CNCed Tool Drawer Organizer

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By John Baichtal
Posted 2013/02/27 @ 3:00 pm
Category Woodworking, Tools

Minneapolis maker Greg Flanagan made an organizer for his tools using a slab of CNCed wood. First he arranged the tools how he wanted them. Next, he took a photo of the arrangement and pulled it into his vector art program where he traced the tools. Finally, he imported his drawing into CAM software and carved it with a CNC router.

The reason I always disliked this general way of storing tools–often seen as pegboard with the outline of each tool drawn in Sharpie–is what do you do if your tools change? This way you can just output a new organizer. Love it!

In the Maker Shed

8 Responses to CNCed Tool Drawer Organizer

Alan S. Blue on February 27th, 2013 at 4:20 pm said:

The hardened tool-steel bits tend to rust when in contact with raw wood. So I’d want to add a coat of something.

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Rcko on February 27th, 2013 at 5:14 pm said:

^^ What coating would anyone recommend?

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- trkemp on February 27th, 2013 at 6:43 pm said:
  
  How about using the mill to drill little though holes all over the wood and then vacuum form a thin sheet of plastic onto the wood? Leave to wood there for rigidity and strength. This should prevent the chips the picture shows in the dividers. The weight of all the other stuff in the plastic liner you just made should keep you from needing to glue it in place.
  
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Zack on February 27th, 2013 at 8:12 pm said:

Cool idea – but looks like it might be a real pain in the keister getting some of those tools out! My recommendation: make the recesses wider, shallower, or both. I think I see a finger hole or two, but those, too, seem a bit tight.

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James Patrick on February 27th, 2013 at 8:44 pm said:

Coat it in truck bed liner.

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Mike on February 28th, 2013 at 3:10 am said:

This looks like a fun exercise. Tool organization of this type is helpful in situations where repetitive tasks are being performed and you might want a quick way of knowing all the tools are available for the next shift. It’s also helpful when you want to make sure no one left a wrench in the machine or aircraft cowling.

Plastic foam is faster and requires a much smaller investment.

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Jack Van Gossen on February 28th, 2013 at 9:03 am said:

Instead of wood, use HDPE – plastic cutting board material. A nice article for similar tool storage idea was done here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174553

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danny on March 5th, 2013 at 5:24 am said:

with peg board, what do you do if your tools change.

well you paint over your black outline of the tool, and make a new outline in whatever shape you want.

new CNC milled block of wood tool storage. what do you do if your tools change.
you thrown the entire block away and cut down a new tree…

and for what? a block of woods that’s all chipped up anyway?

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