Cabinet for Small Parts Storage Cases

[soj]

My inspiration came from the very nice yellow version at the start of this post. I spent quite a bit of time looking for the ultimate way to set up a rack for Harbor Freight parts organizers. My goals were, low cost, fairly easy to build for anyone semi-handy, modular to allow shallow or deep drawer interchangeability, drawer slides that allow the drawer to be pulled out in a rest position to leave the lid open and still retain portability. I compiled my post here with pics http://www.mick.bike/2017/02/small-p...am-savage.html

Thanks for posting, a great idea for reducing the cost over using the ball bearing full extension slides.

I do wonder why you chose treated wood for the frame. Is this going to be stored outside?

 

[gungatim]

Well I got ambitious and built a 2nd one over the weekend. and got rid of all the Stanley's...can't get my labels to stay stuck on...cleaned with brakleen first but they still peel. anyone got any ideas?

using a dymo label maker but I also have brother P-touch. is there a better label to use than the standard stuff? epoxy? rivet on some aluminum plates?

 

[eyeball]

Well I got ambitious and built a 2nd one over the weekend. and got rid of all the Stanley's...can't get my labels to stay stuck on...cleaned with brakleen first but they still peel. anyone got any ideas?

using a dymo label maker but I also have brother P-touch. is there a better label to use than the standard stuff? epoxy? rivet on some aluminum plates?

Have you tried the "extra strength adhesive labels" by Brother for your P-Touch? I have yet to have one come loose from my Stanley boxes.

 

[gungatim]

Have you tried the "extra strength adhesive labels" by Brother for your P-Touch? I have yet to have one come loose from my Stanley boxes.

nope but am ordering some today!

 

[bobs_garage]

I second the Brother extra strength labels. They stick really well and none have peeled from my cases.

I'm still having a heck of a time getting the labels off the case though. Considering the cases come wrapped in plastic it's sad that they have to use such strong glue.

 

[bobs_garage]

Sorry for the hijack - I'm going through boxes and boxes of legos trying to sort and store. Do the HF boxes work well for that? I would think that they would be good for the unique shapes but the 2x4, etc would quickly overwhelm the boxes.

 

[Ray-CA]

We would like... very much. Replacement bins and/or other sized bins is the major shortcoming of the HF cases. Help us out.

Thanks, jp, the op. (rack builder and poet)

I called Stanley Tools. They have replacement bins in various sizes.

Ray

 

[Tool_Junky]

First of all, thanks to everyone who have posted their projects here in GJ. Its a great way to get ideas and then we can use those ideas to create solutions that best suit our own personal needs. With that in mind, I thought I would share my approach to parts storage which was definitely influenced by what I saw here in GJ.

Like many of you, when researching various methods of storing and organizing my small parts and hardware, I concluded that the HF storage boxes were the best solution for me. My approach to housing the HF parts boxes is similar to others, but I chose to house them in a closed cabinet with doors. I do a lot of metal fabrication and even though I try to do all the "messy" work outside, I often end up doing some of the work indoors and I get steel dust from grinding all over the place. Having a closed cabinet helps to keep the bins clean and protected.

I picked up two identical metal office cabinets as surplus for $10 each. For more than a year I just had the HF boxes sitting on the four steel shelves that came with each cabinet. That really sucked, because each shelf had five or six boxes stacked on top of each other and of course I always needed the bottom one. I finally took out the shelves and built a storage rack inside using scrap plywood and angle iron that I had laying around. Total cost for the project was the cost of parts boxes plus $10 for the cabinet.

The second metal cabinet is used to house a bunch of Dewalt TSTAK boxes. The cool thing about that is I can open the cabinet and access stuff in the TSTAK drawers just like I would drawers in a roll-away tool box. Then when I need tools for projects away from home (which I often do) I just pull the specific TSTAK boxes I need and run.

Below are some pictures of both the parts storage cabinet and the TSTAK cabinet.

 

[slodat]

Tool Junky- that is sharp!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FTWingRiders]

Those look awesome!!

 

[TravisT]

Tool Junky - Looking good! Welcome to GJ!

 

[pi_guy]

I went this route, works well for my uses.
I will pull different drawers for different jobs, if I am building a harness often it will have different connectors based on the hardware installed.
I have over 100 drawers in steel and plastic.

 

[Victorymike18]

Sorry for the hijack - I'm going through boxes and boxes of legos trying to sort and store. Do the HF boxes work well for that? I would think that they would be good for the unique shapes but the 2x4, etc would quickly overwhelm the boxes.

I also sort & store legos, and these organizer trays work well for the vast majority of the small and medium size parts. Yes, larger pieces like the longer beams, bulk amounts of bricks, or the larger plates don't really make sense in here though. For those, I either go with the deeper 8-bin case, or I use the transparent "shoe" bins which are cheap and easily found at the big box stores.

An example of mine in action:


And going back to the creative storage shelves, check out this version built with extrusion bars:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1486929

 

[gungatim]

First of all, thanks to everyone who have posted their projects here in GJ. Its a great way to get ideas and then we can use those ideas to create solutions that best suit our own personal needs. With that in mind, I thought I would share my approach to parts storage which was definitely influenced by what I saw here in GJ.

(snipped for brevity)

I picked up two identical metal office cabinets as surplus for $10 each. For more than a year I just had the HF boxes sitting on the four steel shelves that came with each cabinet. That really sucked, because each shelf had five or six boxes stacked on top of each other and of course I always needed the bottom one. I finally took out the shelves and built a storage rack inside using scrap plywood and angle iron that I had laying around.....QUOTE]

First of all, Great first post Tool Junky! and welcome to the forum!

2nd: I love the cabinet, I see them for sale periodically around here.

If one were to copy your setup, what size cabinet is that? what dimensions should we look for? I imagine there are standard sizes that offices use...

3rd: any chance you can post a close up of how you mounted the angle iron/shelves?

Thanks!

 

[Trey T]

I have over 10 ten of these empty cases (bins are in tool cabinets) that's sitting collecting dust. Anybody make good use of them?

 

[aosty]

I have over 10 ten of these empty cases (bins are in tool cabinets) that's sitting collecting dust. Anybody make good use of them?

I use them for floppy items that tend to catch on shallow drawers.... heat shrink tubing, zip ties, wire rope, cables, electrical pigtails, watch batteries (in their packaging), etc. A row of bins can be used as a divider. It's also useful to have partial bins + empty space - for example, crimps + crimper tools, soldering tools + soldering bits, USB cables + USB adapters, rivets + rivet tool, etc.

 

[gungatim]

I have over 10 ten of these empty cases (bins are in tool cabinets) that's sitting collecting dust. Anybody make good use of them?

I have swapped big bins for small ones in the 20 cases I have, and ended up with a big box full of leftover bins. maybe we can work something out? I can count them up and see how many boxes we can fill.

 

[bobs_garage]

I also sort & store legos, and these organizer trays work well for the vast majority of the small and medium size parts. Yes, larger pieces like the longer beams, bulk amounts of bricks, or the larger plates don't really make sense in here though. For those, I either go with the deeper 8-bin case, or I use the transparent "shoe" bins which are cheap and easily found at the big box stores.

An example of mine in action:


And going back to the creative storage shelves, check out this version built with extrusion bars:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1486929

Thanks for the info, that's a neat storage rack, does it handle heavy cases though?

 

[Victorymike18]

^ That rack isn't mine, so I have no idea.

However, from some of the comments in this thread, it sound like heavier cases really need to be supported from the bottom (as opposed to just the side rails) as they tend to sag over time.

 

[Victorymike18]

*** Has anyone recently purchased these cases and noticed a small difference in the bin height, and also a small difference in width? ***

I bought three on sale a couple of weeks ago, and the bins have a more substantial lip at the top (seems to reduce warping) but they are measurably taller and do not fit into my "older" cases. Also, the cases I just bought are a little wider than the older ones...

I'm curious if anyone else has run into this. Hopefully I just got an old batch or something...

 

[caltemus]

Included in the above thingaverse link was a link to 3d files for custom bins:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:951543

 

[Scottwi]

I have over 10 ten of these empty cases (bins are in tool cabinets) that's sitting collecting dust. Anybody make good use of them?

I would be interested in the bins

 

[gungatim]

I would be interested in the bins

he's got empty cases, I've got the extra bins. PM me and i'll count up what I got and maybe we can trade for something...they are just taking up space.

 

[Scottwi]

I have over 10 ten of these empty cases (bins are in tool cabinets) that's sitting collecting dust. Anybody make good use of them?

Trey-T

I am interested in the cases. I sent you a private message a few weeks ago. Are you still have them?

 

[Paladin306]

Howdy JP,

Well, like so many before me, I have stumbled upon this thread and all i can say is Wow!!!. What a need idea you constructed. And, your discussion promoted a lot of great ideas by others as well. I have several of the Stanley cases and I'm going to incorporate much, if not all of your idea into a case for them.

Somewhere, upthread I saw something about posting other tool storage ideas. But, I don't want to be a thread hijacker. So, for anyone that might be interested, I'll just say see my shop for a neat idea on a cordless tool storage and charger cabinet. (For those that don't wish to travel through the entire thread it's currently on the last page.) It's not quite finished but, close enough for viewing.

Mark

 

[peripheralman]

I have had this in my plans for over a year and just getting started. I think I am going to make mine in a rolling bench with butcher block style top. I have assortment of thick and thin boxes.
I am also looking at making a plastic insert for the case to make a custom case for my tap and die set. I have a friend who could probably mill out the insert for me when I get my layout designed.

Hats off to everyone who has contributed to this thread, it gives those of us with no imagination something to strive for.

 

[BearsFan315]

lol, yeah have that saved to print on my printer when i get time @@

have 5 of the shallow bins and 2 deep bins

 

[FMC1959]

SOJ, I can't add much to all the great comments, just a fantastic job you did there.

I quickly skimmed through the thread and saw pics you added with what contents you put into the storage boxes.

I have a few question for you. I have lots of nuts and bolts, screws, washer nails...etc. each box would be on the heavy side

• 
  Looking at you storage boxes that are at least 70% full of metal fasteners or similar, and assuming these are the heaviest boxes,, how would the rack hold up if all boxes were at least 70% full and reasonably heavy?

• Consider when moving the whole rack around, would the casters hold up?

• Being tall and narrow, even with beefier castors, would it be prone to tipping if the slightest thing impedes a castor?

• Being tall and narrow and loaded with many heavier boxes, would the frame shimmy?

You have inspired many and I would like to make something similar, just wanting to know if many heavy boxes might be a problem. Tall and narrow has a smaller footprint, which suits me perfect, but maybe half the height and more columns, like the workbench height idea might be better in this case?

From your experience and answers, I can decide how best to proceed for my needs, thanks

 

[EOC_Jason]

Man that is an awesome job, had to skim over most pages but I did read the first few in detail.

I just ordered a few Durham bins cheap off Amazon the other day. Got to love when their pricing engine goes sideways... lol.

Depending on how much I fill / use them, I'll probably get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EF87L2I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

For the time & materials (and re-work if I'm making it, lol) I think it's a fair trade off...

 

[moab11]

Here is my take on the cabinet. It is mounted inside a Husky table that has an adjustable height top and comes with casters or feet. Before it was just wasted space inside the frame of the table, but now I have so much more storage that I can easily move around the garage, and have a surface to open the cases on easily.

 

[copythat]

What was the quality and can you recommend the vendor? I just bought 20 of the Stanley boxes and plan to build my own cabinet very soon.

 

[xyster101]

A friend and I went in and built two each. Made 2 from one sheet of plywood.







Went on Ebay and bought an assortment of bolts, nuts and washers for $120.



An organized all my deck screws.



Slapped the whole thing on some 4" casters so I can move it around the shop.

 

[soj]

Answers in bold:

SOJ, I can't add much to all the great comments, just a fantastic job you did there.

I quickly skimmed through the thread and saw pics you added with what contents you put into the storage boxes.

I have a few question for you. I have lots of nuts and bolts, screws, washer nails...etc. each box would be on the heavy side

• 
  Looking at you storage boxes that are at least 70% full of metal fasteners or similar, and assuming these are the heaviest boxes,, how would the rack hold up if all boxes were at least 70% full and reasonably heavy?

I don't think that 70% of my boxes are what I consider heavy, but I have had no problem with the drawer slides or any part of the wooden cabinet.

• Consider when moving the whole rack around, would the casters hold up?

The casters I used are really too light duty for the weight, they are just some I had on hand. I plan to replace them with some more heavy duty.

• Being tall and narrow, even with beefier castors, would it be prone to tipping if the slightest thing impedes a castor?

I share your concern with the height making it easy to tip over. I have tried to put heaver items (nuts & bolts) in the bottom drawers, and lighter stuff (pop rivets, wire terminals, fuses, hose clamps) in the top.

• Being tall and narrow and loaded with many heavier boxes, would the frame shimmy?

The cabinet frame will rack a bit if pushed from the front (open) side, at the top. The back, which is closed in with a piece of 1/4" plywood is stiff and solid.

You have inspired many and I would like to make something similar, just wanting to know if many heavy boxes might be a problem. Tall and narrow has a smaller footprint, which suits me perfect, but maybe half the height and more columns, like the workbench height idea might be better in this case?
The one thing I would change (if I built another one) would be to make it the base of a workbench. That would eliminate any problem with the height.
Besides a potential to tip, it is difficult to see in the top drawers, and I am 6' 1".


From your experience and answers, I can decide how best to proceed for my needs, thanks

Show us what you build.

 

[soj]

Here is my take on the cabinet. It is mounted inside a Husky table that has an adjustable height top and comes with casters or feet. Before it was just wasted space inside the frame of the table, but now I have so much more storage that I can easily move around the garage, and have a surface to open the cases on easily.

Thanks for sharing your version. If I were to build another one, I would make it the base for a workbench, or build it into an existing bench, like you did.

Looks great.

 

[moab11]

What was the quality and can you recommend the vendor? I just bought 20 of the Stanley boxes and plan to build my own cabinet very soon.

Not sure if this was for me, but I love the table! The quality is very good and the ability to crank the top up or down is very handy for working on various projects. So far the casters are holding up to the weight very well, down the road I may need to upgrade them, but so far so good.

As for the cases, they are Mastercraft brand (from Canadian Tire). From what I have seen online they are the same as the harbor freight, just different colours. They have been great so far, I do have an older stanley unit and these are just as good.

 

[starquestMM]

Here's my tweaked version:
View media item 7141014" overtravel slides let them open just enough.
View media item 71408Made these wood brackets to fit the side profile in the cases.
View media item 71409

 

[FMC1959]

Answers in bold:



Show us what you build.

Thanks for your replies, and original project.

 

[soj]

Here's my tweaked version:

Excellent! I think this is the first example using drawer slides.

Like several other examples, this build has the plastic case supported only on each side, not resting on a shelf or drawer. I am curious if anyone using this design has had any problem with the cases sagging in the middle. I am sure it would only occur with a fully loaded case.

Inquiring minds want to know, is it a problem or not??

 

[Firebrick43]

If you read back through the pages some have had issues with the HF case sagging when heavily loaded.

 

[starquestMM]

Good points about the wieght and sagging, I don't plan on loading mine up anything like the xyster101's pics so hopefully I won't have any problems.

My single cases are 1/8" max from each other and some of them actually touch/drag just a bit so if they do sag they will get some support from underneath.

I need to re organize them, but I'm pretty happy. It sucked having to dig through a stack of these things!