>Got a design delimma. I want to hang my braces into the door cavities of my new tool chest in the most space efficent way possible, and have them still easily accessible. By that, I mean, I don't want to remove on brace and have 3 others fall down. My idea is to have a bit in each brace, otherwise I might as well just hang only 3or 4 braces in the chest and be done with it. I currently have 25 braces of various swings all the way from 6" up to 14" that I am working with. The cavity is 89" long, 21" wide and 3 1/2" inches deep. If need be, I can change the width, and make it deeper by a few inches if need be and still be good to go. the only thing that cannot be changed in the length. I've fiddled with various ideas, but none are really striking me.
I think the best solution is to hang them horizontally in a sort of "stacked" configuration. I know there is a simple solution to this, but it is escaping me right now. Suggestions?
How many you can hang kinda depends on whether you have to have the braces flush against the back of the case, or whether you're willing to let them stick out a few inches. Back of the envelope calc says that if you want the braces to be flush with the back, maybe you can hang 13-15 of them vertically.
But if they can stick out some, you could hang all or most of them. That's hanging them vertically. Here's how. Take a 3-1/2" wide board, and drill 1-1/4" holes along that board at about 4" centers. Saw a 1" wide access into each hole. The board is screwed into the backing on edge (support it underneath with a second 3/4" board). The braces hang vertically by their pads. Now 4" centers will require that the brace wrists stick out into the room a few inches, and you can hang say 22 of them. I hung the braces flush, and used 5-1/2" centers for 8"sweep braces and 7" centers for 10"sweeps. Overall, if you want them flush, maybe you could hang 14 or 15 braces in your 89" space. Pick 5" centers, and maybe you could park 18 of them at a 45 degree angle or so. etc etc.
The braces will hang vertically, like Scott's do, and won't get cattywompus.
2 cents.
Wiley
Space is a big issue with braces though. My 7" centers let the braces be flush against the wall.
>I hear ya Wiley and had thought of that. Problem with rhis idea is that the door cavity needs to be significantly deepend, which I was trying to get around doing because this would male my door/s much heavier.
Coarse, I dont need to store all thise braces, but fiqure since I've got them, why not?
I also could build a seperate chest for them, but would rather not. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the joys of designing eh?
I'm thinking more along the lines of a "stairs step" design.
>Yeah, I think they breed in the middle of the night!
Interesting things Braces, so many different designs it's hard to resist them. Lately I have been tho.
What's the size of the one in the upper right? Looks like a MONSTER! I thought that 14" was the biggest size made, but that one looks to be bigger than that.
I played with that idea just this morning. It's not bad, but still space consuming. As I've said, I really don't need to have all these braces in my cabinet, but I hate to have a tool just laying around unused. I also want to hafve everything inside of a cabinet just in case of high winds and garage door failure. Now, if I lived up New England way, this wouldn't be an issue.
I'm not going to spend much more time on this issue. I've got at least one more cabinet to make, and the bench to finish. Everything was rolling right along until this little snag. }:~|
>I made my brace rack from some plyw**d, scrap pine, and a leftover length of dowel. Brute Force Ugly. But it holds a lot of braces, and has a zero rummage-factor, which were my primary requirements.
Darrell
Wood Hoarder, Blade Sharpener, and Occasional Tool User
>...but the density is up there. The rummage factor is the pits: pull one down and you get three more. This design is only slightly better than keeping braces in a milk crate behind the furnace.
>I save pictures like this so that when SWMBO or my son "norm" says something to the effect that she/he thinks I have to many planes/braces/wrenches/scrappers/chisels/whatevers I can always-always- always point out that mine is just a minor addiction. I'm just a rank amatuer/user. :>)
>Man, I was wondering what to do with my three braces. It just seemed like decadance to have so many, and what's my excuse for buying more (which I want to do ofcourse)? They all do the same thing right? Well, now I know what to do with my three, and any more that I get: Hang them up! Thanks guys! I'll get on ebay right away (although I don't know how that excuse will fly with the missus).
>Thanks for all the responses! I've made a decision. I'm going to use a combination of Darrells and Kevins ideas. I've also decided that I'm going to put them into the deeper cabinet that I had intended to use primarily for saw stowage. The cabinet will be 4' wide, and around 12" deep. I'll hang the braces in holes such as Kevins, but they be straight out as are Darrels.
Had a brainstorm concerning my plane cabinet while driving into work tonight. I thunk, why not make the back of the cabinet 18" deep, that way I can store #6's and below side by side, vs. having everything end to end as I do now. this would mega-muliply my plane stowage capacity, and I only loose a few more inches of floor space. Since the back of the cabinet is going to be screwed into the brick wall behind it, why not? I still be able to stow some smaller lighter items in the door cavities to boot.
Also fiqured that I'd be a smart little monkey to build a seperate cabinet for all my chisels, which will be narrower than the other two, and go between the other two. OH YEAH! Things are rolling right along now! :~)
>Todd hang a french cleet on that wall and hang your boxes on the cleet that way when you need to re adjust the shop for a new aquasition you can do it quick and easy. I like the pile O Brace concept. Just pile them in a corner and when it is time to move them grab one and they are all tangled together and they all move.
