I completed enough of my vertical tool rack to show how it works.
toolrack.txt
toolrack1.jpg
toolrack2.jpg
toolrack3.jpg
toolrack4.jpg
toolrack5.jpg


Here's the contents of the text file:

Vertical tool storage rack. Frame is made from 2x4's mostly, with some
corner bracing here and there.
I've got some heavy casters rated for a several hundred pounds each, and I'm
glad, because this
thing is getting really heavy and they make for nice rolling! I made the
width and depth for a
spot I'm going to be fitting it into, otherwise it would be a lot
wider/heavier. I'm thinking
I should make a second one for all the tools that didn't make it into this
one. At the top and
bottom of each panel is are drawer slides rated for hundred or so pounds
apiece. The fixed part
of the slide is attached to a tee made of 2x4's and the top (or bottom, of
the top ones) rest on
a horizontal piece that allows the panel to be moved horizontally just by
removing the screws
securing it. I'm starting to think that I could have made some parts of
this lighter, but I won't
know for sure until I've used it a lot.

I came up with this design for several reasons. I needed tool storage that
fit a certain space, and
didn't want to spend a lot of money. A rollaway takes up a lot more real
estate, doesn't come with
four swivel casters, and won't hold much in the way of long or bulky tools.
If I need to change the
space needed, I can simply move the panels side to side by undoing four wood
screws and making the
change. Vertical space collects zero, and I mean zero, clutter contrasted
to a horizontal surface
or drawer space. That old line about a place for everything and everything
in its place. My tool
chest was getting way too full and I could barely close the drawers anymore,
must less be able to
find the particular tool I'm looking for. When I'm settled on the
arrangement, I'll draw lines
around the tools and identify the locations so I'll be putting things where
ought to be a little
easier and faster than the toss it in the drawer method. So far I've got
about $150 into this,
with the bulk of the cost being the drawer slides at $17 a set.

toolrack1.jpg Front view with all panels in.
You can see how close tools are in here. Some planned, some
not. I like it.
toolrack2.jpg Blurry picture of the left side. The panel that is out is
the far left
panel, into which I'm installing tools that are in cases that
will fit the
space between the post and the panel. The boards give me
maximum packaging.
The screwdrivers are just boards installed horizontally with
various sized
holes drilled for the drivers. The boards are staggered for
my longer screwdrivers
which I haven't put in just yet.
toolrack3.jpg The second panel to the right is the one pulled out here. At
the suggestion of someone
from RCM, I used a couple different sizes of PVC pipe for
most of my pliers and such.
Worked for my ratchets on another panel, too. The white
things at the top are
Harbor Freight magnetic pieces of junk, and hold little more
than light flat stuff.
I haven't found magnetic tool bar that I like anyway. None
of the hold the tools
shown on the packaging worth squat, and these slam around, so
they have to be strong.
My power tools are held on in assorted ways. My Skil saw is
held on with two screws
and the panel is cut out to let the blade guard fit through
the panel. It clears the
right post by a quarter of an inch!
toolrack4.jpg This is just an overall view with the panels staggered out.
It should be noted that
this thing is getting heavy, and there shouldn't be more than
one panel out at a
time or it will tip over!
toolrack5.jpg Another blurry photo that shows how close the tools are. I
had to drive the upper nails
holding the big wrenches in farther than I wanted to clear
the panel. If the
screwdrivers sit cockeyed in the hole then they can hang up
on the sockets, so I have to
keep an eye on it.

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 05:15:54 GMT, "carl mciver"
wrote:

I completed enough of my vertical tool rack to show how it works.
toolrack.txt
toolrack1.jpg
toolrack2.jpg
toolrack3.jpg
toolrack4.jpg
toolrack5.jpg

big snip

Cool! Well thought out! I might have missed it, but are there any
catches to prevent the vertical panels from rolling out on their own?
Catches would prevent any small visitors from pulling them out.

I know there are interlocks on file cabinets and vidmar tool cabinets
to prevent more than one drawer from being pulled out at a time.
Could you rig something like that?

Neat idea, not like my huge pile o' stuff on the table.

Pete Keillor

In article ,
"carl mciver" wrote:

I completed enough of my vertical tool rack to show how it works.
toolrack.txt
toolrack1.jpg
toolrack2.jpg
toolrack3.jpg
toolrack4.jpg
toolrack5.jpg


What is the complete URL?

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

"Nick Hull" wrote in message
...
| In article ,
| "carl mciver" wrote:
|
| I completed enough of my vertical tool rack to show how it works.
| toolrack.txt
| toolrack1.jpg
| toolrack2.jpg
| toolrack3.jpg
| toolrack4.jpg
| toolrack5.jpg
|
|
| What is the complete URL?

http://metalworking.com/DropBox/ and find the listed files

"Pete Keillor" wrote in message
...
| On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 05:15:54 GMT, "carl mciver"
| wrote:
|
| I completed enough of my vertical tool rack to show how it works.
| toolrack.txt
| toolrack1.jpg
| toolrack2.jpg
| toolrack3.jpg
| toolrack4.jpg
| toolrack5.jpg
|
| big snip
|
| Cool! Well thought out! I might have missed it, but are there any
| catches to prevent the vertical panels from rolling out on their own?
| Catches would prevent any small visitors from pulling them out.

Nope, at least not yet. I'd have to work out something if it becomes an
issue, from visitors or gravity. My kids are old enough they ought to know
better, but I knock on wood when I say that!

| I know there are interlocks on file cabinets and vidmar tool cabinets
| to prevent more than one drawer from being pulled out at a time.
| Could you rig something like that?

I thought about that, but since these are simple drawer slides, I'd have
to give that a whole lot of thought to make it workable. There was a time
we used our brains, and the ones who today use lawyers to asuage their
stupidity simply learned the hard way. Although I'm quite sure I'll pull a
stupid eventually, I plan on bolting/clipping/chaining it to the wall when
it's finally in its home.

|
| Neat idea, not like my huge pile o' stuff on the table.
|
| Pete Keillor

"carl mciver" wrote

I thought about that, but since these are simple drawer slides, I'd
have
to give that a whole lot of thought to make it workable. There was a time
we used our brains, and the ones who today use lawyers to asuage their
stupidity simply learned the hard way. Although I'm quite sure I'll pull
a
stupid eventually, I plan on bolting/clipping/chaining it to the wall when
it's finally in its home.

Most homeowner's insurance will not pay any claim from a falling toolbox.
These are very common injuries to children. They recommend that all tool
boxes (even with casters) be bolted to the wall.

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 23:16:05 GMT, "carl mciver"
wrote:



| I know there are interlocks on file cabinets and vidmar tool cabinets
| to prevent more than one drawer from being pulled out at a time.
| Could you rig something like that?

A lot of file cabinets use a cable through eyes on the drawer and on
the frame alternately and with only sufficient slack to allow one
drawer to be fully open.

I thought about that, but since these are simple drawer slides, I'd have
to give that a whole lot of thought to make it workable. There was a time
we used our brains, and the ones who today use lawyers to asuage their
stupidity simply learned the hard way. Although I'm quite sure I'll pull a
stupid eventually, I plan on bolting/clipping/chaining it to the wall when
it's finally in its home.


Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

In article t,
"carl mciver" wrote:

I thought about that, but since these are simple drawer slides, I'd have
to give that a whole lot of thought to make it workable. There was a time
we used our brains, and the ones who today use lawyers to asuage their
stupidity simply learned the hard way. Although I'm quite sure I'll pull a
stupid eventually, I plan on bolting/clipping/chaining it to the wall when
it's finally in its home.

How about just a piece of wood with a notch in it that can slide
side-to-side? The notch will clear one panel to let it out, and the
rest will be blocked. Might get annoying though.
Ooh! Or, have a bump sticking up at one end of each panel. Turn a
chunk of wood down to a cylinder, then cut a v-notch down the length of
it, so looking at one end it looks like Pac Man. Mount it above the
boards so that it can rotate. That way, when you pull out one panel its
bump will catch the notch and roll the cylinder, blocking the other
panels. Pushing the panel back in will catch the notch again and roll
it back so another panel can be pulled. Totally automatic, and still
allows you to move your panels side-to-side without any additional
hassle. But could be defeated by pulling out two panels at once.

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/

B.B. wrote:
In article t,
"carl mciver" wrote:


I thought about that, but since these are simple drawer slides, I'd have
to give that a whole lot of thought to make it workable. There was a time
we used our brains, and the ones who today use lawyers to asuage their
stupidity simply learned the hard way. Although I'm quite sure I'll pull a
stupid eventually, I plan on bolting/clipping/chaining it to the wall when
it's finally in its home.


How about just a piece of wood with a notch in it that can slide
side-to-side? The notch will clear one panel to let it out, and the
rest will be blocked. Might get annoying though.
Ooh! Or, have a bump sticking up at one end of each panel. Turn a
chunk of wood down to a cylinder, then cut a v-notch down the length of
it, so looking at one end it looks like Pac Man. Mount it above the
boards so that it can rotate. That way, when you pull out one panel its
bump will catch the notch and roll the cylinder, blocking the other
panels. Pushing the panel back in will catch the notch again and roll
it back so another panel can be pulled. Totally automatic, and still
allows you to move your panels side-to-side without any additional
hassle. But could be defeated by pulling out two panels at once.

Oh Oh! Iknow! I Know!
Have them all locked with sliding pins held in place by gravity.
Stapled to the panels, long enough to be at a handy height with a 1"
bend for 1 finger control.
What did I win?

wws

"wws" wrote in message
...
SNIP
| Ooh! Or, have a bump sticking up at one end of each panel. Turn a
| chunk of wood down to a cylinder, then cut a v-notch down the length of
| it, so looking at one end it looks like Pac Man. Mount it above the
| boards so that it can rotate. That way, when you pull out one panel its
| bump will catch the notch and roll the cylinder, blocking the other
| panels. Pushing the panel back in will catch the notch again and roll
| it back so another panel can be pulled. Totally automatic, and still
| allows you to move your panels side-to-side without any additional
| hassle. But could be defeated by pulling out two panels at once.
|
| Oh Oh! Iknow! I Know!
| Have them all locked with sliding pins held in place by gravity.
| Stapled to the panels, long enough to be at a handy height with a 1"
| bend for 1 finger control.
| What did I win?
|
| wws

I'd give both of you a silver star for that one, and you can have a
cookie, too! I'll look into both ideas, but since I have to put pull
handles on the panels, I might see what I can do with both ideas put
together. I don't remember exactly how much room I have in that spot, but
the panels just clear the front frame top and bottom. I'll be working on it
some more today, so I'll get out the thinking cap for those ideas.

"carl mciver" writes:

The white things at the top are Harbor Freight magnetic pieces of
junk, and hold little more than light flat stuff. I haven't found
magnetic tool bar that I like anyway. None of the hold the tools
shown on the packaging worth squat, and these slam around, so they
have to be strong.

I have some stronger ones that I found at Menards-- about 2ft long and
claim to hold 150 lbs. Made by Magnaproducts, division of Sulo
Enterprises, 569 Main St, Grafton OH 44044 (no model number).

The magnet itself looks like it's about 1/2"x3/8"x2ft, with a metal
bar on each side. I don't know if they're strong enough for your
application, but they're stronger than the cheap ones.

I have a couple of those cheap ones that I've been meaning to throw
away, but I figure they'll just stick to the side of the dumpster...