tool storage help

[Jonathan Smith]

I'm a new turner but alreay I have too many tools to leave on the workbench next to my lathe. I'm actually a little suprised that there are not turning tool racks for sale everywhere. How to you store your tool or keep them organized and within easy reach?

Jonathan

[Marty Eargle]

There are some threads on this subject that will probably give you a good idea on what most folks around here do. I keep my tools on a rack below the ways of my lathe. Not idea, but I plan on installing a small drawer on my work bench to keep my tools in. If you have wall space around your lathe, a few pieces of PVC on the wall is a simple and cheap way to display tools.

The biggest tip that I can give if you're starting to get cluttered is to limit the amount of tools you have out to three or four that you use constantly. Some folks turn pieces with basically one tool...some people use several. But most of us probably have a few tools that we almost never use. Those can be stored somewhere.

[Roger Chandler]

This is how I store mine........built it out of scrap plywood I had lying around and the drawer sides are made from the crate that my lathe came in...........;) It doesn't all match exactly, but I was more after function than beauty with this one!

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[Jim Burr]

2x4 with 1.5" forstner bit hols drilled 3/4" deep. Glue a piece of PVC 8" long or whatever floats your boat, into the hole. Stack 'em, pack 'em and rack 'em

[Greg Just]

Do a search on tool storage as there are a lot of different idea. Here is what I use and this design is pretty popular. I used scraps of plywood and they really didn't cost me anything. I actually need to build another one.



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[John Keeton]

Jonathan, these are my toolracks, and they are copied from a design that was posted by Jeff Wright and Dan Forman. Also similar to the one posted by Greg.

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The original posts, with dimensions, were copied into this pdf file.
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Seems to work great - though I did not build mine to the furniture quality as did these two creekers!!

[Scott Gibbons]

Here is how I did mine:
Works great for my use.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=228017&d=1332721518

[Dennis Puskar]

Heres minehttp://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt249/dpuskar/001-2.jpg

[Reed Gray]

I have too many to put in racks, or I don't have enough rack space. besides, that is just too organized. I liked Mike Mahoney's solution. He had several sections of about 6 inch inside diameter heavy plastic pipe, and had a number of tools in each one. These were stacked on a shelf.

robo hippy

[Josh Bowman]

This is my hodge podge plan. I bought a dinged up lower Craftsman tool box and put an old piece of counter top on it. It stores tons of lathe stuff and is movable. Behind my lathe is piece of 10-10 extrustion with my tool rests stored. I had an old fender try that I put my torrent for my chisels on.

[Allan Ferguson]

Used the canister from a shop vac that died. I inserted a plywood lid with holes drilled to fit a particular tool with the point down. Rolls around the shop and lath area with tools within easy reach.

[John Spitters]

Here's mine,
It's now pretty full though and I'm trying to come up with additional storage.

John

[John Coloccia]

I'm a fan of PVC pipe in a bucket.

[Bill Wyko]

I use a pocket sliding cabinet. If you notice, in one picture you see the window. In the other the tool rack slides out in front of the window. Compact and usable.
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23979440/401820019.jpg
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL2109/11908737/23979440/401819221.jpg

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Here is my ghetto cheap tool storage. PVC pipe & 5 gallon bucket. I put caps on the end to save the bucket, a coupler on the top to even out the pipe ends. If you don't add the coupler the pipes will all converge and you can't get tools out. Drop the pipes in and steady them with expansion foam. A wad of newspaper in the pipe saves teh tool tips. You'd be surprised to see how many tools can fit. My whole shop has to move, so I can't make nice wall mounted racks......

Good thing is you can take your bucket to demos and if 1 pipe is empty, you know you forgot a tool out somewhere.

Sorry about the pic quality. My camera makes 11 meg files, so I have to shrink them down to post. Board won't load big files. Any tips to get a nice picture loaded?

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[Jonathan Smith]

Thanks everyone! Some of those are beautiful! I'm going to try some kind of
Pvc pipe version, maybe with Jim Burr's 2x4 recipe.

I'll also try
searching.

Jonathan