Building a Cordless Tool Station... Thoughts?

[EOC_Jason]

This is a counter top I just finished.

Wow, that is awesome, you are a true artist sir!

 

[ARFLY]

What are in all the spray bottles??? That is really nice, wish I had that much wall space to make a nice big one!! Unfortunately I'm kind of constrained to certain dimensions so I'm just maximizing what space I have...

Here's some pictures thus far. About to go back outside and work on it some more. I temporarily hung it with the clamps just to get a rough idea how it would look, it will be ~2" below that shelf so I can stuff all my small boxes of screws up there. I was wanting an edge on the sides but I kind of forgot to take into account the 3/4" thickness of the plywood when doing the height... Oh well...

Hard to tell from the pictures but I did router the outside edges with a small arc just to take the sharp corners off.

Looks like everything will fit more or less how I wanted. Small screws like I said will be on top, the larger 5lb boxes (that I use more often) will be on the smaller shelf on the bottom. Battery chargers will be mounted to the side. Spare batteries will be up on the shelf with the saw / angle grinder.

It will be painted the same as the wall / shelves.

I'm happy, this will get the tools off my free-standing shelves, the batteries & charger off my workbench, and all the screws out of the bottom drawer of my tool chest..

Will post some more pics as I get closer to finishing.

It looks good. It should work very well. I may have to copy and modify your idea for my shop.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Got paint on it last night / today... Hopefully 2 coats will do it, we'll see in the morning... Had to go up in the attic to get my garage heater down, a front came through and boy did the temps drop!

 

[Sawdustmaker]

I just throw them in a drawer of the toolbox.
But then again I'm a simple man with a simple mind

Ditto!

 

[minytrker]

I saw Lowes had something like this on sale, though not in-store near me:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-24-in-x-30-in-Steel-Tool-Chest-Black/1000222005

The title is tool chest, but it's designed around cordless tools, and has a wall mount bracket included.

Thats what I posted on the first page. Works great!

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Does anyone know if DeWalt tools fit in the Kobalt station?

 

[EOC_Jason]

Does anyone know if DeWalt tools fit in the Kobalt station?

No reason they wouldn't...

 

[ThatSickRip]

Does anyone know if DeWalt tools fit in the Kobalt station?

They should. I've got M12 and M18 in both of mine

 

[keith204]

no! Those hanging cordless tool holsters are popular only for people who spend time on Pinterest instead of in their shop.

There's no visibility for bits.
There's not much room for long bits to remain on them.

So, maybe those work for people who want to de-bit their tools and store them between uses, but why not have your tools stored in the same spot they are used...where you can see the bits?

Here's my totally not technical, not worth pinning, idea: a shelf. It keeps my work area clean, because in between drillings, I put the tools up on the shelf out of my way.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I had similar thoughts to yours when building mine. I wanted to be able to keep the bits on the drills & driver that I commonly use so I designed it deep enough where that shouldn't be an issue.

Though these past couple days I'm starting to find more and more bits I had in various places, not realizing all that I had & use. Thankfully I have the existing shelves to the left & above where I plan to mount it so I can place them there. Organization is great, till you realize you had more than you thought! lol

no! Those hanging cordless tool holsters are popular only for people who spend time on Pinterest instead of in their shop.

There's no visibility for bits.
There's not much room for long bits to remain on them.

So, maybe those work for people who want to de-bit their tools and store them between uses, but why not have your tools stored in the same spot they are used...where you can see the bits?

Here's my totally not technical, not worth pinning, idea: a shelf. It keeps my work area clean, because in between drillings, I put the tools up on the shelf out of my way.

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

no! Those hanging cordless tool holsters are popular only for people who spend time on Pinterest instead of in their shop.

There's no visibility for bits.
There's not much room for long bits to remain on them.

So, maybe those work for people who want to de-bit their tools and store them between uses, but why not have your tools stored in the same spot they are used...where you can see the bits?

Here's my totally not technical, not worth pinning, idea: a shelf. It keeps my work area clean, because in between drillings, I put the tools up on the shelf out of my way.

I want one... countless others on here have them... I guess I'll have to take the extra 11 seconds and de-bit my tool.

I won't be buying one. I'll make my own. In my shop. Probably with plans I found on Pintrest.

 

[keith204]

I want one... countless others on here have them... I guess I'll have to take the extra 11 seconds and de-bit my tool.

I won't be buying one. I'll make my own. In my shop. Probably with plans I found on Pintrest.

I'm new to this forum. Do you guys also remove your teeth between meals?

 

[bullnerd]

When my shop burned down, the insurance fire inspector walked up to me and said, "How many battery chargers did you have plugged in"?

Before he even said Hi or sorry your shop just burned down.

I don't know the statistics, but there must be some for him to ask.

If I was going to build a dedicated charging station, it would at least be lined with metal where the battery's charge.

My neighbors Dewalt lit up while he was standing right next to it luckily.

I don't leave them plugged in, or charging, or batteries in the tools unless I'm in the room.

 

[keith204]

When my shop burned down, the insurance fire inspector walked up to me and said, "How many battery chargers did you have plugged in"?

Before he even said Hi or sorry your shop just burned down.

I don't know the statistics, but there must be some for him to ask.

If I was going to build a dedicated charging station, it would at least be lined with metal where the battery's charge.

My neighbors Dewalt lit up while he was standing right next to it luckily.

I don't leave them plugged in, or charging, or batteries in the tools unless I'm in the room.

I've wondered about this many times. Makita talks about how they use air flow to keep things cool while charging, and it seems like dust settling in the chargers would be a problem.

 

[rzims]

I built mine as a rolling cart since I have a shortage of wall space and am still trying to figure out my "final" garage layout.
Although, after it was done, my daughter bought me the full set of Ryobi 18v tools and I built it for the old 12v set I had....

 

[DCarr2]

All my cordless **** is at the one 'fastener' station next to the battery charger... Ill prob end up building something a bit more elaborate, but for now theyre either on a shelf or on top of a bench

 

[EOC_Jason]

That's very interesting, but not unexpected... Li-Ion batteries are quite volatile in the way that companies are constantly trying to push the max power with the minimum amount of weight (and thus protective packaging)...

I only charge mine while I'm in the garage, and I pull them out after they finish charging and flip the switch that turns off the chargers & other various devices... I do leave batteries in my drill & driver.

Funny how someone mentioned dust & chargers. I've noticed that too and I blow mine off and always make sure the contact area is clear before using. I also was thinking about the batteries themselves with the exposed contacts. I did a quick search the other day and could not find any sort of plastic caps that are made to cover / protect them...

When my shop burned down, the insurance fire inspector walked up to me and said, "How many battery chargers did you have plugged in"?

Before he even said Hi or sorry your shop just burned down.

I don't know the statistics, but there must be some for him to ask.

If I was going to build a dedicated charging station, it would at least be lined with metal where the battery's charge.

My neighbors Dewalt lit up while he was standing right next to it luckily.

I don't leave them plugged in, or charging, or batteries in the tools unless I'm in the room.

 

[iowa4x4dieselman]

no! Those hanging cordless tool holsters are popular only for people who spend time on Pinterest instead of in their shop.



There's no visibility for bits.

There's not much room for long bits to remain on them.



So, maybe those work for people who want to de-bit their tools and store them between uses, but why not have your tools stored in the same spot they are used...where you can see the bits?



Here's my totally not technical, not worth pinning, idea: a shelf. It keeps my work area clean, because in between drillings, I put the tools up on the shelf out of my way.

As discussed earlier in this thread, a purpose made organizer would prevent other things not designed to be in that location from ending up on the shelf. And not everyone has multiple drivers that are the same to keep bits in. Lol [emoji12]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[keith204]

As discussed earlier in this thread, a purpose made organizer...

That sounds a lot like a uni-tasker.

...would prevent other things not designed to be in that location from ending up on the shelf.

Very true. A driver shelf can be purpose driven, but if the user breaks his own laws, he would definitely need to put himself on a leash.

And not everyone has multiple drivers that are the same to keep bits in. Lol [emoji12]

This is sarcasm, right?

Ok but seriously, I really like the idea of tools hanging from their battery base. I'm going to have to build that for my other Makitas.

 

[Git]

no! Those hanging cordless tool holsters are popular only for people who spend time on Pinterest instead of in their shop.

If having your tools sitting on a shelf with the bits in them works for you - great

The below pic is of my drill/driver with a wood countersinking bit in it. The reason why the one is broken is because I had that drill sitting on my workbench and put it down to switch to my other drill that had the squarehead driver for the screws I was installing. Somehow I bumped the drill, it fell off the workbench and I tried to prevent it from hitting the concrete floor by sticking my leg/foot out to try to break the fall - like I have hundreds of times before. Only this time, the sharp point of the drill decided to rip my leg open on the way down and it took 7 staples to close it



I don't leave drills with pointy things in them, standing upright anymore

 

[bcradio]

I'm new to this forum. Do you guys also remove your teeth between meals?

Do you work in a production environment where you use the same bit over and over?

I never know what bits will be required for my next project, so I always remove them after using. the only one I keep in is my P2 phillips bit in my impact driver.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I never know what bits will be required for my next project, so I always remove them after using. the only one I keep in is my P2 phillips bit in my impact driver.

Funny, I usually keep a T-20 in my impact as that is the usual size for my smaller wood screws that I'm always using.

I got it mounted this afternoon and did some touch-up paint. I forgot to take pictures, was bringing the plants in and took the dog for a walk before the sun set. Will do tomorrow though. Now it's just a waiting game for a few days before I stuff it full of everything and mount my battery chargers.

 

[Ohio Auto]

1. I only charge my tool batteries while I'm in my shop.

2. Security ... I keep them locked up in my tool box to avoid a smash and grab.

Seriously how inconvenient is it to grab it out of the toolbox?

 

[Muggzy]

This is a counter top I just finished.

That's beautiful. Anyplace I can find a video of that process? (or maybe you'd be willing to make one?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

Does anyone know if DeWalt tools fit in the Kobalt station?

I have DeWalt 18V impact and drills in mine.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

I had never considered the chargers for the Makitas I have to be a fire hazard. Thanks for the heads-up. I will make sure I don't leave a charger plugged in and unattended, at least not for long. There have been several times that I forgot and left a charger plugged in for a day or two.

When my shop burned down, the insurance fire inspector walked up to me and said, "How many battery chargers did you have plugged in"?

Before he even said Hi or sorry your shop just burned down.

I don't know the statistics, but there must be some for him to ask.

If I was going to build a dedicated charging station, it would at least be lined with metal where the battery's charge.

My neighbors Dewalt lit up while he was standing right next to it luckily.

I don't leave them plugged in, or charging, or batteries in the tools unless I'm in the room.

 

[bcradio]

This is a counter top I just finished.

Amazing countertop... May be a dumb question, but I have to ask. Is that wood or something else?

Great work!

 

[M35A2]

Well I finally got mine built and up today. I wanted to keep all my cordless together in one spot so this is what I came up with. I only keep my #2 philips in my driver and it does fit.

 

[keith204]

If having your tools sitting on a shelf with the bits in them works for you - great

The below pic is of my drill/driver with a wood countersinking bit in it. The reason why the one is broken is because I had that drill sitting on my workbench and put it down to switch to my other drill that had the squarehead driver for the screws I was installing. Somehow I bumped the drill, it fell off the workbench and I tried to prevent it from hitting the concrete floor by sticking my leg/foot out to try to break the fall - like I have hundreds of times before. Only this time, the sharp point of the drill decided to rip my leg open on the way down and it took 7 staples to close it

I don't leave drills with pointy things in them, standing upright anymore

Shelf != Workbench. The nature of the shelf is that it's above the working area (aka danger zone in your case). If I knock a drill off a shelf, 7 staples would be an appropriate price to pay for dancing on my work bench.

Do you work in a production environment where you use the same bit over and over?

Production environment? I hope we all produce things in our garage environments. So, yes? Why *not* set up our garages like production environments? Are garages for parking cars or making things?

I never know what bits will be required for my next project, so I always remove them after using.

I have calculated this before. You will be swapping bits 100% of the times you remove them after using.


....

Ok ok. I'm mainly enjoying being devil's advocate here..

But really, the only serious part of my argument can be illustrated by this question:

When you pull the drills/drivers/etc out of your cute compartments, install bits & batteries, go to your work bench, diffuse some eucalyptus oil, and start working on a project...... where do you put the tools as you work on your project? ...

...On the work bench. In the way. Getting bumped around. Soon, you're paying an ER doctor to use his power tools on you.

I would like to submit an argumentative clarification in defense of my shelf: A $3 IKEA door, ripped in half, addresses most of the seemingly oppositional grievances.

 

[M35A2]

I would like to submit an argumentative clarification in defense of my shelf: A $3 IKEA door, ripped in half, addresses most of the seemingly oppositional grievances.

Yeah, I’ve seen than done on Pinterest....

 

[FTWingRiders]

Well I finally got mine built and up today. I wanted to keep all my cordless together in one spot so this is what I came up with. I only keep my #2 philips in my driver and it does fit.

That looks awesome!! I am still trying to figure out the best spot for something just like that in my shop.

 

[astrohip]

Well I finally got mine built and up today. I wanted to keep all my cordless together in one spot so this is what I came up with. I only keep my #2 philips in my driver and it does fit.

That is very well done, and (for us shop nuts), a work of art.

I posted a pic much earlier in this thread, of the shelf I keep mine on (below my workbench). It works well, and uses a space I wouldn't otherwise use. But your station is so cool-looking, I might do it just for the challenge.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[IMXCITD]

Looks good M35!

 

[graffix000]

I saw Lowes had something like this on sale, though not in-store near me:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-24-in-x-30-in-Steel-Tool-Chest-Black/1000222005

The title is tool chest, but it's designed around cordless tools, and has a wall mount bracket included.

I have one of these at home and am happy with it. Hold all my cordless items and chargers in one location and has the built in power strip for convenience. Am actually getting one for my dad for as he liked mine so much.

 

[Big Dad]

for some odd reason, the local lowes never has them in stock, says they have them on back order .. ?

 

[EOC_Jason]

for some odd reason, the local lowes never has them in stock, says they have them on back order .. ?

Most lowes got a few (single digit) in stock before black Friday, but I'm sure they sold out quick.

If you *really* want one, go to the pro desk and you can order one even if not in stock and when it finally arrives they will hold it there for you to come pick up.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Took a quick picture just now... Letting paint cure for a few days before I start loading it up with tools. I think it's going to work out real well... Could always be bigger, but just don't have the wall space to do it...

Will post an updated pic probably Monday when I get everything in place.

 

[bcradio]

Production environment? I hope we all produce things in our garage environments. So, yes? Why *not* set up our garages like production environments? Are garages for parking cars or making things?

Yeah, not quite what I was talking about.

 

[TNBurban]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. If I could do something like this, it would free up a deep drawer in my 56" box.

 

[Jinks]

Well, Ya got me again! I spent 5 or 6 days avoiding this thread, but broke down & took a look... Great ideas I thought, but I don't have any spare wall space to hang something like that. Guess I'll just keep draggin' the boxes off the floor & workin' around 'em... Couldn't get it out of my mind, so the next time in the shop I took a closer look......

Back during my motorcycle days I had a closet cabinet I kept riding gear in. Hmm, it's still there. I don't use that stuff anymore....

A few bux for 3" PVC, some spare shelving material I had on hand, & half a day later, well here's the change.............

Freed up a lot of other space, & makes getting to several tools easier! GJ is full of good ideas!