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"Storage"
Big thanks to TM reader Matt who emailed us about this awesome video from the DIY Network in which Norm Abram shows off what might just be the most intricate, ornate, and artful tool chest… in the world. (/Clarkson). Norm says it was built by a Boston piano maker named “Henry Studley” (completely appropriate surname, btw) and features Honduran mahogany with ebony panels. But the magic is inside.
It’s kinda like the Chevy vs. Ford of tool storage: some folks like pegboard and some don’t. But if you happen to be a fan, you’ve probably stared up at your perfectly-arranged pegboarded wrenches and thought, “Why can’t I hang up my router and drill, too?” Answer: Because while you might be able to convince your drill to stay on the board (mostly) with a couple of well-placed single hangers, it’ll always be rickety. And there’s no way single hangers will hold your router.
So forget cobbled-together single hangers and try these custom-made hangers instead. They’re designed to cradle your various tools — routers, ail guns, circ saws, recip saws, drills, and so on — and they’re perfectly spaced to fit into standard pegboard, slatboard, and metal grid storage systems. Pricing runs around $10-$12 per hanger. And admittedly the website seems a bit simplistic. But hey — it’s like $10-$12, right? Might be worth a shot.
Toolhangerz [Toolhangerz.com]
Custom LeatherCraft, known for their aprons and tool holders, has come up with a way to store some of those odd parts and tools that would otherwise end up buried in the bottom of your tool apron — stuff them into one of their clip-on zipper bags and hang it from your belt.
It looks like these bags are made from the same 600D polyester which their non-leather aprons and tool holders are made. They sell them in a three pack with a 9″ by 7″ bag, a 7″ by 6″ bag, and a 6″ by 5″ bag. Pricing starts around $7 for the set.
Clip-on Zipper Bags [Custom LeatherCraft]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
With a new truck parked outside the shop, I took the opportunity to reorganize my vehicle’s toolkit. As I shuffled things about, I found I needed different types of storage for the truck, so I began repacking with newfound efficiency. What you are looking at here (above) is the most useful thing the Craftsman Li-Ion bag has done since we destroyed all the tools that went in it a while back.
Another repurposed item was this sweet DeWalt magnetic storage box, which I found will hold an entire 40-piece socket set and still clip shut with no issue.
I came across a piece last week (via Lifehacker) on refurbishing old toolboxes and it got me thinking: How many of you hard-core Toolmongers currently own older storage solutions — either restored or not? While I haven’t bothered to throw on new paint, my shop is full of a mix-match of various storage gear I bought and inherited. Pictured above, for example, is a Kennedy machinist’s toolbox that came out of my father’s shop.
The temperatures are dropping and you’ve started getting out the winter clothes, but did you ever think about your poor router feeling the chill? JessEm has your router covered with their Rout-R-Jacket… oh wait, it’s not that kind of jacket? Let’s try this again.
Unless you have a fully enclosed router table, collecting all the dust you produce can be hard. About a year ago we covered the Dust Bucket, a sheet metal box that encloses your router to catch the dust. JessEm’s Rout-R-Jacket is a similar type of enclosure, except it’s made out of fabric.
There are tons of different shelf support systems on the market, but not every system works well in every situation. FastCap’s Speed Brace has features that may make it a better choice when it comes to certain tasks.
The first and most notable feature is an alignment notch that FastCap claims makes aligning many supports easy. Just install a straight cleat level on the wall and the Speed Brace’s 1-1/2″ by 1-1/2″ notch slips over the cleat, making aligning each brace almost foolproof. I wonder if using a cleat to align other types of shelf brackets wouldn’t work equally as well, but then what do I know?
Now Klein Tool fans can show their love for all that is Klein by making their kids use Klein’s Halloween tote bag when they go trick-or-treating.
The 4″ deep by 15.5″ wide by 14.5″ tall bag provides about half a cubic foot of space to stash your hard-earned candy. They stamp a “Trick or Treat” design on the front of the bag and a bright orange Klein Tools logo on the back so everybody knows where your loyalties lie.
Klein only offers the bag for a limited time; if you want one you need to order it before October 27th. The tote bag will run you $7 plus what appears to be a flat shipping rate of $7; I tried putting up to 20 bags in the cart and it was still $7 to ship.
Halloween Tote Bag [Klein]
You thought you were done outfitting your shop — Stanley’s taken a rather mundane staple of the shop, a stacking parts bin, and found a way to make you want to throw out your old bins and buy new ones. They equipped an 11.5″ deep by 6-3/8″ wide by 5-1/8″ high bin with a sliding cover, not unlike a rolltop desk, and gave it a handle for easy transport.
The sliding cover on the Stock and Carry clicks shut to keep the contents inside and dust and dirt out. You can sit them on a workbench, hang them from racks, or put them Stanley’s Lock and Stock Organizer.
Red from Shawshank Redemption tells us that “Geology is the study of pressure and time.” It seems that geology and bedroom closets have much in common. Over time, a small amount of crap we don’t need multiplies to epic proportions inside this all-too-finite area. When the closet nears bursting and the impending clutter bomb threatens to pop the door from the hinges, the twin axioms of organization must be wielded like the hammer of Thor — pare down the excess and add storage.
Several trash bags full of junk in the trash and a trip to the local donation center saw half the offending objects removed from my bedroom area. The rest now neatly piled in front of the bed would need a new home. A look at the top of the closet was all I needed to realize that there was a ton of unused space in that area. I needed a set of built-ins.
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