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Is a tool tray on the workbench for guitar making useful, or a waste of good bench top space?

Seems a waste to me, but since I am about to build a new bench, I thought I'd ask for your experience/opinion.

Thanks,
Ed

Well Ed,

Some like, some don't

Depends on your working habits.

Most cabinet makers love them...me use to love them too, especially when using repetitive tools all day long, every day as is often the case with cabinetry. However in luthiery, it seems you use a tool and then don't touch it again for days or weeks or months and so like you really need to have it sitting there in that hole in yer bench just in case ...ya right.

When me built me last bench I left it out and don't miss it. But what me did was put 12 thin or shallow drawers in the side of the bench, holds all me chisels ( me do a lotta carving) and the tools that are used regularly. Also left off the heavy traditional cabinet makers end or tail vise...don't miss it ether. So me new bench is more like a 4.5' x 2 ft buffet with all them drawers and a 1.5 inch thick top. Big enough to hold an ax and the few tools being used. Oh ya its got 7 strings and tuners attached to the frame styles running just under the top which are then tuned to whatever type instrument me currently building. Helps me to have them sympathetic vibrations of whatever is being build coming from the table me working on.

So there be my take on benches.

Only advise....make it as strong and as solid as you can possible can...and then some.

But don't get carried away...its only a bench.


blessings
the
Padma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I built mine without one Ed. If you don't need a major sawdust receptacle, then I personally don't see the need for one.

Yes, I would build a tool tray. I tend to place the tools I'm using on the surface of the workbench to the right of whatever I'm working on, but my tool tray is invaluable for always keeping a few tools and things that I want really handy - knife, awl, tape measure, small notepad, honing jig, and also a salmon tin that is a good place to store those little odds and ends that always end up on a workbench. An alternative might be to have a shelf immediately to the right of your normal working position (if you're right-handed) and just above waist height, to place tools currently in use and frequently-used items. I have one of these too, where I keep the most valuable tool - coffee - as well as a jar of pencils, a few small clamps, and a rechargeable drill.

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"I must let my soul be my own judge."
6course.blogspot.com

I think it depends on how big your work bench is going to be. If you space/bench is relatively small then you need to keep as much space free as possible. If you have room than a built in tray. I am sure it would be useful. If you are worried about dust collection cut out a piece and plexi glass and cover it when your not using it.

good luck
matt

Ed what the Padma said - it all depends on how YOU like to work.

For me bench top space is at a premium, I can never have too much of it, so I hate clutter. I keep only the tools that I am using at the moment on the bench that I am working at. I am also concerned that I might put something down on a sharp tool and mess it up...

Dust is also my enemy and as such I never wanted to put my tools out on say holders or peg board on a wall because it is just going to get dusty. I have also wondered if anyone has ever knocked something like a sharp chisel off a wall and had it damage their work or worse - damage them.....

Most of all though it's back to how you like to work. I am still learning how I like to work and the only way it seems that this is possible for me is to get busy and build guitars. When I am building I begin to understand what would work better for me etc.

Here is my main bench, pretty spartan as you can see. To me a bunch of crap on a bench means that I have to do something and I can't relax.... You can see that I have only a few tools out that I am using at the moment.



Here is my tool tray of sorts - it's where I keep all the little crap that I do use frequently and want close at hand but not on or above my bench:



At the end of the day though what will work for you will be as the Padma says - what works for you.

Other folks may opt for having the tools on a roll-around or in a drawer underneath. I found that over time I came to having multiple tool stands/holder plus a peg-board behind to be a better arrangement for the way I work. I found the roll around to always to be in the way or in the wrong place. A single tool tray took up too much space and I kept moving it around. I ended up making several lucite/plexiglass blocks with holes drilled in them for things like files and small chisels and small pokers/scrapers/etc-ers. These holders tend to drift around for a bit and then locate themselves in the least used places on the bench, mostly along the back splash. Larger things like big chisels and dikes and such go up on the peg board. All that being said, I ended up with only a few of these blocks with the most used tools in them. Job-Specific tools like reamers for bridge pins or fret saws and such go in the box with the related things for that specific job and are stored on my job-specific shelves. May not be what others like but it works well for me.

Alan D.

Good point. I should give some context. My shop is small, 8' x 20' with one wall containing two benches, each about 9' long x 33" deep (18' total bench space). To me, that is a lot of bench space, but I have no choice really. The benches are over the hoods of 2 cars (the noses of the cars poke through one wall into the underside of each bench! One bench will be at 38" and one at 43" (I am tall). There is room for a tool tray or two if they are useful. So far, I have not heard a good case for a tool tray for guitar building, which is what I assumed.

I may make one bench 24" wide which would give me more room to have a small 18" or 24" bench (fold up?) perpendicular in the center of a long bench. This would give me the ability to work on 3 sides of a guitar which I think is valuable.

Thoughts?

Thanks for all the helpful comments and pictures.

ed

?????

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I have 2 small benches. One gets only the guitar, the other gets the tools. That's the idea anyway. I kind of like the looks of that plastic tub shown in the picture, though.
Hugh

Gee Howard,

Me the Padma is truly most honourd.

Me didn't hink that such a highly respected and well know luthier like yourself wood even have the time to read any thing that me posted. Let alone take the time to reply and then be asking me for clearification of me babblings to boot.

However since you do read my stuff, well then you know the drill... $20...in an envelope... to the Padma... C/O this here web site, and I'll get back to you on that.


As always
lessings
the
Padma

But you know Howard, must admit that was pretty good, me glad to see you have a humerous side.

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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My benches don't have them. They are home made and i didn't think about them when building. But i do have and idea to add them since it would be nice to be able to push the chisels and whatever into them so when I am flipping instrument around I don't hit a tool i laid on the bench damaging the instrument. I was thinking of attaching mud trays to the ends of both sides..Mike

Now, was that a typo or ...........?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I have one in my bench. Sometimes I like it... keeps things I'm working with handy & below the "accident" plane of the bench. Sometimes I hate it... full of crap /dust / things I'm too lazy to put where they should be. Flip a coin, but I'm thinking my next won't have one.

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Dave
Milton, ON

Before I got into this full time, I wanted a versatile bench, and liked the look of the one in the LV catalog .. so thats what I built .. two 14 inch wide slabs, each with two rows of 3/4 dog holes spread 7 inches apart, and int eh middle a tool trough, open at one end to sweep out dust and crap, but most of the time I just hit it with teh vac hose. I like it, other than at times it does collect too much stuff, but then you just clean it up, no different than a solid top that gets cleaned more often.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

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I have a humerous on both sides, actually.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Another nice idea. Thanks for sharing Tony.

Ed

That is quite humerus.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Wow Howard...

You really on the ball.

Shows you truly are paying close attention to me "rustic hillbilly approach" of posting to hopefully inspire, taunt and be dazzle you all with the BS* of me dangerous cognitions and philosophies, brilliant ideas, and babbling insanity.

I must sinsearingly thank you for such attention to this old fools babbling.

blessing
the
Padma

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Since my shop is horribly small (see last pic!) I came up with sliding storage that I think is going to be very helpful.

Using full exstension, side mounting drawer slides. They twist a bit when fully extended (only one slide per storage thingy) but I won't have them fully extended for more than a few moments at a time.

And this...is 2/3 of the full shop. Imagine not having a garage and all of that crap has to fit in here as well. GAH!