Plane Storage?

[Erich Weidner]

As my assortment (it's not a collection! Really!) of planes has grown. My current arrangement of having them on a shelf in plane socks is getting annoying.
Not enough room so I have to really nestle some in. It is just about even with my eye line, so picking out the plane I want can take some time and fishing into the sock only to discover I've grabbed the wrong plane, ...go fish.

Plus, I'm still learning which planes I like for which jobs, so often I pull out two or three. (My crappy bench is tiny and wobbly so I really can't keep the plane I'm not actively using safely on the bench top).

At any rate, I'm now lusting after a better plane storage solution. Preferably one where I can:
1. See the planes so I grab the right one, or at least have them logically laid out so I can grab the right one.
2. Keep dust off
3. Keep them from rusting.

I'm in central Texas, and while it isn't super humid (it's not Houston). I've had rust develop on tools left sitting too long if I don't keep them waxed/oiled and/or in the plane sack. I have come to dislike the plane sacks/socks.

[David Carroll]

I'm sure there's as many opinions about this as there are people who use planes, but I like to keep my most used planes (No. 5, No. 7, No. 4, and a few specialty and block planes) right near my bench in the top of my Dutch tool chest (in progress). Since I am using them regularly they are inspected and any rust issues dealt with immediately.

As for the rest (and I have a hundred others, more or less) they mostly go in open shelves. They do get dusty and that sucks, but since they're out in the open where I can see them, I can see if any are getting rusty, and deal with it before it's a big problem. Dust is easier to remove than rust.

My feeling is that if I had them out of sight in chests or cabinets that I'd forget about them and they could start to rust before I checked on them.

DC

[Jim Matthews]

Is there a low ledge on your bench?

My planes are in a large plywood box, fixed to the bench on wooden table slide runners that extend.

I keep my frequently used planes, right there.
I clean up at the end of every session and oil the blade/cap iron. There's a corrosion inhibitor in the storage box.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...osion-emitters

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Some prefer to have planes up in a till - but I keep them close by - the catch is you might need something yo act as a dust cover.

[lowell holmes]

I store mine on a high shelf. I store other things in clear plastic shoe boxes.

[steven c newman]

Maybe just a display case...
Plane Til, project post, 1.JPG
That way you can see which plane you want to grab...then open a door..
Plane Til, project post, both doors opened.JPG
And grab what you need. can either set on an old dresser, or just hang it on a wall.

[Erich Weidner]

I guess it is coming down to:
1. Tool chest
2. Tool cabinet
3. Just on a shelf
4. Just under the bench.

I've seen a few threads on the chest vs wall cabinet topic... I admit I like the idea of both. My wall space is super limited... but so is my floor space.
I'm in 1/2 of a 2 car garage, so I don't really know what would be better. I can roll a chest out of the way (like I do my router table and CMS table, and tablesaw). Now I have the planes on a shelf that is hard to reach over the bench and tablesaw (which is parked next to the bench when not in use, on wheels, see below).

I can temporarily use the 2nd half for assembly and dragging things out of the workshop half, but need to be able to get it into car parking mode whenever hail threatens. (Happens often enough in central Texas that I have to be prepared every time thunderstorms are predicted). The truck fends for itself outside in the driveway, but the mid-life crisis-mobile/toy car can't be risked. ) Ultimately I need to get rid of stuff and make some hard decisions about what to keep. I can fit everything in the workshop side of the garage, but then I can't work in it. So car has to go to the driveway, then roll out the router table and CMS table. Using the Tablesaw is a pain for example. Drag out, deploy outfeed table, hook up dust collector open garage door to have enough clearance to make cuts for anything longer than 3-4'.
Lord, I just hijacked my own thread with how cluttered my shop is...

[Robert Hartmann]

I vote for a chest (Schwarz inspired one) especially for small spaces and a little portability. You can get a lot in one built to your needs and it has the added benefit of humidity and dust control. I built mine while stationed in the Netherlands. My shop was in the cellar with the humidity at a constant 65-70 and never had a rust problem. I've thought about building some nice cabinets now that I'm back in the states, but found I like the chest. I'm currently in NE PA and still have a humidity problem, but the tools in my chest never rust. I kept a couple rechargeable desiccant filters in it while in the Netherlands, but haven't needed them here.

[steven c newman]

Thinking about using those foam drawer liners ( Snap-on? ) that prevents rust on the tools laying on it. Worth looking into...

Dad always wiped his Mechanic's tools down with that oily rag he was using.....before he put them back into the toolchest...

[Brian Hale]

Years ago, in a previous life, i built a cabinet with doors and drawers to store my planes, chisels and various other stuff but found that i always had several planes on a sitting on the second bench. As new planes found their way into the shop they didn't have a home. It made it much more convenient to grab what i wanted when they were sitting out. When i finished building my current shop i scrapped the cabinet and built a 14' long "bench" under the windows and spread the planes out on it. It's unlikely I'll go back to a storage cabinet.

For rust prevention, for the last ~20 years or so I wipe everything down with a "rag-in-a-can" containing mineral oil.

20200517_143932_DxO.jpg

[Phil Gaudio]

You can also store them in a drawer (fitted in Kaizen foam):

[Jim Matthews]

You can also store them in a drawer (fitted in Kaizen foam):

Note the container of rust inhibitor.

[Phil Gaudio]

Note the container of rust inhibitor.

Good catch: I've been using these for years, along with dehumidification in the shop. Zero rust issues.

[Erich Weidner]

When i finished building my current shop i scrapped the cabinet and built a 14' long "bench" under the windows and spread the planes out on it. It's unlikely I'll go back to a storage cabinet.

That does look convenient. For me I've not got the space for a linear storage shelf.
I only have one wall in my "workshop" that I can use. (~15'). The garage door is one side and the water heater closet on the other.

[Erich Weidner]

You can also store them in a drawer (fitted in Kaizen foam):

That actually might be what I end up doing... I'm thinking about it now. Rolling cart with multiple levels (drawers) might just be the best of both worlds.

[Erich Weidner]

I vote for a chest (Schwarz inspired one) especially for small spaces and a little portability.

I've read the book and watched the build video (numerous times) of the Anarchist's Tool Chest. It looks cool. And I am a sucker for traditionalism.
I've also started to pare down all the tools and jigs I own. But I don't think I can get down to where I'd be happy to only own a #5, #8, and #4. I've not seen one of these in person, but it doesn't look like I could store a gaggle of hand planes in one and still have room for other tools. (And once the bottom is full of planes, I don't think the sliding trays would store many more planes efficiently. ...but I'm talking out of my posterior since I've never used a chest like that and never seen one in the flesh to know how well I could store a plane collection. (I've got probably 20 planes or so at this point.)

PS I'm from NW Pennsylvania originally.