How do you store your fixtures and vise jaws?

[Houndogforever]

As I keep creating fixturing to replace vises, I'm running into storage problems.
My fixture plates are stored on their side, however I don't know where to store my special cut vise jaws for repeat jobs. Right now they are in a vidmar but it is crowded not working well right now.
I was thinking maybe some Akro Mills bins, but I question how much weight those will hold, then line up 3 across and that is heavy.
Maybe steel shelves with slide out metal trays? Pull the box which contains all specialty item? Way back I used lockers, but never really liked that method.
How do you guys do it?

 

[DavidScott]

The fixtures are on their sides in 4'x8' plywood shelves I have made for years. They used to be full of stone tiles which weighed way more than the fixtures they now store. 4' wide x 8' tall x 1' deep, and cheap to make.

 

[rons]

I've made storage storage trays out of maple. Then they can stack. Store 6" chucks in the bottom of a rolling cart easily.
For big stuff? A rolling cart with shelves accessible from all four sides.
I have Acro 12"x18" big boys. Maybe a 1/2" piece of plywood for bottom strength. Then stack a few.

 

[Houndogforever]

What about your vise form jaws? Same thing on a shelf or??

 

[Matt@RFR]

This is how we store soft jaws. Each bin also has any assembly stuff (threaded inserts, dowel pins), setup parts, extra material blanks and any extra finished parts we might have left over. Future deliveries that are ready to go are kept downstairs on another shelf. Each job traveler has the shelf number that its job bin is on.





And this is how we store "large" fixture plates. Same as above, these boxes have all the stuff to run the job. Some we even store loaded tool holders with known offsets, so we just load everything and get good parts off the machine immediately.

 

[Bill in PA]

I store mine where I can't find it next time.

Bill

 

[gustafson]

This is how we store soft jaws. Each bin also has any assembly stuff (threaded inserts, dowel pins), setup parts, extra material blanks and any extra finished parts we might have left over. Future deliveries that are ready to go are kept downstairs on another shelf. Each job traveler has the shelf number that its job bin is on.

View attachment 390476

View attachment 390477

And this is how we store "large" fixture plates. Same as above, these boxes have all the stuff to run the job. Some we even store loaded tool holders with known offsets, so we just load everything and get good parts off the machine immediately.

View attachment 390478

You organized SOB
I am sneaking over there and swapping them all around

 

[604Pook]

This is how we store soft jaws. Each bin also has any assembly stuff (threaded inserts, dowel pins), setup parts, extra material blanks and any extra finished parts we might have left over. Future deliveries that are ready to go are kept downstairs on another shelf. Each job traveler has the shelf number that its job bin is on.

View attachment 390476

View attachment 390477

And this is how we store "large" fixture plates. Same as above, these boxes have all the stuff to run the job. Some we even store loaded tool holders with known offsets, so we just load everything and get good parts off the machine immediately.

View attachment 390478

At what point do you deem it a job where you save all the stuff? I always hear how its going to be a repeat job, and then trip over stuff for the next 2-3 years until I actually have to make it again

 

[Matt@RFR]

At what point do you deem it a job where you save all the stuff? I always hear how its going to be a repeat job, and then trip over stuff for the next 2-3 years until I actually have to make it again

Keep in mind that an average size part for us will fit multiple parts in one hand, so it's easier for me to justify the fact that I keep every single job we've ever done. I typically bill an NRE charge for programming and fixturing, so the customer owns it all. After a couple years, I'll contact the customer and ask if they want their fixtures, or if I can throw them away.

Most times they want us to keep everything 'just in case', which I'm happy to do.

If a customer goes out of business without telling us, I'll toss all of their stuff after awhile,

 

[Houndogforever]

At what point do you deem it a job where you save all the stuff? I always hear how its going to be a repeat job, and then trip over stuff for the next 2-3 years until I actually have to make it again

I have the advantage that I don't do job shop work. I service an industry with parts and I have been making these parts since 1981.

 

[SteveinAZ]

We did the same as Matt...Akro bins with bin number, customer and part number listed stacked on the rivet rack boltless shelving, 4ft wide and partical board shelves. Simple and basic, keeping all of the special tooling and fixtures, jaws, etc. as needed, and even though the travelers pointed you to the right bin number, it was faster to keep the bins in order by customer and sequential part number. When needing more space, we would review the dormant customers/part numbers and toss the goodies - it always amazed me with how much weight could be in the bins, and that the cheap-O shelves held it quite remarkably.

 

[Kadlec10]

I've got shelving dedicated to individual customers that fixturing goes onto. That is noted on the set-up sheets so not too difficult to locate. We use a lot of soft jaws and the steel double-sided are great. Set up a system where once a new set is cut it's slot number & job number are lasered onto each jaw (used to hand engrave). This cross-refs to the set-up sheet and is noted in the program. The shelf is a 36x18 wire shelving unit from a big box store. The trays I built using plywood base and MDF for the dividers, then a coat of oil-base enamel. No more opening 30 boxes and flipping jaws to find which set(s) we are looking for.