[sdiy] Drawers for parts storage?

[Tom Arnold]

On Fri, Dec 09, 2005 at 04:49:28AM -0800, Casio Rapman wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a really good, affordable, large setup of drawers for 
> small parts in the US?

I found the Akro-Mills plastic drawers to be tolerable and cheap.  You can
find them for about $20.

I bought this one :
http://www.akro-mils.com/home_office/coupon_display.asp?id=107

I looked for but couldnt easily find this one :
http://www.akro-mils.com/home_office/coupon_display.asp?id=112

I am going to mention what I have switched to tho and my reasons cause I
think they're sane :-)
http://www.akro-mils.com/home_office/coupon_display.asp?id=147


Just based on resistors, with small drawers you cant fit bags in them.  When
I get resistors from Mouser they come in a plastic bag.  I put a binder
clamp on the bag to hold it shut and leave them in it.  With the large
drawer set you can fit about 5 values in a drawer, 6 if you really cram them
in.  With the small drawers you can fit a single bag in.  Now I'm up to
about 170 values of 1% resistors and drawer density just isnt high enough so
I went to the flip-top boxes.  Resistors that start with one have their own
box ( actually 2 boxes ).  2's have their own, etc.  In the space where I
had 24 large drawers before, or could fit one of the 64 drawer units, I now
have 10 of the flat boxes for a total of 90 compartments.  When I'm stuffing
a board I just grab the bin I need and work from it so I cut down how often
I have to wander over and grab more parts.  The Akro-Mills boxes have ridges
molded into them so parts cant make it over the dividers even if you shook
the boxes, and the clamp that holds the lid down is quite substantial.

Right now I'm stacking the boxes which is less then optimal, but I'm going
to aquire some Mailroom shelves.  Each shelf/mailbox will nicely hold a bin
and keep them all easily accessable and it will still take up the same space
as the drawers.  I've started moving caps to the same type of bins and am
using the drawers for larger parts like knobs and hardware.

-- 
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 - Tom Arnold       -  Free Synth DIY webspace http://www.sdiy.org 
 - SynthGeek        -
 - BBD Fanatic      -  "...is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?" 
 - echo evho wjxo   -    Juanita Shrugs. "What's the difference?" 
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