A few months ago I bought a Nova lathe and some pen making "stuff". After I brought my "stuff" home I realized that I didn't have anywhere to store or even house the many items I got. So, although I'm lazy doesn't mean that my brain quit on me. I remembered that the previous owner of the Nova had it on top of a Husky soft close 9 drawer tool chest. I called and was able to buy that as well and with it in my shop I was able to get all kinds of things out of site and off what little counter space I had. That worked out so well that I decided to buy another cabinet for my RingMaster. I managed to find another Husky 9 drawer nearly exact to the first one. Again, it became the storage place for all of the oscillating sanding drums as well as o LOT of other things that was taking up counter space. In an effort to maximize my show of laziness I found on Facebook a 10 drawer bottom cabinet ( Husky again) for $200 at a scratch and dent facility. I Brought it home yesterday and started fitting my Incra LS Positioner to it and again found places for things that have been in the way for years. I'm going to get a couple support legs for the overhang and mount the switching yet but that can happen tomorrow. So in the last few months I've spent $1000 for storage and most likely could have built storage for less but remember the lead in sentence had something to do with lazy. The only thing my wife said was 'do you have enough stuff to fill the drawers' she shouldn't have asked that because if I don't fill them up, I'll just go shopping.
Dick, I have been where you are, and trying to get offa my Azz to build my cabinets, and storage areas, plus make a variety of flat places to work on, and lay stuff in all degrees of doneness.
It is a ton of work, and more than once I have considered buying the storage.
Then I flash back to the huge pile of plywood laying on 2x4's on my shop floor that are suppose to be becoming cabinets. Not sure what else I would use it all as?
Looks like a good solution, Dick. I still need to build more storage space (including the little drawers you sent me drawer-fronts for), but the boss frequently has other ideas…
Nathan - my old cabinet that housed my intra & router bits etc was 3 drawers on wood runners that I was too lazy to empty and wax occasionally so this will be like the maximum upgrade. lol
George, if I had some bb plywood I may have considered building, ahhh NOT. Seriously, I just don't want to take the time to build. I have too many bowls, lamps and various assorted items that I need for inventory.
Dave, I remember not too long ago you spent every waking moment making shelving to house your library and I felt that if I got started on storage it would be a never ending chore.
Crowie - I've been replacing inefficient cabinets with way more storage and handy access so I didn't need to enlarge, just replace with a better solution. (quickly)
i would love to have a cabinet under blank area of right side of table saw but i am also lazy and it is getting harder for me to handle full sheets of plywood this is why i did not build my router station yet but you might have given me an idea for storage
Tony - 10 years or so ago I bought my router top from Incra and then built my stand out of 1/4" luan and poplar 1 x 12 that was fine until I 'found' a better easier stand with storage. Full sheets of plywood ? My shop isn't big enough to rip one to size let alone manhandle it. Anytime I get plywood I have it cut into 2' x 4' pieces and just suffer the loss if my needs exceed the pieces available and change my dims to fit. I know there's somebody around you that has a scratch and dent warehouse - take your time and check every day. Here's my old table bottom. We had a little snow this morning, doesn't matter because this is headed to the burn pile was are the 3 drawers.
I built some cabinets in my workshop and I bought a US general metal cabinet like your red one in the pictures. I like both. They both can be super handy. Good choice on that husky.
Drop out of warp and prepare to be boarded. Mike southwest CO
Great looking storage, and nice to have everything organized but yet accessible.
Organized ? I'm positive I'll be opening a lot of drawers looking for things. Don't know how long it will take to remember where I put everything. This is the 3rd Husky tool chest in a couple months -
I built some cabinets in my workshop and I bought a US general metal cabinet like your red one in the pictures. I like both. They both can be super handy. Good choice on that husky.
I turned 81 on Jan. 30th and I don't want to spend time building cabinets when in the same time frame I can make some good looking bowls and lamps. I prefer the Husky over some of the other chests
Well, perhaps I'm not as lazy as I profess. After getting the incra LS positioner set up and bolted down on my new Husky tool box I decided it was too high to be comfortable so off came the top. Yeah, I lost a drawer and spent the afternoon getting it ready to accept a new top but what the heck, it's only time. Oh, and I did lose the drawer locking feature - don't think I need to lock stuff up in my wood shop. Nothing in there I want to steal lol Pretty sure I'm going to put 3/4" plywood to on it and maybe some laminate that I've had for 20 years. Then re-mount the router table and positioner. It 4:30 pm and supper will be available soon so I better empty this
Actually that was kinda ambitious. But the correct height of your tooling is a lot more important than just a passing thing, so now you will be set.
Yer Right ! I've got a lot of trim and fitting work today. Plus, I just got back from Lowes where I found a 2' X 4' maple veneered 3/4" plywood for the top. I had to buy some contact cement as well and believe it or not, I never had a trim bit til I left Lowes today.
Well, it's not totally done because I didn't trim it out but that'll happen. I was so unhappy about the height of it that I was actively looking for another tool chest. Then it hit me to shorten what I already had mostly because I don't have room for another chest anywhere. So here's the 'finished' improved Incra LS Positioner table.
I decided to not put a laminate on the substrate because most is covered by the router table. I almost forgot - it ended up 37 1/4" high, nearly perfect for me now I'm a happy camper
Looks great Dick, cabinet is an excellent way to go with the shallow drawers.
Only thing I'd suggest would be to swap out your power switch for one with the paddle stop. There have been many times I've needed my leg to cut power so I could keep both hands on a workpiece.
36 to 38" is my wheelhouse too. I used to just make them as I went. Then one day it was a Homer Simpson moment. DOH!!!!!!!! Make them all the exact same height, so you have a huge, never ending flat stable work area. DOH!!!!!! I mean it was really a DUH moment. WHYINTITHINKOFTHATBEFORE?
Only thing I'd suggest would be to swap out your power switch for one with the paddle stop. There have been many times I've needed my leg to cut power so I could keep both hands on a workpiece.
good thought - thanks
WHYINTITHINKOFTHATBEFORE?
Sometimes I think my shop really belongs to Homer and I'm just visiting lol
When I built my accessory tables I built them all the same height as my bench. Best things I ever did in setting up the shop. Since then, anything I added I take that into account so I’ve basically got outfeed everywhere. Here’s the bummer part: I inherited my bench from my FIL, whose dad made it. But it’s more of a work table than a bench, so it’s about 4” too tall for proper hand tool height for me. I didn’t figure that out until much later…so my whole shop is 4” too tall. 😒
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
