Small Tool Caddy

[Allan Wright]

My lathe is in my garage. I pull the car out to turn, set up the table saw, band saw, etc. Eventually I'll create a rolling cart for my grinder sharpening station that will hold my chucks, and other turning equipment. I plan to put a good tool rack on the side of it so I can just pull it out by the lathe. Until I do I needed something as my tools were all piled up on the wife's potting bench which was starting to earn me some serious scorn.

So this is what I made. It can hold five 1.75"diameter handle tools, six 1.5" diameter handle tools plus a live center, drill chuck and a couple drive centers. I figure eventually this will still be useful for bringing a small selection of tools to a class, club night or demo. It's quickly built from 6mm arctic birch plywood laser cut on my Epilog laser engraver. Should get me by until I build my grinder cart....or until I buy more tools.

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[Shawn Pachlhofer]

well done - but...

I discourage storage of tools "pointy side up"

a stumble in the garage near your caddy could turn disastrous.

[Allan Wright]

Good point....ugh did I just say that?

They won't be stored on the lathe normally. I'll most likely put them under the grinder bench, which should keep them out the the path of any falls or trips. Now that you pointed this out I'll make sure of that. Thanks for the tip.


well done - but...

I discourage storage of tools "pointy side up"

a stumble in the garage near your caddy could turn disastrous.

[Thom Sturgill]

Laser engraver? now that's just cheating.

I store all my tools point up. Why sharpen them and then store it on its sharpened edge? Just make sure they are stored where a slip will not get you impaled.

[Allan Wright]

Laser engraver? now that's just cheating.

It may be cheating here, but a few forums down further on the Creek it's the norm. I've been a member of the creek almost a decade before I found the turning forum :-)

[Peter Fabricius]

Allan,
That is a really nicely done tool caddy! I too am in the sharp end down camp and your caddy could easily be converted to that. Add a new 1/4" top and make smaller holes to take each tool with the tips down. You can still see each tool tip for easy ID. You can also attach the caddy to the side of the mobile sharpening station for long term enjoyment of this good looking caddy.
I just hope you will not store your tools on the wall behind the lathe bed.
Well done, nice laser work!
Peter F.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Looks great Allan. I know what you mean about tools stashed where they shouldn't be. This is a nice, clean solution. I don't mind the pointy side up as long as it is out of harms way. You could always put foam in the bottom and point them down.

[Allan Wright]

I just hope you will not store your tools on the wall behind the lathe bed..

I also hope to not have to use the wall for storage.

Hopefully my to-be-built sharpening station/cart will hold all my chucks, etc. in drawers and have a good tool rack on the side. I plan for that one to use the design shown in other places in this forum with the slanted board and serrated tool slots. Items on the window sill now need permanent homes. It is my hopes to remove the screen in that window and use a box fan to exhaust dust.

Allan

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Very nice "small" tool caddy. Since I don't own a laser, mine is a bit more simpleton.http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=229526&d=1334431666
I'm in the pointy tip down group. These are PVC pipes, with a cap on the end and couplers on the top, to even out the diameters. Filled with expanding foam to take up the room and hold the PVC.
I put a ball of newspaper on the bottom, to prevent the tip from hitting the PVC. If your tool can't handle being tip down on newspaper, then it won't hold an edge on wood.
I don't turn barefooted though.

[Allan Wright]

The expanding foam filler is a new twist on this theme and a pretty neat one at that.

Nice toes....

[robert baccus]

I use the same point down bucket but use hollow swimming foam tubes cut to length. Very natural to reach down for a tool --just like a shooting iron. Reaching over the lathe for a tool is dangerous at my age.