"Open Sesame" Handplane Rack - LONG, *PICS/Video*
Scott in Douglassville, PA
>Wow - it amazes me how a simple project can spiral out of control...
A while back, folks started posting their solutions for handplane storage. I have a meager little collection, but they've been getting knocked around on the bench, cluttering things up and threatening to crash to the floor. I don't have anything particularly nice - I enjoy playing with dogmeat users, bring them back to life, pondering what may've been made with them in the past hundred years - but I wanted to keep them from getting destroyed. Also, I was needing an excuse to experiment with finishes; the never-ending blanket chest is to get a barn red milk paint treatment, and I wanted to see something else painted with it first. I had enough scrap, so I sketched a plan, and set forth to building.
Now, I'm new to hand tools. I have a well-documented aversion to tablesaws. This project represents my first large-scale incorporation of hand tool use. There's a good deal of power tool use here, but the cupped, twisted poplar panels were completely flattened by hand, chamfers cut mostly by hand, some shaping work and fitting done by hand. Felt rewarding, and will be something I do more.
Anyway, here's the result:
It's sized to hold my current corral of planes (a #4, #5, #18, Veritas medium shoulder plane, and a #101 that, honestly, belongs to my four year old), with space for two more blocks, a #3, and a #7 or 8. The carcase and panel are 5/8" poplar; the 3/4" x 1/2" ledger strips are walnut. Joinery's simple - butt joints poly glued and screwed. I used some nice forged-look butterfly hinges from Lee Valley, and there's some nice storage inside for wooden planes, as well as pegboard for whatever else. The panel sits at about a 65� angle, which should be more than enough for the planes to rest safely.
But that wasn't good enough.
While researching all this silliness, I kept running into folks suggesting that hinged panels seem like a good idea, but that a loaded panel makes access to difficult for practicality. Chris Becksvoort echoed this sentiment in one of the "Tools and Shops" Fine Woodworking issues. So, I started looking at safety lifts for toy chests as a possible lift aid. No go - not nearly strong enough. Then I opened the back on the wife's minivan.
Once the solution presented itself, it seemed so obvious - gas springs.
Well, I found some through Rockler, but their selection was minimal, and the ones they had wouldn't support the forty-odd pounds I expect the loaded panel to eventually weigh. The springs are all over eBay, but it's impossible to identify load specs, and most are absent mounting hardware. I eventually found a supplier who had a complete line of sizes and ratings. I calculated the load spec I required, decided on hardware, and placed an order.
Words really can't describe it. Video can.
The "Open Sesame" plane rack (Real Player, 450k)
The springs work better than I'd hoped. I've added my old #30 transition jointer to approximate the weight this thing will see, and it works like a dream. I've also thrown two five pound bags of sugar on the panel as well, and while it doesn't auto-lift as fast, it does hold open at any point in the motion. My wife saw it working for the first time and commented, "This thing is just a toy!" Well, duh...
Now, that wasn't yet enough for me. Paranoid about things falling, I added a bunch of 1/2" and 3/4" rare earth magnets (again from Lee Valley) to the underside of the panel:
The magnets require that just a sliver of wood remain between them and the plane, but each plane snaps into place against the panel. They're not going anywhere.
Finally, I wanted to make sure this thing didn't fall off the wall entirely, so it's hung on French cleats. I generally like to hit two studs with cleats, but because the cabinet's only 12" wide, that wasn't possible. I ended up using two cleats, one inside and one below, both red birch:
This was really s'posed to be a quick weekend project. Don't know what happened. When the time comes for the next revision, I'll probably use cherry for the carcase (I'm not in love with the paint now), and probably dovetail the box. A shelf inside would be nice. In retrospect, the magents probably aren't necessary, but I'd still put 'em in again. The gas springs make the thing completely fun to use. My 18-month-old daughter likes me to hold her and open it over and over - she just giggles. My four year old son likes "magneting" his #101 to the panel. I carved a little peg for the shoulder plane to mount to; it's one my favorite parts of this project.
Anyway, there you have it. Complete over-kill. Again. Someone stop me, please.
Thanks for looking.
Scott
