Show Us Your Hand Tool Organizers

[Ray Bohn]

Ray, looks very neat. I'm curious - what angle do you have the planes at? I can see in the picture that it angles diagonally across the width of a board, but from the picture it's hard to tell how much that is - is that a 4" board? I'm thinking of organization for some planes, and like the idea of a simple open till like yours. Been wondering about the angle, though.

Also - anything else hold the planes in? Do you have a lip at the bottom?

Here is a close up. The side and bottom boards are 6". The plywood is divided up by 1/2" square dowels, including the bottom edge. The angle of the plywood is approximately 13 degrees. I used recessed rare earth magnets for assistance with holding the router plane (Fence rests on top of a dowel) and any other planes that seemed in danger.

[Greg Ladd]

Gary,

I don't know what to say except 'incredible'.

Greg

[Darrell LaRue]

I subscribe to the Zero-Rummage-Factor school of tool storage. Everything is spread out in a thin layer on the walls, within easy reach. This makes grabbing the right tool easy, so I am more likely to use the correct tool for the job instead of whatever comes to hand. More importantly, it make putting the tools away much easier. I don't know about you lot, but in my shop every horizontal surface becomes a collection of junk within minutes of being exposed to the rust fouled atmosphere. Almost like the tools congeal out of the air on to any available flat surface. So, being able to put them away easily is a key requirement of my storage solutions.

These pictures a a bit dated, imagine the spke shave rack filled, and each peg doubled up. Add a few more bench planes to the rack too. I don't bother with cleats to store bench planes, I just string'em up by their knobs. The dense-pack brace-rack is also great, as I can load the bits I need and just use them without swapping bits in and out.

toolrack4.JPGtoolrack1.JPGtoolrack5.JPG

Darrell

[Jim Matthews]

Mine took a while to build but it still puts a smile on my face every time I walk into my shop...
This corner of my shop is dedicated to hand tools. Except for the LV sharpener in the corner .

Corner? It's bigger than my kitchen.
Cleaner, too.

Yikes

(Viewers will need a tetanus shot before viewing the mess I'm about to post.)

[Tony Shea]

Gary,

I've seen you post your tool storage before but never actually realized all the hand tools inside. That is the most impressive piece of tool storage I've ever seen. That must've taken some serious amounts of time. I am truly in awe of it.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm very much impressed by the beautifully appointed shops, but far too lazy to attempt this sort of thing.
I'm a big believer in keeping my tools in some kind of wooden container, it seems to be less prone to rust than
the typical tool cart found in most garages. I do have one, but it's for things like screwdrivers and prybars.

* Warning *
Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date before venturing inside...

Under my bench is an oversize drawer that didn't fit the carcass - because it's oversize.
I cut a couple handles into the sides and it's the place where I keep everyday things.

I'm beginning to suspect that if a tool isn't in this box - I don't really need it.
FYI - I did not build this bench, and it's better than the one I did make.

P1040723.jpg P1040722.jpg

Files, braces, scrapers and longer items go into this filing cabinet.

P1040724.jpg

Basic handtools, like screwdrivers and wrenches go into this standard machinist style cart
(which never goes anywhere)

P1040725.jpg

Chisels, smaller specialty planes and measuring gear go into the drawers
that support my old bench (which has become a dumping ground).

P1040728.jpg P1040729.jpg

Saws, levels and larger marking tools hang on the wall behind the old bench.
There's a "ramp" where I keep the longer stuff I use on occasion, like my Warrington hammers
and fine pull saw. This is a very busy section of my shop, and really useful.

I'm in and out of this far more than the stuff behind my main bench.
If I get any bigger around the middle, the old bench will lose real estate
or it will be removed altogether. For now, I can still reach across.

P1040726.jpg P1040727.jpg

Lastly I have the home for orphaned tools which is nothing more than
the upright shelves from a AV cabinet that had four components.

I keep cast iron and tool steel wrapped in the Lee Valley "blue bags" to inhibit rust.
Things in here are infrequently used, and the first I put up for adoption.

I suspect that if a tool comes to reside here, I don't really need it.
Conveniently, it's right next to the door in my basement shop.

Apologies for all the shavings, sawdust and debris - it's the Maid's week off.

[Jim Matthews]

The last storage shelves look like this:

P1040731.jpg P1040730.jpg

The stash is in the adjacent room (both in the basement) and I finally have a pathway around,
instead of a series of piles. Some of the boards exceed 10 feet and are at the limit of what
I can manipulate. They get broken down in this room, prior to entering the shop.

Most of this was purchased S2S or S4S from local hobbyists that were moving onto other interests.
That's why there's so much - three of the six purchases in my first two years required taking EVERYthing.

P1040734.jpg P1040732.jpg P1040733.jpg

[Evan Patton]

Mine took a while to build but it still puts a smile on my face every time I walk into my shop...

This corner of my shop is dedicated to hand tools.
Except for the LV sharpener in the corner

.

Wow! In addition to being beautiful, it also makes it more difficult to buy more tools (although it's hard to see how you'd need anything you don't already have?)

Nice!

[Roger Rettenmeier]

I built 20x20 shop a few years ago. I have some storage completed, but not all. I'm glad this thread was introduced.

[Cody Cantrell]

This is how I store my handsaws, user braces, and hand drills. They hang on the beam above my bench.
brace till.jpg
drill till.jpg
drill holder2.jpg
saw till.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

For my mess there are only two recent pictures:

Wall of Plane.jpg

100_5305.jpg

It hasn't occurred to me to "organize" them all.

Well, actually it has, it is just getting one of those round tuits.

jtk

[Eric Schubert]

Very nice, guys! I think some of you may need to think about some storage for your storage!

Gary, those cabinets look great! I can at least dream of something like them, for the time being.

[Harold Burrell]

That's it! I can't take any more of this!

You...you...you well organized, meticulously clean, neat freaks you! You and your oh so very tidy shops! I can't stand it!!!

Why...your tool storage units are better than the furniture I make. Besides, I've always felt that tools were never meant to be neatly stored...they were meant to be stacked...and piled...and generally left laying around.

I'm telling you, you don't know what you're missing! My tools and I have spent COUNTLESS hours playing hide-and-seek. We laugh and play (and cuss) for so long on some days that we loose track of time and hardly have any time left for...umm...work (ewww).

And another thing...you guys are always talking about "making sawdust", like it is something you enjoy. Hypocrites! Why do you say such things when your shops all "sparkle and shine"? If you loved it so much you would have kept it around for a while. It's like you sweep it up and throw it out the second it is created. For crying out loud...did you get rid of your children the moment they were born? Of course not, you let them lay around the house for a while...

Maybe you don't know what you're missing. Indeed...maybe I am being too harsh. Perhaps it is your upbringing. You may have been brought up in a home that was all neat and tidy and sterile...with signs in every room that said things like "A Place for Everything...And Everything in its Place" or "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness" (*shudder*). Perhaps you have never experienced the sheer joy of wading knee deep in sawdust!

Layer upon wonderful LAYER of precious memories! *sigh*






So...with that said...I might be starting my own forum. You know, a forum for the rest of us. Something called maybe "Haphazard Slobs", I dunno...

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Here is my humble, constantly evolving cabinet, and planes. Not much, but works. Need to finish the chisel section so it's not possible to stab your hand when you grab another, and I don't like the brace storage. It holds a lot of stuff. Work in progress though, so...


Planes. (pic from earlier this year, cabinet was in a makover)

[Harold Burrell]

Is that a router I see on your bench???

Stone him...