# What was this cabinet used for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607 "2022-11-27T00:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/1 "2022-11-27T00:21:51Z")
My wife saw this today at a local Pioneer history museum: [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/dS5fvSl.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/WY8goAR) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/2 "2022-11-27T00:24:28Z")
Apparently nuts and bolts and other assorted hardware. > **[72 drawer old hardware store octagon screw cabinet - Apr 30, 2021 | Davies...](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/101187140_72-drawer-old-hardware-store-octagon-screw-cabinet)** > > Old hardware store octagon revolving screw cabinet with 72 drawers, all original lettering and stencil on drawers, or... on Apr 30, 2021 ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/3 "2022-11-27T00:26:59Z")
Two minutes. You’re slipping. (Thanks, that looks exactly right) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/4 "2022-11-27T00:27:31Z")
Not that I gave it much thought, but I wouldn’t have expected triangle shaped drawers. [![](https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/BrightStar/45/730045/H4170-L299394318_original.jpg) ](https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/BrightStar/45/730045/H4170-L299394318_original.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/5 "2022-11-27T01:24:58Z")
How else would they fit in that volume? Unless half of the drawer fronts were dummies, I suppose. Though now that I think about it that might be more useful. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/6 "2022-11-27T11:26:32Z")
I want that. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/7 "2022-11-27T12:56:37Z")
A tad classier than the rows of coffee/tape cans my dad used to have in his workshop! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/8 "2022-11-27T15:51:03Z")
How about baby food jars with the lid nailed to a rafter (floor joist if you’re in the basement) then you screw the jar onto the lid? And if you’re Special Agent Gibbs, you dump the contents on the work table and load up on bourbon. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/9 "2022-11-27T21:18:58Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > A tad classier than the rows of coffee/tape cans my dad used to have in his workshop! Ha, I still have metal Maxwell House cans of nails & other stuff, and glass jars of screws and various hardware that are 50-plus years old I inherited from my dad. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/10 "2022-11-27T23:07:34Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Ha, I still have metal Maxwell House cans of nails & other stuff, and glass jars of screws and various hardware that are 50-plus years old I inherited from my dad. My dad thought he was so funny (he usually was!) The piece of masking tape on the can containing nuts read “Dinsdales”! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/11 "2022-11-28T02:34:54Z")
I was born in '46 and remember my Dad having a hardware jar of mixed nut/bolts/screws. It was a glass Barbasol jar. Probably from 1925 or so. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/12 "2022-11-28T02:49:27Z")
I keep that sort of stuff in something like this: [![](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/c8cd9f84-da7c-464a-8d64-717e0aecfc8b_1.1859ded7f262a4b0497797083dc7d66d.jpeg) ](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/c8cd9f84-da7c-464a-8d64-717e0aecfc8b_1.1859ded7f262a4b0497797083dc7d66d.jpeg) Took a whole day to label up the thing, but it was worth it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/13 "2022-11-28T02:58:15Z")
Here are a few of mine (I have many more not in this photo). [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/iQ81b1b.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/oipNfvV) I would still prefer the antique one. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/14 "2022-11-28T03:18:08Z")
How can you get anything done with such an organized workspace? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-cabinet-used-for/975607/15 "2022-11-28T03:24:21Z")
You haven’t seen my desk…