# How to organize Allen Wrenches - Does anyone know???



## hjt (Oct 22, 2009)

I can't be the only one that has a slew of allen wrenches loose in a drawer… am I


> ? One can buy metal or plastic holders for drill bits, or for wrenches, but I can not find an after market holder for allen wrenches. Sure, I could buy a new set of wrenches that comes with a holder, but then what do I do with the 25 - 30 loose allens I already have


 Anyone have an idea or two??


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

Do woodwork for lots of years. You'll be amazed at how your eye learns to detect scale and picks the right wrench out of a disorganised pile


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Well, some call me OCD, call me other things, but I can find my allen wrenches when I need them.

I hope this helps. I found these I think at Harbor Freight or maybe Workshop Tools. Can't remember. I Googled it and here is a website that has something similar.


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## hjt (Oct 22, 2009)

Sawdust - that's basically what I"m looking for - but just the holder not to include a set of wrenches. Are you saying that Harbour Frieght or Workshop Tools has just the holder? Also, is WorkshopTools a store or online place - never heard of them?


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## 1yeldud1 (Jan 26, 2010)

I took a block of wood about 2 inches square about 6 inches long and drilled holes in a line down the center to fit the wrenches from the largest stepping down to the smallest - Ive been a tool maker for the past 33 years and Ive had about 3 of these - they do a good job of keeping the wrenches organized ( ive got one made for metric and one foe conventional allen keys !!!)


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Harold,

You can get one at Harbor Freight. They come with bits of metal in the holes though. Just take those bits out and insert your allen wrenches.

Rance


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Yep. Wrenches included. Good idea to us the cheapies until they wearout and put the quality ones in. Workshop Tools are a brick and mortar plus online.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

The allen wrenches that come with most tools are junk … I put them in a brown envelope, write the name or model number of the tool on the outside, and file them along with the manual and other paper work. That way, if I sell the tool, I can hand the buyer the manual and wrenches.

For everyday use, I bought a couple of sets of high quality wrenches (in both metric and SAE). One set of each folds up like a pocketknife … the others are individual wrenches that go in a holder similar to the one pictured above.


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## Porosky (Mar 10, 2009)

Magnetic tool strip mounted on wall in shop.


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## Bradford (Dec 8, 2007)

I built a little bench top tool chest just for the purpose. A little overkill for what you need. But I didn't own the big red tool cabinet. But if you can't find what you're looking for, make something for them until you do. Scott is on to something there. If you mounted a long rare earth magnet into a block of wood, either to mount to the wall or small enough to fit in a drawer, it would suffice. Simply label the sizes above each wrench.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

In my shop I use allen wrenches primarily to adjust settings on various tools. For example, I need an allen wrench to adjust the 90 degree and 45 degree stops on my table saw tilt. I keep the allen wrench I need for a particular tool in a special location close to that tool. It's easy to create a "special spot". Just drill a hole in some wood.

The rest of my allen wrenches are scattered in a drawer.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I have Klein allen wrenches that are attached to a small holder. I got them at Home Depot. You rotate out the one you want. They are all size marked. I also have one for metric. The case is nice since it allows you to put a lot of leverage on the wrench. Park Tool and others also makes the same type of arrangement.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I have the allen wrenches that came with my tools in one of the drawers in my Stack On parts bins. I never look at them. I have a metric, and an SAE set captive like the Klein Tools one shown above, but by a different MFG. I think the SAE is from Chan-L-Loc, and the metric is probably Harbor Freight… I also have a set of 3/8" allen drive sockets (Snap On) that are kept on a socket strip.

I have no use for loose Allen wrenches. Too danged easy to lose.


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## Mogebier (Feb 4, 2010)

I found new sets in a similar holder that sawdust has a couple of years ago and bought them. I still have my other ones, but they are in an old drill case and I never use them.


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## Albert (Jul 28, 2008)

I use small rare earth magnets, (very inexpensive). I have a magnet stuck on most of my machines and stick the appropriate allen wrenchs that come with the machine to the magnet, the correct allen is always nearby when I need it.

Paul


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I have amassed literally hundreds of allen keys over the years.Now they sit in top half of a toolbox of which I also have a few underneath them is spanners wrenches etc.Two years ago old fred my pal bought me a nice set of allen keys in a stand with ball ends these were great till my son found them and now they reside in his shop LOL with my consent of course.Alistair


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