Shades of Difference

FOR years, every time i machined wood in my shop – sawing, planing, sanding – my open-base cabinets and wall-hung shelving units became dust depositories. Emptying the contents of these to clean them out was a chore I never looked forward to, and yet, if I didn’t do it, smaller items would get buried in layers of dust, making them impossible to find. I didn’t want to make doors of varying sizes to enclose the units; I needed something quick and simple.

While pulling down a common window roller shade in one of our home’s bathrooms, it occurred to me: Why not use roller shades to cover the cabinet openings in my shop? They’re dirt cheap; a 30" vinyl roller shade at Lowe’s runs $2.17. Better still, you can have the shades cut to whatever length you need. Since the shades are designed to cover sizeable windows, length should not be an issue. Simply secure the shade using the accompanying hardware to your cabinet’s face frame above the opening.

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