chisel rack

[Paul Saffold]

I've been working on organizing my shop. The latest is a chisel rack. I blatantly copied one from Bob Easton's blog http://www.bob-easton.com/blog/?s=chisel+rack which he got from a carvers forum.

Well I say I copied but I made a couple of changes. I used straight stock for the lower support and I dovetailed both the front and back supports to the side pieces. The rack lifts off of the french cleat and can be moved to the workbench. It is quite stable. A fun little project to get some of the chisels out of a drawer. I need to make at least 1 more rack.

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[Pat Barry]

It looks nice but I worry about all the very sharp pointy things facing upward. Why did you do it that way?

[Terry Beadle]

Nice rack ! In mixed company that would get me in trouble...hoot!

To protect the tips, you might try and add an upper dado'ed rail. One that would let you lift up and then rotate the bottom out and down. it would keep them from falling in an earth quake too..once every 2000 yrs..hoot!

Protecting the tips is good but what is better is not getting your self cut when reaching over or around the chisel rack. I learned that the hard way.

Just some thing to think about. Enjoy the process !

[Paul Saffold]

The tips are up so they may be seen. Of all the risk we face every day, this is not much to be concerned about. Yes, Terry, when I finish the next one I'll have a nice pair.

[Jim Koepke]

The tips are up so they may be seen. Of all the risk we face every day, this is not much to be concerned about. Yes, Terry, when I finish the next one I'll have a nice pair.

My concern with such a design is it looks easy for a chisel to be accidentally knocked out of place and falling.

I also prefer for sharp edges to be stored in such a way as to make it difficult to have accidents.

just my 2¢ Two Cents.jpg.

jtk

[john brenton]

Love that little reamer. I use mine all the time. It's one of those things that I worry about having to replace one day.

[Bob Easton]

I also prefer for sharp edges to be stored in such a way as to make it difficult to have accidents.
jtk

Rarely do I find reason to quibble with Jim. I'll rebut his concern with one simple observation. Almost every shop accident comes from momentary lack of attention, the ease of doing a common task so often that one takes it in stride and forgets to be careful. All of those sharp edges sticking up are an ever present reminder to be cautious. My own experience is that I have had absolutely NO accidental cuts getting tools out of these racks as compared to the points-down style I used before.

As for falling, the angled ramp keeps the tools tilted back very nicely. I trust them, and I have concrete floors in my shop.

Paul, nice looking racks ... but dovetails are over the top, don't you think? (just teasing, not a dovetailer)

[Bob Strawn]

I sort of copied your rack.



Because I work outdoors, the ability to take out just what I need and put it up is nice. So the smaller rack on a cleat was a great method.

I have ended up making quite a few of them.



The boxes are coated on the outside with marine grade epoxy, just in case I am surprised by a bit of rain.

I am still playing with form and layout, but they are so pretty I want them as decorations on the walls in my house. Image these on rows of French Cleats used as book shelves, spice racks, or just about anything else that needs organizing.

Here is a closer look at the idea and here is my blog entry on it.

In this closer view the lovely chisel rack does not hold onto chisels as well as I think a chisel rack should. After having tried quite a few variations, I think that your method of holding chisels with the modification of a top over it to prevent accidental contact with sharp edges, is the best that I have seen. The tools come out easily, go back in easily, the blades are visible and the tools stay where you put them.

Bob

[dan sherman]

I have my tips facing down, but the rack has a big opening in the center so you can see what is what.

[john davey]

I like mine pointing down as well.....

storage.jpg

[Bob Strawn]

I actually copied mine, from Wdcrvr Tom's post on WoodNet. Instead of a sloping base, I made a flat base and put a strip behind where the tool handles sit to keep them forward. I made a rack with drilled cutouts, but decided I liked dowels with sliding dividers. I like the flat base with a strip behind it because I can put a few things such as sharpening slips in the space behind the chisels. The sliding dividers ended up not being ideal, so I finally glued them in place.

Bob

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I like your setup, John, but do the exposed tips hanging downward there ever get dinged putting things on and off that shelf?

I think Paul's design, posted at the top, the safety of the exposed, upward pointed chisel edges may very well depend on the height that it's mounted. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable with that rack on the wall at waist height, but it if it's hanging up on the wall a bit, so you're retrieving chisels by reaching outwards or upwards and grasping by the handle or the shank, it's probably less of an issue.

Of course, another concern is what's stored around the chisels - the only time I've cut myself with a chisel in storage, it was hanging from a panel, surrounded by other tools - knicked my hand picking up a tool below it; I hadn't secured the tip guard well and it fell off earlier. I've since re-organized things on that panel to keep the chisel tips away from other tools that might blunt them and to allow everything to be removed with plenty of room between fingers and pointy things.

[Jim Koepke]

Almost every shop accident comes from momentary lack of attention,

When my attention starts to wonder I try to regain my focus. If that doesn't work I tend to go do something else that doesn't involve sharp tools.

While going through other's posts I realized my lathe chisels are stored point up in the base that came with my lathe. I am always uncomfortable reaching for tools in there.

So, it likely all comes down to the user's comfort level.

I do not think it is a matter of a right way or a wrong way. It is kind of like being right handed or left handed.

jtk

[john davey]

Thanks Joshua. I have rearranged things a bit since that picture. There is actually plenty of room beneath except at the far left end. I now have the boxes and small things there and the rest of the shelf has plenty of clearance. If i wasn't such a darned chisel collecting goofball this wouldn't be such a problem. But for some reason I like to buy the sets even though I know I don't need them all. It's an issue I have learned to live with.

I like your setup, John, but do the exposed tips hanging downward there ever get dinged putting things on and off that shelf?

I think Paul's design, posted at the top, the safety of the exposed, upward pointed chisel edges may very well depend on the height that it's mounted. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable with that rack on the wall at waist height, but it if it's hanging up on the wall a bit, so you're retrieving chisels by reaching outwards or upwards and grasping by the handle or the shank, it's probably less of an issue.

Of course, another concern is what's stored around the chisels - the only time I've cut myself with a chisel in storage, it was hanging from a panel, surrounded by other tools - knicked my hand picking up a tool below it; I hadn't secured the tip guard well and it fell off earlier. I've since re-organized things on that panel to keep the chisel tips away from other tools that might blunt them and to allow everything to be removed with plenty of room between fingers and pointy things.

[Paul Saffold]

Thanks for the links to some other nice chisel racks. There are some awesome collections out there and great ways to store them.