The Chaos Cache
As I started to use my laser more and more, I noticed I had tons of scrap laser-cut-grade wood, plexiglass, leather goods, and other supplies. All these materials needed a home, a place where they could be organized and stored. The Chaos Cache was born from this need, a place where the raw materials for a project are stored and waiting for their moment. Its name is a perfect blend of a nerdy term and the workshop's motto, and its design—a metal frame with yellow and black caution stripes—gives it a dangerous, industrial aesthetic.
This station is the central hub for all the materials we use for the laser cutter. It’s where every scrap, no matter how small, has a home. It's a place where every material has a home, and every material is ready for its job, a place of organized chaos in the midst of our glorious mess.
The Chaos Cache is a vital tool that ensures every project has the resources it needs. It's a place of organization in a chaotic workshop. It's a quiet testament to the fact that chaos can lead to organization.
Jan 14, 2020
As I started to work on what is now known as the Kronos Table (previously Glitch's desk), I got another one of these metal racks. My laser cutter materials had been piling up like a hoard of creative treasure, so I figured it was a problem that would soon be a solution. I had an idea that this rack would be a great way to finally build an organizer for all of it.
Jan 17, 2020
I love purple, so I really thought this would be the station where it finally got a spot in the shop. It was not. I had such high hopes, but it turns out that purple was just not the right color for this.
April 6, 2020
Still haven't fixed the purple. It's just sitting there, a monument to my poor color choices. But I had an idea for the sides, so that's something, right? Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
July 22, 2020
And finally, I'm making more progress on this. I finally had an idea of how I wanted to do the top deck and bottom, and I finally fixed that purple mistake. It’s a good feeling when the pieces finally click into place, even if you know you’re still a long way from the finish line.
July 23, 2020
This is not a permanent solution, I promise. These boxes are just a temporary, highly engineered structural system to make sure I’m absolutely happy with the shelf placement. A perfect shelf requires a bit of meticulous, hands-on planning.
July 24-28, 2020
See? No more boxes. And no, the structural integrity isn't quite there yet, but that's what the "make it stronger" phase is for. I've already decided the bottom needs to be enclosed, adding pull-out extensions right where they’re needed. It’s all part of the process: solving one problem by creating a few more, then fixing those with a little planning and a splash of color.
Aug 1-3, 2020
This project, like all the others, was a design born completely on a whim. You'll notice I added a copper railing to the top, which I also took the time to age. We used coconut rope for the dividers and shelf supports, and it's all starting to fill out nicely. This is probably the most organized it will ever be; it will be many years before I touch it again to organize the beautiful mess it will inevitably become.
