action storage

[jimialeggio5 at comcast.net]

Bill,

I am just struggling with the same question, and found your post about action 
storage interesting. 

I have a 1200 sq ft shop which fills up pretty quickly with random parts and 
stuff.  

Chuck's article in the journal was thought provoking, and it helped me to define 
what specifically I was looking to achieve. I took away some ideas that I found 
useful and discarded some that did not fit my situation.  

The biggest useful idea, for  my situation, and the way I work ( and the size of 
my shop) was that realized that I want one dedicated storage unit for all the 
small disappearing random bits of each personal piano, including:

1- the action and  all its unassembled parts (keyframe/whippens/shanks/etc)
I want all these disembodied bits in dedicated, properly sized, easily 
accessed/removed boxes in one storage unit.

2- the hardware, all of it...every last miraculously disappearing screw

3- the key frame at a comfortable waist height so there is no bending or umphing 
to load and unlaod ungainly keyframes. Actually I made that shelf  to fit the height of the 
top of my personal my hip (one man shop)

4- an action tool drawer ( flat 1" deep surgery style, with all the tools laid 
next to each other in plain sight) that traveled with the action, and could be 
easily transferred to another storage unit. (I think visually, my hand can find 
the tool much easier if the eyes scans the available tools first)

5-mobile

6-store bridges/unassembled soundboard parts.

7-small footprint 

So, I designed a moblile cart to contain the above   24 x 53 x 40"

I decided I did'nt want the case parts to be on this trolley.  I have a small 
noise mitigating cyclone/compressor room I built to cut down the dustcollector's 
low frequency noise. The case parts will go on the wall in there away from the 
hustle and bustle of the shop floor. (I know from cruel experience how well I 
can mangle these parts if I allow myself near them with all  the too-ing and 
fro-ing and binging and banging about on the shop floor.) 

I'd be interested to know what you come up with, as it helps me to clarify my 
own thoughts.

Jim I