Model Railroading > Storing styrene strip stock - any ideas?

I'm reworking my scratch building supply storage. The evergreen styrene sheet fits into a filing cabinet ok, but the strip stock is too long. It's 14 inches long, stuff like this: http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Shapes.htm#Rectangular Tubing

Any ideas of how to store stuff like this?
Clarence

I just keep mine in a long narrow box with rough measurements of 16" x 6" x 4". The box contains several packages of strips and shapes along with brass wire. I generally try to keep the styrene in the packages so it's easy to find the right size.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I use plastic kitchen drawer dividers. The strips in their packages lay on the side so that I can quickly flip through for the size I want. I use three trays. One each for dimensional strips, scale strips and rod/tube/structural strips.

I took two pieces of 1/4" thick Oak 4" X 24" (from Lowes) and clamped them tightly together. I then used Forstner bits and hole saws in sizes that matched PVC pipe and drilled a bunch of holes in them evenly spaced with an inch between the holes. I then slid the PVC (in whatever length you need) through both holes and you have a handy strip holder. It you need to you can bind the two pieces together with thin plywood to form a box. Works great, cheap and quick to make. Any interest and I can send a few pics.

Peter

Hi,
Here is my solution.
The photo shows the rack I own. I used 4" x 2" PVC plastic gutter down pipe that I cut into 15" lengths, then cut the box tubing lengthwise to make 2" x 1" U shaped trays. I did this on my milling machine using a slitting saw. The cabinet came for the local garbage tip and I guess was used for filing of some sort in its previous life.

One of my mates wanted to make something similar and doesn't have a mill so I designed the following for him. The outer box is 15-1/2" deep x whatever height you want based on the number of shelves/trays you want. The timber is 3/4" ply and the shelves/trays are 1/8" MDF or Ply. A sheet of the same 1/8" MDF or ply is nailed and/or glued to the rear face of the 3/4" ply frame to keep the frame square and provide a backstop for the trays.

I usually don't like MDF as it has no structural (spanning) strength but the tray design ends up box-like which gives the assembly adequate strength to span the outer frame, given the total weight of the trays and Evergreen on each level.

In the plans I assumed the 6 troughs to be 1" wide each, so the box section is 6 x 1" + 7 x 1/8" walls, plus 1/4" for each of the lips on the sides to slide into the slots in the outer frame, so a total width of the base sheet is 7-3/8" x 15-1/2" long (deep).

The side frames need to allow the shelves/trays to slide in so about 3/32" each side is plenty. Make the slots that the trays slide into 1/4" deep x 3/16" wide in each side frame and the lips will have the same clearance in the slots and will slide in and out freely. A 3/16" dia straight router bit set to 1/4" depth will cut the slots no problem. The walls for each tray are all 3/4" high and are 15" long.

That makes each tray 7/8" overall height (7/8" sides & 1/8" base) so add 1/8" for clearance and that is how far apart the slots are measuring from the bottom of one slot to the bottom of the next slot.

If you cut the top and bottom of the outer frame 15-1/2" x 9-1/16" and fix them to the side frames so the outer joints are flush that should provide the clearances you need for the trays to slide in and out without binding or being too sloppy.


The strips of 1/8" MDF/Ply to form the front and rear walls of the boxes are 6-7/8" long. Once the strips are glued to the sheet with the rear wall piece flush with the back edge of the base sheet, you should have a 1/4" ledge across the front of the tray. This is the handle you grab to slide the tray out of the frame.

Hope this helps - and isn't too overwhelming (grin)
cheers
Dave

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I wish I was as organized as some of these guys, I just stand mine in a WW2 .30 caliber machine gun ammo box with some cardboard dividers added to it.

That cabinet looks like a printer's "galley rack." Hard to tell for sure from that picture.
Bill Pyper
retired printer)
Salem, OR

I kept the manufacturer's plastic display box when I closed my brick & mortar...

Brian Ehni

I use empty Pringles containers.

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

For all of my Evergreen styrene strips, I have a flat cardboard box (3" tall x 14" x 12") where I keep each package in a sortable flippable pile, all organized in numerical order by stock number. I pull whichever package I need based on a spreadsheet which lists and cross references each package of styrene by the dimensions therein. I update that spreadsheet whenever I buy a new package I didn't have before. That spreadsheet is a lifesaver, and prevents me from buying what I already have.

Works for me. <G>

Cheers,
Harry

Here is what I came up with.PVC pipe of various lengths and dia's glued to a sheet of ABS.The heavy base keeps it from tipping over ,should you bump it.
Regards,dK



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/13 18:05 by DKay.

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When I toured Howard Zane's layout in MD about 15 years ago, I was really impressed by his workshop. He's a serious structure scratchbuilder and had a wood storage shelf next to his workbench that had 2"x2" cubby holes, like mail boxes, for each size of styrene strip, with the size labeled below each. The strips were all removed from the packages so he could just grab one as he needed them. Pretty large, as you can imagine, and I'm not sure if he built it or found the perfect storage unit somewhere. I've always wanted to have something like that.

Dave

I use a clear tupperwear spaghetti container. Works great.

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Some great ideas here - thanks!
Clarence