Label the toolbox. How difficult can that be?

[brucemillar]

Well my friends, here is today's 1st world problem.

I have in may garage a fabulous array of mechanics tool chests. These are a variety of colours and sizes, but all with lovely roller bearing drawers. I would like to be able to label each drawer clearly and neatly so that I know the contents.

This is proving a difficult task. Web searches reveal ready made labels of a variety of types and prices. But they are limited by what they label - I cannot find any sets that everything that I need?

So then I thought - Try a white vinyl laser printer labels and print my own!!

These are very expensive and the labels themselves either did not stick, or went brittle and came off.

So then I thought plain A4 white laser printer labels (32 per sheet). No no matter what template I download to MS Word? it never lines up correctly on the top and bottom label margins. This results in loads of faffing around trying make margins fit and the waste of countless sheets of labels as I fail.

Now I am thinking buy a Dyno Gun thing? But they cost lots and would see very little use.

What do other do?

 

[fabes]

Printed or handwritten onto card, laminated and cut down
Attached via glue, glued holder or screwed metal slide

Or

Alphabetically / by size (I saw this at an aircraft workshop!)

Hours of fun

 

[baxlin]

Is Lettraset still available? Then clearcoat to protect?

 

[brucemillar]

I wanted it to be labels in the very likely event that I change around or add things.

 

[Abcan]

As mentioned above, I worked in aircraft maintenance for years and we always had a Dymo label printer at hand to label the tool shadows and drawers. Have you already tried this method? Something like the below:

Dymo S0946320 Label Manager 160 Handheld Label Maker Qwerty Keyboard https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006O87KUA/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

 

[daveenty]

Avery labels.

Print in MS Word through Mailings/Labels. When the tab appears select your specific label size in the label box. The margin is usually out, so just select it print one label (not a full sheet of them) which will allow you to adjust as necessary (mine needs 3 spaces to the right usually)

It may take a while but will hopefully work.


ETA: Or what he said above. ^^^^^

 

[developer]

I have powertools that I've forgotten about, so I keep a list on paper of tool/location.
In your case (no pun intended) a similar system would allow you to simply number each chest/draw (perhaps with a painted number) and refer to the sheet as and when.

It's a double input, but might help.

Alternatively, just replace the word book with spanner on here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bV_sI8XQdI

 

[renault12ts]

Is Lettraset still available? Then clearcoat to protect?

Yes, they are and my first thoughts too.

 

[brucemillar]

Avery labels.

Print in MS Word through Mailings/Labels. When the tab appears select your specific label size in the label box. The margin is usually out, so just select it print one label (not a full sheet of them) which will allow you to adjust as necessary (mine needs 3 spaces to the right usually)

It may take a while but will hopefully work.


ETA: Or what he said above. ^^^^^

I tried these and the amount of faffing to line them up was hopeless. Every change I made was replicated through the vertical and horizontal, which is not what I needed. I thought it would just work?

 

[markjay]

...Alphabetically / by size (I saw this at an aircraft workshop!)

Hours of fun

In aviation workshops tools are labeled in such a way that they can all be accounted for, i.e. so that it can be easily verified that none are missing.

The reason is aircraft safety - and anyone who ever found a forgotten wrench in the engine bay of their car after it came back from the garage would understand what I am referring to....

 

[Palfrem]

Labelling the drawers?! Killjoy.

That takes all the pleasure out of ranting and banging through all the drawers until you lay your hands on the actual tool you need.

 

[Darrell]

There are a lot of members here with too much time on their hands.

Just chuck it in a box, write something unreadable with a black marker on it and go to the pub.

 

[400ixl]

In aviation workshops tools are labeled in such a way that they can all be accounted for, i.e. so that it can be easily verified that none are missing.

The reason is aircraft safety - and anyone who ever found a forgotten wrench in the engine bay of their car after it came back from the garage would understand what I am referring to....

And why they are often RFID tagged these days so that they can quickly be scanned and logged rather than manually checked.

Started doing this with surgical instruments and swabs so that they don't get left inside people.

 

[CaptainChaos]

You haven't got something setup correctly in Word. It should just work straight out the box. I print L7161 labels all the time through Word. I can recommend AAlabels for a great selection. You can get high gloss and all sorts. If you use this size, and the Avery L7161 format in Word it should be fine 18 rectangle 63.5mm x 46.6mm labels on A4 sheet | AA Labels

However (!) as mentioned above, I can't believe this is actually necessary.

 

[brucemillar]

Labelling the drawers?! Killjoy. That takes all the pleasure out of ranting and banging through all the drawers until you lay your hands on the actual tool you need.

Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK

 

[camerafodder]

I have an early version of one of these Bruce. Really durable labels, even stay on in the rain on my outside toolboxes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N2T44TY/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

 

[NOMONEYBUTAMERC]

Just use a magic marker Bruce. It doesn`t come off of anything that my grandkids scrawl on!

 

[bob6600]

I have a Dymo label printer, it's great! Compatible labels are cheap too

 

[Satch]

There are a lot of members here with too much time on their hands.

Just chuck it in a box, write something unreadable with a black marker on it and go to the pub.

Or let my brother in law loose.

He has a staggering collection of tools and kit, most of which came down from his Father and Grandfather. Not only has each box or drawer a neat label but he has a full inventory, even down to the size and number of bolts, nuts, screws etc.

And the irony of it all is he is pretty much clueless when it comes to cars and DIY.

 

[brucemillar]

Thank you everybody for your replies and help.

I went with a Brother P-Touch H100LB hand held Black on White tape printer. It does what it says and the labels stick to the metal boxes (I was warned that some tape labels do not stick well).

A couple of years ago I got absolutely fed up of replacing tools that I would then find the original lying n a dark corner. Or accusing some poor sod of pinching my tools, and then finding them later. But the biggest issue was when trying to do a "quick" job it would spend longer trying to locate the correct tools, than I would doing the job.

I watched my friend Andy @Wright Tech, do a job for me and was in awe of how he just reached out and the correct tool was in his hand to be replaced back in its correct place when used. I figured that this had to be the way to go. Now I am a bit **** about it but love the fact that I know instantly if a spanner is not where it should be, or a screwdriver has not been returned. I bought some decent tool boxes and good tool holders and also started buying good quality tools, after many years of buying cheap and replacing often.

I have not made it into splashing out on some of the Snap On sets that, were money object I would just have to get. But do use Halfords Advanced and Draper Expert etc. Not the best but they do me well.

Thanks again for all the great replies.