Cabinet for Small Parts Storage Cases

[soj]

SOJ,

Sorry for the late report back on the hinges, but I just got the doors installed yesterday as seen here.

These hinges are well worth the money. The adjustments they had worked out well allowing me to align the door perfectly. I know there are better hinges, but not for this price!

Thanks man. Your cabinet looks great (I posted in your thread also).

I don't really need any hinges right now, but I am tempted to stock up before they go up in price, as they surely will.

Thanks for being our guinea pig... sorry, tester.
jp

 

[soj]

Made these up today. Was a great project for a friend. The sides cabinets are for a lift, pump and hoses. Overall was pretty easy until glue up time. Thanks for the great ideals and thread.

That looks great. Good that you notched the shelves, it really makes it easy to grab the handles.

I see HF has changed the handle to yellow, all mine are black.

I would be interested to see the right side in use... I can't imagine what kind of lift you are talking about. But what ever it is, that is a good use of space to combine two cabinets into one.
jp

 

[Regnar]

The containers I believe are Stanley. I know for sure they are not Hf. Also the lift is Ranger Quick Jack.

I wish I shot some video of the machine cutting this out. But basically with all the dados and drawers it took less than a few hours to cut out. Assembly was a different story. LOL.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bigezee]

Just found these at my local Rural King. They are made by Tool Shed They are exactly the same as the Harbor Freight ones to the tee! They are only 5.99 regular price!!

 

[brownbagg]

if i have to have that many containers to sort that much hardware that i will never used, I rather just chunk it all and take a ride to the store when i need something, My shop becoming a warehouse, so i will limit myself to three of those containers.

 

[vartz04]

if i have to have that many containers to sort that much hardware that i will never used, I rather just chunk it all and take a ride to the store when i need something, My shop becoming a warehouse, so i will limit myself to three of those containers.

I kind of agree but heck if you have the space why not

 

[cmeflibi]

great project. I'm looking to do the same but haven't decided on which storage boxes I'm going to settle on.

I got the idea originally from Adam Savage of the Myth Busters as seen here:

http://www.tested.com/art/makers/45036-inside-adam-savages-man-cave-the-tool-boxes/

 

[slodat]

I'm an hour from the closest hardware store. I have a storeroom in my shop for this stuff!

 

[LennyTheLizard]

Really surprised that I hadn't ran across this thread much sooner.

Excellent Work! I will definitely building one of these in the future.

I currently have an old wooden cabinet that I keep auto fluids in, and been planning to put a frame under it so jacks and stands can go underneath. I think I'll make it wider than planned and put a similar case to yours beside the cabinet. I'm drawing it in my head now.

Thanks

 

[soj]

Just found these at my local Rural King. They are made by Tool Shed They are exactly the same as the Harbor Freight ones to the tee! They are only 5.99 regular price!!

Thanks for the post. I would have preferred the red and black cases, as I am going with a red / blue theme in the shop. My yellow cabinet stands out like a sore thumb.

They are also available at Rural King.com 8.99 (but on sale now for 5.99) Shipping kills the good deal, but if you are near a Rural King it is an option.
jp

 

[manwithtools]

if i have to have that many containers to sort that much hardware that i will never used, I rather just chunk it all and take a ride to the store when i need something, My shop becoming a warehouse, so i will limit myself to three of those containers.

If you have the time to run to the store every time you need a simple piece of hardware, my hat's off to you. I have a 20 minute trip each way and then they may not have what I need. I prefer to have a selection at hand, hence the need for organization.

 

[soj]

if i have to have that many containers to sort that much hardware that i will never used, I rather just chunk it all and take a ride to the store when i need something, My shop becoming a warehouse, so i will limit myself to three of those containers.

I'm an hour from the closest hardware store. I have a storeroom in my shop for this stuff!

Proving once again... different strokes, for different folks. I am closer than an hour, but far enough away it is not convenient or economical for a hardware run every time I need a small item. I know I can't have everything I will ever need, just common use items. The main advantage to having things organized like this is being able to find it fast. I haven't bought much hardware to put in my cabinet since I built it. It is mostly filled with "stuff" I already had in cans, boxes, bags, mixed up in little plastic drawer cabinets, stuffed here and there. So now when I go straight to whatever screw, bolt, rivet, fuse, etc. I need, I remember how I used to spend time rummaging trying to find what I needed. And sometimes giving up, because I couldn't find what I knew I had. I can remember buying things and later finding it in the shop. So, it work for me. If I was a few blocks from a store I could probably get by with two or three containers.
jp

 

[soj]

Really surprised that I hadn't ran across this thread much sooner.

Excellent Work! I will definitely building one of these in the future.

I currently have an old wooden cabinet that I keep auto fluids in, and been planning to put a frame under it so jacks and stands can go underneath. I think I'll make it wider than planned and put a similar case to yours beside the cabinet. I'm drawing it in my head now.

Thanks

Sounds like an excellent combo storage unit. For some ideas on jack stand storage check this out.
jp

 

[Bigezee]

They are also available at Rural King. 8.99 (but on sale now for 5.99) Shipping kills the good deal, but if you are near a Rural King it is an option.

Yes I think they are just on sale locally too. Probably going to go back and buy all they have in stock. I wish I hadn't seen this thread!!!

 

[fred d]

My setup
Metric and standard nuts bolts and washers are in green drawers on the top
Electrical-clips-body hardware-orings-vacuum connectors etc are in the blue drawers

 

[Kpaige]

Here is my latest craigslist find for 30 bucks. Then found all these blue tubs at the dollar store 3 for a dollar

 

[soj]

My setup
Metric and standard nuts bolts and washers are in green drawers on the top
Electrical-clips-body hardware-orings-vacuum connectors etc are in the blue drawers

Lots of storage space there. Cabinets like your blue ones are the inspiration for my cabinet.
jp

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Here is my latest craigslist find for 30 bucks. Then found all these blue tubs at the dollar store 3 for a dollar

EXCELLENT! But me being me I'd have to rip a small strip of the right thickness plywood to take up that space between the two rows of tubs.

 

[PugetDude]

EXCELLENT! But me being me I'd have to rip a small strip of the right thickness plywood to take up that space between the two rows of tubs.

...then wrap it with thin sheet metal and paint it to match the center divider.

 

[TLCObsession]

I decided to buy a bunch of the HF organizers because I was wasting so much time looking for fasteners and other small parts I knew I had. I already have some of the Durham drawers for larger (1/4") and up nuts and bolts, but it was all the small stuff and stainless screws, nails etc. I have gotten rid of dozens of baby food jars by switching the the HF organizers.

The only annoying things are the sticky tape they use to affix the product label - i had to get solvent to get the residue off and the lids want to close while you are sorting hardware.

 

[soj]

The only annoying things are the sticky tape they use to affix the product label - i had to get solvent to get the residue off and the lids want to close while you are sorting hardware.

I agree on the tape, but after a few I gave up and just left it there. I hardly notice it now.

The self closing lids are easy to correct. On each of the three hinges is a stop tab to prevent the lid from going back too far.

I used a pair of end nippers to slightly trim the stop tab.

You can barely tell the difference, but the un-trimmed tab is on top, trimmed on the bottom.

But it is obvious which lid is leaning farther back.

It only takes a very slight trim to make a big difference in the angle of the open lid. I suppose you could also trim the tabs with a knife or Dremel.

Just another example of a HF product that requires a mod to make it work as it should.
jp

 

[Kpaige]

...then wrap it with thin sheet metal and paint it to match the center divider.

Well why use the plywood then just use color Klad to match 24 gauge no plywood needed!
Nah my big fingers need the room to take the bins out

 

[Love2Shine]

This is fantastic! I believe a build like this will be in my future!

 

[kylefitz]

My take on this idea. I used plywood of strips as glides instead of making shelves on drawer slides. That also allows me to change the order and number of large and small drawers. I cut out most of the pieces for 4 cabinets all the same size so eventually they can be stacked up somewhere. For now they will set on shelves and a typograph cabinet. I can fit 64 small drawers or 32 large drawers and a combo In between those numbers.

 

[Dustin Pahl]

I saw several posts here where guys built cabinets or shelves to be able to stack small parts boxes/cases and be able to pull one out without having to dig to the bottom of a stack. Some used wood, some metal, some a combination of both. Others recycled old cabinets or racks. Lots of good ideas, and I almost copied some of them. Here is a link to one thread. But they got me to thinking.

One place I worked at had some of these:

One good thing about those metal cabinets is you can either open the drawers and remove one or two items or take the whole drawer with you to where you are working. The shortcoming of most of the racks I found here and other places on the net is that you HAVE to remove the case from the rack and sit it somewhere else to open it. I decided I wanted a cabinet to work like the metal one pictured above. I realize I kinda got carried away with the number of cases, but the size of the cabinet was determined by trying to get the most use from a single sheet of plywood.

First, the cabinet and drawers, without the storage cases:

And with the Harbor Freight 93928 storage cases:

The drawers are on full extension slides and pull out far enough to allow the lid to open all the way:

They lift off the drawers so I can take it to where I am working:

They are not attached to the drawer, just held in place by recesses in the side of the case that fit over the drawer sides:

The notch in the front of the drawers is for hand clearance.
jp

First of all I just want to say I love your setup you are using to store your hardware! I plan on doing something similar but not that fancy or big. But I would love to see more of the insides of some of your boxes just to see how you have things layed out. If you could post some more pictures of the insides that would be awesome! Thanks!

 

[soj]

First of all I just want to say I love your setup you are using to store your hardware! I plan on doing something similar but not that fancy or big. But I would love to see more of the insides of some of your boxes just to see how you have things layed out. If you could post some more pictures of the insides that would be awesome! Thanks!

Out of town, will post when I get home.
jp

 

[Dustin Pahl]

Awesome! I can't wait!

 

[Dustin Pahl]

Out of town, will post when I get home.

jp

Are you home yet?

 

[Dustin Pahl]

Are you home yet?

You must be on one long vacation! [emoji481]

 

[soj]

For the contents curious I offer the following graphic representation, known on the internet as "a few pics".

First of each group is of the drawer labels, then the contents, rinse and repeat:

I have not filled all drawers, so don't try doing the math against total # of drawers.

First four:

Don't have much of the 22-18 gauge stuff:

The most commonly used sizes (for me):

Anything larger than 10 gauge:

Next group. I use tape as I sort things for temp. labels (for drawer labels as well as on the bins inside), then go back and make labels with a p-Touch label maker when I am sure it is the way it will stay.

Misc. Terminals didn't turn out to be much, but they didn't fit with the other sizes and types:

All types of fuses, of the same amperage, are mixed together:

Next group:

Second drawer of hose clamps includes overflow from first drawer and all the "big stuff":

Plated machine screws:

Stainless steel machine screws:

Self-drilling screws:

Next group:

Plated sheet metal screws:

SS sheet metal screws:

I only needed one size of T-nut for a project, but I went crazy and bought 100 of every size Bolt Depot had. All plated, no SS:

I have more grommets, just haven't rounded them all up yet:

Just two more drawers on this side, the bottom one is empty:

A few Tapcons:

I removed one drawer to make room for the deeper HF case:

It holds all my deck screws:

I know, the drawer label says "Brass Pipe", and I have brass & steel mixed, so I may change the label when I make the permanent one:

More "mixed media":

So far I don't have enough metric sizes to justify multiple drawers:

And not much fine thread fractional stuff either:

Course thread requires one drawer per size:

1/4 ":

5/16":

3/8":

A few odd 7/16":

Two more, and two empties:

1/2":

Anything larger than 1/2":

End of story.
jp

 

[Dustin Pahl]

Awesome!! Thanks Jp great setup you have there. I hope to someday be as organized as you!

 

[Mrroo]

Damn. I wish I had 5% of that selection. And so organized!!


Sent from a engineering facility...

 

[eurobound]

brilliant. Thank you. After spending the last 2 years working on the house I finally get to work on the shop and garage. This will be one of the first projects on the list. Cheers!

 

[soj]

brilliant. Thank you. After spending the last 2 years working on the house I finally get to work on the shop and garage. This will be one of the first projects on the list. Cheers!

Thanks. Show us what you build. You are new here, so you may not know yet, but the rule at GJ is "pics or it didn't happen".
jp

 

[Regnar]

A different way to label the cases.

 

[Capstone]

So if this has already been mentioned please tell me... I was showing my wife the pictures of the OP and mentioned how the slides are pretty slick for keeping the storage cases accessible without needing a separate surface to set them on and she said without missing a beat, "Why not just have a single pullout desktop in the cabinet instead of worrying about putting in and pay for 60 slides?!" Yours is done and done well, but I can't argue with that logic especially after imagining putting in 59 more slides than I really need to reach the same goal of having a easy to access surface to put the storage bin on while in actual use.

 

[pi_guy]

You are putting female logic in the mix.
How do you compare two different drawers with one slide?
I am going with the Durham drawers and cabinets, one of the things wrong with HF bins the numbers of bins in each containers is not enough.

 

[soj]

So if this has already been mentioned please tell me... I was showing my wife the pictures of the OP and mentioned how the slides are pretty slick for keeping the storage cases accessible without needing a separate surface to set them on and she said without missing a beat, "Why not just have a single pullout desktop in the cabinet instead of worrying about putting in and pay for 60 slides?!" Yours is done and done well, but I can't argue with that logic especially after imagining putting in 59 more slides than I really need to reach the same goal of having a easy to access surface to put the storage bin on while in actual use.

You are putting female logic in the mix.
How do you compare two different drawers with one slide?
I am going with the Durham drawers and cabinets, one of the things wrong with HF bins the numbers of bins in each containers is not enough.

Capstone, I appreciate your wife's critique of my design. pi_guy, it may be female logic, but it is logical. Even not having a pullout desktop, and placing the case on a nearby workbench is a workable solution. But, after using the cabinet/drawers for a little over a year I can say this design is very convenient. The extra expense and time to put each case on it's own drawer may not be worth it to everyone, but I have no regrets. I am glad to see others use this design as a starting point and adapt it to their needs.

I agree the HF cases are not the perfect design. Depending on the type/size of the items, you wind up with too many small bins or too many larger bins. The answer would be for HF (or some other enterprising company/individual) to offer replacement bins in more sizes. But it would be a small market, so it will probably not happen.
jp

 

[djcslice]

awesome project!

 

[pst496]

For those of you using the HF boxes and angle material - iron or aluminum to support the boxes. Do you notice any sagging issues with the middle of the box when storing heavier items? Working on my own design and want to go the angle route but I am afraid my boxes with 3/8, 1/2 hardware will sag