Tool Rest Storage

[tom lucas]

Interested in how others store their tool rests. Please share if you would. I'm starting to accumulate quite a few and need a better way to store them while still handy for use.

[Reed Gray]

I have a rolling wire frame cart with several shelves. Mine go on the middle shelf. I did have to cut 1/4 plywood to cover the shelves. Most used tools are on top, and a plywood rack with 3 sides there so things don't roll off and the pointy ends don't stick out. Secondary tools are on the next shelf down. Some bowl blanks on the bottom some times. I had thought about a peg board, but don't really have a place for it.

robo hippy

[Robert Hayward]

I have only a few so mine are not a problem.... yet. I store them in drawers. I tossed the factory stands and made rolling cabinets for three different machines. The cabinets are all drawers.

[John K Jordan]

Interested in how others store their tool rests. Please share if you would. I'm starting to accumulate quite a few and need a better way to store them while still handy for use.

Tom,

I've switched mostly to Robust rest. I like my lathes up against the wall so I keep the toolrests I use the most within arm's reach for the two lathes I keep set up in the shop. I simply hang them from deck screws in my plywood walls. Here's one lathe:

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The less-used rests get thrown on a shelf.

When I had my shop in a one car garage I kept rests within reach the same way but didn't have wall space so I just stood a piece of plywood vertically behind the lathe.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I made a small shelf type rack. Think test tube holder. Do kids even see test tubes and microscopes anymore? I used scrap wood. It's about 1-1/2" wide or so a foot long or so. Drill 1" holes down the shelf for the posts. Not pretty but they are all correctly mounted, so you can see them and they take up less space since they are all vertically aligned. Put that storage rack on your shelf.
Obviously, the base should be pretty wide, so it won't tip over. I don't have those off-set J style rests, I would think that would be the hardest for balance, Maybe put that one on the far end so it can be in line with the rack and the other rests would balance it.

[Dave Mount]

Tom,

I've switched mostly to Robust rest. I like my lathes up against the wall so I keep the toolrests I use the most within arm's reach for the two lathes I keep set up in the shop. I simply hang them from deck screws in my plywood walls. Here's one lathe:

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John, I've heard you say that your green bowl turning days are long gone and that your current work is mostly spindle work with dry wood. I can tell from that picture -- in my shop the right half of that wall would be covered with gobs of green shavings from hollowing bowls and the tool rests rusty from flying tree goo! I can't keep anything on the wall behind my lathe. . .I'm jealous. Maybe I need to change my ways. . .

Best,

Dave

[John K Jordan]

John, I've heard you say that your green bowl turning days are long gone and that your current work is mostly spindle work with dry wood. I can tell from that picture -- in my shop the right half of that wall would be covered with gobs of green shavings from hollowing bowls and the tool rests rusty from flying tree goo! I can't keep anything on the wall behind my lathe. . .I'm jealous. Maybe I need to change my ways. . .

Best,

Dave

I don't remember saying my green wood turning was completely over, just not as interesting to me now. (And it seems the turning world has plenty of big bowl turners!) I do still occasionally turn green, natural edge, piece of nice cherry or dogwood (warps like insanity!). I want to try some of those long-stemmed goblets that are turned green and warp as they dry. I have a number of roughed out bowl blanks dry and ready to finish turn (some are maybe 10 years old!) A friend saw a roughed walnut bowl recently and said how beautiful it was so of course, I had to promise to finish it for her!

When turning green I sometimes hang a sheet behind the lathe. Most of the shavings that didn't accumulate around my feet (wet or dry) simply fall into a big plastic tub from Walmart, pushed up tight against the wall.

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I like having the lathes against the wall so much I added two 12' separator walls when I built my shop make a turning alcove. Gives me room for two "walled" lathes with a workbench between.

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I really enjoy turning dry wood, domestic and exotics - thin spindles (wands, conductor's batons), lidded boxes, finger tops, small vessels/weed pots, ornaments, eggs, off-axis things, utility things for the kitchen, spinning wheel parts and drop spindles, miniatures, goblets, gavels - these things are best turned from dry wood. I especially like hard, fine-grained wood, the harder the wood the better since it often cuts cleaner and doesn't require much sanding. I often like to add fine detail so rotary power sanding anything is out of the question.

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

This is closet shelving from home depot. I adjusted the openings with a pair of pliers. Its cheap, quick to install and ez to clean. :D

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[tom lucas]

This is closet shelving from home depot. I adjusted the openings with a pair of pliers. Its cheap, quick to install and ez to clean. :D

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I have some of that wire shelving just collecting dust.....but alas.....no wall space left.

[John K Jordan]

....but alas.....no wall space left.

When designing my shop I quickly realized the value of wall space! I even eliminated three windows from the plan to give more wall space.

[tom lucas]

When designing my shop I quickly realized the value of wall space! I even eliminated three windows from the plan to give more wall space.

Yep. I'm actually considering movable walls in my next shop as a storage option, especially around the lathe.

[Gary Pennington]

I bought a standing shelf set with the shelves themselves made of heavy wire welded together in a rectangular pattern. Laid out my tool rests, centers, etc, marked and drilled holes. So far, so good.

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