Storage – How to?

[Graham WhartonParticipant @grahamwharton]

You can buy plastic injection moulded trays of various different configurations to fit those bisley cabinets. A quick google image search shows you whats available.

**LINK**

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Graham you may have missed the comment about the cost of these inserts in the opening post, I got two 10 draw cabinets for less than the cost of a single plastic insert

[Graham WhartonParticipant @grahamwharton]

HI jason,

Sorry yes, I did read that, but forgot about the comment when I came back and decided to post a reply.

I see you can get the inserts from http://www.shoplet.co.uk for £8 including vat and £3 delivery, or free delivery if you order more than 4. I agree, when compared to the price you paid for the drawers themselves this seems excessive.

I bought some 4m long 0.8mm thick 40mm wide mild steel coiled flat sheet rolls off ebay, and cut them up into short lengths and tack welded together to form custom inserts for my drawers. It was a lot of faff, doesnt particularly look that good a finish, and once you count the cost of the steel, wasnt super cheap either. Could be worth considering though if you have a load of stock lying around. For when you want lots of compartments like I did, I discarded the idea of using wood as you waste too much space with the dividers themselves, although I agree wood does look a lot prettier.

Graham

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

On another thread someone suggested pound shop ice lolly moulds. If you are money poor and time rich with grandchildren these moulds could form an activity with initial consumption of the contents followed by papier mache duplication. The following week after drying your little helpers can paint them. It will make selecting a tool evoke memories for years and perhaps for them too when they are clearing your shed out in their thirties.

Another thought is fake grass. Anything could be dropped in and always have a few leaves between items. Annoyingly just a couple of weeks ago I saw some of this being laid and didn't think to ask for offcuts.

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

Bazyle's post got me thinking and I decided to have a dig around on eBay.

There are many different shape moulds for ice blocks and chocolate bars that could make usefull draw liners.

What about using some dowel rod cut in half through the centre to give a half round profile along with some rectangle blocks glued to a piece of thin ply ,this could be the base for your own mould .

You could use papier mâché or calico to form your tool tray ,I would use bondcrete instead of pva glue though.

 

Ian

Edited By XD 351 on 23/03/2014 18:06:37

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I store most of my cutters vertically in MDF with holes in it, and another sheet glued underneath.

You can also make trays by milling grooves in wood or chipboard with round-nosed cutters. I've made a box for my ME taps this way, and the old LAL half BA set is made that way.

The plastic insert for my full BA tap & die set has died, so I'll be doing something along these lines soon.

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Just a bit of blue sky thinking here but is there anything in sheet form that resembles heat shrink ?

Not so much to shrink but easily deform over tooling at the application of a heat gun ? seen some like corrugated plastic sheeting in various colours for craft work, wonder if this will deform before it catches fire ?

just done a search, it's called correx board.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Corex doesn't really bend even if heated anymore than corrugated cardboard. It just buckles. The plastic sheet used by modellers does mould under heat but not very neatly. To mould it as mentioned above over a wooden former you need to clamp it all round the edges and use either pressure or vacuum to pull it over the former.

A potential free source of thick plastic for non-pretty applications is rainwater gutter offcuts often seen in skips. It will deform nicely under a heat gun. I haven't tried it yet on sharp curves.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by Bazyle on 23/03/2014 21:45:56:

Corex doesn't really bend even if heated anymore than corrugated cardboard. It just buckles. The plastic sheet used by modellers does mould under heat but not very neatly. To mould it as mentioned above over a wooden former you need to clamp it all round the edges and use either pressure or vacuum to pull it over the former.

Vot a plonker.

Bazyle hit a nerve with the "vacuum to pull it over a former "

nephew has a kitchen and bathroom business with CNC saws, routers edge banders etc.

One of the machines in his stable is a vacuum forming press where you pull a sheet of glued vinyl over a door or such and it heats the sheet up then vacuums it over the door and all you have to do is trim the corners.

can't find a pic but it's close to this one.

Can't see any reason why if the sheet was put on the wrong way, good side non sticky side down it wouldn't conform to a mould, It's good enough to follow fine lines in mouldings. Some of you may well have these types of doors in your kitchen or utility rooms ?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

So what are you waiting for? 3D Print or CNC route out a few different trays to fit a standard Bissel draw, vac form a bunch of trays and sell the lot to Ketan for £2 or should that be 2 Sweedish Krona?

J

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

There are some plastic granules that when placed in a former and heated will expand and take the shape with clean edges, all our inst. cases have this materiel as standard. I dont know the name or supplier.

I have in my time used a black sheet of expanded foam called Zorbzote and with a high speed router cut out shapes for small items. It can also be cut with a modelling knife. It comes in various thicknesses and is inert so does not causes staining or rust. I have seen 5mm to 25mm sheets 8' x 4'. It is very light!

Clive

Edited By Clive Hartland on 24/03/2014 07:53:45

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

There are plenty of small Vac Forming systems around

This is worth a look, to see how easy it is.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: … and here.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 24/03/2014 08:13:35

[David ColwillParticipant @davidcolwill19261]

Or if you fancy jazzing up your workshop:-

http://www.peterevansstudios.co.uk/

David.

Edited By David Colwill on 24/03/2014 09:24:08

[Russ BParticipant @russb]

I have the same unit, I think mine has 8 draws- they came out of a school office, I'm always on the hunt for more.

I lined & partitioned them all up differently, some I milled slots out of scraps of wood and ply, others I partitioned using strips of woods and lined with laminate underlay foam.

I recently purchased a Sealey AP2200 2/3rd size roll cabinet and top chest for £95 delivered in grey, its should hold almost all my kit, including the larger stuff, angle plates, rotary tables etc. It's not stunning quality but it's suitable for the job and I expect it should last at least 15 years with sensible use

It's same as this one which is £99 delivered **LINK**

Edited By Russ B on 24/03/2014 12:36:06

[James BParticipant @jamesb]

Hi,

On the subject of vacuum forming, I made a simple vacuum former to make a plastic tray for my daughters school project when the schools vacuum former was not large enough. It was really quite simple but surprisingly effective. It basically consists of a box (I used MDF top and bottom and a square timber frame) with an outlet to connect to the vacuum cleaner. The silver foil tape you can see is to keep the box air tight, and the brown strip is draught excluder to form a seal. The mould you can see is over a couple of 50mm holes. Drill series of small holes around the periphery, and anywhere you want the plastic to pull into, particuarly internal corners:

Then we fixed the plastic sheet to an MDF frame as shown below. We got the sheet from a school supplier, they sell packs of vac form plastic sheets – was only a few pounds for a few sheets, and was the only thing we bought:-

Then, (waiting until the coast was clear) heated the plastic on the frame under the grill, then when compliant, quickly placed the frame over the mould and switched on the vacuum:

Allow to cool, remove and trim. Was quite a fun excercise and only thing we bought was the plastic sheets. Could do something similar for tool trays..?

James

 

 

Edited By James Burden on 24/03/2014 13:17:10

[Chris Pattison 1Participant @chrispattison1]

As a keen DIYer, I work with both wood and metal, so my storage issues are that much greater. Having a Scottish background, I am loath to spend big money if I can solve problems on the cheap. I also like to keep the rust monster at bay, so most of my storage solutions use plastic, and if I do use wood, it is sealed against absorbing moisture. My key storage solutions are: 1- For very small items, I use fishing boxes. These are flat and square and conveniently compartmented. They are also translucent so that you can see through the lid without opening. I allocate them generically and label on the edge so they can be stacked on a shelf. 2 – For larger items or quantities, I use clear plastic jars, available locally in three sizes. These I store in an old set of kitchen drawers. I write on the lid the contents so I can look down and see at a glance what is inside. 3 – Bulk blank CDs come in plastic containers that are ideal for storing milling cutters. They even provide free separators. 4 – Pill boxes are often the perfect size for router cutters. A sheet of MDF drilled accordingly will organise these. White tops allow for labelling. 5 – For larger quantities of materials, I go to the $2 shop and buy cheap plastic boxes available in bulk. These then hold bolts and other large amounts of fasteners. Also translucent and stacking. I hope these suggestions help somebody.

[Author]

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