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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB: The Classic Live Audio Board => Topic started by: Gus Housen on February 15, 2014, 07:21:34 PM

Title: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Gus Housen on February 15, 2014, 07:21:34 PM: my cable storage had gotten unruly, right now I use bins and shelves, for rentals and shows not using my main portable system
(I have a master pack for my main system, that is unchanged and lives in cases, as well as a modular master pack for lightng, etc)
Regardless we are looking t coming up with a new system for cables, we were debating the merits of a wall with long rods.
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Neil White on February 16, 2014, 02:10:59 AM: Quote from: Gus Housen on February 15, 2014, 07:21:34 PM
my cable storage had gotten unruly, right now I use bins and shelves, for rentals and shows not using my main portable system

We use a combination of storage solutions depending on size and type of cable.

For mic cables and NL4 cables up to 25m, we have two sets of "cable trees" that one of our freelance techs who is good with a welder made us. Steel Box frame with 4 rows of about 6 pegs, spaced for smaller cables at the top and larger at the bottom.

For cables over 25m or heavier cables such as socapex, nl8 or mains we use plastic pallet boxes that are stackable with a front drop down lid for access.

Small adaptor type cables I am going to try to reorganise, probably using Eurocontainer type boxes.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words I will grab a couple of images on Monday.
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Benjamin Krumholz on February 17, 2014, 11:03:42 AM: Depends on how much cable you have. Here is a pic of our cable wall.. Short cables 10-25' on top, 50' in the middle 100' on the bottom and long stuff and odd stuff in 48x24" bins underneath. We hang XLR, MULTIPAIR, 12pR , 52pr, NL4, NL8, 12/3, 10/5. The poles are 3' long and anchored into 2 slats of horizontal wood... It works very well untill some one over loads a hook and cracks the wood backing.. Happy building..

Quote from: Gus Housen on February 15, 2014, 07:21:34 PM
my cable storage had gotten unruly, right now I use bins and shelves, for rentals and shows not using my main portable system
(I have a master pack for my main system, that is unchanged and lives in cases, as well as a modular master pack for lightng, etc)
Regardless we are looking t coming up with a new system for cables, we were debating the merits of a wall with long rods.
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Neil White on February 17, 2014, 11:33:53 AM: Quote from: Neil White on February 16, 2014, 02:10:59 AM
For cables over 25m or heavier cables such as socapex, nl8 or mains we use plastic pallet boxes that are stackable with a front drop down lid for access.

This is the style of plastic pallet box we use:
http://www.goplasticpallets.com/gobox-1210-bbb.html

Neil
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Brian Bolly on February 17, 2014, 12:27:44 PM: Quote from: Gus Housen on February 15, 2014, 07:21:34 PM
my cable storage had gotten unruly, right now I use bins and shelves, for rentals and shows not using my main portable system
(I have a master pack for my main system, that is unchanged and lives in cases, as well as a modular master pack for lightng, etc)
Regardless we are looking t coming up with a new system for cables, we were debating the merits of a wall with long rods.

I like the wall system, and bins for anything large or heavy, or something you have a LOT of (i.e. 25' XLR).

These bins work really well: http://www.uline.com/BL_8205/Collapsible-Bulk-Containers
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Jim McKeveny on February 17, 2014, 01:22:32 PM: I like the bin and rack system as shown, but I would add one detail: Build the rack system to freestand within a line of pallet racks. Business locations change, hopefully to larger spaces.

Also, the less reliant on a landlord's particular structure you are, the easier you can move. That is leverage come new lease time.
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Sean Hayes on February 19, 2014, 01:12:55 PM: I just finished rebuilding our cable storage. We used to keep everything hanging on hooks on the walls. We made a change because we were constantly overloading the hooks. Just too much cable.

We made the switch to bins that I built into some standard racking. Having a single bin for each cable type is much easier than having 8 hooks just for 50' XLR, for example.

Each bin is 3' deep, so you can really pack a lot of cable into each one.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bMmoGKSBTRE/UwTugaEghaI/AAAAAAAAA4U/GCy4K28jUeY/w850-h553-no/IMG_20140219_114831931.jpg)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ECYp9zoJnUo/UwTulOqPh1I/AAAAAAAAA4M/ArvZJ7wH3Fw/w763-h553-no/IMG_20140219_114855722.jpg)
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: John durisko on February 21, 2014, 10:40:08 PM: (http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/3u9eqe2e.jpg)
We use mega grid connectors from the light source. Completely modular. It's supported with a horizontal 1.5" at the top that runs through the V in the roof truss. Strong enough for me to climb on like a jungle gym. (I'm only 25 so still very active)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: shop organization and cable storage
Post by: Matthew Knischewsky on February 24, 2014, 07:10:42 PM: I've built a few cable walls with unistrut. Easy to adjust for different lengths and types of cables and easy to move and add to.