[RussL.]

Eddy,

I like your set up alot.
I mostly whittle at this point and I like to move around the house a bit, taking a few tools here and there, depending on what I am working on.

Being a lifelong fisherman I have a Plano boxes that I too have pressed into service to hold and carry some of my knives and tools.

Thank you for posting the picture and answering my request.

All the best,

Russ L.

[Eddy Smiles]

Russ L...

You sound like a man after my own heart! I've been carving in earnest for around 4-years but I still consider myself a whittler...especially when I look at some of the work of my fellow carvers in our club. But there's nothing wrong with whittlin'.... like the man said... it ain't about the destination. It's all in the journey! Enjoy the ride!

My power carving set-up is also portable and inexpensively put together. I'd love to have a high powered Foredom or a receiprocating AutoMach but it's not in the cards in this lifetime. For now my Dremel and B&D Mouse suit me just fine. I keep all my power carving tools and acessories in a large generic plastic tool box. I use what ever boxes I can find to store bits, brushes and sandpaper. My favorites are the "Preparation H" wipe containers. Being in the seniors age bracket there is no shortage of these laying around the house(I'm sure that many of you reading this can relate to that!). They're good sized, clean, and square so they stack real easy. And again, like with my hand carving tools I put to use old Plano fishing acessories containers for other small parts and acessories. I also love wood boxes and have placed a 3/4" board at the bottom of one large wood box. I drilled 1/16" and 1/8" holes in the board to hold bits and brushes which came without their own containers. It keeps them in one place and provides ready access when I'm power carving. I also have a small wood box wherein I keep my collection of cushioned drum sanders.
I won't attach photographs of all my other tool boxes but I have all my acrylic paints and brushes in one, miscellaeous tools, glues and adhesives in another, and my Colwood wood burner set and tips in another wood tool box. Everything is compact and ready to travel at a moments notice, either to a club carving session or on vacation, or just to patio to work on a project.

I guess the point is that with a little ingenuity it doesn't take a whole lot of money to put together a personal tool system if you just use what you have at hand. I know that by far the majority of guys in our club carve on their porches, in thier garages and sheds, and even on their outside patios and have all manner of bags, containers and tool boxes that they use to haul their tools around with. We'd all like our own workshop but until that day comes we'll just have to make do with what our wallet allows.

Good luck with your whittlin'!

[ElWoodTroll]

I got tired of trying to maneuver around different racks so imade this little tool console for my "captains chair". I'm happy. Beam me up Scotty

[bbeery]

Simple rack, knocked together in an hour. Have seen some really super racks and storage boxes at carving shows and always wanted to make myself one....but, end up spending the time carving.

[Thomp]

i bought a piece of baltic birch 3/8" drilled 32 - 9/16" holes for my growing collection of palm tools.

then for knives i bought one of them cylindrical ice trays for putting into the neck of a water bottle,
works fine.
and plenty room 27 holes for tools for the footprint size of the ice tray 4x12" or so

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by bbeery

Simple rack, knocked together in an hour. Have seen some really super racks and storage boxes at carving shows and always wanted to make myself one....but, end up spending the time carving.

I did one similar to yours and found that I kept wanting to brush chips out from under it with my fingers so I put a slip of clear plexiglass across the front and back so I wouldn't be tempted LOL

[xsailer]

As careful as I was laying down the tool I was using on the padded table I was getting shiny spots on the cutting edges. I thought I must be more careful as I must be touching the cutting edges to other tools and I would have resharpen them. Still after being careful it continued to happen. I decided I needed a table top tool holder besides the Tool Bucket I use to hold my tools more permanently. I wanted a tool holder that would not hide the blade type. So, I drilled with a 1" forestner drill several holes in line and cut the wood strip in half, table saw tapered the bottom of the wood strip slightly, sanded the edges and now I don't have the knick problem anymore and I can see the blades type easily.

[Jim OH]

RussL
I just store my tools in a box I bought at the Converse, IN show a few years ago. It holds all the palm tools in the top and if I forget where one is the pexiglas makes it easy to locate. The drawers hold knives, strops, etc. Best part is when I want to take my tools with me all I have to do is pick up the box.
Jim OH

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by xsailer

As careful as I was laying down the tool I was using on the padded table I was getting shiny spots on the cutting edges. I thought I must be more careful as I must be touching the cutting edges to other tools and I would have resharpen them. Still after being careful it continued to happen. I decided I needed a table top tool holder besides the Tool Bucket I use to hold my tools more permanently. I wanted a tool holder that would not hide the blade type. So, I drilled with a 1" forestner drill several holes in line and cut the wood strip in half, table saw tapered the bottom of the wood strip slightly, sanded the edges and now I don't have the knick problem anymore and I can see the blades type easily.

They used to make some foam rubber shaped like that ..it was used to cushion fibreglas corregated roofing......it would be good to use as you have as well! (not sure if they still make it or not?)

[xsailer]

Your right Hi Ho Sliver,
I'm going to go to Lowes in a little bit. I'll look for it. That's a good thought.