25 replies to this topic

[Greg Luckett]

I need to make some sort of station to store the various drill motors in the shop for easy access.  Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks 

[Bikermouse]

I'm thinking a series of hermetically sealed cubicles, with individual controls to regulate temperature, humidity, air pressure, and oxygen content for the room.  Kind of like the Vatican uses to store its archived documents.  That way each drill motor is stored in the environment where it will degrade the least.

You do have a similar budget to the Vatican's, don't you?

[Greg Luckett]

I am thinking of something more like a board with some holes to sit the drill motors in...about the size of the chucks.  Adding a shelf or two would do for the chargers and spare batteries.  Mount it to the wall to keep out of the way, yet be easy to grab a motor when needed.  I can design this myself, but why "re-invent the wheel" when there are probably some "learnings" to consider from our gang of boat builders?

As it stands now, I am often looking about the shop for where I left the different motors....any empty spot at that time.  I think the drill bits would be mounted in their holders close to the drill motor station too.  Doing this should speed up work in the shop.  Time is money, as the pro's say.

[Greg Luckett]

I threw this together via SketchIt.

Attached Files

•  Drill motor holder2.jpg   133.79K   58 downloads

[Charlie Jones]

Greg- some time ago Wood Magazine did a series of "Idea Shops" In one of those they did something like what you want for drill storage. I can't recall which "idea Shop" it was in  but here's a link to all of them- you'll have to browse ( you're gonna spend some time here) around for it. Have fun ;D

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/category.jsp?catref=wd122

[Frank Hagan]

I threw this together via SketchIt.

I like it ... I've been "meaning to" do something like this for a while, but with a way to incorporate the chargers and extra batteries too.

I always crack up at the woodworking magazines and shows ... their shop fixtures look better than the stuff I build for the house!  I was channel surfing yesterday and saw that Norm on New Yankee Workshop had a dado blade in his table saw and a sacrificial fence clamped to his regular fence so he could adjust it so the dado blade would cut slightly into it and help him make a clean rabbet.  His "sacrificial fence" was probably MDF or something; I couldn't tell because it was painted a color coordinated grey and edge banded with black polyvinyl.  No one's treated something 'sacrificial' that well since the time when virgins were thrown into the volcano!

[Charlie Jones]

;D ;D

Good old Normie

;D ;D

I wish I had the sponsors he does to get ME the latest and greatest of any tool he wants.

Me, I have to cost justify a new tool in my shop or I just don't buy it. And if I don't use it enough it's a waste of space to have it.

Right now I'm casting a very jaundiced eye at my shaper. I haven't turned it on in two years and there it sits eating floor space. I think I'm gonna sell it.

And yeah- my "sacrificial" things are made from scrap. Good scrap usually because they DO have to work right, but scrap none the less.

[Greg Luckett]

Greg- some time ago Wood Magazine did a series of "Idea Shops" In one of those they did something like what you want for drill storage. I can't recall which "idea Shop" it was in  but here's a link to all of them- you'll have to browse ( you're gonna spend some time here) around for it. Have fun ;D

http://www.woodmagaz...sp?catref=wd122

Thank for the link, Charlie.  Hmmmm, you are right.  Like giving chocolate to a lady, this site is full of goodies for me to "munch on".

[Greg Luckett]

I decided to make something from my available scrap and to fit it into the shop wall.  I think it turned out well and will serve the purpose.

Attached Files

•  IM000001m.jpg   47.23K   135 downloads

[Frank Hagan]

Yeah, that works!  I have to clean out my shop and find the project under all the "stuff", but I doubt I'll get time until after Christmas!  But a station like that is on the (long) list of future projects.

[PAR]

Charlie, when I down sized from the big shop to the little one, I looked at all the tools I had that didn't get used very often and my big, cast iron shaper was the first to go, custom ground blades and all. I just didn't shove enough wood through the beast to warrant the huge foot print in made on the floor. It was a tool holder more then anything else.

All my "corded" tools, drills, power planners, sanders, etc. have a small gasket lanyard. They get hung on hooks around the layout table or along one of the benches. Some have places they usually hang out, but most get hung where ever I stop using it last.

I use to place everything in a cabinet, but got tired of fishing through tangled cords and the odd sander bag to find a specific tool. Okay, there are quite a few randomly arranged cords that grace the floor under benches and tables, but they don't bother me as much.

The biggest solution I found in my shop, is electrical receptacles at the front of a bench or table, rather then behind, over or under it.

[Frank Hagan]

The biggest solution I found in my shop, is electrical receptacles at the front of a bench or table, rather then behind, over or under it.

I never even thought of that, to be honest.  My shop is small, so I use a retractable extension cord for my power hand tools.  And I don't even have a permanent bench ... but I'm thinking of doing this to my table saw.  It would make a lot of sense to include power along the front edge of the router table portion.

Attached Files

•  tn_TS Workstation 008.jpg   21.41K   96 downloads

[PAR]

I hate tripping over extension cords or trying to roll a table over them. Having your receptacles on the front of your benches and tables saves dragging around these infernal cords.

I also have a rolling cart which I use as a portable work station. It has a retracting, very heavy duty cord in it, which I plug in after running the work station up to a task. I can then plug in several tools. I can toss the tools on the work cart, unplug and reel up the cord and roll it out of the way.

[Greg Luckett]

There are some benches where I work at KitchenAid which have the recepticles on the front edge.  I don't like them much because it reduces the availablility of the bench top edge for use.  I would like them better under the top and recessed enough that the plugs do not stick out in the way.  I agree with PAR about the problems with cords dragging over the bench from recepticles at the back of the bench.  I really like the cords that retract up to the ceiling out of the way but within ready reach.  This is what I have done in my home shop as well as 4plex recepticle stations on the walls.  I use the recepticles behind the benchs for the redial arm saw power and the drill press, etc.

[Charlie Jones]

in this picture you can see my workbench, and behind it, the tool shelf and drawers. Under those drawers I have added a multi outlet strip. My cords plug in there and I lay the tools on the "tool shelf" behind me when I'm working- That way the tools don't clog up my work surface, but they are right at hand, directly behind me. The cords don't get in the way either. All the hand power tools store on shelves under the drawers, as do all my hand planes. Well- MOST of my hand planes ;D



I have a 230 volt table saw and added a 120 volt outlet to the side of that by picking off one leg of the 230. My joiner plugs into that and I can also use the other half of the outlet for an extension cord or the vacuum with it's long cord.

[PAR]

My benches are home made and have a 3" by 1 1/2" lip on the front to clamp things too. The receptacles are located under and behind this lip, in the cross brace that holds up the two layers of 3/4" plywood (bench surface). I'd have to clean for days to get my place looking like Charlie's.

[Greg Luckett]

I like that arrangement, PAR.  It sounds ideal.

[Charlie Jones]

ROFL  Par- I just rolled a boat out of there today, and the customer took it home. The shop looks like a freaking TORNADO hit it right now. Gonna take me most of the day tomorrow to get it even in some semblance of order.

We had to move table saw, jointer, and my big Steiner bench to get the trailer in there so I could lower the boat onto the trailer. And I've got crap sitting EVERY where.

[Greg Luckett]

Charlie,
Do you have some sort of hoist system built into the shop?

[Charlie Jones]

Greg- when I built the shop I reinforced the raftering. I lay 4 x 4s across a span of about 4 or 5 rafter and hang chain falls from those. I have two chain falls, so I use one fore and aft. On the size boats I built that's sufficient. This pic from the CS 17 shows the hoisting fairly well