Workbench Tool Caddy

I am a “spreader,” and when I get going on a project my workbench is full! Tools, different stages of construction, and different steps all spread out and cover every square inch of the work bench. I desperately needed a way to corral all my small hand tools in one place. In the photo above, one can see the new tool caddy doing just that.   

I saw an article in the July 1998 Model Railroader by Lionel Strang, where he built a tool caddy in a convenient size with scrap wood he had on hand. He built it in tiers with a 2" X 10" base and a 1" X 6" flat on it with a 2" X 2" in the back and then a 1" X 2" in front of the 2" X 2". He built his with holes all the way through, a removable hardboard base, and painted white for a professional look.

I followed his basic concept with what I had on hand, but with two additions. My scale rule had no home and I wanted a place for the ruler to live to be included. Also, I had a Styrofoam block that I could use to store sharps, such as hobby knives, by slipping them into the foam.

Seen from the end, the construction can be easily understood. I started with a piece of 1/2 inch plywood that fit on my workbench conveniently. I glued (using wood glue) and nailed a thin strip of plywood as a stop on the back and glued a 2" X 4" flat on the plywood forming a tight sleeve for the Styrofoam to press fit into (allowing it to be rotated as the blade slots wear it out). In front of the 2" X 4", I glued a 1" X 2" forming another shelf and back of the mini-shelf/slot for my scale rule. Then I glued and nailed a strip of trim along the front forming the other side of the scale rule “slot.”

 After the glue dried, starting with the 2" X 4", I drilled holes of the appropriate size into the surface of the wood to hold the pliers, tweezers, small screwdrivers, files, and nail set that were in use, cluttering up my workbench, without a specific place to live. Larger tools had homes on the pegboard and some specific tools had homes in mini-kits in drawers. But these small frequently used tools now had a home.

I am still a spreader, but with a place for everything, everything now had a place (other than where I last set it down).  While my caddy doesn’t have the professional look of a final paint job, I have room to add more holes in the caddy to add any other tools that start collecting around my work surface.