My CNC Setup: Organizing Tools and Improving Stability

In this video, I showcase a few upgrades I've made to my CNC setup. I've added some storage solutions to keep my tools and equipment organized. I've hung a spindle wrench holder on the French cleats around the computer cabinet, as well as a tray for the Z axis touch plate and a tray for the panic stop button. Additionally, I've added some beefier cross supports to the CNC frame to prevent shaking when using the 4th axis. Finally, I've made a cabinet to hold the chuck key for the 4th axis and wooden chuck interface pieces for future projects.
Tools used in this project can be found at
www.frankmakes.com/​
CNC: www.cncrouterparts.com​
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0:00 (introduction)
0:58 (tool holders)
5:11 (bracing)
8:15 (cabinet)

[@alexwood020589]

When drilling that aluminium, you discovered something about how drills are ground. The middle part is called the web, and if it wasn't there, the two flutes of the drill would be seperate pieces and the drill would fall apart. It's there on small drills too, but the drilling pressure allows the metal to deform and move out to one of the cutting edges. You can cut a smaller drill bit shape into the Web so that part can cut as well, it's called splitting the point. You can buy split point drills, or do it yourself with a small cut off wheel in a dremel.

[@ArmyCop]

Your vids are always one of the highlights of my weekend! Please never stop having Homer announce when the bed goes up and down!

[@bowboysam]

Should drill a hole in the shelf to drop the chuck key into, then it’s safe, forever lol😁

[@Craftlngo]

Infrastructure improvements are always awesome to see. Gives me ideas of what I still can improve in my own little workshop

[@BillHartCooks.]

Nice! I love how you are always striving for a better shop, while using the shop. You are an inspiration to many of us... Thanks!

[@johnc4774]

Excellent as always Frank. There is no one who does this kind of thing better!

[@makethepart]

What great additions to help your workflow and shop organization, thanks for sharing.

[@timmymartin317]

Getting organized always feels good! Well done.

[@inexplah]

Miter saw in Frank's shop? Heresy!

[@jackknows6509]

Happy New Year Frank... Thanks for sharing...

[@jiiwoodworking]

I always enjoy your videos sir. Youre a source of inspiration. Thank you for the continuous, calm problem solving you always display.

[@RachidCharchaf]

Very cool, well done my friend

[@MichaelNatrin]

Excellent video showing how to make your CNC workflow more efficient and enjoyable 👏👏

[@shijujoseph9498]

Phenomenal editing... loved it

[@stefanitadio6236]

I'm here for the organization and stay for the woodworking! You're amazing, Frank!

[@williamellis8993]

Looking good, Frank. I'm also working on my shop to try and declutter it. Great ideas. Bill

[@167curly]

Smart man, Frank, to unclutter your shop that way, and have vital items close to hand.

[@judithriffel01]

You are a true artist and master craftsman. I love watching you videos.

[@dankolar6066]

Nicely done and OCD strikes again. Thanks for sharing. Wish you well.

[@petesandberg3957]

I’d want a little lip along the bottom edge of the shelves, to keep stuff in place.

[@TinyBasementWorkshop]

„A little bit less cluttered“ is always great 😊👍🏼 Love your videos!

[@ryandury]

Ohh looking forward to this one

[@TetraCNC]

Love it. I know you thought about the fold up shelf. If you find that a lot of dust gets in where you keep the tools, you could add a split fold up shelf on one half to have a small area to hold the tools and still allow you to open it with out moving the cart. When your not using it, fold it down to keep the dust out of the tools.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Frank! It's really looking great! 😃 Organization always helps! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@xoxo2008oxox]

Always great demonstrations of your solutions to workshop issues! I also love the little sound bites, like the pops and "simpsons" humor.

[@wandapiedra8973]

Excellent work.👏🏻👏🏻👍❤️

[@kevinromania]

The Homer thing never wears thin. Please keep him in. I wait for him to pop up in every vid. Thank you.

[@orvsr4me2]

I wish there was some type of confetti button to hit any time Homer makes a bed up/down reference. Its the simple things. I inset a few rare earth magnets for my wrenches in the outer surface of my keyboard shelf and it works great.

[@draztiqmeshaz6226]

Nice ones, Frank! best wishes

[@BobBlarneystone]

French cleats are quite handy. In fact, I used them in my toolchest, where the drawers supply the structural support that is conventionally provided by frames between the carcass sidewalls. I cut both the left and right runners for the drawers as french cleats from HDPE kitchen cutting boards. Thus, when 5 of the 6 drawers in each bay are closed, the sides of the chest are held stable without frames. And since i wanted the drawers to be two-way, i.e. accessible from both sides of the chest, the shopmade french cleat runners saved a great deal of money instead of conventional two-way drawer slides. It works for me!

[@saint-miscreant]

i love that you’re always making little tweaks to your shop setup, it’s much more realistic (instead of a giant overhaul) and it speaks to a thoughtfulness and awareness about your space. a thoughtfulness and attention to detail that is also present in your videos and makes them both soothing and delightful to watch. p.s. maybe this is a little odd, but have you ever thought about just putting the chuck key on a bungee cord and/or carabiner? put a little hole or hook in that shelf and it can just get hung up after, or if you’re not pulling it very far it can stay clipped to the structure itself 😂 i was also quite surprised by your stacking the little cookie shaped things loose on the shelf, i’d half expected some ‘poles on stands’ (like kitchen roll holders) that you could take out and pop on top of the CNC as needed, and drop the cookies onto them via the hole in the middle. but maybe this works better for your personal habits!

[@TrevorDennis100]

I made a comment on another channel recently about my being embarrassed when people ask what I make in my workshop, as the answer is mostly things _for_ the workshop. Anything that reduces the clutter and makes things work better is a win IMO, and the joy of making stuff is mostly the same whatever we are building.

[@andrewmerriman2963]

Looking good Frank. ... First rate, as always.

[@TrevorDennis100]

When finished my toolmaking apprenticeship, I spent a few years in our NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness) section at Ford UK Product Development at Dunton, Essex. It was fascinating and educational. One thing we did was look at mounting point locations. If a part had a resonance at a particular frequency then looked for antinode locations to minimise vibration being transmitted from one part to another. I can remember moving an accelerometer on a magnet along a vehicle exhaust system which was mounted on a rig with a hydraulic ram shaking the exhaust through a frequency range for instance. CAE is so good at predicting those things nowadays, that testing is only needed to prove what they already know. Bracing your CNC table would definitely fall into that area of engineering. We know that your background would mean you already understand that sort of thing, and as it is more than 50 years since I was involved for a brief period, I suspect you know rather more than I do anyway. I still find it incredibly interesting though. BTW the area I spent most of my time at Ford doing was in a small instrument design team, and doubt many people enjoyed going to work as much as I did.

[@elluisito000]

I know I have said this before, but when I grow up I want to have a shop like yours 😀

[@MRrwmac]

Frank, I’m glad you gave thanks to Avid. Otherwise it would be troublesome in the future! Nice work.

[@Tugmun11]

As always Top Shelf Video Frank, Thanks for sharing. I was thinkin, on the side you store your chuck key, drill a hole to drop the chuck key in. Less chance of it vibrating off the shelf, and it would hold it in an orientation for easy and consistent access. Thanks again

[@donaldneill4419]

I like your instinct to beware horizontal surfaces! They attract clutter like superconducting magnets.

[@Pilot_Pirx]

I love how you spontaneously re-invented pilot holes in this video! ^^

[@Rsama60]

For the chuck key you should drill a hole on the top of the small shelve so you just „stick“ it always into the same spot. This way it will not fall down and is alwayaps reachable from the top. I always love your „infrastructure“ projects.

[@maddog1082]

Great minds think alike!

[@alimanski7941]

Apologies for repeating a comment from last time, but you could also mount the monitor directly on the cabinet, using the VESA mount on its back (the part where the leg stand connects to), and save the space the monitor stand takes.

[@jaredwilliams5252]

You’ll wanna drill a couple holes from the bottom up into the wrench slots so you can evacuate chips/dust occasionally

[@cripplecreeksawmill]

Frank, larger drill bits have a "chisel edge" at the termination of the drill web. Look up "relieving a drill point", and you can split the chisel-edge on a bench grinding wheel with a very good/square corner. It might take you a few dozen attempts, but once you learn it, you will avoid pilot holes whenever you can. Keep up the good work. -Andy

[@daberk93]

A good upgrade would be a monitor mount so the factory stand doesn't take up the whole upper shelf. You could make one (there are usually standard size holes on the back of the monitor) or buy one on Amazon for less than $30.

[@hazeygnome1743]

Love your content Frank! I’ve been watching for years and I have really enjoyed seeing the progression of your production quality and confidence with different materials and techniques. Would you ever consider doing a rebuild of your slide saw? I cringe a little bit every time the bearings catch on the slide while you’re cutting, it just looks a little awkward to use haha I hope you and yours are well. Keep up the great work!

[@HoppersLab]

Could make some tilt out boxes in your small shelf, for your chuck parts, plus they wouldn't collect dust.

[@jonathan__g]

These are some nice little "Quality of life" improvements that you don't realize you need until you start using the space for a significant amount of time.

[@Maxid1]

:9:56 I'd be inclined to drill a hole in the top of that short cabinet the size of the chuck key so it would always be at hand. If it's not there you know you've misplaced it.

[@rbyt2010]

Excellent! I did the same thing on the end of my (mostly) Avid Pro 4824 years ago and thats where my hydraulic table lives as well :) I recently added large steel gussets to the "40" side of the legs also to stiffen things up. Alas my 5th axis is still sitting in the box while I complete other updates to the machine.

[@jobergers8200]

4824 years ago, sounds like you were way ahead at that time... Sorry, "inkoppertje" as we say in Dutch. Interesting to hear these machines keep developing possibilities. For me wat out of reach, but interesting nonetheless to watch others use it.

[@rbyt2010]

@@jobergers8200 hah! took me a moment. I was ahead of my time, but perhaps a bit less than that :)

[@tjacksonwoodworker3726]

beautiful

[@joshuanelson4559]

It might be a good idea to put a front on the shelves to stop things falling out and at shallow angle like 15 degrees so it’s easier to reach in, maybe match the angle on the cart handle

[@bobheltibridle6023]

Those are GREAT ideas, but on the cleat for the wrench holder you lose a bit of space on the cleat area above. If you were to cut the pockets for the wrenches at a 45* so the come out to the front and not straight up you could get full access to the cleat area above and still have easy access to the wrenches. Great job and I love your videos.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

I used some neod-magnets and just let them hold the tools.

[@mikepetersen2927]

Or, just put the wrench holder on the top cleat. Nice thing about cleats is you're not locked into a particular arrangement.😁

[@idontthinkso666]

I noticed that too. He also could have dropped the cleat box down another inch or two. If he did that, and used your suggestion (angle the wrenches) it would have looked awesome.

[@celestialbeas9214]

If you never want to lose that chuck key, id attach a cable to it, that way it cant absentmindedly be moved someplace away from the cnc :P works pretty well for my drill press, and my mini lathe.

[@loukios]

Love your videos, Frank. Always so enjoyable, educational and so well made. 2:50 won’t the slots fill up with dust over time? perhaps a slot at bottom might be a good idea to allow the sawdust to fall through. Greetings from the island of Cyprus.

[@AlanW]

Very cool. I am worried about dust in your new keyboard and mouse. you might consider having a flap of fabric attached to the drawer you can cover them with when not in use.

[@ryanneumann5165]

Great vid - as always. Your fortsner bits always seem sharp. You send those out or sharpen them yourself? Thx Frank!

[@shawndean6878]

Instead of pockets for the wrenches, you could drill a hole for and glue in a magnet and save space and weight

[@DhulstDirk]

The way you built the end cabinet should also help stiffen that end quite a bit and should reduce vibration. Either an excellent design benefit or a happy accident!

[@MichaelHolloway]

millwrights always pilot hole first at the exact point.

[@glencrandall7051]

Some excellent upgrades to your CNC. I like them. A couple of questions though. Do you have any problems getting to the wrenches? It looks like the little fixture above them restricts access. Also I think you would like to have some sort of a door on the small parts cabinet. It would keep the parts in and dust and dirt out. Thank you for sharing. Have a great 2023 and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@KrAvE4KaRnAgE]

Hey Frank, another brilliant project video, thank you. Is there a particular reason why the aluminium extrusion protrudes past the end of the bed at the shelf end? I feel like that would frustrate me and I'd keep catching myself on it. Could you cut the aluminium extrusion short or extend the legs out, assuming there is enough space for you to walk around the machine. Particularly since you have relocated the trolley.

[@Thzinou]

super 👍

[@STMwoodturning]

Nice job as always Frank. Question: how many “saved leftovers” of wood do you THINK you have? Could any of it be thrown out or used as firewood? Is there a way to NOT save little bits? Asking for a friend 😉😉

[@joelereeves]

how about adding a hole in the shelf to put the chuck key?

[@chrisroode]

I just want to know what that SNES controller is doing there!

[@ryanavery7980]

Thats a very nice shelf, how much is it worth in hours?

[@macedindu829]

LIke you, Frank, I'm just never gonna tire of that Homer Simpson drop. xD

[@jcardwell3rd]

Can you pull the wrenches out with stuff mounted over them?

[@mrtnsnp]

Isn't it more secure to make a hole in the top of the end-cabinet to put the chuck-key through? This looks like the key will fall out of the cabinet each time you walk past it.

[@Ziraya0]

build a weird little cup to glue into the wire notch! For pencils or something! Out of pencils? Is that overdone? I'm imagining the cup extends above the keyboard by 4~8mm and below by far enough that pencils don't hit the cabinet. I've got in my head lots of little slats glued together to form the walls of the cup, in a contrasting wood so the cup is visually evident. Maybe something where the end grain is really different, like bamboo, do they make a dark bamboo? You might also enjoy a "desk mat", which is a mouse pad for your whole desk. You can probably find one that's too big and cut it down, but a lot of them have stitched edges, like a rug, so you'd want a plan for how to re-secure the cut edge.

[@RicardoJunqueira]

Get a powerful magnet for that chuck key, stick it onto something and voila.

[@marvinwilliams4223]

You could have just gotten some magnets for your CNC wrenches and made things a bunch easier. Rare earth magnets are cheap and dependable

[@bjornbohley]

HELP! I want to Cnc router a logo on the corner of a large wood slab. Do they make a portable Cnc router that I could just clamp down/secure or do I need a giant machine that slab fits on?

[@nosub77]

"Bed goes up. Bed goes down" :)

[@mauriciorivera5791]

👍 👏🏽

[@MidnightAmratha]

Why not leave the wrench holder open at the bottom to let dust fall out?

[@jimhim585]

Yo Frankie! Long time lover of your channel here. You can really sense your PW context with an architectural background. I love how thoughtful you are towards craftsmanship and process. Anywhoo, humble fan request - can you make a beautifully crafted cat tree? It can be a project over several videos, combining many mini projects in one - boxes, functional usage while also considering it's beauty as a sculptural object in a space. Dovetail joints with checkerboard inlays, so many possibilities. Cheers!😺 💪

[@gpowell511]

Just me, but I’d drill some dust holes in the bottom of the wrench holder. I figure the wrenches will just pack the dust going in less and less over time. Cool vid though.

[@gpowell511]

Can stick an air nozzle in the hole from the bottom to blast dust/debris out

[@user-vo3gz6wn6t]

👍👍👍

[@mfcosi]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@maximillianzorn6085]

Are you at all concerned about the vibration of the machine causing those things to fall off the shelf by the 4th axis?

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

That’s the first thing that I thought of myself…😂

[@theJonnymac]

that’s this summer’s video on how he made holders for the cabinet 🤣

[@hdwoodshop]

Simple fix, spring to hold cleats in place

[@JohnChapman7]

I make fun of my wife for watching videos of people cleaning a house. And here I sit watching someone organize their shop...

[@SamStolpe]

METAL SHOP WHAT!!!!!

[@mavigogun]

Heavy chamfers on the opening to those wrench receptacles would have relieved you of the burden of aiming for the narrow slot every time you return the tools.

[@mavigogun]

@user-kb3rp8eb5d

[@mavigogun]

@Frankhowarth390 says the thief from a 3 day old account. Try honest work.

[@ThatGuyWithMinecraft]

Am I crazy or did you do something different with the voice over for this video? The quality of the video is excellent as usual but it seems like the voice over has more background noise maybe? Either way, fantastic upload!

[@kevinconnaughton2921]

did you think of drilling a hole in the top of the 4-axis shelves to drop the chuck key into? Also spray painting key a bright color (Stolen from Adam Savage he did that to his mill wrench)

[@rok1475]

Get a touch screen. It is much better for a shop than a mouse.

[@GoingsoloinFrance]

That key needs to go in something.... Maybe just a hole :-)

[@MrQuickLine]

French cleats - or as they call them in France: "cleats"

[@user-yd1py2gn3q]

Eliminating inconvenience is the reason for the existence of carpentry.

[@AliAhmad-np8oc]

Hello Mr. Frank Iam big fan Why no more bowels ??🍵 Greetings from liby

[@fwhelan794]

Please don’t gouge your shins on that brake (?) of your cart

[@davidshaper5146]

What is this "organizing tools" you speak of?

[@dmkpredator]

так же как и струбцин - их никогда не бывает слишком много, в мастерской - свободного места всегда не хватает.

[@ErikAnderson1]

Frank it seems like you have someone who hacked your messages and sent me a message saying I won prizes but needed to pay shipping via Zelle. Seems like a scam and they grabbed your @frankhowarth messages. I hope you know this and have some way of stopping this scam from catching someone. I gave them all my mailing info and full name and then they asked for me to pay the shipper at a yahoo account. Very weird.