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Handmade Pencil Storage Rack | Made In the UK

Personal Recommendation

I cannot stipulate how important it is to use suitable storage for coloured pencils. As my own pencil range grew, an old storage chest became too small. I ended up with expensive pencils stored in places that offered little protection. These pencils deserve love, and I went online to search for something more suitable. With nothing available locally, I spent days searching. I even tried Pinterest for ideas. If you can't find something suitable on there, it probably doesn't exist!
I came across a storage chest via an online art store but was a little disappointed with the inside. There were two pieces of wood that split the drawer into 3 sections. There were no grooves to hold the pencils in place, and it did not secure the pencils enough for me.
As my previous pencil chest had grooves, I wanted the new one to be similar. I found the online shop I purchased my first unit from and found that a new design (2018) had replaced the old one. This new one had 10 drawers which held 250 pencils, the old one only had 5 drawers which held 125 pencils. This was perfect! 

I thought I would write an article about this product, providing images so you can see the detail. If you are looking to buy your own, you can find links at the bottom of this page to buy direct from their website or via the eBay store. I am not affiliated in any way to the company who make these, so if you have any questions, click the link below to email them direct.
KX Pencil chest

Any questions about this product, you can contact the company direct here


I am all for supporting small businesses, especially ones that create items by hand. We artists, understand how much work goes into handmade products and this one is sturdy and well made.  The drawer supports are made of pine for added strength, the rest of the unit is made of MDF.
You could store any type of pencil, up to 10mm in diameter. coloured, graphite or pastel pencils can be stored in this box which measures 33cm square with a depth of 22.5cm.

It took under 3 weeks to receive from ordering. Every unit is made to order, no excess stock is held in their workshop. Delivery times may vary as it depends on order volume and they work on a first-come, first-serve basis. When ordering outside the UK, delivery may take a little longer.

Back in August 2019, the company that make these chests, included black plastic grooved inserts instead of the wooden ones. The main reason for this change was due to the sheer volume of orders received, it was very time consuming to machine 250 grooves for every pencil rack. So, the base inserts were custom made by a separate company, these are then secured to the drawer base with hot melt glue. They are very sturdy. Rod, who makes these units, tested the strength of the plastic inserts by physically standing on one!  The plastic trays are actually an improvement to the wooden ones because they are not susceptible to getting knocked and chipped over time.

Each storage chest is free standing and fully assembled using joints and glue, with smooth edges and ready to use straight from the delivery box. The chest can be varnished, stained or painted any colour, or you could even paint it with your own artistic design to make it completely unique!
​

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Previous pencil chest designs made by the company

Pencil storage chest by Creations by Rod - original design
I bought my first pencil chest from Rod back in 2012. The original pencil chest only had 5 drawers, which held 125 pencils. The grooves inside each drawer did not extend all the way to the front lip of the drawer and there was a 45mm gap at the end. This gap was not ideal as the pencils would fall through and get trapped, especially if the pencils were small. This was removed from the next design.
Pencil storage chest by Creations by Rod - old design
The second design was much improved from the first, made to fit inside the Kallax units, an Ikea product. There were 5 extra drawers and it could now hold 250 pencils. Each drawer supported the full pencil and the gap was gone, however the grooves that held the pencils weren't quite deep enough and the pencils would roll together if you accidentally knocked one into another. Apart from this, the design was spot on.
Pencil storage chests  by Creations by Rod - Old design v's new design
Left: The LATEST design. The depth of the drawers are not quite as deep as the previous one but the plastic inserts hold the pencils much better. As they are slightly deeper, they can no longer roll to either side, disturbing the other pencils. The plastic inserts have an extra ledge at either end meaning that you can fit more pencils in meaning you can actually store up to 270 pencils. Ideal for keeping additional products close to hand such as pencil blenders, graphite pencils for outlines or pens.
Right: The old design. Note the depth of the drawers next to the new design. This depth does not affect the support each drawer gives, it is purely a cosmetic difference.
Picture

Looking to purchase your own pencil chest?
​Click one of the links below.


Inside the UK? Visit the website and get free P & P

Outside the UK? Visit their eBay store for low-cost P & P


The products and the workshop

Rod Patient is the owner of Creations by Rod. He has a small team working alongside him and their workshop is based in Harrietsham, Kent,  delivering both nationally and internationally. They are 24 different designs which includes the pencil chest. Their products are mainly aimed at the creative market but they can be used to store anything. 
If you wish to commission a bespoke product, contact Rod direct. I am not affiliated with this company and cannot provide any information beyond what you read in this article.

Any questions about this product, you can contact the company direct here


Written: March 2018
​Updated: March 2021

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