Cube Shelf Can Storage

thingiverse

We recently got some cube shelfs to replace a rolling cart we had been using for canned goods storage. They are inexpensive and sturdy when assembled properly, and afforded enough room for the canned goods to be moved to without there being excess goods to find a new home for. While cube shelves are the perfect size for a standard flat of canned vegetables, and you can fit 2 flats in each. If you don't stock more than 1 flat of the same type of canned good, you are going to have to pull cans from the flat underneath and that is 1 inconvenient, and 2 starts causing some stability issues with the flat on top of the stack. I started looking for can organizers that would fit inside a cube shelf, however there were no commercial options that I could find to fit the dimensions of our 'standard' cube shelf. Before you read further, I should provide a warning that this can organizer is not a fully 3d printed project. It does require a minor amount of wood work. I initially started trying to print everything, but found that very cost prohibitive, each cube would require around 400-450 grams of plastic to fully 3d print a solution, and since I don't have a printer that can print 11inx10.5in the shelf wouldn't be a sturdy as a shelf made from one piece. The solution for the expensive parts I couldn't print in one piece anyways was plywood. I was able to find some 5mm Poplar paneling at my local Lowes that looked nice, and was plenty sturdy for my project, I have designed all the parts to accept up to a full 1/4" thick piece though if you can't find the 5mm. There are 2 possible configurations for the shelfs, FIFO mode, where you load from the front on the top 2 shelfs, and unload from the bottom or standard shelf mode where you load and unload from the front of each shelf. #Printed parts notes: Brackets were all printed grooves up so that no supports were required. All stops were printed on either their left or right sides so that no supports were required. (this does introduce layer lines where one will need to use caution when tightening the screws in the holes to prevent snapping them along the layer lines). #FIFO MODE: FIFO mode will require you to have a solid back on the cube you are using for the shelf. the mainstays 3x2 cube shelfs I used come with backs for 3 of the 6 cubes, however if your shelf is against a wall, you can configure all of them for FIFO mode. For a FIFO can cube you will need the following 3d printed parts: left bracket : 1 right bracket : 1 Can stop : 2 You will also need the following fasteners or wooden materials. \#8 wood screws 5/8" long : 4 (12) 11inx8.625in plywood sheets : 2 2x4 ~20 degree wedge 10 inches long : 1 a cube shelf with internal cube dimensions of roughly 11.25x11.25 inches The wood screws will be used to hold the can stop to the front of the cube shelf at the bottom, (remember to always predrill the holes for the screws). The plywood goes in the brackets as the sloped shelfs that allow the cans to roll, getting it as close to 11 inches wide as you can will make the assembly more reliable. The 2x4 wedge is just a 2x4 that is cut longways from corner to corner to form a wedge to push cans to the front. FIFO Assembly: Fix one can stop about 1.5 inches from the right side and one about 1.5 inches from the left side of the cube you are working in with 4 of the wood screws. Place the wedge at the center of the cube in the back with the narrow side pointing up. Place the brackets on the walls of the cube with the grooves facing the inside of the cube. Insert the plywood shelfs in the grooves and push the whole assembly in until the shelves are flush with the front of the cube. (optional) Mark the places where you will need to predrill holes to hold the brackets in place. Remove the brackets and predrill your cube walls. Replace brackets and fix with wood screws. Replace shelfs. (end optional) Load canned goods in the front of the top two shelfs, each side will hold 12 cans. Further notes on FIFO mode: If you cut your plywood very close to 11 inches wide, you shouldn't really need the screws for the brackets because friction will hold them in place well enough for you to get by. Also, sometimes cans get jammed up with this design, it isn't perfect yet and I'm still working on it, one thing that would probably decrease jams would be a vertical separator down the middle of the rolling shelfs that would keep the two rows from ever having a chance to mix with each other. There is also a limitation in that it is not fully FIFO because the cans in the middle row don't go anywhere until you fully unload the top row so if you restock before you fully deplete your middle row those will not get cycled out. #STANDARD MODE: For standard mode you will need some extra 3d printed parts and more wood screws. Standard shelf mode is handy if your cube shelfs aren't against a wall, or you simply don't want to stock 12 of one kind of canned good to make best use of the space you have. Each shelf in standard mode will hold 8 standard sized cans, 4 in each row. This will allow you to stock less of one kind, but still be able to get to everything on the shelf easily. 3d printed parts you will need for standard mode: Right bracket : 1 Left Bracket : 1 Can Stop : 2 (4) Shelf Stop : 8 Wood and fasteners you will need for standard mode: 11inx10.5in plywood : 2 \#8 wood screws 5/8in long : 12 (24) Standard Assembly: Fix the can stops to the front of the cube one around 1.5 inches from the left and one 1.5 inches from the right of the cube. (optional) If your cube does not have a back wall you will need to install can stops on the back in the same locations. Place the left bracket on the right wall, and the right bracket on the left wall with the grooves facing inside the cube. Move them both until they are flush with the front of the cube. Mark the locations on the cube you will need to pre-drill for your wood screws. Pre-drill the holes for the wood screws. (end optional) Place a shelf stop around 2 inches from each corner of both pieces of plywood on the 11 inch long side. The plywood should slide in the groove of the shelf stop, if it is 1/4" thick plywood it will be snug. Mark the locations of each of the holes. Pre-drill these locations for wood screws. Install the shelf stops in each corner of both pieces of plywood with 1 #8 wood screw 5/8" long each. Take both pieces of plywood and place them in the grooves of the left and right bracket outside of the cube. Note: This may take an assistant to provide an extra hand here and there to keep things from falling apart. Place the assembly inside the cube with the shelfs sloping forwards. Slide assembly in until the brackets are flush with the front of the cube. (optional) If you made holes earlier for the brackets, install the wood screws in the brackets. (end optional) Load cans on each shelf. Further notes on Standard mode: This mode was somewhat an after thought of the primary mode I was designing for, but does work very well. One thing I may change in the future is the height of the shelf stops arc. You can fit a standard size can between the shelf above and the edge of the stop, however it usually requires you to lift the shelf above it or smash the can into place. It hasn't broken or even hinted at breaking a shelf or a shelf stop yet but after using it for a little while it is an inconvenience that can be solved by a small bit of redesign. Overall the result is that you now have 3 shelfs inside the cube which you can put unique canned goods on while also making them easily accessible. The bottom shelf would be the best location for larger than standard diameter cans, and the top shelf is the best location for the smaller than standard diameter cans. Also the bottom shelf does not roll items forward for you, something that could be solved with a bit of bracket redesign and an extra piece of plywood.