Little cubicles for glass

sangell · #1 2011-01-10, 2:04pm

In looking at the Studio pictures and see a lot of them are using small white cubes for storing the glass rods. What are these? and where can you get them?

Thanks everyone

BellaBean · #2 2011-01-10, 2:25pm

They are PVC fence posts. I got some at Lowe's last spring. They seem to only carry them in the spring and summer.

squid · #3 2011-01-10, 2:27pm

The smaller sectioned ones are fence rails, not posts. I use the rails.

echeveria · #4 2011-01-10, 2:39pm

Yes, rails are what most of mine are. I cut them down to 15" lengths with a table saw. If I have more than 4 lbs of a color, I use a post section.

The Lowes here that have them all year, but not all of them carry them. The one closest to me just discontinued them, and I got them all at 50% off. But now I have to drive 30 miles to get more.

echeveria · #5 2011-01-10, 2:40pm

Damn, I sound kinda drunk in that post

Tillie · #6 2011-01-10, 3:28pm

You can also use the straight downspouts from Lowes or Home Depot and cut them down. They are cheap, easy to cut and they are square...some have ribs and others have smooth outsides, but they stack like a dream.

jhana · #7 2011-01-10, 4:51pm

You can also find it at a local vinyl fence contractor
if your Lowe's doesn't have it.
They will probably sell you scrap material for cheap and you can cut
it to size.

cheng076 · #8 2011-01-11, 11:12am

I use the square PVC downspout 'tube'. They are 2" square and 10 ft long and I cut them to 15" so my glass sticks out about 5" (boro). Cost about $3 or $4

frano · #9 2011-01-11, 11:39am

I got mine from a local fencing guy, cut them, and glued them together with contact cement. They are very sturdy!

Shrimp · #10 2011-01-11, 12:54pm

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I get mine from the guy that drives through our neighborhood collecting metal for recycle. He covers a lot of territory, and usually drops off discarded fences in my yard. I just disassemble them and cut them up in 3rds. One fence slat/rail yields three 11" tubes. I get a kick out of using the "chop saw" to create these useful pieces of trash! He just informed me that he has picked up 2 more 8 foot fences for me. Now I can build my Bullseye storage shelf. Costs me NOTHING!!

Cornbread · #11 2011-01-15, 9:40am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrimp

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I get mine from the guy that drives through our neighborhood collecting metal for recycle. He covers a lot of territory, and usually drops off discarded fences in my yard. I just disassemble them and cut them up in 3rds. One fence slat/rail yields three 11" tubes. I get a kick out of using the "chop saw" to create these useful pieces of trash! He just informed me that he has picked up 2 more 8 foot fences for me. Now I can build my Bullseye storage shelf. Costs me NOTHING!!

lucky you!! i have also looked around lowes for these fences..but i'm noticing im starting to buy no less that 1lb of one color at a time (boro) so maybe i should go with the downspout instead.

cheng076 · #12 2011-01-15, 12:36pm

My 'downspout' rack will hold a bit under 4 lbs of boro in one tube. When I have colors that I don't want/need that much I use a plastic strip that slides into the tube from one diagonal corner to the other and put 2 colors in one tube. Next thing I need to do is come up with a logical way to arrange the colors so they are easier to find in the rack....maybe by product number; I already have them in different 'racks by manufacturer.
PJ

echeveria · #13 2011-01-15, 12:45pm

The fence railing sections will hold about 2 lbs of glass in each little square

artsyuno · #14 2011-01-15, 2:03pm

I picked up a bunch of scrap in varying sizes from a vinyl fence place a few weeks ago at a huge discount. It's definitely worth calling and asking.

FourTailsLampwork · #15 2011-02-03, 7:39am

I've never been able to find them, even in the summer, but I have found that if you have something to frame them with that round PVC pipe works equally well. My glass stash is the second shelf of a sturdy metal shelving unit, and the side bars of the unit keep the pipes from rolling. (The Liquid Nails helped, too!) You can get pipes from 1/2" diameter up to 3-4".

I hadn't finished all the storage yet--now it is pipes up to the top of the shelf!--but I got my PVC pipes via Freecycle (people with extra who give them away rather than store them or send them to landfills) and I was waiting for another donor to appear

If you go this route, you can cut them with a $12 pipe cutter (up to 1.25") or a larger one (for larger diameters). Invest in the pipe cutter. When I made an agility jump for my lab/spitz mix, I cut the pvc with a saw. Took forever, and created nasty PVC pipe shavings. With the hand cutter I cut enough pipe for my entire stash in half the time it took me to make four cuts for the agility jump.

If you want to see a video of Mr. Wigglebutt, including the agility jump, here it is. (He isn't using the jump, he's playing with his new "sister," Bella the Cardi Corgi Mix, a day or so after I adopted her. And yes, eleven months later they still play happily, though Bella is a good bit less pudgy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15QTk9SsFwU

Angie09 · #16 2011-02-03, 8:42am

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourTailsLampwork

If you go this route, you can cut them with a $12 pipe cutter (up to 1.25") or a larger one (for larger diameters). Invest in the pipe cutter.

Can you tell me how hard you have to press to cut a pvc pipe with these? Can someone with arthritis in their hands (me) do it?

lisa@lo.and.behold · #17 2011-02-03, 10:43am

FourTails Lampwork,

What size tubes did you use? I bought some 2" and none of the pipe cutters (at a reasonable price) work for those. I'm using a saw and it's really a mess . . . Maybe I should try smaller?

FourTailsLampwork · #18 2011-02-03, 12:13pm

I used 1.25" Schedule 40 PVC pipe, Lisa. If you need to cut a wider diameter pipe, you do need a more specialized cutter. The one I have will cut 1.5", but only with a LOT of force.

Fo those with arthritis--you do need hand strength. I cut by pressing own with BOTH hands on one sie of the cutter while resting the pipe and cutter on the table. If you have ba arthritis, get a cutter with more leverage (longer handles) or see if you can get a neighbor to make the cuts for you. I cut into lengths of roughly 11", except for pieces on the sides, which I left at 13.5" to estagainst the sides of the bookcase.

Robyn · #19 2011-02-05, 1:17am

We also use the pvc pipes, all gathered from discards. I only wish it were easier to cut the ends at an angle. Sometimes it's hard to get shorter rods out of the smaller diameter pipes and I think that would help.

Howling Dog · #20 2011-02-05, 6:33am

I use downspouts for glass storage and PVC tubes to raise my display tables at shows. I have the hardware store cut them for me. There's no charge for that service here...and they cleanup the mess.

Michelle