MadModder
The Shop => Our Shop => Topic started by: Powder Keg on November 18, 2009, 10:00:10 PM
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:doh: This could be said when a person looks into my shop. I have been "working on stuff" since I moved into my shop about 5 years ago. I never have time to "clean" or "organize" my stuff. I've been bust makin stuff. I'm starting to pay the price. My next major project is going to be organizing my shop.
I'm looking for Ideas. Nifty ways to store lathe chucks, drills, wrenches, Lathe bits, tool holders, dead pigeons, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, squares, Rotary tables, dividing heads, collets, punches, and other misc. machine shop stuff. I'd rather not have it stored away in bins where it can't be seen. I think I'd have the same problem that I have now. I cant find anything till I get a new one :bang: :bang: :bang:
:worthless:
Thanks for any help, Wesley :med:
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Wesley, my workshop is an absolute disgrace but I have had a few good ideas over the years!
I found the surplus office furniture warehouses are a good place to look. Old map cabinets, the kind with big shallow drawers, are ideal for storing small tools and instruments. Filing cabinets are cheap because there is little use for them but all they need is a plywood box made to fit inside and they are ideal for storing power tools etc. Banks used to have shallow drawer cabinets in which they stored checque books etc, steel and highest quality construction and if you can find one ideal to have under the bench where I use one for spanners, screwdrivers, hammers, hacksaws etc.
I think the secret for workshop drawers and bins is that they must be shallow so that whatever is in there is all on show when you pull the drawer out.
My best purchase ever was a 120 drawer card index cabinet (the library used to have dozens of these and I managed to get one). They are ideal for nails, nuts and bolts, and all manner of useful bits.
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Use the walls as much as you can Wes, you can't pile things on top of each other. Well you can, but is is a lot more difficult than piling up horizontally.
John
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If you want to use the walls you can triple, or more, the area by making things like 'doors' on hinges set out from the wall a couple of inches. Then you can hang tools on the wall plus both sides of the 'door' contraption.
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Murphy's law No 22
"No matter how much storage space you have, you will always have 15% more stuff". :scratch:
BR
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A little at a time. It has started \o/ :headbang:\o/
Here was my R-8 Collets before.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/ColletStorage001.jpg)
Here is the rack I made to fit my Pegboard. ( See, I did get that light switch covered :clap:)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/ColletStorage002.jpg)
I also made one to hold some Morse shanked drill bits I had lying around\o/
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Drillrack001.jpg)
Need one to hold some screwdrivers and some files now. :poke:
What do you guys use to hold your quick change tooling?
Later, Wes
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http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=1029.0
John
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That will keep me busy this weekend John. Thanks a lot!!! Seems like I have some 1/4" rod around here somewhere?
Wes
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The bench idea I gleaned off of the engine site bout half way down this post might be of some interest Wes?
http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=395.0
Sure gets a lot of use... I have all the trays filled with bits of little projects awaiting my return!!! :whip:
It's a lot messier in there now though!!!! ::)
Ralph.
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I like that Idea Ralph!! Thanks for sharing that. I think I even have a spot for some sliding shelves like that. I have a rack designed for my tool holders now. I took Bogs idea and ran with it. I just need to make a few pieces san cut out some pegs. I'll post plenty of pictures.
Later, Wes
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Well, I've been busy measuring, and sawin, and drillin, and nailin. I have some routerin and sandin and some poundin left. I should have pleanty of toolholder storage. I'm looking to have pictures sometime on Friday\o/
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Ok, I'm probably out of the shop today because of the Holiday. We have a bunch going on. I'm looking for ideas on file storage I have a bunch of em laying around. I'm thinking of a rack on the wall behind my big lathe. maybe two a bigger one and a smaller one by each lathe?
:nrocks: :nrocks: :nrocks:
Thanks guys!!!
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Powder Keg, I will resist the temptation about keeping files in a filing cabinet and instead suggest short lengths of plastic pipe chosen for size and length so that the file will drop in with only the handly showing. This allows the files to be fairly casually dropped into their storage without clanging against each other. Make a wooden stopper to fit snugly inside each pipe and use the file to push it down to the appropriate position then fit it there with a screw.
Not my idea but I thought it looked rather neat when I saw it used.
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My standard incentive to clean up is when I know I put a the part I'm working on down somewhere but cant find it due to all the flotsam and debris on every surface
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I've been out in the shop. I managed to get a couple tool holder racks made. Those pins seemed to take forever. I rounded one end and champhered the other end and emeried the rust off of them. The wood is recycled flooring. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint them or not? If I do, I'll wait till they are all done.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Toolholder001.jpg)
I bought one of those throatless shears from HF a year or two ago. I've used it a bit, but not much. The main reason is There's no where to mount it in my shop. When I was building the steady rest for my metal spinning adventures, I thought it would be handy to mount it the same way. The lathe is nice and heavy. It makes a good base for the shear. Now I can cut out circles for my metal spinning\o/
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Latheattachment.jpg)
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what a slick idea for mounting the shear :thumbup:
chuck :wave:
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Thanks Chuck. I think other items could maybe be mounted this way? A vise comes to mind first. It would be a solid base for it.
Wes
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Is that a magnet levitating the dti ?
Nice going there, tough looking lathe too .... and almost enough swarf to start weighing it in ..... :lol:
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Mmmmmmm, just wondering what kind of stress that will put on the ways of the lathe. Will it twist the bed ways out or not? Just wondering out loud.
Bernd
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Interesting use of a lathe... not a bad idea either. Bernd's post made me think "hmm"; I'd add a leg underneath the shear, so when you pull down on the handle all of the forces are transmitted through the leg to the floor, the lathe is only there as a steady then.
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Every night last week I put in 2 or three hours into my shop cleaning. What a mess!!! I managed to get a lot put away. One problem when you clean is all the stuff in the area you were cleaning needs to go somewhere. It's still pretty messy. I have mainly been focusing on my work bench. I have some things planned that will save a lot of space.
This summer I bought a old "post drill" and a bench grinder. Both are set up to be run with leather belts. So, I needed to finish up a couple things before I could install them. The wall behind my bench wasn't finished. It had insulation, but no boards on it. Today I got up and moved my bench away from the wall. I went and got the stuff I needed and a buddy came over and helped put OSB on that wall\0/ It took most of the day. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to paint it white. Then I'll be able to slide the bench back against the wall.
My wife helped me a bunch today. She cut out all the pieces for some fancy storage bins I've been wanting to build. I had a bunch of reclaimed wood that we used. They will roll under my bench and hold all my scrap and some other stuff. I'll get some pictures when we get everything into place. They might be handy for others here to use.
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i had a big tidy and sort not long ago, even painted the floor last week :bugeye:
one thing i've done is measure just about every bit of metal i've got and write it in a "stock" list. it took a long time (far too long!) i was shocked at what i'd got!
i'd bought some 1/2" dia mild steel bar the other week, found about 3 foot on me tidy up.
i'd got bits of this and that here and there (one of the perks in being an engineer :lol: is the bar ends don't always make it to the skip :lol:).
now its all organised and EVERY time i use a bit of metal it only takes a few seconds to update/check what i've got.
i've still got a box of "unrecorded" odds and ends instead of a shed full :lol:
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Here's a couple pictures. I'm off to paint :bang:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/walls001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Storagebins001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Storagebins002.jpg)
Here's my drill press and grinder.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Drillandgrinder.jpg)
More later.....
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I got the bench back up against the wall today after the paint dried. I then finished my storage bins. There are 5 of them to hold my scrap metal. They have big wood rollers so they roll pretty good.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Storagebins003.jpg)
Nice and neat and out of the way.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Storagebins004.jpg)
Well I'm off to clean some more :doh:
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Thank you for showing those bins. Yesterday I bough some little wheels for exactly the same idea. But these would fix under the boxes and loose valuable space.
I like your idea of side mounted wheels much better ..... what did you make them out of?
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I like the bins PK! :thumbup:
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The wheels are just band sawed out of some 1" thick wood I had lying around. I then drilled them and ran a bolt and some washers through them. I used a Nylock nut on the bolts so I could just snug the wheel up and it wouldn't work loose. The only thing I had to buy were the nuts, bolts, washers, and the handles. I made them big so they would roll good if the floor got a little messy :bugeye: :jaw:
More to follow.
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The last couple of weeks I have been researching line shaft information. The grinder and the drill press will be ran with a line shaft ran against the east wall of my shop. I tore into the grinder tonight and found a few things that I'll have to make. There is a flange with a tapered bore that centers the grinding wheel. One of those is missing. This grinder came with a loose and a tight pulley when it was new. Mine had the loose pulley but in place of the tight pulley was a V-pulley. I'll have to make one of those to\o/ Then I'll have to fab up a couple of tool rests as mine are long gone.
On these loose and tight pulley arangements, Do I need a loose and tight pulley on the line shaft also?
Thanks, Wes
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Line shaft sounds like a great project Wes. I do not know the answer but I imagine if you are using fast and loose pulleys on your machine there would be no loose pulley on the overhead shaft because if the belt is not moving what would be the point of the loose pulley on the machine?
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I've been puttering around my shop after work this week. Here is a top view of the grinder shaft. You can see the ear that's busted off. It had been fixed and busted off again :doh: I ground all the "fix" off and cleaned it up for a good brazing job. It sure is dirty!!! This was after some scraping.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder001.jpg)
Yeah!!! The bolt holes still line up :lol: The brazing rod stuck pretty good. There will probably be a couple of bubbles on the left side, But It should be good as new. A little filing and some paint, no one will know that it was broken :beer:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder002.jpg)
I've never seen a grease cup before. If you look real close there are two in the middle of the picture here.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder003.jpg)
There is a tapered flange that the wheel rides on. Here they are after some scraping.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder004.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder005.jpg)
It's coming along.....
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Still plugging away. I made a couple of outer washers for my grinder. The originals were missing. I think these will look OK.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder006.jpg)
I spent a while on these. They will be the spokes for a couple of the flat belt pulleys that I need to make. I turned the shafts to a taper and then heated them up and bent them.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Flatbeltpulley001.jpg)
I'll try and get to the pulley rims tomorrow. A buddy is coming over to help me mount my post for the drill press\o/ I'll be sure to get pictures.
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Here is the tapered pilot warsher that I made next to the original. I left the finish a little rough to match the original. A couple of interesting things that I noticed. The original was made from a casting. The roundy shapes on the outside were made with a form tool. They cut the whole end all at once. You can tell by the chatter lines that match up on the end. They probably then used some enery paper to clean it up a bit.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder007.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder008.jpg)
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nice job wes :thumbup:
did you use a form tool to create the shapes you needed or did you do them free hand?
looking forward to seeing how you make the pulley's.
chuck :wave:
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I just did them freehand. I used a large radius tool and blended everything with a rat tail and a lathe file. Then I sanded it with a little emery:o)
Chuck, I sent you a Email a couple of days ago. Did you get it? If not could you please PM me your Email?
Thanks, Wes
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I had a buddy cut out the pieces for a bracket to mount my post to. Here are the pieces TIG welded togather.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Postdrill001.jpg)
My Bald headed Friend drilled the anchor holes for the post bracket. I cross drilled the post for a bolt in the bottom.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Postdrill002.jpg)
We got the drill mounted for now. It sure turns over smooth.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Postdrill003.jpg)
Now I'll get back on the grinder. I'm starting on the small pulley that goes on the grinder itself.
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That drill looks great .... like the post .... pun intended :lol:
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Thanks Darren!
Back to the Grinder. I chucked up a piece of steel and there was a old style flat pulley right in the middle of it:o) I still have to cut the crown on it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder009.jpg)
Here is what it looks like now\o/
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/LutherGrinder010.jpg)
I need to get the metal for the tool rests. That will be a fun lathe project:o)
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I started whittling on my flat pulley rim. Almost too big for my old lathe!!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Flatbeltpulley002.jpg)
I'm cleaning up my mill during the long cuts. I'll start squaring up my Oak bearing blocks\o/
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looking good wes..............what diameter is the big pulley?
chuck :wave:
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Thanks chuck!!! The Od will be near 12.750". I managed to get through that flame cutting.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Flatbeltpulley003.jpg)
It was pretty slow going. While the pulleys were running, I maanaged to get my wood bearings squared up. I roughed them out on my band saw, then milled them square. What a mess!!! Even for me:o)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/WoodBearings001.jpg)
I'll set up a vise stop to drill the bolt holes. That way, maybe, they'll all line up:o)
Wes
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I'm still looking for Ideas for File storage. I ran across these racks for wood chisels that looked pretty neat. I'm getting to the point where I need to start hanging stuff up. I like these because the file won't be hanging by the handle. It wont fall out of the handle if it happens to work loose.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/mack_rack.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/ChiselRack01.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/58897-438x.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/mortisechisels-1.jpg)
I'll keep looking:o)
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Nice work so far Wes.
I definitely don't like the way those unprotected chisel ends look. One false move with a couple of those designs and you could easily have your wrists opened up. What are those people thinking of? It sure ain't shop safety.
I was always told to keep sharp edges down or away from you, if at all possible.
You are really making a meal out of this tidy up session, and I will tell you one thing. Once it is all finished, you will not believe how much easier your shop will be to work in.
I used to dread wading thru all the junk in mine, but now, as long as I tidy up every now and again, I feel as though I am in workshop heaven, and making things is so much quicker now that I can just lay my hands on the tools right away, without having to search for them.
John
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I thought the chisels looked a bit dangerous also. But I think they'll be perfect for my files!!! I really like the third one down. I might knock one together this evening to see how it will work for me.
My shop still looks like a disaster. I have my workbench about cleaned off, but all the stuff that was on it had to go somewhere... As soon as I can start getting a "spot" for everything. I think it will drastically improve things. The storage gins made a big difference I've noticed.
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Tonight, I dug through ALL my toolbox drawers. Nearly every one had a file or two in it :doh: I know your not posed to keepem there. But that's where they were. I was mainly trying to get a handle on what I'm going to need. Firstly, lots of handles :doh: I know, files is supposed to have handles onem. Secondly, A few of those racks will be in order. A couple small racks, A couple medium racks and a couple of large racks. I'm thinking strategically placed throughout the shop. A couple near my work bench and one by each lathe. Stay tuned....
A couple of things that seem to be in my way are my shop vac and extension cords. I need to come up with something for them.
Wes
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I've been looking for some more space savers on the web. I ran into these two Ideas that I think will work good in my shop. The first idea would be to make some more storage bins. I'll probably put things like power tools in them. I have a couple belt sanders, hand drills, jig saws, and stuff like that. I think power cords would go nice in them to.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/20010601_Small_Shop_Tips_page003img.jpg)
Another Idea is for some lumber that I have and light metal.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/lumberrack.jpg)
I'm going to try and get these started this weekend. My wife says she wants to help\o/
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Nice idea hunting Wes.
There are some very interesting storage units there :thumbup:
My wife says she wants to help\o/
No way to win there!! Good luck!! :wack: :)
Ralph.
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Tonight I didn't get much done. I try to get something done every night, so, I pushed myself to go out and do "something". I thought I could mill the oil galleys into my wood bearings. So I marked them out and did that\o/
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/WoodBearings002.jpg)
More tomorrow....
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Nice holes :thumbup:
What's the wood and did you use a normal end mill?
I ask cos I need to make some organisers myself .... :dremel:
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Hey Darren, I'm using White Oak for my bearings. I used a flycutter to square them up. The end grain wanted to split out a little. Then I used a regular endmill to cut the pockets out. I marked the blocks with a pencil and plunged into the middle of the pocket to final depth. Then I just milled the pocket to the lines.
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Wes, Hard maple is the best choice for wood bearings. Two companies that make most of the wood bearings are Artguto and Woodex. Both use rock maple.
Back in the 70's I worked for a conveyor company that got a large contract for a conveyor system. The contract stipulated a five year warranty for the conveyor rollers bearings. In order to ensure compliance the rollers were equipped with Arguto bearings. A side benefit was a much quitter system.
Joe
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Thanks for the info, they look too neat .... :clap:
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I like those storage boxes, they would fit nice in my beams! Excellent idea, thanks for posting.
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I had heard that maple was the best choice for wooden bearings. But I had some big planks of oak lying in the shop. The only maple I could find would have had to be glued into larger chunks. If it doesn't work, I'll just redo them\o/
I'm working on my rafter storage today\0/ I'll have a few pictures tonight.
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The end grain wanted to split out a little.
Was that at the very edges that it split out?
The brown stuff has a tendancy to do that. One way to reduce the splitting out, or tear-out, is to put a little chamfer around the edge of the surface to be planed/flycut. One way that is easy is to use some sandpaper wrapped around a block and just put a tiny 45deg bevel around the edges. Or if you have a block plane a thin swipe or two will accomplish the same thing. :thumbup:
Or if it is in the middle of the face that it is tearing out, try cutting from a different approach, or if that doesn't work try taking smaller depth of cuts and with as-sharp-as-you-can-get-it tooling :thumbup:
Tim
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Thanks for the suggestions guys :mmr:
Today we cut out a bunch of wood. I have the pieces for some of my overhead storage cut out I just have to glue and screw it all together. I made up some pieces to see how my file racks would work. I'm pleased with them :med: We'll make up a couple three more tomorrow. I need a small one for my bitty files :dremel:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Filestorage001.jpg)
We'll splash some paint on them before we hang them up.
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Those file racks take a little longer than I thought. I got them all cut out and started gluing them together today. I also whipped out a few of these brackets. I get these spring arm lamps at thrift stores for a couple of bucks usually. This way I can have extra light when i need it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Lighting001.jpg)
Here it in next to my mill. I think I'll add one to the other side.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Lighting002.jpg)
We started painting some of the brackets and the file racks today. I got a deal on Safety OSHA Blue:o)
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looking good wes :thumbup: ..............with all the fixin up you are doing it will feel like a new shop :)
chuck :wave:
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I hope it's worth it. Its taking a lot of work! I want to try and get some of that overhead storage up tomorrow. I might need some help with that though? We'll see. I want to get back on my line shaft but there is a bunch of stuff that needs put away. I need to take out the tras and empty the shop vac. I still haven't decided where it is going to live.
I have an idea for a cart that will live under the far end of my LeBlond lathe. It will hold my chucks up uff the ground and what not. I have to work out some details still.
:wave:
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Didn't get as much done today as I had hoped. A Friend came over with some paying work :D
This summer I had a Heat Treat Oven Donated to my shop :headbang: It doesn't work. But I think I know the problem. One of the connectors for one of the elements melted. I think I can fix it. :scratch: Anyway, The Fridge that I got this summer has been resting on top of it because I didn't have any room for it anywhere else.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Cleanup001.jpg)
We found a spot under my workbench. I had to modify the shelf a little, but it fits and the door opens :med:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Cleanup003.jpg)
That opened up some wall space for som much needed shelving. I have stools in the shop for items up high :med:
:wave: :wave:
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Hey Wes,
You keep any Colorado Koolaid in that fridge?
Nice looking pillar drill. It'll be intereesting to see how you do the line shafts. Going to build a steam engine to run the line shaft? :)
Bernd
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Colorado Koolaid? Mainly PBR and Clamato juice in the fridge.
I have plans for a bigger steam engine to start very soon. 3 cylinder- 1.25 bore. I think I'd need a bigger one to power this? Maybe on the to do list:o) It will be ran on steam though:o)
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Well I didn't expect to see that .......... Celotex ... that's what I used in the garage built .... and the house ...
I was just surprised to see it and not a US specific brand ...
Sorry, the workshop is coming along well ..... :thumbup:
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Thanks Darren :nrocks: I really liked the slate you used on your shop. That would be BIG money around here. I'm getting more done today :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: Hopefully I can start on an engine soon :bang:
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I knew that post would come in handy;o)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Post001.jpg)
Hammers.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/Hammers001.jpg)
A spot for them. I have a couple of these placed throughout the shop:o)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/HammerRack001.jpg)
Getting closer:o)
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Do you have 12 Ball Peen hammers :bugeye:
Why :scratch:
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Don't ask me questions I don't have the answers to :lol: I inherited a lot of stuff. I brought some of my stuff home from work also. It will go back :headbang:
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I got a lot done around the place today. I have my overhead storage about ready to hang up. Here are a couple of the units ready to hang up. I have one that will hold my extension cords. And these two have my power tools.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/Powderkeg3418/overheadstorage001.jpg)
I probably won't be able to find anything for a month :lol:
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I probably won't be able to find anything for a month :lol:
I was going to say that you'll need an indexing system to find all those tools once they are properly stored. :clap:
Bernd
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Its real stuff\o/ Never heard it called that before.
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Thanks Wes! :thumbup:
That`s brightened up my grey Derbyshire morning! :clap:
David D
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Thank Bernd. I was looking for old music on You Tube and ran across it. I'd have never even clicked on it if I hadn't heard about it from him :beer: I'm looking for music to play on my Organ when we get it done.
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PK,
I saw that you already made your file rack, but I had already looked this up. I have several of these hanging on my pegboard with files hanging from them.http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg2/R-100132799/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Yours look a lot better.
I will go back and read the rest of the thread. I need to clean and organize my blankety, blank work shop.
Thanks for inspiring me.( Or curses on you.) :D :)
Fred
PS Thanks for the song. I enjoyed it also!!