| Storage
Cabinet
When I made the decision to use 100 mm x 16 mm diameter
clear polystyrene test tubes as my method of storing (and
also displaying) my sand collection, I
was then presented with the problem of
just how to store the test tubes safely while at the same
time keeping them easily accessible for viewing. I also
wanted to minimise handling, as the polystyrene test tubes
are easily marked. The first option I considered
was proper test tube racks. These would hold the tubes
vertically but the problem with this method was that the
contents of the tubes were hidden from view. Each individual
tube would have to be lifted for viewing - not exactly
ideal. Cost was also something of an issue. A rack to hold
50 tubes costs about £10.00 which means that holding 1000
tubes would cost £200.00 and that's not including somewhere
to keep the filled racks themselves.
My next idea was to store the tubes flat, lying them down
in rows. This would allow me to readily view them without
having to handle them more than necessary. A quick search
on the ever-useful Internet came up with multi-drawer filing
cabinets, of the type used in offices to hold sheets of A4
and A3 paper. There were many models available but the optimum model
seemed to be the 30-drawer A3 sized version which I
calculated would hold around approximately 1200 test tubes.
It looked to be the ideal way to house my ever-growing
collection. However, as around £220.00 each they're not
cheap. With this option held in mind I then looked
at the DIY option, making something similar myself. A visit
to my local DIY store to price some materials proved a much
more costs effective option - although the completed item
would not have that "finished" look of a properly
manufactured product. For a cost of around £75.00, I
could construct a 15 drawer storage cabinet that would hold
approximately 1500 test tubes, roughly a whole years worth
of collecting. The cabinet came in right on budget and
measures 1050 mm high x 380 mm deep x 610 mm wide. The frame
is constructed from 15 mm Formica faced chipboard with 18 x
18 mm software drawer supports. The 15 drawers consist of 32
x 12 mm softwood sides and a 6 mm plywood base. The capacity
of each drawer is just under 100 test tubes, 3 rows of 33
tubes, giving a total capacity of around 1500. |
