Posted on Spyderco forums, but thought I would share here:
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I have a set-up similar to Tonydahose. I use Craftsman Tool chests.
The heavy duty full extension ball bearing drawers are VERY HARD to beat.
But, I just use the stackable intermediate chests with 2" tall and 3" tall drawers. I find they give max return in drawer size for my knives.
I don't really display mine. But, I like to keep them handy near my desk.
So, I have two of the intermediate chests stacked to fit under my credenza behind my desk.
Here are my two stacked Craftsman intermediate chests under my credenza:
I currently have a 4 drawer at 26" wide and 16" deep (3 @ 2" and 1 @ 3") on top of a 2 drawer (2 @ 3" drawers).
So, 3 @ 3" and @ 2" drawers.
I can lay large blades flat in the 2" drawers and I made a little blade rack to stand up my smaller 4" blades in the 2" drawers, mediums sized blades can stand up in 3" drawers.
I have a LOT of the knives stacked in the drawers with the blades resting in balsa wood blocks I made. I just spaced some slots at the right depth on my table saw. Quick project:
I picked up some cheap "thin" carpet remnant/scraps from Walmart for the bottoms of the drawers. I think I paid like $10 for a 6' x 4' piece or similar - way more than I needed. The carpet works great and provides multiple benefits.
I actually have WAY more fixed blades than folders. But, I have found there are MANY great drawer / pencil type organizers that can be found at Target, Office Depot and such that work great for storing folders within some of the drawers. You just have to look around a bit to find a storage organizer that suites your needs. But, there are good options.
The units are lockable which is a bonus for when kids are around.
I popped off the little Craftsman logos and think they look pretty nice under my credenza. I had originally considered putting decorative wood trim on the front of the units and drawer fronts and "lift latch" bars, but I am not sure. They seem decent enough for now. We'll see. But, I have lots of other projects that have priority.
Knives with Kydex sheaths, I generally store with the kydex - sometimes. I currently have all of my leather sheaths and boxes stored in a spare old chest of drawers in one of our spare bedrooms. But, it seems like some large plastic storage containers from Walmart or similar would work great for the leather and the knife boxes.
My buddy guarding my hoard:
I considered those map/architectural drawing drawers, but they are VERY deep and much more expensive than the Craftsman intermediate chests.
I also considered other pieces of furniture type pieces, but very hard to find and option that might work well. I decided if I want the intermediate chests to look more like furniture, I could take off the lift bar handles and glue on and stain some veneer front (and even sides and top if needed). But, the foundation of the heavy duty drawers and full extension ball bearing slides with 2" - 3" deep drawers is hard to beat.
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