If you could make any shop tool what would it be?

I saw a photo of a fellows wood working shop once. He had a friend who was a plummer, who saved the left over sections of PVC piping from jobs for him. The entire wall over the bench was a stack of 12" long sections of PVC pipe,ranging from 1" to 6", stacked like firewood. He put his tools in the tubular "pigeon holes" and it looked really neat. There was a wooden frame with a plywood back, about 6'X4', that contained the pipe sections. He had them full of screwdrivers, files,hammers, etc. He plugged the tubes with newspaper until each tool handle just protruded from its tube. I always planned on building such a rack someday.

In one corner of the shop was a vertical rack of similar construction that was full of wood standing on end.The tubes were longer in the back and shorter in the front. Looked like a perfect steel rack. The opposite corner had a similar rack with his garden tools stuck in the tubes.

$20 in schedule 80 PVC pipe and a can of cement could make a nice Saturday steel rack/tool rack project.

Stacy
 
This is what you guys need for file storage- and it spins!
http://www.cutting-mats.net/2623.html

yhst-57587333958251_2084_33529706
 
Here's a rack I made for free.
Found the fluorescent light diffuser in a dumpster.
Cut out the webs to accommodate the file's size.
No "banging" into each other as they can not slide.
Been sitting in that same spot for four years.

rack.jpg
 
i also have a pile of bluejeans back pockets that i plan on hangin on the wall for maybe order slips and the parts for doing the work (sept for blade steel) so its all right there handy and i dot try and use a block of wood on a non order for a back order
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Here's a rack I made for free.
Found the fluorescent light diffuser in a dumpster.
Cut out the webs to accommodate the file's size.
No "banging" into each other as they can not slide.
Been sitting in that same spot for four years.

rack.jpg
Click to expand...

My file holder is about like that. I milled slots in a 1"x6" for the top and left enough room so the files can't touch. I need to make another to keep the files I use on brass in. Right now they are in plastic sleeves to protect them in a tool box drawer.
 
I cut off a 12 inch length of sledgehammer/axemaul handle for holding chainsaw files. I am left handed and have much better filing performance by holding onto the other end of the file, so that that pointy end of the file is facing away from me.

I can maximize the length of the file by drilling out a hole on the end of the wooden shaft, dab some glue in the hole and after it sets I have a nice big handle for holding the file. Filing a chainsaw takes less time, and is much easier.
 
Something I found to be productive in both the short and long term was setting aside four hours every Friday to do shop upgrades.
Things like moving a switch that has been in the wrong spot for a long time or adding height to a machine base or table to make it more efficient.
Making jigs to make the job easier or more productive[The Bubble Jig came into being as a result of this scheduling]

I followed this routine for 6 years or so and in the end it proved to be time well spent. Each Monday, when I returned to work in the shop, I would notice that the work went a little smoother and the shop would seem a little more user friendly.

A shop that is operated by one individual needs to be set up for that individual, when it is, working there becomes much more pleasant and more productive.

I want a surface grinder in the worst way and have been on the hunt for the right one.:D

How many of your wives tell you, "you already have enough toys"?

Fred
 
My wife just asked if I need/wanted any more equipment by end of year for a tax write off.

I said nah, I have too much stuff now.:cool:
 
Fred.... didn't know you were a 5S specialist :D

One of the things that Ed Fowler once wrote struck home with me a long time ago. To paraphrase, "why do we adapt ourselves to our tools instead of adapting our tools to us?" How many times have you guys seen someone using a hammer that would work a lot better if they'd just rasp the handle a bit? My tools and shop are MY TOOLS AND SHOP! if I don't like something about them I change them to suit ME, as I've converted away from using grinders and other power tools I've made some wholesale changes to the way my workspace is laid out. If it's a tool like a file that I use a lot then it's always within arm's reach. If it's something rarely used then it's in the middle of the bench away from my work area.

Those are neat file storage ideas but I don't have handles on my files :)
 
Don Hanson III said:
My wife just asked if I need/wanted any more equipment by end of year for a tax write off.

I said nah, I have too much stuff now.:cool:
Click to expand...

When the lady that does our taxes informed us that we should purchase equipment every year for the shop, I considered taking her out to diner to celebrate; my dear wife thought less of the idea.:D

Fred
 
Will Leavitt said:
Fred.... didn't know you were a 5S specialist :D

One of the things that Ed Fowler once wrote struck home with me a long time ago. To paraphrase, "why do we adapt ourselves to our tools instead of adapting our tools to us?" How many times have you guys seen someone using a hammer that would work a lot better if they'd just rasp the handle a bit? My tools and shop are MY TOOLS AND SHOP! if I don't like something about them I change them to suit ME, as I've converted away from using grinders and other power tools I've made some wholesale changes to the way my workspace is laid out. If it's a tool like a file that I use a lot then it's always within arm's reach. If it's something rarely used then it's in the middle of the bench away from my work area.

Those are neat file storage ideas but I don't have handles on my files :)
Click to expand...


Will,

Sustaining the discipline is the one most lacking for me. I blame it on retirement and the large coffee pot that sits in the kitchen.:D

In what you are trying to achieve, with your move to a less mechanized shop, I would think this line of reasoning would be very useful indeed.
When one is dependent on a few specialized hand tools to do what was formerly accomplished by a shop full of motorized machinery, a well thought out work progression and placement of the tools needed to accomplish the work, would be the first order of business, necessary for the success of the project, along with the joy of accomplishing the work.

When I look through my collection of stone and flint tools I am amazed at the small nuances present in their construction. The makers must have been quite intuitive and very aware of their place in the world.

Fred
 
One of the things I do a lot at work is try to help people get organized, everyone knows a system, the problem is they never sustain beyond the 2 week honeymoon. Sure, I know a lot of people think I'm pretty weird about how I do stuff at work but I get things done and am able to handle a lot of different tasks at the same time due to my organizational system. It's a daily planner on a single sheet of paper, it's flexible, simple and cheap.
 
If Butch had that in his forge he would hit more than his finger on the anvil at waist high lol but seriously get a dust collector to save your lungs and then worry about your tools. kellyw
 
Ide build a cage to keep the girl on the red chair in. Thats excatly what ide build the rest would be history.
 
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