Some thoughts on organizing fasteners

The last few weeks I’ve been trying to make a dent in the confusion that is the fasteners shelf.

I envision a future where the top 1/3 of the shelf is for imperial screws, the middle 1/3 for metric screws,

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbOL1NhAcew/

and the bottom for other types of fasteners (nails, ring clamps, drywall inserts, etc)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbOLwl7A_FL/

In the mean time I’m trying to clear enough floor space so that the metal bandsaw can be stored there AND still give access to the shelf. Several containers of fasteners have been spilled in the area and callously left there, cold and alone. :sob:

I would like to replace the non-standard bins with six of these 60-unit small part drawers for consistency. Two of them is $80 at the Canadian Tire on cambie & 7.

I would like to make it a rule that the bolts will be ONLY socket head cap screws - the kind for which you’d use an alan/hex key. It’s much harder to strip the head on these, making life better in the long run. It would also mean less unique tools and tool maintenance.

I would like to put up a 3D printed block with nuts for each accepted type of screw (imperial and metric). If the donated item doesn’t conform to the threading or the head type then it will join it’s brothers and sisters in the big blue bin of mixed nuts and bolts I’ve been sweeping up.

I would like to take the growing pile of non-standard small parts bins and donate them to members that need home storage solutions.

I would love to see a group project to make an automatic screw sorting machine.

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Thank you Dan for organizing the fasteners!
I feel we require taller shelves as well.

Sometimes countersunk head bolts are needed as well (to maximize the travel of a linear acutator, vise, etc.), so let’s accept any type of donated fasteners.

If one drops a bolt/nut and don’t remember which bin it exactly came from, please put in a Miscellaneous bin.

I would bend to include flat socket cap screws. It adds an extra dimension to the sorting problem.

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