Darren Olson demonstrating how short people view prints

After observing that my big rolling bins made it hard for shorter people to view the vertically oriented 16×20 matted prints, I came up with a new design that allows them to be displayed and transported lower to the ground. This design is similar to the box that Larry Berman describes on his site, artshowphoto.com, but has enclosed storage, and a pad to protect the face of the mat.

I built this bin out of 1/2″ oak veneer plywood and 1″ oak stock. I use plywood rather than MDF as MDF tends to swell and break if it gets wet, and there are no guarantees that bins won’t get a little water on them if it rains. The bottom compartment holds extra stock, and the bin fits nicely in front of the main rolling display. It will hold about 40 16×20 matted prints.

The door is hinged with a scrap of piano hinge that I had lying around, and the catches are basic hardware store barrel bolts. They don’t open when in the trailer. 4″ casters on the bottom make it easy to roll into the booth and back up the trailer ramp at the end of a show. Handles on each side make it easier to move around. I also made a pad out of thin plywood and carpet that fits into the front of the bin at an angle. The pad keeps the prints from falling onto a sharp wood edge and getting dented. The back of the bin has a scrap of foam plumbing insulation to let the prints fall backward gently. A couple of coats of polyurethane protect the wood, and keeps the water off.