How do you store your planes?

[Scouse]

Good morning,

I've been looking at a few old workshop tours, and I wondered, since I'm having a move around, what the general opinion was with regard to storing bench planes?

I've seen some left flat on shelves, some flat but raised up on small blocks of wood and some stored upright, noses in the air?

I just wondered what you do and what the relative benefits were with regard to maintaining sole flatness etc?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Acanthus]

A years or so ago, when I was 11, for the very first lesson in the woodwork shop at school, I had to copy down the eleventh, Twelfth and thirteenth commandments. These are:

11 Thou shalt keep fingers behind the cutting edge of all tools
12 Thou shalt saw on the waste side of the line, and
13 Thou shalt always put planes down to rest on their side.

I eventually found out that No 13 was to ensure that nothing touched or damaged the edge on the blade. These three still make perfect sense, and at least I have managed to keep these commandments.

I guess that any storage system that achieves this purpose works.

For me, I alternate between a) face down, resting on two blocks of wood b) standing nose up, and c) laying on its side the way I was taught. I once tried hanging them up from a sort of yoke fixed to the workshop wall, but that was just silly.

David

 

[woodbloke]

A years or so ago, when I was 11, for the very first lesson in the woodwork shop at school, I had to copy down the eleventh, Twelfth and thirteenth commandments. These are:

11 Thou shalt keep fingers behind the cutting edge of all tools
12 Thou shalt saw on the waste side of the line, and
13 Thou shalt always put planes down to rest on their side.

I eventually found out that No 13 was to ensure that nothing touched or damaged the edge on the blade. These three still make perfect sense, and at least I have managed to keep these commandments.

I guess that any storage system that achieves this purpose works.

David

Spot on, and just what I taught in school. It doesn't really matter how you store them as long as they're protected from general workshop activity and are easily accessible when needed. I just store my moderate collection :roll: on a shelf:

under the bench with a batten at the back to raise the sole a fraction. Others are stored horizontally in custom slots or vertically on the 'Tool Wall'...whatever floats your boat really - Rob

 

[AndyT]

Like Rob said. Ready to hand is good. My shelves aren't as smart as his:

There are slips under the far ends so that all cutting edges are raised off the shelves.

 

[Scouse]

Thanks for the replies, your tidyness and organisation has, however, sent me into a cloud of depression!

There is a bit of work to do, I'll post pictures when I've finished.

 

[woodbloke]

Thanks for the replies, your tidyness and organisation has, however, sent me into a cloud of depression!

There is a bit of work to do, I'll post pictures when I've finished.

Again, some folks do tidy and other's like to work in a different way...me, I like tidy :lol: - Rob

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

I work best in organised chaos.. Basically to everyone else it is a complete mess but I know where everything is.

 

[Shane]

I work best in organised chaos.. Basically to everyone else it is a complete mess but I know where everything is.

That's me as well :lol:

 

[Harbo]

Mine are stored covered in Camellia Oil, sole down on bubble wrap, on rubber pad in a steel drawer (with gentle heat underneath in winter).


Rod

 

[Harbo]

Mine are stored covered in Camellia Oil, sole down on bubble wrap, on rubber pad in a steel drawer (with gentle heat underneath in winter).


Rod

 

[eoinsgaff]

Just make sure you don't have any humidity and subsequent rust problems. Thats my personal difficulty.

Eoin

 

[jimi43]

WAKA has (IMHO) made one of the most beautiful tool cupboards I have seen and others have had superb ideas too...(seach the forum for loads of examples).

Mine was made simply from some free Eng oak flooring....the planes are covered in Camelia Oil and stored on wooden slithers:

One word of warning....after I did mine to suit what I had...the collection grew (as you can see) and it is best to plan for this expansion or another cupboard in the future!

Jim