EEVblog #1344 - Custom Lab Storage Shelves

[EEVblog]

Custom storage shelves for under the bench in the new lab.
Using an online flat pack custom shelving and storage ordering system, and assembly.

[Barny]

Nice shelves.

If you plan to load them with heavy stuff, I recommend to use a backwall or put an diagonal board to increase the rigidity.

[EDIT]
I think the third bord ist to be inserted on the back side in the middle of the shelve in the predrilked holes to kompensate the missing backplate.
[/Edit]

[nctnico]

Stack the bins the other way round so they support eachother or hang then from the wall and you don't need the shelving. Shelving just gets in the way. I have been using these kind of bins for decades to store more chunky parts like mains plugs and fans.

[Ed.Kloonk]

Have noticed this year the price of consumer storage solutions has gone through the roof.

Bins and tubs are the worst. Too much money for just cheap, molded plastic.

[richnormand]

I had a similar backless shelves setup in the workshop for access from both sides.
Bad idea: after a few years they became quite wobbly.
So I unloaded the lot, moved them against the wall and put guy wires on the back in a X shape to stiffen everything up sideways.
Been like that for more than 10 years now
You might consider that before loading up the shelves since you wont be using the back access under the table I would guess.
Cheers

 

[EEVblog]

Stack the bins the other way round so they support eachother or hang then from the wall and you don't need the shelving. Shelving just gets in the way. I have been using these kind of bins for decades to store more chunky parts like mains plugs and fans.

Nope, I want to be able to pull them out easily, not have to unhook them from a wall buried under the bench.

[EEVblog]

Nice shelves.

If you plan to load them with heavy stuff, I recommend to use a backwall or put an diagonal board to increase the rigidity.

[EDIT]
I think the third bord ist to be inserted on the back side in the middle of the shelve in the predrilked holes to kompensate the missing backplate.
[/Edit]

All the shelves are screwed into the sides, the whole thing is very rigid.

[EEVblog]

Bins and tubs are the worst. Too much money for just cheap, molded plastic.

Yes, not cheap, but it's exactly what I want.

[Brumby]

The shelf supports to deal with your hole placement.

I've seen these at Bunnings.

As for shelves sliding, you can get them to stay in place - but still be easily removable - by tapping in a couple of panel pins on the underside of the shelf, just behind where a shelf support will be and left sticking out 1-2mm.  Do the same at the back and the shelves might move a millimetre or two, but they won't go anywhere.  To remove, just lift up.


Just a thought.

[Brumby]

All the shelves are screwed into the sides, the whole thing is very rigid.

Forget what I just said.

[Ed.Kloonk]

All the shelves are screwed into the sides, the whole thing is very rigid.

Forget what I just said.

You know Dave. Always screwing things up!


 

[Ed.Kloonk]

Bins and tubs are the worst. Too much money for just cheap, molded plastic.

Yes, not cheap, but it's exactly what I want.

I saw them in Bunnings a while back     and when I saw them again in the vid I thought, you rich bastard!     

For the little items such as screws and crimp connectors etc, I still would prefer troff trays, and it's on my list to ask Santa, but in the mean time I've bought 1000 of those containers that they use for the curried prawns and rice. I write on the side with a texta. Good enough for this little black duck. As they break, I'll just get another one from my stash.

 

But I'm under no illusion that I'll ever get this place tidy or indeed organised.

[aqarwaen]

dave why you just dont rent cheap storage room near your office?i think it would good option to store all your stuff.

[Brumby]

Let me answer that by asking you a question......

Would you rather store your soap, shampoo and other (frequently used) assorted products in the garage - or put up a shelf in the bathroom?

[Ian.M]

Dave's already got a storage room near the lab: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/the-eevblog-bunker/

Assuming there is a lift between the bunker floor and the lab floor, getting a hospital trolley, a portable rack for the Bunnings 'Handy' bins that fits the lower shelf of the trolley,  and a rack for them in the storage bunker would allow Dave to easily swap out bins he's not currently using to the bunker.

[SeanB]

Did a similar thing, just instead of using composite board went instead for cheap C grade shutterply, and to make things even easier just had the boards cut at the supplier. Used a single dimension cut, so the whole 2440 x 1220 sheet was cut at 300mm increments so I had a whole load of 1220 by 300mm sheets, plus one slightly larger that became the top. Then simply spent some time using wood glue and a lot of long drywall and chipboard screws, plus the drill and some sacrificial bits, to put in all the screws to give a shelf unit to use. Some are 4 layer, some are 3 layer, as this fits the boxes I use in them, and this gives a good range of possibilities, just added a brace on the back to make it more sturdy, as buying a full sheet of the shutterply just to act as backing was going to double the cost, and those boards are not cheap, but a whole lot stronger than the shyteboard.

Sand and then a coat of finish made them look more appealing, and making more is easy.

For those units Dave has I would recommend using glue on the joints, and making the shelves a permanent fix with some chipboard screws and glue, as this will make it more robust. The rear brace also is needed. Use longer screws than supplied, the longest you can get, probably a 60mm one, as the board strength is poor, especially near the edges, and the long screws spread the loading out over a larger area of the board, so it is less likely to tear and delaminate with shock of load.

At least put the base of the feet on, as this will keep the shelving units from wicking up moisture from the floor in the event of a spill, which will cause the chipboard to rapidly turn into powder, as the modern stuff is formaldehyde free, and thus is very sensitive to moisture. the only chipboard that is still formaldehyde based is that meant for marine applications, where they still use the impregnation with formaldehyde glue and high pressure and heat for curing, to get a product that will actually survive immersion is sea water for a few hours without failure. Expensive though, and not many plants left that make it, the one inland closed down a few years ago, kind of sad as my father did a lot of the construction and plant works there when they opened the plant a half century ago.

[Pack34]

If you want to prevent the shelves from sliding, you can always get the style in the link below. There's a small hole in the flange you can drive a screw up into. The benefit is that if you change your mind later you won't have a bunch of holes in the side of the carcass and you won't need to slide the shelving units apart to access any hidden screws.

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Bracket-L-Shaped-Bookcase-Furniture/dp/B07RGPHMQ8/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=shelf+pins&qid=1604514349&sr=8-9

[BugKiller]

Any links to recommendations for these in the U.S., preferably in Southern California to keep shipping reasonable or to permit direct pick-up?

Finding these is surprisingly hard. A Google search for "custom workshop cabinets" produced 1-1/2 pages of ads (will try non-Google search ...). These are mostly for modular rather than custom cabinets and many are for off-topic type cabinets (kitchen, closet, and garage use). Most are also $$$, hence probably why they can pay Google for "ad" priority treatment.

Drilling down to non-ad search hits, again mostly modular and/or not particularly useful for workshop use. Also, many of these hits are for city-specific installers of such cabinets. [Adding "design" or "manufacturing" to searches does not filter out many of these. I am shocked, shocked I tell you ... to find that some advertisers abuse search systems.]

Dave is right about marketing opportunities, where franchises for this do not already exist. In fact, a few smart existing companies might want to chat Dave up to buy ads on his sites.

[BugKiller]

Adding some points, including some more on SeanB's excellent suggestions:

For Dave's pin-issue, or if you want to take up as little vertical space as possible, wooden doll pins may work but metal pins may work better. Most local hardware stores have roll pins (I believe the technical name is "spring tension roll pin"). If you cannot buy these sized to get a slight "interference fit" in existing holes, buy the next size up and drill out the holes slightly.

Using glue in assembly is a good idea for these or simply for any self-assembled cabinets, furniture, etc. For instance, in multiple home garages over the years I have bought and assembled modular cabinets and shelf units. After seeing "wobble" set in over time in some of these I stated using glue and bought a cheap set of right-angle woodworking clamps to hold pieces together while the glue sets.

The small rectangular piece(s) Dave also received are typical cabinet "base" pieces, and there may be ones for both the front and back. The plastic feet Dave received can be used behind / inside these and adjusted to provide a small gap (e.g., 1-5mm) between the base piece(s) and the floor (e.g., to prevent moisture-to-wood type contact, where a potential issue; as SeanB noted). Cheap plastic or rubber flashing can be tacked on the base piece(s) to cover the gap and then some, to keep dust, liquid, vermin out from under cabinets (as I also learned the hard way over the years, in modular garage cabinet installations).