Who keeps nuts and bolts around, IN BULK, for their shop?

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Hey guys - So, I've decided that its time that I start buying hardware in bulk and keeping it on hand in my shop. I've known that I need to do this for some time now, but yesterday solidified that idea... I needed 4 common sized bolts, and when it was all said and done, I spent about an hour of my time, and one of my employee's time rummaging around my pile of coffee cans and cut open water jugs full of random hardware, plus about 10 miles on my truck, plus the $1.86 I spent at the hardware store, just to get the stupid things  Not really an efficient way to run things...Anyway, I want to buy an assortment of lengths of bolts (probably 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4") and a way to organize them.Could anyone recommend a distributor, preferably online, where I could order bolts by the box? Maybe in a ~5 pound box, the same way a person buys nails at the big box store? Something like that?What do you guys think is the best way to organize these things? I was thinking maybe I could just cut the tops off the boxes and put them on a heavy duty shelf somehow? I'm looking to spend $3-500 on this project, I want to really stock up but I'm still somewhat limited here. Experiences folks have had stocking things like this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance![Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Here is what I purchased for my home shop. I love it for storing metric on one side and SAE on the other. Works very well. At work we use Fastenal on our shop floor. They supply and manage the bins/stock and reorder for us. Might be too much for a small shop but maybe give them a call and see what they can do.http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...ack-62269.htmlOn Mothers Day you can use the 25% coupon and get it for under 100 bucks.
Reply:Originally Posted by fla2smokerHere is what I purchased for my home shop. I love it for storing metric on one side and SAE on the other. Works very well. At work we use Fastenal on our shop floor. They supply and manage the bins/stock and reorder for us. Might be too much for a small shop but maybe give them a call and see what they can do.http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...ack-62269.htmlOn Mothers Day you can use the 25% coupon and get it for under 100 bucks.
Reply:http://www.qualitynutandbolt.org/4.html    these guys have worked for us 5, 10 lb packaging
Reply:This is what I did...I don't keep "bulk" so to speak, but I don't throw anything away. This allows me to keep some resemblance of order in my mess. It's an old map file from work. Not sure it will be feasible for you, but it might spark some ideas.
Reply:Lanse, you might browse this site:  http://www.asmc.net/"Alex71" used to post good deals for fasteners on Practical Machinist.  Looks like he's built up a full-time business but still worth a look see.  Looks like he started out like you, just needed a good assortment of stuff on hand for his own projects:  http://www.asmc.net/about-us/And don't forget the bolt holes:"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I  only have on hand what I have collected over the years. I base my projects on what I have. Special order what you need.It matters little what you have on hand as something odd always comes up. That happens with everything and I don't know a way around it.Taps and reamers come quickly to  mind as things I have too many off but still don't have them all.
Reply:Bowman.Eventual master of the obvious, practitioner of "stream of consciousness fabrication".  P.S. I edit almost every post because because I'm posting from my phone and my fingers sometimes move faster than my brain.
Reply:Nuts..Bolts..Allen screws...Set screws...Shoulder bolts....Threaded rod..Washers..Lock Washers..Standards from 00-20 to 1"Metric..All sizes...Black oxide finish..Galvy finish..Stainless...They are all in there somewhere. ...zap! Attached ImagesI am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Because of the absurd, out-of-control, predatory legal system we have in this country, you might want to know that there might be a related liability issue.  Many decades ago I went through an outboard motor service school, and the instructor referred to this in one lecture. "You know those cans of odd fasteners that you've saved new, or stripped off of boneyard motors?", he asked us. Yeah, we all had them. "Well, throw them out, or take them home for your own use," he continued.  "Never put them on a customer motor. There's always a chance your customer, through no fault of yours, and having neglected maintenance, and using a tank of two year old pre-mix that he hasn't shaken up, will have a engine failure after which he drifts on to the rocks, falls out of the boat, and drowns.  His widow's lawyer will learn that you worked on his engine that failed. If he finds that you put any non-factory parts, even perfectly good fasteners, on the engine, he will have you by the short curlies. 'Are YOU a manufacturer?," he will ask; 'Do YOU know more than the manufacturer of the engine that failed?!! What else did YOU do to the engine that failed??!!'" Your best defense in court will be an invoice with part numbers, including every fastener, every sealant, every lubricant. YOU know that you can buy NON-factory-labeled fasteners and sealants, and so forth that will work perfectly well and are far cheaper than ordering this stuff from the factory.  But it could end up costing you dearly if a lawyer gets his hooks into you. That was one lecture that I've never forgotten. Our legal system stinks, but it is the reality we all have to cover our fannies against. And I almost hate to say so, but in some respects it does have the good effect of making us think about how we do things. The state of the fastener industry is something of a scandal, with crappy foreign-made fasteners being sold all over, sometimes even by formerly trustworthy American companies even though they are trying to deal with it. This is an awful problem for the aircraft industry, for one, and in my town Boeing has to be very vigilant about non-spec fasteners getting into their jetliners. Letting Harbor Freight alone, fasteners from ANY ordinary hardware store are suspect. A bolt from Lowes or Home Depot purporting to be "Grade 8" has the right head markings, but that DOES NOT mean that it's a real Grade 8. Who knows what the QC was in the Chinese factory, who knows how well the metallurgy or the thread-rolling or the heat-treat was done?  When these hardware store "Grade 8" bolts have been tested, they are all over the place, sometimes way-soft, sometimes extra-strong but brittle.I don't know anybody's particular business situation here, but thought I should mention this as a factor someone here might need to consider. Probably anybody here can make good judgements on which applications will be fine with any old fastener, which projects should get trustworthy fasteners, and which might need a paper trail as with marine and aircraft work. In this town, Seattle, the problem of cheapo fasteners even makes the evening news occasionally, so blue-collar guys here tend to be a little more aware of it.And of course then there's the subject of bearings. And auto/truck parts like U-joints (ask your local machine shop owner about the quality of parts he has to work with nowdays, and then stand well back!). And on and on it goes.Last edited by old jupiter; 04-28-2016 at 01:24 PM.
Reply:If this subject is of interest, here's a good book by Carroll Smith, an engineer and career auto racing builder/tuner/mechanic. This was written before the cheapo foreign fasteners had become as ubiquitous as they are now, but you might still find it an interesting and worthwhile reference book to own. And if you are a motorsport racer or rodder at all, Carroll Smith has done several other good books.http://www.amazon.com/Fasteners-Plum.../dp/0879384069The engine builders here, pro or amateur, will surely all know about rod-bolts, studs, and other fasteners made by A.R.P., and if anyone has a particular fastener situation that's critical, if ARP happens to have it, you couldn't do much better. Military and aircraft-grade A.N.-numbered fasteners used to be a safe bet, but as Boeing and others know, there are a lot of fakes, so check out your source.Last edited by old jupiter; 04-28-2016 at 01:30 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Lanse. . . (probably 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4") . . .
Reply:I forgot to add that whoever you decide to purchase your bulk fasteners from, request country of origin and proof test documentation before purchasing.I used to purchase all my fasteners (as well as other products) from Mechanic's Choice back when all the counterfeit hardware was rushing onto the scene and tank turrets were falling off due to failed fasteners.  It was interesting to see how easily the competitors fasteners failed the torque strain test for a particular grade and the MC products would pass with flying colors.  All their fasteners were certified manufactured in the US with some SS in Canada.That was some 25+ years ago and I don't know how it is with them today but the point is if a supplier won't/can't provide these basic documents then move on to the next one.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by fla2smokerHere is what I purchased for my home shop. I love it for storing metric on one side and SAE on the other. Works very well. At work we use Fastenal on our shop floor. They supply and manage the bins/stock and reorder for us. Might be too much for a small shop but maybe give them a call and see what they can do.http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...ack-62269.htmlOn Mothers Day you can use the 25% coupon and get it for under 100 bucks.
Reply:I would get the assortment with the 40 or 60 hole bin. There are numerous sellers on eBay. Once you know what you are using the most of, but in bulk. TSC and many hardware stores will sell boxes at a reduced price.
Reply:@ Lanse - try The Nutty Company.  Fastener Assortment Kits, Made in USA."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Here it's called TSC, in the USA it's TSC the tractor supply companyThey sell UNC fasteners by the pound in all the common sizes you mentioned and they keep a pretty good inventoryThey go on sale every other monthit's pretty easy to pick up a few of these, a few of those, a few of those  and build it up over time.They also sell those wall unit boxes, Although I don't like those wall shelves.Wall space is pretty preciousIt's too easy to throw odd crap in the wrong hole, especially if it's not you keeping it clean.I hate the dust that lies in open shelves, it  sticks to oil, then attracts  moisture, then rust.I use file cabinets I buy surplus, craigs list etc.I keep screws in plastic peanut butter jars, standardized lids, full openings, plastic no glass, continuous supplyOne size per jar, nuts in a separate jar, flat washers separate, lock washer separate  I don't use 7/16 or 5/16 it's too easy to go to up one sizeI don't stock much in the big  stuff  like 3/4" just a few, no need to carry a fifty pound box of each size, draw, calculate, order= build what you need Just keep a few around to cover necessities and late night engineering.
Reply:As The Count said..TSC is one of the cheapest places on the planet to get bulk nuts and bolts. General use stuff anyways. I have a couple old indexes I use for bolts and stuff.IMHO of courseExpert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948
Reply:I would go in the smaller sizes get a good range on lengths one those 1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,and 1/2, any larger than those you can always purchase when needed and buy extras of those at the same time.  At first order the nuts and washers would be to order half of the bolts order of a give size( you order 400 1/4 bolt of varying lengths order only 200 nuts  washers and lock washers.  After a little while you will see what you use the most of and add those to your list to get. Most suppliers of fasteners will give you a discount if they see you buying on a regular bases or a larger order. With larger type of orders like for stocking for your supplies. Some use to supply a bin cabinet for those who use their products.  I would ask at the time of the order if they still do that or not has a freebie.Klutch 220si mig , stick, and dc tigHobart 140 AHP ALPHA 200X 2016Lotos LTP5000DSmith O/P
Reply:Tsc and other purveyors of bulk fasteners typically sell grade 2. Alright for fence building, but I ain't putting it in anything moving down the highway. Grade 5 is a decent compromise and will cover 90% of your needs. Grade 8 has its place, but unless you have regular call for it, probably not worth stocking. Duane said it well! Still lots of questionable hardware on the market so be sure you get documentation. Fastenal, KAR Products, Tifco, and several others are a phone call away. Good bolts cost money son so just get your billfold out and start counting out hundreds unless you want to step up to AN Grade close tolerance aircraft and then make it thousands.Get a decent bin system, having inventory is meaningless if you cannot readily access it. Charge for every bolt, washer, and nut unless you like giving money away.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:Tsc and other purveyors of bulk fasteners typically sell grade 2. Alright for fence building, but I ain't putting it in anything moving down the highway. Grade 5 is a decent compromise and will cover 90% of your needs. Grade 8 has its place, but unless you have regular call for it, probably not worth stocking. Duane said it well! Still lots of questionable hardware on the market so be sure you get documentation. Fastenal, KAR Products, Tifco, and several others are a phone call away. Good bolts cost money son so just get your billfold out and start counting out hundreds unless you want to step up to AN Grade close tolerance aircraft and then make it thousands.Get a decent bin system, having inventory is meaningless if you cannot readily access it. Charge for every bolt, washer, and nut unless you like giving money away.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:It's hard to beat McMaster Carr.  I can get most hardware in a day or so.  Try to plan ahead just a little. They also have certified fasteners for more critical things.I have more than dozen plastic boxes with the smaller grade 8 bolts from 1/4 to 1/2 inch both NC and SAE.  I also have several plastic boxes with number screws.    I have very little grade 5 stuff.  It's usually left over and came with a project.Metric is pretty slim. I usually plan ahead and order it. I hate going to the hardware store as you noted.Fastenall has a fastener program where they come by periodically or even self ordering to service a fastener cabinet.  In fact I think they even supply the cabinet as it self orders as you use fasteners.  It can be as big as you want.Last edited by bentwings; 04-28-2016 at 06:54 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55You left out the popular 5/16" and 7/16" diameters and unless you use a lot of 5/8" and 3/4" you might want to think about reserving those (or at least 3/4") as you grow or purchase as needed based on specific project needs.I would recommend 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16" & 1/2" for starters with lock nuts, standard nuts, lock washers and flat washers (I prefer SAE over USS) of each size.You may find your needs differ but for lengths I would suggest the following - again for starters"1/4" - 1/2", 3/4" 1", 1-1/4" 1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2", 3"5/16" - 3/4", 1", 1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2", 3"3/8" - Same as 5/16"7/16"- 1", 1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2", 3"1/2" - Same as 7/16"If short on storage capacity or budget keep in mind that 1-1/4" long bolts are typically threaded all the way to the head and can be cut down if shorter lengths are required.  However, if you found yourself cutting down on a regular basis you should increase your shorter size inventory.And then there's matter of coarse and fine thread but I would put in a coarse thread selection first and build as needed.
Reply:I use lawson bolts they can supply the bins that stack on top of each other and are designed for all the different bolts and they come to the shop once a month and restock works for metrailblazer 302thunderbolt ac dc machine Hobart fluxcoreAHP tig 200x 2015
Reply:I don't buy one or two of anything, I buy by the hand full and/or pound or box. If you're at a hardware store, buy a hand full of something you don't need, it'll save a trip when you do need 'em."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore RooseveltOriginally Posted by Rog02Tsc and other purveyors of bulk fasteners typically sell grade 2. Alright for fence building, but I ain't putting it in anything moving down the highway. Grade 5 is a decent compromise and will cover 90% of your needs. Grade 8 has its place, but unless you have regular call for it, probably not worth stocking.
Reply:TSC carries a good selection of grade 5 and 8 nuts and bolts.Expert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948
Reply:We carry sae bolts 1/4-1" dia up to 6"long by 1/2" lengths most are grade 5 with some grade eight. Also have metric from m4 to m20 up to 120mm grade 8.8. Most come from Fastenal although fleet farm sells bulk grade 5 and 8. Have got 3-72 hole Fastenal bins.Millermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Originally Posted by Rog02Grade 5 is a decent compromise and will cover 90% of your needs. Grade 8 has its place, but unless you have regular call for it, probably not worth stocking.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmshopWe carry sae bolts 1/4-1" dia up to 6"long by 1/2" lengths most are grade 5 with some grade eight. Also have metric from m4 to m20 up to 120mm grade 8.8. Most come from Fastenal although fleet farm sells bulk grade 5 and 8. Have got 3-72 hole Fastenal bins.
Reply:We get everything from Imperial supplies. When we switched from bowman they came in and but a barcode label on everything and gave us a scanner to reorder. Scan the barcode or enter a number from the catalogue and its ordered
Reply:Originally Posted by bentwingsIt's hard to beat McMaster Carr.
Reply:I can't afford to drive 12 miles to the hardware store for a bolt or nut when I'm doing projects only to find out that they ran out of it a week ago. There is a Fastenal store almost next to our Lowe's where I can get anything I need more reasonably.It's hard to weld when you can't see.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveAlmost all my bolts and misc fasteners come from L&M fleet.Welding rods and mig wire too
Reply:Another vote here for Fastenal.
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerGrade 8, besides being more expensive, is also not always desirable. 8 breaks 5 bends. Good to remember if you're ever trying to keep an alternator on a 77' F-250.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rog02Tsc and other purveyors of bulk fasteners typically sell grade 2. Alright for fence building, but I ain't putting it in anything moving down the highway. Grade 5 is a decent compromise and will cover 90% of your needs. Grade 8 has its place, but unless you have regular call for it, probably not worth stocking.  .
Reply:McMaster-Carr option:  www.mcmaster.com/#bolt-kits/=12734qhThe Gr5 in black-oxide finish are our GoTo fastenets in SHCS.  As others have stated, McMaster-Carr has world class customer service and competitive pricing."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:I used to order from a local supplier, then the dems put them out of business. I don't do much serious, traceability required stuff anymore. So I pretty much buy everything from Menards. They have a pretty serious hardware section."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:st louis screw and bolti.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I have wondered the same thing for a long time....  Like you said digging in coffee cans and water jugs waste time.  I have spent a ton of time digging for a certain bolt, couldn't find any so I took left over threaded rod and a nut and welded it together.  It might be the redneck way to find the right bolt, but I cant say it doesn't work!Forney C5 Arc WelderLincoln Idealarc 250-250 Ac/Dc Arc WelderMiller Bobcat 225g PlusLincoln PowerMig 200Forney O/A Rig
Reply:Lanse: I am still in the pile of odds and ends phase, but always thought I would buy one of those metal bins that comes stocked with common sizes to start with, ala http://www.nutsandbolts.com/nut-and-...-bin-p-70.html
Reply:Originally Posted by ironmangqL&M Fleet is the best! Usually have what I need and if they don't there's a fastenal around the corner. I have a hard time going in there and not dropping a $100 on stuff I didn't know I needed, and this time of year they have the chicks and ducklings which gets the gf to go with.
Reply:Some careful guys tell of replacing visibly unharmed used bolts with new (and maybe certified, with a paper trail) "unstretched" ones "just to be sure" for any project on which the price of failure could easily include injury/death as well as lawsuits. For something less critical, if you can assume that the old bolts were good to begin with, and if you can assume that they were never over-torqued past their elastic limit (not likely in a factory installation), you may assume they are reusable.  But in recent years a complication has arisen with the introduction of Torque-to-Yield and Torque-to-Angle bolts and studs .  .  .  and every blue-collar guy need to know where to expect these things, because they are single-use throwaways.  This is NOT to say they are cheap money-savers for the factories that use them;  they do have technical merit.  But they sure can be a problem if you aren't expecting them, because they never should be reused. I know about TTY fasteners as used in a lot of engines nowdays (TTY headbolts are common).  But maybe they have common uses elsewhere,  and if anybody here can tell us about it, I'd like to hear whatever you have.
Reply:McMaster-Carr is a wonderful company--next day delivery.But, as all my work is on yachts, I buy mostly stainless fasteners from West Marine's commercial outlet, Port Supply. I keep on hand some ancient, heavy duty, compartmented, plastic boxes filled with organized assortments of those fasteners I use most often: hex and self-locking nuts, flat and lock washers, pan and flat-head sheet metal screws, pan and flat-head machine screws, and hex bolts. Much more.Additionally I keep coffee cans of old steel fasteners which i use as weights for gluing wood joints, and for the odd bolt I might need. Recently re-purposed a grade 5 bolt into a clevis pin, on the lathe.
Reply:This is a lot like the inventory of steel stock- you are never always going have what you need; stock what you use 95% of the time and overnight the oddball stuff. I have a family run vendor that is so good I drive by 3 Fastenals on the way to Fastener Warehouse. Product ranges from #00 machine screws to 1 1/4" x 72" anchor bolts and product lines such as abrasives, some rigging, pipe fittings, electrical terminations, etc. Their specialty is catering to the marine market- I buy S/S there for the same or less than C/S at Fastenal and the stock is much more broad. I've tried Fastenal for 3/8 x 72 S/S rod, 3/4 UNF nuts, 9/16 NF castle nuts, Grade 8 1/2" carriage bolts- out of stock- go to Fastener Warehouse and they have it all. They will pick your order, you can browse and pick you own or order on the phone/email and ship same day; by the piece or pound. I know it is a local thing but there might be a supplier near you that is not as obvious as Fastenal but delivers better than a national behemoth. Storage I think is a personal thing; I currently use Arko-Mills bins on a steel shelving unit on casters (I like stuff on wheels) but prefer drawers like Ron's setup, I can't stand product in chubby bins like Zap. Lanse, if you are patient you can find storage at a bargain... I saw card indexes on CL for free, some dividers would make it perfect for someone; often there are industrial roller bearing drawer units for 10-20% of new, bins also.Thunderbolt AC/DC330AB/P + Bernard coolerSyncrowave 250Oxy/Ace torchDayton 160 MIG6CF pot with 185 compressorToo much big equipmentEven more small tools
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerGrade 8, besides being more expensive, is also not always desirable. 8 breaks 5 bends. Good to remember if you're ever trying to keep an alternator on a 77' F-250.
Reply:A follow up to my reference above on Torque-to-Yield (TTY) and Torque-to-Angle (TTA) fasteners:  I've been informed that many of the Torque-to-Angle fasteners CAN be re-used.
Reply:Originally Posted by old jupiterA follow up to my reference above on Torque-to-Yield (TTY) and Torque-to-Angle (TTA) fasteners:  I've been informed that many of the Torque-to-Angle fasteners CAN be re-used.
Reply:If you are starting from scratch order the complete system of bolts and the bins are free.If you are like most of us and have buckets and boxes of bolts leftover from jobs, buy your own bins and sort them out.Unless I run out, I have a better stock than the local hardware store.  I never buy a bolt, washer or a nut any more, I buy a box of 100 at a time unless it is something unusual, specialized, expensive or needed just once, then I just buy what I need."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25