What tools are in your drawers under your bench?

[Carl Beckett]

I keep my tools in drawers.

Am building another bench - relatively small one. I plan for it to have drawers for tool storage.

Which tools should I put there? (key chisels, marking tools, planes, and perhaps an oft used saw are my first thoughts).

What is under your bench? Pictures would be outstanding. Especially if you keep planes in drawers, how do you arrange them?

[Brian Tymchak]

I built wall-hung clam shell tool cabinets to house all the small tools. I designed in places to put shallow (2") drawers to catch all the measurement tools and other delicate tools. I won't say how long ago that was but I have yet to get that done. Still want to though.

[Jim Becker]

My bench doesn't have drawers under it...only a shelf which is easy to clean. The only thing I keep on the shelf are things like small blocks of wood to use with my holdfasts, an extra air hose, etc. All my storage drawers for tools are literally three feet from the bench. My bench is also adjustable height (Noden Adjust-A-Bench) so that very important feature to me limits what kind of storage I would put under the bench anyway.

[John TenEyck]

I use two benches \that face each other with about a 4 ft aisle between them. The one bench, which also serves as the off feed from my table saw, is a simple affair, a stout top with bench dog holes drilled in it, a bench vise is one corner, a metal working vise at the far, opposite corner, two drawers under the bench top, a shelf near the bottom, and a small cabinet with router bits under one end. The sides and back are covered with plywood to make the bench stable, and I hang various jigs on the back. That shelf holds most of my portable power tools, like, drills and drivers, routers, and sanders. I keep glue bottles and sandpaper on the shelf, too. The other bench is a Euro style bench with two banks of drawers underneath, as well as an open shelf. I keep my frequently used hand planes on that shelf for easy access. I keep less frequently used and specialty planes in the larger drawers, and squares, marking tools, etc. in the smaller upper drawers.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHd9Cf_K_ZvhmtL1ZgpHwkeG5OGWBOhCiHJgBptHGem0E9 WfeNeUboxLusOtiKZPrvuUXnlY8TGI5fKzO-bPRGRxmHan-3NQutLrN6EioTUZYAcxOicg-U0gKwHHqbsZBReR2BAdC_ZdOW6sonVjkmPP5g=w1180-h885-s-no?authuser=0

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHdFs6JjtQYtVmQmEOcEsWy3kVrQXd3g2i2VEYCXernZfj _Kan0mUsFa43h9r_teURyhnKX5J-YBXkpO7o6bDcmbDHpXBjkXYx_PTieohBY_EfQXkT6XbC7xWFBM pcsPmSFa1cM9q1DrgioLN_2B6ACIsA=w800-h600-s-no?authuser=0


John

[Michael Burnside]

I love drawers, I have several in my workbench and all over my shop in the form of Husky toolboxes. I loath most things hanging on the wall besides a few clamps and misc items...can't stand the clutter or the dust that collects. We're all different and that's ok, I just find drawers keeps things clean, organized, more efficient and flexible. Everything has an exact home thanks to my OCD :D. I also know where exactly everything is, so I'm not much of a label guy. Adam Savage and I vehemently disagree that "drawers are where things go to die" but I think he is slowly changing his tune :p

Anyway, in the workbench drawers I keep shims, deck of cards, marking gauges, deadblow and wood hammer, small chisels for cleanup, block plane, attachments for my Woodpeckers story sticks, dogs, sanding blocks, cookies (not the kind you eat), painters pyramids, sanding blocks and other hand sanding bits and 20 bandy-clamps and some Kreg Automaxx clamps for the 1545 extrusion around my bench where I can clamp vertically/horizontally as needed while I work on something. Basically everything I use for layout and hardware installation with the exception of my smaller squares, pencils, tapes, etc. that all sit atop my Festool DC cart as that thing is mobile and always within arms reach. Everything is organized and nothing is completely packed so that I can adjust priorities from time to time.

[George Yetka]

509291
Top Left are my safety supplies, batteries etc
top middle are my glueing/finishing supplies/Pyramids/bench cookies etc
Top right are my chisels and mallet
middle left is 18 gauge pneumatic and 18 gauge gas pin nailers and brads
Middle middle is marking/layout(overflowing)
Middle right are card scrapers and coping saw
Bottom left is stapler and staples
bottom middle is 16 and 23 gauge nailers
Bottom right is all my planes.

Above the drawers is a nice gap that holds shooting board/bench hook/PVC for glue ups/12- 12" parallel clamps

[glenn bradley]

Over the years this has evolved. Items not used often have gotten moved farther and farther away. For fun I just went and looked. This sounds like a lot but only takes up a few shallow drawers:

12' tape, 1-2-3 block, 4" setup bars, 6" rule, rule stops, calipers, marking knife and wheel gauges, bench dogs, bench stops, holddowns, hockey pucks (material elevators), paring chisel, 3 butt chisels, awl, putty knife, pencil, and a shop knife.

[Paul F Franklin]

Here are my under bench drawers:

509319

Left side top to bottom:

Rules and straightedges and other measuring tools
Squares and marking tools
Screwdrivers, awls, various pliers, knives, scissors
Striking tools
Various cordless drill drivers, bits and accessories

Right side, top to bottom

Measuring tapes, marking tools, pens/pencils and a bunch of misc stuff like magnifiers, etc.
Chisels, scrapers, misc.
Triangles, protractors (digital and regular) curves, circle guides, inside/outside radius gauges, dividers, calipers, etc.
Machine setup tools: digital height and depth gauges, setup blocks, angle blocks, feeler gauges, etc.
Planes, shaves, and the like. I'm mostly a power tool guy, so plane selection is pretty basic.

On top of the drawer unit, I keep a bench brush and various dogs and hold-downs, and also use it for temp place to set tools I'm using to keep them off the bench top. And my assembly bench is a couple feet behind me when I'm working at the bench, so it's handy to set tools and parts to keep them off the bench.

[Brian Tymchak]

Here are my under bench drawers:

509319



That's too pretty to be a real work bench Paul. ;)

[Paul F Franklin]

That's too pretty to be a real work bench Paul. ;)

LOL, that pic was shortly after I finished it...it's not so pretty now..

[Derek Cohen]

https://i.postimg.cc/4XvrLQjJ/4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Most of the bench drawers have a sliding tray which creates two layers. Marking tools and chisels. Here are a few drawers ... more than this will overwhelm :) ...

https://i.postimg.cc/WVftBJ0P/3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/nZz66Rbn/Drawer3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/dFnbNMfW/Drawer4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/D782LQJh/3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/mLNRB8qY/4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/q4BBMHpz/6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/qB4s4sL9/1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/Zbr8G7r8/2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/LRpBtSpN/4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Roger Feeley]

I used to have drawers and cupboards but I just trashed them. My current shop has almost no drawers or cupboards. Almost everything is visible on the wall, up in the floor trusses or on an open shelf. So far, it’s worked out much better for me.

[Warren Lake]

the germans I knew when apprenticed had a roll cabinet that sat beside their bench. It had drawers and tools and could support them on the bench or roll to other places either beside the work or extra support outfeed on a machine. Each one had a roll cabinet in their own shops in later years same as when they learned.

My old ulmias have drawers (poorly made) and a support shelf below. Floor cabinets with drawers take up space that machines could occupy, like Roger I put stuff on the wall, you can see and grab it faster than any drawer and in a small space its more efficient to use space that was doing nothing.

Ive thought about drawers below the ulmias rather than the one they came with, may happen in sometime but ill always use walls for storage.

[mike stenson]

I have cabinets under my old bench. I skipped it on my new one. They saved space, but the work being held was almost always in the way of opening the drawer I needed. Now I work from a chest.

[Derek Cohen]

the germans I knew when apprenticed had a roll cabinet that sat beside their bench. It had drawers and tools and could support them on the bench or roll to other places either beside the work or extra support outfeed on a machine. Each one had a roll cabinet in their own shops in later years same as when they learned.

My old ulmias have drawers (poorly made) and a support shelf below. Floor cabinets with drawers take up space that machines could occupy, like Roger I put stuff on the wall, you can see and grab it faster than any drawer and in a small space its more efficient to use space that was doing nothing.

Ive thought about drawers below the ulmias rather than the one they came with, may happen in sometime but ill always use walls for storage.

Warren, I should mention that there is a write up of my underbench build on my website. The intention was to create a manual for drawer building and all these are fine furniture quality.

Scan down this index page: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/index.html

Full extension is achieved without mechanical slides.

https://i.postimg.cc/sVmbKJPh/1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Warren Lake]

thanks Derek will look. No questions about your work. You recessed your drawer fronts and your hand work speaks for itself.

[John Kananis]

Derek, beautifully done - as always.

I've done full extension drawers by making the side rails longer than the drawer and installing a stop in the back. I'm scrolling through your sight but can't find the right link to see how you did this. Can you help with a little direction? Thank you!

[Derek Cohen]

John, the link again to the index page ....

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/index.html

Then scroll down to "Underbench Cabinet: a drawer design and making opus (2020/1)"

Case is mitred through dovetails ..

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet1_html_m6c77011.jpg

Taken before the drawers began - dados and sliding dovetails for dividers ...

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet11_html_7515732f.jpg


Chapters of interest: "Dovetailing for Blood" ... https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet14.html

"Dovetailing for Blood, part 2" ... https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinetDovetailingForBlood2.html

"Dovetailing for Blood, part 3" ... https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/DovetailingForBlood3.html

"Drawer Bottoms and Slips" ... https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinetDrawerBottomsSlips.html

Drawers, showing extension ...

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinetCompletionCabinet_html_5b8cb296.j pg

The reason is the piston fit of the drawers. This does not mean "tight" drawers. This means well designed and executed to close tolerances. Check out "Before the Drawers", above.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John Kananis]

Derek, thank you for all the detail...I'll enjoy reading through.

Edit: I understand now btw, I'm curious to find out whether you used stops or are just careful not to pull them out all the way haha.

[Derek Cohen]

John, no stops. You stop pulling when the rear of the drawer is close :)

Regards from Perth

Derek