Making Tool Storage Holders

I have a lot of tooling. Much of it chinese imports. Even though I have yet to use most of it, I have to find a way to store them. The cardbaord/plastic boxes or cases they generally come in are extrememly flimsy and degraade and falla prt easily. Do anyone have any good ideas on how best to store the tooling without of course throwing everything loose into a drawer?

For instance, I would like to build a holder for holding collelts when not in use, and I was basically entertaining the thought of making some sort of platform with rows of holes drilled into it for the collets and a lid for closure. Ideas in this regard would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
Searcher7
Loading thread data ...

I have a lot of tooling too. I keep a bunch of it in racks on two metal shop carts, and I keep nearly everything else in a bunch of Durham drawers. Those drawers aren't all that expensive except for shipping, but if you buy them from Enco you can get free shipping. Buy way more than you need - they stack perfectly, and over time the clutter from your shop will organize itself into the drawers. One caveat - it's really a good idea to label the drawers neatly - if you have to hunt through 100 drawers to find something it will not make you happy.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

For collets and similar stuff, I use 4x4 with holes drilled with a Forstner bit. Same for commonly used end-mills (blocks from 2x4 and kept on a shelf near the mill), though R8 end-mill holders and collets are kept _in_ the shelf itself -- just drilled holes in it and mounted it at a 30-degr angle. MT2 and MT3 lathe accessories are also in 4x4 blocks, QD toolholders on a 4-level rotary rack homemade from an idea in a HSM article.

And I keep lots of taps and dies in little Altoids boxes, with the taps in the expandable plastic mesh sleeving that MSC sells.

Lots of stuff is either on shelves or in drawers. End-mills and reamers are generally in the little plastic boxes or cardboard tubes that they came in, although the MSC mesh sleeving comes in large enough sizes to fit them. My drawer liners have a "pebbly" finish so stuff is less inclined to roll around.

Lastly, some stuff like the lathe steady rest, my homemade knurler and the like is kept in homebuilt trays made from 1x2 and 1/4" ply bottoms. Keeps them from being banged into by other stuff. Boxes would be classier, but trays are lots easier and quicker to build.

Tove

Reply to
Tove Momerathsson

This is a great idea. I will use such a 4x4 for my collection of drill bits. I keep taps and smaller drill bits in little plastic cabinets (8x8x8) with drawers, or fishing tackle boxes.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus30744

If one can fine the old IBM punch card cabinets, or file card cabinets...one can store a LOT of tooling very handily and securly in a very small foot print.

And the old Simplicity pattern cabinets are marvelous for larger tooling such as rotary tables, racks of endmill holders and endmills etc etc

formatting link
Gunner, who snags such cabinets whenever possible.

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Reply to
Gunner

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:16:40 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

You really ought to update those pics, Gunner. I see several things in _my_ shop which are in your pics there, like the welding rack, manual tapper, etc. I only wish I'd snagged that little Gorton, too. Hey, there's a perfect addition to the flatbed load for Pat.

I did a tearout for a lady in GP and snagged her old kitchen cabinets for my shop. I can store lighter tooling in them. Great price: $0 and an hour of my work.

- Interpreted Interpolations Done Dirt Cheap. -----------

Reply to
Larry Jaques

For R8 and C5 collets chunks of 2 x 6 and 2 x 8 with holes bored not quite through work great. Also for milling cutters . ...lew...

Reply to
Lew Hartswick

Sigh..yah..Its at least 4 yrs out of date. I was going to do a big update after I got everything squared away..which is taking far longer than Id hoped. Work has been good, then the rains came. I nearly bogged the forklift down Saturday..so I parked it and worked on other stuff..shrug.

I really need a crew of beer swilling HSM'rs to come down and pick me clean and haul some tons of Stuff off. I gave away a pickup truck load of old computer crap last Saturday..still have at least that much left to go.

Cool. So you can put a 75lb rotary table in them?

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Reply to
Gunner

I bought a cheap tool cart from Cummings. You know the type, they got an open shelf on the top, a small drawer below that, and a shelf on the bottom, with casters so you can roll it around. Then, I took a piece of plywood, and drilled the proper size holes for tool holders and collets in a pretty pattern, and bolted it to the top. Total cost is under $75.00

Reply to
Dave Lyon

These are commercially available. Look at

formatting link
among others. Even if you make it yourself, maybe this will give you some ideas.

Ron Thompson On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA

formatting link
My hobby pages are here:
formatting link
Visit the castinghobby FAQ:
formatting link
The member map is here:
formatting link

Reply to
Ron Thompson

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:01:11 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

Yeah, you still had one or two other things you could do, I'm sure. ;)

Ayup. I know I hardly dented it at all. BTW, did you ever find a set of gears for the bandsaw, or the alice clips?

Sure: gimme, gimme! (75lbs, is that a 4 or 6-incher?)

I finally got some angle iron cut up but haven't welded it up into a stand for the horizontal mill (which is still in the back of my truck under a tarp) yet. I'm sure glad it was a small, lightweight beastie.

- Interpreted Interpolations Done Dirt Cheap. -----------

Reply to
Larry Jaques

The latest material for house decks is recycled cardboard and plastic. It is heavy,machines well, and the dropoff is free from deck builders. It makes great tool racks and fixtures. You can mill it at about 100 mph. jb

Reply to
jb

Thanks for the tip on the mesh. Always wondered where to to get it.

As far as storing collets. At work, we have collets in a stand made by punching holes sheet metal and then bending it for mounting and rigidity. We used a cnc punch press but a properly sized greenlee punch would also do the trick. It has the advantage of not having moisture issues that wood can depending on climate.

Wes

Reply to
wess

Well google blew that one. Gave out my real address vs the spam catcher. Usenet isn't my buddy tonight.

Wes

Reply to
clutch

Sigh...ayup

Gears..no. Alice clips..sitting on my Roundtoit table...sigh

probably a 6"

Well..ya got traction weight for the snow....

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Reply to
Gunner

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:08:02 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

I wonder how that would work on an X3 which is on my loooong wish list.

The 3" of snow we got in January was icy enough to block traffic twice on the only road into town, so I didn't go out in it. I believe it shut down I-5 (two blacktop lanes each way up here, with about as much traffic in two days as you get on one lane of I-5 down there in an hour)

I got down to Glenn's yesterday and we finally got the angle iron welded to the frame with his Miller MIG. We laughed at my attempts with the stick welder and the MIG melted several pecky attempts of globs out of the way. Time to grind it, then hide it with some spray undercoating. ;)

Now I can safely hoist the little Burke(?) with the HF 1647 truckbed crane...once I finish the stand.

------------------------------------------- Jack Kevorkian for Congressional physician! ===========================================

Reply to
Larry Jaques

I always wondered where to get that mesh. I was sitting here putting stuff away using the mesh I just recieved from MSC and realized that stuff is great for storing files in too.

Thanks,

Wes

Reply to
clutch

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.