Shop tour continues: Tool swapping

I don’t have room to mount every bench tool I have. Of course my most commonly used tool is the bench vise, but every now and then I need to use my bench grinder. So I’ve made it possible to quickly swap out tools when needed. Any tool that attaches to the table I keep in the back corner of my garage is mounted on a board to which four ¾” dowels have been inserted and glued. Those dowels fit into corresponding holes in the top of this utility table.

I hope to make a combination disc/belt sander that will have a similar base. The tool not being used is stored in the overhead cabinet. So far I haven’t needed to even when using the bench vise, but I can put a clamp to hold the base to the table. This system surprisingly well. I previously had something similar with bolts that went into the table, but I found I didn’t need them.

By the way, I don’t ordinarily use oak plywood for my shop table tops, but this piece was rescued from a previous project.