- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 11,783
You may be interested in this post, quoted below.
[I have since purchased the layered foam that I used to 'tuck in' the #25s, as seen above. I still don't like my chances with multiples of #15s or bigger....]
I store almost all of my traditional knives in a Gerstner International machinist's chest, GI-525, 20"w x 9"d x 11 1/8"h:
(Google GI-525 for more specs, professional pictures, etc.)
On its usual shelf, with the front panel opened up and slid underneath the lowest drawer:
When closed, the front panel is held in place with a spring-loaded pin that is pressed into a socket in the panel by pressure from the lid:
The Point: knife storage!
Wide lower drawer (both the long drawers are the same length; the lower one is slightly deeper):
#25s (3" knives) 5 deep in part of a larger drawer:
One of the six smaller drawers:
(A view of the main storage compartment, and notes on quality, below.)
A couple days ago, I added a Gerstner Mini-Me (official name: Mini-Max; mine is a GI-511):
10"w x 5"d x 7 3/4"h:
The drawers can be secured by a removable panel that fits in a cut-out in the base and is held in place via the same spring-pin mechanism as on the larger box:
[The Mini-Max comes in different configurations-- with and without the handle, with all long drawers, all short drawers, and/or the four small drawers, two long drawers mine has.]
Here's where it gets fun, and funny.
GEC #15s in a small drawer from the "real" box:
GEC #15s in a small drawer from the Mini-Me:
GEC #15s in a large drawer from the "real" chest:
GEC #15's in a large drawer from the Mini-Me:
(They'll also fit, also barely, in two columns of three.)
Small drawer comparision:
Yes, the drawers in the small chest are just 3" tall.
Wait-- 3"...?
The main compartment (top, under the lid) of the 525:
(You canstufffit a LOT more into this space; I've cleaned it up for pictures.)
The main, under-lid compartment of the 511 Mini:
I like both of these boxes very much. I envision the smaller box as a desk organizer/travel box, depending on my needs. The larger box has already served me well, and hits the its intended spot-- accessible, attractive storage-- perfectly.
While not inexpensive, these boxes are not cheap. My first box was Harbor Freight's offering, and its combination of soft (green?) wood, cardboard-quality drawer bottoms that quickly sagged underneath my pocketknives, and non-aligning hardware were (are) off-putting. It looks the part, but was unsatisfying in use.
That said, the Gerstner International line does contain compromises to come in at a lower price point than their USA-made forebears (The Gerstner line, proper), as found in the drawer bottoms, some of the corner joints, etc. For my purposes (sitting on a shelf holding my knives), these are acceptable trade-offs given their price relative to the USA models, but it's something to be aware of.
525 drawer bottom:
(Thin, stapled wood with thin felt overlay)
Mini-Me:
(Screwed, not stapled-- nice!)
525, inside lid corner:
Plastic drawer rails:
(The Mini-Max's drawer rails are wooden.)
Also, this may have happened with a Gerstner USA model as well, but one of the first times I popped the lid on the big box, the front panel fell forward and sharply DOWN-- it was on the edge of shelf with no surface in front of it to 'catch' it...
... and the interior panel wood immediately cracked at the front holding pins. GAAAAAAAAH.
I was able to glue it up well enough that I can't remember or re-discover, now, which side was affected (I thought it was the right side shown above, but now I'm thinking it was the left side-- but can't tell, fortunately), but it was horrifying when it happened. Whether an issue of quality or user error, I hope anyone reading this will be spared.
-- On both boxes, the green felt lining is slicker than I'd like, allowing knives to easily slide when opening and closing the drawers. I've lined the drawers of the Big Box with non-slip toolbox liner, covered by scrap leather. I've since read that leather isn't a good idea (it can hold moisture, chemicals/acids can react with metal, etc.), but I haven't had any trouble yet.
I would like to find some sort of sectioned dividers, or widely "corrugated" material(?) I can customize for each drawer/how I like the knives arranged. Something along the lines of pen-collection inserts, maybe, but with slightly wider channels?
If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.
;-)
~ P.
:thumbup::thumbup:
