Thread: Storing hand planes

Out of the four options I like the linseed oil.

As long as this is out of the air when stored it should be fine. How long before you make the rest of the cupboard? How much rust is showing up on your planes now?

I am in no particular hurry to make the chest .. so maybe in the next few months. I have got some planning to do first. I am also waiting on some blast gates to arrive. I need the chest to fit between a blast gate and a wall. The reason I made the little box was to test depths and angles.

I am keeping my planes in a drawer at the moment, and have only just cleaned them up, but my thicknesser top seems to turn very very quickly.

Glenn, just limiting air exchange will go a long way to limiting rust, so closing up your tools in fairly air-tight boxes should help a lot. I don't know how much the small amount of formalin that can leach out of particle boards will add to corrosion (the concentrated vapour does a right number on iron articles!), but some sort of extra barrier can't hurt, whatever is convenient & available. I had terrible problems when I had my 'shed' on a fairly well closed-in veranda. Any ferrous tools stored on shelves developed a thick rime of rust in no time flat, whereas tools in drawers in a plywood tool cupboard remained fine. I'm not quite as close to the sea as you are....
Cheers,

Putting a packet of silica gel or some raw rice in will also help to keep the air in the box dry.

Thanks guys .. I had much the same sets of thoughts. I definitely plan to use silica satchels, and also figured a closed cupboard would help a lot.

But, I have seen how MDF moves in differing temperatures so figured it was releasing and absorbing moisture pretty quickly.

I have some wax on hand, so I might rub some of that on the inside surfaces of each storage box and see what happens.

I had trouble with some of my chisels rusting a bit where they rested on wooden cut-outs in a drawer. This was mainly because the wood I used was a bit more moist than I thought, judging by the small but obvious amount of shrinkage that occurred in it after installation. So I now either wax or lately, spray with Lanotec, any wood that is gong to contact metal like that. Makes my tool cupboard smell like a shearing-shed, but it seems to work, & it's a small price to pay for peace of mind...

Cheers,

Over the last few weeks, I have been putting together the first of my hanging tool cabinets. This is built from 18mm hardwood ply, and hung with a french cleat. Once complete, I will fill either side with open shadow boards or shelves (tbc).

The plane tills are made from 18mm ply with 8mm ply side panels, hung with a french cleat on the inside of the tool cabinet.

I picked up a bunch of leather scraps from a local saddler for $30 to line each of the tills. As you can see, I am still in the process of cutting up leather pieces to line all the boxes.

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I made a series of interlocking boxes for seldom used planes (sorry, I'm at work so can't post photos). I made the sides out of scrap wood (often from pallets). Bottoms and sliding tops are ply. All are polyurethaned inside and out. Some are lined with corrigated cardboard.

For planes I use regularly I made some sloping shelves (not sure that the slope is any advantage except I think it gave me just enough length for my No.7s). These I lined with self-adhesive cork, then decided I couldn't bare to see the cork stained by oil from the planes, so I polyurethaned them too. I put my then new LAJ in it's shelf before the polyurethane was completely dry and stained the sole . These drawers have doors to help keep moisture out.

I toss any silica-gel sachets that come to hand into both boxes and shelves.

When I was an apprentice I made a leather chisel roll. A couple of the chisels rusted badly - some reaction with residue of the tanning process I believe. So go easy on your leather linings until you're sure your plane soles won't suffer.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Glenn.Visca

I picked up a bunch of leather scraps from a local saddler for $30 to line each of the tills. As you can see, I am still in the process of cutting up leather pieces to line all the boxes.

Be very careful of the leather. To use anywhere near tools it must be vegetable tanned. If not the tools will rust like mad. I once used an old pilot's leather bag to store files that were wrapped in paper - my god the rusting was awful.

Check with the saddler on his source of leather.

Originally Posted by Vann

...... I made a leather chisel roll. A couple of the chisels rusted badly - some reaction with residue of the tanning process I believe. So go easy on your leather linings until you're sure your plane soles won't suffer.....

Yes, the tanning process involves acids and various metallic salts. The acid should be neutralised by the time it is done, but perhaps the metallic salts are the culprit?

I haven't had any problems with my planes sitting on raw wood (Camphor Laurel), as long as it was good & dry. I did get some rust on chisels that were placed on wood that turned out not to be dry. And I got severe rusting on a saw that was in contact with Silky oak (Grevillea robusta), so it pays to choose woods that are benign! If in doubt, I slather the wood that will contact bare metal with paste wax or 'Lanotec', & that seems to prevent any dramas.

Those planes sitting vertically worry me a bit, Vann, I hope they are well-attached by magnets or something! I made hinged ramps for my longer planes that can't fit in the tool cupboard horizontally: Plane storage.jpg
The ramp under the #7 gives access to a couple more planes behind, & the ramp under the 5s covers a small storage space (where I store small things I will probably never need!)

Hi all,

The saddler did say the leather was tanned with chromium salts when I bought it a month ago.

Further reading from professor google suggests that such leather should not be used for holsters, sheaths and the like.

Hmmm ...... Should have consulted professor google earlier !

Ian, you referred to Vanns pics, but I think you were looking at mine (as Vann didn't post any pics).

Anyways, while the planes are stored vertically, the base inside each box is angled anywhere from 8degress to 15degrees off vertical. To be sure, I have also included a saddle and yolk for each plane such that it must be first lifted to clear the saddle at the base, then lowered to clear the yolk. The plane cannot simply fall (he says boldly).

In any event, the centre of gravity on most planes (save the smoothers) is such that the plane wants to fall to the base of each box (or back of the box when vertical).

Go figure, both my grandfather and father were leather and grindery merchants, serving boot repairers and saddlers in Melbourne from the mid 1930s for over 60 years ... And it seems I have fallen for a rookie mistake ! Now we know why I never assumed control of the business

I might have another chat with Dad ... See whether the effects of the chromium salts can be overcome.

Bugger bugger bugger ... Oh well .. the boxes weren't hard to make

Originally Posted by Glenn.Visca

.....Ian, you referred to Vanns pics, but I think you were looking at mine (as Vann didn't post any pics).

Sorry Glen, you are correct, I meant to address you. Senior moment!

Originally Posted by Glenn.Visca

.....Anyways, while the planes are stored vertically, the base inside each box is angled anywhere from 8 degress to 15 degrees off vertical. To be sure, I have also included a saddle and yolk for each plane such that it must be first lifted to clear the saddle at the base, then lowered to clear the yolk. The plane cannot simply fall (he says boldly)....

No sweat - I couldn't see your retaining method in the pics. That ought to do nicely. I went for a bit greater slope, with a ledge at the bottom only. Putting a yoke at the top should be double insurance. I wanted to ensure an accidental bump of one plane when getting another out wouldn't send it sailing into space. It works as I hoped, and planes are easy to remove & replace without danger of any accidents. So far (touch wood!), I have only had one nasty accident with a plane. It threw itself off a bench (with a little help from me ), and as it went, out of my reach & no chance of a save, I had visions of a soon-to-be-multiple-piece plane. . However, there were no marks on the metal, the handle cushioned the fall, it seems (the horn was snapped clean off). It was a replacement handle I'd made, so I just made another, but it was a traumatic experience. I'm much more careful how I place planes on the bench now!

I wouldn't fuss with any linings for the plane boxes, myself. True, particle boards do sop up moisture & give it off, but you could argue that that is a goood thing, as it will keep most of it away from your planes. If you paint the insides, that will act as an added barrier, but the main advantage of shutting away tools is to limit air movement. By limiting the amount of fresh air (laden with water & salt, in your case!) that can reach them, you will greatly impede the rate of corrosion. As I said, I've had no trouble with mine since they've been housed. Over the years, my new planes the sides have lost their shine a little, but certainly haven't pitted or developed obvious rust the way they would have if left on an open shelf.

Use the leather to line your vise jaws, if it's reasonably thick - it does a grand job in that role....

Cheers,

I live on the coast with to beach down the road. The spare room in the house is the tools room.
I store my older planes in a tool chest. All the other tools I have are in a chest of drawers I restored for tool storage.
The drawers are lined with boiled linseed oil.
My hand tools are all wiped over with a beeswax/mineral oil paste i made.
Haven't had any troubles with rust.

I'd just leave the wood with linseed oil or something similar, but if linseed oil, I'd cover with wax (I've had mold form on linseed oil finishes that are subjected to dampness).

I don't have salt, but in the summer, my garage shop (that is partially underground) can easily get to 80% humidity.

I no longer keep saws I don't use, and when I use them, I apply a little beeswax mineral oil in use about once a year or so (that has been enough for saws with smooth plates). For metal tools, same beeswax mix (half mineral oil makes it so that you can apply it easily), and in some cases, I've shellacked non-critical (parts that don't touch wood) parts of planes with a very light coat of blonde shellac - cheeks, exposed bed, etc. You can always get shellac off easily and the coat can be very thin so that it doesn't look like a glossy glom of crap.