storage ideas

keiths1975

Hi all....i have decided (well have been told) that my loose lego needs to be tidied up and not in random boxes in various rooms. I was wondering what storage ideas everyone had...do i go for storage heads/bricks or drawers? I have quite a lot of loose lego im in the process of sorting. Would be great to see what everyone does!!

Galactus

See these threads:
- How does everyone else store their collection?
- How do you store your polybags?
- The sorting methodology thread
- What have you done to your house to accomodate your LEGO hobby/addiction?
- How do you display minifigs?

keiths1975

Galactus said:

See these threads:
- How does everyone else store their collection?
- How do you store your polybags?
- The sorting methodology thread
- What have you done to your house to accomodate your LEGO hobby/addiction?
- How do you display minifigs?

Thank you....still finding my way about...that will help :)

tomalphin

I explained my sorting methodology, and offer downloadable labels you can print and put on my blog.

Download Printable Labels for a Brother Label Printer.
My sorting "algorithm" to deal with a huge pile of unsorted brick.

For me, I prefer to sort by part type than by color. It's much easier to find a red 1x2 in a pile of 1x2's, than to find it in a pile of other red pieces. That's why a lot of people use plastic drawers or plastic jewelery containers to sort things out really well.

---tom

madforLEGO

Not to delve into it much, as the other threads linked above do that, but I started with colors, then moved to doing it by type. Sort by color for a quick 'fix', then you will likely find you want to sort them further using type instead, but Color is a quick organization method to at least help a bit IMO. Use rubbermaid type bins for the storage as well. Then buy hardware type bins for the small pieces (links to such storage ideas are in the linked articles above)

keiths1975

These are all awesome ideas. I bought 4 plastic storage drawers from asda yesterday and so far have separated into colours. I do like the idea of putting sizes together instead to make it easier to find pieces. Now just need to work out what sets i bought in a job lot mixed box!!!! Thank you all :smile:

rdflego

I've always organised my Lego by piece rather than colour but my advise is;
1. zip lock bags come in sizes small enough to hold a USB cable or big enough to hold a body
2. plastic plant potting trays allow you to clearly define categories, plus they stack

klatu003

These carts with these boxes subdividing the drawers. It is flexible when your collection grows. It is portable from room to room, sort in front of TV, build in another room, hide carts when company comes. (Yes, you will want to hide the volume of your obsession from some people.)

madforLEGO

I think it is clear you have an issue when your storage setup starts to cost as much as your LEGO habit.

AdeelZubair

Does anyone know if I can get those small drawers for LEGO pieces that was featured in The LEGO Movie? I always find them on Amazon US (But I'm in the UK) What about those storing trays?

I would prefer them to be from Ikea but I don't mind if you link elsewhere. I want my desk/room to look like the basement that was featured in the LEGO Movie :D

madforLEGO

I would be surprised if IKEA has them. Usually hardware stores (like Ace) have them, or check Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=parts+storage
Akro Mills are like the ones in the picture. LEGO Education I think used to sell them as well. Not sure if they do anymore, but they were also more expensive as they said LEGO on them if I am not mistaken

theLEGOman

Look for somewhere like screwfix direct or machine mart nearby.

rdflego

@Adzbadboy‌ I use these, I have four sitting on my desk right now. You can get them with different amounts or drawers as well. http://m.clasohlson.com/uk/Cocraft-60-Drawer-Organizer-Cabinet/Pr312376000

BuriedinBricks

@Adzbadboy I'm actually moving away from bins like that, mainly because keeping them organized properly is a huge pain. Drawers always get put back in the wrong spot and, while deep, they really don't hold a lot when it comes down to it. I tried labels as well, but it didn't really help.

I've been moving over to a "by part type" system, using a combination of Sterlite shoe boxes (clear) for bigger pieces (2x and 1x brick, larger plates) and Plano organizers for smaller parts. Not sure on UK availability for those.

I've also seen many people on here sing the praises of Really Useful Boxes (or something like that) for storing bigger parts.

Basta

Adzbadboy said:

Does anyone know if I can get those small drawers for LEGO pieces that was featured in The LEGO Movie? I always find them on Amazon US (But I'm in the UK) What about those storing trays?

I would prefer them to be from Ikea but I don't mind if you link elsewhere. I want my desk/room to look like the basement that was featured in the LEGO Movie :D

I have 12 of the Stack-on's from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Stack-On-DS-22-Drawer-Storage-Cabinet/dp/B000PS9S3M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420435047&sr=8-2&keywords=stack+on+organizer
I got them when they were on sale for $11 & $15 (18 & 39 draw). Postage was more then the units but compared to what I can find in Australia they were still competitively priced. I assume because you have to pay import duties it may not be as good for you, but postage is cheaper to the UK than Australia, plus GBP is stronger.

Since then I have found these

at K-Mart (Branded Performer). No idea if they would be available in the UK. Quality is pretty average but they will work and are cheap compared to other alternatives here in Australia.

keiths1975

My 16 drawers are full of bricks separated by colour. We have sharps coming in the next couple of weeks to build our walk in wardrobe....wonder if i could convince the other half to let them incorporate storage for lego ;)

sidersdd

iccarus said:

@Adzbadboy I'm actually moving away from bins like that, mainly because keeping them organized properly is a huge pain. Drawers always get put back in the wrong spot and, while deep, they really don't hold a lot when it comes down to it. I tried labels as well, but it didn't really help.

I've been moving over to a "by part type" system, using a combination of Sterlite shoe boxes (clear) for bigger pieces (2x and 1x brick, larger plates) and Plano organizers for smaller parts. Not sure on UK availability for those.

I've also seen many people on here sing the praises of Really Useful Boxes (or something like that) for storing bigger parts.

I'm at a similar stage myself. The Akro Mills are fine if you have a small number of small parts, but you'll eventually grow out of them. You certainly won't use them for common parts. Everything is relative of course and everybody has different size collections of different parts.

I'm filling shoe boxes as well for most of my parts. Now I'm trying to figure out a proper stacking system for the shoe boxes. @iccarus, are you using any type of shelving or shoe rack system for your shoe boxes?

BuriedinBricks

@sidersdd‌ as of yet, no. I'm actually trying to figure that out right now. I might custom build something.

Thanos75

I use those shoe box Sterlite boxes aswell. Great price at Target . I use the metal storage racks from Target to store them on.The boxes stack perfectly and it looks clean and organized.

madforLEGO

Thanos75 said:

I use those shoe box Sterlite boxes aswell. Great price at Target . I use the metal storage racks from Target to store them on.The boxes stack perfectly and it looks clean and organized.

I use those shoe boxes as well for bigger parts and plates. I have larger bins for brick. Those 'shoe boxes' are nice and about 1 dollar per and stack.

BuriedinBricks

@Thanos75‌ are those shelves on target's site?

Thanos75

The ones I use are the Room Essentials 5 tier wire racks. They come in chrome and black. You can often find them on sale in store. They are super strong and adjustable and easy to put together.

sidersdd

Thanos75 said:

The ones I use are the Room Essentials 5 tier wire racks. They come in chrome and black. You can often find them on sale in store. They are super strong and adjustable and easy to put together.

Like this one?
http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-wide-black-5-tier-wire-shelving/-/A-13892315

BuriedinBricks

Thanks. Those look great. I will have to measure in my storage area to see if those would fit.

Sanddoodle

We have spent a lot of time on this question. Our solutions are posted on http://elderplay.weebly.com/organize.html with lots of pictures, and the links to the different boxes.

The most useful storage-sorters are the Stanley Sortmaster series and the locking fishing tackle boxes, along with the Iris drawers which have sorting trays inside.

The trick here is that the boxes are very sturdy PORTABLE cases, so you can use them during building, not just for "storage." See also: post by Galactus, above.

sidersdd

iccarus said:

Thanks. Those look great. I will have to measure in my storage area to see if those would fit.

They do look good, and would work well in my area. Just pricier than I had hoped. I'm guessing I would need to start with four of those. I don't suppose you can buy individual shelves too? With five shelves on a unit do you stack the shoeboxes two or three high on a shelf?

Thanos75

I stack mine three high and four across for a total of 48 boxes plus it leaves the top for more storage.

BuriedinBricks

Has anybody found a good brand of storage container for transporting MOCs? Specifically, I'm looking for something that comfortably can fit a large baseplate with about 15-inches of clearance space on top. I also don't want a ton of spare room inside the box.

The 50 liter RUB has decent base dimensions, but the depth is lacking.

Mathias

The ones specifically in that picture I believe are akro mils plastic cabinets. It's what I use.

monkey

^^ Another option could be to make one? A sheet of acrylic from DIY store, stanley knife, and bonding solution all you'd need.

madforLEGO

Maybe for MOC buildings?

http://www.target.com/p/household-essentials-canvas-decorative-box-natural-with-coffee-trim-large/-/A-13222275#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=storage+boxes

http://www.target.com/p/household-essentials-canvas-decorative-box-natural-with-coffee-trim-jumbo/-/A-13222277?lnk=Rec|pdp|viewed_viewed|pdpv1

http://www.target.com/p/way-basics-eco-modern-storage-cube-plus-cedar-wood-grain/-/A-12130596#prodSlot=medium_2_5&term=cube