Home scrap bins

[KimB]

As per the title, I am fed up with trying to store scrap in my garage or shed. It ends up all over the place. What are you guys doing to store scrap. Especially for separating things. Any pics floating about or do any of you have any good ideas?

 

[roofman]

As per the title, I am fed up with trying to store scrap in my garage or shed. It ends up all over the place. What are you guys doing to store scrap. Especially for separating things. Any pics floating about or do any of you have any good ideas?

Just keep shoving it under benches out of sight but more importantly never out of mind as a small bit of metal is so precious for a bracket or gusset without cutting into new...
EDIT...take a pic of it before it gets put away as its easier to go through your phone pics than digging out half the workshop finding it

 

[jimbo84]

Buckets, or those large paint buckets, one for steel, one for non ferrous and another for cable. Anything too big for a bucket goes on some shelf racking as offcuts. Rummage through when you need something or tip out.

 

[Barking Mat]

Paint buckets good.

I have so much scrap / crap metal I don't know what to do with it. Just keep piling it up in various corners.

It's the street lamp pillars which particularly annoy me, but so useful, one day...

 

[skotl]

I can take pictures tomorrow but my scrap / stock is spread as follows:

Long bits of wood (I know...) and light rod is in the roof hanging from wooden struts.
Decent bits of round and bar, up to 6ft long, are just piled in two corners of the garage floor-to-roof.
Sheet steel is up against the shelves, with semi-used kit behind it.
Smaller bits of round and bar (up to ~2ft) are under a shelf near the mill and lathe.
Medium bits of scrap (< 12") in a big plastic bin on the welder trolley.
Small bits of wooden and metal scrap, less than ~4", are on a shelf. I use the small metal bits for braces and brackets, and the small bits of wood as stays / sacrificial drill targets etc.

Actually... when I write it all down like that it seems like I have a system!

 

[stuvy]

I split mine between steel and Ali and then tube and flat

in stackable crates if it gets too much it gets weighed in

 

[8ob]

I cut the top off old oil tanks and fill them with all the scrap, a mate of mine changes a lot of them so I have a steady supply, saves trying to tie down all the bits

Bob

 

[Ashley Burton]

I cut the side off a containers to throw the odd random bits in

I leave the top handle on the container to drag them out from under a bench etc

This is a 20l adblue container:

 

[James1979]

I cut the top off old oil tanks and fill them with all the scrap, a mate of mine changes a lot of them so I have a steady supply, saves trying to tie down all the bits

Bob

This. Or oil drums.

I prefer the drums as I have mild, brass, stainless etc but the non ferrous ones tend to take ages to fill as I don't do too much of it recently.

 

[sako243]

I'd say if not just piled around the yard like @8ob, some of his scrap may be organised but last time I was there most of his yard was storage, then wooden crates under a bench for small stuff.


In my shed in Surrey, before I moved, I had some heavy duty shelves with shelves spaced closely together, most short stock lived on there. Sheet down a gap beside it and long lengths spanning the top of several shelves tucked under the eaves.

Just saw a walk-around video of Colin Furze's shed on YouTube and his scrap storage was simple yet effective. Made good use of the space.

If and when you build your workshop consider putting some strong storage along the edge of the eaves that way long 3m+ lengths of stock can be slid up out the way.

 

[Ashley Burton]

@sako243 I use to stack my 3m lengths of stock vertically in the pitched roof garage I previously had

But also storing them horizontally isn't a bad thing

 

[frank horton]

Kim B
my answer to ur question.....
I find it hard to throw out useful scrap......the drawers to my fettling bench hold the shorter bit's n bobs....steel wedges etc.....
longer bits r on a narrow roll out trolly under/between another bench and the wall......this trolley will take two Tesco style crates end to end....one crate for angle then another for strip etc etc.....and of course the trolley is now 3 crates high.....
the drawers r made of 3/4 shuttering ply glued and screw'd.....also with 3 roller bearing per side, so easy to slide....they sit on 40x40mm angle with just about 1/2inch gap above the drawer.... then u can get the drawer out 75% of the way and leave it hanging there while u rummage......
just to add that the fett bench wasn't finished when the photo was taken and all my stuff is either on wheels or can be moved with a pallet truck.....
and my Border Collies always have to be in the photo's......hahaha....

 

[Pete.]

I have a plastic storage crate that rolls under the bench. When it's nearly full I put the scrap into bags and dump it in the front garden. It's usually gone pretty quickly.

 

[sako243]

@sako243 I use to stack my 3m lengths of stock vertically in the pitched roof garage I previously had

But also storing them horizontally isn't a bad thing

Only useful if you have 3m of headroom to play with

My new place I've stacked some of the 6m lengths vertically

 

[awemawson]

I have a wall rack for bar stock, and short ends sit on a shelf. Sheet metal slides down the side of the Guillotine against a wall.
My issue is with sheet and plate that I’ve cut things from on the Cnc plasma table. Too much good metal to throw away but big and floppy. It ends up leaning against the wall waiting to snag and catch me!

 

[Wallace]

Mine is all over the place and usually in the way, it is something I am currently working on. I collected some Tote pans out of the scrap bin over time from a company I was working at and several of those are in the small bottom shed with ferrous and non ferrous metals split into types for the small stuff and I scored 16 matching ones that are sat waiting for the next phase of my current clearout. I currently have one stainless kitchen bin for scrap scrap and a council recycling bin on my bandsaw for useful scrap and offcuts, the saw isn't finished yet and will also store offcuts plus 1m lengths as the frame is heavy duty.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Large metal ammo box for smaller pieces

 

[KimB]

Some great ideas guys. I did something similar to yours @8ob and also did the barrel idea. I could do with another actually, finding them for scrap is hard.
I love the chop saw stand @Wallace, I think that might have to be another project along with some some adjustable stands. My cut off saw is so irritating. It’s always in the way!

 

[8ob]

I split mine between steel and Ali and then tube and flat

in stackable crates if it gets too much it gets weighed in

I am separating out the Ali, hoping to build a gurt smelter and reduce it down to ingots. One day

Bob

 

[KimB]

I might see if I can get a barrel from somewhere for the time being as well.