OK, so I've got to the point where I'm having trouble finding chisels in my pile. I need something more efficient and would like some ideas. 

At present my idea is to make a 24" wide cart with shelves every 3" or so with the top shelf being intended for "active use" and lower shelves for storage with the business end facing out. 

Everything needs to be mobile as everything has to get packed up at night. 

Thank you. 

In a tin can, business end upwards.

Matto seems to have it sorted!  Check it out in "brain went blank"

Ian, that's what triggered me to ask. Like I said though, it needs to be mobile. 

Frank, most of my tools are in the 12" long range. Tin cans are hard to find in a usable size. 

Panda, that 'pouch' solution looks just the thing. You could have canvas eyelets to hang it up ! And you can roll it up for storage/demo etc.

You know, I can build a house, build a car, even repair some of my audio recording gear, but I can't do so much as sew a button on my shirt without it coming back off in a few days. lol

I've taken a wood block and drilled holes to hold punches and chisels. All organized and neat and you can see right away what your grabbing for.  Need to make a new one myself. 

I just saw a bunch of 1" square tubes welded into a grid and mitered to face the user.  I don't recall if the different levels were staggered too.  I should have taken a picture.  In any case, it was a very nice setup.

Panda (sorry spellcheck won't let me add the y) no dis intended. Whilst I can sew(made curtains for my home after a divorce)  this would be something for the 'tent and canvass ' guys IMHO

I welded some 1" square tube to a section of 3" wide flat stock as the base.  It's great for holding my little chisels and scales up without any problem.  You don't have to hold more than a couple inches of chisel to keep it secure.

The cylinder was a happy afterthought and started life as the drive shaft from an old Chevy.  It's great as a catch-all for files and chisels I'm using at the moment but don't need often.

Greetings Panday,

The drilled block system like Das said works for me.. A simple shelve unit that allows removal of just one series is handy to take to the anvil or treadle hammer.

Forge on and make beaurltiful things

Jim

Jim, thats how I'd ultimately like to be set up once I have a dedicated shop space.

If you blow this up alittle the chisel holders are folded over a rod and the tie to tie the tool role up holds the role on the wall rod.  When I go to demos they come off and hammers go on the side you can't see now on one and tongs on the other.  Fold in half and roll and tie.  Tools packed for what ever.  Then done the hammers get put back on rack, anvil and the tongs hanging on the forge.  The roles then get put back onto the rod.  Ready for shop work.  All tool rolls made out of tent canvas.

Panday  I can get some closer pics of the rolls if you want.  They are maybe 2'x3' with eyelets in the center and a tie string.

When I was mechanicing I organized my end wrenches in the underside of my tool box by riveting heater hose parallel about 3" apart, oriented hinge to latch. Then I just cut slots in the hose so I could push my wrenches into the slots and the hose held them firmly accessible and visible.

I have a wood block drilled for struck tools but it's less handy than I'd hoped but that could just be me. Currently I have been collecting cake pans at yard, garage, etc. sales for cheap and use them for keeping tools I'm using at the time. They're also good for catching hot thingies.

Frosty The Lucky.

Row of pipe sections resting on a piece of angle iron and welded to it then you can bolt the angle iron to the side of your tool cart for mobility

Leave the bottoms of the pipe/tubing an inch or two above, this allows dirt and dust to not plug up the bottom of your pipe/tube. If one of your screws comes loose, it won't get stuck and you can see it to put it back between your ears!!!

Neil

You don't need to know how to sew.  Just get a box of the brass rivets that you punch a hole then hammer the two pieces

together. Pouch done.  Can post a pic of them.

Matto, I get the idea,  but would think it helpful if you could post pics.  Thanks. 

A couple lengths of 4-6" PVC pipe with an end cap. You can cut it with ease to adjust to the height you need. Granted, it might melt if your tools are still hot, but its relatively cheap, if not free. Go to a local golf course and ask the turf department if they have any pieces just lying around, they most likely will. I do almost all of the irrigation work at the course I work at, and we always have useless lengths kicking around. 

Side note*

Golf course turf/maintenance departments are also great places to go for high quality scrap, I frequently raid our scrap bin, everything from coil springs and axles, to rotary mower blades and bed knives, which are the bottom blades on a reel mower, they are generally a high carbon steel, and if they are name brand (Toro, John Deere, Jacobson), there should be specs available. If your local courses are anything like us, they'd rather spend the money on the greens rather than a scrap man. Just another potential source of material to keep in mind. 

I used to pick up "arrays" of short pipe sections where an ornamental iron company would tack weld them together for cutting a stack of them at the same time.  Mount them on a piece of angle iron and drill a couple of holes for bolts or screws and you have non-melting chisel/drift holders.

I use magnetic holders used in kitchens for holding carving knives and screw them to the wall.

Around my shop there is way too much "metallic dust" floating around and any magnet becomes furry fast.  Also any tool that gets magnetized gets furry and is a bother to keep clean.

8 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Around my shop there is way too much "metallic dust" floating around and any magnet becomes furry fast.  Also any tool that gets magnetized gets furry and is a bother to keep clean.

I have them at shoulder height and higher and I have not seen any fur on them. Also the fact that they are 6' away from any grinding operation may help. Screw drivers get furry, however, but I think the driver's ability to hold a screw outweights the nuisance.

Sewing isn't very hard. Planning a pouch or roll can be surprisingly difficult though. I recently made a roll for a set of wrenches and with a few eyelets tacked on the ends it'd make a handy punch/chisel holder thatthatbcould be easily brought back inside or tucked away.

On August 17, 2016 at 10:32 AM, Scrambler82 said:

As a Novice and being interested in new ideas… if I had to vote on one or two of these ideas my choices would be:

1) VaughnT

in fact all three could be done with scrapes.

 

Holy Mackerel!  I actually beat Jim Coke at something?  That's got to be one for the record books!  Can we make that post a sticky so it doesn't get lost?

Honored that you think so highly of my design, and you're right that it can be made with scraps.  Mine was actually made with scraps as a way of using up some of the scrap in the scrap pile.  Of course, now I'm in a position where I need more room for the files and chisels, so I'll be adding at least one more row of square tubing.

As that holder is on the bench to hold all my little chisels and sundry, I thought I might make something a little different for larger pieces used at the anvil.

I found a picture online and kind of fell in love with the idea, so it'll be built just as soon as I get a round to it....

I have some 8" pipe that would make a dandy "basket" and plenty of scrap expanded metal to make the grate inside.  I like the simplicity of the design -- almost thought about dressing it up with some decorative forging, but then I got the notion that the reason the think is so attractive is because of its rugged industrial-ness.  Everything about it looks "right" and I'm sure if you had a few of these hanging around at a demo that people would remark positively on them.

Can you imagine her all filled up with a nice selection of hot-work tools like Jim's block of wood?  Maybe even do a wooden insert like Jim's to keep the tools from tilting one way or another as the expanded metal will allow?!?