The Top Drawer Redux — Revamping Our Toolbox With Tool Grid And Drawer Pro

You might remember about a year ago when I showcased my 3D-printed toolbox organization project. I put a lot of time and effort into designing and printing that solution, and it worked incredibly well. However, I ran into a problem about three or four months in: adding new tools. With how Tetrised (did I just make up a new word?) everything was in there, adding one or two more tools would require an entirely new layout.

So, for the next year, all of my new tools ended up shoved in another drawer, in another toolbox. This might sound like a minor problem, but when our ratchet total surpassed the 50 mark, with at least a dozen shoved into the not-the-ratchet drawer, and a new 78-piece 1/2-inch-drive socket set arriving, it was time to address the issue. Realizing the redesigning task ahead was a daunting one, I fell back to a storage system I’d been eyeing for a few years: Tool Grid.

What Is Tool Grid?

Tool Grid is a system of organization based around plastic boards, similar to pegboards but much more densely packed with holes and a wide variety of tool and socket holders based on that hole spacing. The tightly packed grid pattern and well-designed accessories make Tool Grid easy to configure and reconfigure, and allows for extremely dense tool storage.

Sounds great on paper, so I decided to buy a small kit from Olsa Tools to outfit my 4-drawer tool cart to put it to the test, before committing to it for the whole toolbox. A few hours in the shop on the weekend later, and Tool Grid was firmly locked in my heart. Since we have worked with the folks at Olsa Tools before, and they are one of the largest retailers of Tool Grid, we discussed our plans for the toolbox, and the first thing they did was point us to their Tool Grid configurator. Then, they pointed us to the configurator for their new product, Drawer Pro.

Organizing The Top Drawer — Sockets And Ratchets

Where our previous designs required heavy use of graphing paper and highlighters, the design of the Tool Grid tool holders allows for non-permanent (but still usable, stability-wise) mounting, so once I got the base Tool Grid boards fit into the drawer, I was able to physically lay out the design and make changes on the fly. Remember, this wasn’t just a redesign for the sake of aesthetics — I needed to fit 78 additional 1/2-inch-drive sockets (not the most svelte sockets around) as well as a dozen new ratchets, most of which are extended-length models.

The Tool Grid socket holders are available in three colors — blue for metric, red for SAE, and neutral gray — and hold shallow, deep, and any length socket in between, neatly and securely from the drive end of the socket. They are retained with a single thread-cutting Torx-head screw and two cast-in locating pins, and have a built-in recess for size labels.  

The ratchet holders use similar locating pins and screw-retention, and consist of a head that holds the ratchet by the drive square (available in 1/4-, 3/8-, 1/2-, and 3/4-inch models), and a V-shaped handle holder available in small and large. The small seem to work well across the board for chrome-handled ratches, while the large version works well for ratchet handles with a grip on them.

Also, to note, thanks to the Tool Grid’s tight grid pattern, you can easily screw down Olsa Tools aluminum socket rails directly to the grid, using the standard Tool Grid screw. This can make for some colorful accent options as well as storage for unique or tricky sockets. As you can see in the video, I used an orange Olsa aluminum rail for my size adapters and universal/swivel joints.  

Going Into The Second Drawer — Wrenches And Hex Sockets

Moving down into the second drawer, we are now looking at wrench organization. In my tool cart, I used the standard red and blue screw down wrench holders, and they work well. However, for the second drawer of the main box, I used Olsa Tools’ new line of products, the Drawer Pro. Unlike the Tool Grid wrench holders, the Drawer Pro uses sticky feet to fix the holders to any flat surface, no Tool Grid base or screws required.

Also, the Drawer Pro holds the wrenches by the heads of the wrenches, not the body. So if you are a fan of the thicker, raised-panel wrench like your author is, the Drawer Pro fits the wrenches much better, as opposed to needing to oversize the Tool Grid holders, beyond the typical sizing suggestion. Also, with no grid forcing a fixed spacing, and the Drawer Pro’s ability to nest up against one another, you can cram a couple extra wrenches into a given space over the Tool Grid.

The ability to cram (it’s a technical term) actually allowed me to remove an entire Tool Grid board from my original plan, and move that down to the third drawer. I was still able to build a spot for all my AN wrenches, line wrenches, crow’s foot wrenches, and short and long hex and Torx sockets next to the wrenches in Drawer Pro organization.

Additionally, Drawer Pro has a similar ratchet holding system with the same benefits as the wrench holders. I used those to hold my Olsa Tools torque wrenches over in my torque wrench (and pry bar) drawer, and didn’t need to use any special base. I just figured out where I wanted it, and stuck it down.

And since I now had an extra panel of Tool Grid in the third drawer, I allowed myself a little bit of extravagance and used it to organize my extensions. No, this is not a space-saving or cost-effective way of storing extensions, but aesthetically, you can’t beat it, in my opinion.

Futureproof Organization

After reconfiguring my tools and toolbox, there are three main points that make my brain happy with the time, cost, and effort put into the project.

Storage Volume

Without a doubt, I am able to fit more things into the same physical space using Tool Grid and Drawer Pro. 78 extra big half-inch-drive sockets and another 12 big ratchets in a drawer that was already packed? You can’t argue with that.

Room To Grow

If I want to change or add to my setup, it is much easier to accommodate a new tool or two than it was with my previous design. No days of reconfiguring, designing, and running multiple 3D printers just to add a few new sockets or ratchets.

Aesthetics

This is subjective, and as such can be argued, but the Tool Grid boards are a cool background to start with, and then to factor in all the straight lines and even spacing of things… that makes my brain very happy. Add in the ability to add a touch of color with the Olsa aluminum rails, and yeah, we have a winner here. The only thing I might change if I were to do it all over again is to opt for all gray tool holders instead of the “Red = SAE, Blue = Metric” layout. Maybe even just substitute gray for one of the two colors. I’m sure there are plenty of you reading this who love the red/blue color coding, just like you love your red and blue AN fittings. But you don’t see any of those around these parts, either (except in the spares drawer).

So while the Tool Grid and Drawer Pro systems do take an investment of time and effort to dial in “just right” for your setup, the ability to fine-tune is their strength. And anecdotally, in all the research I did before diving in, I never once read about anyone who regretted going this organizational route. Sure, it might not be right for everyone, but anyone who has tried it seems to love it. I know I sure do.