#10 (1-gallon) Can F.I.F.O. Storage Unit
Recently I began purchasing freeze-dried disaster/emergency preparedness food. After experiencing the disruption caused by large storms—hurricanes and tornadoes—in the Texas Gulf Coast area, we decided it’s best to be as self-sufficient as possible in the aftermath of these events. It didn’t take long to realize we needed a way to store the #10 (1-gallon) cans so we could rotate the stock and easily transport the food when necessary, i.e., when it’s necessary to evacuate / relocate.
We’re a large family and—depending on the time of year—there can be as many as six of us to feed; one, 1-gallon can will feed the whole group for each meal. But all storage solutions I found on the Internet were geared toward small food cans. There were some commercial First-In-First-Out (F.I.F.O) units I liked but they were expensive, not modular or easily portable. So, I took the ideas I liked and headed to my trusty Sketchup 3D app and started designing my own based on the dimensions of the #10 cans.
My approach to building these units will be a little different: I’m going to make a full-sized, 1:1 scale template and work off of it to cut & rout the sides. I don’t intend to produce build drawings other than the 1:1 scale template. This is my budget solution for a CNC since I haven’t assembled my CNC…yet. The unit is 18″ tall x 22″ deep and holds six cans.
