# Needing wood blank storage ideas



## pdporter12 (Dec 29, 2008)

I have a lot of pen and call blanks that I need out of the boxes and up off the floor. How do you store your wood blanks? Have you made a cabinet or ????? Pics would be awesome so I can get some ideas. Thanks so much!


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## THarvey (Dec 29, 2008)

I uses a wooden shoe cubbie from the closet section at Lowes.  Cost about $15.

I found mine at a yard sale for $1.


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## texasfootball21 (Dec 29, 2008)

Welcome to IAP, Patrick. I think you will find this site extremely helpful.

Great post, looking forward to the responses it brings.

As of now I keep mine in a filing cabinet I found at a yard sale. I don't recommend it as its hard to find the blank you are looking for. At a shop I used to turn at we had a filing cabinet full of blanks that we alphabetized every couple of months and that method worked alright.


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## cowchaser (Dec 29, 2008)

build a woodend box frame and dado for horizontal shelves. Then you can dado the shelves for vertical spacers if you want to seperate by species. From there just get some pegboard or whatever about the same thickness and you remove the spacers as needed or put in a spacer as needed. I believe mine is about 48x48 or so. 

When it all is said and done it looks like shoe storage like post above, but more stable if you 3/4" for the frame and shelves.


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## rjwolfe3 (Dec 29, 2008)

I saw some posts about using 4"-6" pvc pipe cut to 6" lengths and glued together but can't remember where I saw it at.


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## texasfootball21 (Dec 29, 2008)

rjwolfe3 said:


> I saw some posts about using 4"-6" pvc pipe cut to 6" lengths and glued together but can't remember where I saw it at.



That sounds pretty interesting please post the link if you ever come across it.


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## rjwolfe3 (Dec 29, 2008)

I think it was under the "show your shop" thread but can't find it for the life of me.


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## knowltoh (Dec 29, 2008)

I bought a storage rack with bins at Sam's Club.  It works well for me.


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## Rudy Vey (Dec 29, 2008)

I use either cardboard shoe boxes or the plastic shoe boxes from the $ store and have them stacked in one of these large Plano plastic shelf units.


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## TowMater (Dec 29, 2008)

I picked up a bunch of 6" wide by 5' long wire shelves from a place going out of business. I'd post a pic but I'm a bit embarassed of all the stock I've accumulated in only about a year of doing this.


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## el_d (Dec 29, 2008)

Todd, Got to show your wood with pride......


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## hunter-27 (Dec 29, 2008)

el_d said:


> Todd, Got to show your wood with pride......


Are we still talking pens?  LOL


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## Rick_G (Dec 29, 2008)

I bought one of those white melamine laundry room cabinets (wall mount) from walmart for $29 on sale.  Added a couple extra shelves and dividers and viola blank storage cabinet.


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## NC_Horn (Dec 29, 2008)

I built a cabinet using plans from Shop Notes #59. As you can see, it is the stand for my lathe. Love the cabinet and plan on building others for other areas of the shop.

Duane


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## striperskin (Dec 29, 2008)

my blanks are here...and there...and anywhere I cant find em!!!


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## arioux (Dec 29, 2008)

Hi,

Here is my storage.  Made it with MDF.  The 3 large vertical  divider have holes every 1/2 inches to be able to adjust the  hight of the horizontal shelves.  The small vertical divider have felt on top and bottom side so i can just skeeze them in to adjust the size as my blanks stock change.  Can send you close up photo if you want.


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## LostintheWoods (Dec 29, 2008)

I have 4 steel parts drawer bins that were acquired when the company with which I was employed closed their warehouse/repair facility. The shelf units are 2 sizes--2 have 18 drawers measuring 4" x 5" x 11" (one of these units holds all of my pen kits); and 2 have 24 drawers which measure 4" x 5" x 16". These units are absolutely excellent for blank storage and organization--the longer drawers can each house 3 different species, utilizing the steel slide-in partitions to segregate the sections for each variety. Unfortunately, this system would be pretty cost-prohibitive for the average guy. I believe the units cost between $250 and $400 each, depending on the size. But as I said, they were free to me, along with 3 steel shelving units to place them on; only using one of these at present.


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## ElMostro (Dec 29, 2008)

This is what I did,


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## Firefyter-emt (Dec 29, 2008)

Here are mine, however I do like arioux's and ElMostro's set ups too.  I have often debated making a new one from wood as the cubbies on mine are slightly on the large size.  I picked these up at Wal-Mart for like a buck each.


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## ElMostro (Dec 29, 2008)

This is what I did,


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## melogic (Dec 29, 2008)

Here is (I think) an idea of what was talked about earlier by rjwolfe.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showpost.php?p=682221&postcount=14


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## GoodTurns (Dec 29, 2008)

metal shelf from BJ's..plastic shoeboxes from AC Moore hobby shop...total about $100 (and this is as neat as it gets :wink


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## arioux (Dec 29, 2008)

Firefyter-emt said:


> Here are mine, however I do like arioux's and ElMostro's set ups too.  I have often debated making a new one from wood as the cubbies on mine are slightly on the large size.  I picked these up at Wal-Mart for like a buck each.




I use to have these.  If you slide dowels all the way thru the holes on the side, it's like having shelves and you could double your number of bins .


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## edman2 (Dec 29, 2008)

This is the first plan I had. Holds about 48 different species (I've added some since this photo). Lowe's. I now have a rack of hymn book holders salvaged from my church (music guy hasn't missed them yet) with a wire rack from Sam's. I'll try to get a photo and post it.

edit: Here are the photos of the hymn book rack holders.


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## Nolan (Dec 29, 2008)

Here is how I store them at home in my blank office. Can store a modest amount in it. Each tray will hold 100-150 pen blanks depending on if they are 3/4 or 7/8. I picked it up a Granger for 100 or so bucks if I recall correctly. BTW it is the metal shelfing setup on the right, the plastic tray one on the left is my "personal blank" storage.


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## SherryD (Dec 29, 2008)

many of you have jsut to much free time on your hands (smile) What a variety of storage being used here.  I think I will incorporate some of each, sort of the best of the best approach.


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## erbymcbrayer (Dec 29, 2008)

I found someone replacing kitchen cabinets, Got the wall cabinets to just haul them off. Hung them on the wall and  put extra shelves in between the existing ones, This worked for me really well and gave me plenty of storage.


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## mywoodshopca (Dec 29, 2008)

I have all my blanks stored in a usps box.. someday I will need a better storage hopefully lol


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## GoodTurns (Dec 30, 2008)

Nolan said:


> Here is how I store them at home in my blank office. Can store a modest amount in it. Each tray will hold 100-150 pen blanks depending on if they are 3/4 or 7/8. I picked it up a Granger for 100 or so bucks if I recall correctly. BTW it is the metal shelfing setup on the right, the plastic tray one on the left is my "personal blank" storage.



again with the taunt..."I sell you fanstastic blanks, but I keep the best"  grrrrrrr to you, Nolan!  but please keep me on your preferred customer list!!!!!!!:wink:


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## rherrell (Dec 30, 2008)

Here's mine.....

 
Cardboard boxes are the same size as those yellow plastic ones but ALOT cheaper. All blanks are visible and the name is right on the front.


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## beck3906 (Dec 30, 2008)

Rick Herrell,
Where did you get your shelves?


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## rjwolfe3 (Dec 30, 2008)

Where did you find the cardboard boxes?


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## Dario (Dec 30, 2008)

Nolan said:


> ...the plastic tray one on the left is my "personal blank" storage.



I believe everyone here would love to "raid" those storage bins. :biggrin:


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## rherrell (Dec 30, 2008)

The shelves are that particle board stuff covered with Formica from Lowes. It comes in 12" X 96" lengths. I screwed some 2X2 wood to the wall and drilled 7/8" holes for 1/2" conduit in them and laid the shelves on the conduit. The boxes are here.......http://tinyurl.com/9a26u7 , you have to buy 50 at a time but they're only $.52 each. I forgot what the shipping was.


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## Skye (Dec 30, 2008)

Man, some of you guys are so tidy it makes me sick. Sick I tells ya!!!


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