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Bolt Storage Bins

Started by hackberry jake, December 13, 2013, 06:58:35 PM

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hackberry jake

I have seen a growing need for bolt bins in the shop. I checked on prices online for the cheap plastic storage bin sets and they are higher that I would like to pay for brittle plastic trays and a thing to hold em. Even cheap chinese suppliers like Harb... (better not mention names) are pretty high. I think I will just build my own out of 3/4 pine or MDF or something. Has anybody else built anything like this? Got any design ideas? 
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

ancjr

The type of drawers like the old apothecary or library card catalog type are great for small parts bins, and easy to label.

thecfarm

ancjc,that is right,IF you can find them. The wife and I was antiquing and guess what? I found 3 of them. I think about 3 wide by 8 deep. I forgot. I had to make 2 trips. I would almost make a shelf and make some boxes so you can bring the box or boxes to the job. My draws are about 3 inches wide by a foot deep.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

ancjr

Well, I was assuming the OP was going to build.  I've never seen any for sale!  :)

Den-Den

Here is a sketch of some that I use (side view)

 

1/4" ply or mdf for the sides.  1/2" thick scrap for the rest  Mine are ~4" wide and ~8" long
They are easy to remove and take to a job and easy to put back on the rack.  The biggest problem is that they collect wood dust and shavings.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

PineNut

I guess I am too lazy to make special boxes. I will take a corrugated box that is about the width I want. Then saw it off to the height that I want. Most of the boxes are cut at 3 inches high but some may be cut at a different height. If you need a little more strength, cut the box at double height, cut the corners half way down and fold the flaps into the box to make the sides double thickness.  It may be necessary to use a little tape on some boxes. These are then placed on a shelf.  Shelves used for these boxes are spaced rather close together. Usually I will make several of these at one time, and then paint the end with white paint. That makes it easy to label. I realize that these are not as durable as a wood or metal box but it makes a quick and cheap storage tray. 

hackberry jake

Thanks for all the ideas guys! And for the drawing den den. I have found that the cheapest place to get nuts, bolts, and washers in my area is tractor supply. They sell everything by the pound instead of by the piece. Once I build my storage system I am going to get at least a dozen of every size tractor supply has. No more going through the "bolt bucket" trying to find what I need.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

clww

I use coffee cans, or containers, since many are made out of plastic usually.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

ancjr

Dad used coffee cans.  My inheritance when he passed was over 1000 lb of coffee can magic.  :)

Lud

Being a cigar smoker who orders from the factory by the box, I have an endless supply of boxes that I cut the lids off of.  The UPS box they come in is good too.

The other thing I use is recycled 2L pop bottles and whiskey jugs (plastic for the cheap stuff I use for the daily, medicinal purposes).  A sharp knife cuts the top off and you have see thru disposable buckets........and you get a funnel out of it too!

Hack, I use TSC's bolts too........but on the important jobs, be sure to use the grade 8's........way stronger. 8)
Simplicity mill, Ford 1957 Golden Jubilee 841 Powermaster, 40x60 bankbarn, left-handed

navycanoe

empty motor oil quart jugs sawn off to the required height.  line up nice, portable, and I would think would hold up better than cardboard...

Brad_bb

I've gone through the same issue you are now facing.  Originally I started out with plastic organizers and used a couple dozen of them for my car restoration original hardware.  I finally decided to also properly organize my wood screws, nails, bolts nuts and washers, etc.   I discovered that the price of the plastic organizers has risen substantially.  $12-$19 is significant.  I had already made a wooden cart with drawers, but it was woefully inadequate.  So I bit the bullet and stepped up to Durham organizer boxes/drawers.  Actually these metal boxes with the plastic insert are about the same price as the plastic organizers at the box stores.  Average $18 ea.  So I'm not really biting any bullet there, but I'm getting a better organizer for the money.  I did then buy the cabinets for them and they were about $70 ea(I needed 2 of these).  So i spent a little more there, but I really think it was worth it.  There are many drawer compartment configurations available.   I used them for most of my drawers, but for one drawer I am going to make my own wood dividers so that I can have smaller and shallower compartments for my oddball hardware.  The best pricing I've found for the Durham drawers and cabinets is from Zoro tools on ebay.   I've had them for a couple months now and I am really happy I went this direction.  I use my label maker to label everything so I save a lot of time finding what I'm looking for and it's easy to see when I need to restock something.  Note: There are two sizes for the Durham drawer/boxes.  I recommend the larger ones.

Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Larry

I to checked out Horrid Fright for suitable bolt containers.  Not impressed so I thought of building something but never came up with a good plan.  I really wanted something a bit better than a hack job.

While browsing craigslist I found this one.  It was in really bad condition but the price was right.  I was able to straighten out most of the wrinkles and new paint made it presentable.




The real jewel is this Shaw Walker file cabinet made back in the 30's.  Solid brass fittings and the drawers glide almost as well as one of those fancy Snap On boxes.  It was at an auction and I did war with an antique dealer to bring it home.  Fortunately she didn't push me too high.  I'm using it to hold tooling but it would work great for bolts...maybe better than my other cabinet.  Even though I paid more than I wanted, I couldn't have made anything near as nice for the $75 it cost.




I've found good stuff cheap at used office supply places right after the recession started.  Now there pricing is up close to new prices.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Don_Papenburg

I use the metal one gallon rectangular thinner cans I cut a corner out removing the pour spout and leaving the handle then I hem over the raw edges to stiffen the can and also eliminate hand shaving . I set them on their narrow side with the opening up , handle ready to pull and go or check inventory.  I use 2x lumber for the shelving  because I like to fill mine full.  I put two or three lengths in a can (3, 3.5 &4) then I use one shelf for each dia . 1/4" 5/16" 3/8" on up to 1" all have their own shelf.If you do a lot of painting or finish work that requires reducers and thinners the containers are very economical.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

m wood

I was a coffee can guy, still am to a degree but its a hassle.  Then my ex landlord hooked me up 3 months ago.  None of his 3 boys were interested at all, go figure.  I took these gladly then took he and his wife out to dinner, what a score!


 
3 of these racks and they were acually mostly full of various stuff
I am Mark
80 acre woodlot lots of hard and soft
modified nissan 4x4/welding rig
4x4 dodge plow truck
cat 931b track loader
Norwood mark IV
4' peavy
6' peavy
stihl 034
"her" wildthing limber saw
ALL the rustic furniture  woodworking stuff
check out FB

thecfarm

Got the bins and full of stuff too?? Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

m wood

yeah cfarm, his brother was a clock maker befor he passed some years ago, so most of the hardware is too tiny for my usual project.  But there's a bunch of household fixins in there too.  If I remember right, somebody DID have cake when we went out to dinner :D, musta been me!
I am Mark
80 acre woodlot lots of hard and soft
modified nissan 4x4/welding rig
4x4 dodge plow truck
cat 931b track loader
Norwood mark IV
4' peavy
6' peavy
stihl 034
"her" wildthing limber saw
ALL the rustic furniture  woodworking stuff
check out FB

Brad_bb

Here's a couple pics of my Durham drawers.  This is the best solution I've found for me.  By the time you add up the cost of the drawer slides and other materials and your labor to make something similar, I think they are a bargain.  They are also a very compact solution.  You can also remove the drawer boxes and take them with you if need be.

Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

hackberry jake

I think I have found a lead on one like Larry's.  I asked him how much he wanted for it and he said "a case of bud light". I think I can handle that.  8)
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

bedway

So happens Jake i was going thru my piles yesterday thinking i have to get away from this coffee can, mason jar system. Id hate to think of the time ive wasted over the years pouring stuff out, sorting thru it, and putting it all back in because i didnt find what i was looking for. GEEZE!

redbeard

 

  saw this idea a while back at a barn auction. If you had a supply of these type of tins with the handles.
Whidbey Woodworks and Custom Milling  2019 Cooks AC 3662T High production band mill and a Hud-son 60 Diesel wide cut bandmill  JD 2240 50hp Tractor with 145 loader IR 1044 all terrain fork lift  Cooks sharp

hackberry jake

Well, the bolt bin fell through. Guess ill load a pine log on the mill and and whack it into
3/4" boards. Then ill just build my own.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

hackberry jake

Well, one down and 95 to go.


 
I took more pictures of the building process and the shelfs but I removed my sd card from my phone and it had most of my pictures on it. I'll post some more Monday or Tuesday. I cut 2x10s down to 4' wide and made shelves that are just slightly taller than the bins so dust won't settle in them as bad. I just used 1/2" mdf and 1/8" hardboard. The front piece and back piece are dadoed at the bottom with my new (1954) dewalt radial arm saw, and the front, back, and bottom have a trough cut out using the table saw for the 1/8" hardboard. I just used titebond I to glue it all together. I was wondering if the glue would stick to the hardboard so I made a couple test pieces out of scrap mdf and hardboard and I couldn't get them apart for the life of me. I can get 8 bins per shelf and I will have 12 shelves. The dimensions of the bins are 4-3/4" x 4-3/4" x 9". I have two friends that saw it and had to have some, so it looks like I'll be making at least a couple hundred of em. One of the friends is my neighbor and we agreed that he would stock metric and I would stock standard sizes. That should work out pretty good.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

kensfarm

Wow.. I like the full size engraved label..  don't have to look twice to read that.  Will you paint the front? 

yukon cornelius

man that thing looks great! how in the world did you engrave that in there? ive been looking into some for my shop. I need to make some for bolts and parts and all sorts of things. I work on so many different things.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

beenthere

I'm thinking he has an NC controlled router?   :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

hackberry jake

Yeah. The faces are carved with this.


 
Probably not going to paint them. They are going to get greasy from shop hands anyways.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

hackberry jake

I had some more time this weekend to work on bins


 
You can see some of the pine 2x6s I cut in the background... These boards didn't have any pith in them and they still acted up. I am going to leave the rest in log form for a while and see if some of the tension evens out.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

yukon cornelius

hey jake, off the topic but I see a sign in the background that says brashears. is that a town by you? the only reason I ask is we live in the brashears valley up here in Missouri. they were a huge family. our land was owned by brashears before us. just wondering. I like the history of places. back on topic, the boxes are great! I need to make a bunch of them.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

hackberry jake

I guess it used to be a town. Now its more like a "Y" in the road with a couple chicken houses.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

5quarter

I see you haven't separated the bolts into grade or threads per inch... ;) :D :D. Looking awesome, btw.
What is this leisure time of which you speak?
Blue Harbor Refinishing

hackberry jake

Grade and threads per inch did cross my mind. But that would be taking it just a little too far. Im not a parts store... yet... Bwahahahaha!
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

thecfarm

They sure do look nice. I need to do something with all my nuts and bolts. They use to throw away alot of nuts and bolts at my last job. I would pick them up off the floor and wait until I get a coffee can full and get a slip to take them home. I do find some that are no good,but the price is right,so I throw it away and find another one.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

hackberry jake

I went to tractor supply and got a finely measured amount (handfull) of almost every size they had, Including nuts and washers. I spent right atound $150. Well worth it to stop the neverending job of hardware scrounging. Once I get the bins all made, I will go through my "bolt drawer" and sort them accordingly as well.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

yukon cornelius

I like to get a bunch of bolts every time I go in there. it doesn't take long to pay for them in fuel savings alone if you are very far from the store. for me its about a $30 trip for a $.50 bolt.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

hackberry jake

 

 
Bolt bins are done!
 

 



 
The dividers on the first shelf were just pieces of mdf glued onto the 2x10. This took a while to lay out the measurements and glue down the pieces so I just loaded a 1/2" bit in the router on the cnc and let it take out material where the bins go. This was a little time consuming as well, but I could be doing other things like glueing bins together while it was cutting. Talk about a lot of pine chips!
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

thecfarm

Talk about a good job. I would not know what to do!! I spend 15 minutes trying to find the right bolts,than 5 minutes trying to find washers.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

hardtailjohn

I'm so far behind, I think I'm ahead!

DansSawmill

very nice. i do need to do that.
Dan's Sawmill
Custom Sawing since 94
CNC woodworking too
now with a 98' lt40 super

m wood

It'll be time well spent, they look great Jake
I am Mark
80 acre woodlot lots of hard and soft
modified nissan 4x4/welding rig
4x4 dodge plow truck
cat 931b track loader
Norwood mark IV
4' peavy
6' peavy
stihl 034
"her" wildthing limber saw
ALL the rustic furniture  woodworking stuff
check out FB

julio

In the last pic you have 1/2  and 7/16 washer swaped around . THAT LOOKS GREAT.. 8)
If you put your finger in your ear and scratch, it sounds like PacMan.

isawlogs

 I would need a much, much larger MISC bin, like way bigger  :D :D :D

That looks really good.   :)
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

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