Taming the Tools

[sallyinwales]

One of my projects for this winter is to move Gareth's woodworking workshop out of what is allegedly a spare bedroom and into a real shed. As part of that, I know we are going to unearth boxes and boxes of tools, raw materials (wood, bone and horn mostly, some metal and leather) and various part finished projects.

Anyone got any brilliant tips for taming the tools? I'm hoping to get him two sheds, one to work in and one for raw material storage cos I think its probably much nicer to be able to go into a big walk in cupboard and look at racks of wood, horn etc than rummaging round in dusty boxes that are underfoot for it, but strategies for taming teh tools would be good too.

 

[John Fenna]

When you find a way - let me know!
My house and garage need your help... anybodies help....help!

 

[spamel]

Get a sturdy chest of drawers. Line them with really thick foam with cut outs for each individual tool. Any duplicates get put to one side for the moment, what's the point in having three tape measures?! This method is used in military tool boxes, which also makes checking for missing tools a lot easier. Everything has its place and is easy to find. If there are loads of tools, maybe put two layers of foam in each drawer, a piece of board under the foam with webbing strap handles to lift the top foam off of the bottom one, two layers of tools.

 

[Seagull]

Sally, if floor area is an issue, then it may be worth considering "shadow boards".
They,re wall mounted panels and are easily made from MDF.
Each hand tool has its outline " felt tipped" in indelible marker and this space has a couple of spring clips to hold each tool.......as Spam says, you'll know if ones missing from its place.


Ceeg

 

[Wayland]

With me a big multi drawer toolbox sorted the tools but it is the materials that my workshop is buried under.

It's so tempting to get materials like leather, fabric, antler or bone just because it's nice and you might not see it again.

The result is a monstrous pile of stuff that you may, one day, make into something if you can just decide what.....

 

[baggins]

Just use a dinning room table and the surrounding floor space (that's what i do)
just best not let swmbo see this thread or she'l be getting ideas
Baggins

 

[weaver]

Some ideas:

http://www.mannyswoodworkersplace.com/277a.html

http://www.furnitureplans.com/pi_pr...ent=3932&location=www.woodworkersworkshop.com

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Workshop/WorkshopPDF.aspx?id=27574




And this one just for fun!

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=28061

 

[demographic]

Although I don't mind making things (I am a carpenter so its my job) I really do think that sometimes its better to just get ready built storage solutions instead of making them yourself, otherwise you need a load more tools to make them and you need to store those as well.
Plus lets face it, sometimes you just want those things out of the way, NOW.

Theres cheaper toolchests about and every once in a while old joiners toolchests, toolboxes turn up on Ebay.

I just went to Machine mart and bought one of their rolling toolchests to store all my bike tools.

Then I can put a hardwood worktop on it

I also made a Joiners box when I was at college with bookmatched american wallnut drawer fronts dovetailed into oak drawer sides but it took ages to get as far as I did and I still never put the catches on it

Nowadays I can't be arsed and just want the space.

Those shadow/pin boards are very good as are the wall cabinets cos they are dead simple to make and provide usefull space quickly.

 

[sallyinwales]

tool boards on the wall would make sense, certainly for all the frequently used tools

 

[shep]

Axminster do a cheap pegged tool board, which allows you to move everything around if you decide you didn't get it right first time, or add more things in a given category.
They're easy enough to make with MDF and nails too, but not as flexible.

 

[sallyinwales]

Hmm, I always find browsing the Axminster catalogue turns into an expensive excercise, I can always find something new we decide we really need (oops)

 

[BlackPacker]

If he has that many tools, think in stations. My shop is currently divided into four stations:
My main work space, which is a workshop table with clamps, pegs, etc and all frequently used tools hanging on walls. It is here I go when loading my tool bag for jobs, so it is one side of the barn doors.

On the other side of the barn doors are my garden tools. Picks, tiller, chainsaws, prybars, shovels etc. Instead of hanging every garden tool, I have a 3 foot high wooden box about 1 foot across I put them in, handle down, so I can quickly grab what I need.

The back wall is the wood working area. It is a bench running the length of the wall (20 feet) with a depressed area in the middle leveled out for a miter saw, and a drill press. All connections are countersunk and the wood is sanded to keep me from screwing up projects. On the left side of the bench is a shelf and peg board with my electronics stuff and a large piece of non-conductive plastic (a piece static proof floor mat) that covers that whole side of the bench for soldering work. On the right hand side of the saw and drill press, I have built the shop table to work as a router table by adding a routertable plate right to the work surface. The end result is that I can work with long pieces of wood using the whole length of the table. My next project is a set of movable islands the same hight for working with wide and long plywood.

Between the wood bench and the main bench is a rack for materials, beside which sits my slingshot, tomahawk, pellet rifle and other boyish toyish things. Smash a thumb? Go shoot something.

So nice that you're doing this for him. I'm setting up my bosses shop for him this winter as well. Excited, as I do most of the handy work there now, and using/finding his tools is an ordeal. Good luck.

 

[mr dazzler]

In my little shop I use a clasic tool chest on wheel's with 3 lift out trays to store adzes, various less used files/chisles/carving tool's etc. Planes are kept on a special shelfs, saws (with edge protector's on each one) are hung up on seperate rails, hammers and nail bar's on a seprate board. Most comonnly used tols are up on a wall shadow board, brace bits and main chisles upright in hole's. Bench has a back board, horses sit under the bench next to window when not in use, stones have a special safe place on shelf where they wont get knocked off. Large boards are kept in the rafters or neatly stacked at one end of the shop, ash handle blanks stored in bundles on shelfs also abrasive's, and oil paint's/waxes/oils/stains/thinners/aceleraotrors own spot on shelfs. Stick blanks wherever convenient; brush &shovell next to door, ladders in rafters, all other stuff on wall shelfs (floor to ceiling built in) Chainsaw/router/sds drills/ripsaw etc all kept on shelfs. If I keep it all in order theres room enough to build a umiak and still sit back in a comfy chair
PS I have a large and a small wood tol tote to carry bits for different jobs, canvas bass for plumbig and tiling tools. My level's are hung from a wall board

 

[Mike Ameling]

Tool boxes? Wall racks? Peg boards? Drawers? Rafters, walls, floors?

I ... I ... I just can't understand what y'all are talking about? I must have landed in some ... fairey tale or fantasy land!

My "shop" is 5 sheets of old roofing tin held up by a combination of a tree, several 2x4's, and some old tipi poles. The "walls" are a couple ratty plastic tarps that come most of the way down to the ground. And the floor is packed earth!

Tools, metal, supplies, wood, grinder, drillpress, etc. are stacked around the fringes with my forge and workbench somewhere near the middle. The workbench has the anvil on one corner, and the legvise on the other. The "working" tools are in a couple tray type wood boxes on the bottom shelf of the workbench. A couple electrical drop cords supply the lights and power.

So I guess I can't give you much helpful advice. My working "shop" is wherever I happen to be when I need to make/fix/repair something. I even have a small portable workbench/anvil/vise in my living room - for cold working small iron like fish hooks, awls, sheet iron pipes, brass broach pins, etc.

I guess I will have to do a little research on this concept of a REAL WORKSHOP.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[demographic]

Tool boxes? Wall racks? Peg boards? Drawers? Rafters, walls, floors?

I ... I ... I just can't understand what y'all are talking about? I must have landed in some ... fairey tale or fantasy land!

My "shop" is 5 sheets of old roofing tin held up by a combination of a tree, several 2x4's, and some old tipi poles. The "walls" are a couple ratty plastic tarps that come most of the way down to the ground. And the floor is packed earth!

Tools, metal, supplies, wood, grinder, drillpress, etc. are stacked around the fringes with my forge and workbench somewhere near the middle. The workbench has the anvil on one corner, and the legvise on the other. The "working" tools are in a couple tray type wood boxes on the bottom shelf of the workbench. A couple electrical drop cords supply the lights and power.

So I guess I can't give you much helpful advice. My working "shop" is wherever I happen to be when I need to make/fix/repair something. I even have a small portable workbench/anvil/vise in my living room - for cold working small iron like fish hooks, awls, sheet iron pipes, brass broach pins, etc.

I guess I will have to do a little research on this concept of a REAL WORKSHOP.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

If mine wasn't secure it(and the two motorbikes in the shed) would be stripped bare in about a week.

 

[sallyinwales]

If mine wasn't secure it(and the two motorbikes in the shed) would be stripped bare in about a week.

Yep, us too. Sadly anything not nailed down is likely to go missing in this area