Making a combination wrench board

[altersaddle]

Last week I managed to get a bunch of nice Williams Superrench combinations, from 1/4" up to 11/16". I'd already bought a single 7/8" Superrench so there's close to a useable set now.

Some Internet research exposed this vintage catalog, which has this nifty display board:



Continued internet research determined that there's no way I could easily buy a vintage Williams board. Also, I don't have any of the flare nut wrenches, nor would I use any of them beyond the 7/16" and 1/2" ones.

There's also no spot for the 1/4" wrench, and I wouldn't bother getting the fractional 32nds sizes.

So, I've decided to make my own!

My tablesaw sled is conveniently 24x30", so I laid out my metric set and the SAE Williams set to see how things might fit:



With and without the flare nut wrenches I do own / need on the side.

This leaves me with a few questions:

1. How big do I go? I was planning on only going up to 1". My biggest metric combo is 22mm.

2. Is there a pressing need for anything metric under 8mm? My normal projects are bicycles and a Triumph sports car.

3. Is it okay to put the Williams Tools of Industry logo on a home-made board, or will the garage gods curse my very soul for such a heathen travesty?

Has anyone got designs to share, or links to existing threads of interest? I tried to search but it turns out "wrench" and "board" are pretty common words.

 

[bigfoot21075]

Last week I managed to get a bunch of nice Williams Superrench combinations, from 1/4" up to 11/16". I'd already bought a single 7/8" Superrench so there's close to a useable set now.

Some Internet research exposed this vintage catalog, which has this nifty display board:



Continued internet research determined that there's no way I could easily buy a vintage Williams board. Also, I don't have any of the flare nut wrenches, nor would I use any of them beyond the 7/16" and 1/2" ones.

There's also no spot for the 1/4" wrench, and I wouldn't bother getting the fractional 32nds sizes.

So, I've decided to make my own!

My tablesaw sled is conveniently 24x30", so I laid out my metric set and the SAE Williams set to see how things might fit:



With and without the flare nut wrenches I do own / need on the side.

This leaves me with a few questions:

1. How big do I go? I was planning on only going up to 1". My biggest metric combo is 22mm.

2. Is there a pressing need for anything metric under 8mm? My normal projects are bicycles and a Triumph sports car.

3. Is it okay to put the Williams Tools of Industry logo on a home-made board, or will the garage gods curse my very soul for such a heathen travesty?

Has anyone got designs to share, or links to existing threads of interest? I tried to search but it turns out "wrench" and "board" are pretty common words.

I like the idea - looks good! 1" and 22mm are probably big enough, I find it rare to need anything much bigger, then I can pull that out of storage. On the other side, I have smaller than 8mm in my set - you could stagger them if you want to fit the last few on the board, up to you.

As for the Logo - ABSOLUTELY OK. As long as it is not for resale you can use it however you like. It would be pretty easy to replicated with either some vinyl and a printer or even paper with a covering on it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you could get a decent image of the tool board in the first post, I'd think it would be easy enough to have the whole thing duplicated with a vinyl printer. With a little work on the computer it could be modified as required to match the wrenches you want to hang on it.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Personally I'd make the board large enough to accommodate a 1-1/8 wrench on the SAE side and at least 30mm to 6mm on the metric side.

I've got to say though, I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Sounds like it'll be pretty good.

 

[Kaizen]

I've been drooling over this for awhile. going to put one together. you can definitely do one in wood.

http://www.menards.com/main/p-2414924-c-9188.htm

 

[eastbaysubaru]

I've been drooling over this for awhile. going to put one together. you can definitely do one in wood.

http://www.menards.com/main/p-2414924-c-9188.htm

That thing is amazing. Thanks for the link! Now there'll be at least two of us drooling over it.

-Brian

 

[altersaddle]

Update!

I found a chunk of plywood that was for an old sub panel. No photos yet, you'll have to imagine a 22x24" piece of wood painted with white paint.

I've also spent a lot of time finding the logo I want to use - Williams Tools of Industry. Finally lucked out with an eBay sale that had a good photo of a catalog cover. Did some fiddling about and now I have this:



I also bought some pounce wheels from Lee Valley so I can print the logo out, transfer it to the plywood, and paint it.

Tomorrow I'll post an updated photo of the board with wrenches - I'm going with the Williams SAE Superrench and Mastercraft Professional Series metrics.

 

[Rock Hound]

maybe use something like a Kreg pocket hole jig or similar, but instead of using it for the pocket whole screws just stick dowels into the holes. I don't know if this would work or not, the angle might be too steep and/or the dowel that fills the hole to wide, but it would be an easy way to have a lot of equally angled pegs put into the plywood.

 

[altersaddle]

I was planning on just using bright finish nails. The original board looks like it has screw hooks, and I considered buying those (or making out of screws) but nails are simple and I've got them.

 

[Dave455]

The more effort you put in, the more the garage gods will respect you, and the more enjoyable your workplace will become! After the logo, add any other vintage advertising you can find, or pester your dealer for some new stuff!

 

[altersaddle]

As promised, here's an updated photo with my current Superrench / Mastercraft combos:



That's 1/4" - 1" by 1/16ths, and 6mm - 22mm with a few gaps on the top end.

The board got rained on last night, which sets me back a few days. I've got to let it dry, and sand off the paint that wrinkled and give it another coat or two.

I haven't decided yet if I want to get some larger metric sizes (biggest now is 22mm), or try to fill in some skips (16, 18, 20 and 21 are missing). I don't think I've ever used the 22mm, for that matter.

Might use the leftover space for flare nut wrenches, or something similar to keep handy.

 

[MattVette89]

I haven't decided yet if I want to get some larger metric sizes (biggest now is 22mm), or try to fill in some skips (16, 18, 20 and 21 are missing). I don't think I've ever used the 22mm, for that matter.

I hate having skips in a set, you better go shopping

Cool idea for the board. I'd like to see it with a vinyl or painted on logo.

 

[altersaddle]

Laid out a different mock-up today:



I'm liking this way more. Common sizes are in the middle, and I can put the Williams logo on the left and a vintage Mastercraft one on the right.

I do plan on filling in the skips. With the new arrangement, I'll have 1/4 to 1-1/16 by 1/16" and 6 to 22mm by 1mm.

 

[jrobb316]

I would personally go up to 24mm. After that the only size I use is a 27mm and that almost exclusively for a/c lines.

 

[harleybuilder]

Laid out a different mock-up today:

Looks good. .That single box end would drive me crazy though. ...[emoji15]

 

[egnorant]

I saw a small wrench board in a local tire store and thought it was a good idea so I started looking at different types. Simple pegboard and hooks or a custom board with different hangers...metal board or wood...then it got dangerous.

I soon realized that I have many jobs that require 2 of the same size, then I thought about those times I grab the wrong wrench or should I somehow include my double open end wrenches somehow so all I need to do is flip the wrench when that 5/8ths becomes a 3/4 because my eye is not calibrated.

What about my GearWrenches? Non-reversible combo. double box end with 2 different sizes, what about my reversible ones, WHAT ABOUT MY REVERSIBLE FLEX HEAD WRENCHES!! I got a little silly when I started looking at the stubby wrenches and the longer wrenches and the thin wrenches and the deep offset box ends. What about that modified wrench that is perfect for torqueing rockers on an Austin Healey (monthly).

Am I displaying all my sizes or brands or styles over what range knowing that I have Williams and Wright for large wrenches, 7 different brands of mid size (May be some gaps that I will have to fill for a certain brand) tiny wrenches (NOT hanging those...don't even know how!).

Thought I might use a modular format with sets of a certain range in removable hangers so I could just grab one set for the current job. Maybe if I used separate boards for different styles.

Should I mark them with something fancy or vintage looking? Vinyl Wrap guy says he can make the boards look like blue carbon fiber and print all the outlines and sizes and even throw in a logo if I measure and layout what I want.

Finally told myself that I would just make a small board with 10 common sizes that would be easy to reach. Might even throw in one of those screwdriver hangers just to keep a common few available...and something to hold tape measures, always misplacing those...METRIC WRENCHES...I forgot about metric!

I picked a hell of a time to quit drinking.

Bruce

Don't forget the flare wrenches.

 

[altersaddle]

I can definitely see shipwright's disease striking on projects like these. I'm sticking to a combination wrench only board (although I did consider flare wrenches, since I do need those a lot on the Triumph).

If I find myself constantly needing a size that's not on the board, I'll make a new one. Mostly I want to try my hand at painting the logos.

The rogue box end is just there so I can visualize the spacing better. It won't live on this board, and I forgot to hide it for the photo.

I have a regular toolbox with drawers where my wrenches live now.

 

[harleybuilder]

I can definitely see shipwright's disease striking on projects like these. I'm sticking to a combination wrench only board (although I did consider flare wrenches, since I do need those a lot on the Triumph).

If I find myself constantly needing a size that's not on the board, I'll make a new one. Mostly I want to try my hand at painting the logos.

The rogue box end is just there so I can visualize the spacing better. It won't live on this board, and I forgot to hide it for the photo.

I have a regular toolbox with drawers where my wrenches live now.

[emoji106] [emoji106]

 

[altersaddle]

After some adventures with Kilz and some "valuable" lessons about surface prep and painting in the rain, I've finished my blank canvas.

This morning I used the pounce wheel and traced out the Williams logo.

The cheap craft paint I'm using isn't exactly archival quality, but I think I can rescue it by being very careful with the black:



Update: the black does improve it quite a bit, although it certainly still looks very handpainted. I'm not going to quit my day job and take up sign painting any time soon.

 

[altersaddle]

The Williams logo is done, and I'm setting up the Mastercraft one.

 

[nucklebuster]

altersaddle, you're inspiring me to make my own Proto board. I student taught at a local high school that has an entire wall full of vintage Proto boards and tools. Like you I thought this was the neatest idea ever. Kudos for your tutorial, this is great! Do you think using a vinyl decal would have been easier/better? Also, are you planning on putting "outlines" like the pic I've attached?

 

[altersaddle]

A vinyl decal would have been much easier and faster, but the end result would have looked like a vinyl decal.

I wanted to try my hand at painting, and try a few different methods. The Mastercraft logo has a lot more fine detail than the Williams so I think I'll use carbon paper (transfer paper) instead of the pounce wheel.

I'm not planning on adding outlines - if anything more, I will mark out which size goes where.

 

[altersaddle]

Got the Mastercraft logo started. There's a lot more line work than the Williams one, so (as mentioned) I used carbon paper to transfer the logo instead of the pounce wheel.



Should be done this weekend, all going well.

 

[altersaddle]

Mastercraft logo is done. "Tested Proven Products".



Tomorrow I'll be able to hang it up!

 

[altersaddle]

Got a bit delayed, but the nails are on and the wrenches that I have are hung up.



I spent a bunch of time poring over the Williams catalog and a spreadsheet trying to figure out the optimal placement.

In the end I just put the wrenches on the board and eyeballed it. That's why things are a bit crowded on the right, but I'm OK with that. If it gets bothersome, I'll pull the nails, fill the holes, and try again.

 

[Major Ramifications]

It's easy to make a combination wrench bored. Just keep telling it stories that don't go anywhere, preferably the same ones over and over.

 

[altersaddle]

Up and on the wall.

 

[Old_Buick]

My OCD forbids me to comment on the layout of this!