Wall cabinet for hand tools

[Dale Cruea]

I am very new to hand tools. I am starting to collect a few and I am running out of room quickly.

I would like to build a nice wall cabinet for all of my hand tools.

I have seen several of these but for the life of me I can't remember where I saw then.

I am a converted power tool junkie and at the time I saw these cabinets I did not think I would ever need on.

I am limited some to wall space. I work in 1/2 of a 2 1/2 car garage which takes away 2 walls.

Does anyone know where I can get plans or a good picture of a nice cabinet?

I can re-draw from a picture to sketchup.

Thanks

[daniel lane]

Check the Wood Whisperer web site - I recently discovered I could set my TiVo to download the video podcast / vodcast / whatever / thing, and there are archived 3 shows that discuss the design and construction of a wall-mounted cabinet for hand tools. May not be quite what you're looking for, but it may open the design process up to you and you can make up your own plans from there.


daniel

[Dale Cruea]

Thanks Daniel. I can't get the Wood Whisper on tv. I have Dish and I do not see where it is offered in my package.
I will check the web site.

Thanks.

[Steve Southwood]

Part 1

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/wall-hanging-tool-chest-pt-1/

[Mike Holbrook]

Just got a copy of Hand Tool Essentials (from the editors of Popular Woodworking). Chris Schwarz has a design for the Arts & Crafts Tool Cabinet he made in the back of the book, instructions, bill of materials, measurements, drawings, narrative....I am thinking of making the same cabinet but a little less Arts & Crafty. This IMHO is a larger more practical cabinet with nice drawers, sections for planes....big enough to hold a decent number & variety of tools without having to have a Masters in Crossword Puzzles to get them in & out.

[Ben Beckham]

Check Popular Woodworking magazine December 2004. That's the cabinet I'm planning to build after I finish the Christmas presents.

[Richard Francis]

Check Gary Robert's site on toolchests: http://toolemerablog.typepad.com/the_tool_chest/

[Todd Hyman]

Just got a copy of Hand Tool Essentials (from the editors of Popular Woodworking). Chris Schwarz has a design for the Arts & Crafts Tool Cabinet he made in the back of the book, instructions, bill of materials, measurements, drawings, narrative....I am thinking of making the same cabinet but a little less Arts & Crafty. This IMHO is a larger more practical cabinet with nice drawers, sections for planes....big enough to hold a decent number & variety of tools without having to have a Masters in Crossword Puzzles to get them in & out.


+1 on that book as I bought it at WIA, its a great reference book. I also like the tool cabinet as I need to build one as well.

[John Coloccia]

FWIW, all my planes and other odds and ends (squares, marking gauges etc) live on a shelf (3/4" plywood on shelf brackets). Files, rasps and rifflers live on magnetic strips. Chisels and other things with convenient handles get holes drilled through them and live on a nail driven into a 3/4" piece of ply. I'm not saying don't build a cabinet, but having gone down the rabbit hole of organizing and building for the shop I can say that I much prefer my sorta' crappy but very utilitarian system, and I much prefer working on "real" projects, i.e. the projects I had in mind when I got into woodworking.

Anyhow, I'm just putting it out there as something to chew on.

[Mike Holbrook]

Right Todd, good info. in that book. I like the design for a Sawbench and want to build one or two of those too. Then there's the roubo workbench.....

I guessI should say Waaar Eagle too, since my son is a junior there.

[daniel lane]

Thanks Daniel. I can't get the Wood Whisper on tv. I have Dish and I do not see where it is offered in my package.
I will check the web site.

Dale, sorry if I misled you. My knowledge of the specific show of interest came through my set top box (TiVo), but as Steve posted, you can find the videos on the web site. There are actually several options to get content offline, mentioned at http://thewoodwhisperer.com/subscription-overview/ if you are interested. Apparently (never done it) you can get the shows on iPad, iPhone, etc. In the specific case of this show, I would say that I don't agree with the design of the cabinet for my purposes, but the process as documented was good and the design is easily modified.


daniel

[Dale Cruea]

John, I am out of room to hang stuff from the walls and stuff them in drawers.
I like your way. Way less problem.
However I am getting so much stuff stuffed into all of my nooks and crannies that I can't find what I need when I need it.
I even forget what I have sometimes and I don't have that much.
I need to get all of my stuff in one pile somewhere.
I ain't looking forward to building a wall cabinet because I will have to reorg my entire shop.

[Jim Koepke]

Dale,

This can be another slippery slope.

I repurposed an old book shelf to hold tools. Then another old bookshelf to hold more. They are both about 6' tall and hung on the wall. There is a space between them that has shelfs built in.

This still doesn't hold all of my woodworking tools.

My plans are to build some doors to span the 60' that can also hold tools and maybe change things around a bit for a plane till, saw till, chisel/gouge till and miscellaneous tool till.

It never ends.

jtk

[Jay Maiers]

Dale,
I gathered up a few good photos of tool walls and cabinets from various sources. If you'll PM me your email address, I'd be happy to send them your way.

[Dominic Greco]

how about this?
(early photos)
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z287/DominicGreco/my_tool_cabinet_06-28-09a.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z287/DominicGreco/my_tool_cabinet_06-28-09b.jpg

Now with some more tools stored in the doors
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z287/DominicGreco/tool_cabinet_door2.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z287/DominicGreco/tool_cabinet_door1.jpg

This cabinet measures about 51 1/4" wide x 43 1/2" tall x 14" deep. It can hold 7" 24" long jointer/fore planes in the vertical till, and many more planes on the shelves. It has (13) 3-1/4" (approx) wide cubbies to hold smaller planes and 3 drawers to hold other tools. The doors are about 3" deep and are outfitted with holders for chisels, saws, and other tools. The interior door that covers the vertical till has tool holders on each side and houses a series of braces and eggbeaters drills on one side and dovetail saws on the other.

[Rob Fisher]

FWIW, all my planes and other odds and ends (squares, marking gauges etc) live on a shelf (3/4" plywood on shelf brackets). Files, rasps and rifflers live on magnetic strips. Chisels and other things with convenient handles get holes drilled through them and live on a nail driven into a 3/4" piece of ply...It sounds like this is open air shelving, how do you deal with dust and the inherent salts and rust that can come along? Are you using all of the tools fairly often, with lesser used tools in cold storage?

[Jim Matthews]

While this is spectacular, it would consume what little shop time I have available to make furniture.
I would not recommend this project to someone with limits (like children and a job) in their schedule.

You can easily press discarded furniture into duty to hold your tools, and it will disguise your stash. Try the nearest Salvation Army or Craigslist.
Even handsaws will fit in larger drawers.

It is easy to fall into the trap of making shop tools - and little else.

[Dominic Greco]

While this is spectacular, it would consume what little shop time I have available to make furniture.
I would not recommend this project to someone with limits (like children and a job) in their schedule.

Well, I have a wife, a child and a job and still managed to make this, after work at night, over a period of 8 months. :D Yeah it took long. But I enjoyed it and learned a lot while doing it. Now that I have a place to store my tools I find it easier to complete the REAL projects I undertake.

[Dale Cruea]

Thanks for the information guys.
Jim I don't plan for this to ever end. :)
I am an old guy and I will either run out of money or time before I fill the cabinet I want.

Daniel I don't think you mislead me as much as I misread your post. I am pretty technology challenged. I can run a computer almost well and as long as it doesn't break.
The TV and most of it's components are an other story. I have still to learn how to set my DVR without getting out the manual and going through 3 cups of coffee.

I think I found the cabinet I want on a web site. The site gave me a sketchup file. I will just re-do the insides a little to fit my needs.

Thanks Jay. I will do that now.

[Dale Cruea]

Nice looking cabinet Dominic.
However Jim, I am retired and in between projects at this time.
I enjoy making stuff for the shop.
Hopefully my boys will want it when I can't use it anymore.
Along with the tools of course.

[John Coloccia]

It sounds like this is open air shelving, how do you deal with dust and the inherent salts and rust that can come along? Are you using all of the tools fairly often, with lesser used tools in cold storage?

I don't really have any tools that I don't use. If I find one laying around I either start using it (because I simply forgot I owned one) or if I really don't need it I sell it. I don't bother dealing with dust...after all, it's a woodworking studio. Everything I have has a layer of dust and chips on, but nothing seems to rust or do anything bad. Of course, I'm in a climate controlled environment so that helps.

[Jake Elkins]

I am watching this thread with great interest.

Much like the OP, I am in the process of converting from mostly power tools to hand tools. I have a humble collection of hand tools, with dreams (literally) of adding lots more. I recently finished my workbench, and plan on spending what time in the shop I can afford this winter with an eye towards massive re-organization of the shop (half of an oversized two car garage). I have a large homemade peg board that has served its function well for a while, but I have been thinking about upgrading this for a while. Originally, I was thinking about a large workshop area, with cabinets, peg board and tabletop, something similar to this as seen on the woodsmith shop:

212410

This would cover about 10 feet of wall space. HOWEVER, the biggest downside I see to this is that it will likely be difficult to move when the time comes, almost like having to move a built-in. So, I have been thinking about "smaller" tool cabinets, similar to the examples shown here. My biggest concern with these is that they seem almost purpose-built for existing tools. Again, I am desperately hoping that the collection grows, slowly but surely. In the process of looking at more examples, prompted by this thread, I came across this (details here (http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/32396/tool-chest-with-an-arts-crafts-legacy)), and my whole plan is now turned upside down.

212411

How cool would something like this be? Its not like I have the skill or time to make a replica of this, but I think making something similar - at least in scale (this one looks to be 7' tall) - is within my abilities. This has many advantages, namely room-to-grow and ability to take it with me. Anyways, I'm mostly just thinking out loud.

Does anyone around here use a large chest like this instead of wall mounted units?

[Russell Sansom]

For me, a monolithic cabinet is out of the question. When I was building harpsichords in a shop the size of a bathroom, I built individual cabinets for each set of chisels, a screwdriver set, the block planes, etc. On the wall I built a grid of 1 X 2" hardwood so the little cabinets could be taken on and off easily. That way I could mount the chisels needed for a project on the wall and leave the unused boxes of tools out in the garage area.
Now that I have the significant fraction of a 20 X 20 garage, I'm still storing my tools that way...I can just leave them all mounted.

You might consider my system. Smaller tool cases are a much smaller investment and add up the the same as one large chest...but you can spread them around into the available space. Here's a saw till and next to it is the cabinet that holds drills ( egg beaters ). The simple exoskeleton lets me just slip a cabinet on and slip if off whenever necessary.

[Jeff Ranck]

In the process of looking at more examples, prompted by this thread, I came across this (details here (http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/32396/tool-chest-with-an-arts-crafts-legacy)), and my whole plan is now turned upside down.

212411

How cool would something like this be? . . . Does anyone around here use a large chest like this instead of wall mounted units?

I'd love to know if anyone uses anything like this. As I mentally reorganize my shop, I'm torn between a traditional chest, a wall mounted chest, and now something like this!

[Jim Matthews]

Nice solution to the problem, RS.

Can the cabinets be stacked? How long do you suppose it takes to make one?
Any recommendations to a novice on the project?

Details about this; what you would do differently, what you would leave out, I would follow with great interest.
I think your "shop the size of a bathroom" limitation is realistic for most of us.

[steven c newman]

I don't have all that much "hanging around", maybe a looksee at what I've got?212469212470

[Zahid Naqvi]

there are a few example threads in the FAQs sticky on this forum

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I just got Tolpin's "The Toolbox Book" from Taunton. I used it to fill out the free shipping on an Amazon order, and because it looked interesting. There's definitely some stuff in there to give you ideas and inspire . . .

The Popular Woodworking "Arts and crafts tool cabinet" that was mentioned is available as a digital download of just that article and plan for just a few bucks. There's a similar cabinet (down to the spalted drawer fronts) in the current Fine Woodworking tools and shops.

I'm thinking of better storage myself, and while I'll probably do something different than Russell, I also really like the idea of several smaller storage units over one large one - I like the idea that if I move or entirely relayout my shop, I'm not forced to work around really large pieces, and I like being able to move the things that I need to where I need them.

[Rob Fisher]

I don't really have any tools that I don't use. If I find one laying around I either start using it (because I simply forgot I owned one) or if I really don't need it I sell it. I don't bother dealing with dust...after all, it's a woodworking studio. Everything I have has a layer of dust and chips on, but nothing seems to rust or do anything bad. Of course, I'm in a climate controlled environment so that helps.Climate control is he key. Oh and using your tools in a regular basis. Two problems that I have, daggit!!!!

[Dale Cruea]

Jeff - Jake, Nice cabinet. I would love to have the room to have one.

Lots of good ideas here.

I only want to build this cabinet once. If I were to go with smaller cabinets I would never get them done.
I would build one or two then move onto something else.

Hopefully when I am gone one of my boys will get the house and keep the workshop.
If not maybe they can sell the cabinet and get something they want. :)

[Russell Sansom]

Dale,
I have no ax to grind...this just works for me. Also, haven't had a rusted tool in 40 years. One of those big cabinets could take a season or two to finish.

Just as an aside, a serious problem for cabinets over the bench is the size of the doors that swing out too far over the workbench. My big cabinets have double doors. The saw till in the previous pic gets around the problem (almost) completely with a tambour door. I say almost because it's a couple inches deeper than a cabinet would be with conventional doors.

Here are two chisel cabinets. Even for a beginner, I'd say 3 or 4 days for the pair. Once the wood is prepped I can do a pair like this in two days. These are redwood siding ( awesome first-growth heart wood was used for siding in the mid 70's here in N. California ) with basswood fronts and backs. The 3/4" redwood is the perfect size for these smallish boxes, considering the swinging weight of the doors. They show absolutely no signs of mechanical distress after 40-some years of service.

One is opened to show a simple piano hinge and a Krenov-inspired latch. ( That's my highly-prized set of Bergs. They make me drool even looking at their picture! )

Then, the Plane cabinet, with double doors. The left door is open here. This was a week or two working at a leisurely pace. Perhaps a month for a beginner to make a couple of these. These doors will bang into anything big clamped to my bench, so I have to plan ahead and take out the planes I'll need before rendering the cabinet in-openable.

Then, finally, the egg-beater, gent's saw cabinet. This is more of a museum-quality TYPE of cabinet that was, again, Krenov-inspired. The frame is cedar and the panels are willow with poplar for the rest of the carcase. Sweet-working woods that work easily and fast. Back when I was fairly new to hand-only work but brimming with confidence, this one took a good month. There's a drawer in the plinth you can just see at the bottom of the picture and a paneled back. Those added a couple days to the process.

Hope these offer some inspiration.

BTW...I'm going to try drawers for one set of chisels this winter. Now that I have room, I think drawers sound like a great way to store a working set.

[Jim Neeley]

I am very new to hand tools. I am starting to collect a few and I am running out of room quickly.

I would like to build a nice wall cabinet for all of my hand tools.

Dale,

Not to dissuade you from building a wall cabinet but I'll share what I did when I had a similar issue. I was limited on space and wanted to get away from storing my tools in the large metal toolbox I'd been using. Yes, it was solely for WW tools and yes, it has foam in the bottom of each shelf and yes, I'm careful but it just didn't make sense to me to continue storing my hand-honed edges in a metal box.

I picked up a copy of a Gerstner tool cabinet and base for $100. It was in good structural shape, albeit with a few scratches.

It's not a perfect solution and it's width limits me to storing my 24" #8 on its side in the top (under the lid), but it provides 15 or 16 wooden drawers with the base on wheels, plenty enough for my 15-20 planes, couple dozen chisels & knives, 4 backsaws, dividers, rules, marking gauges and all the rest... and I'm only using about half of the space so far.

The nicest thing about it is that it is on casters so my tools are within a step from anywhere on my bench while I'm working and easily rolls a couple of feet for storage.

I drool over the wall storage porn like the next guy but I'm currently focused on projects and... well, and I'm not done buying tools yet! :)

Jim

[Gary Curtis]

Which do you have more of: floor space or wall space? I do most of my hand tool work at wall benches or a nearby bench. Power machines take up the remainder of space. Lee Valley sells a duo of plans for wall cabinets. A large and a small.

I got both. And then a built a second large cabinet without the doors to hold my hand planes. This has the sloped tills to hold the planes vertical. All cabinets are hung from the wall on French Cleats so I can move them closer to a project elsewhere. Build in some flexibility so you can later change your mind. Like French Cleats.

[Dale Cruea]

You all have given me good ideas. I would love to have a roll around cabinet. However, the contractor that built my garage thought I needed about 1" of drop for every foot in here. Nothing sets level. I have to shim everything.
A roll around would move all over and never be level.
I don't have much of either floor or wall space.
I am planing on taking some junk from my walls to hang a cabinet.
The way my shop is now I can hang it and the doors will not be a problem when open. I hope.

I am also looking at getting rid of some machinery in here. The wife says I need to keep it all. I say I want to use hand tools more and If I don't have a jointer or planer then I will have to use hand planes.
Hand planes make a bigger mess but not near as noisy and not as much dust. Thus a small DC. Just need a DC for 2 electric saws.
And more space.

[Jim Neeley]

The wife says I need to keep it all.

You've got a great woman there, Dale!!! :)