Round 'Em Up and Corral Them

I'm a big fan of PVC pipe and use it for all sorts of stuff. Another option for tool holding is to mount the pipe to a board, or wall, using screws. Cut short enough so you can see the pointy end. I've got a bunch of garden tools munted on a cart using this method.

Yet another option, one that does not require forstner bits nor hole saws for the top, is to bond the pipes together then drop the array into a box. The resultant footprint will be smaller.

Hey Charley if you want to keep it really KISS than fill a 5 Gallon plastic pail with pieces of pcv pipe and set your tools into them.

Would not look as spiffy as what you made there but it gives you a lot more bang for the buck.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

charlie b wrote:

Here's the setup I use: These clip holders are available for about $7 for a mounting strip & 5 clips - I get them at my local Fred Meyer grocery store. There are two sets here and have been in use since at least '02 when I posted pics of the same holders when they were out in my garage. The close-up pic shows the heaviest tools I use - big honkin scrapers that weigh quite a bit - the clips hold them just fine. As I recall, I slid the clips off the strip and then remounted them on the backside so that they'd be "locked" to the wall when the mounting screws were snugged down.

I'm planning on adding a second row of holders for the tools that aren't used as often but still need some place to go. Now, how to hang the bare shaft tools with no permanent handles...

Where'd the Holiday Weekend Go Blues?

I haven't done a whole lot of turning yet, but with my jet mini, I find I just stick my tools under the lathe on the tabletop. I think if I ever mounted it on a stand, I'd come up with something like the tubes, but laid in a row at angle under the lathe.

John

Hi John. I certainly do as you do when I'm working. But to have tools under hand when I don't need them gets pretty cluttered - it's also nice to put them somewhere so one can clean up without moving tools from here to there and back to here again.

If you're a new turner just beginning this addiction, I think you'll eventually end up wanting an out of the way someplace to put the ever growing and "needed" tools. Keep in mind the ways others are doing it for when that day arrives.

Looks good. One thing I would do differently is to make 2 or 3 of the sides out of clear acrylic so you can see the business end of each tool before removing it.

I do that with the 1 or 2 chisels that I'm using on the bowl, but you need somewhere to keep the rest of them handy...

I'm looking for a better system, but right now I use a piece of plywood about 6" x 30" with a staggered double row of holes the size of the chisel ferrules, fastened as a shelf under my "turning pegboard" wall... Being anal, I keep them in the same place/hole all the time so that I can reach almost without looking behind me to grab a tool...

One word of caution regarding resting tools under the mini.... Besides burying them in shavings, you also have a good chance of dinging the cutting edge of the tool against the motor or base of the lathe.. DAMHIKT

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Aaaarrgghh! I hate it when I do that - and I've done it more times than I care to think about.

my most used tools are hanging from a roll around bench whose top has an overhang with tool holes on either side. My least used tools rest in the hollow legs of one lathe. The in betweens hang behind the work bench through a double row of tool hanging holes. Could I have too many?

NEVER!

Thanks Owen, I had me worried there for a bit :-)

Hi Charlie, Maybe your "refining" is like cooking; "KISSing don't last, Optomising do".

FWIW, a length of 2x4 with notches that fit the handled ends of the 3 or

4 tools selected for a turning session works for me. Placed in front of the lathe bed the raised notches lower the tool tips under the bed and help prevent dings. Returning a tool to its marked notch makes it easy to pick up the one I want. Raising the lathe's feet on blocks made more space for the tools at hand and for cleaning up after.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

I do the bucket thing too. A couple of tips.

1 - The buckets do taper just a bit. You will be tempted to ram one more PVC into that bucket, but you risk blowing out the sides. 2 - Because of the blow-out problem, wrap the top of the bucket with two or three turns of duct tape. It helps to strengthen the bucket. 3 - If the bucket is too short, put it in a second or third bucket to build height. 4 - Toss some dry shavings into the pipes so any tools sliding all the way down have a soft landing.

Joe Fleming - San Dieog