Hand Tool Cabinet ?

[Peter Gavin]

I am retrofiting an old chest to hang on the wall and store my hand tools. I've lined the top of the case, and made another interior swinging rack, with peg board to provide a place to hang the tools. My problem is that there seems to be a very limited selection of pegs to use on that pegboard, and what there is is pretty insecure. I don't think a 4 or 5 foot drop to the floor would do my tools (or my foot..... esp. with a sharp chisel) any good and while I would plan on always being gentle on opening and closing the chest, I can bet there will be times I am in a hurry. So what ingenous ideas do you have for storage hooks? THe deepest part of the chest will have shelves for my planes, so I'l really just looking to fing was to store chisels, marking knives, squares, levels etc.

Thanks

Peter

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Peter, pegboard and hooks is not a very secure or versatile way to hang tools. Talon ( http://www.talonhooks.com/index.htm ) does sell secure hooks, but there are not enough varieties to hang all your tools. I recommend you use a piece of ply and make your own custom holders.

[Steve Beadle]

"I recommend you use a piece of ply and make your own custom holders."

And besides, making your own toolboard holders is more fun!!

[Steve Schoene]

Ply? For good hand tools? Tut tut. These tools deserve solid wood--and after all you can use up some of the odd bits that are too nice to pitch, but will realistically never be used.

[Dave Anderson NH]

The only ways I know to successfully store a wide variety of hand tools in different sizes and configurations are in a chest or alternately hang them in a cabinet or on the wall. I'm a firm believer that you need to make custom hangers for each type and size of tool. This is definately NOT "one size fits all" and peg hook hangers no matter what the brand and the width of variety will only fill a few of your needs adequately. Fixturing screwed in place for each type of tool is easy (though time consuming) with a variety of cutoffs from other projects you've built. Personally, I favor cutoffs of mahogany and walnut. Peg hooks move, shift, fall out, and are tough on the tools unless plastic or plastic coated. Since you've invested in tools, now it's time to invest in the effort needed to store them safely.

[Alan Turner]

For hanging chisels, I prefer to support them by the cutting edge, although this might no find universal agreement. My reasoning has to do with safety, both for me and for my chisels. Here is an old shot of my tool cabinet.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=4097
On the shelf where the edges sit, I have covered it with oil soaked leather, and have not found that the edges suffer at all.
The holder is fully adjustable by way of 1/8" dowels of purpleheart which are shop made with the LN dowel plate (a good excuse for a new tool).
The cabinet in the pix now has over 40 chisels stored on the two doors, and is doing fine, and hardly whining.

[Peter Gavin]

I'm going to make my own tool holders. For now, I'll keep the pegboard as I can move the holders around fairly easily by using the holes to connect the holders. Once I get everything located where I want it (and hopefully fill it up), I'll transfer to solid wood panels.

Thanks

Peter

[Charles Stanford]

My God, if I stored my hand tools in a cabinet hanging on the wall the wall would collapse.

Maybe if I installed a run of upper kitchen cabinets....???

[Alan Turner]

Charles -- That may be true, but at least they would not fall on your cabinet saw or hollow chisel mortiser. (:

[Sal Morgani]

Peter:
Another approch you might want to try for tool storage is shelves, as I do in my shop. They are simple and convenient. As your tool inventory grows you can move tools around or just add another shelf. My tool shelves are behind me as I am working at my workbench, this way I can turn and grab a tool as I need it. Hopefully I have attached a picture of my shelves.
Sal Morgani

[Dennis McDonaugh]

That's a nice layout Sal. Wish I had some of that wall space to do a little of the same thing.

[Bob Noles]

Sal.....

Has anyone told you that you have too many toys? :)

[Mike Wenzloff]

Yeah, but ya gotta love a guy that has 4 tenon saws, a DT saw, a few bevel and marking gauges, 7 spokeshaves, trammels AND a panel gauge--aside from the other items...like the chisels...

And I probably miscounted...

Back to sharpening...Mike

[Sal Morgani]

Hi Fellows:
It's a good thing I didn't add the other picture showing my other wall ;)
Sal

[Don Baer]

Hi Fellows:
It's a good thing I didn't add the other picture showing my other wall ;)
Sal

Oh Come on Sal, we all love a good tool gloat... Lets see it.:D

[Dave Anderson NH]

Forget his tool walls, after all, it's jsut more hand tools.:D What you want to see are pictures of his mahogany tall case clock which he completed late this spring. It's truly a nice piece of work.

[Keith Christopher]

Oh yet another tease. PICS!!! we need PICS !!!

[Sal Morgani]

Thanks Dave, I appreciate the compliment. I don't know what the protocol is for listing a picture that has nothing to do with this thread, but because it was asked, I am including some pictures of my clock.
Thanks for letting me show my clock.
Sal

[Alan Turner]

Sl
Wonderful work!!! Love the clock.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hey Sal, thanks for posting the pics. A few more in a separate thread wouldn't hurt either. Hint hint


Alan, the pictures do not do justice to what this clock looks like in real life. It is truly a magnificant piece of work.

[Keith Christopher]

If it looks better in RL _vs_ the pictures then this thing must be AWESOME!!! But man is it close to the ceiling !!!!!!!!




Awesome work you should be very proud !

[Tom Stovell]

Sal,
That is a thing of beauty. Nice job on the clock and if that is the results of you 'tool wall' it was well worth it! (-:

A truly beautiful piece.

Tom