When I first started smithing my friend said if I built a hammer rack he would give me some hammers.

 

 

 

Sweet.  I need to come up with a better system than what I've got now (the pile o'stuff).  

i have a pretty nice tool storing unit in the making, i got some small slices of sort of square tubing, it's square with the corners rounded or something, and some tube cut down, im thinking about welding that to some plates and then mounting that in my new smithy, will have some pictures when im done making them

My first hammer rack was the base for a large (4' long) fish tank I scrounged after the tank was no longer.  I took scrapped black pipe and drilled holes across the ends and bolted 4 pieces of pipe along the length in pairs spaced for hammer handles one set alone each long side. Total cost about a dollar for the nuts and bolts.  Time about 1/2 hour + scrounging.  That held me pretty well until I moved.  Now I have 2 6' long racks, one with pipes and the other with heavy steel gridwork that hold tooling and hammers for armouring.

Pics of racks please!!!

It will be about 3 weeks before I'm near my shop and the hammer rack has some gaps as I have a dozen or more of those hammers down here where I currently work my "day" job.  Working remote from my house is a pain in so many ways...

Not sure what the metal base of this was before I got a hold of it, but the heavy duty steel wheels got my attention, not that it rolls around that much. A lot of wood here, but nothing has started smoldering yet. About 2 feet square on top. Very tradtional in the style of your classic blacksmiths tool table. Working for more than an hour requires stopping every now and then to put tools back or the whole work area just becomes a pile.

I'm just starting out so only have a few hammers, here is a simple rack I made out of bed frame. 

I keep all my tools on a shelf, it even has a name it's called the floor.......I have places for them but they always end up there.

I'm just starting out so only have a few hammers, here is a simple rack I made out of bed frame. 

That is how my rack looked when I first built it. It gets added on to as more stuff needs to be stored. At this point I need to several more rows. 

as it is now; 3 rows of tongs, four rows of hammers and sets/swages/punches. 2 rows of hardy tools 2 rows of chisels,  3 rows of files, two half rows of sledge hammers, 

one short row of twisting wrenches, another of heavy duty adjustable wrenches. 1/2 row of rivet and bolt headers, 1/2 row of spring fullers. 

 

I want to add several more rows for handled tools, several rows for clamps and another row of files. 

Mine,



Made from an old dog cage.

Andy

I keep all my tools on a shelf, it even has a name it's called the floor.......I have places for them but they always end up there.

 

 

I have a solution for that. Mess up your back and you'll quickly find a reason NOT to put things on the floor. However any flat surface close to waist level, so I don't have to bend over, almost instantly attracts a plethora of assorted junk.

 

I have a large tool cabinet that I keep saying I have to drag up to the shop and organize my smithing junk into. The fact the flat top is buried in stuff sort of keeps slowing me down. Almost as soon as I move stuff off of it it attracts new things like a magnet.

Had a spare vice so made this vice/tool stand the other day. Will put two wheels on the back so I can tilt it and wheel it around more easily. Nice to finally have tools to hand rather than trying to find the last place you laid them as your work piece cools down!

I'm just setting up my shop but I'm going to need a portable option (pulling it outside to work as needed).  I initially thought I'd just throw everything in a tool bag, but as I hunt through flea markets and antique shops my collection is already growing and is too heavy for me to tote.   Anyone have a good portable rack to show off?  

I made this rack years ago < & now I need to add to it  for PH tooling in the works 

this is my forging area its a one man operation 2 smiths will work after that OUCH LOL 

Curly; that is a pretty set up but I'd sure cap tose vertical tubes before the one little necessary piece flips out of the vise and heads down a tube like a rabbit running from a dog!  (I've seen knives commit suicide by diving into a slack tub on the far side of a shop burried unter a ton of junk...)

Good point Thomas, I've already got enough places in the workshop that are very capable of hiding tools as soon as I turn my back. although at least for now both ends are open! Will cap them off and give it all a lick of paint at some point.

Here are some of mine. The racks with the 45 degree angles are made with 3" strap and 1.5" washers.
The other racks are shelf brackets and 5/16"square stock.

Artistic layout! Thanks.

its funny you start out with a few tools and it grows and grows

I see you changed your profile picture Curly I'm going to have to get used to no green beard. <grin>

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I see you changed your profile picture Curly I'm going to have to get used to no green beard. <grin>

Frosty The Lucky.

Haha that was some Old Man's Beard moss from Muir Woods from when I used to live in San Fancisco.

Thought I'd change it to something a bit more topical!

Got some pictures finally had to search and search to figure out what this thread was called;-) got the steel wagon wheel tong rack sitting on a three footed base with the sleeve off of a halogen lamp stand that broke. Got the 2" steel mesh in iron in the hat, and welded up s frame for it. The little metal table I got from my father in law for free and is very handy to have around;-)

Here's one more for consideration - I took these photos of a cart from a blacksmith shop museum in Butte, Montana.  Then made a copy for myself but added drawers below the top surface to capture some more storage space.  I love having it on wheels so I can pull it up to the job.