# lathe tool storage racks



## umahunter

Searching ideas let's see what ya got guys


----------



## rgray

My attempt at organization.
The ones on the outside are on hangers made from snowmobile Hyfax (slide rail plastic slides).


----------



## chuckorlando

I use single screw driver holders on some peg board. The cutters are i the box though


----------



## Holescreek

I have steel slatwall on two sides of my shop behind the machines so I make my own tool racks out of 20 ga sheet metal that fits into the slots. Bend 'em up and spot weld 'em on.









A circle template made of plywood makes it easy to plasma cut holes in sheet metal for the R8 stuff.


----------



## David S

I don't have a lot of room.  Quick change tool holders on white shelf above back shield.  Chucks, keys, allen wrenches, far right corner.  Taps, center drills, special bits and metrology in small cabinet below lathe.

David


----------



## Cheeseking

I use al extrusion.   Tried both sheetmetal (.090 aluminum) and nylon slats.  Honestly they both work equally well.  Nice thing is you can use multiple surfaces of the extrusions.  Very easy to reconfigure.  I was somewhat concerned about cantilevering etc but its solid as a rock.




Use it on my pegboard too


----------



## Fabrickator

I see all of the different designs here and thoroughly understand "limited space" with my working machine shop in half a 2-car garage, but I warn people to never store ANYTHING above your lathe.  To the side, the back, underneath, whatever.  But, definitely not above the spindle/chuck or anywhere that something could possibly fall into spinning parts.  It's tempting, empty space and convenient, I get it.

Safety First!  Check my Signature. :think1:


----------



## Tool-in-the-Box

I had nice white pegboard behind my lathe. Had all the tools on it, nice and neat. Looked great. Then I used the lathe for a bit. If oil was red it would have looked like a crime scene.


----------



## schor

Here's my tool holder holder.


----------



## P.K.

And here's mine. It will go on the wall behind the lathe as soon as I get the shop painted.












.


----------



## Fabrickator

That does it.  I'm buying stock in Phase II, or are they Aloris?  :winner:

Rick


----------



## zmotorsports

Here's mine.



Overview of lathe.


----------



## Waldo1

zmotorsports said:


> Here's mine.
> 
> 
> 
> Overview of lathe.



This I really like- especially for my financial and time budgets! The Uni-strut is affordable, readily available and I can have a functional rack in a couple of hours. If I want to get *really* extravagant I'll paint it grey.


----------



## David S

Ok guys you are embarrassing me with all your lovely machined tool storage systems including the nice wooden one.  I am not going to post again. :veryscared:


----------



## OldMachinist

My rack for KDK holders.


----------



## Frank Ford

I made little dovetail racks for mine, too, and they live in two drawers nearby the lathe:


----------



## hman

Frank Ford said:


> I made little dovetail racks for mine, too, and they live in two drawers nearby the lathe:



+1 on Rick's (Fabrickator's) post!!!!!


----------



## hman

... while I'm at it, I'll show you mine.  Here's how I built my AXA storage rack.  The angled pieces are slices of a cardboard box corner stiffener (longer piece shown behind) that I got for free at a lumber yard.




Here's what the rack looks like with the rest of the tooling (wrenches, drill chuck, centers, etc.) above the lathe.




And here's where I store my chucks (on a rotating wood disk) and other items below the tabletop.  Un-mounted cutting bits and other small accessories are in the drawers.


----------



## Fabrickator

hman said:


> +1 on Rick's (Fabrickator's) post!!!!!




I stand corrected, and they're not above the lathe...


----------



## Brain Coral

Mine are above the lathe, but I will heed the warning and slide the holder towards the tailstock. It's a good thing that I don't have 50 or 60 holders like some of you guys... anic:




Brian


----------



## Frank Ford

Fabrickator said:


> That does it.  I'm buying stock in Phase II, or are they Aloris?



Nah, when CDCO dropped the price to nine bucks (less than 1/4 the price of Phase II, not to mention Aloris), I gobbled up a whole bunch of AXA size holders - now I hardly ever have to set a tool on center - I just grab and go!  I have full sets of angled and radius tools, and all manner of special ones I grind ready at hand for quick use.  No slowing down to chamfer or round an edge, etc.


----------



## extropic

Waldo1 said:


> This I really like- especially for my financial and time budgets! The Uni-strut is affordable, readily available and I can have a functional rack in a couple of hours. If I want to get *really* extravagant I'll paint it grey.



What he said x2.


----------



## hman

Me, too (but with 80-20)!


----------



## LathemanGoody

Interesting, figured everyone had these things stuffed into drawers.  I never gave it any thought though when it came to cutting just one portion of the dovetail to hang the tool holder on, might consider this an event to take place as i try to gain the room I need so very much.  I like the idea of using nylon but I can see the hardwood being useful due to its availability... decisions... decisions


----------



## Apostle10

Holescreek said:


> I have steel slatwall on two sides of my shop behind the machines so I make my own tool racks out of 20 ga sheet metal that fits into the slots. Bend 'em up and spot weld 'em on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A circle template made of plywood makes it easy to plasma cut holes in sheet metal for the R8 stuff.



10-02-15
Hi Chuck,

  I noticed in the lower photo that you have installed a riser on your Bridgeport round column mill.  It looks like it's the 4" riser but can't be sure.  I've got a lead on a 7'" riser for mine that has no hardware.  I noticed the bolts are 5/8-11 but how long do they need to be to hold the head down to the riser and the riser to the main casting?  Also, is there a witness mark on the riser that aligns with protractor on the top piece?  Kindly contact me via email at DrD at 2020 dot com.  

Regards,

Mike

PS  I happen to have 4 ea 5/8"-11 x 3" length.  Wondering if they'll work?


----------



## rdhem2

Apostle10 said:


> DrD at 2020 dot com.


My good man.  I have a riser for a Bridgeport that I could let go.  Came on my mill but I took it off as I have yet to need it after using the machine for ten plus years.  Guess that should tell me something.  It is in the 6" to 7" range, I would have to measure if you are interested.  Even comes with the proper bolts!!!!!!  Now to get it from Washington state to you???????  Send me an email to russ.harman@gmail.com if interested.

Danka mein Herr,


----------



## rdhem2

Forgot to mention.  There is no "hardware" to mount the riser, just the ring and four longer bolts to bolt the top back down.  There are no witness marks as the bolts align the ring to the base casting.  The marks are purely for reference.


----------



## Leonard

This is my first time on the site as a new member. I'm picking up all sorts of good organization ideas already. Cool!


----------



## jwmelvin

This is an older thread but it came up in my search and seems appropriate. another good thread. Also: racks, racks,  more racks, and another. Many variations on the theme. I enjoy exploring what others have done. 

I found a couple panels of slat system with some wire shelves on craigslist for $10. Seemed like it would be useful. I put it on the wall behind my lathe and, while the shelves work for tool holders (with a little expanded/perforated metal to fill in the wires), I sought improved density and visibility. I made the following as a prototype to try out and think about:


The wire is 3/32" TIG rod, since I have a bunch. The idea is that the wire shape gives compliance and adjustability, so it is pretty easy  to make. It took me a couple tries to narrow my approach, but here's the bending tool I made and a measuring fixture (which was the original bending fixture; after this photo, I removed a few pins):



So far, I've just gone one bend at a time, then marking the next. With a little testing I could mark them all then bend them all, which would be considerably faster. The nice thing is that the design is very tolerant of variation, as once the wires are pressed into the support (wood in the prototype), they can be hand bent to get the desired fit. 

Here's the overall setup, with some of the wire shelves for my remaining toolholders. I'll make another couple of the wire racks and keep probably just one or two shelves:



I do miss the splash shield that modern lathes seem to have. I'm considering making one at least for the portion around the headstock, just to contain the mess a bit.


----------



## Weldingrod1

Nice work there!
I find that I like having things a lot closer to me, and that also allows using at least part of the huge volume behind the centerline.
That's my exchange student getting her first try on the lathe...
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


----------



## jwmelvin

I liked my prototype enough to make another rack, using metal for the backing plate. I'm getting better at bending the supports.


----------

