Got my tools somewhat organized

[Wilbur Pan]

My bench building project went on hiatus when I realized I had made a miscalculation on the legs. It's just as well -- this hiccup gave me a chance to get my shop organized a little. My previous tool storage system consisted of cardboard boxes on the floor. Sometimes I would skip the cardboard box.

Besides, as I get into making the base, I realized that I would need more tools than I needed for the top. Looking back, it seems like the only tools I needed to glue up the top were a jack plane, a jointer plane, a square, a pencil, and clamps. For the mortise and tenon joints in the base, I'll need a lot more than that.

So here's a picture of what I did. I drilled holes in the walls of my basement and attached 2x4s with the flat side against the wall with concrete wedge anchors. I placed and shimmed pressure treated 2x4s on the floor of the basement so that the 2x4s on the wall were resting on the pressure treated 2x4s on the ground. Then I attached pine boards to the 2x4s, and then hung the tools on the pine board.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_a3R4RhWn1Is/SZJLcU_VusI/AAAAAAAAAZs/fd1Tn2TVO3g/s800/IMG_7989.JPG

This clearly is going to be a work in progress for quite a while. I'm making a guess as to which tools I use most often, and tried to put them in the most convenient spot. I'm already second guessing the rack I made for my saws, as I have to lift the saws straight up which means that I lose storage space above the saws. If you look closely, you can see how I screwed up the chisel rack, as I didn't take into account that for my chisels, the diameter of the handle gets bigger as the chisel gets wider. I also want to redo the clamp rack, as the bottoms of the clamps sway back and forth a bit. I did make sure that all the various tool holding devices are just screwed to the pine boards, so I can move/replace them as needed.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_a3R4RhWn1Is/SZJLczSX4SI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/R5kCQQs73Uc/s800/IMG_7990.JPG

But now I can start working on the base of my workbench!

[Jim Koepke]

But now I can start working on the base of my workbench!

Don't you first have to figure out what to do with all the stuff on top of the benches.:confused:

jim

[Dewey Torres]

Wilbur,
Would it help to tell you that you are not alone. We have all went through at least some form of this. Those that say they haven't are either fibbing or they just haven't been there YET! Keep your head up. Lookin' good so far!

[David Gilbert]

My only comment is that I'm not comfortable with the way the chisels are mounted. It appears that they could easily slip off the small posts and fall to the cement floor. You know that if they fall they will only fall blade first. If you're lucky your foot will be there to catch the fall so you won't destroy the chisel's edge. Maybe this isn't being lucky.

I am impressed by your collection of Japanese tools.

Cheers,

Dave

[John Keeton]

Wilbur, the shop is looking much better from prior pics! You are a brave man, though, to have those nice Japanese chisels resting horizontally on that rack:eek: As clumsy as I am, I would reach for one, and two more of them would hit the floor.

Looks like you put some thought into the arrangement. Do you have room to build a box, cut it in half, and hang each half on either side of the upper part? Sort of form a tool cabinet over the upper half of the arrangement. You could double your storage that way. Just a thought.

[John Keeton]

Looks like David and I were on the same wavelength - scary!! David, are you drinking coffee right now from a red cup? Just curious if there is more to this?

[harry strasil]

FWIW, Wilbur, French cleats running horizontal, with another on the back of the boards for tools, you can just slide them where you want them or pick up and place in a different location as the tool wall evolves. and if you angle the saw rack out toward the room, you can place tolls above them same with chisels.

[Wilbur Pan]

Don't you first have to figure out what to do with all the stuff on top of the benches.:confused:

Hi Jim,

:D You should have seen it before I got the tools up on the wall.


My only comment is that I'm not comfortable with the way the chisels are mounted.


Wilbur, the shop is looking much better from prior pics! You are a brave man, though, to have those nice Japanese chisels resting horizontally on that rack:eek: As clumsy as I am, I would reach for one, and two more of them would hit the floor.

Looks like you put some thought into the arrangement. Do you have room to build a box, cut it in half, and hang each half on either side of the upper part? Sort of form a tool cabinet over the upper half of the arrangement. You could double your storage that way. Just a thought.

Hi David and John,

It's not clear from the photos, but I did angle the dowels up a few degrees. The flat back of the chisel rests completely on the dowel. Between the angle and the flat of the chisel, this setup is surprisingly stable. I've hammered nails into the pine boards after putting the chisels up, and they bounce around, but don't fall out.

I did think about a box, but ultimately I decided against it, since if the box were to be opened, I would still need the same amount of clear wall space for storage, unless I missed something. Besides, I'd need a workbench to build the box. ;) In any case, as I tweak the tool storage, it will give me a better idea of how to arrange tools in the box.


FWIW, Wilbur, French cleats running horizontal, with another on the back of the boards for tools, you can just slide them where you want them or pick up and place in a different location as the tool wall evolves. and if you angle the saw rack out toward the room, you can place tolls above them same with chisels.

Hi Harry,

I did think about French cleats, but I thought that just unscrewing each rack and moving it about if I needed would be just as easy as moving a panel around.

[george wilson]

I make chisel racks quick and simple. I have to with hundreds of chisels and carving tools.

I cut a 1/2" wide,and deep dado right under rows of holes I've drilled with forstner bits. The shelving is 3/4" thick. Holes are 3/8"deep,and Dados 3/8"deep,coming through from below the holes. The drilled holes reach through to the dados. On the front edge of the chisel shelf,I cut straight openings not as wide as the Dia. of the drilled holes. This is so I can slide the wide chisels in,and let the ferrules rest in the drilled holes. Narrower chisels can be dropped into the holes behind the front row.

[Steve Clardy]

Lookin good Wilbur!

[Joe Close]

Hey George.

Do you have a pick of one of your chisel racks?

[george wilson]

Haven't gotten into photos yet. When I am able to,I'll put up pictures. The chisel "shelves,actually" are pretty well described,though. I just added a bit more info.

[Joe Close]

So, when you mount the rack, is the dado facing up?

[David Keller NC]

Wilbur - One idea I saw in a local WW's shop was pretty clever. He had the same issue that you're working through, which is, what's the best arrangement? He claimed he was eventually going to build a nice cabinet to hold everything as seen in The Toolbox Book. Yeah, right, I was thinking - I finally gave up on that idea a few years back and got a couple of craftsman high-end mechanic's boxes. Not exactly inexpensive, but less than a couple of planes, and everything's protected.

Anyway, the idea is to use a piece of sheet metal mounted to indoor/outdoor ply, then covered with 1/16" ply. The racks he was tinkering with had inexpensive rare-earth magnets epoxied to the back, so he could just move everything around on the board to try a different arrangement or when he purchased a new tool. I tested the strength - one had to really put some muscle behind it to pull the rack loose. Very clever, and I've a feeling it will be a "permanent" arrangement. ;)

[Robert Rozaieski]

Looks good Wilbur! I like my wall mounted tool boards as well. Cabinets are nice but take a lot of depth for tools. Since mine is right above the bench I want it as flat to the wall as possible. Cabinets are also harder to rearrange when the tool collection changes due to the limited space available in the cabinet and they are even harder to expand due to the constrained space. The boards are easier to re-arrange when the tool collection changes. Mine went from this when I used metal planes:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=98139&d=1223289825

To this after I sold the metal planes and had more room on the wall.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=109286&d=1234013960

Took me all of maybe a half hour to do the re-arranging. They are also easily expandable by just adding another board to the wall. Mine are on french cleats as well so they are also easily movable if need be, though I haven't needed to yet.

[Jeff Johnson]

Thanks for the description, George, but I'm a visual person (and a bit dense ;) ) photos would be great!

[John Schreiber]

. . .This clearly is going to be a work in progress for quite a while. I'm making a guess as to which tools I use most often, and tried to put them in the most convenient spot. I'm already second guessing. . .


. . . the idea is to use a piece of sheet metal mounted to indoor/outdoor ply, then covered with 1/16" ply. The racks he was tinkering with had inexpensive rare-earth magnets epoxied to the back, so he could just move everything around on the board to try a different arrangement or when he purchased a new tool. . . .

There's a really good combination of ideas. I frequently admire the beautiful and convenient tool racks people have, but I don't plan to have my full collection of tools for about another 20 years and I can't wait that long to build something useful.

[george wilson]

Jeff,my last post vanished!! The dados are underneath the shelf. When you put the chisels in,the drilled holes give the chisel handles something to fit in. Any blades up to the width of the holes fit through the dados below.

[John Keeton]

....but I don't plan to have my full collection of tools for about another 20 years ....
John, there you go being unrealistic again. I said that same thing a couple decades ago, and I am just now getting my second wind:D Wisdom comes with age, and I now realize I will be on my death bed dreaming about my next toy and trying to figure out how to get the money and justify the buy!

[Jose Kilpatrick]

I have my most used chisels on a rack that holds them by a hole drilled to the dimensions of the most narrow part of the tang with a slot cut through to the hole. Turn sideways, insert all the way and twist 90 degrees.
This little rack is held on by a cleat. I also have a cleat mounted on the side of my workbench so I can the whole thing off the wall and put it on my workbench when I'm using chisels.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3245615927_e4c1787305.jpg?v=0