When was the last time you searched for a screwdriver and knew exactly where to find it? That is why you should organise and store your tools properly. A field service toolbox is handy for keeping your tools together.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or not; it’s always better to keep different kinds of tools with you. There can be emergencies where you would go for a hunt looking for these tools. Therefore you should consider maintaining a field tool kit or a service toolbox with you.
This article will discuss how you can organise your tools with a tool kit and why you should do it.
Why should you have a field service toolbox
As we said before, it doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or not; you should have a service toolbox with you. You never know when you will need a tool. That being said, there are various benefits of using a toolbox to store and organise your tools. These benefits are:
Protect and secure
Let’s face it; tools can be really expensive. Therefore you should secure and protect your tools adequately. A service toolbox will serve this purpose very well.
Better organization
If you maintain a field service toolbox, you can organise your tool according to different criteria. These criteria can be shape, size, frequency of use, etc. When you arrange the tools accordingly, you can find them easily.
Improves appearance
It’s messy when tools are everywhere. It can make the place unpleasant and unclean. However, a service tool kit can help to keep the place clean and pleasant by securing tools in a single place.
Minimum downtime
Your downtime will be minimum when you know exactly where your tools are. Therefore organising your tools in a tool kit can make the process more efficient and productive.
Enhanced auditing
When you arrange all your tools together, you know the ones you lack. If something is missing, you can figure it out quickly. Therefore having a field service toolbox can improve the tools audit.
As you can see, there are various benefits of using a field service toolbox. Therefore it is ideal to have one to organise and store your tools regardless of whether you are a professional or not.
How to organise your field service toolbox
Now you know why you should maintain a separate toolbox. Let’s find out how you can organize your tools properly. There are a couple of criteria you should consider when arranging your tools. They are:
Assess your tools
First of all, you should audit and assess all your tools. This process is more crucial when you have more tools with you.
You cannot keep track of the tools if you have no clue about the tools you have. Therefore, it is important to know your inventory, even if you have few tools.
Get a detailed inventory of all the tools with you, and get rid of the broken tools. The last thing you want is to find out that you have a useless tool while on the job. Therefore know your tools well and keep only the usable ones with you.
Group tools by function or type
Once you know all the tools with you, identify the function of each tool or its type. You might have hand tools like wrenches and screwdrivers with you. Likewise, you might also have power tools like drills and nail guns.
Therefore you should categorise these tools according to their type (power tools, hand tools) or their function. Remember that if you are organising power tools together, you will need a bigger field service toolbox.
However, arranging the power tools and hand tools separately could be the ideal option so that you can find the item quickly.
Organise by shape, size, and frequency of use
Once you group the tools according to their function, categorise them according to their shape, size, and frequency of use. This will help you to arrange your tools in the best possible way.
For example, it is ideal for alternating the handles to conserve more space. It could waste more space if you arrange screwdrivers, wrenches, and power tools so that their handles face one side of the box.
Most service tool boxes come with different drawers and compartments. You should maximise the space with these different compartments.
Keep the tools that are roughly in the same size together. This will help to maximise space. Keep the large tools, batteries, cords, and other heavy items at the bottom of the box.
Choose a type of storage
There are various kinds of field service toolboxes in the market. When picking a suitable box, you should consider the number of tools you have and the type of tools you have. It is better to have a large box if you have a large variety of hand tools and different power tools.
There are heavy-duty rolling cart toolboxes, which are highly suitable for professionals. However, if you are not a professional, there are small toolboxes to keep a few power tools and hand tools.
Therefore the type of storage will ultimately depend on the type of tools you have, the number of tools, and whether you are a professional or not.
Choose a suitable box according to your budget and requirement. Some of the most popular service toolboxes are:
- 888 rolling tool chest.
- Rolling tool storage box.
- Bullet 8-drawer cabinet chest.
Keep the extra tools elsewhere
Carrying around unnecessary tools or tools you don’t often use can waste your energy. Many individuals, including professionals, may have duplicate tools with them in case they lose the original one.
However, carrying these extra tools seems to be unnecessary. Keep them out of the service toolbox. This will help to minimise the clutter in the toolbox.
Add labels
Adding a label next to each compartment and the tool is another helpful tip to improve the toolbox organisation. Placing labels next to each tool will help to find the tool more easily.
Labelling the compartments or drawers from the outside will help easily identify what is inside that drawer. Overall this will save time searching through the tools in your field service toolbox.
Start storing your tools right.
You must arrange your tools methodically, even if you are not a tradesperson. Identify the power tools and hand tools separately. The power tools take up more space in your service tool kit, while hand tools take less space.
After a long working day, the last thing you would want is to clean your tools. Otherwise, the rust would damage the tools in the long run. We know that tools can be quite expensive. Who would want to waste money on tools every single year when you can use a tool for many years if treated well.
That is why you should store and organise your tools properly. Then it is easier to protect your tools.
There are various toolboxes in the market. You should select a suitable field service toolbox depending on the number and type of tools you have. If your tools are heavy, then consider buying rolling toolboxes. Although these are suitable for professionals, non-professionals can use them too.
Have you encountered a situation where you have the tools but don’t know how to do a repair? Or you don’t have the tools to do a repair? Don’t worry; we all have been in such situations. But you don’t need to worry about it anymore.
Our website, i4Tradies, has a list of tradespeople all over Australia. So if you are looking for a skilled professional, consider browsing through our website. We have added filters so that you can search for different service providers under different criteria. A professional is one click away from you, so don’t worry if you don’t have a field service toolbox.
