1 Dado Blade Case
I use my dado blade on just about every project I build. But the cardboard box for my stacked dado set has long since fallen apart. So I needed to find a way to store the blades, chippers, and shims that would keep them easily accessible and still protect the carbide tips.
I made the storage case shown at right to hold the scoring blades on one side and the chippers and shims on the other. This way, I don’t have to worry about damaging the carbide teeth. The sides help protect the blades when the case is laying flat.
The case is just a 1⁄2" plywood box with a coupling nut glued in the center. The nut is sized to fit the arbor hole of the blades. Star knobs screw into the nut and hold the parts on both sides of the case.
I cut a handle in the center panel to make the case easier to carry. You can use a router with a 1⁄4" roundover bit to soften the edges and make the handle more comfortable. I assembled the case with simple dado joinery and added a couple coats of polyurethane for protection.
2 Table Saw Blade Rack
When it comes to storing the assorted rip, crosscut, and combination blades used at the table saw, it’s important to keep the carbide teeth from knocking together and chipping. You’ll also want a method that keeps them within easy reach and makes it easy to identify the blades when you need to use them.
The wall-mounted storage rack shown at left is a simple way of meeting all those requirements. It hangs on a wall near your saw and holds the blades securely between dowel supports, making it easy to spot the one you need.
The rack itself is assembled with rabbet joints and glue. I added a 1⁄4" plywood back to keep the rack stable. The dowels are just glued in place in holes in the sides. You can hang the rack on the wall with screws through the back.
3 Scroll Saw Blade Storage Tube
If you do much work with a scroll saw, you know how often blades break and need to be replaced. This convenient way of storing them keeps them close at hand and will save you from getting up every time you need a new blade. It’s just a short piece of PVC cut to the length of the blades. I cemented a cap on one end and left the cap loose on the other. Coloring the removable cap makes it easy to remember which end to open.
To hold the storage tube, I attached a couple of spring clips (the kind used for holding a broom on a wall) to the saw base with sheet metal screws. The blade holder pops right into the clips.
4 Hand Saw Rack
I use hand saws for many of my shop projects. But finding a way to store them near my workbench has always been a problem.
I liked the idea of hanging the saws close to my work area, but didn’t want to drill a hole in the blade or handle for a hanger. The other concern was how to devise a way to hang the saws that didn’t dull the teeth or damage the set (the alternating outward bend of each tooth).
The hanging storage rack shown at right keeps the saws within easy reach while protecting the blades. It’s simple to build and only requires a few scrap pieces of wood, hardboard, and dowel. As you can see in the drawing at left, the hanger is just a series of beveled blocks sandwiched between two hardboard faces. Loose dowels fit between each beveled block and act as cams to pinch the saw blades and hold them in place.
To remove a saw, simply lift the handle and slide the blade out of the notch. You can mount the hanger to a shop wall with just a couple of screws.
5 Jig Saw Blade Ring
For years, it seemed like every time I needed a jig saw blade I had to open a new pack. That’s because the loose blades had a way of disappearing to the bottom of the drawer, never to be seen again.
I solved the problem by using a shower curtain hanger as a “key ring” for my spare blades. It’s just the right size to fit the holes in most jig saw blades. Now, with the blades all in one place, I never have to search the bottom of the drawer to find the one I’m looking for.
