Show me your chisel racks

[Robert Engel]

Toolcab9 copy.JPG

Magnets hold the blades in place.

[Barney Markunas]

Ken, you must have a VERY understanding better half. I would have heard "don't you already have chisels that do that?" when construction of the second rack started.
Brian, carpeting is probably kind to old bones and maybe even the unfortunately dropped tool, but isn't is a headache to clean?

Thanks to everyone for sharing.

[Brian Holcombe]

Here in California we have a name for meticulously made vertical racks like that: Earthquake bait.

It's every bit as fate-tempting as having the most blinged-out double-wide in Kansas.

If I lived in California I'd likely change them, but I like having everything right next to the tool/workbench that I use it at. it minimizes how often I'm digging through a toolbox. I'm guilty of buying things double for the fact that it's in a toolbox and forgotten about, this way that doesn't happen.

It may look fragile but it's actually pretty difficult to knock something off of most of these racks, especially the planes. I have a two year old who likes to visit the workshop (while I'm there) and so everything is increasingly made difficult for short people to get and increasingly sturdy. He's found a few things I've had in a toolbox and at which point they're immediately hung up on a wall where they're much harder to get. It's 'fun' for him to dig through some of the hardware I have in the bottom of one of my craftsman toolbox.

[Dan Hulbert]

IMG_1100.jpgThis is a wall hanging cabinet I recently made for my chisels. After it was done, I found that I had omitted the 7/8 chisel. Deconstruct and reconstruct. Handles sit in recesses, blades are tilted slightly and are held in place by rare earth magnets. I'm rather short so I needed the handles lower and thought this design might limit my opportunities for blood loss. Still working out what is going into the lid and how it will be held in place.

[mike holden]

My setup is a wee bit different as it captures the chisels by the blades. I screwed together several layers of plywood with grooves for the blades in the appropriate layer. I screwed it together so I could add or change grooves as needed. I have yet to replace a row, but have added several new grooves over the years.

Chisels.jpg

Mike

[lowell holmes]

Showoffs, my chisels are in a leather roll.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good stuff, gents, very good stuff!

I guess I just cannot resist, but I have various racks some are a bit hodge-podge and others are a bit more carefully produced. I have a line boring machine now so I might remake some of the longer racks so that everything is a bit more perfect/perfect. I used it to my the drill bit rack recently and was quite impressed by how nice the result is.







I have storage behind the fusuma for some festool things and I managed to get a craftsman toolbox in there as well and put all of my hardware and odd bits in there, drills, taps, files, etc.



This is from a month ago, but nothing really has changed in that corner.

Love your shop! Please tell me that's a granite surface plate and not a giant natural waterstone, because I would die if that's a giant natural waterstone. :-)

[Tony Wilkins]

Showoffs, my chisels are in a leather roll.

Mine too. Well, one leather and one canvas.

[Brian Holcombe]

Love your shop! Please tell me that's a granite surface plate and not a giant natural waterstone, because I would die if that's a giant natural waterstone. :-)

Thanks Malcolm!

Hah, yeah that is a granite surface plate. I've seen a natural stone that size, but a bit beyond me i'm sure.

[Patrick Chase]

Love your shop! Please tell me that's a granite surface plate and not a giant natural waterstone, because I would die if that's a giant natural waterstone. :-)

Yeah, same here. That shop is a thing of beauty.

[Brian Holcombe]

Yeah, same here. That shop is a thing of beauty.

Thanks Patrick!

[Hasin Haroon]

Here are (most of) mine. Not as elaborate as some others, but they were quick to build. It’s basically two strips of hardwood glued together with small spacers in between. The spacer is thicker to accommodate mortise chisels, thinner for regular chisels. For socket chisels, be sure to make the spacers thicker than the blades but less thick than your socket - that’ll prevent them from falling. The leather bit for the Ashley Ike’s is to prevent them from cutting me when I’m reaching for the chisels below them. I also use chisel rolls, as you can see. Just nail them in and they make excellent racks.

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[ken hatch]

Ken, you must have a VERY understanding better half. I would have heard "don't you already have chisels that do that?" when construction of the second rack started.
Brian, carpeting is probably kind to old bones and maybe even the unfortunately dropped tool, but isn't is a headache to clean?

Thanks to everyone for sharing.

Barney,

LOL, I do get an occasional "side eye" when the UPS girl drops off a package, but I've learned to act like I didn't notice and start talking about what is in the package. Once I start "building the clock" she quickly loses interest. A man has to be quick on his feet.

ken

[Stanley Covington]

Good stuff, gents, very good stuff!

I guess I just cannot resist, but I have various racks some are a bit hodge-podge and others are a bit more carefully produced. I have a line boring machine now so I might remake some of the longer racks so that everything is a bit more perfect/perfect. I used it to my the drill bit rack recently and was quite impressed by how nice the result is.







I have storage behind the fusuma for some festool things and I managed to get a craftsman toolbox in there as well and put all of my hardware and odd bits in there, drills, taps, files, etc.



This is from a month ago, but nothing really has changed in that corner.

Brian:

You need to get a long level!

[Todd Stock]

Single piece of wood with back edge angle adjusted to tilt the tool blade into contact with the backing boards (2' x 4' 3/4' ply on horizontal ledger strips). The backer boards are peppered with old screw holds that speak to how often things have been rearranged, which is why I prefer this approach to cabinets or chests. The angle on the back edge of the holder is what keeps the socket chisels stable in a constant diameter hole, so no need to generate a reamer to taper. Second guard strip under the blade is there to prevent any issues when a careless student returns a tool to the board with bevel toward backing boards - looks like it is in contact with the handle, but clears by enough to prevent any interference. Trim head screws for the kicker strips and standard deck screws or drywall screws for the holders, countersunk as needed to clear the tool ferrule. I make make up the holder with a square back edge, then trim until all of the blades just touch the backing board, with cranked neck stuff set up to lie in contact with the backer.

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I've found that with students, closed holders are more likely to produce dropped tools (versus the lift-and-pull open racks), so other than the mortise chisels and floats, most are open. There's another board in the repair section of the shop that had some duplicates, but mostly my personal stuff that I prefer not to share. All of the specialty luthiery tools are in roll-arounds on the repair side, carving tools in drawer-stored rolls (I don't do enough carving - besides necks and bracing - to justify the wall space), and the boatbuilding and timber framing edges and saws live in site boxes back in the storage room.