we were discussing storage last week, and how to store
spices, and for a while i've been wanting to get some
up off the counter and into the cabinets, but knew i'd
need a stepped device so i could see the stuff in the
back. of course, you can buy these things, but what's
the fun in that!

i got some foam-core board so i could mock up an idea
or two, and i think the first try is a winner:

http://i5.tinypic.com/20p9ahe.jpg

i wanted to transfer this design to wood, but the mock-
up is sturdy enough that I could just tweak it a little
and it will pretty much work forever

the rack is half an inch narrower than the inside of
the cabinet, so it can be turned to get through the
cabinet doorway, which is about an inch narrower than
the rack

this is the rack sitting upside down to show its
structu

http://i5.tinypic.com/20p9frr.jpg

each step is 2 inches deep and 1.5 inches high; these
were not arbitrary measurements; they turn out to be
just a bit larger than the right size to reveal the
labels on the spice bottles, and to allow the front-to-
back spacing for the bottle tops; hardwoods come in 1.5
and 3-inch widths and i can get the 3-inch pieces
ripped to 2 inches easily, so i decided to use those
sizes to simplify construction

the only thing i don't like about it is that it doesn't
use up quite enough of the cabinet, so i'll still be
storing several rows of stuff in front of the first
step. those nice bottles were living on the counter,
and all this stuff was living on that shelf, and has to
go back in there somewhere

http://i5.tinypic.com/20pa2og.jpg

some of the less used stuff will go on the second
shelf, after i throw out most of those jello boxes in
the back...i think they're about 10 years old...

here's a fuzzy close-up of the side to show the
construction; it's just scotch tape and foam-core;
there are two 1.5x16 faces, two 2x16 tops, and two 2-
inch wide pieces cut to fit each side

http://i5.tinypic.com/20pa876.jpg

and here's a shot of the back; i think to stiffen it a
little it needs a couple more of those side-pieces
shoring up the center; they'd be exactly the same size

http://i5.tinypic.com/20pabgj.jpg

9 pieces in 4 sizes that can be made with a razor knife
(box cutter, etc.) and some adhesive. use a fresh blade
when you start, and it should only take two passes for
each cut. And use a long straight-edge to keep the blade
on the line. at a total cost about 4 bucks and a total
effort of about 15-20 minutes kindergarten-level craft
skills, it couldn't be simpler.

so i think what i'll do is repeat the design, use some
glue and clear packing tape, put in those extra supports,
and be happy with the result.

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton wrote on 21 Jul 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> so i think what i'll do is repeat the design, use some
> glue and clear packing tape, put in those extra supports,
> and be happy with the result.
>
>

It looks good...my only concern is sooner or later it's gonna need
cleaning/to be wiped down. I suggest some of those cheap peel and stick
floor tiles... cut to fit as a veneer...so it can be washed more
effectively.. plus the foam material is kinda soft and won't take years of
abuse that the tiling would. Another plus would be the tiles come in
various colours..which might make it look more appealing...not that it
matters that much. Or go the wood route.

Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
2 cents.

--


Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect

-Alan

> It looks good...my only concern is sooner or later it's gonna need
> cleaning/to be wiped down. I suggest some of those cheap peel and stick
> floor tiles... cut to fit as a veneer...so it can be washed more
> effectively..

Duct tape would do 'er...

Blair P. Houghton > wrote in news:fmfwg.42588$8n1.23735
@fe03.news.easynews.com:

> we were discussing storage last week, and how to store
> spices, and for a while i've been wanting to get some
> up off the counter and into the cabinets, but knew i'd
> need a stepped device so i could see the stuff in the
> back. of course, you can buy these things, but what's
> the fun in that!


Blair,

Those two back rows look difficult to remove spices without tipping over
the others.

I looked closely, too bad the caps of the spice jars don't have the spice
label on the tops. You could get a large block (cabinet space w" x h" x
6"d?) of foam core and drill out rows of cylinders to slide the spice
jars into (on their sides). You'd be able to store a lot more spices with
better convenience. Cut the rear corners off the sides and top of the
block for ease of fitting into the cabinet?

$0.02,

Andy

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
> Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
> 2 cents.
>

I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some little
grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in mine.
I currently use one of those square, tall revolving countertop racks,
wood with holes where spice bottle fit in so that they are not totally
upright but at an angle? The problem is the same one encountered
everywhe many of the the pre-printed labels are not for spices
I use much. I need to find laser printer labels that will fit the round
tops of these bottles and relabel them.

cybercat wrote:
>
> "Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
> > Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
> > 2 cents.
> >
>
> I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
> is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some little
> grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in mine.
> I currently use one of those square, tall revolving countertop racks,
> wood with holes where spice bottle fit in so that they are not totally
> upright but at an angle? The problem is the same one encountered
> everywhe many of the the pre-printed labels are not for spices
> I use much. I need to find laser printer labels that will fit the round
> tops of these bottles and relabel them.

The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.

Pete C.

"Pete C." > wrote
>
> The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.
>

Hey, thanks Pete! I put them on my list!



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Pete C. > wrote:
>The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.

Too "faintsy."

If I buy jars needing labelling, they'll have white
tops and I'll hit them with a sharpie.

Incidentally, that's how I'm telling apart my Penzey's
stock and the bottles that still have the stuff that came
with the rack: I just sharpied a "P" onto the underside
of the new goodies.

--Blair


* - the whole set, about 24 bottles, must've cost about
$40; you're not getting the the jars plus the granite-based
rack* plus the GOOD spices for that price. Seriously, the
rack was tacky, and huge. A chintzy plastic lazy-susan
with a faddish granite slab bolted on and a wire rack
bolted on that. I dismantled it and kept the granite slab;
it'll make a nifty trivet if I need a spare.

cybercat > wrote:
>"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
>> Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
>> 2 cents.
>
>I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
>is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some little
>grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in mine.

Thought about that. Hard to implement. They'd have to
be kind of deep to be really effective. I thought about
using taller stair-front pieces, so there'd be a lip.
Should be no problem to do, as the fronts are the whole
face.

I also thought about finding a way to put the bottles
endwise at the back of the cabinet, above the level of
the bottles in front. Probably get the same two rows of
bottles in the same space, and have a little extra space
underneath, but only for short things.

There might also be a way to make spacers out of squishy
foam that could hug the bottles and let them sustain
jostling without being disturbed.

But in the end, the bottles in the back will be the things
I almost never use. So I figure if I don't rifle them,
they won't get knocked over, which is the great benefit of
being able to see their labels clearly and know that I
have no reason to touch them.

--Blair

Andy <q> wrote:
>Those two back rows look difficult to remove spices without tipping over
>the others.

They are. The solution is to put the rarely-used stuff there.

>I looked closely, too bad the caps of the spice jars don't have the spice
>label on the tops.

All my future jar purchases will have white caps for
that reason.

>You could get a large block (cabinet space w" x h" x
>6"d?) of foam core and drill out rows of cylinders to slide the spice
>jars into (on their sides). You'd be able to store a lot more spices with
>better convenience. Cut the rear corners off the sides and top of the
>block for ease of fitting into the cabinet?

I think this exercise has shown me that spices want a
shallow cabinet. A regular cabinet is just too deep to be
used efficiently by a large number of 4-inch tall bottles.

The best use of space would be a wall-rack with the bottles
on their sides in a hexagonal formation 2" on center.

Something reminiscent of a nice wine rack, maybe...

I wonder if chains would work for the face; the back would
need more stiffness...maybe...

--Blair
"Ars longa; dinner brevis."

Blair P. Houghton > wrote in news:7Eywg.320223$SQ6.231143
@fe09.news.easynews.com:

> I think this exercise has shown me that spices want a
> shallow cabinet. A regular cabinet is just too deep to be
> used efficiently by a large number of 4-inch tall bottles.


Blair,

If your cabinet shelves are adjustable and removable you could easily fit
the spice rack into the lower cabinet.

Andy

Andy <q> wrote:
>
>If your cabinet shelves are adjustable and removable you could easily fit
>the spice rack into the lower cabinet.

Umm...the problem is depth not height. Three rows of bottles
are only 6 inches deep, leaving about 6 inches in front...

--Blair

"Blair P. Houghton" wrote:
>
> Pete C. > wrote:
> >The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.
>
> Too "faintsy."

Eh? You are aware that P-Touch label tapes are available in a wide
variety of color combinations (text and substrate) and adhesives and can
print in a wide array of fonts and styles. The P-Touch 1500PC can even
print graphics (possible some other higher end models as well).

Pete C.

Pete C. > wrote:
>"Blair P. Houghton" wrote:
>>
>> Pete C. > wrote:
>> >The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.
>>
>> Too "faintsy."
>
>Eh? You are aware that P-Touch label tapes are available in a wide
>variety of color combinations (text and substrate) and adhesives and can
>print in a wide array of fonts and styles. The P-Touch 1500PC can even
>print graphics (possible some other higher end models as well).

Wayyyy to faintsy.

Why spend upwards of thutty bux to make a mark on
something that lives in a dark box?

Maybe if I start keeping my speece out in the open.

Until then, a sharpie (I have them in 5 colors, you know)
should do. As for the black caps, one of those metallic
paint pens should do the trick.

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
>cybercat > wrote:
>>"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
>>> Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
>>> 2 cents.
>>
>>I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
>>is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some little
>>grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in mine.
>
>Thought about that. Hard to implement. They'd have to
>be kind of deep to be really effective. I thought about
>using taller stair-front pieces, so there'd be a lip.

Retinking that, it won't work. The top of that lip is
part of the 2 inch depth, because the next stair sits
on the 2 inch step. The bottles are 1.75 inches in diameter
at the bottoms and almost 2 inches at the tops. It's just
too tight a fit. I'd have to change the depth per step to
do it. Not impossible, just complicating.

--Blair

"Blair P. Houghton" wrote:
>
> Pete C. > wrote:
> >"Blair P. Houghton" wrote:
> >>
> >> Pete C. > wrote:
> >> >The Brother P-Touch label printers should do the job.
> >>
> >> Too "faintsy."
> >
> >Eh? You are aware that P-Touch label tapes are available in a wide
> >variety of color combinations (text and substrate) and adhesives and can
> >print in a wide array of fonts and styles. The P-Touch 1500PC can even
> >print graphics (possible some other higher end models as well).
>
> Wayyyy to faintsy.
>
> Why spend upwards of thutty bux to make a mark on
> something that lives in a dark box?
>
> Maybe if I start keeping my speece out in the open.
>
> Until then, a sharpie (I have them in 5 colors, you know)
> should do. As for the black caps, one of those metallic
> paint pens should do the trick.
>
> --Blair

Presumably one would not purchase a P-Touch unit just to label spice
jars. I also use mine to label cable, electrical panels, servers,
outlets, controls, printers, etc.

Pete C.

Blair P. Houghton wrote on 23 Jul 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
> >cybercat > wrote:
> >>"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
> >>> Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had
> >>> to add my 2 cents.
> >>
> >>I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
> >>is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some
> >>little grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in
> >>mine.
> >
> >Thought about that. Hard to implement. They'd have to
> >be kind of deep to be really effective. I thought about
> >using taller stair-front pieces, so there'd be a lip.
>
> Retinking that, it won't work. The top of that lip is
> part of the 2 inch depth, because the next stair sits
> on the 2 inch step. The bottles are 1.75 inches in diameter
> at the bottoms and almost 2 inches at the tops. It's just
> too tight a fit. I'd have to change the depth per step to
> do it. Not impossible, just complicating.
>
> --Blair
>

put vertical sides on the rack and run a wire across from side to side;
to keep the bottles from being knocked off the steps....say so at least
one inch from the bottom of the bottle has a wire barrier across it.

--


Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect

-Alan

Mr Libido Incognito > wrote:
>put vertical sides on the rack and run a wire across from side to side;
>to keep the bottles from being knocked off the steps....say so at least
>one inch from the bottom of the bottle has a wire barrier across it.

I could install a velvet rope and a couple of burly mice
with a list to keep the spices in their place.

--Blair

In ,
Blair P. Houghton > typed:
> Mr Libido Incognito > wrote:
>> put vertical sides on the rack and run a wire across from side to
>> side;
>> to keep the bottles from being knocked off the steps....say so at
>> least
>> one inch from the bottom of the bottle has a wire barrier across
>> it.
>
> I could install a velvet rope and a couple of burly mice
> with a list to keep the spices in their place.
>
> --Blair

Just use Velcro and attach the spice bottles to the cabinet doors. No
need for a rack...

BOB

cybercat wrote:
> "Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote :
> > Over all I give design and effectivness rating 8.76 outa 10. Had to add my
> > 2 cents.
> >
>
> I think it is pretty cool--simple but smart. The only problem for me
> is that I would knock the bottles over all the time. I want some little
> grooves or recesses or something like an actual *rack* in mine.
> I currently use one of those square, tall revolving countertop racks,
> wood with holes where spice bottle fit in so that they are not totally
> upright but at an angle? The problem is the same one encountered
> everywhe many of the the pre-printed labels are not for spices
> I use much. I need to find laser printer labels that will fit the round
> tops of these bottles and relabel them.

Just get some round Avery labels and do your own - WordPerfect has an
automatic Avery label macro for all the labels - maybe Word does, too.
Easy.

N.

BOB > wrote:
>In ,
>Blair P. Houghton > typed:
>> I could install a velvet rope and a couple of burly mice
>> with a list to keep the spices in their place.
>
>Just use Velcro and attach the spice bottles to the cabinet doors. No
>need for a rack...

Considered and rejected long 'go. Velcro has too many
failure modes.

The cans-and-magnets method would be more reliable,
but Penzey's stopped selling the cans, so there's
a failure mode fer yuh.

Maybe I could put all the speece in a blender and keep
it running then once in a while lift the lid and let
the blow-off hit the food...

--Blair

"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote

> The cans-and-magnets method would be more reliable,
> but Penzey's stopped selling the cans, so there's
> a failure mode fer yuh.

I believe Lee Valley has the cans, or similar.

nancy

Nancy Young > wrote:
>
>"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote
>
>> The cans-and-magnets method would be more reliable,
>> but Penzey's stopped selling the cans, so there's
>> a failure mode fer yuh.
>
>I believe Lee Valley has the cans, or similar.

Just looked around. Apparently, they have loose lids,
and aren't steel, so they won't magnetize...

But the spice-rack-in-the-door idea is warming
up in my head.

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton wrote on 26 Jul 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> Just looked around. Apparently, they have loose lids,
> and aren't steel, so they won't magnetize...
>

But a hot glue gun would stick a magnet to one, lickity split!

--


Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect

-Alan

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote in message
...
> Blair P. Houghton wrote on 26 Jul 2006 in rec.food.cooking
>
>> Just looked around. Apparently, they have loose lids,
>> and aren't steel, so they won't magnetize...
>>
>
> But a hot glue gun would stick a magnet to one, lickity split!

Doesn't solve the 'loose lid' thing but - see below...............

Lee Valley sells these tiny magnets
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,42363,42348 (item
A) for cheap. If you buy some buy a bunch!
My last order included a hundred of these suckers. Makes a combination of
any steel surface and any piece of paper into a 'sticky note' center. Who
needs 'cute' fridge magnets?
If you want to stick a non-magnetic object to a magnetic one do the 'glue
gun' trick (or epoxy). One not strong enough? Use two or three.
Stick one onto a bunch of spice jar lids and then you can hang said jars off
an overhead steel bracket; easy to see and no effort to grab and use and no
counter/shelf space occupied..
My computer tower looks like a porcupine it is so festooned with these handy
little geehaws - and no, there are no negative effects to the computer! Just
keep them a safe distance from your monitor.
This does not, in any reasonable way, START to exhaust the possible uses of
these magnets! Think box latches, pin/needle organizers - even knife
keepers -
the list is only limited to your imagination.
I almost hesitate to point all this out because when the time comes to
re-order it just may be that demand has upped the price.

Regards.
Ken.