Storage and Sorting LEGO

[Blondie-Wan]

I'm loving all these storage schemes I'm seeing.

For those of you using the various drawer-based systems, how good are they at keeping dust out? Are any of them essentially dustproof?

[Kelso]

Do you have a real-life GL1500 as well?

I've a GL1000 and a GL1200 myself.

My Uncle used to have one when I was younger and I love'd it, that's why he gave me his model of it.

[Andy D]

Do you tire of sorting and organizing? I have been disassembling, breaking sets I bought for spares, sorting PaB purchases and sorting anything else I have and storing and organizing for the last 2 weeks. My brain is fried! I need to be done with this sort/organize/store project NOW!

I have decided that I am going to S/O/S (sort/organize/store) for 2 more days, then just put the remainder in an "unsorted parts" bin and carry on! I just can't get it all done at once... Too much LEGO! I never thought I would say "Too much LEGO" but it just may be true. Well, maybe not.

Back to it!

Andy D

Edited March 7, 2015 by Andy D

[badbob001]

Any thoughts on sorting when building a new set from the box? Some people would dump everything out and maybe sort them into piles as needed, but I don't like having parts rolling off the table. I've seen other people use lots of little bowls and pre-sort all the pieces, but that seems like too much work and makes less sense now that we have numbered bags. My method is to first take out the immediately need numbered bags, roughly judge each bag, based on content, into small, medium, or large categories, and then empty them into three separate bins for small, medium, and large.

The bin themselves are white shelf bins from an old refrigerator (each are roughly 28cm long x16cm wide and 8cm tall). My major dislike for the bins are that they are too deep, which makes it hard to see pieces that are at the edges. This means I have to stand up to peer into them and that is not great for my back in the long run.

I am thinking of getting shallow serving trays as replacements, like the inexpensive IKEA Klack trays:

Does anyone use the same or similar trays for their pre-build sorting? Suggestions for alternatives? The IKEA trays seem good because they have a white smooth inside surface, which won't scratch the pieces and is easy to clean. And the trays are shaped so multiple trays can be stacked for storage. I'm a bit weary of the handle holes that may let pieces escape.

Edited March 9, 2015 by badbob001

[Andy D]

Any thoughts on sorting when building a new set from the box? Some people would dump everything out and maybe sort them into piles as needed, but I don't like having parts rolling off the table. I've seen other people use lots of little bowls and pre-sort all the pieces, but that seems like too much work and makes less sense now that we have numbered bags. My method is to first take out the immediately need numbered bags, roughly judge each bag, based on content, into small, medium, or large categories, and then empty them into three separate bins for small, medium, and large.

... Snip

I am thinking of getting shallow serving trays as replacements, like the inexpensive IKEA Klack trays:

Does anyone use the same or similar trays for their pre-build sorting? Suggestions for alternatives? The IKEA trays seem good because they have a white smooth inside surface, which won't scratch the pieces and is easy to clean. And the trays are shaped so multiple trays can be stacked for storage. I'm a bit weary of the handle holes that may let pieces escape.

I don't like the piles method, little or big. I use the bowl method, I sort bags into size/type/color, depending on the set. My bowl of choice is the Glad entree size food storage container and a 8" pie tin for each step. I gather all the parts for each step into the pie tin and assemble from there.

Your Ikea tray looks real good. I can see parts escaping through the handle holes but, the holes could be covered in some tasteful way. I can also see how the white would help with part identification. The bottom line is, If it works for you that is all that matters.

Andy D

Edited March 9, 2015 by Andy D

[Sarah]

Does anyone use the same or similar trays for their pre-build sorting? Suggestions for alternatives? The IKEA trays seem good because they have a white smooth inside surface, which won't scratch the pieces and is easy to clean. And the trays are shaped so multiple trays can be stacked for storage. I'm a bit weary of the handle holes that may let pieces escape.

We haven't used it for any projects big enough to worry about parts going over the edge yet. But we've had good experience using a catering "Dipping tray" for containing parts. 4 side containers and the inner cup.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Sarah

[dr_spock]

The IKEA tray may be not big enough for the very large sets that don't come with numbered bags. I think for sets with numbered bags, it'll work.

I normally use the pile method for the large pieces and the small bowls for the small pieces.

[badbob001]

I don't like the piles method, little or big. I use the bowl method, I sort bags into size/type/color, depending on the set.

I think I'm pretty good at quickly finding parts by just peering into a bin and lightly shifting around the pieces, so this is why it seems wasteful for me to spend time sorting pieces by type or color. And I limited myself to three bins to limit the workspace size needed and the number of bins I need to cycle through in a search. As needed, I would sometimes create a fourth bin by pulling out large/special parts/plates from the three bins so those large pieces don't cover smaller pieces. And as the build progresses and the bin content size dwindles, I will merge bin contents to further reduce the number of bins I need to search through. I also prefer large bins/trays than bowls because the flat surface lets me create ad-hoc mini-piles or staging areas.

But for sets with no numbered bags and an extremely large number of parts, sorting into color piles seems like a quick method.

[tedbeard]

I have used that kind of tray and parts go throught the handles far too easily to make it worthwhile. Work at a table and toss parts into cups or other small containers for quick sorting. You then can dump parts into large bins or bags as needed.

[Navy Trooper Fenson]

Do you tire of sorting and organizing? I have been disassembling, breaking sets I bought for spares, sorting PaB purchases and sorting anything else I have and storing and organizing for the last 2 weeks. My brain is fried! I need to be done with this sort/organize/store project NOW!

I have decided that I am going to S/O/S (sort/organize/store) for 2 more days, then just put the remainder in an "unsorted parts" bin and carry on! I just can't get it all done at once... Too much LEGO! I never thought I would say "Too much LEGO" but it just may be true. Well, maybe not.

Back to it!

Andy D

I know what you mean, I always kinda sorted my parts by color but had older childhood sets in various boxes laying around cabinets and the basement because I never thought the contents would be good for building Star Wars stuff which I was mainly into but I was kinda inspired during summer to finally get on sorting out the mess and bigger my collection since bricks are still useful for a variety of things.

I piled up all the childhood stuff, sorted through my cupboards that were still littered with childhood garbage and reviewed my collection of sets that were on display and decided to just scrap roughly half of it for the pieces because in the decade before I always thought to myself when buying sets from other themes that I would use them to MOC something better but never came around to do it because I just dumped all the colored parts into one box each and building anything in grey and black would mean pouring out two large boxes on the floor because no table is big enough for that and even then I couldn´t even really walk around.

It took an entire month of sorting and finding all the boxes just to sort it all by color and meanwhile I realized it would be better to sort the four colors I have the most of into broad categories (like all special plates in one bag, all slopes in one bag, all curved slopes in one). So now it took another week to do that and I found yet another box of old random Lego AND I still have a box of newly gotten sets from between the last time I sorted and now.

I liked to just power through the whole thing during summer vacation just to get it over with, I felt some dizziness from it as well but nothing really bad, I found it was worth it just for the sorted parts to finally be able to actually do something with all the stuff. I would recommend just doing it as fast as possible, when you stop it´s harder to get back into it again.

For reference: Brickset says I currently have 102.031 pieces but I assume it´s a huge bit more since I didn´t include any of the old and incomplete childhood stuff in that list, only sets I was 100% certain of to have all of the pieces in my then sorted boxes.

[eurotrash]

Here's my set up.

Like many AFOLs I've struggled with developing a useful Storage solution to the inventory. What I've finally got is an approach that separates the elements by 'type' (plates, tiles, bricks, vegetation, technic pieces, brackets, panels, etc.) and then by color if there's too many of them to fit in one container.

As the inventory increases or decreases then I'll adjust the approach. By keeping them in roughly the same position relative to my worktop then I know where they are without too much looking. The drawers are also removable from their containers so if I know I need a bunch of elements (e.g. shorter 2x plates browns, blacks and grays stored on the top right) then I just remove that drawer and use it.

[pcfw]

Hispabricks Magazine has some articles about the evolution of LEGO parts storage. Will write about it when I have finised other stuff.

[splatman]

On building a storage system:

If you have some power tools and a truckload of determination, you can follow in

.

[zux]

On building a storage system:

If you have some power tools and a truckload of determination, you can follow in

.

This solution is so satisfying! I wonder if any other similarly flexible system exist?

[joelfinch]

Does anyone use the same or similar trays for their pre-build sorting? Suggestions for alternatives? The IKEA trays seem good because they have a white smooth inside surface, which won't scratch the pieces and is easy to clean. And the trays are shaped so multiple trays can be stacked for storage. I'm a bit weary of the handle holes that may let pieces escape.

I use IKEA STODJA cutlery trays for sorting. They are inexpensive, and have several large compartments and are stackable, but the most useful feature is that the bottom edges are rounded, which makes scooping out parts very easy (and no handle holes! :)

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30177224/

[TheLegoDr]

That video was interesting. My concern would be, how does one know how many boxes of each size do I need? I guess it could spill over into smaller boxes if you had enough of certain parts. Granted with LEGO vs screws it may be different also.

I've considered drawers originally, but then I started thinking separating boxes would be easier since I pull stuff out a lot (not all drawer systems allow you to remove them). So I did cardboard boxes separated by color for the longest time. Cardboard because it was free from work. Then I started buying the 6 quart sterilite "shoe box" and started separating the colors into like pieces within that color scheme (esssentially just bricks, slopes, small bits that are similar, and miscellaneous. Plates go into a separate area separated by size). I just put them in ziplock sandwich bags. But in doing so, I've actually cut my cardboard box usage in half. I could have done the similar thing with the cardboard, but since sterilite are clear, it makes it easier to see where each color is since I have merged a few colors per sterilite container instead of each color getting its own cardboard box.

I still have a long way to go, but it seems to work okay so far. But then I do have a small drawer system for other bits and pieces. I do like it, but it isn't nearly big enough for ALL of my elements.

[Andy D]

That video was interesting. My concern would be, how does one know how many boxes of each size do I need? I guess it could spill over into smaller boxes if you had enough of certain parts. Granted with LEGO vs screws it may be different also.

I agree, that video was very interesting. The part I like about his system is the flexibility and modularity, with the larger sizes being an exact multiple in size of the smaller ones. This is a system that is very scalable and expandable. If I did not have so much invested in my current system I would consider trying to find a ready-made system with the attributes of his system.

Makes my system look primitive by comparison... Oh, well I will just have to make my system work or make modifications without throwing it out and starting over.

My main goal with my system remains...

To have my inventory fairly well sorted and organized so that I know where to look to find a specific part if I have it. This is more important to me than complete organization... To know where to look to find if I have a specific part.

I remember someone on the forum asking for ideas about a storage system he wanted to build and sell... This is it! Or at least a darn good start!

Andy D

Edited March 21, 2015 by Andy D

[KringlesBricks]

I just picked up five of these for $3.50 each at Lowe's today. They work amazingly well for tiles and small pieces, and plates like 1x2, 1x1 etc. I'm going back to get more.

Flambeau Small Tool Storage Containers

Edited March 23, 2015 by KringlesBricks

[Peppermint_M]

I use IKEA STODJA cutlery trays for sorting. They are inexpensive, and have several large compartments and are stackable, but the most useful feature is that the bottom edges are rounded, which makes scooping out parts very easy (and no handle holes! :)

http://www.ikea.com/...ducts/30177224/

Yes! Rounded or round containers are the way forward! I am starting the epic sort (take 2) very soon. My plan will be to get rounded storage for the parts once I know what volumes I am working with.

[Azzi]

I'm seeing things here I have NEVER dreamed of LOL! Super nice.

[TeamStucky]

Wow! This would all be so helpful I just have everything in a big container that I kind of separate out while building. Might have to pick up one of those little storage containers from Lowes

[SweetiePie88]

Do you tire of sorting and organizing? I have been disassembling, breaking sets I bought for spares, sorting PaB purchases and sorting anything else I have and storing and organizing for the last 2 weeks. My brain is fried! I need to be done with this sort/organize/store project NOW!

I am defiantly at that point now. I've already organized a bunch of stuff including a 1 lb lot of legos i won from online. plus rounding up some parts/figures to trade with a guy down the line, . I STILL have 2 of those small 3 containers that stack together(the ones at target) to go through, i still need to decide what to do with another ebay order i got, I've got random parts here and there, i have about 4 polybags AND a spare lego friends tiger cub set on the side that might get a sort out, and i have lego friends series 5 still mostly together somewhere on my desk. Then on top of that, i got a red ninjago plane on sale and i know there's a chance that i might be partially modifying it so there could be other parts to be sorted out.

guh! And i almost forgot i'm thinking about modding the lego vet clinic i made that was based off the first friends clinic and turning it into maybe a dentists office or something different so that'll be more leftovers to sort out. And there's a chance that i might wind up taking about a house thing i made over a year ago so if i do, that'd be even more stuff.

Plus i did get a yellow chima copter on sale and there's no guarantee that i won't do a mod on it. And I am still not sure what i'll do with the tmnt lair.

And let's not forget another level of fun. when i sort out the parts and put the parts away, there's no guarantee that i won't have to start breaking down parts into separate categories(by type and/or color).

[csaboo]

Guys, I need your help finding proper storage cabinets for my Technic pieces. I live in the Netherlands, so my questions is mostly addressed to the Dutch users of this site.

I'd like to find something like the Akro-Mils 10144 (https://akro-mils.com/Products/Types/Portable-Small-Parts-Storage/Plastic-Cabinets/10144), but the only brands I've found so far are all metal cabinets from brands like Holt, Raaco, and Skandia.

They are pricey (made of metal) and obviously more suited to be used in a garage or something, plus I don't really like the way their cabinets are organized (too many small cabinets, only a few bigger ones).

So my question is: what are you guys using? Which brand, which store? I'd be very happy to see some links too

Thanks and cheers!

[alois]

My brand is very dutch: afhaalchinees. But I managed to buy some nice cabinets with little drawers from Aldi. Slightly bigger than Raaco (I also own several of those). They have them each year for a very short period, it seems. I found some bigger drawers at Xenos.

[csaboo]

Very Dutch indeed!

I've heard about the Aldi cabinets, they are supposed to be coming from a German company called Allit... Do you know when will be the next 'short period'?

For now I've bought two organizers from Stanley (http://www.stanleyworks.nl/products/detail/Opbergsystemen/Organizers/Organizer+Pro+25+Vakken) and a cabinet with small drawers. The organizers are awesome, the cabinet is not the best quality, but it will do for now.

But I'm still interested in the one that Aldi sells.