Tool and part storage

[Jantrix]

Okay. Long story short.

New house. HOBBY ROOM! But a small one. About 9'x10'. 

Most of my stuff has been spread out in previous homes, in garage, closets, under beds, etc. So lots of little storage bins, boxes and Rubbermaid drawers. It's not going to work in this room anymore. I need cabinetry this time I think. With 2"-4" drawers. I need recommendations. I'm no Norm Abrams, so building my own cabinets is likely not gonna happen. Anyone found anything from Ikea maybe? Something like a Stanley Vidmar, but without the heart stopping price.

Any help would be appreciated. 

[1930fordpickup]

Ikea does have some smaller cabinets Rob. do not recall the number as of now I can look later. You could also check the local big box store for scratch and dent cabinets or tool boxes. 

Menards has a few different size counter tops that are already to size. But and old solid door or planks also work. 

[Don Sikora II]

If you're a reasonable distance to an IKEA store, I'd go check it out and see what catches your eye. Here are a few of the things I've found there that I use for storage. They aren't really a cabinet system, but thought I'd share what has worked for me. I've been more of an accumulator of storage items over time, so it's kind of an evolving situation rather than a grand plan.  

I have three of these HELMER drawer units. They are painted steel and pretty easy to assemble. They are also sturdy, and offer lots of storage space in a small footprint. Keep bottle paints in one. Two others are stashed under my desk which doubles as a workbench.....they are on wheels so you can roll out of the way easily. Lots of miscellaneous stuff in those: sandpaper, sheet plastic and strip stock, small tools in plastic organizers, Dremel chargers, etc., etc.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10251045/

The GLIS storage box is quite possibly the best thing I've ever found at IKEA. These are stackable and quite well made. I use these to store small parts and tires. Also have used them to keep things like paints together when I'm working on a project and need to pack it away. There have been at least three variations of this basic item since I started buying them, some of them have removable dividers to break up larger compartments. Think the newest version may have done away with the removable dividers, which is a shame. Another great use is for carrying built cars to NNLs...with the old ones you can carry three built ups, each in its own compartment. They used to carry these in the home organization area, but for the last few years they have been moved into the kids area. 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00283103/

The IKEA PS metal cabinet is a good place to stash a bunch of stuff, and you can use the top surface for display. The LIXHULT series cabinets are made along the same lines. I have two of the gray ones. One of the KUGGIS boxes is sized just right so you can fit two of them under each cabinet. 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80100190/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70328669/

Don't use them for model stuff, but the KUGGIS series of plastic boxes with lids are excellent. Think there are four sizes, and they are a system so you can stack the various sizes together. These are extremely well made from a dense white plastic, so they aren't anything like a typical Rubbermaid or IRIS plastic box. The PLUGGIS series is designed along the same lines, and they make a nice set of two magazine files in that line.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20280207/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20234692/

Have a tall BILLY bookcase with glass doors too. Always check the as-is section, once in a while you get lucky! Shelves are (or at least were!) available individually, so mine is packed full of shelves and is home to promos and built ups. 

You can also look for a tall, narrow dresser. Again, lots of storage space in a small footprint. Think mine (it's not from IKEA) has six drawers and is somewhere around four feet tall. The top surface is used for display.

 

[High octane]

This is what I use as my tools and jar paints are all in this desk drawer.

 

[Jantrix]

23 minutes ago, Don Sikora II said:

If you're a reasonable distance to an IKEA store, I'd go check it out and see what catches your eye. Here are a few of the things I've found there that I use for storage. They aren't really a cabinet system, but thought I'd share what has worked for me. I've been more of an accumulator of storage items over time, so it's kind of an evolving situation rather than a grand plan.  

 

Don, that's a good idea. I think a pair of these stacked would be ideal though.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241/#/50264927

[Don Sikora II]

30 minutes ago, Jantrix said:

Don, that's a good idea. I think a pair of these stacked would be ideal though.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241/#/50264927

Have looked at those in the past, or maybe something similar...have vague memories of a white casing with orange drawers. I like the idea of stacking two of them, and the gray looks good.

[TarheelRick]

Another place to look for cheaper priced furniture items is your local Goodwill Store, Habitat Restore, or Salvation Army.  You can quite often come across items that are easily repurposed into usable hobby room furniture.  Plus you will be helping some worthwhile organizations.  Just thought about consignment stores or estate auction sales.

Edited November 28, 2017 by TarheelRick

[Greg Pugh]

I found an old Dentist's Cabinet on one of those local Facebook classifieds pages. I sanded the drawer faces to "antique" them and then painted the rest white. Added some new knobs and voila! Anyways, what I like about it is that it has 22 drawers and they're in various depths. More than enough room for spare stuff I have. I keep my tools in my desk drawer.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Greg Pugh

[peteski]

I bought some full extension drawer slides and some wide laminated boards at Home Depot and built myself a paint cabinet.  The drawers were designed to hold few hundred of various brands of paint bottles and spray cans.

I also built a smaller cabinet for my tools (under the workbench). It is on casters so I can roll it around the workshop.

[Jantrix]

Great stuff guys. Thanks.

[Foxer]

19 hours ago, Greg Pugh said:

I found an old Dentist's Cabinet on one of those local Facebook classifieds pages. I sanded the drawer faces to "antique" them and then painted the rest white. Added some new knobs and voila! Anyways, what I like about it is that it has 22 drawers and they're in various depths. More than enough room for spare stuff I have. I keep my tools in my desk drawer.

 

This is perfect ... gonna have to find one.

 

[landman]

Rob, I have been relegated to a former storage room and two wall units in the downstairs bathroom. Here's my setup in case it helps.

[crazyjim]

What about kitchen base cabinets with all drawers?  You could then put a door on top for the benchtop.

[Jantrix]

2 hours ago, crazyjim said:

What about kitchen base cabinets with all drawers?  You could then put a door on top for the benchtop.

I'll look into that.