Cabinet for mill tooling?

I have an Equipto unit in my Michigan shop but I'm definitely a fan of keeping an eye on Craigslist, etc. for something that will fit the bill.

A while back I lucked into a cabinet which had previously been used for ultrasound equipment in a medical setting. It's rackmount size and has a smoked plexiglass front, really heavy duty wheels and shelves and a stainless steel top. I've got chucks and other heavy stuff in it and it fits nicely in my small space.

If you have a surplus electronics place anywhere near you it would be worth checking them out, lots of computer and medical cabinets out there that are built really stout and have almost no value except as scrap.

John
 
Alcap said:
As far as anything nice that I could show , I have none lol but here’s a company that has many options as far as almost everything you could come up with. Not saying there’s is the best but take a look you might get some ideas from their site that you might find usable in your shop https://www.equipto.com/shelving-and-racks/
Click to expand...
I haven't looked at equipto yet, I'll check them out. My biggest problem is I don't really know what gauge sheet metal is required to reliably hold 150-200 lbs per shelf and not feel cheap. If money and weight were no object I'd probably just buy a stronghold. But the reality is, I don't need a 600 lb unloaded cabinet as I don't have a pallet jack to move it around.

I know plenty of the cheap office cabinets have ratings of 150-200 lbs per shelf, but I know that's more at the max rating capacity. They wouldn't be able to stand slight drops of a 60 lb rotary table very long before being all bent up. I also want something stiff enough to not wobble around when it's loaded, or I throw the door shut.

There seems to be quite a few options in between office cabinets and strongholds, so does anyone have a cabinet they feel is too light duty or sufficient quality and can they measure the shelf and cabinet steel thickness?
 
mmcmdl said:
www.globalindustrial.com

Global Industrial Flammable Cabinet, Manual Close Double Door, 45 Gallon, 43"Wx18"Dx65"H

Global Industrial Flammable Cabinet, Manual Close Double Door, 45 Gallon, 43"Wx18"Dx65"H. Ships in One Business Day. Buy it and Save at GlobalIndustrial.com
www.globalindustrial.com www.globalindustrial.com
Click to expand...
Ahhh, that has a good description. Looks like the flammable cabinets have double walls in the cabinets. Im guessing that's what makes them more sturdy. Takes up more real estate without adding storage capacity though.
 
This won't help you , but do they ever have auctions out your way ? I'm hitting this one for the little Vidmar .

baltimore.craigslist.org

New Tools & Industrial Supply Auction - tools - by owner - sale

INDUSTRIAL, TOOLS AND TOOLING AUCTION SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12TH 8:30 AM INCLEMENT WEATHER DATE FEBRUARY 19TH 8:30 AM 2023 Black Bridge Rd, York PA 17402 PREVIEW 11TH 1:00 TO 5:00 Please note: If bad...
baltimore.craigslist.org
 
Lucas E said:
I appreciate all the ideas and pictures. I'm trying to get a closed style cabinet as I occasionally do woodworking in my shop and don't want sawdust to cover all the oily tooling.

While I am planning on getting a lista/Vidmar I still need recommendations for a heavy duty cabinet as I have a number of other items that need to go in there. Maybe I asked the wrong question. Let me try again.

I'm considering buying a storage device and need some ideas and opinions. Currently I'm looking at Listas, Vidmars, Lidmars, Vistas, buying welding equipment and steel, cheap office cabinets, a nuclear safe house, and selling all my tools and taking up sewing.

What I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT considering...
A good quality cabinet with 4 or 5 shelves roughly 36"-48" wide x 72" tall x 18" deep.

Have any ideas?


Kidding of course. I appreciate all the good ideas and info.
Click to expand...
If you wood work, why not build your own. I used mortice and tennon with some 2x4 to make some 6'x6'x2'deep shelves years ago with 2 cross braces across on each shelf. I topped the shelves with duraplate which is a wabash national steel/plastic composite they use for trailer sides.

Its very stiff. Enclosing it would be quite easy with sheet goods. Solid lumber (as it has higher stiffness than ply) laid cross wise and covered with a thin metal would have good stiffness and allow things to slide.

I also have bought (because of lack of time) some xtreme garage shelving from menards. It has 2000lbs capacity per shelf. Don't get the particle board panels however. I got wire panels for the upper shelves and the bottom two shelves put in 5/8 osb with (4) 1x3 cross braces and then covered it with tempered hard board to make stiff shelves that things will slide easy one and can be replaced on the cheap if need be in the future. They sell doors for them but you would still need to enclose the back/sides. I don't know if they would be cheaper per foot than a strong hold if you used their doors but If you made your own doors and such would be?
 
Firebrick43 said:
If you wood work, why not build your own. I used mortice and tennon with some 2x4 to make some 6'x6'x2'deep shelves years ago with 2 cross braces across on each shelf. I topped the shelves with duraplate which is a wabash national steel/plastic composite they use for trailer sides.

Its very stiff. Enclosing it would be quite easy with sheet goods. Solid lumber (as it has higher stiffness than ply) laid cross wise and covered with a thin metal would have good stiffness and allow things to slide.

I also have bought (because of lack of time) some xtreme garage shelving from menards. It has 2000lbs capacity per shelf. Don't get the particle board panels however. I got wire panels for the upper shelves and the bottom two shelves put in 5/8 osb with (4) 1x3 cross braces and then covered it with tempered hard board to make stiff shelves that things will slide easy one and can be replaced on the cheap if need be in the future. They sell doors for them but you would still need to enclose the back/sides. I don't know if they would be cheaper per foot than a strong hold if you used their doors but If you made your own doors and such would be?
Click to expand...
I was going to ask the same thing. Why do you need metal? I made mine out of wood. Only 24" square because that's the space i had but 3/8 ply with a 2x2 frame and skinned with 3.8 ply. Added a door to keep dust out.
 
For Vidmar cabinets check out Industrial Cabinet Sales. https://www.indcabsales.com/ They refurbish Vidmar and Lista cabinets (including repainting) and ship them to you at a good rate. They also advertise on Ebay. I have 4 on order with them now. They have a good reputation and have been great to deal with.
 
Scored this 48" x 24" x 72" cabinet on Facebook last night. Was talking with a guy about a 60 gallon fireproof cabinet and ultimately decided it was going to be a bit smaller than I was looking for and he mentioned he had this unit as well. Got it for $175. Gonna wipe out the dust and get it set up this weekend. I love the shelves in the doors, I'm going to store all my spray cans in there so I don't have to pull ones out from 3 layers back.

The shelves measure roughly .081" think and will be plenty sturdy for some mill tooling. Although I think I'll add some plywood to two of the shelves for a little extra stiffness and to keep the clanging to a minimum.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20220128_135250496.jpg
    PXL_20220128_135250496.jpg
    70.2 KB · Views: 19
  • PXL_20220128_135308970.jpg
    PXL_20220128_135308970.jpg
    64.5 KB · Views: 19
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top