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Tool Holders

L

loberg

Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
102
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Location
Redwood Valley, CA
I am trying to design a portable tool holder for my turning tools. I would be interested in anyone that has achieve perfection (giggle) on building one. It needs to be able to be in the shop and usable there and be able to carry it to demos and mentor sessions. Any ideas or pictures, please?
 
I use a long gun case to transport my tools. It may not be ideal in the shop but great for transporting. It is long, padded, has a handle and I use zip ties to secure it but you can put a padlock on it. I have had as many as 12 tools in it but you can probably fit more. They come plain and fancy. Mine is plain.
And best of all- no one messes with you. I imagine you can also use a guitar case.
 
kinda two different things

I could imagine something with a very long swing hinge that basically turned inside out to form an A frame in a shop to roll around and then formed a box to tote the tools in when it was closed. However I think you really want two different things. Something that is great to transport in with maybe a small rack also to quickly put your most used tools in once you reach somewhere and at your shop a bigger rack that is handy to use.

I found a supplier of all grades of foam, some defined as extremely firm. No experience with the foam as my project died stillborn but for travel it is very hard to beat a Pelican rectangular case that gives no indication what is in it with custom dividers, padding, and cut outs to fit your tools perfectly. I carried multiple $3000-$4000 rifles in one and just laughed when people wanted me to play some music when I was passing through hotel lobbies. "I don't think I can play a tune you want to hear!" While the Pelican case hints at value it is used to tote such a wide variety of things including guns, musical instruments, test equipment, on and on, people seeing the outside of the case have no idea if there is something inside of interest or not. A plus, Pelican cases could even survive baggage handlers last I knew.

The box with the hinge to open up once you reached your destination and the fitted foam could go together but I don't want to cover the inside of my travel box with shavings. No big deal, just an annoyance trying to clean it all the time. I would also prefer my tools that I am grabbing and replacing all the time held a little less securely than I envision the fitted foam covered with cloth or felt holding them.

Maybe a little food for thought here, I didn't really get where you wanted to be with one thing.

Hu
 
Mine is sort of low tech.
I have a small workmate set up next to lathe easy to move.

I generally have the three tools I'm using and 4 or 5 I haven't put away laying on it.
The holes in it are perfect for holding bowl gouges spindle gouges and 1/2 skew.
Chuck and chuck ket sit there and I have a roll around with drawers and a top nearby.


For demos I usually carry tools in a canvas tool roll and the demo sites supply a table.

Al
 
OK let me try to elaborate. I use a 5 gallon bucket with cut pvc pipe to hold the tools separate. Two things bug me about this arrangement, one: the tools are blade up and second: I can't pick up the bucket to move it without it tipping over. I was hoping someone had a thought on a wooden one that shows the blades but keeps them safe from my hands. The clinics I go to are in CA so I don't take anything on airplanes, although, they were great ideas.
 
loberg said:
OK let me try to elaborate. I use a 5 gallon bucket with cut pvc pipe to hold the tools separate. Two things bug me about this arrangement, one: the tools are blade up and second: I can't pick up the bucket to move it without it tipping over. I was hoping someone had a thought on a wooden one that shows the blades but keeps them safe from my hands. The clinics I go to are in CA so I don't take anything on airplanes, although, they were great ideas.
Click to expand...

Before you continue using a five-gallon bucket to carry your tools around, think that you need to read this article our club's newsletter.
 
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That was a funny article , Bill

I use a 5 gal bucket with a plywood donut wedged inside with various holes. The holes are large enough so the tool point touches the bottom of the bucket where I have a thick piece of foam. Not perfect but best I have come up with. I can recognize my tools from the handle. It is easy to find a tool and put it back when doing a demo when you don't have a table behind you to layout your tools on.
 
Bill,
You might want to take your surgically sharp chisels to Home Depot plumbing department and insert them into their clear plastic hose. They have a pretty good selection and you can get sizes to fit all your chisels.

Works great. You can see the business end of the chisel and have the protection you need.
Dick
 
dickhob said:
Bill,
You might want to take your surgically sharp chisels to Home Depot plumbing department and insert them into their clear plastic hose. They have a pretty good selection and you can get sizes to fit all your chisels.

Works great. You can see the business end of the chisel and have the protection you need.
Dick
Click to expand...

That sounds like a great idea, but I have found a solution that seems to be better for my needs. This cart is the only one that I have found that is wide enough to store long turning in the drawers.

image_20251.jpg

It is almost always on sale for under $100 at the local HF stores. It can store around fifty tools plus chucks, tool rests, and miscellaneous other stuff.
 
Bill I love your story of the safety officer , and if you store them handle up which is safer you can mark the end of the handle with a tool shape or code and to keep them seperated in the bucket just jam a lot of tubes in with some glue to keep them in place.Stay safe out there

Ian
 
Bill Boehme said:
That sounds like a great idea, but I have found a solution that seems to be better for my needs. This cart is the only one that I have found that is wide enough to store long turning in the drawers.

View attachment 6013

It is almost always on sale for under $100 at the local HF stores. It can store around fifty tools plus chucks, tool rests, and miscellaneous other stuff.
Click to expand...

Bill this is very close to what I am thinking. Will go look this week. Thanks
 
I never take my tools outside of my shop, but after reading the responses here, the thought occurred to me that a child's golf bag might be ideal for those who wish to transport theirs.......

I have seen some of these children's golf bags at the local "Play it again sports" store.....pretty cheap, and some have wheels. :cool2:

ooc
 
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Bill Boehme said:
That sounds like a great idea, but I have found a solution that seems to be better for my needs. This cart is the only one that I have found that is wide enough to store long turning in the drawers.

<img src="http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6013"/>

It is almost always on sale for under $100 at the local HF stores. It can store around fifty tools plus chucks, tool rests, and miscellaneous other stuff.
Click to expand...

Bill,

I use a a couple of roll around carts. One has three trays similar to the bottom of your roll around that I use for my vacuum pump and related chucks.
I installed the trays upside down. Make cleaning the chips off with a brush easy.
Might be something to do with your cart if the Bottom tray Fills with shavings

Al
 
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