Nice jewellery - no drawers !

[Adrian]

Hi All

I'm looking for something which I'm sure 'somebody' makes / sells

- but I can't seem to find one anywhere...

There's never enough space on my market stall to display 'all' of the hand-made glass jewellery that I have with me. When a customer asks to see 'the other stuff', I end up having to 'burrow' through boxes of stuff - which al looks a bit unprofessional.

So - what I was looking for was the sort of thing that used to be called a 'collectors cabinet' - having wide but shallow drawers - to store and display the boxed up jewellery (boxes are less than one inch tall)... Maybe 4 - 6 drawers - each one maybe 1ft x 2ft....

I know it's a diy newsgroup and I could make such a thing - but I was hoping that it already exists - and maybe I'm just not asking for the right thing..... or in the right place .....

So - knowing the wide range of hobbies and interests that ukdiy followers have - any bright suggestions please ??

Many thanks Adrian

[George]

Try visiting a few auction rooms a few times these always crop up there. Try also ebay for nicnacs?

[Dwayne & Angela]

look at the drawers they use for storing working drawing they are approx

1mtr wide by 600mm and only about 70mm deep.

[Owain]

Bisley make metal filing cabinets with shallow drawers, in A4 or A3 size

chests might be too big, but wooden ones often go for a pittance second-hand because so many drawing offices are moving to CAD and not keeping lots of drawings.

type of plastic trays in storage units used in primary schools are "gratnell trays", eg

easiest to make your own though out of some plywood for the sides and dividers with hardboard bottom. Route out a groove in 3 sides and have the fourth side shallower, and you can have a slide-in lid (clear plastic) which will show off everything nicely, keep stuff from moving about, and protect against sticky- or light-fingered punters.

Owain

[The Medway Handyman]

Isn't that a definition of a Chatham Chavette?

[Adrian]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was hoping for something a little bit smaller - ideally about 1ft x

2ft - that could be easily lifted out of the car and stored in the Studio. I think a plan chest is going to be a bit on the large side...

Regards Adrian

>

[Adrian]

Also may be a bit heavy...

I think you are probably right.... Don't need dividers - could probably get away with treewood (say 1.5" x .5") for the sides and hardboard or very thin ply for the bottoms.

Then just need some kind of framework into which they can slide.

Don't need the slide-in lid, it'll all be under close supervision

- also, people need to be able to take stuff out and move it in the light . try it on etc....

Looks like I need to do some diy - though that was going to be the answer

Thanks Adrian

[Adrian]

I wouldn't know.....

Had a Vauxhall Chevette once - dreadful thing !

Regards Adrian

[Don Spumey]

Keep your eyes peeled at bootsales etc for the trays that printers used to store their letter sets in.

Don.

[meow2222]

You'll likely end up diying it. But there is just one other option, thats to get an A4 sized 10 drawer cabinet, used for home offices. If the drawrs are too deep, you could get a 2nd one and reduce the size of all the drawers to bit both sets in the one case. 2 cabs can be joined if you need bigger. I vaguely STR seeing something in Staples several years back.

Another perhaps might be one of those sewing boxes that opens out using a simlar mechanism to old metal toolboxes, ie you lift the 2 halves of the lid up and several trays lift out on both sides along with the lid.

NT

[Adrian]

Trouble with these things it that they all tend to be a bit 'officey'

- as in metal or chipboard - which makes them quite heavy....

Yes - that's a possibility - but may be too limiting in terms of available space.

Difficult so-and-so - aren't I

There's the beginning of a diy plan forming......

The local Builders Provider does a UPVC 'double fascia' - which is like the stuff you use on ordinary house fascias but with a 'turn round' on both long edges - kind of like a very shallow 'U' - and of the order of 17" wide, 1" deep and and long as you like. Add a couple of pieces of 2 x 1 (or lighter) timber for the front and back, and you have a ready-made tray. EUREKA !

Then all that's needed is some kind of a simple 'carcase', with plastic runners for the trays to slide on and the job's done ! Wonderful what a curry and a good night's sleep can do for the 'leetle grey cells'

Nice thing is - being in Ireland, the Builders Provider will happily saw shorter lengths off the 4m fascia - so I can easily get enough for (say) 6 drawers, without having to buy a massive piece of UPVC and 'waste' the other bit !

Thanks all for the suggestions..... Adrian

[Adrian]

That's a thought...... trouble is, I need a solution fairly soon - the market season is just starting to get into full swing over here, and the current 'toss it all in a big box' solution needs to change....

With a bit of thought, the same scheme that I'm proposing elsewhere in this thread could also be adapted to safely store my 'flat' stained glass items - suncatchers, mirrors etc.....

Double EUREKA !

Thanks for your comments / suggestion

Adrian (soon to have drawers !)

[Cicero]

=============================== Look at seed trays in a garden centre for some ideas. They're cheap and can be built into a simple cabinet.

Cic.

[Adrian]

That's a thought....

The standard tray is a bit on the small side for what I had in mind - I don't know if anybody makes a 'double-size' tray.....

Looks more & more as if it's going to need a diy approach - probably using the UPVC fascia I've mentioned elsewhere..

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Adrian

[George]

Go to a bakery and see the bloke on yard duty,slip him a tenner and he'll give you ten wooden pork pie trays. lol

[meow2222]

I was thinking of lightweight low price plastic domestic ones. ISTR around a tenner for a 10 drawer A4 thing.

You cant divide your collection into 2 or 3 categories?

ha, thats life.

sounds alright, if the appearance is ok.

NT