DIY:Storage container from old CD spindals

I am a big believer in reusing old stuff for other purposes.  Not only does it save the expense of purchasing or buying something new to handle a particular task, but it reduces the resources needed by a tiny percentage.  I owe my grandfather (the man I’m named after) for this one.   Grandpa Don was a great guy, knew some really amazing stuff, was one of the greatest mechanics you’d hope to know.  He was a very smart man, had a mind for logic and seeing things nobody else could see.   Unfortunately he was taken by alcoholism, before we boys were old enough to really know what we would be missing without him.   When he wasn’t drinking he could teach you so much, and he never got emotional, he could be kind or hard as the time needed, but he never yelled to get his point across, he just seemed to know how to pass the wisdom on when the learner was ready to accept it.  I miss him greatly and wish that I would have been smart enough to learn more from him as a young man before he passed.    Below is my modern update of a little trick he taught us boys.  I hope you like it and get some usefulness out of it.

Everyone has shelves, and I bet most of those shelves even when full, have some gaps.  My grandfather would screw the lid to an old mason jar to the bottom of the shelf, and then put screws, or washers or whatever bit’s and pieces into a jar and screw it onto the lid.  Then he had a long line, out of the way, of well organized bits and pieces.  I always loved this idea, and I did use glass jars on a shelf in my backroom for a while until I broke one.  I realized as great as the idea was, glass just wasn’t the ideal material to use for this application.   Well, at work I get blank CD’s and DVD’s by the 25 and 50 pack.  They come on these spindals.  Well, I decided about 8 years ago to re-purpose them for this kind of storage.  I have a workbench that has ovhanging cabinets.  There are some gaps where nothing sits.    So since I had a couple of these spindals, I put them to use.  I now have a dozen spindals waiting for the time I have a large enough work room/garage at home to put up shelving.  Until then, these two work great.

First off, you need to cut the pillar out of the middle of the spindle.

There are two types of spindals,  The screw on type, and the lipped type.  The lipped type have 3 or 4 lips that turn into the base,  the screw on type are just like the old mason jars.   I prefer the lips as they tend to be more sturdy, however, I have yet to break one so I might be a little biased.

Then using large head screws or screws through washer, you screw the base to the bottom of the cabinet or shelf.

                                                                   Remove the Center Post

Then you fill the basin with whatever bits and pieces you wish.  (I have rack screws and parts in one, and PC screws and parts in the other)

                                                               Sorters hung under the cabinet.

This is a VERY simple project, and you can get these spindals all over the place, (I found 4 or 5 at the local goodwill).  Garage sales, or just ask someone who works in IT, or a friend who burns lots of CD’s.    You can also use just about any other type of container with a screw on lid.

By Docwatmo

Source: averageguyreviews.wordpress.com