the container gehner
Nothing original here just some (un)fair? use.
Diggin’ in the Crate
Consider the milk crate, humble tool and emblem of the vinyl-record collector. Were it specifically designed for holding vinyl instead of cow juice, it couldn’t be better suited to the purpose. A happy coincidence of dimension and intention, it is light yet sturdy, easily transportable and eminently stackable, as suited to the trunk of a DJ’s car as to the shelving possibilities of the dorm, the one-bedroom, the party house.It is, for many of us, our first furniture, the building block of countless ingenious arrangements spun from box, table, drape and board. It is décor, making up for what it lacks in elegance with the simple grace of an interlocking framework and ruffs of multicolored cardboard spines. It is an indicator of commitment and geek pride: Figure a hundred or so discs per crate, and a collection may be assessed by a like-minded freak at a glance — a display of wealth for the visiting chiefs, if you will.
And yet its status is not quite what it once was. Used to be, the milk crate was acquired through craft and ingenuity, through the haunting of the local market or the bribing of your buddy the box boy. It was collected by ones and twos, an ongoing scavenge not unlike the quest for vinyl itself. These days, you buy it — at Target or the local office supply, and in foofy shades of magenta and turquoise instead of dairy reds and blues. Fewer of us need it, too. CDs don’t fit, not really, not perfectly, and then there is the temptation to trade up to blond-veneer Ikea cubes or — the dizzy heights of storage — custom-made racks. Fancy, yes, but humble retains its pull: Can you pass a milk crate even now without that split-second pang of covetousness, without thinking, “Oh, I could use that”? Neither can I.
-Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/13/cover.php
Okay, I’m trying to figure out what to do with my records because the Container Store crates that were the “perfect dimensions” for records are actually too long and carry too many records for a single load. Even my knobby knees and willowy spine struggle to manage the load. The vinyl portion of the relocation decathalon morphed into an end-of-day World’s Strongest Man event. No amount of hand chalk or unique lifting technique could subdue the defeat I suffered at the hands of those (no doubt Swedish) record crates. Luckily the cavalry came and picked up the pieces left by my Magnus Magnusson of record collections. Props to Chako (and her magic orange lifting towel), Linhchi and Daniel.
I’m thinking wooden cube that will fully contain the entire record and keep the record count down to a manageable size for hefting. Stack them to create a shelf but pile them up wherever necessary during a move without the need to worry about other objects beating up the jackets. That means the shelf “back” should also protect/contain/maintain structural integrity when tipped down as a box bottom. Honestly I should just cut down the collection, but even that won’t eliminate the need, right?
I found two places for examples but I’m not sure about my cut and construct abilities for furniture finery. I don’t want na damn crate looking nastiness. Something nice, that aint particle board/veneered tackiness. Anyway, I need ideas. Jerry Monteith could give me the 411 I’m sure.
http://www.oxbuilt.com/
http://www.rackittm.com/
16 September 2002, 21:17 ::
commenting closed for this article
— linhchi 2002-09-23 12:50 #