[Rockhounds] Ideal Mineral Cabinet

[Rock Currier]

Armando,

I am not sure there is any such thing as an 'ideal' mineral cabinet. I think 
you first have to define what kind of specimens you want to store in your 
mineral cabinet and what their size distribution is. Other considerations 
are the value of the specimens you want to place in your cabinet and the 
predilections of the person who wants the cabinets. Do you want to make it a 
set of drawers to hold specimens or do you want a glass display case so that 
you specimens can be immediately visible, or do you want a combination of 
both.



As for an ideal footprint, it would depend on the space you want to put the 
cabinet in. If cost is no object, you can hire the best woodworkers and have 
them build a cabinet to fit whatever space you wish. If you are an 
institution that is looking to efficiently house their collection you may 
want to go with one of those track systems where you can roll the cabinets 
back and fourth on a track to minimize the aisle space between your 
cabinets. With a system like that you can maximize your storage space. If 
you want to create a cabinet to sell to mineral collectors you have to make 
some general assumptions about what the most popular sizes might be. Kieth 
Williams makes high-end specimen cabinets that cost several thousand dollars 
each and he has orders enough to keep him busy for many months to come.



Do you want to make a set of drawers? What is the size distribution of your 
specimens? What is their average value?

Rock