Sortmaster hardware rack

[Dan Dubeau]

Well, I finally am getting to the last of my "winter" shop projects. There's still some snow in the bush, so it still counts....Even if it was 22* out today

Here's the design I came up with that fits the space I have, and will hold all my sortmasters full of screws, bolts, etc....Right now they're here there and everywhere and need a home. They will live behind the back door, next to the lathe.

Picked up some new steel on Thursday, so it was time to get to it. Actually rummaged through my stock rack once I got home and found a bunch of leftover 3/4" square I was able to use up, so I can save 2 of the new 12' sticks I bought for something else.

You can see where some of them currently live in that red bottom box on the left there. Once this is done, I will be able to get rid of one of those.

All the pieces cut deburred, and cleaned for paint. Yeah, I'm going to paint this.....

I had some help with the deburring....

He did great, and actually enjoyed it. That little 1/4" M12 angle die grinder with a Roloc disc is a perfect tool to exploit child labour . Also my new favourite tool. Kid is so lucky, back in my day all I had was a rusty file......

From here out it's a pretty standard weldment, and went pretty quick. Welded (tacked) the front and back frames up individually, then the bottom frame, and finally joined them together with the spacers.

I cut another spacer for the sides, but never got a pic of it welded in. They did warp inwards a bit, so it was needed to space them back out again. I "just" had enough without having to cut into the fresh sticks.

Couldn't resist standing it up, to give it a try.

If you're wondering about the weird middle section with the slots, it's for swing out shelves, so I can pull a bin and set it there while I get hardware from it. Took some head scratching to come up with that, and keep it "simple" but it was fun to make. I cut the slots in the 2" sq tubing on the CNC last night, while I was turning the bushings in the lathe. Travel wasn't long enough, so I did it in 2 half's, as well as interpolate the bushing holes. 6 ops, all programmed using the same setup, just flip to the right side and run the right program ***......

The top one has a counterbore for a 3/8" SHCS, and the bottom is tapped. Once welded in they will be the pivot point for the swingout 18mm plywood shelf's. The slots are cut 0.720" (18mm is 0.708) so there is a bit of clearance, but they will hold the plywood when it's swung out. Should be good enough to hold a loaded sortmaster. We shall find out....First trial fit went good

All cleaned up ready for welding. I sandwiched a scrap piece of ply between them during welding to hold them in place. I can't remember the last time I tigged anything, it's been a while. I need to do this more as I forgot how much I love it.

There will only be 2 shelves, but I left some holding meat in the middle of the slots to cut away after welding up the fram because I didn't want it to warp on me. I'll cut those tabs out when it's all done and it's time to fit the shelves.

That's where I am at the moment. I might get back at it tomorrow to cut the drawer slides from 1/8"x1.5" flat bar. All 78 of them.....Or I might not. Busy day tomorrow with other things, and my Wife also informed me this afternoon that she got 12 laying hens we need to pickup next weekend (for free). Which means I have from now until then to figure out a home for them.....Or else we're having a chicken BBQ next weekend . Might not get to finish this winter project before the last of the snow melts in the bush. Could be another couple weeks....Stay tuned.....

 

[Dan Dubeau]

*** Shhhhhh

That was a setup error, not a programming error. I still have teething problems switching between the haas controls and this one at home once in a while. There are things I like, and some I don't but this was a simple rookie mistake though. If you have a calibrated eyecrometer, you'll notice that gap is exactly 0.100"......When you set your work offset on the Tormach (pathpilot), you can simply type in the offset first. I like that. I typically edge find the stock, and type +/-0.1 in the axis box and hit enter. On the haas, you set the work offset zero first, then +/-0.1 radius of the edge finder. An extra step. That's great for picking up an edge, but when picking up the middle of stock, I never do that, I set zero on one side, then pickup the other and split the middle. The edgefinder dia is cancelled out, and you have true middle of stock. This time however, I picked up one side of the tube, typed +0.1 in y....then picked up the other side. Split that # and set y0. My spidey sense should have tingled when the # wasn't around 1.1, I usually catch that stuff, but I missed this one. I didn't notice it until I'd run the other side and was trying to figure out why my 1" stock wouldn't pass through.....Oh well, that's what welders are for.....It's so nice filling in mistakes with tig lol.

 

[6.5 Fan]

.It's so nice filling in mistakes with tig lol.

Nobody but the chickens will ever know.

 

[Mcgyver]

Very industrious! I like the cart idea a lot

I've adopted a sort of cart system in the basement shop(s) (a few rooms) and used the wire rack shevling. That and casters on some wood working machines. Lots of mobile stations, storage and machines is the next best thing to square feet.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Very industrious! I like the cart idea a lot

I've adopted a sort of cart system in the basement shop(s) (a few rooms) and used the wire rack shevling. That and casters on some wood working machines. Lots of mobile stations, storage and machines is the next best thing to square feet.

Thanks. I've made it my mission lately that everything either be on wheels, or easily moveable by pallet jack. Only the welding table and lathe remain. Looking forward to the day I can wheel my welding table out in the driveway for stuff like this.

We have a few of those wire racks in the basement, and I need to pick up another one. I also like the moving dollies from Princess Auto. Almost everything else in the basement is on those. They're cheap mobility.

 

[JustaDB]

back in my day all I had was a rusty file......

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Probably didn't even have a handle, either...

Nice job on the rack.

 

[slow-poke]

Dan, looking very good. Custom solutions are often the best solution.

I use a rotating cubicle plus a bunch of modular Add-A-Drawer bins that are handy because you can connect them together to fit a particular space.

 

[Susquatch]

I use a rotating cubicle plus a bunch of modular Add-A-Drawer bins that are handy because you can connect them together to fit a particular space.

If I started putting everything in that many drawers I'd never find anything ever again......

 

[slow-poke]

If I started putting everything in that many drawers I'd never find anything ever again......

That is a valid point, I concocted a bit of a color scheme for some things, and then organize by group so that helps. Sometimes I end up rotating the cube more than 360 degrees when I'm spinning too hastily.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Found some time this morning to chip away.

Got sidetracked moving my forge out of the garage again, and made some quick and dirty wheels for it. Big wheels should make it easier to wheel out in the backyard too.

Some 5/8" all thread, some black iron pipe, and a couple washers. Plus some 2x2x1/4" angle all welded together.....

Just one of those 15 minute jobs I can never find the time for......

That out of the way I started cutting the slides. Ganged up 6 stick, and a stop and it went pretty quick.

All done. I even cut the shelves, and my slide spacer blocks too.

Can anybody guess what my next shop project is/needs to be by those pictures......?

I'm going to taper the end of the slide for aesthetics, and will setup the Tormach to cut them. Maybe tonight. I might even get some deburring help again for those. I sure hope so......Really wish I had a belt grinder (no that's not the next project I was referring too, but it is one of them lol)

 

[Hruul]

I think you have out feed support for the saw covered.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I think you have out feed support for the saw covered.

Once I finish the rack I won't have any left......

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Dropped the kids off at the bus stop this morning, then fired up the Tormach to profile the ends of all the slides.

10mm Endmill, Side milled it in one go. Cycle time was Just quick enough that I could get in the groove deburring the previous one before I had to swap parts. Dropped the program a few times over the run to use up the rest of the endmill. Corners were gone on it to start with, and now the sides are. Took a while, but overall not too bad. The flatbar had a little snaggle burr on one side (lengthwise, both edges), so I made sure to make an even # up, and down so I could just leave it, and face it down on the rack. I tried deburring a few, but deemed it not worth it.

Next up was to cut and fit some of the non similar slides

After dinner I started into welding the slides in. I ripped some spacers on the table saw, and it went a quicker than I thought it would. I only welded at the ends, and the edges of the vertical tube on the backs to try not to warp them. I think they came out pretty good, and while they may have moved a little bit it's not really enough to notice or worry about. The little weld area should be plenty strong enough to hold a fully loaded sortmaster box. It's always something I struggle with on weldments. I always weld too much, and I think that knowing how to weld just enough is a very an underrated skill set. Pretty easy to get carried away and lay down too much weld, or put to much heat into something and warp it up like a pretzel.

This is where I'm at right now. Getting to the end of something like this is always a bit nerve wracking waiting for an earlier measuring mistake to rear it's head, but it all worked out here. The top gap is the same as all the others. I'd rather use my luck for lottery #'s, but I'll take it when I can.

All that's left is
-Casters
-Weld in some stops at the backs
-Finish slide out shelves
-Cut plywood side/top inserts
-Paint

Should be able to finish it up tomorrow/sunday and check this one off my list. I have a bunch of other non shop projects that really need attention so I need to finish this this weekend.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Had a bit of time last night to chip away again.

First I welded in some screw tabs to hold the panels, and welded in all the back stops.

I also added some casters at the back, and feet for the front. Decided against swivel casters on the front because when they swiveled in, the footprint of the stand would be way too small and tippy. After tacking the casters on the back, I decided that it's extremely tippy too, and I'm going to go with just fixed feet. It's light enough that if I ever have to move it, I can empty the bins out and drag it around, or use the pallet jack and keep it loaded. I do not want to chance this falling on me or one of the kids the way it is.

The welding all done for now, it was time to sweep up, and switch to sawdust making mode. This is the last chunk of oak veneer plywood left from the last big woodworking project I was working on, when I had all my wood tools setup about 16 years ago. A kitchen unit to house a small chest freezer and microwave stand for my GF's small apartment. We moved in together into a bigger condo before I finished assembling it, and I've been carting it around and using it here and there ever since. Still have a few smaller pieces left, but all the big stuff is gone finally .

I cross cut them in the garage with the circ saw, then ripped them to width on the tablesaw in the barn.

Now it was time to add all the clearance for the welds using a flap wheel (there is no fine woodorking shown from here on out ). All the rabbets are pre existing, so I hid them on the inside.

The screw tab area was taken down with a router so it's all flush on the inside.

First one done, now repeat 3 more times.

The irony of building an over complicated rack to hold all the hardware you own, but not having enough hardware to complete it.......lol. I had to make the drive of shame into town to pickup some short screws to hold the panels in....

That's as far as I got last night.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Set out this this morning to finish the shelves, and whatever is left.

With all the welding done to the frame I could cut out my slot tabs.

Got them pretty close with the cutoff disc, but hand filed them all smooth. Time to test fit the shelves I cut last night.

I had to hand file the bushing area quite a bit to get the plywood to fit. I should have used some shims between them and the scrap I used when I welded them in. But it wasn't too bad. Maybe 20 minutes of work and elbowgrease.

The ply was slightly curved, and still too tight for my liking, so it was either hand file the steel slots wider, or take the bototm layer of veneer off to reduce the thicknes of ply.....

I've never had any luck surface planing plywood, so I use a flap wheel to take it down quickly, then a ROS palm sander to finish it flat. This is the underside, so I don't care what it looks like, but they came out much better and flatter than I anticipated. Both pieces done, they fit much better now. In retrospect, I should have added WAY more clearance when I cut the slots, but I didn't want them to be too wobbly, and only left 0.01" clearance. Thinking like a machinist.....

Both pieces all fit, it was time to drill the pivot hole, and cut the clearance curves, then round over the edges with a 1/4" roundover bit.

Then finally test the fit (sorry, I forgot to take some pics of the last sequence)

Pretty happy camper right now, I couldn't wait to test them out with some bins.

They're still a little tight going in and out, due to the slight warpage, but I'm going to make some finger pulls on the ends to help them. Should be a fun blacksmithing project.

That's where I'm at right now. Was really hoping to drag it outside and paint it today, so I could finish it 100% and start using it, but the weather isn't cooperating. After lunch I'm going to swap the casters for some solid feet, screw the sides on, and stick it in the corner to start filling it up. Some nice summer day, I'll pull it outside and paint it. I have a few other things that need painting too, so I'll make a day out of my most hated job......

 

[TorontoBuilder]

If I started putting everything in that many drawers I'd never find anything ever again......

a database and labels are your friend.

I dream of one day owning a stencil cutter to label 100 wood mini-crates

 

[Dan Dubeau]

after lunch I zipped the casters off. (I know I'll catch hell for welding them, we already went over this in my poll thread from years ago........) then welded on some 1.5" square tube legs. Didn't have enough of the same tube I made the front legs from (it's all scrap odd and ends).

A shot from underneath showing how the shelf tucks into the back piece of angle.

Flipped back over it's now as sure footed as a mountain goat.

Turned my attention to the back corner cleanup.

Had to shove the lathe down an inch, but it fits. Also have to shim the feet with 1/2" ply. There is nothing flat and level about this garage floor.

Screwed the side panel in too. Here's a shot from inside showing how they sit flush with both the inside and outside, as well as the weld clearance.

Now the fun part. You know that feeling when you're running a marathon, but super tired and struggling, then you catch a glimpse of the finish line and get a sudden burst of energy? Me neither, but I can imagine this is what it feels like .

Empty this, and this.

and fill this

Felt pretty good filling that up finally. I know I'm 2 short on the small sortmasters, and will order 2 more to fill it. How this all came about was I originally had 12 of the bigger ones shown under the red toolbox. Back when I started buying these about 10 years ago you could get them for $19.99 for a 2 pack at home depot, and I'd buy one every once in a while I was there. Thinking over time I'd one day end up with a bunch and make something like this. Then they disappeared, and while I could find them online, the price was nowhere near $20 for two anymore.....Until I found the 2 packs online again in the fall, and rekindled the idea again. So I ordered 10 more, and after 2 months......they sent me the wrong ones. I hate wasting things, so instead of sending them back, I thought I could use them anyway, so we came up with a reasonable solution to the inconvenience, and they shipped me 6 more big ones. I got the little ones for $11, and the big ones for $20 for two. The missing 2 are simply because the middle clear boxes space is equally divisible at 9:6.

I have not put a top on yet, because I'm not 100% sure how I want it to be. I have a bunch of open bins, and would like to incorporate them into the top somehow, but will need to rattle that around upstairs for a bit.

Now, I know what you're thinking. But Dan, how are you going to open that door? About 10 years ago I added a hinge in the middle to clear a filing cabinet I had back there. The filing cabinet has moved to a different spot, but I've grown to like the adjustable door, and the usable space that it brings to that back corner. So it stays for now, although both front and rear doors are slated for replacement this year so I'll have to find a new space for this guy. Too much brickwork to move the opening over lol.

Might not be to code, but more than enough for me and I'm not a small guy (5'11"' 260lbs) to freely move in and out. Considering the man door at the front, roll up door, and door to the house, I'm not too worried about egress. A firefighter in bunker gear would have just as much trouble navigating the shop pathway to get in the house from back there as they would the entry door and we're so far out in the country that by the time they got out here they'd let it burn anyway. There are better ways to enter the house if they needed to. If I was trapped in the garage unable to get out, the wife would stop them at the road and hold them up for a while lol. It'll go back to code when I get new doors though.

That's a wrap for now. I have some small finishing touches still to do, and paint of course, so I'll update accordingly, but for now, I need to move on to other more pressing seasonal projects. I doubt there's still any snow left in the bush, so I didn't make the winter project deadline on this one. Missed it by that much.....

Thanks for looking, Cheers!.

 

[Chicken lights]

That turned out great!!

Now you need a label maker

 

[Dan Dubeau]

That turned out great!!

Now you need a label maker

Thank you. Already on it .

I think there is only 3 empty sortmasters left, not including the two missing small ones. I still need to go through them all, and group like type stuff a bit better, but that is a weeknight/bench top beer drinking kind of job. They're pretty good now, but I've come this far......

I'm getting there. That one bottom box is empty now. I need to pick up another pack of the small locking top costco bins tomorrow, and I'll get my welding table back.

I'll be moving my tools from one bottom box to the other, and giving the smaller one to a young coworker. Might not seem like much space saving, but in here it's a lot. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a train. .

Old chicken coup is all cleaned up and ready for the chicks next weekend too. And the kids have made an executive decision that they want to donate their old playhouse to the new chicks, so we'll be turning it into a chicken coup in the next little while and move them over to the new place.

Seems like yesterday I built it for them, now they're too big to play with it anymore. It goes way too fast.

Son wants to make the coup automated so it cleans the poop, feeds and waters them, and has a conveyor belt to deliver the eggs to the house......I have no idea where he gets this from lol.