Material Storage

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I am in charge of setting up the fabrication department at our new location (I work for a shop that builds automotive performance parts) and I am trying to resolve an issue that seemed to always be a problem at our old location. We have always had scraps and pieces of material laying around without a very effective means of organizing them, and was just curious how others handle the problem. We have sections of tubing usually between 1' and 5', small sheets of stainless and aluminum, etc..., that are always laying around. Anyone have any pics of how they keep this stuff organized?Miller Syncrowave 250DX TIGMillermatic 210 MIGMiller Sprectrum 375 PlasmaBaileigh 14GHE LatheFirst LC-60RS End MillBaileigh M350 Mandrel BenderIPS Motorsportswww.ipsmotorsports.net8333 Greenmeadows DriveLewis Center, OH
Reply:A site search using 'material storage racks' for a search parameter brings up plenty to look at for me...Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Haha, its amazing what a simple change from "metal storage" to "material storage" can do for your search results. Thank you!Miller Syncrowave 250DX TIGMillermatic 210 MIGMiller Sprectrum 375 PlasmaBaileigh 14GHE LatheFirst LC-60RS End MillBaileigh M350 Mandrel BenderIPS Motorsportswww.ipsmotorsports.net8333 Greenmeadows DriveLewis Center, OH
Reply:Short lengths are kind of troublesome.  Long lengths (6 feet or more) would typically be stored horizontally on racks.    Medium lengths (3 to 5 feet) can be easily stored vertically in bins.  The best bin probably has a box at the bottom, about one foot tall, then an open section, then a kind of square ring to contain the longer pieces    The short pieces don't seem to fit well anywhere.   I usually put the pieces under two feet long in buckets, sorted by type of material.  I am not aware of a single storage method that would work well for pieces between one and five feet long.Labels are always helpful of course.Sheet stock is of course usually stored leaning against something.  I keep mine leaning against the wall, with a rope to contain the sheets and prevent the sheets falling over.   I have so much material that I have an inner rope and an outer rope, so I can get to the outer pieces without having the inner pieces get in the way.   However, this is very inconvenient if I need to get to a piece that might be ten layers in.I have seen one setup that looked good for sheet stock.   It involved a kind of a narrow three sided box, with sides cut at an angle, pivoted at one end, so you could push the box up against the wall, and then pull the box out and have access to all the material, including that against the wall.   I should probably make one of those.RichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge