Spice Rack in Action
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Personal project to improve the spice organization in my apartment's kitchen
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Started during a week long break from class, finished in spare time over one month
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Built with scrap materials from the prototyping lab where I worked, and 30$ of other supplies
My university apartment's cooking area was cramped. There was limited counter-top space and barely enough storage for my spices. This left spices unorganized and difficult to identify, which slowed down my cooking process. I cooked almost every meal for myself, so improving the process was very important to me.
The spice rack was designed to fit in the cabinet above the stove, where it would be most useful for seasoning dishes in the pan.
The Kitchen: Very minimalist
3D Model: I wanted my spice rack to look like a hearth, with a flame coming out of some stones.
I began the project by making a model in SolidWorks. I saw upperclassmen using the software to design interesting items which made me want to learn CAD. I thought this project was a good way to practice. I played with various features and watched many online tutorials to model my ideas.
Left: Render of the design Right: Exploded view
I knew I wanted something that spun. These 8$ "lasy susan bearings" seemed like a great option which I modeled the design around.
When I fabricated the spice rack, I made a few changes to simplify fabrication. I removed the central rod and its complex joinery that are featured in the model. Instead I directly connected the two side pieces with mortise and tenon joints. After a few test shelves, I decided I didn't like the chaotic look of the initial design, so I opted for smooth quarter circles with a receding bevel.
Analysis:
Initially, I planned on heat bending an aluminum plate to make the base. Fortunately, I was curious about Solidworks FEA tools and simulated the deflection from a distributed 10 kg load. A 10kg load caused undesirable deflection, so I decided to alter the design.
A rolled sheet of steel was thinner and would not deflect excessively. Up to 30 kg loads would easily be supported. (I selected a thickness commonly found in scrap from the shop)
SolidWorks sim of a 10 kg load on an aluminum plate
Sim of a 30 kg load on a steel sheet
Features:
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Curved sheet metal base with room for boxed spices
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Pebbles around the base add weight to stabilize the spice rack
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A turntable rotates the shelves for easy access to all spices
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A wire rack stores spice packets; the packets are held by binder clips, facilitating rapid retrieval
Fabrication:
I worked in the Segal Prototyping and Fabrication Lab, which gave me access to many useful tools and scrap materials for building this spice rack. Aside from the turntable, I bought some pebble tiling from a home decor store to weigh the base down and give a firepit feel to the piece.
I rolled the edges of a steel sheet to form the base
The turntable was riveted into place
I used the lab's waterjet to cut a ring in a pebble sheet to leave room for the turntable. The pebble sheet was bound to the steel with a special mortar. Grout was applied to fill the gaps
Left: A simple jig was used with the bandsaw to cut a round shape for the base of the flame. The curves of the flame were also cut on the bandsaw
Right: Hose clamps were used to apply clamping force while gluing the irregular flame pieces together