Storing bench planes under the bench

[Brian Hale]

So as I'm slowly moving into the new shop I keep looking for storage solutions for all the "stuff" we woodworkers acquire over the years and now I'm up to the bench planes. I find that I always have several planes hanging out on the bench and I'm constantly moving them out of the way. I had first considered a mobile cart with planes on one side, saws on the other and some drawers under that. but now I'm considering a large drawer under the bench for my most used planes. The bench is 38" x 109" and the space available for this drawer is around 50" wide. I might need to make 2 drawers depending on the weight.

I like the open look of a bench without cabinets underneath so I hadn't planned for one so a drawer 6"-7" would still keep that open feeling.

Anyone done this and is it a workable solution?

How do you deal with them?

Brian :)

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[Matthew N. Masail]

Just my 2 cents: Try to think which solution you won't be lazy about using... That is, will you really open the drawer every time? If so I'd go for it and get nice smooth double action slides. If not perhaps some kind of angled ledge type storage or something might be more practical

[ian maybury]

I'm no expert on working practices, but went for a wall cabinet beside where the bench is going. The doors swing open and back against the walls when working - there's tools in the doors too. The rationale being to keep underneath the bench clear, keep the enclosure clear of chips, but to store frequent use tools subject to corrosion in an easy access enclosed volume that can be heated with a bulb, or dried by dehum sachet or whatever.

[Tom Bussey]

If you have something long in the shoulder vise or something leaning against the bench you will not be able to to open the drawer. My bench top seems to fill up fast, it is a flat surface and any flat surface becomes a resting place. i still have the problems listed. I went with the mobil cart and it is also a flat surface. The problems never go away. Finf a specific place for every thing and put it away when you finish with it. It will take some retraining your self but oh well.

[David Weaver]

Put a shelf under the bench about 10" below the bench surface. That'll keep everything primarily open, but the things that you use often at the bench ( a few planes and hammers, and maybe a couple of measuring tools) can live under there and you won't have to open a drawer to get them and you won't have to bend down too far to get them (which is a nuisance when you're working).

Another idea is to build two saw benches (and by that, I mean quickies) and use the second to lay tools on a few feet from the bench so that you can get to the tools quickly while you're working. If you're using planes a lot (as opposed to just smoothing), it is nice to have them at hand somewhere that you don't have to bend all the way down to get them or open and close something, etc.

[Al Weber]

I have storage for small tools and planes under my bench and it works for me. The drawers store chisels, layout tools, and other smalls. The two cubbys to the right of the drawers hold my joiner and one of my smoothers. The shelving and dividers on the opposite face hold planes in a sideways manner. The bench is 24" wide so the drawers are about 18" and the backside shelving is about 4" wide. It works for me. There are some flat surfaces on top for storage of long rulers, t-squares, some saws, and other misc. junk. The biggest problem is that I forget to close the drawers and then have to clean them of shavings and sawdust.

[Brian Hale]

Retraining myself.... Well I'm trying but the best I can do is to spend 10 minutes cleaning up every time I walk into the shop, just not good with the Clean-As-You-Go process. While I've got a shop Full of machines I'm steadily using hand tools more often and enjoying the quite casual approach to woodworking.

Great looking bench Al !!!! Good use of contrasting colors :cool: Do you find yourself cleaning chips/shavings off the open shelves often?

David, as I was just getting a few things setup in the new shop I actually had a few stacks of milk crates hanging around and they indeed collected the things I was using to make the TS out feed and side tables along with a couple small cabinets. I found myself dragging those crates around the shop as I worked so your dual saw bench has merit and may very well fit my work habits. Plus, I need to make a saw bench since I don't have one :(

You're right Tom, a clean flat surface won't stay that way for long, about 2 hours and I'm looking for a place to set my drink or where I set that block plane. Rrrrrrr Didn't consider having the drawer blocked by a work piece, thanks.

Ian, I believe we are on the same page when it comes to storage, but I have tons of floor space and little wall space, hence the mobile cart.

Brian :)

[Al Weber]

Brian, I don't get much debris on the shelving under the bench but I built it so that the top shelf is loose doweled in place and can be lifted off for cleaning. The bench is constructed from cherry I cut from my woodlot in NH years ago and a hard maple butcher block top salvaged from one of my wife's kitchen remodeling projects. I added the deep skirts (also from the woodlot) to permit the depth of the LV twin screw vise. The only cost was for the two vises and some hardware for the drawers.

Al

[Winton Applegate]

Brian,

I must say I like your avatar !

and I like your bench there.

I would never want my planes under my bench in a drawer or other wise. I suppose it depends on what projects you work and how often you change planes etc. Whether you need to clamp things that are longish in your shoulder vise along the front of the bench with a bench slave etc. May not be able to open the drawer or otherwise get to the planes without unclamping the work.

The way I handle tools and parts in my shop for everything from mechanical disassembly and reassembly to woodworking tools is to have lots and lots of various cookie sheets or other baking pans of various depths and some I have put down a sheet of neoprene or leather or vinyl what ever I could find to hand at the time to prevent rattling around or too much sliding. I don’t know I just hate throwing my nice mic or other fine tool on a metal pan. For drippy greasy stuff the bare pan cleans up easier.

See photos. There . . . how's that for an eclectic mix of stuff on one tray. I just grabbed some tools for the photo.

anyway back to hand planes

I go to “The Tool Crib” (our laundry room) put some planes and tools on a cookie sheet and take them into the shop. I can set the tray on the bench and work and can quickly move the whole mess in one go. I have this big rolling cart I got for free other than the big old wheels I put under it. Easily rolls over extension cords and wood chips. There are a few huge deep shelves in it and I set the cookie sheets in the cabinet, or on the table saw or the welder or the floor or on another stainless steel commercial kitchen rolling cart that I also got for free.

While planing often I just have two or three planes on the back edge of the bench. I have never finished my bench to add the trough. I still am not sure I need one.

The big rolling cart is about two steps from the bench usually so I can switch out planes or get the ones i am using out of the way. Most all of my spare blades, and there are a lot of them, hang on pegs on the wall just past the back edge of the bench so I never have to go to the crib for sharp blades. I store them permanently near the bench. (I take a stack up to the kitchen to sharpen and get a snack break).

well anyway that's what I have to say about that.

[Winton Applegate]

the quite casual approach to woodworking.
I think I misunderstood the word casual. I think people who use hand tools for woodworking and use them well enough to get “fine” woodworking results are FAR FAR from casual. Except if you mean in the same sense of casual that a Samurai might make a casual flick of his short sword and an hour latter you find that your right ear has been mislaid some where.

Casual . . .
please . . .

[Winton Applegate]

The shelf / shelves just under the top of the bench looks handy. My IMAGINED fear, IF I WAS USING IT, is that I would hook one tool with another and drag a plane out from under the bench while pulling out a hammer and the plane would crash to the concrete floor. Or my calipers or my straight edge. I am not a klutzy person and yet I am sure that would be the scenario.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Little wall space but lots of floor space... Hmm... How about a "wall cart" basically a not too high plywood wall with a base on locking wheels. It would be 100% modular - just make the hangers/holders/shelve (I like planes on shelves) you want and screw them to the board.

[Brian Holcombe]

My planes have their own separate bench. It used to be a bench I could sit on, but they get much more use out of it. I'm so often using planes in my shop that I would not want to take them out of a drawer, just lift up and go.

I have a toolbox with wide drawers for delicate stuff like calipers. Everything else, which is almost everything, is on the wall.

[Winton Applegate]

a "wall cart" basically a not too high plywood wall with a base on locking wheels

I like that idea ! I have some wood and some "cabinet doors" (the peg board with the Olympic stripes painted on) that I lean up around the shop that already have tools hanging on them. I was going to just put the doors back to back on a frame work. I never find time it seems to make the cart.

Great thing to have though.

[Jim Matthews]

My bench planes, adjusting hammers, a square and planing stops live in a tote
beneath my bench. It has cutouts for easy carrying, but that hasn't happened to date.

The only downside is the occasional shaving that finds it's way in, and the need for a flashlight.
(It's dark, under there.)

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[ian maybury]

Guess it might make sense if placing storage drawers or shelves under a bench to build them into free floating/loose modular boxes or whatever - that way they could always be lifted out if needed, or repositioned or whatever...

+1 on the use of tool trays Winton - I have lots of stackable plastic work totes bought used from a factory that was closing down. (like extra robust filing trays with the fronts in) I load the tools for the job in hand into a tray like you do. The frequent use layout, marking and measuring stuff all goes in a small metal toolbox bought on sale at a local box store which can be placed where convenient - a similar layout to this one: http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/24581/01036?isPayInStoreOnlyStore=false

The engineering related stuff goes in a full size mechanics mobile tool cabinet in a small sharpening/eng room next door

Rather than fixed assembly, outfeed and the like tables i also have four of these cheap and very solid IKEA kitchen trolleys in what is a very small shop. http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/30240348/ They make good mobile small work tables, places to place tools/tool trays while in use, two or three ganged up make the outfeed table on my table saw, or an assembly table. (the plan is to build some plys tops with batons underneath to drop over and enclose two or four trolleys)

ian

[David Weaver]

David, as I was just getting a few things setup in the new shop I actually had a few stacks of milk crates hanging around and they indeed collected the things I was using to make the TS out feed and side tables along with a couple small cabinets. I found myself dragging those crates around the shop as I worked so your dual saw bench has merit and may very well fit my work habits. Plus, I need to make a saw bench since I don't have one :(

The only reason I mentioned two saw benches was because it's tempting to do that when you have one, but at some point you'll turn around with a board looking for a saw bench to saw it on. And then find one with two or three planes on it. I guess a second saw bench could be useful for ripping some boards, but I really haven't run into the situation where I've needed more than one (except to hold tools).

[Winton Applegate]

Jim,
That is an interesting work bench; the black base, the tail vise (I haven't come across one like that before) and the hand wheels without the perpendicular spinner handles that could knock you as you go by.
Thanks for the photos.

[Matthew N. Masail]

My bench planes, adjusting hammers, a square and planing stops live in a tote
beneath my bench. It has cutouts for easy carrying, but that hasn't happened to date.

The only downside is the occasional shaving that finds it's way in, and the need for a flashlight.
(It's dark, under there.)

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Jim, looks like you have a couple HNT's, a Voigt and a Cohen?...

[Jim Matthews]

Jim, looks like you have a couple HNT's, a Voigt and a Cohen?...

It's the Voigt that gets a workout, these days.
My go to is an HNT jack plane that I got for a song.

I'm not thrilled about the HNT smoother, it's too big to be comfortable.
The Voigt is just right.

I traded for the HNT jointer, which is excellent.
(I never liked the big cast iron types.)

The last is a Philly miter plane that I traded some magic beans to get.
Haven't used it, yet.

Nobody notices the big rubber persuader.
That's the tool I use most.

[Jim Matthews]

Jim,
That is an interesting work bench; the black base, the tail vise (I haven't come across one like that before) and the hand wheels without the perpendicular spinner handles that could knock you as you go by.
Thanks for the photos.

I did not build this, but was planning to adapt my bench with a permanent Moxxon.
(I saw this in a video by David Barron and had plans to rebuild my benchtop.)

The sliding vise at the end is a PITA. It's jammed, because the wood insert tightened with the Summer humidity.
I can't call that a convenience.

The only downside to the Moxxon as a face vise is racking;
anything that is less than 1/2 the chop height makes it deflect.

I work with thin stock, and that forces me to handle it on top - which is less secure.

It's a nice bench and I got it for little more than the cost of materials.