Wall Tool Holder

Time to build a small tool cabinet or tool holder. Woodworkers can acquire  a lot of tools and keeping them organized and close at hand can sometimes be a challenge.  One solution is to build a tool holder, they are easy to build and look great in a shop.  

If you want to build this attractive tool holder then you will like this article.
 There are many kinds of tool holders and many ways to hang tools. I like hooks and an easy way to move them around so I came up with this idea. Lattice works great for the hooks and they can also be attached to wood cases and blocks for tools as you will see later.

I made some rough lattice and tested how the hooks would work. The hooks worked out fine, and now I was ready to figure out the spacing.  I was now ready to build the cabinet. 

The lattice, hooks and spacing

The diameter of the  hooks are 3.51 mm.  and the spacing of the lattice is  5.49 mm. I found this worked the best but I would suggest you buy some hooks and glue a few strips together like I did and do some testing. 

The lattice strips are first cut to the length of the tool holder and the  W:19mm 
D:4.2mm.



                      

Tool holder frame

The cabinet will be 18"x30"

To build the frame I started with some spruce boards, I cut them to size,  cleaned them up, and  made some rabbet cuts on one side. These cuts will be for the back board.

I did not install my dado blade but ran the boards through the saw a few times to get the right cut. At times this can be done faster than changing the blade and setting up. Special attention should be made when moving the fence to make the perfect cut.

The wood looks rough but some light sanding will clean it up nice. I like to build things from scraps I find in my shop so it won't cost anything.

More dado cuts are made using my miter gauge. This is not hard to do it just take a little practice and a good eye. 

The dado cuts are made slowly by moving the fence after each pass, then the last few cuts are tested each time the table saw fence is moved slightly to ensure a perfect fit.

Here you can see how it all fit together with the compartments.  The cabinet it first dry fitted then glued and clamped. Remember to check for squareness when clamping. You can use a large square or a measuring tape.

Some creative clamping. Sometimes blocks are used for clamping so the clamp does not leave any marks on the wood.

Many strips are cut for the lattice. The first batch was cedar and the second set was spruce. I wanted to create a nice contrast in the wood.

I used my new wooden caliber and my dowel stop gauge to make sure the lattice was lining up and keeping square. The dowel gauge was handy because it was able to span the whole length of the  tool holder.

The lattice was spaced so it would fit the hangers exactly, I even made it a little bit closer so the hangers and hooks would fit very snug, this way they would not fall out when you are handling tools. I found this a problem with the peg boards. 

I dry fit the lattice and used spacers and made sure everything was correct. I then took out all the pieces in the exact order and laid then on the workbench. You don't want to start glueing and find a mistake.

A small line of glue is put on each strip.

After each piece is glued and measured some weights are used for clamping. The weights do not have to sit to long, I use Titebond 2 which has a strong initial tack  so a few minutes will be fine. The glue joints must not be stressed for at least 24 hours.

The tool holder on my workbench waiting for the glue to dry. The next step is to fill it with tools.

Small cases are made to fit drill bits, sanders and other tools. 

After each small holder was made a couple of holes were drilled in the back to fit the hooks. They had to be marked exactly to fit in the  vertical part of the lattice.

Conclusion: 

Making  tool holders is a must for any shop. This is a great tool storage solution and is easy to build, you just need a little patience to make the lattice. The lattice and hooks make it easy to move tools around without drilling new holes.

I think it looks better than a peg board, it has a clean look and is a great system for placing many different tools. Mine did not cost me a cent since I made it from scraps in my shop.

    

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How to Make an Angle Grinder Holder

Since most woodworkers will have to do some type of metalwork from time to time it is essential  to learn how to cut metal. You may not have all the fancy cutting tools, but there are a few ways to get the job done. 

Hack Saws, grinders and  angle grinders will work but they can be difficult to handle. Cutting bolts or other pieces of metal to the same length can be cumbersome. Most of the times the cuts are never straight.

If you modify your wood bandsaw you can cut metal. To do so you have to put in a metal blade and reduce the speed of your wood bandsaw.

  A quick search online  found that bandsaw speeds for wood is roughly 3000 feet per minute and metal should be around 150-300 feet per minute.

An angle grinder is an easy way to cut metal, the 4 1/4 inch wheel can have a no load speed of 3000-12000 RPM. 

I will show you how to build a jig that will secure your grinder and make a 90 degree fixed miter fence.

You will be able to cut pieces straight to the same length. Oh, and very fast!
                 

Building the jig

A tool I use all the time is my dowel stop gauge here you can see the video . This is very simple, after you have the measurements you can pencil mark them on the dowel of the gauge and then transfer them to the tablesaw when you are ready to set the fence.

                              The base I will be using is 1" thick plywood and measures at,                             width 13 1/4"x length 17 1/2". 

                      A dado was cut in the base the same width as the 

                      table saw slot which is 3/4".

Making the miter gauge

A quick test with a few different miter gauges tells me that the dado cut is correct, it slides nice and there is no side play. If the runner is too tight you can use a block and sandpaper and take a bit off. 

I made this runner test block in the summer and now it's the winter and very dry and the block still fits snug. This is a quick way to set the fence but you may need to refine it a bit.


      The second piece I cut was the miter gauge block or fence, it was cut to the width of the table (13 1/4") and 1 1/2x1 1/4".                   


The runner and block are placed on the table and carefully marked.

The runner is screwed to the block, a speed square is used to make sure everything is square. 

Support for the grinder

A caliper was used to get the diameter of the angle grinder handle and then cut on the bandsaw. After I got the circle cut perfect I trimmed  down the height of the support piece on the tablesaw as shown in the photo below. I thought this would look better.

                      A 2x4 scrap is used and a piece is cut out, this will be the

                     top support for the grinder handle. Four screws are used to 

                     attach it to the bottom.

Before the grinder is mounted the grinder wheel was pressed into the base. This will work better but ideally the arbor should be inline or be below the piece being cut.  Warning: I never lay the workpiece on the base and cut but use the fence to push the metal and of course hold it with a pair of pliers.  

A stopblock is clamped to the fence and it is ready for cutting. Here is my first attempt and the pieces turned out perfect.

Conclusion

I can't believe how simple it is to cut metal, and with this jig I was able to cut perfect lengths. I could not do that before except with a hacksaw which took me forever! I don't do a lot of metal work but this will come in handy in my shop.

I hope this jig will help in your shop and of course it will save you time and money. Always remember to be safe and have fun. 

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Making Different Size Dowels Fast, New Dowel Maker

Having lots of dowels on hand is great for any woodworker. You can buy them or you can make them. But sometimes you can't get the right size or you need one quick. 

Wouldn't it be nice to make your own, very fast and many different sizes. 

When I was making my  magnetic levitating dowel  I needed a 1/2 inch dowel. I could not find the right size in my stock so I had to make one. I have three different dowel making jigs but they were not accessible plus they take time to set up.    

This is when I tried something different, I used cordless drill and bench vise. I was amazed how easy it worked. Then I went on to experiment with it. 

The bench vise has serrated jaws and when the stock is turned in the jaws they will do the cutting. Then with the vise handle you can adjust the jaws to get the size dowel you need.

The dowels will turn to roughly the right size you need then will need a little bit of sanding. With some practice and a steady hand they can turn out pretty accurate.

Here is a stepped dowel, this is a good example of what you can make. Not too bad for a quick dowel made on a vise.  

Making the dowels

The dowels are not hard to make but there are a few things that will help you:                  

• The stock must be square
• must be able to fit in the drill chuck
• use a vise with serrated jaws                  

I always start with a piece of scrap wood for testing, most of the time this will become the final product. 

A few strips are cut on the table saw, it is important to cut these square. The ends should be sanded a bit, one side to fit in the drill chuck and the other side for a started when it goes in the vise. The knots may be a problem so use only the best part of the wood. 

Here I am turning the wood slow and feeding it slowly in the vise also  I am  using one hand as a guide.

 

The first two test pieces are complete, they turned out nice and I will be keeping them in my stock. I kept the knots in only to see if they would work.

Large Dowels

Okay, so it works to make smaller dowels but what about larger ones. This would really come in handy.

I used my  wooden miter gauge to cut a piece of 2x2. A small piece would work best since it is easiest to work with.

A center was marked on one of the ends and drilled out. Some creative clamping was done to make sure the hole would be drilled straight. I did not measure the hole but 1 1/2" would be fine.

I used a piece of dowel from the first one I made a glued a piece in the block and set it aside for a while.

 

The tablesaw blade was adjusted to 45 degrees and all sides of the block were cut making an octagon shape. 

The dowel was placed in the drill and turned on the belt sander rounding the end, this will help later when placed in the vise.

Now it can be turned in the vise. The best way I found was to slowly feed the stock all the way through. Then slide it out, turn the vise handle a small amount and repeat until you get the dowel size you need.

If you turn the vise handle too much on a small piece the wood might twist, and on a large piece, it makes it difficult to turn.

When I had the right size I put a strip of sandpaper, reverse  in the vise and carried on with the turning. In no time it was smooth and I had a good looking large dowel.

 Conclusion

I couldn't believe how fast dowels can be made. I am glad I experimented with different sizes and  woods.



With the right vise with the serrated jaws you can do the same. You may never have to buy another dowel. Remember to go slow and take off a small amount at a time.

Let me know if you try this and how it works for you.


See also:

Pocket bevel gauge              Magic knife holder      Vacuum hose holder