Cabinet for Small Parts Storage Cases

[dave*99]

I realize this is an "Old Thread" but seeing that there's a lot of useful information here, I'm bringing it back up!

I just bought 24 of the HF storage containers during a weekend sale. It took me 4-days & going to two different stores to get them all because of HF's coupon policy's & item limits, but I got them all for 30% off.

I'm still trying to figure out which style rack system I want to use, but I'm leaning towards the drawer slide set-up.

Doug

I tried to save a buck compared to my Packout units. I have 4 of the taller units shown in bottom of your stack. Mine don't close properly. The walls of the yellow bins bow inward preventing them from fitting into the grooves in the lids.

I filled one with some finishing nails. Since I bought nail guns, the finishing nails don't get used.
I really don't trust carrying them by the handle as the latches and lid are thin. Have you tried anything heavy in yours?

 

[dwall174]

Mine don't close properly. The walls of the yellow bins bow inward preventing them from fitting into the grooves in the lids.

I've noticed that also with some of my inner bins!
I saw this video that has a fairly simple solution

Have you tried anything heavy in yours?

No not yet, but I imagine they can get heavy if filled up with nails or nuts & bolts.

Doug

 

[dave*99]

I've noticed that also with some of my inner bins!
I saw this video that has a fairly simple solution

No not yet, but I imagine they can get heavy if filled up with nails or nuts & bolts.

Doug

Looks like a fix. Thanks.

 

[Bessy]

Wow, after going back through the thread (specifically planecrazy's damn-near furniture quality build) a bit I had to edit this post and say that I'm very much going to need to pick out some paint and give mine a pop of colour!

I again must ask everyone to excuse the mess...

I realize I shared this in the "What did you do IN your garage today?" but not over here. This was one of the first projects that I had in mind when we moved into this place (July '22) and was finally actually completed on 2024-01-13, because I work at a glacial pace.

It wasn't a cheap endeavour, I don't know exactly how much I spent, but it was more than I should have for such a project. That said the expense really was in the aluminum and the Stanley bins themselves, which was acquired over several years.

The carcass is 48"x31-1/8"x12-1/4" deep, all free 5/8" MDF from Kijiji, with a cheap set of 3" casters from Princess Auto. I used 1-1/4"x3/16 aluminum angle for the slides, and glued/brad-nailed some 1/4" plywood from a shipping crate to the back to give it some rigidity. When I got it all loaded up, the middle did start to sag just a bit, so I may still install a pair of 2x3s along the bottom.

So far, I think I have only seven remaining un-filled of the 30 that are there. Slowly I'll get the rest of my **** organized and they'll be filled and all labeled, and possibly a slightly nicer top installed.


In the mean time, I do have a whole whack load of metric hardware for 3d printing stuff. I think, due to size, that all or most of that hardware will get the gridfinity treatment, as it will largely remain in the basement with the 3d printers, but I did cut a few too many rails of the aluminum so I could make another smaller (I think 8-ish unit) rack for the basement if push came to shove.

 

[bugnut]

I have posted these in various places on GJ. I have a large cabinet, with pencil boxes on one side and the HD boxes on the other, I would add a pull out shelf to set them on if I were doing it again. I have subsequently 3d printed subdividing boxes for the larger sections of the HD boxes. I also noted Menards and Walmart now carry these same boxes in different colors, but they are the same size and shape.

 

[dwall174]

I'm still trying to figure out which style rack system I want to use, but I'm leaning towards the drawer slide set-up.

Doug

I managed to find a good deal on 3 cases of 10-sets of 16" full extension drawer slides on E-Bay So it looks like I'm going to go with that style set-up.

 

[bb29510]

after seeing the price on those boxes and the cheaper ones keep breaking, Im going back to baby food jars, nail the lid to a shelf

 

[dwall174]

I'm going back to baby food jars, nail the lid to a shelf.

My Grandfather had a small work room in the corner of his basement & he probably had over a hundred of those baby food jars hanging from shelves connected to the floor joists. On the top of the shelves, he had mason jars with larger fasteners in them.

Doug

 

[dwall174]

this thread really oughtta be a sticky.

Yeah, I agree!
I've came back to this thread a bunch of times for information.

Bringing it back up again because I lost the original link I had saved.

Doug

 

[dwall174]

after seeing the price on those boxes and the cheaper ones keep breaking, I'm going back to baby food jars.

This is somewhat like what my grandfather had in his little work room in the basement.

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

This is somewhat like what my grandfather had in his little work room in the basement.

I remember a friend's Dad did the baby food jars and coffee cans for heavier items.

They do allow for seeing what is in the jar.

I have opted for index card cabinets with labels from a label-maker.

 

[FMC1959]

I remember a friend's Dad did the baby food jars and coffee cans for heavier items.

They do allow for seeing what is in the jar.

I have opted for index card cabinets with labels from a label-maker.

These card cabinets are great. I have a couple, but old and different sizes. Yours are very nice. My only problem with these is that they are expensive, new or used. Even flea markets and garage sales, everyone knows these fetch good money. You can get lucky sometimes and get a real steal.

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

These card cabinets are great. I have a couple, but old and different sizes. Yours are very nice. My only problem with these is that they are expensive, new or used. Even flea markets and garage sales, everyone knows these fetch good money. You can get lucky sometimes and get a real steal.

What do you consider "expensive" ?

 

[FMC1959]

What do you consider "expensive" ?

Well, they come in so many shapes and sizes. Something like yours in the picture, 9 drawer, used and nowhere near as nice as yours, easily would go for $200 or more (before Covid). I haven't checked much lately but assume they must be quite a bit more today, at least in my area.

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

Well, they come in so many shapes and sizes. Something like yours in the picture, 9 drawer, used and nowhere near as nice as yours, easily would go for $200 or more (before Covid). I haven't checked much lately but assume they must be quite a bit more today, at least in my area.

Thanks ! Yes I think $200 or more is crazy.

I have several to post for sale because I acquired more than I will ever need and plan to post them for 100 ea -

 

[Mike777]

One place I worked at had some of these:

View media item 71782
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.

jp

About 30 years ago I picked up two of these metal cabinets from a silent auction for an aviation service center closing in Seattle. There were three of them available and I wish now I had bid on all three. IIRC mine are manufactured by Durham (or Dunham?); very solid and durable. I believe these cabinets are still available and made today in the USA.

 

[dwall174]

I have opted for index card cabinets with labels from a label-maker.

I was given one of those cabinets several years ago with a bunch of odd & end hardware parts.
The catch was I needed to take all the hardware & get it out of a basement. I removed all the drawers & caried them out individually & then brought the cabinet up with an appliance dolly.

 

[MushCreek]

I use medium size clear plastic jars that the cashews we eat come in. Pretty sturdy, with a screw top. My biggest problem is the miscellaneous 'stuff' that's left over after I sort things. A couple spare taillight bulbs. A chain repair link. Lot's of one-off fasteners that would take up literally hundreds of slots if each got its own slot. Plumbing bits and pieces. Electrical bits and pieces. Mechanical bits and pieces. When you live 12 miles from the big box store, you hate to throw out anything that could be useful.

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

Well, they come in so many shapes and sizes. Something like yours in the picture, 9 drawer, used and nowhere near as nice as yours, easily would go for $200 or more (before Covid). I haven't checked much lately but assume they must be quite a bit more today, at least in my area.

You might want to seek out "microfilm" storage cabinets. They are super heavy duty.
56" high x 21 1/4" wide x 28 1/2" deep. Drawers are 26" deep
Full Extension heavy duty bearing slides.
Empty it weighs over 400 pounds.

 

[FMC1959]

I was given one of those cabinets several years ago with a bunch of odd & end hardware parts.
The catch was I needed to take all the hardware & get it out of a basement. I removed all the drawers & caried them out individually & then brought the cabinet up with an appliance dolly.

I was with my father in law were at a place that goes around to bankruptcies and collects equipment to auction off. Mainly tool but the odd furniture or office items. The auctions are in the 4-6 week timeframe apart, and we were in the neighborhood in the mid period of auctions. We went around to look at stuff. He had 2 Justrite 5 gallon meta can, he let me have 2 of them for $20. Then my FIL, needing some sort of filing or card cabinet saw one just like you have in your pic. He said $10. My FIL was shaking going for his wallet, I was trying to calm him down. It was awesome, very clean, everything functional, just a couple of small cosmetic dents on the sides.

I tols him he has to leave it to me in his will.

 

[Griff79]

Awesome job! I wish I had the floor space. I’m going to figure out how to modify this to fit in a cubby that will take about 10 boxes. If it’s ok, may I borrow some of your designs. I think they will work wel.
Griff

 

[FMC1959]

You might want to seek out "microfilm" storage cabinets. They are super heavy duty.
56" high x 21 1/4" wide x 28 1/2" deep. Drawers are 26" deep
Full Extension heavy duty bearing slides.
Empty it weighs over 400 pounds.

These look super cool, and would love to have those in my workshop. But I am pretty sure they are harder to find 2nd hand and also, they must not be cheap either

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I come across card file cabinets from time to time VIA FBMP and Garage/Estate Sales. I have paid anywhere from $35 to $75 each cabinet.

Some of them are a bit "crusty" when I get them, but a little paint stripping and a coat of roll on Rustoleum paint and they are beautiful again! This is my favorite - I painted it orange to match the Ridgid table saw it will be storing accessories for.

Some are heavier duty than others but I have 6 scattered around here - Tan / OD Green / Red / Sail Blue / Beige / Kubota Orange. I standardized on Container Store shoe boxes for almost everything in the house. We probably have 150 of them between the shop, basement and craft rooms.

Cheers

Jim

 

[jives]

Not sure why I have not commented here earlier. I don't have pics at the moment, but I picked up a typical metal office mail sorter / paper holder for about $5 at an auction. I use HF parts bins and cardboard boxes that hold reams of paper in the slots. with the cardboard boxes I fold in the lid to strengthen the box floor, wrap some strapping tape or duct tape around the outside, and they have held up remarkably well.

This is the kind of mail sorter I am using, but mine has 36 slots.