If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to expensive drawer cabinets for your reference mineral specimens and you have reasonable carpentry skills, check out the attached photos of a cabinet I made recently from an old steel office filing cabinet. The sides and top are clad in solid pine which is available as composite boards from most DIY outlets. The drawer fronts, plinth and knobs are all solid pine and the card slots are from the original drawer fronts. They are finished in acrylic eggshell with a coat of PVA for toughness. You can pick these old cabinets up on the internet and in junk shops and they are very tough and compact. I can get up to 350 specimens in 2" x 2" card trays into my first cabinet but the one pictured has some deeper drawers for larger specimens. I intend to make a couple more for myself so why not have a go yourself. They provide relatively tough, compact and even fire-proof storage for you mineral specimens. RooP! http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258077#msg-258077 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:56:53 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,259564#msg-259564 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,259564#msg-259564 Howard Heitner Rockhounds Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:44:11 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258140#msg-258140 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258140#msg-258140 John Montgomery Rockhounds Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:31:04 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258127#msg-258127 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258127#msg-258127 Rock Currier Rockhounds Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:27:22 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258125#msg-258125 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258125#msg-258125
The rest is really just assembly, with a bit of drilling, screwing, glueing and decorating. You don't have to do the fancy moulding, just keep it simple.

Cheers,

RooP!]]> Rupert Harrison Rockhounds Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:16:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258082#msg-258082 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258082#msg-258082 Very nice work...You must be mighty handy...unfortunately way beyond my competence...
John]]> John Montgomery Rockhounds Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:37:07 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258077#msg-258077 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,15,258077,258077#msg-258077
The sides and top are clad in solid pine which is available as composite boards from most DIY outlets. The drawer fronts, plinth and knobs are all solid pine and the card slots are from the original drawer fronts. They are finished in acrylic eggshell with a coat of PVA for toughness.

You can pick these old cabinets up on the internet and in junk shops and they are very tough and compact. I can get up to 350 specimens in 2" x 2" card trays into my first cabinet but the one pictured has some deeper drawers for larger specimens.

I intend to make a couple more for myself so why not have a go yourself. They provide relatively tough, compact and even fire-proof storage for you mineral specimens.

RooP!]]> Rupert Harrison Rockhounds Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:56:05 +0000