DIY Lista/Vidmar style cabinets??

[durallymax]

Long story short, i'm in need of some of these style cabinets for storing various things in our shop. Hydraulic fittings and other fittings and hardware are the main things that I would like them for. I like the big deep drawers that can be customized for whatever I would put into them which is nice due to the varying size of this hardware.

One issue, price. Even used they are a bit too steep for my budget. We are just a farm shop and while we depend on the stuff that will be in them, we will not be in and out of the drawers multiple times per day. Unfortunate the supplies are heavy so I still need something with the strength and in order to maximize storage space I want to use drawers that are 24-30" deep or so. Personally I find the deep drawers much nicer to use and store stuff in.

I've been tossing around the idea of just building my own drawer sections. Then I can have the drawer sizes tailored to my needs ( I really do not need many tall drawers) and can get most of what I want at a somewhat lower price. Obviously slides that can handle the weight and the other supplies will add up but still less than the going rate for a big name cabinet. I need something sturdy, but it doesn't need to be sealed up tight or be able to hold up to the same amount of cycles.

For the hydraulic fittings I was looking at building my bench for assembling hoses with the hose maker on it, cutter, etc and mounting the drawers underneath it and having the counter overhang them some.

I'm not a wood worker so this would be a metal project, that said I'm no pro sheet metal worker either.

My winter goal is to get things stocked up and organized, shelves can only go so far. I really need some drawers and feel they would be the best storage solution.


I guess my brains kind of in a million directions and I'm short on time, but feel free to crticize, ask more questions or offer suggestions. I'm just in the spitballing stage right now.


Thanks.


For those who may not know, this is the type of cabinet I am referring to. I do not need my homemade product to be enclosed though, could just be a skeleton holding drawers.

 

[durallymax]

Here is a slightly different idea I saw for a heavy duty drawer slide that looks like a cheap way to build something heavy. Just thought I would share.

http://www.agriculture.com/videos/v/99353556/heavy-duty-storage-table-all-around-the-farm.htm?

 

[chiongms]

Look forward to your design. I've been thinking of building one using plywood as well.

 

[zkling]

Couple things to consider:
Quality, rated ball bearing slides will eat up your budget, but...
Lista and other industrial cabinet boxes use a slide design that uses radial ball bearings, study up on the design. The link you provided is a good example.
Skinning the box frame with sheet metal drastically increases the torsional rigidity of the unit.
Steel and your time are usually not free.

If you really don't want to spend for a used industrial cabinet, look for heavy duty file cabinets.

Building a full size metal tool box is very seldom cost effective, unless you want some highly specific feature. Or have accesses to cheap materials and good sheet metal equipment.

 

[Duker]

I am converting Rousseau warehouse rack cabinets into free standing cabinets with storage shelves above. This concept could easily be adapted to some ball bearing slides. Might give you some ideas to work from. There are more details in my workbench thread if you want to check dimensions, construction etc.

 

[Olinrj]

The first thought that came to mind is to find several file cabinets and cannibalize them, shortening the height of the drawers but utilizing the strength of the tray and slides. Might take a half dozen cabinets to get enough drawers but could be done on the cheap.

 

[durallymax]

I guess when I say cost is an issue, I don't mean a budget of pennies on the dollar. I don't want to spend a ton but as mentioned time is worth something also. If I'm going to buy a used cabinet for $500 but could build one exactly the way I want it for the same price, I would choose the latter.

What I was looking at doing is building the frame for the table above, and mounting the slides to that frame then making drawers to fit into those slides. Skinning the outsides in this scenario would have little advantage other than cosmetic reasons the way I see it.

 

[zkling]

I guess when I say cost is an issue, I don't mean a budget of pennies on the dollar. I don't want to spend a ton but as mentioned time is worth something also. If I'm going to buy a used cabinet for $500 but could build one exactly the way I want it for the same price, I would choose the latter.

What I was looking at doing is building the frame for the table above, and mounting the slides to that frame then making drawers to fit into those slides. Skinning the outsides in this scenario would have little advantage other than cosmetic reasons the way I see it.

My point was even excluding your time and assuming you have all the necessary equipment, very seldom will you beat the used or even new cabinet price. Especially for something of standard dimensions and configuration. If you plan on using ball bearing slides (not the type lista uses on their cabinets), you could easily get to $500 for just those alone. I think you are also either underestimating the torsional effects a fully loaded drawer has on the chassis, or you plan on overbuilding the chassis.

 

[MatBirch]

I did something similar recently. Started with an empty steel cabinet and added a stack of drawers, fabbed up from 1/8" aluminum.

Here's my build thread-

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266730

 

[danski0224]

While I agree that Lista may be expensive, it is probably the best bang for the buck.

Have you priced full extension 24"-30" drawer slides that can handle even 200 pounds? If not, I'd strongly suggest doing so. The cabinet in post #9 is a fine example of home built, but 16" slides are way cheaper than your needs.

If you keep an eye out, there have been some very good deals from Motorhead Extrordinaire in the "Junk Yard" section of his website on the same style cabinet in the OP. This is probably the best way to get Lista at less than list price- if a style comes up that fits your needs. Far as I know, Lista is the only place to get deep full extension drawers- almost everyone else is making a "traditional tool cabinet" that is ~18" deep.

Next best would be using one of the American General Pro tool chests from Harbor Freight- but drawer capacity (weight) and depth may not fit your needs.

The Masterforce tool boxes from Menards have lots of short drawers.

There is no way you will be able to build something for less- unless you have free materials and free (literally and figuratively) time.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Card file cabinets. About $75 to $150 around here, and short height drawers and ball bearing slides. Designed to handle weight of heavy paper. I use them for my hardware storage.

 

[darwyn]

I am getting a server rack from the local university for free. It is in great shape, and the start for some nice storage. It might pay to do some asking around, tech places frequently upgrade equipment.

Something like this

 

[Squashfest81]

One day I plan to grab 3 matching file cabs, the wide not deep kind, and combine them with cut down drawers into one of the cabs. This would give 12 to 15 drawers 30 or 36 wide and 18 deep. My lista on the cheap. Merry Xmas.

 

[timmayw21]

I would go with the home made slides in the video linked above. You can use any number of things for the bears- casters, skate board wheels, garage door bearings, etc. Some will give you better results then others. Two downsides will be that these likely wont slide as nice as store bought slides and complete full extension isn't possible.

Another option would be to use 100lb slides as these are available for reasonable prices. Here for example http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AK3WU46/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1252VZJVOKEVD&coliid=I9L0LQRK9AXMP. You would need to work around the limits of these slides however. Smaller drawers, say 15-20in wide rather then 30in wide and/or double up on slides on each drawer.

 

[boiler7904]

If budget is a concern, I think I'd be looking at some U.S. General toolboxes mounted to a home-built steel tube frame like Steevo here has done. This box seems to get good reviews from all of the members that have purchased it.

U.S. General Toolbox at Harbor Freight

Steevo's Harbor Freight Workbench Thread

Downside of this arrangement is that the boxes are only 18" deep which would be a problem for you wanting 24" or deeper storage. I could see where a couple of them back to back as a large island / work table could be useful though.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Here is a slightly different idea I saw for a heavy duty drawer slide that looks like a cheap way to build something heavy. Just thought I would share.

http://www.agriculture.com/videos/v/99353556/heavy-duty-storage-table-all-around-the-farm.htm?

That is a heck of a build for a metal working/welding table.

 

[Low50s]

I am bringing this back to life as I am looking for similar hydraulic hose fitting storage. Would you have ideas on how to make the metal drawer dividers like a lista cabinet to put into a harbor freight box?