Work shop issue

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bowersox1

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Sep 4, 2015
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5
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Lewisburg, Pa
Greetings,
As i get the help we are slowly cleaning basement and getting my "shop/office" done. Right now it's painting the walls and arranging things. I got the layout as to where everything will be. My son tonight after we got done ask me a question. He asked where are you going to keep your "Material Blanks"? He's a cert. welder and says you don't keep your welding rods exposed so you wouldn't want your wood blanks to be exposed too. So, my question is what do you folks use to store your blanks?
 
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Skie_M

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Aug 7, 2015
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Lawton, Ok
Well .... you don't want your blanks changing their water content. That causes issues with cracking and checking ...


That having been said, most wood you get from any store will have been kiln dried... under 5% moisture content. This is fairly stable stuff, unless you get it wet. You can keep your prepared pen blanks in a drawer, on a shelf, in a box, or just leave them laying out on the table saw... as long as you keep them DRY.

Don't run a humidifier in your work area.

Now, if you go out and cut your own wood, you have to remember to "season" it before you can use it, or as it dries out it will warp and crack. If the tree has died or had been cut down and left exposed to the elements for some time (at least 3 months), then you can wait for a nice dry day to go out and cut large segments of it to bring back home and keep it dry and off the ground for a while to finish seasoning ... should take around 6 to 8 months to lose enough moisture content (you want it under 15% for finished wood projects, under 35% for green wood projects that are unfinished). Just lay them out on some spare wooden pallets to dry out for a while. Make sure that there's some kind of roof over them to keep the rain off.


That's about it ... :)
 

TonyL

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Mar 9, 2014
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Georgia
I had a friend build this for me. I gave him $100.

I hang it from exposed ceiling joists in my shop. I have not done the best job keeping it organized but it is an improvement.
 
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TonyL

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Woops. I uploaded it but never closed the window. Here it is. Thanks for informing me.
 

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Gary Beasley

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Sep 18, 2009
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Marietta, Ga. USA
Pigeonhole bins are pretty good and I built one for myself when I first started but eventually outgrew it. I found a wire shelf set at Sams club that comes with various size bins that not only organizes the blanks but keeps the component kits in order with the smaller bins. The bins have slots you can drop dividers into for added organizing space. I think the set cost about $100 when I got it a few years ago. I have two of them now as well as plain wire shelves to store wood on. I like the fact the wire shelves dont gather dust but it would still be nice to enclose them so the stock on them stays dust free.
 

hcpens

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Apr 7, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
TonyL, Nice cabinet /pigeon hole rack, good idea to hang it, can be easily moved and you do not have to open or pull and doors / drawers open.
 

TonyL

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Mar 9, 2014
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I saw someone store there stuff this way and thought it was a good idea.

Gary, please send me a pic of what you are talking about.

Thanks!
 

oneleggimp

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Feb 23, 2014
Messages
854
Location
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan 48230 United States o
Greetings,
As i get the help we are slowly cleaning basement and getting my "shop/office" done. Right now it's painting the walls and arranging things. I got the layout as to where everything will be. My son tonight after we got done ask me a question. He asked where are you going to keep your "Material Blanks"? He's a cert. welder and says you don't keep your welding rods exposed so you wouldn't want your wood blanks to be exposed too. So, my question is what do you folks use to store your blanks?
I use two of these stacked one on top of the other. I use a small drawer for each pen style I turn. a small drawer contains bushings, extra tubes and drill bits for a particular pen style. I use the large drawers for pen blanks- one for each species - (Bethlehem Olive Wood, Walnut, Maple, Cherry, Mesquite etc) Can keep about eight pen blanks per drawer. (extra pen blanks go in an Ammo Box). I also have one large drawer for adhesives, another for abrasives (small pieces of sandpaper) and one for pen parts. Works pretty well for me.

Husky Mobile Pro Organizer with 18 Small Parts Drawer-194990 - The Home Depot
 
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TurtleTom

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Jul 24, 2015
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701
Location
Checotah, Oklahoma 74426
I've done enough experiments with my Delmhorst moisture meter to know if you aren't using a warming device of some kind, the moisture content in the blanks will match the average humidity in your shop in no time at all. Not that it's ever a problem.
I watch the humidity forecasts on the weatherunderground.com. It varies sometimes by 70% in 12 hours so I try not to do CA finishing when it's above 50%.
I watched a video by a guy that said the high humidity adversely affects CA finishes. I'm not expert enough to know whether it's true or not so I'm careful about it.
 

Gary Beasley

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Sep 18, 2009
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Location
Marietta, Ga. USA
I saw someone store there stuff this way and thought it was a good idea.

Gary, please send me a pic of what you are talking about.

Thanks!

Look up Seville Classics Commercial Bin Rack - 22 bins on the Sams Club website. This ipads not so user freindly for copying and pasting links.
 

Edgar

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Alvin, TX 77511
I have 3 primary methods of storing my blanks: drawers, boxes and open shelves.

I have several of these 6-Drawer-Organizers on casters that I use to store the blanks that I use most. Each drawer holds about 60 standard-sized pen blanks & they just fit under my workbench.

I also use USPS shipping boxes to store things that I don't use as often and I've recently started cutting more bowl & larger spindle blanks, so I scrounged a couple of 7' bookshelves from work last week and set them up in my tractor shed.
 

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jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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Location
NJ, USA.
I recently bought a couple of these rolling tool cabinets from Harbor Freight when they were on sale. I will be storing my blanks and pen making equipment in them. I need to make a stand alone cabinet for all my kits but that will have to wait some.


s-l400.jpg
 
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