Building our new tool wall
The Fine Woodworking shop is getting a new tool wall and we're taking you along for the ride.The journey of our new shop has been a gradual one. Any new space has to feel a bit more homey and put together before you can really settle in, so we’ve been making some tweaks since we first took you on a tour of it earlier this year– starting with the assembly of our new tool wall.
Scouring boxes of loose hand tools over the past few months quickly made it clear that this project was imperative. Finally, it was time to get everything out in the open. Knowing it would be the backdrop for our shop videos, we went into it from the lens of both convenience and aesthetic values. We prioritized the layout first, starting with the handplanes. Our first challenge was picking out the most important ones and arranging them in a way that balanced design and accessibility. In fact, we got so caught up in the composition of the handplanes as we preemptively shuffled them around, that at some point they were compared to a poem. (In the moment it made sense. There’s a correlation somewhere between line breaks and shelf placements.)
From there, it sort of figured itself out. You work in enough shops, you know what you need and where you need it. Once again, we’re bringing you along for the ride. We hope you enjoy our process, our tips and tricks for mounting, and Ben’s lovely parody rendition of “Never Ending Story”, entitled, “Never Ending Tool Wall.”
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A first look at our new shop |
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The jointer and planer are a team |
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A Cabinet for Hand Tools |
Comments
I made my tool wall and a friend asked where the "crime scene" outlines were for the tools. I replied that since I started hanging things I've moved stuff around several times as I acquired new tools or decided something needed to be removed. So, doing outlines won't work, plus I can remember where things go.
Would never mount my handplans in that fashion. Looks nice, but at some point a plane, or two, is going to fall off the shelf. Maybe the floor in the shop is soft enough to not damage the planes.
I appreciate that Ben is keeping things pretty simple and said that things will probably get moved around over time, but the set up seems to waste a lot of space. Looks more like a tool display than a working tool wall. How about a simple saw till with room for expansion? Planes stored vertically like in a tool cabinet? A French cleat system? Perhaps you're trying to show something different from previous tool storage solution articles? Don't mean to criticize. I am and will remain a loyal subscriber.
All valid points in a personal shop. This is absolutely a studio setting and looks come first. So ya... tool display is right.
Drawers next? :-D
Hi @benstrano, 3/4 ply for the wall?
That is a good question. I didn't put it up. I think so!?!
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