This is my future project, 'cause I have the same problem.

Plywood, pocket holes(from the back and shelf bottoms), french cleat.
Holes in the back for charges and some power cables management (clips or hooks)
Holes in the shelf for drills (with/without batteries)

 

My solutions are all across the board. First, I segregate tools. For example, all saws together (e.g., circular, saber, jig, Twin Cutter) , all routers, and all drills.

While all accessories and blades for the hand held saws don't take up too much room so can be stored with the saws, not so with the drills. There are holes saws, Forstners, bad points, glass bits, counter sinks, grind and rasp bits and so on. As such, these get additional treatment.

Though not as bad, so too it goes with the router. There are all sorts of bits, bases, pads, circle cutters, guides and so on. Then there are the sanders.

The detail, big and small belt sanders, quarter sheet pad sanders, and the disk sanders eat their share of room. Then there is the whole bunch of sheets of different grits and boxes of disks.

Polishing raises its head too. My angle grinders are variable speed so fall into that category. There are all manner of backer pads, some hook and loop, some wrap around. Too, there are polishing compounds.

Oh, and I forgot the nail guns…..

My collection of tools is different than yours is or will be, so there isn't a lot of reason to suggest a specific design, aside from saying, start with a box adequate to house what you have, want and might have. From there, you can add whole or partial shelves for the different tools.

Lightweight, CHEAP 4" plastic pipe makes for good holders for the cordless drills and even my corded impact. I even store my corded impact in one. I just cut about a ten inch piece, cut a U out of the bottom front, so the drill or driver will push in enough to hold it, then I drill holes to allow me to run long bits through the tube to secure it to the wall.

Everything I build for storage is a "I want to see it, so I can grab it" storage solution.

My routers (about eleven) play nice with flat, long shelves. The sides and area under them make good storage for accessories and bits.

The saws lend themselves to common shelves too, but I like having a hole for the blade to fit through for the saber saw, so I don't have to remove it every time I put the saw away.

Of course, NOT ONE of my cabinets has a door. Again, I want to see where everything is. If it isn't put away, I want to know.

Keep in mind, walls exist as solutions to storage. Everything else, like weather blocking, is just incidental.

 

My solutions are all across the board. First, I segregate tools. For example, all saws together (e.g., circular, saber, jig, Twin Cutter) , all routers, and all drills.

While all accessories and blades for the hand held saws don't take up too much room so can be stored with the saws, not so with the drills. There are holes saws, Forstners, bad points, glass bits, counter sinks, grind and rasp bits and so on. As such, these get additional treatment.

Though not as bad, so too it goes with the router. There are all sorts of bits, bases, pads, circle cutters, guides and so on. Then there are the sanders.

The detail, big and small belt sanders, quarter sheet pad sanders, and the disk sanders eat their share of room. Then there is the whole bunch of sheets of different grits and boxes of disks.

Polishing raises its head too. My angle grinders are variable speed so fall into that category. There are all manner of backer pads, some hook and loop, some wrap around. Too, there are polishing compounds.

Oh, and I forgot the nail guns…..

My collection of tools is different than yours is or will be, so there isn't a lot of reason to suggest a specific design, aside from saying, start with a box adequate to house what you have, want and might have. From there, you can add whole or partial shelves for the different tools.

Lightweight, CHEAP 4" plastic pipe makes for good holders for the cordless drills and even my corded impact. I even store my corded impact in one. I just cut about a ten inch piece, cut a U out of the bottom front, so the drill or driver will push in enough to hold it, then I drill holes to allow me to run long bits through the tube to secure it to the wall.

Of course, NOT ONE of my cabinets has a door. Again, I want to see where everything is. If it isn't put away, I want to know.

Plexiglass doors to keep visibility and dust out and reduce cleaning time.

 

i've been meaning to do something like one of those cordless drill wall holsters, but just:
1. Haven't found that fits my needs. i see some that hold like 5 or 6 drill , who the heck needs that many drills? lol.

2. haven't had the time to spend customizing something or building.

but when i get the time, i am going to build some kind of combo of one of these customized for the tools i need out all the time. the seldom used tools get stored away

Or something like this thats more simple:
https://www.hertoolbelt.com/custom-drill-storage-charge-station/

 

I hate having dust on my tools and as a hobbyist, I don't use them all enough to keep them free of dust.

All of my power saws (circular saw, jig saw, etc.) live in a big drawer by my tablesaw. All circular (7 1/4" and 10") saw blades live in the drawer just above all the saws.

All of my corded drills, drill bits and drill adjacent tools live in drawers under my drill press. My cordless drill and impact driver and the charger live by my workbench where I use them the most. I rarely need to change the bits on my cordless tools, but when I do, I just take them over to the drill dresser.

Similarly, all of my sanding stuff is in drawers in a cabinet under my oscillating spindle sander.

All of my routers and router bits live in drawers in my routing table.

I think you can see where this is going…

 

For corded tools, the one I had that I always liked best was this little shelf arrangement that allowed the cords to be stored under the tool.

 

This was what I put together for a drill, driver, jigsaw, circ saw and a saw sall on the back. They were all over the place until I made this compact rack. Has room for chargers and bits too.

 

For corded tools, the one I had that I always liked best was this little shelf arrangement that allowed the cords to be stored under the tool.

- Fred Hargis

that is pretty slick Fred. i'm gonna have to steal that idea

 

Thanks, I'm not smart enough to think of such things…I'm sure I got that out of a woodworking magazine.

 

This cart holds 3 belt sanders, 2 finish sanders, 4 trim routers, a full size router, a power plane, and a couple of boxes of router bits. All have long cords and are plugged in and ready to go. The cords are a mess, but worth it.

The metalworking area has a drill and (around the corner) a portable bandsaw, also plugged and ready.

The shelf holds various power and air tools- not perfect but decent. It is interesting because made from a single sheet of plywood with no waste.

The saw also has a long cord and is ready in it's box.

The battery drills used to hang by their belt hooks on the side of the tool cabinet, but that was upgraded so the drills don't have a very good home. Some chargers are in a box on the wall with an outlet strip that turns them all on or off.

 

I keep them in their original soft-sided or rigid cases, stored in a lower cabinet with doors, frequently used ones to the front.

 

I have an old school locker. Compartments are 9-1/2W X10-1/2H X11-1/2D; 25 lockers (5 by 5). Holds power tools, SAE and metric wrenches, pliers, nitrile gloves, hole saws. Other things are kept in a Harbor Freight 9 drawer rolling cabinet...best investment I've made. BTW the top drawer is full width; holds all my turning stuff except for tools.

 

This cart holds 3 belt sanders, 2 finish sanders, 4 trim routers, a full size router, a power plane, and a couple of boxes of router bits. All have long cords and are plugged in and ready to go. The cords are a mess, but worth it.

The metalworking area has a drill and (around the corner) a portable bandsaw, also plugged and ready.

The shelf holds various power and air tools- not perfect but decent. It is interesting because made from a single sheet of plywood with no waste.

The saw also has a long cord and is ready in it's box.

The battery drills used to hang by their belt hooks on the side of the tool cabinet, but that was upgraded so the drills don't have a very good home. Some chargers are in a box on the wall with an outlet strip that turns them all on or off.

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shelving and containers , and swing out stuff

 

Shelving and containers , with swing out tool holders

 

This swing out and spin around angle grinder is so great.

 

 

Mobley45, that is one very big shop(!) with a huge set of tools(!) and inventory that was collected over many decades. Looks like woodworking with a lot of automotive, metal working and general contracting thrown in.

 

Our shop opted for more battery tools and yet we have power plugs everywhere. go figure???
Plugged tools have more power and last longer and are cheaper.
I only have a battery tool if I have no power which is seldom.
Maybe I am old school but ....

 

Maybe I am old school but ....

Drill and driver are batteries, the rest corded. Why replace tools that work when battery tech changes again or you need to replace when they don't hold a charge.
Cords are less convenient but some idont use often and the rest need the power. That said im thinking about a cordless circular sawto break down sheet stock, those get heavier with every passing year.