Whether your workshop is tucked away in a corner of your basement or spread out over a two-car garage, storing the tools and materials that accumulate is a persistent challenge. This chapter offers several simple storage devices that can help you win the ongoing battle against clutter. They will keep your tools and materials within easy reach when they are needed, and out of the way when they are not.
For storing hand tools, consider the handsaw holder (page 117) and the tool tray, the chisel, and router bit racks shown opposite. As well as helping to organize your tools, these devices will prevent damage to cutting edges.
An effective system for storing clamps is a must. The rack shown on page 118 will accommodate a large selection and, because it is mounted on casters, the rack can be moved to wherever it is needed. Lumber and plywood storage racks are shown on pages 120 and 121. Each of the examples shown can hold enough stock for several projects while conserving precious floor space.
Clamps can he a nuisance to store because of their sheer number in the shop. The simple rack shown at left is made of strips of wood mounted on wall studs. The lower strip is thicker, to keep the clamps leaning toward the wall.
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Organize your circular saw blades in a custom-made storage box like the one shown at right. Build the box from %-inch plywood, cutting it a few inches larger than your largest blade and wide enough to hold all your blades. Make the bottom and back from the same piece, routing the dadoes for the dividers first and then cutting the piece in two. This will ensure perfect alignment of the dadoes. Cut the dadoes / inch deep and wide, spaced at И-inch intervals. Make the dividers out of И-inch plywood or hardboard. Fit the dividers in their dadoes, glue them to the bottom and back, then screw the box together. To keep the blades from rolling out of the box, cut a batten from scrap stock and nail it to the dividers near the bottom of the box.
Building and mounting the holder
The wall-mounted rack shown at left, made with a few wood scraps, doweling, and some rubber hose, uses friction to hold your handsaws in place. Cut the base from И-inch plywood. Each divider is made from a 10-inch-long 2-by-4 face-glued to a short, tapered 2-by-4. Begin by screwing a 2-by-4 at the left end of the base, then secure the dividers in place, leaving a И-inch gap between them. The stoppers are 4-inch lengths of И-inch dowel pressed into slightly shorter pieces of rubber garden hose; use hose with ridges rather than smooth hose. Slip a saw into the rack from below, then tug down on the handle. The stopper will pinch the blade in place. Mark the dowel’s position, bore a И-inch – diameter stopped hole into the base at the mark, then screw the dowel in place. Once all the stoppers are in position, mount the holder to the wall.