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What Does Your Dream Toolbox Look Like?

181K views 3K replies 156 participants last post by  JackDuren 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
The toolbox is a deeply personal choice. I have seen hundreds of different styles and variations. Some people prefer to store all their tools on the wall and live in there own toolbox.

For me the "traditional" English chest is the winner. I love the way it looks and works. More on that later…

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In the interest of kicking off a discussion about the thing in your shop that rates second only to your workbench:

How do you store your tools?
What do you make your toolbox out of?
What do you think is worth putting in your toolbox?

And perhaps most importantly…why?


 

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#2 ·
I'm looking forward to this thread, Ryan. I was actually thinking of starting a similar one myself, but didn't get around to it, so I'm glad you did.

I love the traditional English tool chest and yours (that is yours in the photos, right?) is an excellent example. For my own situation, I'm working on a Dutch style tool chest, as you know, and have only been using it for about a week. So far I really love working from it. Before my tools were typically in another room and were a bit disorganized (like my thoughts). But now, having the tool chest, there's a nice sense of satisfaction and permanence. Each tool has its spot, which also gives me more motivation for staying organized because when something isn't put away, then something's amiss.

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I had considered building a wall cabinet since I've really liked a lot of the ones that I've seen on the site here, but I didn't have a good, accessible spot on the wall. Here's a wall cabinet posted here on LJ that I think is really sweet:



[Link]
 

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#3 ·
That's funny Brandon, your Dutch Chest is what got me thinking about this so I am glad you are the first post. you did an awesome job parsing out the space for your tools by the way.

That is my-currently incomplete-English Chest. I am working on tills now:

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#4 ·
I like most everything ol Schwarzy does, but he lost me with the tool chest. I can see why somebody who travels often with their tools, as he does, would want a chest. But i have no desire to cram em all in a chest, then bend over all day accessing them. That beings said, I have no beef with anybody who does like these chests. I like some different things, some of them I can't tell you why.
Anyway, I'm kicking around a big till/bench combo. I want them all out for easy access. Kind of like this, but nicer looking. I've seen some nice setups in books but I can never find links to those pics.

 
#7 ·
Jeepers, I've died went to LN heaven….lol. Man alive. Are those yours RG?

I'm still sorting it out. I'm going to mount it above a joinery bench, so I don't want it to come off the wall so far. The longer planes may have to go on a shelf in the joinery bench below. But a til above for smaller planes, chisels, rasps etc. Thinking some white oak and walnut like my bench.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yes, Brandon, it is. <sigh> Too bad I will never own anything close to that. What is the dollar equivalent of 10k British Pounds, plus shipping and assorted taxes?

I plan to build a wall cabinet later this year, but it is going to be reclaimed clear pine from our kitchen demo and remodel. My shop is too small for a chest and also because it is small, there is nowhere more than a couple steps from the wall the cabinet will go on.

Here is another of my favorites that has been posted on LJ before

 
#11 ·
of all the floor chest, I think Brandon W's is the best I've seen. I just can't seem to figure a way to work a floor model into my style of working. (or playing as my wife calls it)

As for wall mounts, its hard to image a really nice wall cabinet making it to my shop. I change tools to often. I also go through spells were I use certain tools a lot, then they get shoved away for a while.

And luckily, I like it that way.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Red I wish those were mine, but alas they are not. My collection is more of a hodgepodge of good vintage, solid new makes, and the occasional shop made tool. I just remembered the picture from the days that I was trying to figure out what type of storage I wanted.

Open storage is great, and for the money it is hard to beat a 2'x'4 piece of 3/4" plywood. Once you have that up you can start mounting a ton of tools to that in a hurry.

This is how I started:



Being able to see all those tools ready to go is a nice feeling and I have seen several shops where the toolbox is the shop…

Dan's shop comes to mind (sorry for the small picture, I could not get the big shot linked in)



So why did I opt for a tool-chest over this?

I'll answer that tomorrow after I have dealt with my cat, who has decided to be a raging pain.
 
#18 ·
The primary reason for opting for any style of enclosed space for a toolbox, was that I was buying better and better tools, and I wanted a better place to keep them safe. When you think about it a decent set of hand-tools is a considerable investment and leaving them out (at least in my case) leaves them prone to damage and rust.

This picture encapsulates the moment I decided I wanted a BOX of some sort for my tools.

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But it was more than that, I wanted to be able to look at a box and say "everything I need to build what I want is in there". I have more drawn out reasons for opting for the English Chest (though had I had any knowledge of it when I finally made up my mind, the dutch would have been a contender) but really those are practical reasons having to do with usable wall space VS floor space in my shop. The important part, was that at of the end of the day, my tools had a nice home of their own.

I just wish I was done with it.
 

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#23 ·
Here is mine that I've never completely finished. It needs more tool holders and I'm going to rip out the the shelves and put in a vertical till. It has outgown my hand plane collection.

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The best part was being able to fire the old peg board. I made that decisoin after a sqare fell off and dented a table I was making.
 

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#25 ·
Mauricio. I love the drawers on your cabinet. The sizing looks perfect for odd things like drill bits and whatnot. You are never quite done with a toolbox until you are done buying tools. For me that is another point for the English chest, the tools are not really pigeonholed anywhere, so it is easy to restructure.
 
#26 ·
Thanks Ryan. And, your right, efficent use of space is much easier in a tool chest.

I prefer wall cabinets to tool chest, mostly it works better for my shop situation, namely that big wall. But you really have to get creative with tool holders and internal doors to make sure your not wasting space. I think that is why the Studley chest seems so complex.

In a chest a lot of stuff can just sit in a box or a shelf which is much easier.
 
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