I don’t spend much time thinking about the plastic 5-gallon bucket. They exist in the background in my shop and garage, here at work, and elsewhere–literally, there are stacks and stacks of them at The Home Depot store near where I live.
But then I have work to do and suddenly I find myself pressing one of these things into service. It’s kind of funny when I think about the usefulness of the 5-gallon plastic bucket. It holds everything from trash to some of my most valuable tools. Here are a few ideas from my recent work that might help prime the idea pump for you.
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Strap on a Nail Bag
I have a big DeWalt tool belt and nail bags to go with it, but I rarely wear it accept for volunteer work where I’m specifically assigned to the carpentry crew. As it turns out, I find the belt and bags strap readily around a 5-gallon bucket, forming an all-purpose tool holder that can carry anything for a day’s work, including hardware, hand tools, power tools, and a 2-ft. level. Yes, I know you can buy these organizers that are designed to fit a 5-gallon bucket, but I have found that I can improvise this just as well.
Mini Work Surface
Three pieces of scrap wood can convert any 5-gallon bucket into a mini work surface or a tiny portable workbench, with a surface above and storage below for a drill, bits, hardware, hand tools, odds, and ends–you name it.
It starts here, with a small rectangle or square piece of plywood that is slightly larger than the bucket’s diameter. Fastened to the bottom of that square or rectangle is a small piece of wood that matches the bucket’s diameter. That small piece of wood on the bottom, holds the plywood in position. Finally, another strip of scrap wood is fastened across the width of the plywood. It acts as a backstop for whatever you are cutting, drilling or sanding.
This is what it looks like in action. This little setup is handy for small repair and maintenance jobs. Maybe you have a small piece of wood to cut, or a few holes to drill in a piece of wood or metal. This little setup is a lot handier than having to haul out a pair of sawhorses or set up some sort of makeshift workbench. And it’s a lot safer and more productive than trying to work on the ground, propping up a workpiece on a piece of scrap lumber or something.
Besides being a mini work surface, the setup also forms a handy seat, either to do work, such as installing outlet receptacles or just to take a break.
Work Light Holder
I admit, this is the proverbial oldest trick in the book, but it works well: using the lip of a 5-gallon bucket to position a clip-on work light.
Use a couple of spring clamps to hold a worklight to the bucket’s lip. You can really get creative here. Multiple lights can light a broad area. Point the lights in different directions, do whatever you need to do. Or, use one clamp and just tip the light up.
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Clean Paint Brushes
Almost everybody knows to use a 5-gallon bucket to hang paint brushes to soak them clean. But even here, there’s room for improvement. Don’t just hang one or two brushes, set up to hang all of your brushes in one place. Here’s how.
Simply clip the base off a wire coat hanger, and use it to suspend paint brushes in water or solvent. A good quality coat hanger can easily suspend four brushes. A dowel rod or metal rod can hang as many as you can fit in the bucket–at least six or eight.
Roy Berendsohn
Senior Home Editor
Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.