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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Parts drawers for the El cheapo

    Hi guys,

    Nothing as grand as the projects that you fellows are working on but just a little something I have been playing with for a while.

    As some here already know, I dislike goods made of cheap nasty plastic and defer to metal whenever I can.

    I dislike the plastic parts drawers as they are guaranteed to degrade, crack, break and spill the contents to all regions of the garage floor.

    In this case, I long wanted a smallish set of parts drawers to house my small diameter threaded stainless steel screws and their accompanying washers and nuts. Commercial sheet metal parts drawers are worth a mint and I could not justify the cost.

    It all came to me when I was eating some canned smoked oysters and playing with the can realized that the sizing of the cans would be perfect for a small set of parts drawers. Hopefully, someone else can use the idea and save money.

    I have used the can ring pulls as handles to pull the cans /drawers out of their pigeonhole.

    Once the lid is removed from the can and it is washed, the remaining upper edges are dressed, The wider edge (at one end) is not dressed until later. I cut the slots with a hobby knife-be sure to punch each end with a prick punch. It helps stop over runs with the hobby knife

    The parallel slots are opened to receive the ring pull. Lastly, do a bit of dressing to fold the remaining rim edge down to help lock in the ring pull, dress that down and a dab of hot melt glue as a belt and braces fix.
    I hope someone may find it useful.

    Grahame

    I am not showing the pigeon hole frame as it looks like crap.Ring pull insertion.jpgMark out for ring pull.jpgRing pull bent to 90.jpgDress 3 sides.jpgCan and ring pull.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Grahame, Nice inventive idea, thanks. Please show what you used for the pidgeon holes frame, just to be able to give us an idea, PLEASE? Doesn't matter what it looks like, not everyone is able to produce masterpieces.
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Thanks Kryn,

    The pigeonhole, MK1. is made from 4mm MDF sheet, the only component I spent money on -$4 or so.

    The cabinet depth was made to let the drawers overhang a bit at the front .

    The design is that of finger joint assembly with slots cut in the vertical and horizontal members at the intersection of the sheets.

    I cut the MDF with a jigsaw and hot melt glued, that's why they look a bit agricultural. Let's face it! I am not a skilled artisan as far as MDF goes. Assembled, it all fits into a space 360 x 115 millimeters.

    MK 2 will be better.

    Here are the pics of the ruff as guts pigeonhole MK 1.

    Grahamepigeon hole construction.jpgPigeon holes main.jpg

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Thanks for that Grahame, it looks quite good, I've seen a lot worse come from so called tradesmen. MDF is a mongrel stuff to work with at the best of times, I try not to use it, but sometimes there's no other way.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Default

    Hi Guys,

    A good material for this could be 'Paxolin" aka resin bonded paper. Commonly used for printed circuit boards nowadays, but found in motors as terminal boards and similar applications, obviously minus the copper coating. Its the stuff that gives off that awful electrical smell when starting to burn. As a construction material, it is easy to cut and shape but you do need to take care when drilling holes, as it will splinter on the drill breakout. It can be obtained in quite a range of different thickness’s. I have some that I made into terminal supports that is 1" thick, for battery fork truck charging connectors. It can produce a lot of dust when machined, so a face mask is a must. It is very much the non metallic equivalent of cast iron. Very abrasive swarf !
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Aldinga Beach.
    Age
    73
    Posts
    148

    Default

    Obviously you like smoked oysters - a lot! I like baked beans but haven't come up with any ideas for empty tins yet...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Baron J,
    Thank you for your suggestion.

    I researched the Paxolin but it is nowhere near cost effective. An Australian supplier of 500 x 500 x 3 is over 50 Ozbucks delivered.
    My name, of course, is Irish but I think there is a Scotsman hiding in the family background, somewhere.

    With the MDF, I hot glued it . Next set of pigeon holes wil lexperiment with titebond.

    Onanonanon

    I am a diabetic and these smoked oysters provide a high protein, low-fat smoko item.

    It took a month or so to save enough tins. However the idea of the ring pulls idea did not twig until I was up to 10 tins saved and had been throwing the ring pulls away.

    I substituted soft drink can ring pulls ,though they do have some minor dimensional differences.

    I am eating towards the second set of 20 tins,now.

    I am looking at sardine can drawers,but it will take forever. I hate them but my wife likes them but not all the time.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    South Australia
    Posts
    1,656

    Default

    At last a use for smoked oysters open the tin throw them out convert the tin to parts draws, I will go with the sardines

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    Baron J,
    Thank you for your suggestion.

    I researched the Paxolin but it is nowhere near cost effective. An Australian supplier of 500 x 500 x 3 is over 50 Ozbucks delivered.
    My name, of course, is Irish but I think there is a Scotsman hiding in the family background, somewhere.

    With the MDF, I hot glued it . Next set of pigeon holes will experiment with titebond.
    Hi Grahame,

    I must confess that I haven’t bought any Paxolin for a very long time. In fact the PCB SRBP board that I currently have I was given to me from a firm that had ceased to use it any more, but its not thick enough or large enough to make pigeon holes with. Though I have used it to make shielded boxes for RF amplifiers by soldering the copper down the seams.

    I'm watching with interest
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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