Tool storage with shaped pockets

A pocket cut to the exact outline of each tool keeps it from rattling, and an empty pocket shows at a glance what is missing. Workshops have used shadow boards for this for decades; a 3D-printed insert does the same inside a drawer or a toolbox.

Start from the Pocket library

SO3D's Pocket library has 77 ready-made tool outlines, free on every plan. Among them:

• Workshop: pliers, needle-nose pliers, flat and stubby screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, 13 mm and 19 mm spanners, a hammer, a caliper, a tape measure, a utility knife, a wire stripper.
• Electronics: a multimeter, a soldering iron, spudgers, a breadboard, a USB stick.
• Kitchen and home: kitchen scissors, a whisk, measuring spoons, a corkscrew, a nail clipper, tweezers and more.

Pick an outline, move and turn it into place, and set the Pocket depth. A tool sitting half its thickness deep is easy to lift out.

Trace your own tool (Hobbyist plan)

For a tool that isn't in the library, take a photo and let SO3D trace it:

1. Lay the tool on a plain background that contrasts with it, such as dark pliers on white paper.
2. Photograph it from directly above, so the outline isn't stretched.
3. In the tracer, clean up the outline with Eraser, Restore, Magic wand or Line, and adjust Tolerance and Smoothness until it follows the edge.
4. Measure the tool's real width with a ruler or calipers and type it into Width. This sets the true size.

Clearance: how snug?

Each pocket has a Clearance setting, the extra room around the outline. The default is 0.5 mm, which lets most tools drop in and lift out easily. Use more for tools with rough or rubber grips; less for a tight, rattle-free fit for something light. Add a Finger notch beside small items so you can lift them out.

Common questions

My traced pocket is a bit small. Check the Width you typed against the real tool, then add 0.5–1 mm more clearance. Photos taken at an angle also shrink one side, so retake it from straight above.

Several tools in one drawer? Each insert holds one shaped pocket, so print one insert per tool and line them up in the drawer, sized with Fill my drawer (see How to measure a drawer). A bonus: you can rearrange them whenever your tools change.