Over at Woodpeckers, they have come out with a new type of under-shelf and under-workbench small parts storage system.
These new “Cubby Drawers” are similar to other small plastic parts bins I’ve seen and used, but come with a new type of mounting system that fastens underneath the front edge of a table top or shelf.
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They’re also dividable, creating up to 3 compartments per cubby.
The bins measure 6″ long x 2″ wide x 1-7/16″ deep, and are sold in packs of 6. So you get 6 drawers, 6 hangers, and 12 dividers.
Mounting screws are not included, but you should be able to use regular wood screws.
Woodpeckers says that these new mini storage cubbies can be used to store screws, nails, dowels, biscuits, washers, and other types of stuff.
They’re made from ABS plastic, and are only available in Woodpeckers’ signature red color. They’re made in the USA.
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You can label them with a dry erase marker – not included.
Price: $20 plus shipping
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First Thoughts
6 for $20? So that’s $3 and change each – not bad. I’ll probably give them a try. It looks like a convenient solution for storing frequently-used items close at hand.
I’m also thinking I could install a few at the side of my desk, as a convenient place to keep batteries, small tools, and random stuff that ends up cluttering up the table top.
While there are shelves and workbenches I wouldn’t attach these to, there are plenty of side areas where right now there’s just lots of empty space and unused potential.
I wish these were a tad cheaper, but at the same time they seem to be quite affordable.
NCD
First thoughts… quite small. Not a bad idea though.
Garrick
I do have about a hundred bins that are 2 inches wide, and even less than that per divided compartment, but they are for items rarely or (admittedly) if ever used. A handy compartment for my hands would be 3 inches wide, and since these would be located under a table top, there would be a lot of wasted space behind the drawers, being only 6 inches deep.
I don’t suppose they have other sizes available?
Stuart
This is the only size right now. I don’t think there will be enough demand for something shorter. Wider? I think the strength of the plastic mounts could be a limitation.
Garrick
Sorry, I meant that the drawers could be longer than 6 inches, given that most locations where they would be used probably have the available space.
Nathan
is there a recommended minimum table top thickness for mounting?
IE 1/2 inch plank or __________. vs putting that under say a sheet metal table. Because I mostly like the idea. Infact for the price it might not be the worse thing to just screw to the bottom of a shelf either.
what’s the thickness of that lip edge?
Price is right.
William Butler
I think its funny one of the drawers is labeled for 10×50 dominoes. I guess they only need to store 6 at a time!
I’m not sure where I would use these personally. Seems like a good idea though. Price is average, I wouldn’t pay more than $20 but i would rather pay $12-15
Austin
$3 per drawer seems reasonable for a well made product. I guess we could make them in China, but does everything need to go offshore?
Stuart
These can hold a lot more than 6 dominos.
Each drawer has 17.25 cubic inches of volume. Let’s take away 10% to account for wall thickness and divider slots. So figure 15.5 cubic inches.
A 10×50 domino is 10x24x50 mm.
So… 12,000 cubic mm. Or 0.732 cubic inches.
So… you could in theory fit 23 and a half.
Hmm, so you could in theory fit 2 dozen 10×50 dominos in a box if there’s perfect packing.
Yea, I see what you mean. I thought “that can’t be right,” but the numbers don’t lie. While 24 (in theory) is a lot more than 6, I see what you’re getting at.
Still, it’ll fit enough dominos for a few small or medium projects. If you’re up to spending the time to pack them in neatly. But that might also make it harder to pull out for use. If you just toss them in, I’d guess each bin could hold between 10 and 20.
After unfolding things in this comment, I’m in agreement – I wouldn’t use these for long dominos.
Anton
If the box is actually 2″ wide the dominos would fit perfectly width wise at 50mm. You can stack 15 on their 10mm edge on the along the 6″ length (152mm). And then add another layer of 6 laying flat to top it off (25mm bottom layer +10mm top layer comes out to 35mm, 1 7/16 = 36.5 mm).
So in real life you can fit 21 in there (assuming dividor holders don’t interfere) but the gaps would all be less the 2mm so it would be difficult to actually get a hold of one resulting in talking the whole drawer out to tip it over which kills off the whole idea of a quick assess drawer.
I would work great for smaller parts. But I would prefer open face cubbies and i think they specifically made these close completely to minimize dust contamination.
Austin
Additional shipping charge hurts, I think I will wait till its available on Amazon prime.
Fabrice
Do you have any ideas on qhere can I found it in France/europe? Europeans woodpeckers sellers have not (yet?) this item and woodpeckers can send it in France, but only for 60$ more !!
Stuart
Unfortunately, no. It was just released, so perhaps soon? I’ll see what I can find out. But you might have good luck checking with your favored dealer. They might be able to special order it for you.
Fabrice
Thanks, I’ll try to mail some of them next week. I’ve seen that Woddpeckers has sellers in UK and Germany
Eric
The red kills it for me. I like the idea but hate red. I’d buy a couple sets if they came in black.
Arlan
Agreed. Where I would like to use it, I’d only buy it if it was black or dark grey. The concept is good, tho.
Matt
I’m not sure what it is about red but I can either love it or just not care for it at all depending on it’s shade. I don’t think I can say that about any other color. Possibly blue but in general, most shades of blue used in tool colors I like. I’m kind of with you on this one as it goes into that reddish/orange territory which I just never cared for. Though I like orange itself. I do however think it’s a great idea for storage which is the intended purpose anyway. I can see it being very useful for small item storage under a workbench that would have limited space on top for typical small storage drawer units. Quick and easy access to screws and such, yet leaving the bench top with more work space. Clear of clutter is always good!
John
Very overpriced, in my opinion. Ask yourself what you’d expect to pay for a 6-drawer, similar sized parts organizer (e.g. 2×3 array of drawers). Nowhere close to $20. So, is the versatility of these modular drawers worth this kind of price premium? I don’t think so.
No doubt, some of these will be sold. But it’s too easy to make something like this for a fraction of the price — from mini-bins available at any ‘dollar’ store, or from an ‘Ikea hack’.
And, as an aside, rather than a written label of contents (for small parts), I prefer to hot-glue a sample to the front of the drawer. I find it’s far quicker to locate what I’m after that way.
Garrick
And easy to change when needed!
firefly
This is kinda neat. Pricing ain’t too bad either. Personally I don’t see myself ever getting it. But that’s just my ocd getting in the way 😀
RC Ward
If you have the right kind of space they would work
Travis
I just ordered a couple sets of these. I have one workbench where I can definitely use them and my dad also has one. Looks handy for keeping a few frequently used items close at hand. It’s a slick idea for some otherwise wasted space. Might try a couple on my electronics workbench too.
Travis
I received them last week and I must say, they are the cat’s meow. Very nice to be able to attach just one or two drawers in an area where you need storage for small parts. I installed 4 of them so far and they are extremely handy. I think I will order more so I have some extra’s on hand for new situations.
Hilton
I think the Lee Valley trays found here (http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/page.aspx?p=46037&cat=1,43326) are a better deal. For the price of under $28 which is probably the total cost from WP, you get two trays that are twice as deep (12″) and five times as wide (10″). I’m referring to the 2″ high trays.
This works out to 20 times the storage volume and they’re made out of metal. Just add two wooden runners under the desk.
Farid
Thank you. I was looking for something like this a while back and missed these.
Ray
Looks like a helpful organization gadget. I started ordering a set to try before ordering more. Did a quick about face when I saw the shipping cost! Sorry, but $15 shipping is a deal breaker for me! The small size and weight less than 16 oz. should cost no more than $5
BRUCE DAVIS
Woodpecker seems to love the color red. These would be okay for the electronic enthusiasts. Personally, all Woodpecker products are overpriced!
Jim L Buzard
These places that try to rip you off with shipping charges are discouraging people from buying, too many places offer free 2 day shipping anymore, so to charge inflated prices to ship, means not buying for me!
Stuart
I was recently charged $20 by a company to ship me a bunch of lightweight plastic parts. I was annoyed, until I remember what I feel every time I go to UPS or FedEx. If you’re an individual or small business, shipping costs seem almost unreasonable.
Some companies have the shipping volume to negotiate low prices with UPS and FedEx. They don’t always eat the shipping costs – sometimes shipping fees are baked into the product prices. Other times, it comes from the profits.
When I see high shipping prices from a reputable company, either their shipping contracts could be better or are nonexistent, or their shopping cart’s shipping estimator could use a modern update.
Hilton
Companies like Lee Valley get this right. Free shipping for orders over $40 for certain periods, otherwise normally their shipping costs are not exorbitant. At least give me the choice of a slow less expensive shipping option.
Dave Sit
I have a bunch of these little drawers sprinkled around the shop. One near the table saw that holds all the hex wrenches for adjusting the fence, miter gauge, cross cut sled etc.. A couple mounted on my miter saw table to store the remote controls for my stationary and portable dust collectors.
One issue you should be aware of is that these drawers have no stops to keep them for being pulled out entirely. I have dropped all the aforementioned hex wrenches twice already.