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Shop it seems simple, but I need help........ Hammer organization

Shop
brino

brino

User of tools, spender of money.....
Premium Member
Hi All,

My name is Brian and I have a problem.
I like to have the right tool for the job.

That means I need a couple different types of hammers.
Claw, different sizes, and ball peen and some different weights, and maybe cross-peen.
Okay, several.
I do sometimes need a mallet, plastic faced, brass faced and dead-blow.
Okay, maybe a dozen.
But then I throw them rather randomly in the lowest, biggest tool-box drawer.
Along with some pry bars, maybe a hatchet or two, and there's no where else to put the splitting wedges......

I currently have a partially black thumbnail from when the hammers, etc. jammed the drawer above and I went to shake the hammer drawer to settle things down, but accidentally closed it right on my thumb. Dang!

There has to be a better way.

Currently I keep a couple hammers on the anvil:
anvil1.jpg


anvil2.jpg



....and a small one at the working/welding vise:
vise1.jpg



...and another small one at the heritage/beautiful vise:
vise2.jpg


.......and then there's the drawer:
drawer_closed.jpg


drawer_open.jpg


(some are still out at different "ongoing project" sites, plus I also brought a few more home from cleaning out my Dad's shop).

One of you smart people out there has already solved this.
Please share your ideas!

Thanks,
Brian
 
I screwed a 36” or so 2x2 on the wall. Then took a couple 2x2 spacers about 3” long and screwed to the one on the wall. Then another 36” long 2x2 screwed to the spacers. This gives a slot to slide the handles in and the heads sit on the 2x2. I get about 10 hammers. Works great for large cross peen hammers down to small ball pein and plastic deadblow hammers. Haven’t even wanted to change it for 10 years or so. So it must be working. I usually keep a rawhide right on the mill and a cross pein on the anvil .
Martin
 
Er, um............ I would have thought that a pile on a surface somewhere was probably the perfect way to store hammers!

But actually, it isn't universally what I do. More usually, hammers are more of a location tool. Big sledges are all standing on their heads over by the big overhead door with my axes, pick axes, and splitters, pinches, and big pry bars. That's because I don't use them inside the shop. Small sledges are also standing on their heads on the floor beside whichever location where they are used. Carpentry hammers are in a drawer. Engineer's hammers, ball peens, and small hammers are in a wooden box, masonry hammers are in a wooden box with other masonry tools. A brass mallot is on a tool surface beside my mill. The plastic mallet is on a handy tool surface (a stool) between the lathe and the mill.

This plastic mallot is my most used hammer. It is used to release the R8 taper on my mill and all my lathe chucks. I used to use a brass hammer. But one day the brass hammer wasn't handy so I used the plastic mallot. The brass mallot got semi retired that same day. The plastic mallot is infinitely superior. It imparts the perfect force to break tapers. A very light rap and they are separated. There is just something about the force compression and time profile of that plastic that is far superior to anything else I've ever used.

In as much as the floor is a surface too, the perfect storage for hammers is definitely on a surface. Preferably a surface near where it is normally used!
 
This is my solution for the Blacksmith shed.
1748181407517.jpeg
1748181407517.jpeg

This is my solution for the main garage shop.

1748181564623.jpeg
1748181564623.jpeg

Built on this mobile vise stand. Looked through all my pics, and couldn't find one showing it all for some reason....
1748181645919.jpeg

1748181645919.jpeg


It's still not enough.....I need to refurb my welding table, and add some more storage on it for more frequently used tools.

Prior to building these, my hammers were all stored in buckets and bins......
 
Stuart Samuel said:
The little rack at home was an attempt to organize things eight or ten years ago, but it’s too small, and inflexible. Like everything else in that room, needs some work.
Click to expand...

At least you can see the spectrum of hammers at a glance.
The one I want is always hidden in the back-bottom corner of the drawer, even if I can see it I gotta move several others to get at it.
Frustrating! (thus the thread)

Once I get more space I could see a dedicated hammer rack.
But the new shop is like retirement; it's been two years away for the last five years!

Thanks,
Brian
 
brino said:
The one I want is always hidden in the back-bottom corner of the drawer,
Click to expand...

This is why I like piles on surfaces......

Those OCD filer people have 500 tool chests with one tool per drawer with labels and a computer based index system. I'd rather make stuff than spend my life hiding stuff. Any time I've ever had trouble finding something, it was always found hiding in a drawer.
 
Susquatch said:
This is why I like piles on surfaces......
Click to expand...

I already have too many piles and not enough surfaces.
Currently I can't get to the surface of the welding bench, or the table saw.

A pile of hammers is a little intriguing, I wonder how high the pile would be if I brought them all to one place..... steel-toe mandatory area for sure. Watch for falling hammers!

Brian
 
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