Dear Friend,
Ever since creating my first YouTube video showing how an analog Zettelkasten works, I've received the following question: "Where did you get your notebox cabinets?"
I used to tell people the name of the manufacturer, but I've stopped doing this for two reasons: First, I have gripes with the notebox cabinets I use. They're metallic, and plastic, and their interior is made of felt fabric. When navigating through a ton of notecards, they tend to get stuck on the sides of the felt fabric. This makes it inconvenient if trying to quickly sift through your notecards.
The second reason I've stopped recommending them is this: I've tried reaching out to the manufacturer to see about fixing these issues and maybe even creating a special cabinet built for Antinet Zettelkasten folk. Unfortunately, they never cared to reply——even after attempting to reach out to their CEO!
Oh well, I wouldn't mind if they built a great product. But they haven't.
Luhmann used a wooden notebox cabinet. If I'm going to recommend a notebox to someone, I'd ideally recommend them to the best version there is: a wooden notebox!
I thought about recommending people to look on eBay or Etsy. Yet, there was a new problem: the antique card cabinets were too small, and didn't properly fit notecards. On top of this, they were old and rickety. The ones on eBay and Etsy are typically meant to be "design" pieces and are not for everyday use.
So I got to thinking… What if I could team up with a local woodworker to create wooden notebox cabinets built specifically for the Antinet Zettelkasten!
In late August of 2022, I began cold-calling local woodworkers. Out of the handful I called, one called back and blew me off. He seemed busy building custom designer home furniture, plus he was a curmudgeon. (I mean, I don't blame him. It's not every day you get someone calling to tell you about an underground revolution happening around analog notecard boxes…)
The second guy to call me back was different. The designs on his portfolio website were beautiful, and on top of it, he had a cool brand he created ("DadBod"). We hit it off immediately and he totally got the idea behind the Antinet Zettelkasten. In fact, he was telling me how writing by hand had helped shape his own career and growth.
A few months went by, and he had to wrap up some other projects and personal issues——oh, and he also had to find a new shop for his woodwork because his neighbors started complaining about the noise!——but after that, he got to work, and he worked around the clock to finish the very first Wooden Antinet Zettelkasten!
I have used it in person, and it's a beauty. In fact, I'll be buying my own set soon (after we have created enough such that I won't be buying out our entire inventory)!
For now, we will be selling them as they become available.
Each one will be branded with the number it is. The first one sold, naturally, will be "#1".
We will be only selling it within the U.S. for shipping reasons.
The price of the first Wooden Antinet Zettelkasten is $995. This includes shipping!
If you're lucky enough to get your hands on this first one, I hope you enjoy it!
Warm regards,
And stay crispy, my friend.
Scott P. Scheper
"A Man Who Sells Wooden Noteboxes"