What can you recommend as a good “home-made” system to store pliers
at my bench so that they are within easy reach?
Thanks!
Sally
I use a plastic food container, about 5" tall, and 4" square. I
drape the pliers over the edge, all around the outside of the
container. On the inside of the container, I store a pair of
scissors, and some small metal rulers…
Cheap, effective. and easy to reach.
For storing files, I use several oblong blocks of Styrofoam. I push
the tang end of the files into foam. I use one block for large
files,another for small files, and still another for even smaller
files. Works fine for me. Alma
What can you recommend as a good "home-made" system to store pliers at my bench so that they are within easy reach?
Sally, when I was just “looking” at the building supply store, I
found 45 degree angled pieces (each about 8 inches long) of roofing
flashing and bought 2 of them - they cost probably $1.20 each. Then I
just stood them like upside down V’s (they meshed together with one
sliding over the other a bit) on the side of my bench and put the
plier handles over the upside down V shaped metal and it worked. Very
convenient. Easy to move for cleaning and can be shoved together or
another piece added if you need more space. Mine holds about 22 pair
of pliers of all sizes.
K
Sally,
When I see you at Whaley Studios, I will bring a device a friend
made for me, with PVC pipe. Easy and right at hand.
Hugs,
Terrie
When I got my new economy bench after graduating GIA, I got some
heavy brass rod, hubby threaded the ends, bent it into a long
square’d U and mounted it on the front of one deep drawer. As I am
right handed, it is on my right, at the perfect height ready to
easily lift off and use.
Judy Shaw
years ago, it was the style to have small cd racks made of
dowels…they are fairly small and when put on your desk, have 2-3
dowels you can use to balance your pliers, cutters etc on. You can
often find them at thrift stores for a few dollars. I’ll take a
picture next week when I’m back in my studio…
Jeanne
jeannius.com
What can you recommend as a good "home-made" system to store pliers at my bench so that they are within easy reach?
Hi Sally - I just use a small, tall-sided (say, 4-5 inches) cardboard
box - I’d use a wooden or perspex one if I had it - folding down the
flaps to strengthen the sides (not necessary if box were wooden or
perspex…) - and then balance my pliers over the sides - each of the
four sides being designated a specific sort of plier. Not very
high-tech (!), but it works for me - having had a workbench covered
with pliers of all sorts and never the ones I needed to hand. This
way they’re at least all in one place, the “footprint” of the small
cardboard box (mine’s about 6 x 6 inches) doesn’t take up much bench
space, and the whole thing can be picked up easily and taken
elsewhere at need. Just what works for me!
Hope this helps!
Sally (UK)
the wooden CD shelf I mentioned as a tool rack is similar to the one
shown heRe:
only with just one level. You turn it upside down to use it as a
tool rack. I usually see them at Goodwill/thrift stores for $2-5 each
and they work great.
jeanne
jeannius.com
What can you recommend as a good "home-made" system to store pliers at my bench so that they are within easy reach?
I use a “locker shelf” wire rack. I hang the handle of often used
pliers on the front, less often used items go pointed end down
through the square holes of the shelf. (Previously I used the front
edge of a plexiglas box about 4" high with the pliers pointed up but
I kept knocking the pliers off when I would pull a job envelope out
of the box. The wire rack sits high enough above to allow things
underneath. Couldn’t get a good picture but go to
organize-it-onlinedotcom and search on locker shelf. They show it in
white and black but the one I have is longer.
jeanette
Hey Sally,
There are so many ways to keep pliers on the bench.
I have an old metal can in one corner of my bench ( I think it’s a
soup or coffee can ).
The pliers hang on the edge, visible, easy to reach, out of the
other crud on the bench.
Have a fantstic day!
Hans
http://www.hansallwicher.com
Sally,
I screwed a paper-towel holder to the benchtop, put on an empty
paper-towel cardboard tube that’s a little pinched into a flat shape
in the center. Many pliers hang easily on it and the price didn’t
break my heart.
Lorraine
K,
Any chance of a picture of the plier holder? Would love to see it.
Kay Taylor
http://kaytaylor.ganoksin.com/blogs/
Sally et al
Get a wire coat hanger and cut it to the length you need for your
pliers plus enough left over to bend at right angles and long enough
to fix into the bench, drill two holes slightly smaller than the wire
and tap the ends in with a hammer.
I have 16 pairs of pliers and the wire is 27 cm about 12 in and is 3
cm from the bench and is within easy reach of my right hand.
Look on benchtube there are examples of this on some of the benches
Remember don’t buy fancy and expensive stuff when you can make most
of it easily and cheaply. You can buy beautiful holders for pliers,
but at the cost of a quality semi-precious stone I know what is more
needed in my workshop.
Hope this helps Sally
TTFN Richard
I took an old curtain rod that was being thrown away, cut and bent
it to fit the front of one of the drawers on my bench. A couple of
screws and it was done. From all of the different answers it looks
like we are an amazingly creative group in many areas.
Bobbie
Bobbie Horn
Brownfield,TX.
Block of wood with paired 1/2 inch holes for the handles to fit in.
Only thing that limits you is the length of the block.
john
John Atwell Rasmussen, Ph.D.
http://rasmussengems.ganoksin.com/blogs/
I made my own bench and used bits of old metal clothes-hanger wire
as pliers racks as shown in these photos…
Excuse the untidy bench!
Regards, Gary Wooding
A two dollar/3 inch cabinet handel is perfect. Also looks nice.
I use 8" PVC pipe to hang my pliers on, simple and inexpensive. The
tube sits upright on the bench, and the pliers hang on there. You
can cut the pipe to various lengths to accomodate a number of plier
lengths.
P@
I have a solution that works well for me. I use a lazy susan with
several levels. I hang my pliers over the lowest edge. Everything
that lends itself to this sort of organization goes in there.
Just one idea.
Kim
I use a heavy duty magnetic strip I bought at a local hardware
store. It holds pliers, files, tweezers, even un-used ring mandrels
until I need them. The strip is in a mounted frame and has holes
pre-drilled on ends so one could mount it on a wall or somewhere
else. Steve