Rob Keeble
Member
- Messages
- 12,633
- Location
- GTA Ontario Canada
Over the years i have ended up with storage of bits and pieces in all sorts of enclosures.
Started out with those plastic draw combos where one gets them initially with what turns out to be a useless assortment of nuts and bolts, then supplemented that with empty plastic draw chests holding more draws, then went on to try out glass jars which lasted only until the inevitable broken glass jar and then tried an assortment of the open plastic bins, and finally have ended up with various hand carry flat plastic compartmentalized tackle type storage whatchamacaluts.
But this last move, moved me to deal with this issue once and for all.
here is the thing I find.
As i age and my memory declines i find i spend way to much time looking for things regardless of the fact that i have them stored in an "organized manner" . I say this in quotes as the issue of what organized means becomes the point i am trying to debate.
Its not adequate i find to have things merely stored in sorted format even if labeled.
So my "hopefully final" view is the following
1) I want all hardware, parts , spares and bits and pieces of small and infrequent use nature stored in one location.
2) I want the method of storage to be transparent and by that i mean clear as glass.
3) I want to be able to pick up and take the whole stock of whatever it is with me to a work bench or location i require them.
4) I want the container that the item is stored in to have its lid with it when i do so in case i might drop the item and i dont want the container to break and spill the contents.
5) I want a variety of size containers all of the same type and i want the container lid to be such that the full container is open when lid is off.
6) I want a compact storage means so all can be in one place and it the storage means needs to be able to move when i move again and in fact move around the shop if necessary.
7) I dont want to use wall space for this purpose and i dont want to have to bend down to get to something. Thinking here of future years so long term solution. Hopefully last.
8) I want to be able to label the item and not have the label obscure the contents.
9) I want to be able to glance and view the entire storage system so that by scanning the rows of storage i can find what i am looking for.
So i thought about the most successful storage i have had and moved. This turned out to be a metal bracket with a U cut out that fitted the neck of specific plastic jars that hung by the u and could be retrieved when needed. All were the same size.
My conclusion to date which i am seeking criticism, debate and input on is the following
I will buy a bunch of these plastic storage jars from U Line , if anyone knows of a cheaper better supplier please reply and list a link.
http://www.uline.ca/BL_8153/Clear-Plastic-Round-Wide-Mouth-Jars?keywords=plastic storage jars
Then i am going to build a cabinet something like this
Except that i will make mine to match the size of the jars i purchase, at this stage only the 3.25 inch lid category, then have the cabinet mounted on my mobile draws in the same way that furniture manufacturers engineer having a buffet and hutch stand on each other.
By my calculation, no drawing yet (need to get back into learning sketchup to do that ) on a 4 ft long by 2ft wide mobile draw cabinet, i should be able to have 4 layers of jars, going 4 or 5 rows high. The very rear layer would be like a shelf and go from one side to the other.
Then have a layer of shelves that slide side to side and divide the 4ft width into three. This could be done in a cabinet where another two layers are configured as a door which is 1/3 width and swings open to 180 degree. Essentially allowing access to the outer most row with no effort then the inner side when the doors are swung open and the last layer when the two 1/3 size layer 2nd from the rear slides side to side.
I work out i should be able to get around 185 plastic storage jars of around 4 inch high and 3.25 inch wide into that space. If i do the same again and mount the units on the top of my mobile tool draws then put the tool draws back to back in the shop, i will have 370 storage locations for all the hardware etc.
The guy in this picture from a lumberjock post, has a mix of recycled glass and plastic containers, he has it as a wall unit which uses wall space and goes from floor up and has only used the one side of the doors that open. I plan on making my doors double the width and double sided and then even have a layer that slides side to side before you get to the very rear. Hope this is clear as mud.
My thoughts are if stock of an item requires more than one jar so be it. given the jar does not have to have a specific location but could if needed to keep some degree of order, one could easily add a jar into the row.
I have found the plastic draws to be a total joke even when i was dabbling in electronics as a youngster, one only needed to buy another packet of resisters to find that the dedicated draw was overflowing, so where does one put the rest....just like screws it becomes dual storage and inevitably forgotten when needed or cannot be found.
I am not thinking of this for just in the immediate future, but God willing i plan on doing something with my hands both woodworking and home diy till i no longer can and the issue for me is being able to have it all in one location and then being able to move it without the draws tipping out etc and the demotivating experience of sorting what you just thought you had done for the last time.
I am even thinking when time comes to totally change life, a few essential jars can go with without an issue.
Yes there is a small cost per jar, I have tried to collect the peanut butter jars we have and use them, the ones i have are very similar, but not enough so i added the mayo jar to the list, but that has a lid that is narrower than the jar so it adds an issue to the mix, regardless there still are not enough.
I want a source where i can always add to the stock and add the same sizes. I also want to be able to get spare lids which this crowd can do.
Only thing concerning me right now is weight for moving, but there again jars can be removed and stacked boxes and the racking moved.
Moving plastic draws is a nightmare no matter how careful.
The flat fishing tackle type storage even the attempted at clear versions still dont allow you to see all you have in one glance while standing in front of them. Bins end up being too big for some things so more is added to a bin and they not super clear to see what is inside.
I thought i would put this up for some debate and input and alternative ideas. BY the way i looked up the draws of the type HD uses here for these kinds of things and the bins are darn expensive way more per location than a plastic jar like i have in mind. They are clear and do lift out and there is a cabinet that slides side to side so one can get the density up, but they come at a huge price not worth it in my view for a hobby.
Would really like to hear it from all sides , i want this to be the last time i spend time sorting and getting hardware and bits and pieces sorted out it gets tired very quickly and is NOT woodworking or fun.
Oh and i am even thinking of a portable carry type where i could load several jars in a carry tray to take along on diy work around the house in the future.
Started out with those plastic draw combos where one gets them initially with what turns out to be a useless assortment of nuts and bolts, then supplemented that with empty plastic draw chests holding more draws, then went on to try out glass jars which lasted only until the inevitable broken glass jar and then tried an assortment of the open plastic bins, and finally have ended up with various hand carry flat plastic compartmentalized tackle type storage whatchamacaluts.
But this last move, moved me to deal with this issue once and for all.
here is the thing I find.
As i age and my memory declines i find i spend way to much time looking for things regardless of the fact that i have them stored in an "organized manner" . I say this in quotes as the issue of what organized means becomes the point i am trying to debate.
Its not adequate i find to have things merely stored in sorted format even if labeled.
So my "hopefully final" view is the following
1) I want all hardware, parts , spares and bits and pieces of small and infrequent use nature stored in one location.
2) I want the method of storage to be transparent and by that i mean clear as glass.
3) I want to be able to pick up and take the whole stock of whatever it is with me to a work bench or location i require them.
4) I want the container that the item is stored in to have its lid with it when i do so in case i might drop the item and i dont want the container to break and spill the contents.
5) I want a variety of size containers all of the same type and i want the container lid to be such that the full container is open when lid is off.
6) I want a compact storage means so all can be in one place and it the storage means needs to be able to move when i move again and in fact move around the shop if necessary.
7) I dont want to use wall space for this purpose and i dont want to have to bend down to get to something. Thinking here of future years so long term solution. Hopefully last.
8) I want to be able to label the item and not have the label obscure the contents.
9) I want to be able to glance and view the entire storage system so that by scanning the rows of storage i can find what i am looking for.
So i thought about the most successful storage i have had and moved. This turned out to be a metal bracket with a U cut out that fitted the neck of specific plastic jars that hung by the u and could be retrieved when needed. All were the same size.
My conclusion to date which i am seeking criticism, debate and input on is the following
I will buy a bunch of these plastic storage jars from U Line , if anyone knows of a cheaper better supplier please reply and list a link.
http://www.uline.ca/BL_8153/Clear-Plastic-Round-Wide-Mouth-Jars?keywords=plastic storage jars
Then i am going to build a cabinet something like this
Except that i will make mine to match the size of the jars i purchase, at this stage only the 3.25 inch lid category, then have the cabinet mounted on my mobile draws in the same way that furniture manufacturers engineer having a buffet and hutch stand on each other.
By my calculation, no drawing yet (need to get back into learning sketchup to do that ) on a 4 ft long by 2ft wide mobile draw cabinet, i should be able to have 4 layers of jars, going 4 or 5 rows high. The very rear layer would be like a shelf and go from one side to the other.
Then have a layer of shelves that slide side to side and divide the 4ft width into three. This could be done in a cabinet where another two layers are configured as a door which is 1/3 width and swings open to 180 degree. Essentially allowing access to the outer most row with no effort then the inner side when the doors are swung open and the last layer when the two 1/3 size layer 2nd from the rear slides side to side.
I work out i should be able to get around 185 plastic storage jars of around 4 inch high and 3.25 inch wide into that space. If i do the same again and mount the units on the top of my mobile tool draws then put the tool draws back to back in the shop, i will have 370 storage locations for all the hardware etc.
The guy in this picture from a lumberjock post, has a mix of recycled glass and plastic containers, he has it as a wall unit which uses wall space and goes from floor up and has only used the one side of the doors that open. I plan on making my doors double the width and double sided and then even have a layer that slides side to side before you get to the very rear. Hope this is clear as mud.
My thoughts are if stock of an item requires more than one jar so be it. given the jar does not have to have a specific location but could if needed to keep some degree of order, one could easily add a jar into the row.
I have found the plastic draws to be a total joke even when i was dabbling in electronics as a youngster, one only needed to buy another packet of resisters to find that the dedicated draw was overflowing, so where does one put the rest....just like screws it becomes dual storage and inevitably forgotten when needed or cannot be found.
I am not thinking of this for just in the immediate future, but God willing i plan on doing something with my hands both woodworking and home diy till i no longer can and the issue for me is being able to have it all in one location and then being able to move it without the draws tipping out etc and the demotivating experience of sorting what you just thought you had done for the last time.
I am even thinking when time comes to totally change life, a few essential jars can go with without an issue.
Yes there is a small cost per jar, I have tried to collect the peanut butter jars we have and use them, the ones i have are very similar, but not enough so i added the mayo jar to the list, but that has a lid that is narrower than the jar so it adds an issue to the mix, regardless there still are not enough.
I want a source where i can always add to the stock and add the same sizes. I also want to be able to get spare lids which this crowd can do.
Only thing concerning me right now is weight for moving, but there again jars can be removed and stacked boxes and the racking moved.
Moving plastic draws is a nightmare no matter how careful.
The flat fishing tackle type storage even the attempted at clear versions still dont allow you to see all you have in one glance while standing in front of them. Bins end up being too big for some things so more is added to a bin and they not super clear to see what is inside.
I thought i would put this up for some debate and input and alternative ideas. BY the way i looked up the draws of the type HD uses here for these kinds of things and the bins are darn expensive way more per location than a plastic jar like i have in mind. They are clear and do lift out and there is a cabinet that slides side to side so one can get the density up, but they come at a huge price not worth it in my view for a hobby.
Would really like to hear it from all sides , i want this to be the last time i spend time sorting and getting hardware and bits and pieces sorted out it gets tired very quickly and is NOT woodworking or fun.
Oh and i am even thinking of a portable carry type where i could load several jars in a carry tray to take along on diy work around the house in the future.