and added another group of the bread pans
and more cans and a dozen or so more larger wooden boxes fashioned after
the plastic ones for such things as the yard/lot spigots and similar
larger stuff...

The electronics and lab stuff is similar in smaller stuff but it's in an
area in the basement in the house I set up for it when moved back to the
farm...

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