TakingMyTime

I was just wondering what some of you use to keep you small spare parts organized. As the hobby grows I find myself collecting more and more small parts from different bikes that I know I'll probably use again and I need to start getting more organized.

I was thinking of a fishing tackle box or something like that.

ramzilla

Big square plastic bins for my vintage bike tear downs. I used to get cheap kitty litter trays at Wallyworld. But, lately they don't seem to have the ones with neat square edges like they used to. I like square shaped plastic bins that can be stacked on shelves. Easy to label with a piece of tape and a magic marker. That's it. That's all. Done deal.

3alarmer 

...I use stacked plastic milk crates for hubs, stems, derailleurs, brakes, freewheels, matched pedals, etc. The brake sets I zip tie together, likewise matched derailleurs. For the really small stuff like seat post clamp bolts, dropout adjuster screws, brake nuts and parts, headset spacers, etc, etc. I have a couple of those plastic parts keeper things, with a bunch of small drawers that slide in and out. Saves me a lot of time when I'm in search of something in particular.

The plastic milk crates will stack four or five high in the average garage, which makes them take up a smaller footprint space.

Gresp15C

I have a cardboard box labeled "small parts."

Kapusta

A fishing tackle box is not a bad idea for the real small stuff.

August West

I use these from Home Depot for small parts. At $11.97 for 2 I think they are a bargain. Larger stuff I keep in see through storage totes on shelving in the garage.

Small Parts Boxes

andrewclaus

I keep lots of generic small parts in the trays in my portable machinist's tool box. I keep bike-specific stuff like 4mm and 5mm bolts in old film canisters in a cardboard box with larger bike parts. It's not very organized, but I keep the spares to a minimum so it works.

woodcraft

Cut off quart milk cartons.

DrIsotope

Bigger stuff is on the pegboard. Bigger than that is in proper drawers.

HTupolev

Just leave them all in an amorphous blob on the floor, like a normal person.

Seriously, though. Drawers if you need lots of categories:

JoeTBM 

For the shop workbench we use 2-large drawer units from Tractor supply,

For the on the road shop we use several of boxes like these from Harbor Freight

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-s...ase-93928.html

TiHabanero

For larger items such as brake calipers, brake levers, BB's, front der, rear der, etc. I use Sterlite clear shoe box sized containers on a shelf. Nuts or bolts are sorted by size and stowed in a bench top parts organizer with clear drawers and labeling. Cable ends, ferrules, bearings, etc. are also sorted and stowed in the same drawers with a label. Makes finding specific items very efficient.

JohnDThompson 

I've found stackable bins helpful:

pdlamb

You've got more stuff than I do. Need to go shopping...

TakingMyTime

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm heading over to the local big box hardware store to see what kind of options they may have in stock.

hokiefyd 

I use the shoe box-sized clear containers also. I don't have a ton of small bits, and I keep hardware in small zip bags in their respective bins (brake hardware and bolts go in a bag that lives in the brakes box, chain ring bolts and things live in the bottom brackets/axles box, etc. I do have a small open bowl of the small 5mm hex bolts and such (that nail clippers container), but those are few enough in number that it's not too difficult to rummage through there for what I might need.

These are old laundry room cabinets I installed above my workbench in the basement. I had enough shelves to make two of them four-shelf cabinets and I left one as an open cabinet for larger items. The Sterlite containers fit perfectly in these, and I can keep the lids off for easy access this way.

Mad Honk 

hokiefyd,
What you did with the wrenches is what we did at the Bike Garage Indy when we opened it. Each tool board had the essentials on it and was color coded for each stand so at the end of the day we could spot missing tools. A great way to maintain tools and keep order. I still do it in my own shop, and as my wife sez "your toolbox is way cleaner than everything else in your life", And she ought to know because every time she needs a tool she is in the tool box digging around. Just don't ask her about when the car needs and oil change... Smiles, MH

hokiefyd 

Point of reference: my college degree is in Technology Education...what was called Industrial Arts many years ago. Though I didn't end up going into education, I picked up a lot of good habits and business practices from that, and organizing the tool board like this was one of them. It's very useful to organize tool this way in middle schools and high schools for similar reasons as it is in co-ops and similar.

Cheers!

Alex Atkinson

I use a huge plastic box with small cells. It's really convenient, because plastic partitions between these cells are removable.