Small Parts Storage Trays

 

Here’s yet another way to store nuts and bolts and screws and whatnot. These trays are made from scraps of 1/4” MDF and 1/8” tempered hardboard left over from other projects.

I sized them so they will sit up on edge in a couple of the drawers in my work bench. That makes it easy to remove any one by itself while still utilizing most of the space within each drawer. For that to work, though, the sliding lids have to fit nicely against the dividers so the hardware doesn’t get all mixed up when the tray isn’t sitting flat.

You could also store them like books on a shelf.

To keep track of which tray contains what, I made an Excel spreadsheet on my computer that lists the contents of each tray. I keep a printed copy in the drawer with the trays so I can find the correct tray pretty quickly when I want to deposit or withdraw some random bit of treasure.