Ikea Kallax Hardware Organizer System

This rack system uses a combination of off the shelf plastic organizers, laser/CNC cut parts, and FDM printed parts to make an easy to use, efficient organization system for small parts and hardware. The system is highly modular and keeps all your hardware secure, unlike "open" systems comprising of small bins. The rails mount to the inside walls of a single Ikea Kallax shelf cubby and allows up to 12 plastic organizers - 2 in each rack frame and 6 rows. With 36 compartments in each, it provides up to 432 closed compartments for a variety of hardware. Individual organizers drop into each frame in either orientation, with printed pull handles for ergonomics and a clean, finished look.

Hardware:

• 12x 36-grid 10.8 x 7.0 x 1.8 in plastic organizers: Amazon

• 32x #4 x 1/2 in flat head wood screws (or metric equivalent, M3 is suitable)

• 12x M3x12 SHCS (length may vary depending on frame material, use M3x12 for 6mm thick ACM)

• 6x laser/CNC cut frames (DXF provided)

Organizer frames:

The frames can be laser cut or CNC routed out of 6mm ACM paneling (recommended), or .250-.354 in birch plywood (has not been tested - use discretion based on what you will keep in each organizer). Materials up to ~9mm in thickness are acceptable for the frames. You can use a service like SendCutSend with the provided DXF file to get the frames cut. I may include an STL for a printable frame at some point, but these frames will not fit on the majority of printers and would require a two (or more) piece design with additional assembly and likely reduced strength. 2D subtractive manufacturing is just the ideal choice here.

Printing:

Print a total of 6 top handles, 6 bottom handles, 4 left rails, and 4 right rails. 3 walls and low infill (10-15% gyroid) is acceptable. No supports needed, print as oriented.

Assembly:

Rails:

Line up the bottom rails with the bottom of the shelf and secure with #4 x 1/2 in flat head wood screws. Do not over tighten these screws! These experience very little pulling force and just serve to keep the rails in place. The front rails should be flush with the front face of the cubby walls, the rear rails should be inset as desired (around 3 inches is ideal for ease of inserting each rack and providing enough support). Once the bottom rails are mounted, the top rails sit directly on top of the bottom rails, spanning the full height of the shelf cubby. Secure with the remaining #4 wood screws. Mind the orientation of these rails - the chamfer is just for looks and should be facing down - the left and right rails are mirror images of each other! If you mount them upside down, you may not have enough clearance for the top rack. Refer to the images for details.

Handles:

Each rack uses one top handle and one bottom handle. The top handles have recessed holes for the M3 SHCS screws, the bottom handles have smaller holes that the screws thread in to (do not over tighten!). Sandwich each rack between a top and bottom handle and secure it with two M3 SHCS screws. Repeat for the remaining racks. The racks have pre-cut holes for alignment. For 6mm ACM racks, use M3x12, for 9mm plywood, use M3x16, etc.

Organizers and Usage:

Drop each plastic organizer into the frame. The organizers can be facing either front or back, as there are clearance cuts for the hinges/latches. Each organizer sits on the frame with the small lip around the edge of the container. Slide each rack into the shelf, and pull out individual organizers as needed. Unfortunately, you do have to remove the organizer from the frame to open it, but placing a rack on your bench will naturally drop the frame and allow the boxes to be opened - added security, of sorts.

Notes: In the photos, I also miscalculated the spacing for my frame thickness, so my organizers sit slightly higher. I have corrected this in the uploaded files so 6mm thick frames will be centered in the shelf cubby.