The Nuts & Bolts of Nails, Screws and More

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Storage Systems

The mid-1980s was the plywood-box period in my life. Thats when I created dozens of trays, toolboxes and crates that formed a system of organization for the tools I would need for my budding life in the country. One of my favorite designs was a massive bolt and screw tray (see photo on Page 95). I still use it today, though always with a smile. The tray looked so big back when I made it. Now I see that its hopelessly small for all my needs.

Sooner or later you will discover that fastener storage is just as important as the fasteners themselves. Can you afford to spend 15 minutes searching every time you need a 31/2-inch deck screw And what if the bottom drops out of the cardboard box that holds your foot-long spikes while youre in knee-high grass in the pasture Good organization is the antidote for these kinds of headaches.

Different fasteners demand different storage systems, and a couple of parachute bags are an excellent choice for holding your collection of screws. Each bag is divided into six sections and has a drawstring that makes it easy to quickly open the bag and choose whatever type and size of fastener you need. I keep my collection of framing nails in old metal paint cans. They work well, theyre tough, and theyre free.

Pop rivets and small bolts are best stored in a flip-top plastic case, but you should always choose a case design that includes fixed dividers molded into the case or internal trays. Adjustable dividers might seem like a good idea, but small fasteners will find a way underneath the dividers, and eventually they mix with neighboring groups of screws, nails and rivets. And if you carry the plastic case around in your truck, theres no doubt the jiggling will make for double the trouble.

Have you ever felt like a cheater when you used screws, nails and other modern fasteners I used to think traditional interlocking and woven joinery was the best way to go, even to the point of building and using an all-wood wheelbarrow for a couple of years even the wheel, axle and bearing were wood! But Ive come to realize that a homestead isnt a museum. My homestead can hold and preserve some aspects of the past, but the bottom line is that functionality works best the tools and building methods you use must be strong and reliable. When it comes to results, we can be thankful to have such a terrific array of fasteners.

Steve Maxwell is a Mother Earth News contributing editor who lives with his wife and four children in a hand-built home on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. He wrote Build Mothers Easy, Low-cost Big Desk in the June/July 2005 issue.

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