Magnetic tool holder strips

[Willabe]

I'm organizing my work shop and I want to put 2 magnetic tool holder strips, 1 on the left, 1 on the right of the front face of my work bench to hold/hang my nut drivers and cutters/strippers/screw drivers, etc.

I CAN'T stand the clutter anymore!      

I bought a couple at a big box store, 18" long, and their NOT strong enough to hold tools securely.      

I'm looking at Bed, Bath and Beyond in the kitchen section for knife holders and it looks like the good 1's, neyodeum magnets start at ~$50.

The 1's on Ebay looks like the cheapies I already bought that aren't strong enough. 

Any suggestions?   

[PRR]

My old-guy opinion is that strong magnets aint smart around electronics.

Though now that we don't do floppy-disks (or tape!!) anymore, maybe I am just old.

(But aren't US credit-cards still mag-stripe?)

I've always used holes. There's those things that go on pegboards but they come off easier than they go on. There's now ones with catches; I'm dubious. I picked up a couple "shelves" with various holes from small phillips to claw-hammer. They more/less do the job, but in a cold garage and clumsy occupant they tend to break. Plywood and your full set of drills might do something sturdier.

Small Bear Electronics has thoughts (and products) for small tool organization.

[John]

I've bought 2 at Lowe's, and they're plenty strong enough. I even hang flat pry bars on them. I can't imagine them not doing the job for screwdrivers and small pliers.

[sluckey]

I CAN'T stand the clutter anymore!

As I get older I find that clutter ain't so bad!   

Magnetic strips don't like round stuff like nut drivers. I tried but hated them. Just a little bump and then I'm down on my knees trying to fetch a screwdriver out from under my workbench. I like wood with holes and real tool chests. That Craftsman stack holds my electronics tools and more. Perfect organizer if you have the space. And for nut driver sets I like a secure holder that can just be set on the bench and still be portable if needed. Cheap and easy to make if you have a drill press.

[Willabe]

Magnetic strips don't like round stuff like nut drivers. I tried but hated them. Just a little bump and then......

Bingo, exactly what's happening, the nut drivers and screw drivers, bump them and they drop. AND they set off a small chain reaction, bump 1 and as they fall 2, 3, or more go with it.            

I was thinking/hoping that stronger magnets would do the job much better. 

I like wood with holes and real tool chests. That Craftsman stack holds my electronics tools and more. Perfect organizer if you have the space. And for nut driver sets I like a secure holder that can just be set on the bench and still be portable if needed. Cheap and easy to make if you have a drill press.

Yes I have a drill press. My set of US nut drivers is 7 pieces and the metric set has 8, so 15 total. And then there's a bunch of screw drivers and several cutters/3 different strippers/several pliers.....

I'm left handed so I like to keep the tools I use the most on my left with in reach and then the nut drivers are on my right but there's 2 piles of tools that I'm always sorting through to find the 1 I need at that moment.

Very tried of it. Big waste of time.          

I was hoping that these mag strips would help clear off some bench top space for things like the solder paste can, meter/probes, small parts in a few small plastic containers (from Chinese take out, hey their free and they work great     ),...... then they would all be in arms reach and no more sorting through the pile.     

[Willabe]

My old-guy opinion is that strong magnets aint smart around electronics.

Hmmmm, my Weller control temp soldering stations iron cable would have to run pretty close (a few inches) across the mag strip, would that cause a problem?

The station it self would be ~1' away and they'd be on different plains, station on top of the bench, mag strip on the face of the bench. Variack and lamp limiter next to the Weller station.       

[jjasilli]

+1 to Sluckey.  I salvaged a mag strip and contrived a tool holder; picture below.  I thought it would be a good solution, but it just doesn't yield organization. 


I really like Sluckey's screwdriver solution with the handles down & the business end up. 

[SILVERGUN]

I'm embarrassed to post this, but I use these with good results. It holds full size hammers, adjustable wrenches, etc., so they are strong enough for me. I have four of them in line across my "get it done" bench, and without them I'd have a table top full of tools.
I have one of these Chinese tool outlets about 100yards from my shop so unfortunately I have caved to the save a buck mentality.
I am not proud of this....
http://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-magnetic-tool-holder-61199.html

[Willabe]

Hi Dave! 

Thanks for that, I'll take a look at the Harbor Freight near me.

[jjasilli]

I think HF is great, but spotty.  E.g., do not buy their torque wrenches.  Have had good luck with angle grinder; bench top sander; mini file set; c-clamps.  I'm sure their mag strip will be fine.

[sluckey]

Here's my Binford 3000 Maxi-Mag tool organizer. Easily holds a 16 pound sledge hammer, pick-adz, axe, large crowbar, 4-way lug wrench, big screwdriver, little screwdriver, and nutdriver. Still has trouble hanging on to little stuff with round shafts. But beware. DO NOT GET THE SLEDGE HAMMER STUCK ACROSS BOTH POLES! You'll need a helper to remove it.   

[Willabe]

Hey I want 1 of those too!     

[eleventeen]

One thing HF has cheaper than I have found it elsewhere are fanbelts made of links aka "link-belts" for power tools. The woodworking guys swear by them. They are a lot more expensive than regular fanbelts but I have this 1938 Cincinnati drill press that ate its (original!) fanbelt and I cannot get around the upper bearing with an ordinary (meaning already closed into a loop) belt. So at some point one has to wonder, should I spend 20 hours trying to finagle it to use a $5 belt or just spend $25 extra for the open belt. They work great and cut out a lot of vibration.


I am in Sluckey's camp with the nutdrivers in wooden blocks. Exactly the same except biz ends down.

[shooter]

now that we don't do floppy-disks

I scraped out a 5gal pail of hard drives, they have some amazing magnets, with screw holes!  mounted a few on my bench, did have a line on a couple *for scrap* MRI units, the .5T ones were fetching about $5K