17 DIY Tool Storage Ideas to Keep Your Workshop Tidy

You need all of your tools, but they can quickly clutter up your workshop. Maybe you have limited space to keep all of your tools, and you need some tool storage ideas. Whatever the reason, there are dozens of tool storage ideas floating around the internet. We’ve put together several that you can incorporate into your home to help tidy up your storage shed or garage. 

17 Easy Tool Storage Ideas

Do you have the space to create tool storage areas? The goal is to think both horizontally and vertically when you start designing your tool storage ideas. This is what we did, and we’ll help you make the most of every inch you have with these organization ideas and tool storage ideas. 

1. Make a Storage Cubby Under Your Workbench 

As far as tool storage ideas go, this one is fairly straightforward. Do you have a longer workbench in your garage or shop? If so, there is a good chance that you have a lot of space underneath it that you’re not using for anything that you can use for tool storage. You can make use of this wasted space by creating a set of cubbies to store your smaller hand tools. Get creative with the organization ideas for tool storage.

To start, get ¾-inch plywood and make the frame of the cubbies so it’s as big as your workbench. Get your largest power tools and measure out the space you’ll need to create a cubby for them. Once you have these measurements, fill the remaining with dividers. You should screw or nail them through the bottom, top, and middle boards to create small boxes. This space should have two levels when you finish. 

Tool Storage Ideas 1 Cubby
To make these tool storage ideas even better, add outlets on the top of your cubby to plug your tools in. 

2. Storage Ideas for Your Pointy Tools 

These tool storage ideas will help you keep track of all of your point tools like drill bits, router bits, pencils, Allen wrenches and awls by having them in one place. To make this easy pincushion, you’ll need ½-inch plywood and your desired size for the foam. Get a foam-compatible adhesive and apply a thin layer of glue to the back of it. Press it onto  your plywood base and leave it to dry for a few hours. 

Punch holes in the foam using an awl or a Phillips screwdriver at a slight angle. As you push your pointy tools into the foam, they’ll gradually widen the holes to get a snug fit. Screw the plywood base into your shop wall by your workbench or the area where you use these tools the most and you’re ready to go. 

Tool Storage Ideas 2 Drill Bits
Make sure you drill the holes at a slight angle in the foam to secure the tools in place once you hang it up with this tool storage idea.

3. Caulking Gun PVC Pipe Holder

If you routinely use caulking guns in your workshop, this tool storage idea is for you. Eventually, it’ll become second nature for you to replace it here when you finish to keep it neat. To make this caulking gun holder, get a 3-inch piece of PVC pipe. Get a drill with a long drill bit and carefully drill a hole through both sides of the PVC pipe at each end. 

You’ll run a screw from the inside of the PVC pipe to your mounting surface. Depending on how large the pre-drilled hole is, you might have to add a washer over your screw head before you secure it to your mounting surface to hold it in place. These holsters can hold your caulk guns, and the screws in the bottom will allow you to put tubes of caulk in them to store it. Additionally, they can hold hand tools like screwdrivers. 

Tool Storage Ideas 3 Caulk
Ideally, you’ll clean off your caulk gun before you add it to your holster, but you can easily wipe your PVC clean later. 

4. Refurbish a Tie/Belt Rack for Wrenches 

Do you have a lot of wrenches laying around your workshop and stuffed into every possible crevice? If you do, this can make it impossible to find them when you need them. These tool storage ideas are so simple that they border on genius. 

To start, get a metal tie or belt rack. You probably have one laying around in your closet. Find a bare spot on the wall over your workbench or in the area where you normally use your wrenches. Screw your rack into the wall and hang one wrench on every peg. You can put them in order to make them quicker to find and easier to grab. If you have a lot of wrenches, the pegs are generally large enough for two per peg. 

Tool Storage Ideas 4 Wrenches
These tool storage ideas will help keep your wrenches in order and off your workbench.

5. Hang Pegboard Storage Ideas

Pegboard is a fan favorite when it comes to tool storage ideas because it’s easy to create a jigsaw-like arrangement of your tools to cover almost every space. You can also move the holders around the pegboard to change your tool arrangement or fit more into it. Pegboard works for large and small tools. 

Get a piece of pegboard and hang it up on your wall. You can get eight-inch long pegboard holders and make secure areas for your tools to sit. Make a corner shape out of your eight-inch long holder by holding it in a vise and making a series of right angles by pounding it with a hammer. One corner will give the right side of the tool a secure holster, and a second corner will give the left side of the tool a place to sit. 

Tool Storage Ideas 5 Pegboard
Very easy and simple tool storage ideas that give you a great degree of flexibility. 

6. Create Tracks on Your Workshop Ceiling 

If you have those big plastic storage bins sitting around your floor and taking up space, these tool storage ideas will get them up by the ceiling and out of your way. To start, take measurements of the tops of the bins, including the lip. The lip of the bin is what will slide into your track and hold it in place. Screw 2x2s into the ceiling, spacing your 3 ½-inch screws every two feet along the 2x2s. This will form your body for your hanger. You want the bin’s lips to just brush against the 2x2s when you slide them up and into place. 

Center and screw 1x4s into your 2x2s using 2-inch screws to make the ledge where the bin’s lips will rest against. It should form a T-shape. Slide your bins into place. You can store scrap wood, seasonal items, or lightweight tools you don’t use a lot. As a bonus, you can get labels and write on the bottom of each bin what you stored in them. 

Tool Storage Ideas 6 Bins
You can use different sized bins for these tool storage ideas to fit different-sized tools. 

7. Pie Tin Saw Blade Holders Storage Ideas

Saw blades are one dangerous item lurking around your garage or workshop, especially if you have them sitting on tables or stacked by your saws. They can also be expensive, so you don’t want them to accidentally fall on the floor. 

To create these saw blade holders, cut metal pie tins in half. You can use aluminum pie tins too, but they won’t be as sturdy as metal ones. After you cut the plate in half, use a layer of tape to dull the sharp edge. Apply three screws to the pie plate to attach it to the wall with one on the bottom and one on each corner. Pop your saw blades into them to keep them out of your way. You can get different sized pie tins for your various saw blades. 

Tool Storage Ideas 7 Saw Blade
Metal pie tins will protect your saw blades from accidental bumps, falls, and nicks. 

8. Create Corner Shelves Storage Ideas

Think about your garage or workshop. What do you have in the corners? Most people have wasted space. Hanging a small storage shelf takes advantage of the existing studs while being cheap, fast, and easy to hang. If you have a lot of cans or do a lot of painting, this shelf can free up a lot of space. 

To start this project, get 1×1 cleats and attach them to the walls on the height you want your shelves to sit at. You can make them all the same height or stagger them to allow for bigger items to fit. Get scraps of plywood and cut them to your desired shape. Many corner shelves have a curved outer edge, but you can make it whatever you like. Screw your cut plywood to your cleats, and use two wall studs to define the outer edge of your shelving unit. 

Tool Storage Ideas 8 Corner Shelving
These tool storage ideas takes advantage of existing space you may have wasted. 

9. PVC Overhead Storage Ideas

Maybe you like the idea of overhead storage but you have larger or bulkier items that won’t fit or will be too heavy for bins. If so, these tool storage ideas take advantage of ceiling space while giving you more than enough room to store your bigger items. It’s quick and easy, and you only need a few pieces of equipment. 

You’ll need 2-inch PVC pipes and fittings, including the wye and elle. You’ll also need 5/16 through bolts to secure the PVC pipe. Bolt your straight PVC pipe to the ceiling joints to create a support for your heavier tools. Screw any angled pieces from the wye connectors directly into your cross brace. This will act as a stabilizing agent for the storage. You’ll end up with two half squares hanging from the ceiling. Place your items on the flat portion. You can make it as wide or short of a distance between the two as you like. 

Tool Storage Ideas 9 PVC Pipe
The smooth PVC pipe will make adding or taking your tools out of the holder an easy process because they’ll slide. 

10. Hang Screwdrivers on the End of Cabinets

The ends of your cabinets are another area where you tend to waste room, and these tool storage ideas helps to alleviate this waste. For this project, you’ll need a drill, spade bit, miter saw, short piece of 2×4, and a second short 2×4. Take one piece of 2×4 and measure how long the end of your cabinet is. Cut it off to this distance. Use your miter saw to cut two two triangle brackets at a 45° angle. 

Get your drill and fit it with the spade bit. Drill holes in the longer piece of 2×4 where you’d like your screwdrivers to hang. You can get two rows out of one 2×4. Get your screws and attach your triangular cut pieces of wood to each end of the screwdriver holder to form the base. These are what you’ll drill into the wall to secure the holder to your cabinet. 

Tool Storage Ideas 10 Screwdrivers
As you can see from this completed tool storage ideas, you can drill holes in the 2×4 or cut slits for tools like chizzels. 

11. Organize Your Nuts and Bolts in Mason Jars

Small mason jars make excellent storage receptacles for your nuts and bolts. You can sort them by size, label each jar, and screw the lid on tight when you finish so they stay put if it falls over. You can make them hang to save even more room. You’ll need a 2×4, mason jar with lid, hammer, screwdriver, screws, and nails. First, decide where you want to hang your mason jars. 

You’ll take your 2×4 or scrap piece of wood and nail the mason jar lid to the bottom of the wood in a line. Screw the wood into your desired spot. Fill up your mason jars and screw them into the attached lids. Since they’re clear jars, you can easily see what’s inside. Another option you have is to label them with the nut and bolt sizes on the side of the jar. 

Tool Storage Ideas 11 Mason Jars
Mason jars make for durable tool storage ideas that are slightly more difficult to break. 

12. Hang Wire Baskets Storage Ideas

Instead of the traditional way of storing tools in cabinets and out of sight so you have to dig for them, there is an emerging trend of using see-through baskets and totes. Wire baskets make an excellent storage option for drills, chemicals, batteries, and other smaller tools. You can get larger baskets if you want to store your hand saws or bulkier tools. 

If you have cement walls, you can hang sheets of plywood up to screw your wire baskets too. Wire baskets withstand wear and tear, and they can withstand the different elements that they come up with in the garage or shop. You can stack them almost on top of one another to maximize your storage room, and each basket can hold several items. 

Tool Storage Ideas 12 Wire Basket
Wire baskets come in different sizes without compromising the strength, and this helps to hold your tools secure. 

13. Sliding Bolt Latch Holders Storage Ideas

If you have a large piece of equipment like a wheelbarrow, you know that it can take up a lot of valuable room in your workshop. This tool storage idea helps to get the wheelbarrow off the floor and set up tightly against a well to keep it out of your way. 

To start, pick an area where you can turn the wheelbarrow up on its end. You’ll need a small piece or two of 2x4s to make a slight lip. Measure how tall the boards need to be to hold the wheelbarrow up in this position. Screw your board(s) into the wall. Get two sliding door latches and attach them vertically to the board. Tilt your wheelbarrow up and slide the latches down. The end of the latch will come to rest on the edge of the wheelbarrow. This will hold it in place until you’re ready to take it out and use it again. 

Tool Storage Ideas 13 Sliding Latch
The sliding latches are durable tool storage ideas that won’t slip once you get them in place. 

14. Binder for Small Parts Storage Ideas

Do you routinely have a lot of electrical parts scattered throughout your workshop? Maybe you have things like wire, nuts, or bolts, but you don’t have enough to justify setting up a whole storage area for. If this is the case, you can get a plastic binder with clear pouches to help you organize your items. 

This binder can sit on your workbench out of your way. Set up one pouch for nuts, one for bolts, one for electrical components, and so on. You can label each pouch so you know exactly what’s in it at a glance. Once you have all of your pouches, secure them in a large binder. Each pouch zips closed, so there’s no fear of losing your parts. The binder adds another layer or protection. 

Tool Storage Ideas 14 Binder
To make these tool storage ideas better, clear out some room for your binders and set one up for every component. 

15. Binder Clip Bandsaw Blade Holders

Bandsaw blades can be very expensive, and you don’t want to put them somewhere where they’ll accidentally get damaged as you work. Fortunately, there are quick and inexpensive tool storage ideas to help protect your blades, and all you need is binder clips, pegboard, and attachments to go into the pegboard. You can make labels for each clip as well. 

Get your binder clips and slip your bandsaw blades into it. The metal feet should be facing up with the clip portion hanging down. Add a label to each clip that tells you what size bandsaw blade is in it. Use the metal feet to hang the blades up on the pegs in your pegboard. Depending on the size of the blade, you can add more than one blade of the same size to each clip. 

Tool Storage Ideas 15 Binder clips
You can hang these binder clips very close together on your pegboard, and it’s possible to stack several on the same peg. 

16. Locker Power Tool Storage Ideas

If you have some floor and wall space in your garage or shop, you can quickly and easily install lockers. These tool storage ideas are nice because the lockers have room for both tall and smaller tools. You could even buy a row of lockers that has taller storage space and one with multiple cubbies. 

Once you get your lockers, you want to make sure you secure them to the wall so they don’t accidentally open. Put your tools into the locker one shelf at a time. You can add all of the accessories to each tool in the same cubby space to keep it all together. As an added bonus, most lockers have the ability to lock for extra security. This is great if you’re afraid that your tools will run off when you’re not around. 

Tool Storage Ideas 16 Lockers
Lockers are excellent tool storage ideas, and you can get single or double lockers depending on your tools and storage needs. 

17. Pallet Lawn Tool Storage

Things like rakes, shovels, and hoes take up a lot of space, and it’s very hard to keep them all apart and neatly organized. Luckily, this tool storage idea is easy to implement, and you can even make a whole wall of pallet storage racks without too much effort. 

To start, get a pallet that is in good shape. You can take it apart and paint or stain it if you like, but bare wood is okay too. Pick your space where you want to secure the pallet to the wall. Lift it up two or three inches and screw it into the wall. Once your pallet is secured in place, you can take your tools and slide them down behind the pallet. The pallet will stop them from falling forward, and it’ll keep them upright and organized. 

Tool Storage Ideas 17 Pallets
Staining or painting your pallet adds an extra layer of protection that will help it last longer. 

These 17 tool storage ideas can help you organize your garage or workshop with minimal effort. Which tool storage ideas were your favorite? You can try one or try them all and see which tool storage ideas and organization ideas make the biggest impact on your space.

17 DIY Tool Storage Ideas to Keep Your Workshop Tidy Cover