show your short drop storage solutions

[Gary Fowler]

I have built a swing out rack for material from 16" to 8' or so that makes it quick to find a section that I need but am looking for something for the buckets of drop that I have that are shorter. Rotating bins would be nice but they are quite expensive if they can hold the weight. What have you come up with?

I like the long stock solutions but the bins and cans would be a nightmare to find anything in. I wish I had just 10% of your stock though, I would always be building something if I had lots of stock. Here its 70 miles minimum to a new steel supplier and 120 or so to a guy that sells drops @ 50 cents per pound. Unless one has the rights to a pick and choose scrap pile for free, it is cheaper to buy it fabricated than build it yourself. Most of my scrap is used for minor repairs.

 

[boggen]

use "stalls" piece of plywood on each side, that goes from bottom up about 4 feet, for "short stuff" to lean against, then run some 2x4's high up, across sides , for longer stuff. normally put a bottom in, to raise everything up off the floor. to make it easier to clean things up (sweep / mop) and help deal with rodents, and the ever eluding object that falls onto ground and ends up rolling under something. normally just let everything lean up against sides, or back of the stall. (back of stall = side of building) some times putting a piece of lumber (plywood or other) if i need to deal with not damaging wall of building.

the scrap lumber from various projects, ends up getting saved up. and then slapped together to form, shelves in some stalls for various items. call it a "pack rat setup" but over years, that chunk of metal, or lumber, or pipe, or what not has found its use.

try my best to stay away from any sort of drawers, and keep shelving down to min. and try best to hang tools from nails / screws, to leaning stuff up. so i am not having to move a bunch of stuff, to find what ever i am looking for.

 

[Xfaxman]

I saw this idea in a magazine about thirty years ago and have used it ever since then.

Put five gallon buckets on there sides on metal shelving, to make "Pigeon-holes" like these, but round.
I even use the big plastic barrels laying down on my pallet rack.

 

[mjncad]

They can put a man on the moon; but they (manufacturers) can't perfect stock storage.

 

[jwmorris]

Well, looking on craigslist I came across a nut and bolt bin and put all of the short drop in it. Not exactly what I was looking for but worked out better than expected. Can't believe it holds all the weight really, think I will add some extra gussets at the bottom just to sleep better.

Lag bolted it to the wall next to the saw I use most and if I roll the saw out of the way it doesn't take up any more shop space than my nut/bolt bins. For $65 good solution. I did mount it upside down so the front lip wouldn't make it a pain to see or remove the stock.