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My workbench is being invaded by chargers! I have 3 different battery chargers for different power tools, plus a couple of wall warts for simple stuff that plugs in directly. Some of the chargers have a regular, 110v plug, while others have the typical wall wart to contain the transformer. Short of replacing all the tools with something that uses a common battery or charging system, are there products available to manage this mess? |
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One thing I love about the DeWalt batteries is that they maintained compatibility across a wide range of battery/charger combinations. I standardized my own collection on them after my last set of power tools died and replacement batteries weren't available. As for your challenge, many of these chargers should be wall mountable. We've got a piece of OSB on the site with a dozen chargers and a couple of power strips all mounted which is mounted on the wall above a workbench. When we didn't have the trailer hooked up to power, the OSB was unscrewed from the wall and the entire charging station moved indoors. The nice thing about the power strips is that a flip of the switch turns off all the transformers that leach power even when they aren't charging anything. In a workshop itself, a ceiling mounted extension cord is handy for powering various tools. And they also have extra long (6 foot long) power strips that have outlets spaced apart that would be perfect for mounting on the wall behind the workbench. |
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Switching tools to consolidate battery/charger types could be really expensive. Do you have space on your wall for a cabinet? You could build your own custom one with stations for your chargers built in to hide the mess and clear your workbench. Just be careful to follow electric codes when you build it - no completely "walling off" extension cords or outlets. It may be a good idea to start considering which brand and voltage of cordless power tools you find superior. If it were me, I'd plan out my future purchases with this in mind. |
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Forgive the obvious answer, but a shelf would be the cheapest option. The trick would be locating it where it's not in the way yet not hard to access. If your workbench is deep enough, on the wall at the back would probably be a good spot. |
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