Thomas Canfield
09-20-2006, 11:23 PM
Seeing several carry their tools in a plastic bucket gave me an idea to store my tools. I made half of the bucket to hold handled tools permanently attached, and the other half to handle the other items such as chucks, calipers, etc. lift out to gain access to lower section. The tool shanks have a PVC pipe to hold the tools vertical that is captured between a top plywood and bottom plywood (hole blind on bottom section to protect bucket bottom). The top plywood has a stepped hole to hold the PVC in place (PVC O.D. underside, and PVC I.D. or tool diam. on top). The back for the plywood sections make a handle for carrying, and I must admit making mine too tall and need to shorten it for easier carrying. There is a drawer that slides under the top plywood on the open section to hold small loose items. The LOML came up with using a pillow case for a dust cover and that also helps keep any tools from falling out when carrying.
I made cardboard templates for the plywood pieces to be sure of the fit in the tapered bucket. That also allowed making several layout tries to get the best fit for the tools. The 1 1/2" roughing gouge actually is held in place between the O.D. of a PVC pipe and the bucket by a slotted hole at the top. A circle cutting jig for the bandsaw and stacking the two sections for drilling, and forster bits made the work go fairly easy
There is a need to mark the end of the handles that all look alike, but you do tend to remember which tool is which after some use.
I have my eye on a square kitty litter container that might be the next version to gain a little more room. It does protect the sharp edges and the user a lot better than having loose tools. There is plenty of room for improvement.
I made cardboard templates for the plywood pieces to be sure of the fit in the tapered bucket. That also allowed making several layout tries to get the best fit for the tools. The 1 1/2" roughing gouge actually is held in place between the O.D. of a PVC pipe and the bucket by a slotted hole at the top. A circle cutting jig for the bandsaw and stacking the two sections for drilling, and forster bits made the work go fairly easy
There is a need to mark the end of the handles that all look alike, but you do tend to remember which tool is which after some use.
I have my eye on a square kitty litter container that might be the next version to gain a little more room. It does protect the sharp edges and the user a lot better than having loose tools. There is plenty of room for improvement.