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<p>One of the nice things about my new appartment is that it came furnished, so there was no need to bring in things like a couch. The downside, however, is that I'm at the whim of the pre-supplied furniture in terms of storage. I can't get rid of the prefurnished items for obvious reasons, and the items have already been selected to fill the space. This makes it difficult to add new storage furniture. At my desk, I'm using one of the side tables as a stand for my <a href="#202308291">computer</a> and 4U wood rack I built for it. As part of the structure of the side tables, there is a set of cross beams forming an H about five inches down from the base of the top. Currently, I have a carboard box that's exactly the right height resting in there, and another larger one at the bottom. This works, but it's not very convenient to open the box each time. The box also doesn't take full advantage of the footprint of the table, so there isn't as much fit into the space as there could be. A system of deviders would be nice at some point as well, and if I'm going to spend a significant amount of time creating an organization system, then it better be higher quality than on layer of couregated cardboard. So, I set off to build a drawer.</p>
<p>I'm cheap. That's how I have what I have, and usually I'm better for it. There's a story behind a lot of the objects I have that isn't "I got it from <insert big box store>." I also like the feeling of making things, even if they aren't that pretty, and I have a long shift in the wood shop today, so might as well do something with it.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/Drawer_From_Scrap/With_Handle_1000.jpg" alt="Drawer made from scrap plywood, MDF, and melamine laminated board. Front is made from black finish melamine. The handle is centered towards the top made from bent sheet metal." width="1000" height="750" />
<figcaption>Drawer made from scrap materials.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Luckily, there were some good pieces in the scrap pile today, and my manager and another co-worker had a couple things I could use as well. The melamine board, MDF and masonite were found in the scrap pile, and the plywood for the side and piece of sheet metal for the handle came from my manager and co-worker respectively. I got a list of measurements for the box the night before, which made it pretty easy to build out the drawer. My manager suggested pocket screws for assembly, since I wanted to be able to pull it apart again if needed. I cut all the pieces to size, drilled the pockets, and screwed it together.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/Drawer_From_Scrap/Outside_Detail_1000.jpg" alt="Bent sheet metal handle with sandblasted finish attached to face of drawer." width="1000" height="750" />
<img src="/static/media/Drawer_From_Scrap/Inside_Detail_1000.jpg" alt="Bent sheet metal handle with sandblasted finish attached to face of drawer. Inside shot." width="1000" height="750" />
<figcaption>Handle up close.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My last bit to figure out was the handle. I originally envisioned a slot cut into the face, but that was before I knew the front was melamine board. It can chip easily if the bits aren't sharp, and while the shop is in good condition, I didn't really want to mess around too much. I settled on the idea of a handle screwed onto the face. The rest of the box was looking kind of modern industrial with the exposed plywood with screw pockets faced with black melamine, so I thought a minimal sheet metal handle would look nice and be easy to fab and attach. While bumbling about seeing if there were any scrap sheet metal pieces, my co-worker offered up a pice that was pretty much the exact size I was looking for and at sixteen guage thikness. It also already had rounded corners, which was even better. I cleaned it up, layed out six holes to put the screws through, marked my bend points, and brought it to the metal shop to drill and bend. It was pretty straghtforward, but I did make a mistake in the order I made the bends. Always remember to think about what the part will look like after a bend. In my case, it needed to be bent in a certain order so that the part wouldn't interfere with the machine on the next bend. I did it backwards, so it undid my first bend and required me to re-bend that bend. Aside from that hiccup, it went well and was time for sandblasting. I really like the surface finish on the sandblasted part. Unfortunately, it will rust as it sits, so I'll need to coat it with something. I tried some stuff we had at the shop, but it just globbed on, probably due to age, so I'll buy a new can of clear later this week.</p>
<p>For now, it's complete. I'll use it like this for a week or so and add organizational features as I discover what would be beneficial. Also, I wouldn't recommend MDF if you can avoid it. I knew it was a weak material, but I figured it would hold up to the light duty it'll see as my drawer. I was not quite right, as it started to split when the screws were inserted. This was after pre-drilling to the recomended size. Some also stripped out quite quickly. I'll probably replace this with a sheet of something stronger, but for now, it'll be alright.</p>
<p><b>Created:</b> {{ .Date }}</p>
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