Storing Hand Tools
Posted in How to store tools, Peg boards, Storing hand tools, Storing tools, Tool storage, Tool storage tips, Work benches on December 30th, 2008 by james – 2 Comments
Storing Hand Tools
At the end of the row I stepped on the toe of an unemployed hoe.
It rose in offense and struck me a blow in the seat of my sense!
Robert Frost
I don’t know how many times that sort of thing has happened to me, but it can be a frustrating experience. Not only that, but tools left out in the open will be less useful, and sometimes downright dangerous to the user!
It might seem simple, just toss the tools inside the shed, close the door and walk away. Sure, that is better than leaving them laying around on the ground where rust eats away at the steel surfaces, and moisture destroys the wooden handles, but there is a lot more that you can do, and it will pay dividends in the long run.
- Don’t store axes, hammers, sledge hammers, and other such wooden handled tools with the head setting on the floor surface. They wll pick up moisture, which will expand the wooden handles fiber against the hard steel of the tool, and crush them, leaving you with a loose tool head when it dries.
- Before storage, you should clean and sharpen the tools. Coating the working surfaces with linseed oil or some other preservative well help to keep rust away during long periods of storage.
- Cleaning and smoothing the handles, and applying paint, or linseed oil will also help to preserve them for longer better service.
- Racks can be made for storing tools, peg boards can be installed easily, and pegs placed at appropriate spaces to hang tools. If you have rakes, hoes, and shovels to store, and don’t have hangers or peg boards and pegs available, you can always get a 55 gallon drum and stand them upright with the working end at the top to keep them organized. Nails or screws in the top plate can be used to hang tools around the walls of your storage building or tool shed.
- Don’t think that just because your tools have fiber glass handles that they can stand to be outdoors without damage. Ultra violet rays, and other factors will cause gradual degradation of almost all synthetics, and fiber glass splinters are even worse than wood splinters! Storing such tools indoors will increase their longevity as well.
Most manufacturers and suppliers offer a variety of accessories such as work benches, peg boards, and lofts which will help you organize your tools so that you can keep them in good condition, and in easy reach. Ask them about these options when you are considering a building for this purpose. It is really worth the extra trouble to be able to avoid having to look for a tool that could be broken, or otherwise damaged when you do find it. It will save you time, and help to avoid frustration. It might even prevent a headache or two!
