A place for everything?

[Dave]

Where do you keep all those left over pieces of metal 2", 8" or 2' long? I've got most of mine in a couple of 5 gal buckets. As my memory fades, I have to go scrounging around the buckets each time to see if I maybe have what I need. Is there a better way? I guess I could organize the buckets so I have a small stuff bucket, and a long stuff one. Why is the piece I need always at the bottom. Some kind of black magic.

[JNewman]

I feel for you. I have put in a horizontal rack that has a bunch of smaller compartments. This allows me to see the ends and shorter pieces are not going to end up buried in the bottom. I have also forced myself to be a LITTLE better about scrapping short bits. Unless they are heavy sections or tool steels, steel is pretty cheap and is the most recycled material in the world.

[Bruce Macmillan]

I'm a 5 gal bucket man myself and I usually never see what I need on top so on the floor it goes to find what I need......Pain in butt......If I could get a round tuit I'd saw up maybe 6-8 pcs of 6'' round or sq tube/pipe weld em together and maybe ad that to the catch all under the layout table for easy access...............................Ad

1. 
   
   A Round Tuit ~ Magnet$3.35
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[Lewis]

The piece you need is always on the bottom because you're looking for the shortest piece that will do the job, so down to the bottom it fell.

I try not to save anything that doesn't stick out of the bucket (unless, as stated, it's particularly heavy or special) but I do find myself looking in the scrap buckets for that perfect piece occasionally. I don't think there's a cure: it's a sort of time/value proposition, you either spend time looking through all the junk or you spend money to get the piece you need. The precise balance is up to you.

[billyO]

You may have just inspired me Bruce. Thanks!

Hopefully more to come soon...

[Eric Sprado]

Ouch-a sore spot. I was just griping the other day that I had to empty a couple of five gallon buckets to get "the shortest piece to do the job"! I want PICTURES of the solution. I need a rack for the short stuff too!!!

[JNewman]

First picture is my short mild steel rack. Second is the tool steel rack although I have a slot in my big vertical rack for 4140 and another for for 1045 long lengths. Most mild steel under about 6" I scrap except for some short wider flats, they go into a small pail to be used for shims in the press etc. I will use them for welding up jigs if they are long enough but they are mostly for use as shims.

[Dave]

Thanks for the pictures. I like those compartments and will make a similar container.

[J Wilson]

I store drops shorter than a bucket on shelves. The end of the shop seems to collect a lot of "useful" bits.

[Bruce Macmillan]

You may have just inspired me Bruce. Thanks!

I doubt if it was me, you must have bought a ''round tuit''....

The welded tubes would work stood up or flat on the deck.........