New tool rack

[Dan Forman]

I got tired of moving my lathe tools from the jointer to the workbench to whatever other flat surface was available, so I made a pair of racks. This one has ten spaces, the other has 12. They will mount on an L shaped wall which protects my water pipes, so I was limited to ten on the shorter segment.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1020275.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1020283.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1020278.jpg

The wood is maple, but if I were to do it again, I'd probably use plywood for the scalloped parts, as after drilling with a forstner bit and ripping on the table saw to make two matching pieces, they went a little haywire due to the internal stresses being altered. I used a 1 1/2" bit for the larger radius, and 1 1/8" for the smaller.

One of the boards had a small section with some ambrosia-like coloration, which will probably be mostly hidden from view when the rack is loaded, but due to the mounting locations I have to work with, none of the ends will be very visible from the outside anyway, so it will remain more or less a secret. This board was too narrow to use for the slanted bottom, which would have looked fabulous there.

The racks were based on some that Jeff Wright had posted about a year ago. On page two, he gives the basic dimensions. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=88820&highlight=rack

Dan

[alex carey]

nice looking tool rack. Looks like you did a good job.

[David Christopher]

thats a good looking rack......I made one similar and found out that without a rest at the bottom, the chiesels will wedge and be a pain to get out.....hope yours works better

[Burt Alcantara]

Dan,
A beautiful looking rack. I'm concerned that the tools will be a little close to each other. While I don't have fat fingers, I kept knocking over my tools when they were that close together.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking rack Dan.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Looks very well thought out! Hope it works great for you!

[Dan Forman]

Thanks guys.

Dave --- I hope that's not a problem too, haven't seen any signs of it in testing.

Burt --- I don't have them mounted and loaded yet, think I'll apply one more coat of finish first, but I think the spacing will be ok. If nothing else, I can grab the steel instead of the handle when removing or replacing tools.

Dan

[Don Eddard]

I feel kind of awkward saying 'you have a nice rack' to another guy, but you really do.

[Jeff Nicol]

Dan, Nice rack for your tools! It is nice to keep them all organized and ready to work at all times!

Keep up the good work,

Jeff

[neil mackay]

Dan, good concept with the sloping bottom shelf, self locking and the chips etc will fall away easily. Well done.

[Steve Bistritz]

Great looking "rack" Don, is it working ok for you at this point? Or are they too close? Thanks...

[Jim Kountz]

Look good Dan and more importantly, functional!! Something similar is in my future as I have the same trouble with tools here and there and everywhere.

[Mike Minto]

yes, nice rack...geez, i never get tired of saying that. mike :rolleyes:

[Ted Evans]

Are we not suppose to?

[Dan Forman]

I was a bit startled seeing this thread again, but now that it's back, it's time for an update. Here they are loaded:

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1020286.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1020287.jpg

They are working out just fine. There could be more room between the tools - the small ones I can grab by the handles, but the larger ones I lift out by the ferrules. As you can see, they fill out the available space, so I don't mind them being a bit crowded. For someone with more room, I would recommend a little wider spacing. I like the angled bottom, as it keeps the tools sitting up straight. I have had no problems with tools binding as one poster above had some trouble with. It's a great relief not to have to move them hither and yon all of the time whenever the flat surface they were resting on was needed. Thanks for the comments.

Dan