Make Revolving Glass Jars For Workshop Small Parts Organization

We're getting organized here! The genesis of this idea goes back to when I was a kid in the 1960s. Back before plastic sandwich bags were invented. 😂

Useful video links related to this video discussion...

[herrickkimball]

Click here (1:50) if you want to skip my offbeat lengthy introductory recollections about how things used to be. 🙂

[jackm.]

Thanks! Was just thinking about making one of these. I was born in '61 and yes, I remember the wax paper-wrapped sandwiches. My mother would write each of our names on a paper lunch bag with a grease pencil. She's ask us to save the bag for the next day. I wasn't as good as I should have been with that. Oh well.

[ourleggedfriends]

I’ll be interested to see how you hang those. We have two young cats that stay in our garage during the cold weather. If it wasn’t bolted down, I swear they would knock over an anvil.

[dorothyfu]

A smaller version of this, maybe 24 jars, would be wonderful in the kitchen for spices. I love ingenuity.

[elizabethjohnson]

You're always inventing! What a great idea! Regards from far north California

[tomkovacic]

I got you beat Herrick I have a box of jars saved for 30 plus years lol . Great video. I remember the wax paper for sandwiches. Thanks for bringing back some great memories.

[seattlebeard]

I'm fascinated with your tool storage. Getting some useful ideas. :o)

[blob]

“I don’t know why I have these jars, but I must have had some idea.”

Dude- you are speaking my language! Been there, done that. too many times.

Seriously disappointed though that you didn’t build a barrel! Not surprised, just disappointed. I’ve always wanted to build a barrel but haven’t done it either. Sounds like a lot of work.

So- drill a hole in the middle, a 1” pipe, some sort of support between shelves, bada bing, bada boom, done!

Easy for me to say, eh? ;-) Looking forward to it...

[carlmclelland]

Herrick, you're dating yourself. Although I remember my Dad doing that same thing with baby-food jars, when if came time for me to organize my... "Twenty-Year Box, " I bought one of those modern devices that has plastic drawers that slide in and out. The drawers also have tabs to slip a piece of paper into that says what's in the drawer.

I would have screwed the jar lids onto the lines rather than between them to insure they were centered equal distance from each other, but aside from that... If this works for you, then I'd say you succeeded!!

[clemu]

I'd use sections of 1 1/4" dowel, connecting each section with wood to wood dowel screws and sandwiching a row of jars in between each section. I'd very carefully glue and screw each section just tight enough to stabilize each shelf but still have them turn freely. You need stabilization because weight distribution will not be the same around the perimeter of each shelf. I look forward to seeing your solution.
I like this game of a 2 part series where you come up with your solution and we think of ours and see what we all come up with. You can't cheat now! :)

[harrytinker]

They look like olive jars. That would be a lot of olive-eating to get that many by collecting used ones.

[debluetailfly]

I remember workshop hints for basement workshops of screwing the baby food jar lids to the floor joists, and screwing the jar onto the lid. Not too bright when you carry a board and it crashes into the jars send broken glass and screws all over the place.

[beckymeyer]

We were just talking last night about finding a way to organize our jumbled mess of nails, screws, misc parts. This would work great. Had to laugh about the jars - I'm guilty of the same thing - get an idea, get the parts and then by the time I get around to doing it, I can't remember where the parts are OR I've just moved on and don't do the project.

[cynthiafisher]

Sometimes it pays to be a hoarder! I’ll never be a minimalist, lol.

[beerdrinker]

I watched the video previous to this one. I thought the circles were for a cat tower.

[Rusty_ok]

You probably only need two screws per lid. My dad had jars screwed to the bottom of the shelves out in the garage. Big problem is jars break when dropped on a concrete floor. Don’t ask me how I know this.

[Tensquaremetreworkshop]

Problems-
Density- 12 2" dia. jars give an area of 37.7, a 14" circle has an area of 157.9- so you are only using 25% of the space. Add the thickness of the mounting board and space to free the jar, and it gets worse. Best guess is that four fifths (80%) of the volume is wasted.
Space- floor space is the most valuable in the shop.
Glass- drop it and it shatters, spilling the contents and dangerous shards everywhere.
Access- requires twisting the jar whilst supporting it, and not letting it drop (see above)
Vision- you have to spin the disc to find the item you are searching for.
apart from that...
If you really want to store stuff in jars, mount them on the underside of that shelf above your bench. Takes no space, gives clear vision, and a better grip of the jar.

[TheCritterWindow]

While I agree with the plastic history. I will be 62 this year. I love the idea but I am not fond of glass in the workshop. I have broke so many jars back in the day or the lid rusted to the jar. Just my two cents.

[prestonbuck]

You were probably going to use them for garlic powder.