The best way to organise with DeWalt ToughSystem 2.0 inserts

The DeWalt ToughSystem 2.0 needs no introduction. If, however you’re not familiar with it check out this link for a little background and some key features. It’s a real beast, and we wanted to show you how straightforward it can be to get the system organised to perfection using our Dewalt ToughSystem 2.0 inserts. Dewalt Toughsystem 2.0 foam

Starting at the beginning….

We were in the lucky position to already have all the cases…. tools are our thing after all! So this included the compact organiser, roll box, all the different depth height normal boxes. Plus also the full height organiser and the drawers. We’ve carried the pre-made foam inserts for these cases for some time now and they’re hugely popular. But new to the range from Summer 2022 are the deep tray and shallow tray. So we have picked up a couple of those for ourselves now too and you can now get the inserts for your trays from us as well.

So then of course we needed all the tools! And boy did we have a lot of tools! Including the DeWalt impact driver and drill, a circular saw and a full size circular saw, a planer and an SDS drill. Oh yes and also a multi tool and a heat gun, a jigsaw, torch and a laser level. Plus, of course, chargers and some batteries. We got these as a bit of a job lot. So there were still bits we needed like, for example the different attachments for the multi-tool. But we will hopefully just add in those bits over time. But even without that, this was going to take a lot of organising! Our first job then, as always, is going to be planning.

Planning what goes where.

With stacking modules like this, we need to think practically. We don’t want it piled too high so that it becomes unmanagable to move around. Thinking about use and practicality is really important, so we need to think through the process. The bottom of the stack of course has to be the wheeled base box, and that will be finished off with one of the trays. Then we will build up the rest from there. So going in the bottom will be the items that we use less often or don’t need speedy access to.

Next up we want the drawers so that we can access them easily without having to lift them off. So that makes a logical next step in the stack…. we think that the SDS, Jigsaw and heat gun will be perfect in these drawers.

On the penultimate box we’re going to to not use the deepest available box as we want it to be manageable when moving around. So for the next level of the stack we went for the next depth down. In there we want to store our handheld circular saw and multi tool, possibly with another of the trays. But as always our best laid plans can evolve as we go along, it’s good to be flexible with plans. Dewalt tough system 2.0 inserts

Finally for the top box… typically where you want quick access to your most used items that aren’t in the drawers. So for us that will be the combi drill and the impactor.

Tackling the toughest jobs first?

OK we wouldn’t recommend everyone to do that… especially if it’s your first time using Shadow Foam. In which case, maybe start out with some of the easier tools with straightforward profiles. We do this all the time so have a tendancy to make it look easy! But for this we are starting with the literal base of the project. The wheeled case. In here we are going to store the items that we personally use less often. As a general rule of thumb we’re recommend you do the same. That way, your more frequently used items can be handier, or located more conveniently.

So, for us the planer and circular saw will be going in the wheeled case, and actually they sit perfectly next to one another so made for a great pairing. Once cut into a sheet of our 50mm foam they sat perfectly in the base of the tool box and there was still room for the DeWalt Shallow Tray to sit on top. Into that, we popped our laser level and our torch eye. You can learn a little more about just how this was all done here.

Fitting Dewalt Toughsystem 2.0 inserts into all the cases

With a big project like this, we just need to plough on, case by case. So after the big wheeled base box we went onto the standard sized box. For this we cut our multi-tool and hand held circular saw into there. As the box is deep that leaves us tons of scope in future to add in the changable heads for the multi-tool as we get them. Future-proofing your storage whenever you can is always a good idea.

But for now we will add the deep tray into the standard box and use it to contain our batteries and chargers. To do that though, we are going to introduce you to a couple of nifty hacks and tricks!

Trick #1 for battery storage

Because the batteries are typically quite big, and we want to make sure they are stored securely, we need thicker foam than the 30mm and 50mm inserts we have. So for the deep tray battery storage we are going to glue two sheets of the Dewalt Tough System 2.0 foam together. ie A 50mm and a 30mm insert to give us essentially an 80mm insert.

This means we can cut all the way through the 50mm sheet, and as it is attached to the 30mm sheet it will still give us that nice colour pop in the relief, and the strength we need. So the cutting process here is just the same as when you cut items into the foam usually, the only difference here being you are cutting all the way through. Importantly though don’t throw away the cut-outs, they’re going to come in very handy shortly. dewalt tough system 2.0 inserts

Once you have the holes to fit your batteries, pop the foam back in the holes. This is basically going to save you from having to mask up the foam when you apply the adhesive. With the holes filled, give the whole reverse of the sheet a liberal application of the spray adhesive. Then, while you leave that a few moments to go tacky, do the same around the edge of the sheet you are going to be sticking it to. dewalt tough system 2.0 foam

Once tacky, simply stick the two sheets together – back to back. Et voila! You’ll now have a nice firm bond, and when you remove the foam cutouts you saved from earlier, you won’t have any ingress or overspray from the adhesive into the rest of the foam.

Trick #2 for battery storage

No one likes loose cables do they? When you’re taking the time to get this neat and organised, a loose cable from the battery charger could really spoil the aesthetics of the case. So lets hide it using the Dewalt Toughsystem 2.0 inserts!

By creating a small cavity that sits in the foam behind where the actual charger sits, then cutting in a cheeky slot for the plug to sit into, you have your cables neatly hidden from view once the charger is slotted into place, and therefore also protected from any damage too. dewalt toughsystem 2.0

The overall project

Once we repeated the same process for the drawers and the top box, that was our whole Dewalt Tough System 2.0 rig organised. Overall it took less than 2.5 hours and the total cost of the foam was no more than £90 for the whole project. But when you think how everything is now protected and we can’t leave anything behind on site without it being really obvious, we think it’s time well spent. But what do you think… check out the full make here and let us know! Dewalt toughsystem 2.0 inserts