Taming The Matboard Monster - Part 1 of 3

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Part One - Matboard Storage

When I abandoned my two 12-ft matboard racks during a move last year, I was looking for something compact, strong, adjustable and lightweight (when empty.) I settled on wire shelving units which are available in larger home and building centers in a variety of sizes. The assembled unit I use, when laid on its side, is about 48" high, 72" wide and 18" deep. You buy the shelves and posts separately, so you can assemble any configuration you need. The setup I built has six sections with about 11" of space in each. The bottom of each section has a piece of laminate-covered shelving to support the boards and allow them to slide in and out easily. The whole thing sits on a heavy work bench and I use the space beneath for storage. Several 40x60 fomecore boxes sit next to this rack on the 8' bench to store oversize sheets.

11" of space can comfortably hold about 140 32x40 sheets of matboard, or a total of about 840 sheets in 6 sections. Sections that are not full have pieces of fomecore to take up space so the boards don't bend excessively. Matboards are sorted first by vendor (Crescent, Miller, etc.) and then by number. Each board has the number written on the upper corner (with a white label for black-core boards.) 32x40 sheets of fomecore are used as periodic dividers with laminated cards ATGed to the fomecore as tabs.

I'll discuss in a future post how I decided which boards to stock. Because I get free weekly delivery from three different matboard suppliers, I carry minimum quantities of each stock color. Now this is critical: I never store more than one partial sheet of any board and it must be 32" high or it doesn't go back in the rack. Right below the mat number written on the corner of a partial sheet, I write a "P" to indicate it is a partial sheet. I actually keep a running inventory of how big the partial sheets are. More on this later.

I discovered that a big problem with mat storage is the accumulation of little scrap pieces. They take up as much horizontal storage as a full sheet and usually end up getting shove to the back of the rack where you can't see them anyway. I can't bring myself to recycle a 32x30 piece of matboard, but I no longer save 16x20s, for example.

When I pull a sheet out to be cut, I use a wooden spring clothespin to mark it's position so I can return the partial sheet.

rack1.jpg


rack3.jpg


The next step: organizing mat samples and choosing stock mats.

[This message has been edited by RonEggers (edited October 22, 2001).]
 
Ron, can I hire you to come to my shop and build and organize this system? Makes me want to go to your shop just to pull a mat out of those neat bins!

Janet
 
Ron:

Love how you have framed artwork in your work area.

All we got is a clock hanging on the wall.

Looks beautiful

------------------
Michael LeCompte CPF
 
Ron,
Thanks for sharing your ideas. This one is great especially for those of us with bad backs. I love the fact you have stored these frequently used items at a level that doesn't put additional wear and tear on the back!
Freda
 
Stroke of genius to use inexpensive shelving turned sideways. I would never have thought of that. I might consider standing the matboard on the 32" side to gain a little floor space. It would be easier to tell if you have a short piece too. I am definately filing this away for future use.
 
ArtLady,
When I pull a sheet of board, I put a clothes pin on the next sheet over to mark the position so I can return the partial sheet (if there is one) to the right spot without having to look at the numbers again. When they're not being used, the clothespins are just clipped to the shelving so they're handy.
 
Ron,
As I understand it, the shelves are 18" deep, from front to back. Is that correct? If so, then you will have some overhang in the front and back? Approximately 22" to be divided between the front and back?

The reason I'm asking all these questions is because you have inspired me. We have been planning to 'fix' a work table higher than the 29" one I use now. I thought it would be a good thing to get the shelves, like you have, and attach a 40"X6' piece of plywood for a top, and cover it in indoor/outdoor carpet.

That's where the overhang question comes in. Since you have perfected this means of storage, perhaps you have some guidance for me. I will need 'toe-room' at the front edge of the work-top. We could kill a whole flock of birds with one stone if this idea works out.

I had to figure out how you stored 32X40 mats in something only 18" deep, and came up with the overhang theory. Please let me know if I have it all wrong...



[This message has been edited by CharlesL (edited October 28, 2001).]
 
Charles,
The wire shelves are 18" deep, which seems to be plenty to support the matboard. They are very strong. The laminate-covered boards at the base of each section are 36" long. About 9" of laminated board protrudes from the front and back of the wire shelving. The laminate covering makes it easy to slide the matboard in and out of the unit. I found these boards at a building center. They were available in random colors at a very low price. I ripped them on a table saw to fit the wire shelving, but you could probably adjust the shelving to fit the boards instead.

Does that answer your question or create more of them?
 
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