Plane Storage

[Bob Jones]

I copied this (poorly) from the youtube LN videos. I figured that if they stored their planes this way it must be the way to go. It is just a piece of plywood with groves sawed into it to accept strips of hardboard. The bottom has a 3/4in piece of mdf glued and screwed on. The shoelaces are backup in case I bump the planes with a long piece of wood. The string already saved my #5 - I have been more careful since then.

I am very happy with this. It does not take up much space and they are at the end of my bench. They are somewhat in order of use age.

[Leigh Betsch]

Looks good. I think someday I'll replicate it. I gotta get my planes stored better. Right now they seem to be all over my benchs.

[John Coloccia]

I just toss mine in the cabinet under my bench. I started going down the rabbit hole coming up with a storage system. In the end, I decided that if they couldn't survive being tossed in a cabinet, they have no business in my shop. I just got tired of spending time worrying about my tools. I needed to break the cycle and start concentrating on my work.

I like your storage solution, Bob. I may copy it. It's pretty simple. Do you think the twine around the knob is really necessary? That's not a criticism but a question. For someone like me, who's thinking of ripping you off and copying it for my own shop, I'm wondering if you added the twine because you didn't angle it enough, and if I should add another 10 degrees or so to eliminate that entirely.

[Bill Houghton]

Living, as I do, in earthquake country, I can never look at pictures of planes stored that way without my palms getting sweaty. But I guess if you live somewhere that earthquakes are infrequent (I don't think there's anywhere that they never happen), it could be a good design.

That said, it looks convenient and compact.

[Chris Fournier]

And I am a spazz. It certainly is a tidy method to store planes but it seems too risky to me. Like John, I put my planes in drawers under my bench were they are safe and out of harms way and I get to sleep through the night!

[Bob Jones]

The only reason for the twine is to catch one if I accidentally hit it. Once I was moving a long board around my shop and accidentally hit the handle of the number 5. It hung from the twine just fine. My heart skipped a beat.
The twine really is belt and suspenders. If you flatten the angle more then you loose floor space which was not a good option for me.
Copy away. I copied it from LN.

[Pam Niedermayer]

And I am a spazz. It certainly is a tidy method to store planes but it seems too risky to me. Like John, I put my planes in drawers under my bench were they are safe and out of harms way and I get to sleep through the night!

Fully enclosed wooden cabinets/drawers also help avoid rust, something about the humidity being accommodated in the wood instead of in the planes/irons.

Pam

[Johnny Kleso]

Pam the humidty changes more slowly when enclosed..
Bob best way to stop rust is to keep using them.. At least check them every few months

[Mac Houtz]

here is where mine currently reside. It's a standing desk I built for the shop that is sort of part gun cabinet(only for tools), part plantation desk. Eventually the drawers will hold chisels. I hope I am not the only one who has succumbed to the temptation of using a piece of shop furniture prior to actually completing or finishing it.....oh well once it warms up and I get around to it. In fairness I am still trying to decide how I want the desktop to hinge to provide the best access to everything so my excuse is that the design team is holding up the production team...177752

[Tom Vanzant]

I agree with Pam. Since I live in humid Houston TX and my shop is in the garage, all my tools are in wooden cabinets or drawers. My planes are stored on a rack similar to Bob's, sloped at 10-12 deg which was mandated by the depth of the existing cabinet. I used small rare earth magnets instead of string for retention, especially needed on the #3, 4, & 4 1/2.

[Kevin Lucas]

I see I'm not the only one that uses strings. I cobbled together a plane and saw till but they are straight up. I could not think of a good way to angle them in it. I put wood runners for each, a notch for the bottoms and string loops for the knobs. Why because I'm a klutz and already knocked a plane off the bench and broke it. Even if I knock the cabinet the string saves it from a trip to the concrete floor.

[Leigh Betsch]

And I am a spazz. It certainly is a tidy method to store planes but it seems too risky to me. Like John, I put my planes in drawers under my bench were they are safe and out of harms way and I get to sleep through the night!

Man if I had my planes in a place like that I'd forget where they were and have to get more. Looks like you could use 10 or 11 more for the top of your bench.

[Paul Erickson]

Here is the current state of my work in progress. Someday I intend to make some drawers for the lower shelves, but as a test of concept for trying to make the most efficient use of a corner and an 4'x8' sheet of plywood, I think it works reasonably well.

cheers, Paul

[Jim Koepke]

Here is the current state of my work in progress. Someday I intend to make some drawers for the lower shelves, but as a test of concept for trying to make the most efficient use of a corner and an 4'x8' sheet of plywood, I think it works reasonably well.

Thanks Paul, now I don't feel so guilty about having so many planes.

jtk

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Holy cow! Enough planes? I feel guilty about having 7........ And not knowing how to use any of them.
I made shoes for mine. Essentially a tray that fits the plane with a slot routed out where the blade is. That way, I can tote them around, and they have a place to stay when not being used, and I don't have to remember to lay it on it's side.

[Paul Erickson]

Thanks Paul, now I don't feel so guilty about having so many planes.

jtk

Very glad to be of help.

cheers, Paul

[Dan Andrews]

My hangar (yes, I know it is usually known as a till) is in my "museum", therefore it is equally for display as well as for storage. It is not as efficient space utilization as the other designs shown above, but is good for display, and at low risk for knocking the planes on the floor. I glued a strip of wood across each shelf just ahead of where the mouth will be. This is to allow air circulation around the sole. Durring the warmer months when I am doing most of my woodworking, I leave the most frequently used planes in a cabinet in the shop. Durring the cold months and through spring I keep all but a couple beaters in the museum to prevent temp change condensation. :)

[rick carpenter]

I agree with Pam. Since I live in humid Houston TX and my shop is in the garage, all my tools are in wooden cabinets or drawers. My planes are stored on a rack similar to Bob's, sloped at 10-12 deg which was mandated by the depth of the existing cabinet. I used small rare earth magnets instead of string for retention, especially needed on the #3, 4, & 4 1/2.

Magnets are good, maybe even bungee cords might work. I live in Huntsville, aka "Paradise in the Pines".

[Doug Roper Chairmaker]

Planes/Storage

I had the opportunity to pick up an 8' Ulmia workbench with a big tilt-out from a student who needed a shorter, wider workbench like the one I use. One thing lead to another and I agreed to make him a bench in exchange for the Ulmia. After completing the project and getting the Ulmia into my shop, I thought about what I could do with the tilt-out.

After seeing the ways others had organized their handtools in cabinets, I decided to re-locate my planes to this unique storage area.


178335

[Joe A Faulkner]

Mine are currently on the top shelf of my bedroom closet. Can't wait to finish the shop remodel, and build some storage out there for them. I appreciate the ideas here. Thanks for sharing. I'm tempted to make Paul E.'s photo the background image\wallpaper for wife's computer desktop. She keeps giving me funny looks everytime I start restoring\tuning the latest addition to the collection. Just when I thought I was to a good stopping point for planes, I started in on handsaws.