Kit storage
- Thread starter WriteON
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Ray-CA
Member
I use a couple of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/8-bin-portable-parts-storage-case-93927.html in a cabinet I built that looks like this:
egnald
Member
Greetings from Nebraska.
Here is my setup (evolved over about 5 years):
I store most of my kits in drawers in a plastic storage unit. About 4 or 5 kits will fit in each drawer, so for some kits, the overflow goes into small plastic containers that are stacked on top.
In the photo you can also see the bulk of my plastic blanks inventory stored on a shelf under the drawer units, and to the side is a set of small plastic jars in boxes that house my bushing collection.
I store my frequent use blanks in 5x8 bags hanging under a shelf. The overflow and bulk go into shoebox sized plastic containers and are stored on shelves above them.
The drawer labels are color coded to kit families like Cigar, Sierra, Rollerball, Themed, etc. The same color code is used to help identify the correct bushings for each set which are stored in small jars inside little plastic boxes. The color coding is also used in the 3-ring binder I use to store instruction sheets for each kit style.
I'm sure you will find a lot of ideas here and will come up with a good solution that works well for you.
Regards,
Dave
Here is my setup (evolved over about 5 years):
I store most of my kits in drawers in a plastic storage unit. About 4 or 5 kits will fit in each drawer, so for some kits, the overflow goes into small plastic containers that are stacked on top.
In the photo you can also see the bulk of my plastic blanks inventory stored on a shelf under the drawer units, and to the side is a set of small plastic jars in boxes that house my bushing collection.
I store my frequent use blanks in 5x8 bags hanging under a shelf. The overflow and bulk go into shoebox sized plastic containers and are stored on shelves above them.
The drawer labels are color coded to kit families like Cigar, Sierra, Rollerball, Themed, etc. The same color code is used to help identify the correct bushings for each set which are stored in small jars inside little plastic boxes. The color coding is also used in the 3-ring binder I use to store instruction sheets for each kit style.
I'm sure you will find a lot of ideas here and will come up with a good solution that works well for you.
Regards,
Dave
BCnabe
Member
Sports card (baseball, football, etc.) storage boxes work well for me. The rows for cards are about the same width as the pen kit bags.
RGVPens
Member
Great setup Dave! I had a nice, organized setup for my scroll saw and woodworking shop in MO (18x30 shop). But after the move a month or so ago, into a much smaller shop, most everything is in a box...somewhere. 
I need to spend 3-4 days, with the laptop shut off, just unboxing and organizing. I would get more done if I weren't stopping to look in boxes/totes for things I need to use!
I may "borrow" some of your ideas! Did you make all the labels and colored ones also? Or did they come off stuff shipped to you?
I need to spend 3-4 days, with the laptop shut off, just unboxing and organizing. I would get more done if I weren't stopping to look in boxes/totes for things I need to use!
I may "borrow" some of your ideas! Did you make all the labels and colored ones also? Or did they come off stuff shipped to you?
egnald
Member
Great setup Dave! I had a nice, organized setup for my scroll saw and woodworking shop in MO (18x30 shop). But after the move a month or so ago, into a much smaller shop, most everything is in a box...somewhere.
I need to spend 3-4 days, with the laptop shut off, just unboxing and organizing. I would get more done if I weren't stopping to look in boxes/totes for things I need to use!
I may "borrow" some of your ideas! Did you make all the labels and colored ones also? Or did they come off stuff shipped to you?
Thanks for the compliment.
I made the labels using Microsoft Publisher 2013 on Avery 1 x 2 5/8 address labels. I use Publisher because it has a very nice option to print individual labels on a full sheet of 30 by specifying what row and column to start on. For the labels themselves, I used the Windows Snipping Tool to capture a picture of a pen made with the specific kit and pasted it into Publisher. (The PSI website has a nifty "CUSTOMIZE" tab on most of their kits that lets you design "configure" the plating and blank type which results in a nice picture that can be grabbed using the snipping tool).
I got the little plastic jars for bushings from our local Walmart store. There are 12 bottles in a little plastic box. They were made by Darice and were in the aisle where they sell beads and jewelry making craft stuff. (They also sell a similar one from another company that has 30 jars in it).
During my career at Vishay Dale Electronics, I was in charge of the Methods & Standards department for a few years. That's where I learned about LEAN Manufacturing and the 5-S principals for storage and labeling stuff. I got my storage cabinets (Akro-Mills) from our local Menards store. The drawers are about 4-1/4 by 5-1/4 and are 2-1/4 deep. The shoebox storage for my blanks was also from Menards and are Sterilite 6 quart size. Each one holds about 70 blanks either in bulk or in 5 x 8 plastic bags. I order the bags from someone on eBay.
If there is anything else I can help with, just let me know - Dave
JUICEDSS
Member
I made my own storage system using wooden cigar boxes from the local smoke shop. They normally just throw them out.
RGVPens
Member
Nice!
KMCloonan
Member
I really like Butch's Cigar box setup. It's a shame I don't have a cigar store near me.
I also like Dave's arrangement. Mine is similar, although not nearly as elaborate.
My setup has evolved from piles of mailing envelopes that kits arrive in, to cardboard boxes with dividers. I knew I needed to be better organized, so over the last several years, I have been visiting the local goodwill - they seem to have a fairly constant supply of plastic bins, drawers, etc. I have been slowly collecting my items and putting them to good use.
Here is my Kit storage. Each drawer can be divided into 6 compartments. I gave the left and right sides of the drawers letter designations. Each drawer has 2 letters. I store different kits in each drawer/compartment. On my instructions sheet, I write the Kit drawer letter, so I don't have to rummage through a pile of kits.
I also have smaller drawer units that where I store my bushings. I number the drawers sequentially, so far I am up to 24 drawers. Each drawer has 2 compartments, so I call them a & b. I write the bushing drawer # and a or b on the instructions sheet as well.
My biggest challenge is keeping all of my raw materials organized. I have veneer in one flat drawer, I have fish paper in another. I have brass, copper, aluminum, and acrylic sheets of various colors all over the place. I also have a ton of lumber. I try to organize my cutoffs, leftover pieces in one small drawer unit, and I keep blanks I have bought, blanks I have stabilized, and blanks I have cut from boards in a 3 drawer unit
Lastly, because I am so happy with my new Laguna 1216 lathe, I thought I would throw a photo of it on here, along with the extended stand that I turned into a small workbench with storage for my lathe, as well as glues, sandpaper, etc.
I also like Dave's arrangement. Mine is similar, although not nearly as elaborate.
My setup has evolved from piles of mailing envelopes that kits arrive in, to cardboard boxes with dividers. I knew I needed to be better organized, so over the last several years, I have been visiting the local goodwill - they seem to have a fairly constant supply of plastic bins, drawers, etc. I have been slowly collecting my items and putting them to good use.
Here is my Kit storage. Each drawer can be divided into 6 compartments. I gave the left and right sides of the drawers letter designations. Each drawer has 2 letters. I store different kits in each drawer/compartment. On my instructions sheet, I write the Kit drawer letter, so I don't have to rummage through a pile of kits.
I also have smaller drawer units that where I store my bushings. I number the drawers sequentially, so far I am up to 24 drawers. Each drawer has 2 compartments, so I call them a & b. I write the bushing drawer # and a or b on the instructions sheet as well.
My biggest challenge is keeping all of my raw materials organized. I have veneer in one flat drawer, I have fish paper in another. I have brass, copper, aluminum, and acrylic sheets of various colors all over the place. I also have a ton of lumber. I try to organize my cutoffs, leftover pieces in one small drawer unit, and I keep blanks I have bought, blanks I have stabilized, and blanks I have cut from boards in a 3 drawer unit
Lastly, because I am so happy with my new Laguna 1216 lathe, I thought I would throw a photo of it on here, along with the extended stand that I turned into a small workbench with storage for my lathe, as well as glues, sandpaper, etc.
WriteON
Member
monophoto
Member
I don't do many pen kits anymore, but when I started into turning, I used plastic boxes that originally contained deli products. You can purchase new/empty boxes at the supermarket, or just buy ham in the deli section and recycle the boxes. I put labels on the end of the boxes, and stacked them on ClosetMaid wire shelving in the shop.
