I needed a cart that fit under my workbench for storing random stuff that didn’t have anywhere else to go and always ended up on my desk. With a few simple modifications, the Ikea Helmer cabinet worked out great. For the money, it’s not a bad little addition to a workshop.
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertCowanDIY/
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robertcowan
Ikea Helmer – http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10251045/#/40107872
Ikea Antonius – http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50043573/
2″ Swivel Caster – http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-2-in-Swivel-with-Non-Marking-Rubber-Caster-4035245EB/203672390
Monoprice Monitor Arm – https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082808&p_id=15526&seq=1&format=2
Price: $119.00
IKEA Helmer Drawer Unit on Caster Blue 804.270.32 Size 11x27 1/8"
(as of October 1, 2020 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Price:
HELMER in Wall Bluetooth Amplifier with WiFi, Multi-Room Android Stereo Audio System with 10 Inches HD Touch Screen Video Player, White, BM209
Introduction：It's just like a 10" android pad with amplifier installed in the wall. You can change the language in setting to English, Russian, Germany,etc. You can download apps from internet and install. Fuction：When you connect to TV with HDMI cab... (as of October 1, 2020 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Price: $114.00
IKEA Helmer Drawer Unit on Casters Black 203.419.70 Size 11x27 1/8"
(as of October 1, 2020 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Price:
Hi.. im curious to whether this cabinet actually fits the black folder you showed at the beginning of this video, cos it does look pretty slim. Love your video btw, very insightful xx
Where did you get the monitor stand?
Also suggestion Getting some foam cabinet drawer protectors you can get pretty cheap and will allow you to put stuff and not have things slide around.
I am really interested in a workshop tour and or learning of what you do outside of YouTube
Robert,
A safety tip when working with a tablesaw: Never crosscut a piece of material that is wider than deep using the fence, Instead, use a crosscut sled. The safety issue a risk of the part rotating between the fence and blade, getting grabbed by the upward rovolving back of the blade causing a situation called “kickback”. Be safe…I really enjoy your videos!
Mike
The magnets are a brilliant idea! Thanks.
What is the part or model number of the plastic trays?
The harbor fright tool chests are nice – but $170. So I can see why you opted for these. Pro tip. If you buy two sturdy filing cabinets that are half height, and a soil core door at a home improvement center, it makes for a very cheap/sturdy bench.
This is a really good idea for people that need small work benches
Give it about 3 months and the paint wears off the bottom of the draws and friction goes through the roof on these. The draw handles will just be useful to pull the whole cart around with the, rather than opening the draws. Get yourself some 3M PTFE tape and add some pads every 3 inches to the bottom of both sides of all the draws.
That’s really cool mate! And very well explained 🙂 Great work, keep it up!
Who makes the workbenches? They look really nice
Wow! Thank you a lot for ideas!
I think, you can also add a thin layer of rubber or fabric on the back to prevent extra noise from the magnets.
I’m trying to replace basic the metal rails with telescopic side rails, because the base rails makes a lot of noise.
what size casters are utilized on the us general box? they appear to be everbilt?
Looks like you have room for two or three more 😀
Genius!
Bye from Italy!
Would you reccomend adding a washer between the screw and drawer to prevent too much stress when pulling on the handles? I noticed they are a washer-head screw, but I figured this might be a weak spot over-time – have you noticed anything with yours?
Thanks for the awesome vid! Youve earned my subscription & like! 🙂
I bought a very similar cabinet from IKEA in around 2004, it’s construction is very different though.
It came in one piece (other than the handles) and it’s all welded together, exactly the same size though.
It was I think £35, this one is now only £25…If you allow for inflation, this one is half the price of the old one.
awesome video, good work:)
Nice video
That is a sweet workbench. Maybe someday I can get some more space. Your Ikea mod turned out great! I love Ikea mods.
hello from Greece perfect video very good job 🙂
I just finished more or less exactly this mod (except my HELMER is green). I used 2 slices of 1/2″ plywood at each end (for a total of 1″ of wood on the top and 1″ on the bottom), and a pair of rotary casters at the front and a pair of fixed casters at the back to make it a bit easier to move around.
I found that 12mm of NeFeB magnets was a good balance between grabbing the drawer when it’s all the way in and stopping it from being easily pulled out. I left the drawer stops off because I’ll be storing projects in these drawers, so now I can pull a project out and put it on my bench, then pack it all away when I’m done.
I reused the sheet-metal screws that held the original caster-like-objects on to attach the back panel to the bottom frame, and ran a couple of them into each sideframe as well to stop the back panel being pulled into the body (the magnets for the drawers were pulling the sheet into a curve, which seemed non-ideal).
Thanks for the video and the inspiration, Robert. I expect I’ll have a couple of these in my workshop before too long.
Ikea stuff looks nice, but they are very flimsy. For $40, it doesn’t seem like such a bargain, considering what a very low end toolbox or metal file cabinet costs. The number of drawers are very appealing, especially for storing small parts and fasteners. Have you posted this to Ikeahacks.com?
This was an informative video. I want to purchase the unit but I didn’t know if it was sturdy enough and you hit the nail right on the button. All the other tips you gave were extremely helpful. Thanks for the video.