2007-01-20
Parts Cabinet (Mark II)
Constructed very much the same as my last one, this unit was built for my XYL. She's very much into beading, and has a large variety of the small things to store. I figured something similar to my electronic component storage system would work for her also. She agreed, so off to Bunnings and DSE we went...
The base is 16 mm MDF, with a "Lazy-Susan" turn table stuck to it, offering easy rotation - much better than my old caster wheel one. Extruded Aluminium L-section forms a bead around the edges of the bottom to contain the draw sets.
The draw boxes themselves are from DSE, catalogue number H-4587. They are currently advertising a special for these on their website, $9.47 each (normally about $14), which for 25 draws made of a tough (non-brittle) plastic, all in a black tough cabinet that has stacking feet moldings. The stacking property is excellent, I only wish I had these draws available when I built my original one! I'll be buying more next week no doubt (Tanya wants another layer on this thing anyway, she's already filled it).
Construction was pretty trivial, sawing the MDF to size went smoothly. I cut up the Aluminium L-section with aviation shears (not advisable - but it worked well). Then filed lapped-mitre joints in the ends - not extremely attractive or precise, but functional. Some small timber screws held the L-section in place.
Originally I had planned to build the unit with a top and wheels, held together with threaded rod, just as in my previous unit. I actually purchased these from Bunnings, but that was before I went to "Hot Dollar" at Warringah Mall and discovered the turn tables for $8. Unfortunately, their size and structure prevented using the threaded rod to hold a top MDF plate on. I don't think this will actually be a problem in practice, some double-sided tape or epoxy will hold the boxes together just fine.
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Parent article: Parts Cabinet.