Organising tool drawers

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Hi Merlin

Unlimited funds are not necessary. I picked up a 15 drawer Bisley cabinet – mentioned in my earlier post -recently. Retail price £130 + vat ! deep pockets needed indeed. However I saw one recently by the metal skip as I was dumping rubbish at the local tip. After a little negotiation with the "Dragon Lady" in charge I got it for a tenner. The nest of 42 metal drawers also shown in that post I bought ( maybe 20 years ago) as scrap for £5 if I remember correctly. It's surprising how some brasso and elbow grease improves the aesthetics of these things!

Regards

Norman

Edited By NJH on 31/05/2013 18:32:09

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

These things always happen to other people.

I have recently had a reshuffle and now I have all round and square files together, which simplifies things.

I also have a board six inches wide and about a yard long,,,,,,,,, well, I can't describe it and I'll try to send a photo.

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

Blimey! Why is posting photos kept such a secret?

These are racks for homemade lathe tool posts and for needle files so that I can immediately choose whichever shape I want.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by merlin on 31/05/2013 18:36:42:

I also have a board six inches wide and about a yard long,,,,,,,,, well, I can't describe it and I'll try to send a photo.

.

.

Round here thats called a plank.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Posted by John Stevenson on 01/06/2013 02:02:38:

Posted by merlin on 31/05/2013 18:36:42:

I also have a board six inches wide and about a yard long,,,,,,,,, well, I can't describe it and I'll try to send a photo.

.

.

Round here thats called a plank.

You never disappoint John, nice one

Geoff – VFD for the TS & Marlow to do.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

It does seem that the more you try to tidy the more space it takes, Cabinets and boards and boxes and tins still need a space to accomodate.

Thats why that pile on the workbench is so usefull. genius knows no bounds.

Clive

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

Whereabouts in the UK would a piece of wood 6 inches by a yard be called a plank, without first knowing the thickness?

Even if it were three inches thick, I wouldn't call it a plank if it were, say, only one yard long.

[MICHAEL WILLIAMSParticipant @michaelwilliams41215]

An effective way of labelling any tool storage system is to use ideograms . A big cartoon representation of the class of tool stored in any particular drawer gives an immediate input of information to the eye which can be seen from a long way off . Allows very fast ' homing in ' on right drawer as you walk towards the drawer stack .

Can be extended to sub classes by using two ideograms – one large and one small – at each location or one ideogram and a number .

Some things once common but now less used are the shadow board for frequent use tools and the project box .

Project box holds all the small tools in frequent use for one specific job in hand – so getting the box out means you can make an immediate start on your job without having to search for multiple tools individually .

Incidentally another type of storage aid , which is a cousin of the project box , is the progress tray . Once commonly used in the aerospace industry these trays have compartments to hold work in progress on multiple part + multiple operation jobs . As job progresses parts move along tray . Compartments are labelled op1 , op2 ,etc .

In particular case of smaller engine parts which are identified with part numbers from early on in manufacture each part has its own set of sub compartments numbered with the part number . These are often 2D trays – part number left to right and progress top to bottom .

Op's can include interim and pass off inspections .

Tray's were often moved on trolleys from one machine to another throughout the factory .

MikeW

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Six inches by three inches by a yard? Thick and short – do you have two of them? If so you can use them for intelligence testing

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Commiserations, Merlin. I take it you have been burgled as how else does one obtain empty bench space.

Spent ten imutes thinking my Workmate had been stolen this morning as the last time I remember it was out the front. Turned out I had tidied it away in the back bedroom. Unusual behaviour. I must have been sleep-tidying.

Edited By Bazyle on 01/06/2013 13:45:33

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

Another philosophy: big fat black lettering on big labels, and you will soon get used to it.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Space – sigh……………….

Bought a new CNC,

Not because I wanted the CNC it's just that in the advert it was the only machine stood in an empty warehouse, had it delivered and all I got was the machine, someone had stolen all the empty space in transit…………………..

Another flat battery in the car park of life………..

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

MikeW,

Brilliant idea, as we are so used to them now, what with computers and road signs. Oh yes!

Bazyle,

You beat me to it That bench is far too clean and devoid of stuff.

Just received a grinding wheel dresser and took it into my HobbyRoom indoors, (who knows why) together with the remote control unit for the milling machines' VFD as I needed to put a speed control pot in it, and then spent about 30min searching for it, with much Anglo-Saxon being voiced.

Found it on top of a book where I put it of course.

JohnS,

How in blue blazes did you squeeze that machine in?

You must have a magic wand or summit.

Geoff – Reading posting.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

> took it into my HobbyRoom indoors, (who knows why) together with the remote control unit for the milling machines' VFD

Is it wise to remotely operate the mill from inside the house

Neil

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

On planks… I went to put up a small shelf from a slightly rough-finished plank I found on the pavement a few weeks ago. It had some numbers scrawled on it in a Gallic hand. About 1/2" x 4" x 3'. After twisting the head off a steel screw, then still having difficulty putting a second screw in even with a pilot hole, it finally dawned on me that this was a hardwood plank, probably oak. Replaced in the 'useful' pile and a bit of old pine shelving used instead.

Neil

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Posted by Stub Mandrel on 02/06/2013 17:22:13:

Is it wise to remotely operate the mill from inside the house

Neil

Another smart alec

Ah but, if I really try, I can just see into the workshop from the window, so there.

Geoff – Just back from seeing GD, so worn out, but content.

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