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sturdier stackable milk crates



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 13th 03, 05:06 PM
Allan Adler
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Default sturdier stackable milk crates


I bought a lot of stackable milk crates from Staples with the intention
of using them for cheap file cabinets, stacked 4 crates high. I also bought
casters from Staples, to be attached to the bottom crate, so that the "file
cabinets" can be moved easily when I need access to closet space behind them.

This worked well for about a year, mostly I think because I very rarely
needed to move the stacks. However, from time to time one of the stacks
would keel over. The casters seem to be adequate for this purpose. The
problem seems to be with the holes one fits the casters into on the bottom
of the crate. The sides of the holes don't seem to be strong enough for this
purpose. Also, the casters don't fit exactly into these holes on the bottoms
of the crates and damage them by splitting the sides of the holes to some
extent.

I don't have much space and really need a mobile solution like this.
I considered obtaining dollies to put each stack on but I think dollies
have too big a footprint and space is really in short supply. Also, dollies
are comparatively expensive and I have at least half a dozen stacks.

The idea I'm pursuing now is to find a sturdier kind of milk crate which will
also accept the casters and use this sturdier kind for the bottom crate of
each stack. Staples doesn't sell any other kind of crate, as far as I know,
and apparently neither does Office Depot. Here, "sturdier" refers as much
to the hole receiving the caster as it does to the crate itself.

If you know someone who sells them, please let me know. I've seen some
occasional items in dejanews about steel milk crates. I don't know what
they cost or what size they are (e.g. whether the chintzy ones from Staples
can be stacked on top of them) or whether they will accept the casters I have.
Anyway, I'm open to suggestions.

Ignorantly,
Allan Adler


************************************************** **************************
* *
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT Artificial *
* Intelligence Lab. My actions and comments do not reflect *
* in any way on MIT. Moreover, I am nowhere near the Boston *
* metropolitan area. *
* *
************************************************** **************************
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  #2  
Old July 13th 03, 10:43 PM
ameijers
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"Andrew White" wrote in message
...
Allan Adler wrote:


I bought a lot of stackable milk crates from Staples with the intention
of using them for cheap file cabinets, stacked 4 crates high. I also

bought
casters from Staples, to be attached to the bottom crate, so that the

"file
cabinets" can be moved easily when I need access to closet space behind

them.
(snip)
I use the real plastic milk crates, the kind that say 'misuse punishable
by law' on the sides. (and no, I don't steal them, I keep finding them in
the dumpsters here at the apartments.) For a brief period a few years ago,
they were available in civilian stores, now you would have to order from a
industrial supply house. Sturdy as hell, and almost impossible to break.
Real ones don't have caster slots, but that should be trivial to fake with
industrial casters, plates and bolts from any good hardware store.

In general, the furniture and stuff at Staples et al is junk, in my
experience. I highly recommend going to an auction at your nearest college
or metro/state government. Real 4-drawer steelcase file cabinets go for
about 20 bucks. All they usually need is a good scrubbing to get off the
warehouse dust and 20 years of scotch-taped Dilberts.

aem sends...

  #4  
Old July 14th 03, 05:36 AM
Jeff Jonas
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Default

I bought a lot of stackable milk crates from Staples with the intention
of using them for cheap file cabinets, stacked 4 crates high.


I use the real plastic milk crates, the kind that say 'misuse punishable
by law' on the sides. (and no, I don't steal them, I keep finding them in
the dumpsters here at the apartments.)


Indeed, I do that too since that's "salvaging".
I'll admit I have twinges of guilt and fear when I'm moving them
outside of the apartment, kinda like the WKRP episode
where Johnny Fever was in fear of "The Phone Police".

... Sturdy as hell, and almost impossible to break.
Real ones don't have caster slots, but that should be trivial to fake with
industrial casters, plates and bolts from any good hardware store.


Agreed. I've turned to industrial catalogues for shelves and containers
since the "consumer grade" stuff is thinner plastic and breaks easily
since it's "price first, quality last".

Consider the plastic boxes with the jigsaw-like hinged covers.
The consumer ones (WalMart, Kmart, Staples, ...) are all thin plastic.
I've seen many cracked and shattered on the store shelves!
They could not survive even that!

But look at the ones the stores use internally for inventory and shelf stocking.
Never a detached lid. Barely a scratch. A lot heavier and different grade of plastic.

As to casters, do what the computer mfgrs used to do:
a metal plate with wheels. Put the stuff on top of that.

In general, the furniture and stuff at Staples et al is junk, in my
experience. I highly recommend going to an auction at your nearest college
or metro/state government. Real 4-drawer steelcase file cabinets go for
about 20 bucks. All they usually need is a good scrubbing to get off the
warehouse dust and 20 years of scotch-taped Dilberts.


I've bought used lateral filing cabinets since they give a lot more useful
space than regular filing cabinets (no reaching to the back of the drawer,
less space needed in front of the cabinet too).
I figure that if the cabinet survived to be sold again, it's well made!
  #5  
Old July 14th 03, 06:07 PM
jitney
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(snip)
I use the real plastic milk crates, the kind that say 'misuse
punishable
by law' on the sides.

-That reminds me of when I lived in Southern California, out in the
hills near the Avocado orchards, the Mexican illegal immigrants would
stack them into makeshift housing and throw plastic sheets over them.
There was even a makeshift "restaurant" made out of them. The
authorities did nothing because they want cheap labor for big
business, but finally a couple of local dairies conducted a raid to
get their crates back. The village disappeared, but it was back up in
a few days with more stolen crates.-Jitney
  #6  
Old July 15th 03, 04:09 AM
Stan Brown
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In article _nkQa.53204$3o3.3577737@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net in misc.consumers, ameijers
wrote:
I use the real plastic milk crates, the kind that say 'misuse punishable
by law' on the sides. (and no, I don't steal them, I keep finding them in
the dumpsters here at the apartments.)


Understanding that _you_ didn't steal they, they are still stolen
goods, are they not? They still belong to the dairy or the store or
whatever company they were originally stolen from. You don't get
valid title to goods you pick from the trash unless they were thrown
away by someone who actually owned them or had permission from the
owner.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Cortland County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"You find yourself amusing, Blackadder."
"I try not to fly in the face of public opinion."
  #7  
Old July 15th 03, 05:16 AM
ameijers
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Stan Brown" wrote in message
.. .
In article _nkQa.53204$3o3.3577737@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net in misc.consumers, ameijers
wrote:
I use the real plastic milk crates, the kind that say 'misuse

punishable
by law' on the sides. (and no, I don't steal them, I keep finding them in
the dumpsters here at the apartments.)


Understanding that _you_ didn't steal they, they are still stolen
goods, are they not? They still belong to the dairy or the store or
whatever company they were originally stolen from. You don't get
valid title to goods you pick from the trash unless they were thrown
away by someone who actually owned them or had permission from the
owner.

Never claimed that I owned them, just that I rescued them from the trash.
And for all I know, they guy moving out who abandoned them got them legally
from a dairy that downsized or changed names. But yeah, you're right- I'll
go out and track down these distant-city dairies and write them letters, and
see how much they will pay me to send back their 4-dollar milk crates. As a
practical matter, the choice is do I divert this useful object from the
waste stream, or do I let it go to the landfill? Like picking up foam
bobbers from the beach. Not a hard choice. Unless I happened to **** off
the local law and they wanted an excuse, I don't see a lot of legal exposure
here. Reasonable Man test- if it is in the dumpster, and the value is
trivial, one can assume it to be abandoned property. Now if I was to find a
bunch of stuff that appeared to be the results of a robbery, the opposite
assumption would be true- no reasonable person would assume the stuff had
been lawfully abandoned, and I would, as a good citizen, be obligated to
call in the proper authorities. If I did find a stack of virginal crates
with local markings, I would give them a call. But beat up onesie-twosies
from far away?
(Hell, the cops don't even bother to return found property around here. At
the local auction, they sell mailboxes with the NAME and address on them,
and phones with the numbers attached, and cable boxes with 'property of XYZ
cable co.' stamped right on the bottom.)

aem sends...

  #8  
Old July 19th 03, 02:29 PM
Allan Adler
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Default


Thanks to all who offered their suggestions. What finally seems to have
worked (the jury is still out on this) is using little clamps to reinforce
the the receptacles for the castors. These are the kind which contain a
loop of flat metal and which one tightens and loosens using a screw driver.
I bought four of them and used them on one of the stacks that had collapsed
and now it is again functional. Total cost of the repair was 7 x 7 x 7 = 343
pennies.

If this solution should ever fail, I found how how to make my own dollies of
exactly the size I need. It should cost me about 20 dollars per dolly (about
10 dollars per piece of wood and nearly that for wheels with flat attachments,
plus tax), since I will have to purchase both the cut wood and the dolly,
having no tools of my own and no place to do the necessary woodwork. On the
other hand, the place that will sell me the pieces of wood (about
18'' x 18'' x 3/4") will also drill holes in it where I want them for no
extra cost. I think it is a bit steep but the total cost is way less than
what it would cost to replace the stack by a file cabinet.

Allan Adler


************************************************** **************************
* *
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT Artificial *
* Intelligence Lab. My actions and comments do not reflect *
* in any way on MIT. Moreover, I am nowhere near the Boston *
* metropolitan area. *
* *
************************************************** **************************
  #9  
Old July 21st 03, 06:00 AM
Liz
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Posts: n/a
Default

On 07/19/2003 09:29 AM, Allan Adler wrote:
Thanks to all who offered their suggestions. What finally seems to have
worked (the jury is still out on this) is using little clamps to reinforce
the the receptacles for the castors. These are the kind which contain a
loop of flat metal and which one tightens and loosens using a screw driver.
I bought four of them and used them on one of the stacks that had collapsed
and now it is again functional. Total cost of the repair was 7 x 7 x 7 = 343
pennies.

If this solution should ever fail, I found how how to make my own dollies of
exactly the size I need. It should cost me about 20 dollars per dolly (about
10 dollars per piece of wood and nearly that for wheels with flat attachments,
plus tax), since I will have to purchase both the cut wood and the dolly,
having no tools of my own and no place to do the necessary woodwork. On the
other hand, the place that will sell me the pieces of wood (about
18'' x 18'' x 3/4") will also drill holes in it where I want them for no
extra cost. I think it is a bit steep but the total cost is way less than
what it would cost to replace the stack by a file cabinet.

Allan Adler



You might consider using a discarded skateboard. :-)

Liz

 




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