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Lew_Merrick_PE:
I tend to make (plywood) roll-away cabinets for sets of tools. They all have the same height and width with (jig drilled) dowel pin holes in them so I can lay a temporary "top" across them when I need a work surface. Thus, I have roll-away cabinets for: hand drilling equipment; grinders/sanders and abrasives; wrenches and pullers; and the like. The "back" of each roll-away then gets a set of shelves that are 4.25 inches wide and 3.5 inches vertically spaced with thin "lips" on the outside edge. These shelves are where I store my screws, dowel pins, washers, and the like. One "shelf set" holds nothing but socket head cap screws (my main "attachment" items). Another "shelf set" has hex bolts, hex nuts, and washers. Various sizes of "temporary tops" hang underneath the shelf that holds rarely used items. The roll-away cabinets themselves will "park" under my radial arm saw table.

I also have "material racks" made from 1X2 timbers with shelves at various spacings. The main part of the rack tips back at a 20° nominal angle. I keep them to something less than 28 inches wide so I can reach in from either side to get at things stored on the shelves. The shelves are supported by 1X2 or 1X4 pieces that stick out past the 20° set back sides so my bar stock does not tip too badly. The basis of this approach was borrowed from the racks commonly seen in lumber yards for storing molding. Everything in the vertical (tilted back) part of the rack is (pretty much) visible and the supporting shelves can be accessed from the sides (so long as you don't array them too close together) for easy searching. I did a variation on this design for Guy Lautard several years ago that has two sets of "tilted storage" (one at each end) and more shelves in between. He mounted his unit on casters. I believe that it is going to show up in the next TMBR (but I do not know that for a fact).

I have played around with various "stacked drawer" sets. Except for my "electronics assembly area," I find them to be of little value. I rarely purchase mechanical hardware by less than "box quantity" as a .2500-20UNC X 1.00 long socket head cap screw sells for $0.65 in a quantity of 1 at the local hardware store and a box of 100 (with NAS certification) sells for $7.15 through Fastenal. Just try putting 100 socket head cap screws in one of those little plastic "stacked drawers." Instead, I have an "address label" program on my computer that makes a nice label for the boxes that can be read from several feet away. I concentrate on keeping bold labels on the boxes (and putting them back in their appropriate "rack" when done).

Spurry:
Crabsign

I already have all my boxes labelled as there about a thousand of them. Also have a colour code system, so for instance on the wall shown, labels on boxes above the worktop are black writing on yellow background, whereas below worktop are yellow on black. Opposite wall are red/yellow. By using colours it keeps the numbers to a reasonable level. For instance I have several boxes with an A2 label. The colour tells you exactly which A2 it is. :)

Currently there are just under 3000 references on the computer. Easy things like capheads, nuts, resistors and so on, are a doddle to describe and locate, but my particular problem is referrring to the myriad of 'special' bits and bobs for all manner of purposes. I just wondered how others dealt with the problem....or perhaps it's only a problem for me.

Pete

MrFluffy:
Lidl's do those storage drawer thingies on occasion for about a fiver. I recently bought one for 5e that uses smaller lin bins as the drawers, so bought it for just the bins for my rails but ended up using it in the office full of electronics oddments because its black. Mrs F has been instructed next trip to lidl's to snag another two theyre so handy...

Pete, Ive organized a lot of my stuff into lots of lin style bins, first I sort the bins by function and put them on the carrying plates near the machine theyre associated with as most intelligent layout to use them with, then theyre labeled using little dymo labels in the tray front label area. Like you most of it is very specific, m6 allen bolts, stainless R clips etc, then right at the end of the neat orderly rows there are three boxes, one labeled oddities, one marked "current project" that gets all the bits and bobs associated with it between sessions put in, and the last labeled "all the stuff left on the bench last tidyup".. I cant come up with anything more exacting than that either...

Bernd:
Hey Lew,

They sound like very nice boxes. How about some picks of those beauties. :poke:

Bernd

d-m:
A few months ago I got fed up with my taps being every place but were i could find them.I went to the dollar store and bought 2 of these I was disappointed that there were no drawer separators but I had some plastic material that cut well and with the help of the wife I quickly had a pile of them. I used the smaller one I bought just for taps. The bigger one for drill's I have need for several more, need one for number letter drills and some more for dies.
I also use plastic gun shell cases for my end mills keep them right at hand by the mill.
Dave

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