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Originally Posted by Arefin Bari
... I would like to see a post by Art in this thread to see how he manages his pieces.
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I try to make my robot designs use pieces that I can use over and over again. Sometimes this isn't always possible, but most of the time I just try out mounting something differently to either use less metal, or to cut it to a "standard" length. I also try to avoid bending the metal parts too much, because if they are bent to less than 45° or so degrees, you can usually hammer the piece flat again if needed.
I would consider a "standard" length to be any of the places on the 90° Angle pieces or the C-Channel that has those grooves in it where you should cut it. As for the bar stock of the plating, I try to minimize the amount needed. You can cut the plates into thinner strips if needed. If you need to cut a small bracket that does not need to be strong, try to cut it out of the plate. If the part needs to be strong, or is longer than 5 holes, cut it out of the 1x bar stock. Choosing whether to cut something out of the 1x bars or out of a plate can really help you use less parts. (Otherwise, you would run out of the 1x bars quickly)
When you try to use the parts in a more efficient manner, you usually end up with a better end result. Your robot will usually become simpler and perform better. (When I build a Vex robot, I also like to also take aesthetics into account. If I don't like the way something looks (eg. if it looks cluttered, slapdash, etc.) I will usually try to find a better design. I like it when a robot visually looks 'sturdy' and 'well-designed', since this is normally what the actual performance would be as well.)
Also, if you begin to accumulate a collection of Vex parts, after a while, you will need to purchase less and less parts. By that time, you will usually have a piece that is just the right size for what you want.
Here is a picture of the sorting compartment tray that I use to store most of my small Vex parts. (I use the Vex Starter Kit box to store all the wheels, tank treads, etc. and a bunch of the new hardware I just bought from VexLabs, since they won't fit in this tray.)
These are all the small parts (except for the VexLabs stuff I bought) that I have left over from building the mini Triple Play and Holonomic Drive robots.