# Do you separate your nuts?



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I do…
Dave Rutan's post about nuts-n-bolt storage made me go out and take pix of what I use,

I have a cabinet I got from a warehouse job I had years ago. They were gonna throw it out. I have separate drawers for most everything. Electrical stuff, nuts, washers, springs, machine screws, hex head bolts, fittings, and there's even one marked "Misc. Sh-t" for all the oddball stuff that doesn't really fit any other category.

There is 2 drawers of wood screws just thrown in together. But I do keep a shelf of screws that have their own boxes, like deck screws, drywall screws, and he most "common" wood screws I use in building projects in the shop. Here's a few pix…
.








.








.









.








.








.








.


----------



## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

I take great care of my nuts and store them separately. I just hate when my nits get lost or damaged.

Greg


----------



## ElChe (Sep 28, 2014)

You have more nuts than an insane asylum. I have various pull out plastic bins with assorted nuts, bolts, washers, screws. I try to keep them organized but overtime the nuts prevail and insanity rules so I end up with the spilling nuts or bolts or washers on the bench and picking through them. If I had the space I would LOVE to have a separate cabinet with everything well organized. But I don't have the space so MAYHEM.


----------



## Dave10 (May 29, 2012)

JoeinGA,

I have a cabinet almost identical to yours. It's gray/green. I got it from my former employer when he was throwing it out of his house. I don't keep much hardware in it aside from some electrical and plumbing stuff. It's mostly got tool oriented contents, for example a drawer for tools that cut/blades for same, (I was always losing my razor blades,) a drawer for soldering, pliers, glues (not for wood), etc. There's a few things I may move out to the other part of the shop if I feel a need for the drawer. My cabinet has some rust on the bottom from contact with the floor. If it gets really bad I can always build a new cabinet and re-use the drawers.


----------



## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

Nice saves, Joe and Dave!


----------



## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Ok, I admit some of us are nuttier than squirrel sh*t and keep everything, but who in their right mind would be throwing a cabinet like that out? Around here we would have to pay $200 minimum to get something like that.

Envy aside, I've slowly evolved over the years and keep my hardware sorted by size in small boxes on a shelf. One shelf for all #6 wood screws, boxed by head type/length, nuts in separate cans, bolts sorted by size, etc.
I usually just toss salvaged hardware and excess from projects into a coffee can. When the mood strikes, I'll sort out the can contents back into organized storage. 
The best thing aside from actually being able to find something is I know ahead of time if I'm running low on a fastener.


----------



## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

That is a great cabinet to have. Wish I had the room. I do have 3 parts bin cabinets and one I built using baby food jars. That's my favorite.


----------



## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

I make sure they are separated before I sit down.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Separated. I keep my big nut on the left, and bigger nut on the right. Okay, Okay. Stuff I use a lot are in boxes on shelves: deck screws, drywall screws, pocket hole screws. I have a couple of those organizing cabinets with pull out drawers: 1/4-20 bolts, nuts, washers in their own drawers. Other bolts/nuts go in one big drawer but that isn't more than a handful. Really big bolts are in a separate container. Random washers in another drawer. Screws I have separated into drawers by type then size: flat head, pan head, machine, thumb, hex head, truss, misc. There are oval heads in there somewhere. Anything left hand goes in one drawer. I'm decently well organized.


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I just keep mine in a sack…a big sack


----------



## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

I separate my nuts carefully. Seriously, I hate to say, I've just got a big bolt bucket that I dig through. Sad but true.

Wood screws are a diff story.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I had two nuts one time, but lost one…. Now I just have one nut and a short bolt….


----------



## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

I keep them in the package until I need them.


----------



## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

Ask my wife, she has them….
(and won't tell me where she keeps them)


----------



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I'm laughing my butt off at you guys!


----------



## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I have tried to separate my nuts but it was way to painful!

Seriously, I would like your problem with a cabinet like that. I have one of those on my wish list for a long time!


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

> I m laughing my butt off at you guys!
> 
> - JoeinGa


Shouldn't that be laughing your nuts off?


----------

