My wife's pencil cabinet the start

[Jim Dunn]

My wife is quite the artist and works in all types of mediums. However she complains that the colored pencil work is the hardest in that she dosen't have a way to store/organize her hundreds of pencils.

I have been thinking about a tray system with a nice cabinet to hold them. The prototype was made from popular and I'm satisfied with my technique of grove spacing.

Now for the hardest part.:eek: She wants each layer of pencils to tilt so as she can see them better. Keeping in mind that I wanted the drawer/tray to slide in to a small cabinet from either side I'm not sure how to proceed or even if a tray system is the best.

In rethinking my design I think I have it:D;) When I get a little farther I'll post more pics to this thread.

Course of somebody has a masterful idea I am open to suggestions.:o

[Jody Malinich]

Jim,

Why not angle the trays. Use one of them drawer slides that has a spring to close it the last couple of inches. Have to make some angled brackets for the slider to attach to tho (front and back of carcass)

[Jamie Buxton]

You know how fishing tackle boxes work? They often have a stack of trays. At the ends, they are connected to arms which are connected to the lid. The lid is hinged to the box at the back. When you open the lid, the trays get opened up by the arms. It is really a simple mechanism, and might well work for your pencil trays too.

Here's a pic.. http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/hunting-fishing-inc_1990_15044808

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

The best option IMO is to use a drafting or artist pencil lazy susan. Think of a multi-layered lazy susan with drilled holes for the pencils. I have one in my shop that is about 10 inches in diameter and 4 levels. Larger diameters will provide more layers or steps.

[Jim Dunn]

Jim,

The best option IMO is to use a drafting or artist pencil lazy susan. Think of a multi-layered lazy susan with drilled holes for the pencils. I have one in my shop that is about 10 inches in diameter and 4 levels. Larger diameters will provide more layers or steps.

Keith believe it or not she has 2 or 3 of these things and dosen't like to use them when she is drawing.:eek: She has a reason I'm sure but I dont' have a clue.

I think this may be a trap to see if I can build something without a drawing. I keep telling her that I have no imagination.

[Jim Dunn]

Love the responses so far good ideas to work from. Thanks all. I'll try to post a picture of her art room, which she never seems to use, and of her drawing at her spot on the couch.

[Gary Herrmann]

Hey Jim, ever see a lap desk? Basically a pillow with a flat writing surface on it.

What about an upholstered box (so you get the soft lap desk part) and the top of the box opens to hold various groupings of pencils held at an angle so she can grab what she wants.

Or maybe the same principle but with pullout drawers on the sides. Possibly less annoying because she doesn't have to flip open the top while her drawing is on it.

Thought of this when you mentioned that she works on the couch.

[Dan Schocke]

Maybe a crazy idea, but how about making some flip-up trays/holders similar to the way a drill bit index works? Something like the attached picture, with multiple trays folding down into the box...

--Dan

82884

[Bert Johansen]

Jim, this doesn't solve your tilt-out problem, but it is a design used for an artist to keep pencils and such. There are eight cubbies in the piece, and an aluminum case just fits into each cubby. This client was a student and wanted portability as part of the solution. But you could use trays instead.

One advantage of this solution is it might entice your wife to work in her art room, as this is designed to sit on a desk. It is about 17 inches wide and about 14 inches high.

[Tom Sontag]

This one is easy. She likes to draw sitting on the couch, right? Install, at just the right height, a deep tray of sand for her to stick all the pencil points into, like one big pin cushion.
:D

Actually, this idea is half serious. Not the sand part, but maybe some variation on a pin cushion idea.

Ask her if she wants the pencils upright (sort of filed/organized) or whether she wants them laying about (back to your tray idea). You need more input from the client. Surely her art catalogs offer suggestions too.

[Ron Dunn]

I don't have a way to draw this, so please accept my apologies if it is hard to understand.

My concept is a set of drawers like a machinists chest. The grooves in the trays you made run from front to back to hold the pencils.

Each drawer has two dowels (for purposes of description, other methods may also work) attached to its sides. One dowel is very close to the rear of the drawer, one dowel about 1-2" closer to the front.

The dowels ride in a groove. That groove is L-shaped, with the bottom of the L dropping down at the front of the chest.

When the front dowel reaches the front of the groove, it drops into the other arm of the L. That tilts the drawer down slightly, allowing your wife to clearly see the pencils in their grooves.

Clear?

[Jim Dunn]

I don't have a way to draw this, so please accept my apologies if it is hard to understand.

My concept is a set of drawers like a machinists chest. The grooves in the trays you made run from front to back to hold the pencils.

Each drawer has two dowels (for purposes of description, other methods may also work) attached to its sides. One dowel is very close to the rear of the drawer, one dowel about 1-2" closer to the front.

The dowels ride in a groove. That groove is L-shaped, with the bottom of the L dropping down at the front of the chest.

When the front dowel reaches the front of the groove, it drops into the other arm of the L. That tilts the drawer down slightly, allowing your wife to clearly see the pencils in their grooves.

Clear?

Ron

Cheers Mate from the US:)

If we were rich we could visit half way say Hawaii EH?:rolleyes:

I had the same idea using small brass rods for the dowels. You idea to make a drop down instead of a method of raising the back of the tray is unique and worthy of some more thought.

Jim

[Jim Dunn]

Surely her art catalogs offer suggestions too.

Tom her art catalogs are about useless:eek: That's why I'm pecking away on this puter looking for ideas.

Your idea about the sand would work as we have dogs:D not cats;) I could just see her sticking her pencil into a----- well you get the idea:p