Storage for heavy stuff?

[Canadium]

I'm looking for ideas/inspiration on how to store some of my heavy accessories. I have several projects nearing completion that are going to need an appropriate home in my shop. Namely 10 inch rotary table, dividing head, and some extra milling vises. Since these are all heavy I was wondering about building a special heavy duty cabinet to hold them all in one place. What do you guys do with this kind of stuff? How do you store them???

 

[Susquatch]

I thought you saw mine when you were here. I keep all mine on the top shelf of a rolling cabinet. The top has an oiled wooden surface.

I used to keep them on the top surface of a tool cabinet. But that required a lift to transfer.

A back is a very precious thing. Mine isn't in great shape but it's way better than many my age. I'd like to keep it that way. Lifting heavy objects from down low is a bad idea.

By putting such things on the top shelf of a rolling cart, I can roll the cart over to the mill and simply slide the heavy tool over onto the table, and slide it back when I am done. I can even raise or lower the table so the transfer is always a downward transfer.

I've also considered a small gib crane, but I think sliding is even easier than attaching a crane.

I plan to replace the wheels on my cart with bigger easy roll ones in the near future (famous last words).

The cart can be stored anyplace it can be rolled to, but nearby is convenient.

 

[Canadium]

I thought you saw mine when you were here. ....

Sorry, I don't remember it. I was mostly focused on your milling machine and there was a lot of other things to absorb there as well. I do like the sound of your concept altho can't picture how the top shelf of a rolling cart could have an adjustable height to it unless it is like a scissor lift?

 

[Susquatch]

I do like the sound of your concept altho can't picture how the top shelf of a rolling cart could have an adjustable height to it unless it is like a scissor lift?

My apologies. My mill is a knee mill. It's the mill table that I raise and lower not the cart.

If I had a bench top mill, I'd prolly just make the cart the same height.

I suppose I could also make a sliding top for the cart with a small overcenter cam on a sliding shelf. I'll have to think on that a bit.

Funny how you think about everything from your own perspective..... Sorry about that.

 

[thestelster]

I store all my heavy stuff on 2 moving dollies, and they slide under the lathe. Of course I cover them with cloth to prevent chip migration!

 

[Susquatch]

I store all my heavy stuff on 2 moving dollies, and they slide under the lathe. Of course I cover them with cloth to prevent chip migration!

No room under my lathe for anything. But your storage method makes me think. Maybe not as inventive as @CWret, but ok for this discussion.

How about a similar mill tooling cart with a lower shelf for heavy stuff, a small built in lift boom to raise whichever item is on the lower shelf, and then slip in a slider shelf at the top, set the tool down onto the top slider shelf, then position the cart, then slide the tool over onto the mill table. This would keep the bulk of the weight down where it works best, provide for multiple heavy tools, and keep our backs healthy.

The lathe is another matter. All my current chucks are manageable on their own. Even the big 4 jaw. I mostly keep them on my lathe tool chest which sits behind me while I'm working on the lathe. But I recently bought a BIG 3-Jaw that had been sitting unused for 20 years. I found it quite by accident at a garage sale. It has a D1-6 Backplate. I'll have to install a D1-5 backplate to fit my lathe. But this chuck is HEAVY. I can still lift it, but it's a grunter and why? I think another cart is in order for my lathe. This one could definitely benefit from a small Gibb Crane cuz I can't simply slide a big chuck over onto the lathe - it doesn't work that way. That would also clear up some space on my lathe tool cabinet. But it also raises the specter of it getting off balance so it will take some thinking. Same goes for my anti-fatigue floor mat.

 

[Aarknoid]

Am just doing a quick reply from work , but what I've been using for heavier tools in a non mobile setting, is this :


maybe not as tall but older the better. newer ones can hold 100 lbs per shelf at least and I'm willing to wager the older ones can do even more, they are dirt cheap to pick up used. I would just go with one that was a 3 or 4 drawer.