HobbyZone Modular Workshop System OM07 Brushes and Tools Module Review

By Michael Benolkin

Review

Here is another quick and easy addition to your workbench. This is the HobbyZone OM07 Brushes and Tools module that can work on its own or part of the Modular Workshop. The kit consists of 12 wood parts (base; left riser, off-center riser, right riser, two dividers, three levels of holed shelves, small bit stand, rod, and back) plus four magnets. The wood parts are nicely machined and the whole unit dry-fits together so nicely, you could almost not use glue. Assembly took only a few minutes from assembly to set-aside for glue drying.

First, insert the magnets into the pre-drilled holes in the left and right risers (one each) and two for the base. The magnets are not marked for polarity, so I inserted two from the top of the base and one each from the left side of each riser. I gently hammered each one into place. Using a module I had built previously, I identified which surfaces needed to be where and glued up the case.

I used Gorilla non-foaming Wood Glue (white glue) to assemble the rack and I followed the instructions with no problems. When all was together, I used clamps to keep everything tight while the glue dried. While these parts fit tightly dry, they need a little help when glue is introduced into the joints. One reader pointed out that he preferred finishing nails to clamps to hold the assemblies together while the glue dries - whatever works best for you.

You can see in this image of my assembled module that there are ample holes of varying sizes to hold a wide variety of paint brushes and tools that you wish to keep close by. The unit has a rod which will cradle pliers, cutting tools, etc., while a space is at the front for holding files and other items.

Here is my Brushes and Tools Module loaded. I had a number of paint brushes, scissors and hemostats that I had acquired over the years (decades) but there was room for all of them on the module. The dowl rod on the right side stores my sprue cutter, wire cutter, photo-etch scissors, etc., now in easy reach. The little shelf on the front is perfect for my paint mixer.

These modules are fun and easy to build. If you're organizing a larger space, you'll be building more modules but look at the bright side - you're building stuff on your bench, and when you're done, you're going to have an awesome bench!

You can see this and other modules at the HobbyZone website ( www.hobbyzone.biz) and on their eBay Store. Stay tuned as we build up other modules and see what we can do with them to organize the bench!

My thanks to HobbyZone.biz for this review sample.