I don’t have room over my lathe to install a wall rack for turning tools. When I got tired of walking and reaching to get tools off a nearby table, and picking up fallen tools off the floor, I found a way to keep them at my fingertips. The answer was below the lathe.

I simply drilled holes in a piece of plywood and attached it to the shelf in the base of my lathe stand, accommodating my most commonly used turning tools. A 13⁄8-in.-dia. hole worked for all of the tools but two.

Now I can switch tools in seconds with a minimum of movement, faster than I could even if I had a wallmounted rack.

Michael Rohrer, Minneapolis, MN

Drawing by Jim Richey