Maker Diary #2 - Model it Out

I'm building out my shop during this second round of quarantine and the next thing on my list is material storage. I'm working with what feels like a decent amount of space, but I still want to be as efficient as possible with each square foot (a philosophy breed inside a 235 sq ft apartment). Pouring through Pinterest pages and Google searches for ideas and nothing really... sang to me.

So I drew up something that was a little of each example I liked. While thinking through measurements, I started sweating at the thought of botching a bunch of wood on my idea. Do I need to design this? Do I really need to build something to store my materials in the first place? Plies of wood tucked around the walls of the shop are fine. Big boards are just lean-tos for off-cuts, aren't they? Before things got crazy I went inside to cut out a model.

Anytime I feel anxious about a project, because it might not work or it could be a costly mistake or I've never attempted something like it before, I model it out of cheap material first. Cardboard, old cereal boxes, tooth picks, bamboo skews, foam core board, card stock, and hot glue can solve 95% of my design stress. I take my drawing, sometimes just the idea, and build a scale model. I personally like to do 1/4 scale because it's easy math, but do whatever works best for you. Measure, cut, and assemble to know very quickly if something will or will not work.

I am glad I took the time to build a model for the material storage. I liked most of it, but I want to make a few adjustments to allow for some more storage of other materials. Part of me feels like this is old school, as you could model it in software like SketchUp or Fusion360, depending on the project, but I think simple craft models make for more

accessible trial and error building. And depending on the model, sometimes you can continue to use it after it's served it's design purpose (this model will store more modeling material at my desk).

It's an extra hour or two of time, but it's so much easier to commit to the full build after. Regardless of outcome, I am glad I only use two hours and cheap stock to figure out an issue. Try it the next time you are questioning a build, and let me know if you do! If you already make models for projects, what's your favorite modeling/early prototype material?