I need to make or buy a tool holder. Ideas?

[Omega Leather Works]

So you know the handle shape of the hand tools, right? Tandy uses them, the junky Chinese tools are very similar (not that I own any of these anymore), Japanese tools have the same basic shape and size, and Osborne and Weaver look comparable too. I have several of these tools and they are all sitting in the little zip-lock bags that they come in in my tool box. I hate this.

So! How do you guys store these? There are many choices for stamping tools, often they come with space for a swivel knife. Weaver makes a gorgeous display board for their Master Tools punch sets. I've never seen anything from common hand tools though. I was thinking about just drilling holes in a board that the tool and first swell in the handle would pass through. The larger swell toward the butt would be larger than the hole so would bottom out there, but I'm curious to know if you guys have any other ideas? Pics are welcome.

Thanks

 

[Skystorm]

I use a bunch of the tool holders from the pegboard aisle. The back walls of my benches are all pegboard so it keeps everything organized and right in reach.

 

[J&G-Designs]

The ones I don't use to often are kept in its bag in the drawer.

 

[sheathmaker]

Anthony, here is a photo of one angle of one of my benches showing hand tools in the drilled holes above the bench and the stamps etc to the left of that in the wood racks. (It's an old photo, there are now 10 rounds knives hanging up there.)

Paul

 

[J&G-Designs]

Very nice Paul! 👍

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Very nice guys!

Myself, I need a dedicated workspace, for the time being it's the kitchen table and then the stuff gets put away in a great big tub, but hopefully if we ever move, I'll have a space all my own

But for the tools I use often, I have a small 8x12" thick block of foam that I insert the various tools I use. And for the many embossing tools I took part of fluorescent light grid, about 1" square grid pattern and about 1/2" thick and cut out a section of that and mounted it between some wood, the handles fit nicely down into those grid squares.

Here's a pic I took a while back for the company I work for as they wanted a story for their monthly news letter and heard I worked with leather, but you can see that grid pattern on the one side and the black foam block in front of me.

G2

 

[Omega Leather Works]

I use a bunch of the tool holders from the pegboard aisle. The back walls of my benches are all pegboard so it keeps everything organized and right in reach.

I remember seeing peg board in a photo you took of some of your clicker dies I think it was. Can you elaborate on what you mean though? I'm not following.

The ones I don't use to often are kept in its bag in the drawer.

I can't believe that didn't even occur to me. I don't usually like magnets near my knives because of the small magnetism that can transfer, but I don't see anything wrong with using one for leather tools. Thanks for the idea.

Anthony, here is a photo of one angle of one of my benches showing hand tools in the drilled holes above the bench and the stamps etc to the left of that in the wood racks. (It's an old photo, there are now 10 rounds knives hanging up there.)

Paul

I was hoping you'd post a pic. A set-up like yours is something for me to strive for. I imagine it'll be some years before I have anything comparable. I try to use a tool for a bit before I buy another one, at this rate it'll be 20 years before I have a collection I can be really proud of, but that's as it should be.

Very nice guys!

Myself, I need a dedicated workspace, for the time being it's the kitchen table and then the stuff gets put away in a great big tub, but hopefully if we ever move, I'll have a space all my own

But for the tools I use often, I have a small 8x12" thick block of foam that I insert the various tools I use. And for the many embossing tools I took part of fluorescent light grid, about 1" square grid pattern and about 1/2" thick and cut out a section of that and mounted it between some wood, the handles fit nicely down into those grid squares.

Here's a pic I took a while back for the company I work for as they wanted a story for their monthly news letter and heard I worked with leather, but you can see that grid pattern on the one side and the black foam block in front of me.

G2

I should have mentioned that I don't have a dedicated work space either. I used to have a shop that was the size of a lot of houses. It had 110v and 220v and lots of it. I still have large wall length work benches that I need to pick up. They would fit in the garage, I think, and would be more than enough space for what I need. As it stands I have a lot of my tools in a plastic tool chest (like an overgrown tackle box) and the rest is under my bed, or in the garage. My leather is rolled up in a cardboard box in my bedroom. Not exactly ideal as my wife likes to point out.

Thanks for the pic. I really like your set-up, the portability is nice. What maul is that btw? I keep almost buying one, but it's not really a priority while I need other tools and supplies. Got a big shipment coming Friday so it will bump up on the list. We'll see.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Thanks, that maul I bought from Weaver Leather a long time ago, Maul I haven't used a leather hammer since getting it, works great !
G2