blade keepers

[Sean Hughto]

I posted this on Knots, but no one seemed interested, so I thought maybe I'd find some more die hard galoots over here (i.e., folks more tolerant of crazy simple and esoteric hand tools topics).

In the vein of tool cabinets, shooting boards, and sharpening stone boxes, one comes across small shop made implements to keep exposed blades covered on various hand tools - leather sheathes, wood holders and covers, etc. I'm always looking for good solutions - just like storage (tool boxes and cabinets) or sharpening etc. Aldren Watson has some of this kind of thing in the appendix of "Hand Tools; their ways and workings." Anyway, here are a few of mine, for what it may be worth. I'd be interested in seeing any other tool keeping sorts of stuff if you all have any to share.

[Jamie Buxton]

What I use on chisels is not nearly so elegant, but is much easier to do. I use short lengths of flexible vinyl tubing. You can buy the stuff in a wide range of diameters. Select a diameter which requires that the tubing flatten somewhat to go over the chisel tip.

[harry strasil]

each of my chisels has a custom made leather boot made from the cuff leather of old welding gauntlets, and each of my saws has a custom made wood tooth guard.

[Brian Kent]

I love it.

I tend to cover my blades with split hand skin. Just store them in a dark drawer and occasionally thrust your bare hand in the drawer, and your hand skin conforms perfectly to the shape of the blade.

I like your idea better.

[Jeff Wittrock]

I really like the "scorp guard". I doubt I would have the discipline to always put it back on when I was done, but it sure looks nice in addition to protecting the edge.

-Jeff

[Roy Wall]

Sean -

I enjoy seeing these ideas too.......good stuff!

I have a leather pouch to hold the scraper blades.....standard fair.

[Peter Bell]

I have just completed a " Mike Wenzloff " brass backed clone Dovetail saw using Mike's saw steel and his brass saw nuts.

I was also trying to think up ways to protect the blade and protect its sharp teeth.

Thanks for posting and I hope this thread keeps on for a bit longer.

Peter.

[Jeff Skory]

I love it.

I tend to cover my blades with split hand skin. Just store them in a dark drawer and occasionally thrust your bare hand in the drawer, and your hand skin conforms perfectly to the shape of the blade.

LOL I love that description!!

Sean, those are very nice looking covers. Good idea.

[David Keller NC]

Folks - One warning about using leather as a blade edge cover - I thoroughly rusted the plate of a brand new LN saw by storing it in a leather cover. And that was with a coat of oil and in a humidity (low humidity) controlled shop. The acids used in the tanning process, particularly the chrome tanning process, can greatly accelerate the corrosion of tool steel. Soething to keep in mind if you decide to make your own covers out of leather scraps.

[Jim McFarland]

I have just completed a " Mike Wenzloff " brass backed clone Dovetail saw using Mike's saw steel and his brass saw nuts.

I was also trying to think up ways to protect the blade and protect its sharp teeth.

Thanks for posting and I hope this thread keeps on for a bit longer.

Peter.

Not exactly in the same spirit as making your own...but Tools for Working Wood sells saw guard in 5 foot lengths...

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...arch=saw guard

[mike holden]

Sean,
While those are neat, small projects. Blade guards that are separate from storage strike me as being like the "never-ready" cases they sell for cameras. It is just one more thing to remove that keeps you from just picking up the tool and using it. Build storage so that the tool is both protected and readily available. I even changed from a cabinet to open shelving above my workbench because I found myself *not* grabbing the tool I really needed because it was too difficult to get to. Yeah, I got dust on my tools, but I use them more often. Just my take on this.
Mike

[Sean Hughto]

Each to their own, no doubt. I use my drawknife so frequently that it is out on my bench nearly all the time. I suppose if the rest of my bench was perpetually neat and tidy, it might be okay, but that ain't how my bench ends up a lot of the time. It take literally less than one second (one mississippi) to slide the friction fit keeper on. The scorp keeper probably takes - oh two seconds. While the adze take 10 seconds, I find it comforting to have covered with an 8 year old around the house. Also, these gurads are not intended to just to keep me from getting nicked, they are (perhaps even more importantly) intended to keep the sharpened blades form beeing nicked or dulled. These three items are some of the more challenging to sharpen, so some protection seems worthwhile.

[Tom Wiarda]

Here is a leather handsaw scabbard.

[Dan Andrews]

I have made a wooden box with a slot for each size chizel, including a single that I cary in my carpentry box. Saw tills with unfinished pine slot for each blade to rest in. A wall rack for files with a slot for each so they don't rub together. I don't care for individual tool edge protection for tools that stay in the shop or old tool collection. Right now I keep my planes on a shelf laying on thier sides. A proprer rack for them is next.

[Sean Hughto]

A very quick and dirty backsaw till I made this week from some scraps:



These guys had no good home, so I whipped this up in a couple evenings. The sides are sycamore, the cross bar maple, and the rest cherry. No fancy joinery, but I think it'll do.