Thread: Plane storage ideas

Nope - they tend to have square ends, so if the board is chocked up just off the vertical will happily sit on the bottom ledge without toppling over.

Metallic planes tend to have curved ends, hence the magnets to prevent them sliding sideways on the board.

We've thought of everything........

I'll stick with a vert board I think and another way of dealing with the woodies.

Magnet in hole in sole .... eek
In hole drilled in toe ... ugly
Glued to toe front ... ugly

Maybe ole fashioned pivoting cleat on the board at the toe end.

The RE magnets have a very strong contact grip but it falls very dramatically with distance, 3mm of timber can reduce even 10x10mm RE magnets to almost nothing.

Epoxy holds RE magnets quite well and allowing only 1mm gap will give best results.

Thanks Cruzi - you're a treasure trove of good info ;-}

Just for interest I wacked the V Jack on my cheap ferrite bar magnet and it held well.

Not a real solution for my needs tho, and ferrite magnetises what sits on it. Don't mind thwacking a turning toolshank with a hammer but not a plane .... noooo.

I am not sure what effect the RE magnets will have on the plane? Will they magnetise the blade at all? A magnetised blade will catch all the swarf as you sharpen it.

For what it is worth, a link to images of my workshop: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/MyWorkshop.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

Some very impressive collections on show!

However, most of the planes appear to be stored upright, but since we strive to get such a sharp edge on our blades, does anyone else find it unsympathetic to place/store planes on their bases, resting on the blade edge (either in use or in storage)? I try to either place mine on their sides or in a case with a small strip on which to rest the toe, to keep the blade out of contact. Am I being over cautious?

Cheers

Si

A couple of issues ago FWW, in their "Tools and Shops Issue", had the idea of an angled panel with the planes held in by cord:
Effectively store hand planes in your workshop - Fine Woodworking PDF Cover Page

They also had a vertical set of shelves which were slid in and out on heavy duty runners owned by a guy with the impressive name of Sunny Waters.
Workshop: 3 Paths to a Stand-Alone Shop - Fine Woodworking PDF Cover Page

The simplicity of the former and the sheer beauty of the latter apealled to me.

Chris

Thanks for the extra ideas folks.

Derek, the RE's seem to have negligible magnetising effect

Ern- I have to keep my tools under cover because our climate here in Brissy is not kind to ferrous metals for half the year. I also cannot keep my shed dust-free no matter how meticulous I am with cleaning & using the DC, so anything sitting on shelves soon acquires a coating, if not used daily.

Anyway - here's my plane storage. This is the workaday lot, which I culled from a growing & unmanageable collection a few years ago. Kept a few that I couldn't bear to part with, but I notice they sit in the storage box I consigned them to for years on end & have not seen the light of day, so it's probably time they found better homes.

SiJ - we were given a right earful if we didn't place planes on their sides to 'protect the blade' when I was a lad in school. About 30-something years ago, I decided that my blades were probably in more danger from other metal tools that occasionally clutter the bench top, if placed on their sides. I also reasoned that since the blade is designed ro cut wood, any damage likely from putting it down on the sole, is more likely to be to the bench top. Not being overly fussy about my bench, I decided that didn't matter, & have been putting them down that way ever since. Since then, I haven't noticed any damage to the bench top from that cause, & I haven't noticed it has any effect on blade life. If you are in the habit of regularly working metal on your bench, it might be a different story - metal filings are not particularly kind to edge tools, I've found......

Cheers,

Thanks Ian.

Yes, dust is a concern to me as well, as being mainly a turner there can be lots about and I've noticed that those particles when they settle absorb moisture and can speckle cast iron.

And yes, we had an ex Brit army sergeant as a WW teacher at school and I still twitch even when just bridging the plane into the bench well He was a hard man but for some reason (certainly not my skill) he took an interest in me and we did a couple of projects during lunchtimes.

Providing you are not to close to the sea air this seems to serve may purposes quite well. Just have to keep using 'em to eliminate surface rust in humid weather. The knob just sits nicely over a 5/16 cup head bolt covered with a piece of plastic tube.

Cheers


Steve

Originally Posted by rsser

Thanks for the post.

The slots/cleats on the left look good; would allow for some moving around as planes come and go.

I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle, Ern.

Planes don't 'come and go', dunno if any really get sold. i mean, Ok you might see a couple up on the forums 'cos a SWMBO thinks there are too many about the place, but they just get shuffled from one darksider to the next

I'd be focusing on capacity if you're getting interested in them

Love your workshop photos Derek. I reckon if I read your website too much more I might end up unplugging too many tools Awesome stuff

Cheers,
Dave

Nice and simple setup Steve.

Dave, 'fraid I'm on expansionary phase no. 2 ATM

Happens when I'm stuck at home.

No. 1 was followed by what the librarians call deaccessioning

Ern,

I considered many of the designs that have already been posted but ended up going my own way because my collection of planes seems to change every few months and moth of the fixed systems make it harder to group like planes.

I opted for a 5 shelf bookshelf style unit, each shelf spaced at 150mm and 800mm wide.
I build glass doors because I live close to the ocean plus when my planes are not in use they are displayed as collectors items. If I only leave the doors open while I am planing the dusts stays away (a quick squirt with compressed air every so often removes the inevitable dust that makes it in)

Regards,
Chris