Thread: Hand tool storage

Lidded chests & boxes & drawers are ok I suppose; if you're an occasional user. But if you're anyone like me, you want 'em NOW; not half an hour later after lifting heavy chests, dragging out heavy drawers, & swapping toolboxes over & unravelling powercords. That's for people who like fiddling & doing that sort of stuff, not for people who like actually using the tools. Think of the job not the tool storage.

Whatever you do keep it simple.

My workbench shares the garage with the car. So every time the car is garaged during rain, there's a litre or so of water dripping onto the floor or evaporating into the air. So 'though I've admired many a lovely tool rack, I prefer my tools to be shut away in cupboards/drawers.

I've made some shallow drawers for chisels etc; a series of tilted shelves (each with a door) for my planes; and I'm working on ideas for a saw till - but I keep acquiring new (old) tools faster than I can make enclosed storage

I intend to fit dividers into the chisel drawers, so that each chisel has it's own slot - but I still have to get a round tuit.

I have a special draw for my sharpening gear. It has a compartment for my MkII honing jig, with a slot for the registration plate and a divider to keep the cambered roller separate; and a number of slots to store the waterstones on edge (but of course now I've bought some cheapie diamond plates that don't fit ).

So good luck with that... .

Cheers, Vann.

I like the idea of having the tools stored away. Especially if you are going to get dust of the tools. This traps moisture and so more change of the tool rusting.

Close to hand is good, cos I don't want to waste time looking for stuff, but I don't have ANY walls, so I have some under the bench, some on the ceiling, and the precious or rust prone stuff in a tool cabinet mounted on the timber rack.

I'd like to make a tool cabinet to hold the hand tools, just like this one.

Lord Nibbo's Tool Cabinet

Too many other projects ahead on the list though...

FWIW when the kitchen got a makeover I salvaged a long bench with cupboards and a drawer stack.

Since I've added a cheap steel 2 door cupboard from a 2nd hand office supplies place.

So anything not regularly used is stored away from the dust.

I still have to do a regular rust patrol though cos humidity varies a bit even here in Melb.

You guys have nothing to worry about....I live on the bank of a large saltwater river....if I go for smoko rust sets in.

Cheers

John M

Originally Posted by ravna

You guys have nothing to worry about....I live on the bank of a large saltwater river....if I go for smoko rust sets in.

Cheers

John M

Do not go for smoko.

G'day Chris,
I have a stand-alone tool cabinet, and find it to be a good setup. It seems to be an effective way of using limited space.

Cheers,

Being a car nut, tradesman and budding woodie I have issues with tool storage too. Then there the parts/timber and bric-a-brac that accumulates.
Space isn't so much the issue as accessablity. After much reshuffling I keep the tools in draws/boxes near where they are used. I find draws the best for chisels and smaller items, keeps it fairly neat and dust free, bigger items that get used frequently (drop saw) get put on a shelf under the bench. Bulky less used items go in some old kitchen cupboards and painting/finishing have their respective shelves.
Well that's the theory...

Originally Posted by haggismuncher

That's it I've had enough!
I normally hang my tools on the only solid wall of the shed but I have come across a number of problems:

• Tools covered in dust every time I use my power tools.
• I have run out of space
• SWMBO can see exactly what I have been buying and has begun to notice the walls are filling up (odd that she gets so "excited" as she is the one who buys most of my tools for birthdays etc)

Seriously though, I am on th equest for storage ideas, any suggestions would be welcome , Tool cabinets? Tools chests? Underbench drawers?


Chris

I have the same problem, man. Couple of years ago I decided to put everything in my garage in order and I sorted all my nuts and bolts, put several shelves on the walls, bought some tool boxes and chests, but it is still difficult for me to park my car in the garage, there is just not enough space.

Maybe you can start moving part of the stuff you don't use every day to your basement or something, then your basement will look like mine - like a second garage

Originally Posted by dgeorgieva

Maybe you can start moving part of the stuff you don't use every day to your basement or something, then your basement will look like mine - like a second garage

Well that's a good idea. But for those of us that do not have a basement could be a problem. So I started using the house.

And welcome to the forum.