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My Ultimate Shopsmith Storage Solution

hudsonmiller

Seriously - very very nice.

tdubnik

Thanks for all of the kind comments.

I'm currently working on some of the matching peices to go with the storage unit and work cart. I got two short storage units completed today except for the work tops. I need to finish painting the sides and back for the tall cabinet. This is all part of the shop upgrade I am working on. Pictures soon.

flyslinger

Great Idea, an organized shop. eveytime I put my 5/32 allen wrench down I can't remember where I put it......again great job

dickg1

flyslinger wrote. . . eveytime I put my 5/32 allen wrench down I can't remember where I put it......

Look to the left side of your Mark X, just below the locking handle. You'll see two holes. Drop your allen wrench into one of those, and you will allways find it.:rolleyes:

Dick

robinson46176

dickg1 wroteLook to the left side of your Mark X, just below the locking handle. You'll see two holes. Drop your allen wrench into one of those, and you will allways find it.:rolleyes:

Dick

I keep watching for freebie old speaker magnets. I have 3" magnets on the front (on the belt guard just in front of the way tube) of a couple of my SS's. just hold the Allen wrench near it and it will grab it. I also keep the chuck key there.

In the metal shop I have one up on the side of my drill press where I keep the chuck key and a couple of center-drills. In the boot shop I use one for my primary cobblers hammer. It is just glued flat to the bench top and the large faced hammer is just sat down with its face in the center of the magnet with its handle sticking out ready to grab.

robinson46176

Just a storage thought...

As I already mentioned in another thread here (somewhere) I have been pretty impressed with these tower storage solutions and think I will steer that direction for a lot of stuff.

The biggest problem I keep running into with all manner of tools is that I am an admitted tool freak. :D I am not a "Tim Taylor" that always has to have the newest or the biggest or even the best... I just love tools, :rolleyes:

We constantly go to rummage, garage and yard sales and our grown son and I also hit a number of consignment auctions a year.

If I set up a tool panel of about any kind which I do quite a bit, the first thing I know I have acquired another half dozen items that will not fit there... :eek:

It is all pretty far away from the old traveling craftsman who fitted his tool trunk just exactly to fit his saw, his square, his bit brace, his hammer etc.

-

As someone already mentioned everyone works differently and everyone's needs are different.

When I just had the 510 and Old Gray Mare it was easy to keep track of which items went which Shopsmith since they were quite different. Now I have tables for all nine of them which I need to keep separate by machine and the same goes for fences. A lot of the stuff doesn't really matter but the tables and fences can be a little different from each other. They "can" interchange but once you get a table aligned for one SS that does not mean that you can slap it on another and have it exactly properly aligned for it. That is why I have been painting each SS a different color.

I'm thinking maybe I need to build a storage tower or two for the more flexible Shopsmith items and SPTs that can be used on any machine and build some on-board storage for the machine specific things like tables, fences, miter gauges etc.

-

Things like shaper cutters and router bits need a lot of expansion room because you always need more of those. The same goes for saw blades. Clamps are something you will probably keep adding if your shop is active.

-

BTW, I mentioned before that I had just moved stuff into my new as a woodshop shop with a pitchfork and it was difficult to work and that I was now doing a complete reorganizing of it.

I am proud to announce that after a few days efforts I now have it so shuffled that I can't do a damned thing in there... :eek:

Maybe next week...

fjimp

robinson46176 wroteJust a storage thought...

It is all pretty far away from the old traveling craftsman who fitted his tool trunk just exactly to fit his saw, his square, his bit brace, his hammer etc.

-

Farmer,

My father in law was a cabinet maker in a small railroad town in South Eastern Colorado. When he passed on in 1971 I was in charge of shipping most of his tools to other in laws. I managed to keep a crowbar that began live as a John Deer Tractor axle, a few worn out hand tools and a scroll saw that he had build by hand. The most popular of his collection was his handmade tool box. Specially built to hold his most treasured hand tools. I hung on to it just long enough to make a copy. I still use that box. As crude as it is it holds my square, Three hand saws, a couple of claw hammers, hand plane and enough measuring and marking tools to build nearly anything. All of his tools had to fit into the trunk of a 1960's vintage Ford Sedan. No its not his toolbox but a close copy that brings him to mind often. fjimp

wslocombe

What a great storage unit! Do you have any plans you used to build this unit? Thanks for the inspiration.

Walt Slocombe

tdubnik

wslocombe wroteWhat a great storage unit! Do you have any plans you used to build this unit? Thanks for the inspiration.

Walt Slocombe

I didn]This is a modified version of some plans that were originally in Shopnotes #97. It was designed to house benchtop tools when not in use. When I saw it, I thought it would be a perfect fit for the Shopsmith.

I made some pretty heavy modifications to the dimensions. I added the pegboard lining, side doors and drawer. I just tried to think of everything I use when working on my Shopsmith and made it fit.

You can still find the plans and watch a video here:

Shop Storage[/I]

gk777

Left Door Storage.jpg

on this picutre could you add a close up on how you mounted the tables?

tdubnik

gk777 wroteLeft Door Storage.jpg

on this picutre could you add a close up on how you mounted the tables?

The table holder is comprised of a 2X piece of wood with a groove that the front of the table drops down into on the bottom and a 1X piece of lumber with a home made wooden spring latch that holds the top. I'll try to get pictures and post them tomorrow.

tdubnik

As requested, here are some more detailed pictures of my table storage mounts. The bottom support is just a 2X with a groove cut. the back of the floating table sits in this groove. The top is held in place with a wooden spring latch. I made this just using a beveled piece of material so the top can "snap" in place. The spring is a narrow piece of 1/8" plywood that seemed to have the right properties for my purpose. To release the table, just lift up on the spring. If you have further questions after viewing the pictures, just ask.

heathicus

I'm planning on following these ShopNotes designs for building some decent storage and workspace in my garage shop. I'm going to start with the large worksurface and cabinet, then expand on that. The miter saw shelf and a second cabinet will be next. I really like the simplicity of the design and the way it looks with the angled corners.

I also like the personal modifications you made, tdubnik. Pretty ingenious.

rcf

I don't have room for any separate storage, so I improvised, attached is a picture of the cabinet I built under my shopsmith. Now all my tools are close at hand, especially when I roll it out on the deck of my workshop. [ATTACH][/ATTACH]

fjimp

That's what I need a deck for my workshop. Great storage idea thanks for sharing it. fjimp

wdelliott

How did you hold the spare floating tables to the cabinet?

How did you hold the tops of the spare tubes to the storage rack?

I agree - excellent work.

tdubnik

wdelliott wroteHow did you hold the spare floating tables to the cabinet?

How did you hold the tops of the spare tubes to the storage rack?

I agree - excellent work.

If you look at the pictures above, you can see how I mounted the floating tables to the cabinet. First the tables are stored with their tops toward the cabinet. The back of the table is toward the bottom and sits in a groove I cut in a 2x4. The top of the table is secured with a wooden spring clamp I made that snaps over the lip of the table. I think that if you study the photos above you can see this clearly.

The spare tubes are stored under the tables and sit in a box mounted to the bottom of the door. The tops are secured with spring clips I bought at Home Depot. These clips are the type typically used to hang things like brooms and rakes in your garage.

dusty

I think the storage solutions presented in this thread are terrific. If I would apply a few of the tips that are available here, my shop would be much more efficient. I spend a lot of time looking for something that I know is "here somewhere".

Sometimes I look so long for something that I begin worrying that someone came into my shop when I wasn't looking and walked off with it. That has never proven to be the case. I eventually find it, right where I left it.

a1gutterman

dusty wroteI think the storage solutions presented in this thread are terrific. If I would apply a few of the tips that are available here, my shop would be much more efficient. I spend a lot of time looking for something that I know is "here somewhere".

Sometimes I look so long for something that I begin worrying that someone came into my shop when I wasn't looking and walked off with it. That has never proven to be the case. I eventually find it, right where I left it.

Funny thing, too: It is always in the last place you look!!!:rolleyes:

robinson46176

gutterman wroteFunny thing, too: It is always in the last place you look!!!:rolleyes:

In my case it is often in the first place I looked, I just didn't see it the first time. :rolleyes:

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