Akro Mils 64 Drawer Super Storage Dividers

I’m drowning in small parts—heat-set inserts, screws, nuts, bolts, magnets, the list goes on. I recently decided to take on the challenge of super-organizing all of it, and I want to explain how to fully use this system.

First, buy Akro-Mils storage bins and a small digital scale. Both can be found for under $20 on Amazon. Start by placing a single part (for example, an M4 heat-set insert) on the scale and noting its weight. Then weigh 10 of them and calculate the average weight per insert.

Next, weigh the empty bin you’ve printed and record that weight. When the bin is full of inserts, weigh it again. Subtract the known empty bin weight from the total, then divide that number by the average weight of one insert. Boom—you now have a fairly accurate count of how many inserts are in the bin.

I chose to use Home Assistant for inventory management, but you could easily do this in a spreadsheet. With a little setup, you can even automate high, medium, and low stock calculations.