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Thread: Shop Project: Small Plane Till

  1. #1
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    Shop Project: Small Plane Till

    I've never had a plane till in my shop...they were always kept in a cabinet or under the workbench earlier on. That changed with the new shop. This project is the first of what will probably be multiple small shop projects to make woodworking tool specific storage for the OmniWall setup I chose for the new shop building.

    Given this was one of those things I wanted to "work things out" with before committing to the "nice wood", I initially build a prototype out of scrap plywood. This helped with a number of things and also rulled out the use of two magnetic strips to hold it to the metal wall system as that also required some bolts due to the weight. The magnet strips were also too wide. It also helped with finding a good compromise for the angle of the storage face and the arrangement of the actual tools. Here are a few shots of that prototype process...and yea, it was somewhat ugly.

    IMG_3813.jpg IMG_3814.jpg IMG_3815.jpg

    The "real deal" came next, this time made from scrap oak left from a stairway project, a small piece of 1/4" thick oak veneer plywood and some repurposed oak strip flooring I was given years ago. Four inexpensive metal shelf brackets (the older single row, flimsy type that went into standards mounted to the wall) rounded out the materials. The construction was sized so that it would be an exact fit between brackets in the outermost slots of the wall system...14 7/8" exactly. (While I prefer to work in metric for projects, the wall system is on exact 1" spacing, so...) The height of the tray is 20" for reference. And just to be contrary, the strips of wood used to divide the space up are 15mm wide.

    So here's the complete tray and arrangement for my small plane collection. You'll note that the rabbit plane is resting on its side...the best way to keep in in the tray without having a much, much steeper angle which would be uncomfortable for access up on the wall. (and it's wee wittle baby version is just above it. )

    IMG_3827.jpg

    Of course, that was the easy, flat part of the project. Due to its nature, the tray has to be angled so that the heavy metal things it will hold don't fall out. I needed to increase the angle a bit from the prototype for sure, and the piece of oak stair I had was just about the right width so that cutting it corner to corner would result in a reasonable angle that did the holding job without making getting to the tools uncomfortable as they are about 5' up off the floor. Clamping the material to the slider wagon such that the initial corner to corner cut could be made worked out very nicely. This doesn't have to be perfect as the next steps would clean the edges and make the two triangular pieces identical. At this point, things are a "no measuring" type of activity.

    IMG_3828.jpg

    After splitting the material as shown, the two pieces were tacked together with some 23 gauge pin nails with one edge completely lined up. The ends were trimmed perpendicular to that edge and then the long angled edge was trimmed to produce identical triangles. This is, give or take, about 30 degrees or so, but I did not measure it as it was not important.

    IMG_3829.jpg IMG_3830.jpg

    Those pieces were pried apart and test fit with the tray to determine the actual length required and marked...taped back together and then the points were removed back on the saw.

    IMG_3831.jpg
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #2
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    "Meanwhile"...there was a little variability in the height of the oak strips used to delineate the organization in the tray, so the drum sander was pulled out (after removing the stuff stacked on it...), hooked up to the DC and then used to take a few leveling passes.

    IMG_3832.jpg

    The triangular sides were permanently attached to the tray using glue and 23 gage pins and a top and bottom stretcher was installed to keep things square and strong.

    IMG_3833.jpg

    The next step was to get the till up on the wall to determine placement of the repurposed shelf brackets so they could be modified and made part of the structure. The bottom ones were done first, using the other two to actually hold up the box while marking things. This allowed for finding the cut line to trim off the length of the brackets as well as make a general determination for location and number of screws...three in the case of the bottom brackets.

    IMG_3834.jpg

    Ye olde hacksaw did the deed of shortening the brackets...

    IMG_3835.jpg

    ...and the drill press made nice holes and countersinks

    IMG_3836.jpg

    The lower brackets were then temporarily installed on the case

    IMG_3837.jpg

    And that sucker went up on the wall.

    IMG_3838.jpg

    The process was repeated for the upper brackets as this allowed for positioning them exactly so that the whole assembly could slip onto the grid and also be removed from the grid. With four double points of contact from these repurposed shelf brackets, it can handle the weight and isn't coming down without intent.

    IMG_3839.jpg

    One small note about the inexpensive shelf brackets. I bought two from HD a week ago to confirm that the spacing was correct. I bought two from Lowes yesterday because I knew I needed a total of four. The former were Rubbermaid brand and have thinner metal than the latter from Lowe's (house brand). For future projects, I'll be using the slightly sturdier version from Lowes. Pretty much the same price...more metal. They only come in white these days, so painting them is going to happen as you'll see.
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 01-25-2023 at 9:12 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
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    It wouldn't be a proper project without confirming everything fits and stays in place so that was what came next...loading it up. That worked out very nicely.

    IMG_3841.jpg

    For a simple finish, the wood got a single-ish coat of Varathane satin with a foam brush since I had that in the cabinet. I say single-ish because as soon as I got around with the initial coat, I went over the whole thing with the foam brush and a little more finish to smooth things out with no wait time between the "coats". The brackets got a quick spray of rattle can black paint.

    IMG_3842.jpg IMG_3843.jpg

    And that, folks, is the end of this project. It looks nice. Only cost about 8-10 bucks in new spending (for the brackets). Is quite sturdy and most importantly...fits on the wall system like a glove.

    IMG_E3850.jpg IMG_E3851.jpg
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 01-25-2023 at 9:18 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
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    Cincinnati, Ohio
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    Nicely done Jim! Looking forward to seeing the wall as it develops.

  5. #5
    Well done Jim. You do realize though that it is going to be too small and will need to be expanded.
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Anderson NH View Post
    Well done Jim. You do realize though that it is going to be too small and will need to be expanded.
    LOL...not likely, but there are two things on there that could go away and get replaced with something equally small. I honestly don't do a lot of hand plane work...when I use one, it's for a functional need. I have no real passion about using them otherwise. The LN LA block plane gets the most use overall for sure and the LN bronze #4 gets most of the other time.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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