No Southern-fried Southern boy wants to be called a Yankee, but we share the characteristics of shrewdness and thrift. Thus, each month we include a money-saving tip. It’s OK if you call me “cheap.”
When I went to look for scraps for the battery storage project, I didn’t have to look far.
And, I didn’t spend much on storage for those scraps. Whenever one of our refrigerators dies, I always save the old drawers and shelves. I keep the standards and runners, too, although sometimes it works out to use those and sometimes it doesn’t. Below, I’ve pictured some places in the garage I’ve installed this free storage and some of the things I’ve squirreled away.
Save the runners for the drawers and you can use them just like they were still in the refrigerator. This one glides as easily as the day it came off the Kenmore assembly line.
Sometimes the original equipment requires a shim to fit.
For this drawer to fit between joists, all that was required was a couple of scraps of plywood to act as runners.
I use these three drawers for scraps that make good cauls and shims, handy to the table I work from most.
Old refrigerator shelves are handy, too. I used the original standards and supports. This tile storage in Brenda’s ceramic studio demonstrates that they can hold a tremendous amount of weight.
Jim Randolph is a veterinarian in Long Beach, Mississippi. His earlier careers as lawn mower, dairy farmer, automobile mechanic, microwave communications electronics instructor and journeyman carpenter all influence his approach to woodworking. His favorite projects are furniture built for his wife, Brenda, and for their children and grandchildren. His and Brenda’s home, nicknamed Sticks-In-The-Mud, is built on pilings (sticks) near the wetlands (mud) on a bayou off Jourdan River. His shop is in the lower level of their home.Questions and comments on woodworking may be written below in the comments section. Questions about pet care should be directed to his blog on pet care, www.MyPetsDoctor.com. We regret that, because of high volume, not all inquiries can be answered personally.