Popular Woodworking 2007-02 № 160, страница 36

A canvas or leather tool roll is a simple way of protecting and organizing tools whether you're in the shop or traveling.

Kentucky craftsman Don Weber with a sturdy traveling tool chest that he designed and built. Keeping tools organized on the road presents its own challenges.

These are simply pieces of leather or canvas with a series of pockets sewn into them. Tools are tucked into a protective sleeve and the whole thing rolled up and tied. They are equally as useful for housing tools that aren't used all the time and must be stored in a drawer. For example, a set of augers isn't an everyday item in many shops but you may have an old set you use from time to time. Investing in an inexpensive canvas roll is a good way of protecting sharp edges when the bits have to share drawer space with other tools.

Power Tools Deserve A Space of Their Own

Portable power tools represent a different kind of organizational challenge; they are not as delicate and easily damaged as many hand tools, but they are generally heavier and bulkier and they often come with a number of accessories of which you have to keep track.

Although they can be kept in cabinets or drawers, heavy power tools will be easier to get if they are stored on a shelf about waist high or in a simple plywood cubby. An open-faced cabinet or set of shelves a couple of feet square and divided into individual compartments is a good way of housing power tools. They can be kept in the same general part of the shop but all given their own space.

The surprising number of accessories, ranging from wrenches for changing blades to replacement motor brushes, should be kept nearby. Devoting one drawer or part of one cabinet to repair and replacement parts for power tools helps to keep these important bits of hardware from getting lost.

In the same general area, keep all parts lists and operating manuals for the tools in the shop. When you need to replace a part or adjust the tool the manual will be invaluable. An expanding plastic organizer, available at any office supply store, makes a good library for tool manuals. A separate organizer can be used for small replacement parts, such as O-rings, gaskets and drive belts.

Accessories for larger power tools are easy to find when they are kept as close to the tool as possible rather than in some distant cabinet across the shop. The space beneath a table saw extension is a good place to tuck a small cabinet that can house saw blades, dado blades, wrenches and other supplies. A separate drawer in the same cabinet can also be used for router bits or drill bits.

Grouping tool parts in this way makes them a lot easier to find and will protect them from damage.

If you can, try housing cordless tools in the same general area and mount your chargers on a nearby wall. Having all of the tools and batteries in a single location is a plus.

Finding Room For All Those Clamps

Most of us apparently believe that old chestnut about woodworking: there is no such thing as too many clamps. We do, in fact, need a lot of clamps and they come in a variety of sizes and styles.

If you have a large collection of bar and pipe clamps (and assuming you have the space for it) consider making a rolling or stationary clamp rack. Building in a series of crossbars at different heights makes it convenient to hang clamps of different lengths. The rack should be tapered top to bottom, and in the shape of an "A" when viewed from the side, so the clamps are not easily jounced off as the cart is moved.

Devoting a cabinet to power tools is a good way of making even a large collection easily accessible. This cabinet is at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif.

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