Job boxes are handy and secure job site additions, whether you keep them in the bed of your truck or lock them in place on-site. Either way, you are wondering how to organize these boxes. After all, with all their use, they are prone to getting messy to the point of ineffectiveness. This post combines industry professional knowledge and up-to-date research to provide seven great job box organization ideas.
Organizing a job box is a unique task depending on the type and amount of tools you regularly use and store in your job box. However, considering the following seven ideas will set you well on your way to job box organization, no matter your profession. These ideas are as follows:
- Plan Ahead
- Layers
- Sub-containers
- Foam Inserts
- Magnets
- Partitions [Plywood, Metal]
- Labels
Keep reading the rest of this post for details on the above job box organization ideas. These ideas are framed in general terms so that they will apply to most job boxes, job box sizes, and job box applications. To conclude, we answer several related questions and provide a useful additional list of reading materials.
Great Job Box Organizer Ideas And Tips
Keeping your company space organized will help your business do well in the long term. For those who use job boxes, that space is one of the most challenging and important places to keep organized.
1. Plan Ahead
Before embarking on the physical task of organizing your job box, it is wise to plan ahead. This involves making a list of all the tools and hardware you want to store in your job box and sketching out your job box space. Then, imagine how you will use the following techniques to organize in that space.
While it is possible to skip this step, and it is very tempting to do so, the minimal time and effort this step takes is more than made up for on the far side of the organization project. Even if you do not end up using all of your original ideas, approaching the organization project from this unique angle will improve efficiency and overall effectiveness.
At this stage, it is also helpful to search the internet for specific examples of how others have organized your tool set in a job box.
2. Layers
When organizing your job box, it is beneficial to think in layers. Generally, you will want to put smaller items and more frequently used items on the top layer of your job box and the larger and less frequently used items near the bottom.
While this policy sounds good in practice, it is sometimes difficult to identify which items you will always need most often. The very fact you are storing the item in your job box means you plan on needing it at some point.
Thus, it is helpful to facilitate the layers principle by adding removable or slidable shelving on the top layer. Usually, job boxes come with one or two of these shelves already. However, for maximum organization, consider purchasing or making additional top-layer shelves.
3. Sub-containers
It does take up space, but job box organization is much easier if you use smaller containers within your larger job box. Cloth buckets and smaller tool boxes are both popular options.
Click here for a cloth tool bucket from Amazon.
By adding these additional layers of the organization, you can remove many tools at a time when searching for a tool you have stored near the bottom or when performing a task that needs several similar items.
Click here for a container perfect for bits or fasteners from Amazon.
Ideally, you should match these sub-containers to the items you hope to store. Thus, use many compartmented plastic boxes for fasteners and other small hardware and large containers for medium-sized tools. For the largest tools, consider using the tool bag that they came in. These will help keep the tool clean and make moving and dealing with cords much simpler.
Click here for a socket organizer container from Amazon.
Further, it is convenient to buy specialized tool storage systems for those types of tools that you use very often. The magnetic socket holder system linked above is a handy form of this type of sub-container.
4. Foam Inserts
Foam inserts are popular ways to organize almost all closable tool boxes. For organizing your job box, use these inserts on top layer shelves or within your sub-containers. These inserts are sold in a wide variety of sizes and quantities.
Click here for a large set of foam inserts from Amazon.
To use the inserts, you can either place them in the sub-containers to stop tools from sliding around while you move the box or drive down the road or cut tool locations out.
These inserts are easy to cut to whatever toolset you need to organize. Tired of your sockets constantly sliding to one side of a toolbox? Then use a foam insert and cut out individual pockets for each socket size. This not only makes it easier to find the right socket when you need it, but it also makes it easier to put that socket back in the correct location.
5. Magnets
Magnets are an excellent way to increase the organization of a job box. This is particularly true because job boxes are usually made of magnetic metal. Magnet organization comes in many forms, including magnetic shelving, magnetic strips, and magnetic hangers.
Click here for a set of magnetic shelves from Amazon.
Putting these types of magnetic additions near the top of your box is a great way to add layers and to help keep smaller tools both organized and easily accessible. For example, you could add a magnetic strip for all your screwdrivers and another one for all your wrenches.
Further, it is possible to take a magnetic shelf off and use it in a more convenient location while you are performing work and then reattach it to the job box once you are done.
Click here for a set of magnetic tool holder strips from Amazon.
In addition to shelves and strips, you can purchase magnet hooks or use magnets to attach pegboard or another temporary attachment system to the inside and the outside of your job box.
Click here for a set of powerful magnetic hooks from Amazon.
6. Partitions
The next organization tip for job boxes is the partition. These are usually installed in just the lower section of a job box but can also be installed from the bottom to the closure lid.
Partitions can be made of plywood, metal, or other material. Usually, it is most efficient to install the plywood permanently with screws, but you can also wedge the plywood in place using magnets. For metal, a welded-in sheet of thin steel is the best choice.
Whatever material you use, the partitions allow you to keep each type of tool in a specific area of your job box. Maybe you store all of your drills in one place and all your saws in another. Or perhaps you want to dedicate half of your job box to power tools and the other half to hand tools. Or, it is possible to partition off an area designed to fit certain tool or part boxes.
7. Labels
Last but not least, use labels. The best storage system in the world only works if those using it adhere to it. It is easier to adhere to a solid organizational strategy if you label it. This means marking the sub-containers, labeling the layers, labeling the partitions, and more.
Even the best-intentioned organized crew will sometimes put stuff back in the wrong place. Do not worry; having everything labeled well makes cleanup and organization much simpler and easier.
Click here for a label printer from Amazon.
Consider using a specialty label printer for longer-lasting labels that are easy to read. However, even using masking tape and a permanent marker is a better way to label than no label at all.
Additional Questions
In this section, we answer a few additional useful questions.
What are good main toolbox categories?
The categories that you will have in your toolbox depend on the tools that you specifically use. However, separating by power tools, hand tools, bits/blades, and fasteners is common. These four categories cover most of the types of tools you will use. Additionally, adding a category for tape/glue and a miscellaneous category may be helpful.
What can you put between the toolbox and truck bed?
Use the foam and or another soft material to help keep the bed and sides of your truck from getting scratched by a toolbox or a job box.
How can I make my truck toolbox more secure?
Consider locking your job box to a secure tie-down point in your truck or on your job site to make it more secure. Use a heavy-duty chain or cable that is hard to cut through. Be sure to lock it to a solid point, such as a tree.
Additional Reading
To learn more about tool care and general organization, these great Uooz articles:
Can You Store Clothes In The Attic?
Does Craftsman Warranty Its Power Tools?
In Closing
In this post, we provided seven tips for better organizing your job box. These general tips will work for any type or size of job box. We also answered a few related questions and provided some useful additional reading. Good luck!