Introducing: The SYS 5 SORT/6, aka 'MegaSortainer'

[rizzoa13]

Seems like the perfect tool to have 3-d printed!

 

[sancho57]

JRB,

You are a cleaver fellow (see Im learning English  [big grin] ). Would you bring them to the next get together so we can have a look at them.

Amazing the things you come up with...

 

[jonny round boy]

Seems like the perfect tool to have 3-d printed!

3D printing wouldn't really be appropriate, for a couple of reasons; firstly, size - it needs to be about 400mm long, which is much bigger than most 3D printer beds. Additionally, it would use a LOT of filament! Secondly - 3D printed plastic simply wouldn't be strong enough.

The tool is actually a very simple 2D shape, and could be made easily & cheaply from some 6mm thick 50-60mm wide aluminium bar. That's what I'd have used if I'd had some to hand.

 

[jonny round boy]

JRB,

You are a cleaver fellow (see Im learning English  [big grin] ). Would you bring them to the next get together so we can have a look at them.

Amazing the things you come up with...

Sure, I'll bring them. As for the things I come up with, I don't think I can take credit for thinking this idea up, I'm sure others have toyed with the idea before!

 

[jonny round boy]

JRB: Your pics are loaded with great info, but I still have a ton of questions for you.  How has your custom unit been working out?  Do the Sortainers play well with T-Locs in daily usage?  I see the labels on the older parts, but what are you carrying in there?  What are the interior dimensions of the large drawers?

I've been lugging my Makita drills in a T-Loc SYS-4 with a stack of T-Loc minis filling up the other half of it.  I have been picking up some installation slack over the last week with that setup, and I found myself needing just my impact driver and some bits without opening up the whole kit.  I kept thinking of this Frankentainer as a better approach.  I don't see myself making the mega version like yours, but the five-drawer Tanos unit looks good.

Again, I appreciate the great pics you posted, but any other info you can give me would be a big help.

I think I've found the topic for my next video review!

I don't have the internal drawer dimensions to hand, but there are many threads on here which give them. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find that info.

The systainers are great for most powertools, but I've found that, for handtools, they're not so practical. Having lots of small items in various systainers means that you either have to have a large floor or worktop area to spread them all round, so you can leave them all open, or you spend more time un-stacking & re-stacking them to get to the tool you want, than you do actually using the tools.

It was a friend and work colleague, Jon (aka Roadkilled) who first introduced me to the idea of using sortainers instead. His set-up for his hand tools is 3 sortainers on a roll-board. I just took it a step further, and did away with some of the 'dead' space where they're connected together.

I'll try to put a video together over the holidays, showing what I keep in there.

 

[jimbouk]

Look forward to that jrb
!

 

[semenza]

Large drawer inside......

      3 1/8" tall

      13 3/4" wide

      11 1/8" front to back  about 1/4" less in the divider support locations and about 1" x 1" x 1 1/4" for the latch protrusion.

Seth

 

 

[semenza]

JRB,

  What is the total height of the triple lg drawer unit ?

Seth

 

[jonny round boy]

JRB,

  What is the total height of the triple lg drawer unit ?

Seth

It's exactly the same size as a sys5.

 

[semenza]

JRB,

  What is the total height of the triple lg drawer unit ?

Seth

It's exactly the same size as a sys5.

Excellent! Fits right into my set ups.

Seth

 

[jimbouk]

Started organising some of the drawers on mine....

 

[jimbouk]

Used hdpe and chamfered off the back edge then drilled holes of 7mm to fit the centrotec bits. Then put screws in and cut heads off to act as hinge. Screws locate and swivel in the slot ment for the drawer dividers.

 

[jonny round boy]

Nice job, Jimbo! [thumbs up]

 

[mike_aa]

Jimbo, That is brilliant!  Hope you don't mind if I borrow your idea!

Thanks, Mike A.

 

[jimbouk]

Yeah go for it! i am going to get a few other bits done too. I will update as i go along. Tools i am carrying in the drawer stack on a sysroll are my main install ones. Multi tool. Jigsaw. 2 x drills. Hole saws. Then 2 of the canti lever tool boxes on top.

 

[bigjonh]

Got this done this morning. I only wanted a double because my truck set up is designed for sys 4. Thanks for the idea and pointers JRB. I used an oak 1x4 with deck screws 1/2" proud and a variety of clamps. It was a pain but worth it.

[attachimg=1]

 

[john5mt]

I was thinking i needed to order another one so i could do this too. Guess festool is going to see an uptick in sortainer sales

 

[fritter63]

I'm wondering if you couldn't order sortainer "sides" as extra parts from Festool? That would at least save you some of the dismantling.

Actually, I guess you could order the tops and bottoms too.

 

[fritter63]

I'm wondering if you couldn't order sortainer "sides" as extra parts from Festool? That would at least save you some of the dismantling.

Actually, I guess you could order the tops and bottoms too.

Dang it, nope.

Festool: Free the sortainer parts!

(Maybe tanos?)

 

[Dochawthorne]

You are right I've thought off doing this but your post let me know it was possible so I did it. It really sucked but got it done with a scrap peace of hickory and some screws and clamps, and a few choice words. I have mine full of my air guns and kreg stuff and keep it on top of my compressor that's mounted on a sys-cart. Thanks a lot for the post.[attachimg=1]