I built these storage units many years ago. The bins are old quart sized oil containers. I just cut out the tops, cleaned them out and "voila" instant parts bins. I'd like to say that I thought of the idea but I vaguely remember seeing the idea in a magazine, Popular Mechanics perhaps. I store everything in these, nuts bolts, nails hinges, candy bars, aspirin, you know, all the important stuff. I did, however, design the storage units that hold the bins. The outer case is 3/4" plywood and the inner egg crate structure is 1/4" luan plywood. I wanted to get as many bins as possible into a reasonably small space. Each unit holds 54 bins and is only 28"W X 31"L X 7.5"D. They're not fancy but they are very functional. The bins are rugged and chemical proof. I sometimes clean parts in them, like bearings and bike chains. Also, unlike open storage bins, sawdust doesn't fill up in them. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzievvtr5mQlaby77rR6LLPLUbis8uW8ZJwefk3O0OiyP5ST-CjaaAJVAQXCjci8qpTiXM2id15aiKh1CmT9Oo0qaM0lBv6bLN0qztJGSkVCWTbus2yez8OuqiimFw5UsaeN6FKlReGqTG/s320/_MG_5866.jpg)
However, because you can't see what's in them, you need a labeling system. I used to be absolutely terrible at labeling the bins. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. At times it was comical watching me try to find something. Is it here, nope. Is it here, nope, on and on. My current system is relatively recent and works great. I numbered each bin and have a master list on a clip board. The oil containers themselves tell a story. The white ones are Amalie Oil which I used back in the eighties. They ran into some production problems and I switched to Havoline (black containers). Somewhere along the line Havoline switched from a copper cap to a red one. Finally, I switched to Havoline synthetic oil (top row, big cap). I finished just in time too because I seldom buy quart containers nowadays. I opt for the 5 quart containers. Hmmm, maybe I could make a huge storage unit with 5 quart containers....nope I don't have the need or the room.
dsr
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