Building a Cordless Tool Station... Thoughts?

[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.

Can I ask what you made that out of?

Thanks.

 

[bepjrfan]

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 don't know about you guys but any time I set my drills up like this, it never fails that I bump in to one while grabbing another... Creates a damn domino effect where all my drills go tumbling down. If you put them in a drill station or in a couple drawers of the tool box(my preferred method), then at least you won't have to worry about knocking them all over....

 

[Git]

I don't know about you guys but any time I set my drills up like this, it never fails that I bump in to one while grabbing another... Creates a damn domino effect where all my drills go tumbling down. If you put them in a drill station or in a couple drawers of the tool box(my preferred method), then at least you won't have to worry about knocking them all over....

^^^^ +1

 

[M35A2]

Can I ask what you made that out of?

Thanks.

The section the drills hang in is just some 1/2 -refinished maple plywood I had at the shop. The rest is all 3/4” Baltic Birch 9 ply, I would have used Baltic Birch for the 1/2” stuff but didn’t have any at the time.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

I don't know about you guys but any time I set my drills up like this, it never fails that I bump in to one while grabbing another... Creates a damn domino effect where all my drills go tumbling down. If you put them in a drill station or in a couple drawers of the tool box(my preferred method), then at least you won't have to worry about knocking them all over....

This.

A dedicated charging and storage station is a huge improvement. I also prefer it to drawers since it is quicker and to be honest, I don't have the extra space.

Of course, I use my cordless tools all over, not just at the work bench... kinda the whole point of cordless tools. I have my charging station situated in a central area while hand tools are at the work bench where they are more likely to be used.

 

[dreamingmuscle]

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.

Well I think I found inspiration for your drill storage system.

 

[4v shane]

3/4 by 3/4 square tube and cut wood out to fit handles of tools

 

[zippy99]

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.

Or just turn them around. Problem solved

 

[EOC_Jason]

Got back in town late yesterday so today I finally got around to putting everything in their place...

Still need to spiff up the one piece the circular saw sits on, that was just some scrap I used when I first got it.

I hung the recip saw in the back just to give a little more clearance.

Still not 100% sure on placement of everything, and I would really like the spare batteries to have caps or maybe in a little container to keep sawdust and stuff from getting down in where the contacts are.

I was able to consolidate all my tapcon screws into one container. I rarely use them so spending a minute to dig through and find what I need is no big deal.

Overall I'm super happy, especially with all the space I reclaimed elsewhere in my garage.

Next project I think is going to be an organizer for all my spray cans of paint / lube / cleaners...

 

[FTWingRiders]

Looks great!! I really need to do something like this..

 

[astrohip]

Next project I think is going to be an organizer for all my spray cans of paint / lube / cleaners...

This may not work for most of you... I built a workshop inside my barn/garage. The inside is exposed 2x4. So I turned them into mini storage shelves...

 

[EOC_Jason]

Good idea but not applicable in my garage, it's sheetrocked...

I'm going to build those angle style holders. Right now I just have a ton on a couple shelves and I know there's a lot of wasted space, plus I have to go digging through carefully to find the can I need. Having them in the rows gives much easier access too.

This may not work for most of you... I built a workshop inside my barn/garage. The inside is exposed 2x4. So I turned them into mini storage shelves...

 

[sberry]

I had a real makeshift deal and as I was cleaning I found this cab, took but a few minutes to rig it in and it was about as ideal as I could build, had the shelves and wheels already.
I got a side shelf just for lights, I have 5 of them and they are hard to keep track of.

 

[Selo]

This thread has been a real eye opener for me. Helped me come to a decision.

I have been adding to my cordless tool collection also wanting to have a station to store and charge. I have some 18V Dewalt, smaller 12V Dewalt and Porter Cable tools and now that I need new batteries have been looking at the 20V Max adapter ($120 two batteries and charger) so as not to continue with 18V.

Looking at the price of batteries as well as the time I spend jacking with keeping all charged and safe, I have come to the startling conclusion that for me and how I use power tools, mostly inside my garage or immediatly outside, cordless is unnecessary. If I were a contractor working remote sites it would be different. I have outlets everywhere, many heavy extension cords, and can buy a corded tool for what two replacement batteries cost.

I used to operate around my home with corded tools and a very small Black and Decker recharable driver. Now I am cordless tool rich, but am battery, charger, recycle, and safety poor. In the future I'm buying corded tools.

Cheers,

Selo

 

[biggziff]

This thread has been a real eye opener for me. Helped me come to a decision.

I have been adding to my cordless tool collection also wanting to have a station to store and charge. I have some 18V Dewalt, smaller 12V Dewalt and Porter Cable tools and now that I need new batteries have been looking at the 20V Max adapter ($120 two batteries and charger) so as not to continue with 18V.

Looking at the price of batteries as well as the time I spend jacking with keeping all charged and safe, I have come to the startling conclusion that for me and how I use power tools, mostly inside my garage or immediatly outside, cordless is unnecessary. If I were a contractor working remote sites it would be different. I have outlets everywhere, many heavy extension cords, and can buy a corded tool for what two replacement batteries cost.

I used to operate around my home with corded tools and a very small Black and Decker recharable driver. Now I am cordless tool rich, but am battery, charger, recycle, and safety poor. In the future I'm buying corded tools.

Cheers,

Selo

Most people won't admit it, but they buy a tool for a "job" and after that it sees very little use if any. Batteries die, too expensive to replace so the cycle continues.

 

[minytrker]

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.

Thats very nice. If I had to the time and skills I would try to build something exactly like that.

 

[ProGun3400]

I just bought one of these and really like it. Going to buy a second one to hold the rest of the cordless tools.

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

Thanks for the heads up. I was able to locate/purchase one at Lowes in Orland Park. I could use another but no more available in my area according to their in-store computer ...

 

[ProGun3400]

This is a counter top I just finished.

Very nice!......

 

[ProGun3400]

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

Yes they do, with the forward/reverse button in neutral...

 

[ProGun3400]

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

When I went on Lowes.com, I punched in my zip code & chose my local store. None available as was the case for just about every Lowes I checked in my area. I called my local Lowes OP store (that showed none available) and the guy in tools & hardware said they had one in stock. I drove there & purchased it. I asked him if he could tell me of any other stores in the area that showed any in stock & he couldn't find one. I wanted two, didn't know about the Pro's Desk (thanks for that tip) I'll have to order another & pick it up when it comes in.

 

[ProGun3400]

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.

Very nice.....

 

[FarmerWill]

That Lowes Station is really similar to an idea a friend showed me. Nice add to the garage.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

The lowes kobalt organizer was $99 when they first came out with them and we all waited to see if they would go lower, now they sell them for $129...surprised no other brand has come out with their own, IE Milwaukee!

 

[LS6 Tommy]

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?

Me, too. All of my tools are stored in locked cabinets or my tool box when not in use, except if I'm in the middle of a job and have to go buy something. They all get put away at end of day, even if the job is not complete.

Tommy

 

[ProGun3400]

The lowes kobalt organizer was $99 when they first came out with them and we all waited to see if they would go lower, now they sell them for $129...surprised no other brand has come out with their own, IE Milwaukee!

I paid $99 for mine...

 

[b-dog]

Finished mine last night. I wasn't really happy with the circ saw but it'll do. I had a bunch of green paint

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I like having all my different chargers in one location, but I've always kept tools in different areas where they're most often used. Drill, impact, and circular saw hanging under my workbench, sawzall hanging by the door to break up pallets for firewood, lights by the door in case I'm going outside at night, my cordless impact wrench lives in the car, and my cordless vacuum is in the house.

 

[scdealer]

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

Advice given to me a long time ago was, if you drop a tool (screwdriver, saw, drill, etc...pretty much anything with a point or edge), let it fall. Don't try and catch it.

The hanging stations look good, but I went another way. I have an attached garage with an office/study pretty much right off of it in the house. I keep all batteries in the study (from AAA to Tool Batteries) because it is climate controlled. Once a battery is charged, it comes out of the charger and sits on the shelf. Easy to grab and step into the garage.

In the garage itself, tools are stored by function. Corded and cordless together. Drills together, saws together etc.... Then bits, blades and accessories are stored with those tools.

If the garage was climate controlled, I would probably keep the same system but move the batteries outside.

 

[niget2002]

I like the 3" PVC idea. I only have two battery powered tools. My DeWalt drill and the DeWalt driver. I usually put them on a shelf next to the charger, but it's a bit of a stretch to reach for the wife if she needs to use one. I could easily hang them under the shelf they're sitting on.

 

[keith204]

Advice given to me a long time ago was, if you drop a tool (screwdriver, saw, drill, etc...pretty much anything with a point or edge), let it fall. Don't try and catch it.

Personally I wear work boots and use my foot to break the fall. Sometimes it ends up being a kick across the room, but even then, a drill falling on the floor sideways is not nearly as much impact as straight down.

That may not be a good habit to get into though.