Adam Savage Builds His Dream Hardware Storage System!
After prototyping the storage shelf system for housing and organizing his Sortimo storage boxes, Adam turns to the task of building out a massive wall of hardware storage for the new "hardware store" section of the workshop. This wall of orange Sortimo boxes is a beauty to behold, and the process to building and assembling over 70 metal slide-out shelves is no simple feat, especially when things don't go according to plan...
Savage Industries Sortimo: adamsavage.com/products/savag...
Adam's One Day Builds: Savage Sortimo Storage Cabinet: • Adam Savage's One Day ...
Adam's Dream Storage System Prototype: • Adam Savage Prototypes...
Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Joey Fameli
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
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#onedaybuilds #workshop #adamsavage
Savage Industries Sortimo: adamsavage.com/products/savage-industries-sortimo-t-boxx Adam's One Day Builds: Savage Sortimo Storage Cabinet: kzhead.info/sun/obKBdNdrqJ6PfJ8/bejne.html Adam's Dream Storage System Prototype: kzhead.info/sun/hM6Cptl-g6CVq5E/bejne.html
First rule of mass production ... MAKE A JIG FOR EACH OPERATION !! that way you'll achieve consistemcy.
Why not leave a big rectangle flap for the back of the tray and bend piece in place for your needs? You know have flap a little smaller then a square in width/height so you can have bent into shape.
Adam, have you tried out Google Lens on Android? You can take a picture of any miscellaneous object and it will link you to detailed info about it online such as manufacturers info and part numbers. It might make it easier to populate your database with more useful info.
You didn't catch the spelling mistake??
ITS FINALLY HERE, the day i have been waiting for for 7 years following Adams journey
Explaining at the beginning how critical it is to have have the drawers identical and telling us the importance of creating jig/template...and then NOT creating a jig at the end for the critical part of installing the drawer arm receivers exactly parallel....that's peak Adam Savage right there.
Was thinking the same thing! I just kept repeating to the screen "build a jig, build a jig,. You just built 3 other jigs for this project, how do u not see this?" Glad u said first!
Why not drill the holes for the slides when they are stacked in the mill. Instead of using the hole punch 1 at a time
Lol yeah, this dudes always a good laugh. It's like buying $1,000s of dollars in drawer slides and bins, yet cheaping out on the plywood, then not building a frame under the cabinet to make it more sturdy, just put more wheels under it.
@@Not_DB_CooperI mean not everyone can be good at everything. Adam Savage is not a cabinet maker or carpenter by trade. I'm sure he saved more than if he had someone custom build it with the same materials. He's also not really making a tutorial for anyone to follow. He's just filming himself build things that are meant for himself. He doesn't have to film it, so I don't know why there are complainers. I'm sure if he wanted to he could pay someone $10,000-$15,000 to build storage cabinets for all his stuff. Nothing wrong with what he does.
Still waiting on several follow-up videos he talked about for stuff... He's such a relatable mess. My hero.
Adam has an entire shop full of hardware that he exclusively use to build more storage for more hardware. Its an endless circle of hardware.
Soon the hardware system will become self-aware and begin replicating itself!
Shops are just places you build more things for the shop...
It's the circle of life
I genuinely love how Tested has become basically Adam's personal channel where he just shares what he's doing in a day. It's genuinely perfect.
Well it is named "Adam Savage's Tested"
@@Twerkulieswasn't at first. It was Will and Norm who started Tested. Adam joined them and now seems to be have taken full control of the channel. Used to be a subscriber long time ago, but unsubscribed because of Will. He was annoying and unwatchable, Norm was really good.
Yes, especially because I couldn't stand Norm.
I avoided subscribing to this channel for the longest time because it felt like a production. This feels like a KZheadr in their glory days before they get caught up with cameras and lighting and microphones and staff and sponsors and scripts. It’s beautiful.
Man discovers drawers, 2024. Colorized
2010s Adam: “Can’t deal with drawers, drawers are where things go to die” 2020s Adam: “Let’s build hundreds of expensive drawers”
I think individually portable drawers were what he was looking for all along. So it's a tool cart in the shop, but portable for on site projects.
How are you gonna have all the exact parts in one single case that you're going to pull out and walk away with? Out of all the boxes 🤷🏼♂️ It's great for pulling everything out on a bench though.
but with really cheap plywood
Sortimo is the one that makes L-Boxx for Bosch , few other brand use it too , the other system is Systainer , that Festool , Makita and few other use. Both are not cheap and if you want the custom set holding these Sortimo T-Boxx's in order for your van , that cost extra .
He's on record taking that statement back though ;)
Adam is such a relatable builder. He fails to follow his own rules, his builds often have nagging flaws. He’s really excited to begin a build and really loves having the thing at the end…. We’re all that guy….
Well... I´m more like: I´d love to have this done! I´ll get the parts for everything, make drawings and everything. Then something else comes up, and I forget about it for 18 months... So I find these pieces somewhere, and I go looking for the rest of it. Can´t find it that day, so forget about it for another 18 months. XD
Isn't ADHD soooooooo fun!
Thank you so much Adam for making me feel like I'm not the only person in the world who sees the value in spending 18 hours of labour to make a way to do a 10 minute task in 8 minutes.
You end up spending exactly as much time on the whole project as if you had just had a good cup of tea and got on with the parts. But you had a more interesting time doing it. And that's OK.
To be fair in the long run its a HUGE improvement
I have to tell you that I have a ten week old baby & in the early days of her life we watched two seasons of Mythbusters in a tired blur & my daughter has a real appreciation of your voice. My husband will put on one of your videos & she will calm right down & watch you build absolutely anything with as much joy as a ten week old can muster. Thought this might make your day! We'll be working through your back catalogue of videos bit by bit for a good long while. 😂
I'm sorry but I laughed really hard at "I have a ten week old baby & in the early days of her life"...... Time seemingly going by that slow? 😂
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024 it's been a long & tiring ten weeks. 😂
@@heatherlyc clearly 😂 Is it because the baby or having to play Adams videos on repeat? 🤣 (BaDumTss)
"15 minutes, that's 4 per hour. That means I would get 60 done in .... 3 hours......hold on" LMFAO I died laughing cause for a quarter second I was like 'yea that makes sense.'
Maths is hard 🤬
my greatest nemisis is math....in fact if i was a villain math would foil all my plans every time I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME MATH.....NEXT TIME! YEEEEAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!
6:55
I am dreadful at maths, I can't do it. But even I knew that was wrong 😅
the math isn't math-ing.🙃
Having worked in an industrial facility that produced utility bodies for trucks out of sheet metal, for something like this we would nest each piece in a 4’x12’ sheet and punch them out on a cnc turret punch table. Notches and holes would be done and each part would be ready for the cnc press break. 70 of these would take about 4 sheets of aluminum, processing each sheet of parts on the turret punch table would take about 10 minutes and breaking them another hour. We made thousands of similar drawer units this way only ours had rolled edges for rigidity and were made from 16ga galvanized steel. It’s a testament to the power of automation and modern processes how fast we would pump these out. It’s humbling when you have to design a process done manually and makes you appreciate the planning stage all the more.
Production engineering is a discipline all its own. There's nothing else quite lick it in the engineering world.
Having run a CNC turret punch I wonder if there is a 'job shop' company with one in the bay area; if Adam debated using them to punch out the complete blanks. Also if they had a well set up or CNC sheet metal break to do the complete tray. Send cut send would also be an option as they have laser, water jet, sheet metal bending machines and offer hardware insertion.
"I just want to stop and tell you I don't want to clean up right now, and yet I'm cleaning up. " Atta boy! Great attitude. Thinking forward to tomorrow-you walking in to a clean shop. What I like is that you can totally clean up while in a bad mood, but it's hard to be inspired during a bad mood. So going ahead and doing what you're fit for means that your best can be used to do your best.
that is great.
I've heard more people quote Adam Savage than ANY OTHER PERSON that "drawers are where stuff goes to die". I disagreed then and I disagree now. The trick it to make sure the drawer has a specific place for each thing in it. RANDOM drawers can be bad. Purposeful drawers are awesome! Welcome back Adam! :)
Iirc he's said that in relation to deep, unlabelled drawers
@@bakedbeings Now he says that. That wasn't the original statement, but like I said, we'll embrace his return and welcome him back to the drawer lovers club. ❤️
If you're still looking to add additional complications to your sorting method, you could have alexa/echo recall which draws contain what items when asked. This could also be useful when guest builders are using the space too. " alexa, where are my RCA connectors?" answer: drawer 45.
Better yet drawer pops out and opens. And lights up. Lmao then alexa says its here.
What a brilliant idea.
Every day we get closer and closer to Tony Stark's Jarvis lol
I've had this dream for a while. Just having some sort of AI system that knows what item you have in relation to some sort of chart. I don't even think it would be THAT hard, just make a list of all your compartments with the items, then all the AI has to do is match the item to the drawer....... "What is in drawer 20?", answer: 10 mm sockets "where are my 10mm sockets?", answer: In drawer 20. Doesn't seem hard at all.
One of the things I really love about Adam is that he almost always provides Metric measurements as well as Imperial. As a Metric user this is so nice!! Thank you Adam!
Learn the conversion and you never have to depend on someone else for it.
The imperial system is dying, good riddance.
Down with the empire.
@@tinusgwell, except in the entire PCB and supporting industries, and in most carpentry, and in construction, and and and. So yea, except in everywhere it’s not.
@@c1ph3rpunkimagine if there were other countries in the world and the people who lived in them also watched KZhead but didn't use imperial measurements. Imagine if there were over 200 of them even! What a world that would be.
There's a hardware store in town that has a whole aisle full of those small hardware drawers on roller slides. Walking down that aisle and seeing all the weird little bits and bobs they have there will bring a tear to your eye. I think the place will stay around for awhile too, the company that owns it got their start in the hardware business and they have a strong interest in keeping that store as a tribute to their past.
@29:22 The way to keep the drawer slides parallel by laying two rack walls aside and using a common distancing block - pure genius. I admire it. Respect. :) Cheers.
This build was Adam in a nutshell. A brilliant plan, squirreliness during the build, and perfection at the end. I love it.
The squirreliness was very trying to me.
Don't forget it was over complicated and overly expensive. Adam has lots of tools and money and this is his job to make content so I suppose those things don't matter in this case.
@@SW0000A And you felt it was necessary to make this comment on my post? Want to make negative comments, make your own, leave original commenters out of it.
@@SW0000A It's neither over complicated or expensive since he literally says material was priced fairly and he didn;t get the most expensive things?
As a hobby tinkerer I cannot express how much of a pleasure it is to be building or fixing something, and being able to know exactly where you need to look to find the part or piece you require. This is on a whole other level. Very cool.
I am always in awe of your problem-solving abilities. Putting the drawer slides end-to-end to make sure they matched up 🤯 I know you have years of experience in problem-solving but just... wow. Such a satisfying watch.
I absolutely love this. I am myself learning excel, at the age of 56. Adam you have so profoundly increased my organization skills. Thank You. Hope all is well with everyone with the Tested Family.
That's great that you're learning Excel! I'm the same age but have been using it since 3.0 back in the early 90s, and it's really come a long way for data organization and formula variations. I hope you enjoy discovering all it can do! There are many instructional videos here on KZhead as I'm sure you're already aware, they've been quite helpful especially when Microsoft adds new formulas and so forth.
A friend converted his garage to a shop, but he needed a lot of space for equipment that just didn't fit. SO, he utilized the ceiling and attic to make draw-down storage for almost all his hardware, making space for his equipment that used the walls and floors. They each sit on a hydraulic piston. There are 4 large platforms that drop down. They only became useable once enough weight was put on the platform. He put racks for bolts/nuts/bearings/electrical/hinges.... etc...onto the platforms along with a section for storing portable tool boxes for traveling. All he has to do is pull on the cord that hangs from the platform and the hydraulics slowly bleed the fluid out, lowering the heavy platform toward the ground. It stops at waist height and the bottom stores away at just over 7 feet. You can't do jumping jacks inside but he now has a fully equipped shop. He's an excellent wood worker. To put them away, you start lifting it and the hydraulics kick in and start the heavy lifting.
Wow. This deserves a 'shop tour' video!
at first I was like: WOW! Someone can do slides one by one, with no story stick/spacer! That's almost impossible! And then I was: Alright, at least I'm not going mad here. A very interesting roller coaster of emotions. And thank you for sharing this! It's pretty educational
I love seeing someone living their dream and having what they really want
Another quality view into the place where Professor Farnsworth keeps his various lengths of wire.
Nice honest video. I did the same 12 years ago here in the UK with my 20 sortimo cases . I dont have any metal working kit so used angle iron and ply and they are still going strong it is a shame that you tube does not allow pictures in the coments section . Not having to take each case fully out each time is a massive time saver over a week of working .
Anytime I do stuff like this my friend group calls it *Fake Productivity* but if you asked me where anything I own is... I know exactly where to find it.
You get it!
Yup A couple of days sorting stuff out so you, and potentially even more importantly anyone else working with you, can find bits without hunting for it, or a place to put the box down every time pays for itself surprisingly fast. Even just 30 seconds or a minute each time adds up over a year or three, especially if you keep having to do something multiple times an hour. Even just the "index" will probably pay for the time it took to do the first time Adam has someone helping him in a large build that uses a lot of small parts as they won't need to keep asking "where is the thingywursit" (British technical term, circa 1950's Newcastle probably ;)), interrupting Adam's thought process or workflow. The really hard part is maintaining such a system, and keeping track of when something is running low, although I guess Excell on the phone could do it more or less in real time (open the spreadsheet up and mark down row 3 or whatever with "low").
I know your pain haha 😂
I know exactly where my hammer is. It's over there in the corner of the bench under all that other stuff.
Can’t put a price on avoiding that feeling of frustrated rage while you can’t find the thing you’re looking for
Interesting that you have a Sortimo spreadsheet. In my lab I printed out a sticker sheet of QR codes, and stuck them on all the bins that we have. That way you can scan a code, and it will link you to a row in a spreadsheet that has a list of everything in that bin. Might not be worth it for the sortimos, but it works well for big bins on shelves that are a pain to take down and rummage around in
Ambient music with Adam sped up making stuff is just mesmerizing. What a trip :)
We make little 10" x 3" pine boxes for a lady here that sells jam in small jars. We've made up to 200 per batch at times and (you're right) the tedium of that is a "particular type of tiring". I refer to it as "brain stiffness"...similar to the stiffness you get from sitting in one position for too long.
I truly love seeing someone else obsessed with organization, I feel a lot less insane.
Agree
I envy you the whole space, the fact that you have time to do what you love and just have a blast doing it..Man. you have won in life. Just amazing.
2:11 I have this metal system for my small parts. The design has been the same for decades so cabinets I’ve had for 30 years fit perfectly with the new ones. This long-term compatibility make the initial purchase price easier to swallow.
If the frames that held the draw slides were kept small but had the capability to be connected together, you'd have a modular system that you could reconfigure over the years. You'd have many small cabinets, each holding two or three sortimos on rails, stacked-up into whatever height you had available over a given floor footprint.
This system is already modular because each sortimo can be moved and configured how ever you want. It would always take up the same foot print but I dont imagine changing the footprint would be needed for the hardware store use Adam requires.
I think that 2 or 3 columns per module/rack is already optimized to reduce redundancy of caster wheels and walls with only 1 side supporting sortimos.
would have been a crap ton more plywood and would have added height to the overall stack for a use he really doesnt need his new ethos is keeping all the stuff in this area now.
The height is pre-determined by Adam's physical height. He wanted to be able to see into the topmost Sortimo when slid out. A taller individual may have built it taller, but the height is custom to his height. Also, way more plywood and weight and "wasted" space with all that plywood.
I'm still surprised Adam hasn't done an episode of Gridfinity. I think it would fit his mindset, and his love of knolling.
Can't help feeling that there is an association of organisation nerds who reach out and recognise one another every so often, before retreating to the safety of their own little (neatly organised) shed, cave, workshop etc. Enjoyed this build. Did occur to me in the preamble where the lack of available horizontal space is identified and bemoaned, that the new cabinets offered a possible solution to this. Each cabinet features 13 T-Boxses mounted on drawer runners. Starting from the bottom, every 3/4 boxes add an additional intermediate set of drawer runners. These runners simply hold a plywood shelf that can be extended outwards. This would give an additional 10-15 horizontal spaces. If you had to retrieve multiple items from multiple Sortimos a shelf can be pulled out and the items gathered there prior to transferring everything to the workbench. Keep up the interesting work.
I think this may have been one of my favourite videos I’ve watched on tested, it’s so simple when u say it but the whole adding 1 min to a job across 70 items is over an hour of work throughout the day, is so true and mind blowing 🤯, it would be interesting experimenting to see what the diminishing returns are have a build off with one of the team and see how much time building the templates and such takes vs just smashing out the work 1 at time
Working in a shop on a cutter and printer, printing and cutting all day I am 100% with you on efficiency. Any place I can shave off minutes or even sometimes 30 seconds is a bonus without sacrificing quality. Especially if I'm making many parts, a streamlined process makes that workflow super easy!
dude, that same concept goes into anything. I have test reports to do, and spend hours automating as much as i can, as it saves SOOOOO much time for everyone in the lab when it's all said and one.
Quicker and cheaper solution for the actual problem: Make one sheet metal drawer for each of the case columns, that you can draw out and use as the “table space” for every single occasion. 😊
Only issue with that is you still have to lift the containers. Depending on how heavy they are, decides the design.
A quicker and cheaper solution to shelter is just to live in a cardboard box outside, but that's not very convenient or productive, so we usually rent or buy homes.
Westley Treat did that in his video. "Sorta Sortimo"
@@virtuserable I’m the same, that’s why it’s a drawer, a temporary shelf that doesn’t accept permanent things. 😄
@@EEKloveableif they’re too heavy to lift you don’t really want a sortimo at all, just a drawer with individual bins in it.
Awesome !! You just gave me the idea on how to enhance my Steelcase filing cabinet to better support organization and storage of small parts! I'll remove one (or more) of the large drawers and fabricate a pair of low profile slide-outs in its place. Thanks Adam!
I love the sound of the "creaking" as Adam adjusts the camera on the loc-line mount. It adds to the personal 1-to-1 feel that he has so well cultivated.
Always enjoy your organizational projects. When I built my sortmaster rack, I built in 2 swing out shelves in the middle to set the cases on. Much cheaper than all those drawers slides. Having hardware organized is a complete game changer though. Lots of ways to skin the cat. Your original build is what inspired me to build mine.
That’s what I was thinking, why not just build one pullout drawer at waist height and leave it empty, he already had the nice organizer, when he needs something he just grabs the case he need and uses the empty pull out as the flat surface to rest the case on
This is why I love this channel. Seeing into the mind of another person's style and thought process.
I was genuinely smiling when you showed the first complete rack! 😊 Great job 👍
28:30 About 20 years ago, I made a 4-drawer cabinet, like what you were doing here. What I did, due to making a mistake the first time like you did here. I put the pieces of wood together, placed the rails on each wood, and screwed them in, and this way, as long as they aligned up while laying flat together, they would be aligned when across from one another. It worked for me. So, the next time you do a job like this, or anyone else doing a job like this, Make sure you do the following. #1: Lay the two pieces of wood on a flat surface. #2: Butt the fronts together. #3: Make your lines all the way across both pieces of wood. #4: Lay your rails down on your lines, making certain they are perfectly lined up. #5: Next, screw in your rails. #6: Put the two pieces of wood where you are going to install them. #7: Slide the drawers in. #8: (This is my favorite number, so I had to add in something. :) )
As he's talking about punching all the holes: Use the mill! Use the mill! You have them all stacked up anyway for the corner holes. :)
Yeah! I just commented the same! He already had the setup! For some reason he wanted to make the holes after cutting the corners on the bandsaw, but he could still have restacked them even that way
As he was drilling the big holes, it made sense with how sticky the aluminum is, too small and you'll just be snapping bits with that big of a stack, but maybe even just a stack of two?
@@BryanGorges I think he could do at least 5, maybe 10 on the mill. But I'm sure he could do 2 at a time on the punch
Have you ever drilled a hole that tiny in aluminum? Did you see how he had to keep cleaning off the big end mill? Do you know how much a tiny bit like that would wander when drilling that thick? It's a good idea but it won't work, unfortunately.
Keep a fixture in place on the mill, drill the bandsaw clearance and rivet holes ~15 or so sheets at a time. You have to do the milling operation more but I bet it would save time
The music during the time-lapse was very nice. Ambient repetitive tasks in space station vibe. Perfect for the not-drawer drawers of the future!
This level of organization just inspires me.
Your a very unique man with a very special cave , Your life time of tool foraging is sooo admirable. Thank you for being you.
Harbor Freight (or Adam) needs to mass produce these frames with drawer slides for the Harbor Freight, Stanley, and Sortimo cases. Make them easily adjustable to mix and match tall and short cases. Make sections 2 to 3 ft tall that are designed to stack together as well as joining side by side columns together. Have an optional kit for the front to slide over and prevent drawers from sliding out in mobile applications. Great design Adam. With over 100 cases I've been working on this idea for many years. Have seen all the KZhead videos, this is the best.
Great idea in theory, but the price point to realistically manufacture something like this would be a deal killer for a lot of people. I have the metal drawer system he showed in the beginning, and the empty frame with 4 slide racks costs more than the 4 sorting boxes inside.
Also, drawer racks for mobile applications are a whole other level. Some of my metal cabinets are 10 years old but spent their 1st 2 years in a service truck. Those have a lot more wear and tear than than ones that saw daily use in a shop for 20 or 30 years.
@zadams5596 . Yes, I agree it would not be cheap , and I am very familiar with those industrial parts however, Harbor Freight sells their General and Icon tool chest and side cabinets from 300.00 to $3,000 all day long. The mobile service technician also is a huge Market in their existing van shelving and drawers are extremely expensive already. Milwaukee packouts are expensive and you can't take the drawers out individually ie. The cheaper option would be to sell the drawers and sliders assembled as a kit, and the user builds their own Cabinetry to put them in
They make them like the ones he showed as an example. Grainger gives them as part of their stocking for bolts and parts. It's nice that you can slide them out to get something or take it with you if doing a project.
@rickmaudlin2160 there is a brand that makes something like this, a bit better imo, called rolacase I am not positive but I believe there is a patent on their design which could be a reason that there aren't many clones on the market.
Next time... A faster path for drilling and cutting 1. stack the sheets and clamp them together with edges very carefully aligned. 2. TIG weld the corners together so the stack now acts as just one piece of metal, probably at the corners. 3. Do almost everything on the mill, drilling, cutting... all on that one big slab. All your drawers will match. 4. Last operation is cutting off the corner weld.
Was a bit perplexed why he didn't do a lot of it on the mill since he was already setting it up. Welding them all together is an even better idea 👌
seriously adam, i procrastinate all the time, so i live through your projects. So much thank you for sharing them with us, and thank you for entertaining me when i can't get anything done.
I really enjoy your videos. They are intuitive and don't give the usual feeling of someone reading of a script. I can appreciate someone having enough funds, suffering from ocd and being a perfectionist wanting to create all those drawers. Me, lacking funds and ocd (though being a perfectionist), I would just insert one retractable metal tray at a convenient height in each (or, in every second) cabinet column(s), and every time I need something I would pull out the tray, take our the needed Sortimo box, lay it on the tray, take whatever I need and put the thing back. Making cabinets with fixed shelves would be much cheaper and much faster to make than this system. Less fancy though. 😀 Also, if you still wanted to go ahead with your system, instead of drilling those big corner holes plus doing 2 cuts, I would just do one cut, and then, when folding the sides and the back, would fold and rivet the "flaps" to the back "wall" of the tray (obviously after having punched the relevant holes for the rivets on the side and the back before bending the sheet). I am no engineer or anything of the sort but in my mind, this looks ok. 😀On that note, if I had to do it the way you do it, I would bend the triangle "flaps" to the exterior and to the back of the "walls" where they will not interfere with the slides and will not be visible even with the drawer pulled out. This way, there is no risk that they may scratch the boxes when moving the drawers in and out or when putting the boxes in or taking them out (me being a perfectionist and all). 😁
I'm inspired and overwhelmed at the same time. There is only one Adam Savage for sure. Genius for sure.
It’s shocking to me that you’ll drop probably north of 7500 (retail) on the sortimos, sheet metal, slides, bcx, and casters. Not to mention labor. But the extra 150 for quality sheet goods is where you saved. I do appreciate the honesty regarding this. Great system, great effort, and great result none the less. Also, the quality of certain materials has become shocking in the past 10 to 15 years. As a finish carpenter and cabinet maker the last three years has been a wild ride in the paneling and hardwoods market. Love the content from the entire tested crew.
So true, any project however small can fill the entire available workspace.
I'm just impressed that you were able to get 6061 to bend so nicely - It loves to crack. I used to run a CNC press brake and once in a while a piece of 6061 would accidentally get mixed in with our 5051. Fun fact, when you're bending a long piece of thick 6061 in a 60 ton press brake and it cracks, it sounds like a gun going off.
Goals!! (my electronics with it's work station are in a different shed, along with all my construction tools & a few other things) my gardening gear, oils & fuels are in another shed. My main workshop has most other things but.... I also have a 20' shipping container with mixed stuff & over the highway a few blocks away, I have a 40' container with the workshop equipment I've yet found room for in my 3 bay workshop! One day I hope to have it all in the one place. I absolutely HATE not being able to find things that I know I have!! I think listing everything is a great idea!!
A fun project, I really appreciate the fatigue that can set in. Also, when I first saw the backs of the cabinets, I shouted out loud "diagonal bracing!" and then, lo, you added it subsequently.
Yeah I was like NO NO NO those things are going to collapse instantly with all that weight! And then rewatching I saw the braces
i love watching your videos adam, and seeing you work with metal is always my favorite. as a sheet metal worker its something i have always loved, turning a sheet of metal into something functional is so enjoyable.
15:00 as i watch the mill plunge into the stack of aluminum, my mind immediately goes to the audiobook version of "Every Tool is a Hammer" and the voice of Adam Savage telling me "Always use more cooling fluid".
I can't help wondering if you could have drilled the holes for the draw slides same as you did to help with the corner cuts? Seems that would have been so much faster. As impressive as it is the mixing of colours in the double cabinet would cause me sleepless nights.
5:57 - I love Adam using a broad enough vocabulary that when he uses a word like "Cogitating" it sounds like he misspoke or is making up new words, when that's not the case.
Adam, Create the first row in a spreadsheet as headers, highlight entire first row then click Sort/filter in tool ribbon bar, then click filter. Once you have done that you will see an arrow on the headers, you will then find ANYTHING so much faster. Or use the find function next to sort/filter in the tool ribbon bar.
Funny thing about Adams workshop is, it’s every maker’s dream. However, if I could snap my fingers and make that work shop mine I feel like I would be overwhelmed. I would be so frozen in an overjoyed state that I had all those tools and supplies at my fingertips I would never know/decide what project to start. I would probably just do what he is doing and just try to build things to make the space more organized/functional. All that being said… I’d definitely build a rocking chair, a light saber, and some kind of machine that would fold my laundry for me, haha
As shop hermit who almost never works elsewhere, a set of regular old drawers with small containers works just fine. When I do actually emerge from my cave (the light! my eyes! 🙀) I have a hardware tote that I populate for the job. Anyway, for those of us who dont already have a wall of sortimo it's a good option.
Agree 100%, plain old drawers just work best in a workshop. I find storage boxes fiddly to use, I've almost completely eliminated them, just have a few for my portable-only tools.
make just one draw (without a sortimo box) at the lower- or lowest shelf of the sortimo cabinet. Put the draw out, put a sortimo box on that flat surface....done!!
Seriously. A flat piece of wood on a drawer pull at working height every other row would have done the same job. Though I use Stanley sorters, I guess if you can afford sortimo you can afford to rebuild your system though lol.
Yeah that was my first thought as well lol
I should have read some comments before posting....I said the same thing!
Same here, that’s how I built mine. It also has the added benefit of the open bin being at the same accessible height. I’ve been using mine for 3-4 years now and it doesn’t slow me down to pull the bin out and set it on the shelf(on drawer slides) I love it!
Adam's system solved another big problem. Some of these boxes are heavy. And considering Adam's age it is pretty exhausting to move them from theirs drawers to one universal surface.
An excellent video on the perils of over-thinking - you let your thoughts eat up the momentum and no preparation, when there is repetitiveness - create a jig and iron out the bugs, then proceed.
This ladies and gentlemen, is what is called satisfying. A System of efficiency. Creating the system is sometimes more important than the thing created.
i love just watching you talk to yourself and figure things out as you go, i love that you kinda leave it unedited in that sense.
A spreadsheet with an accompanied binder of hi resolution images that lived in that empty space between the 3rd and 4th upright might prove useful if you are on the other side of the shop and want to “pre shop” your hardware store. Then you could quickly look through the drawers without physically pulling and then realizing maybe the other connector is what you really needed. Also seems like a fun Tested coffee table book.
I so relate to Adam's way of thinking and production, getting into every minute detail was a joy and I would likely make the same missteps and many more......later thinking that designing one folding, moveable shelf would have been a more effective use of his valuable time.
Thanks for sharing your overwhelming desire to go home before cleaning up! Dedication to some basic principles keeps us grounded and human. I dig the system, which could be modified for different sizes and brand storage boxes. 👍👍
Acquaintance had a similar problem. He weaseled 3 inches between his shelves and rigged a hinged table on a slider. He pulls the table out of its 3 inch cubby and the gravity pulls the legs down from the table top…think a more sturdy version of a TV tray with a hinge. Very time and cost effective alternative to 60 custom aluminum shelves.
Thus is the real answer
Adam, you should have made a "story pole" to layout the drawer slides on the plywood. Take a scrap length of wood, plywood, whatever you have, long enough to cover the entire height of the cabinet and just wide enough to mark, ie tall and skinny, and carefully measure and mark the location of the slides. The you just position the story pole carefully on you cabinet side, transfer the marks, repeat for each side, and you'll know they are identical. I've seen story poles used for siding, louvers, etc. Anything that requires many marks where accuracy is paramount. They are a great tool of opportunity as my Dad would call them. A tool you can make onsite when needed and even discard or recycle after you're done. Otherwise, GREAT idea and a perfect solution for your storage issues. Maximizing efficiency and space!
I like what he ended up doing better: he determined the distance between the slides, cut a template piece of wood and lined them up relative to each other using that board, screwing each slide base in with the board in place. That guarantees that distance is correct. A story pole requires marks, and marks can be off by a sixteenth or more. I've generally seen them used for rougher work where such accuracy isn't required.
Somebody once said to me that 'batching and botching are only one letter apart' in the sense that repeated tasks lead to complacency. Well done in your diligence through this task!
Thanks mm9773, I remember Adam saying he didn't like drawers back in the before time. However I understand his love for the Sortimo-T-Box. They are expensive at $50-85 each but IMHO worth it. Nothing else comes close. I have 10 of them and the only thing that has migrated out of its own bin is 1mm stainless washers. I have 2 of the 2 layer type ($85) which has been perfect for small hardware, 1-5mm and 2-56-12 something. Adam must get a large discount.
If anyone ever asks me what my ADHD hyperfocus looks like I’m going to send them this video from now on. It’s easier than trying to explain.
🙌🙌🤣
28:22 I fell this from the bottom of my heart. Ive done this enough to know when to raise a flag between steps of an assembly process. Saves a lot of time when you know your procedure works and prevents you from having to undo everything you just did. Good use of a jig btw.
When installing drawer slides like these, use a spacer, the same length of the slide (profiled to fit any bumps bends etc) between the top of one slide and the bottom of the other. Every slide will then be parrallel and evenly spaced. you can even use this method in a cupboard that has already been assembled.
Great system! But did you think about a pull out shelf at table height in your shelf system, So when you need a part you can grab the box of parts and pull out the shelf for your ready flat surface? You can have one for each stack.
I was literally about to suggest this too. Don't get me wrong I think his final product is superior but I would never have the patience to make so many shelves when I could just make one. You'd always have your box at the optimal height then too.
And if you have the single slide out shelf mid height is good on the body. How do you look into the top drawers if not removable and bending down and looking in the lower ones might be hard on the back
Was looking to see if somebody said this. Would have been far more efficient to just build a single pull out surface at optimal height.
For the price of these boxes, they should come with their own drawer slides
You are a wonderful teacher been watching you for years thank you for all the information and encouragement and wonderful work
First time I actually noticed the slope of the shop’s actual floor. I’ve had a wee break from tested since before Christmas, I just sometimes go through stages with the media I’m consuming, but the upside is I have a load of stuff to binge on the channel.
Sometimes it feels like you spend 6 hours trying to turn an 8 hour job into a 2 hour job.
he probably does, and I do sometimes too. I have found that usually I learn something in that 6 hrs that either keeps it from being more than a 8 hr job, and that I usually learn something that improves my skills and processes. so the next time I do something similar it goes faster and better.
But then every job after that is 2 hours and less, instead of 8 hours and less
I was inspired by Adam's original Sortimo video from a number of years ago, so don't take this as negativity. However, if the "common man" wants to duplicate the same basic functionality for far cheaper, you can use Harbor Freight 20 bin storage cases, white block zip-close bags, and a label maker. I use the same system in my shop (I'm a gunsmith) to organize hardware, spare parts, and customer builds. I made 4 station shelves out of formed sheet metal that can be bolted and stacked on top of each other or mounted under a shelf. No expensive sliders required. One of the advantages to the system IMO is to be able to take the organizer to the work and not have to walk back and forth, so I didn't bother with hard mounting or slides. However, I understand why Adam would want this in his application.
I haven't fully watched this video (but have watched the one on the prototype). AFAIK, he's able to remove the case from the shelf.
Never too late to have some nice labels printed so it looks even better and easier to read.
Maybe a cool project would be a small screen and a nice clicky rotary knob (with unbound rotation) that you can spin to cycle through your image collection with the shelf readout. The knob would also wake the screen for just as long as needed.
Hey Adam, I made an open source pick to light system called M.I.M.O.S.A, Basically a web interface where you can very quickly locate things in your drawers. I have a video on it. It's super easy to install, And it makes retrieving things much faster than indexing an Excel sheet. I would love to help you set this up!
I found your project online and it looks really cool. As a career programmer who loves making software to make people's lives (and jobs) easier, I was unsurprised to see Excel adopted as the "database" here, even though it's far from ideal. I will also be unsurprised that the answer of most people (probably including Adam) is "Nah, this is fine," because there's something about crossing that line into the software part, where suddenly "fit and finish" don't seem to matter as much anymore. And I guess part of that reason is because there's so much awful software out there. At least you know what you're getting with Excel. But people don't understand how much potential value they're leaving on the table by not looking further.
R2D2 *lurking*
Adam, I found a big Hardware storage Bin with wood and metal screws at my local fleamarket for $10.00 And I found 4 med size Storage Bins to put my bolts, washers and nuts in them/ Craftsman clear top bins for 34.00 and one to put my pistol in. And i brought a Farm Table at a yard sale. found a large craftsman toolbox at a pawnshop and put it ontop of the farm table for my shed.
when projects multiply themselves, love it.
When you going to name and number each case and stack and tell Alexa where everything is. Then you don't need to look for stuff.
Hey Adam (well, editors I guess... incredibly unlikely Adam Savage actually reads these) - I had an idea that could achieve a similar solution if someone wanted to do this on a much lower budget. If your hardware storage area had a fold-out shelf the right size to temporarily hold one of those bins, it would eliminate the need to clear work surfaces every time you opened one of the bins. Edit - I realized after the fact that you could just have 1 single drawer that was a shelf rather than a bin.
Sorta sortimo on you tube does this
You just had to space too boxes a little bit and add a maybe ¾" shelf on drawer slides. Alexandre Chappel did that with his custom sortimos
Adam, I'm at the point (in my 70s) where I'm thinning out my shop and tools -- selling some, giving some away -- and retaining only what I might still be capable of using. The process is a real education. The old saw (har) about the journey being more important than the destination... I wonder if you've ever given thought to what you'll do in 20 years. Or even now: if you had to decide for each item: is this necessary? Take it from me, doing so is illuminating, and weirdly liberating.
I always get an ASMR feeling when watching Adam build something. It’s very peaceful.
What is the break even point of cogitating for weeks to save hours of manufacture time? Is there a "just do it" point?
So he basically made drawer cabinets with alot of unnecessary lids! Even as an fan of diy i would have bought 2 lista cabinets and filled them with assortment boxes. That would have been much more dense in terms of unwanted air in between drawers and such.
Just saw he sells the boxes, wich suggests this is basicly an one day commercial:) Not trying to be a jerk, but it just didnt make any sense.
Exactly what I was thinking, seems like a laborious and expensive way of making inefficient drawers. I get that it makes the "drawers" very portable, but why do you need that in a workshop?
Lista cabinets are the way to go....hard to find used for a good price, though. I have both the latest generation and previous generation Listas and they can't be beat in terms of accessibility and density. Then just use small bins and pull out only the few bins you need instead of an entire Sortimo box...
@@saschaoswald480 Even new would be cheaper as he probably spent about 10k on this project excluding the labor. For that money he could have filled that wall with either lista or vidmar,kind,bott etc etc.
Why does the term "mad scientist" come into my mind every time I watch Adams videos???
Re: mounting the slides, that's why those of us who have worked in cabinetry know that you mount the bottom one and always use a story stick / spacer to mount the others. No need for measurements, no way to mess it up. Get the bottom one right and you can mount the rest with your eyes closed and high, if that's your thing. It will come out perfect every time.