I am planning on building full entension drawers to better utilize the space under my kitchen counter. There are two side-by-side cabinets which have identical openings 13″ Wide by 21″ High by 23 1/2″ Deep. The new drawers will be used to store canned goods, cereal boxes, etc. I was thinking 2 drawers in each opening and would appreciate suggestions on drawer height.
Thank You for any and all suggestions.
Edited 11/7/2005 12:45 pm ET by JIMMIE
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Instead of drawers, consider verticle slide-outs. Have one side closed, and one open for access to the goods. Have about 3 shelves per unit. I build'em out of 1/2" BB, with 3/4" ply base for the 22" Accuride 130 lb rated slide. Screw the slide base to the cab, the other half to the 3/4" base, and finally the case to the 3/4" ply. Bottom shelf should be removable so you can screw the case the the base. Screw the slide front to the case, and through bolt the handles into the case. DO NOT pull two abutting slides out at the same time. A can good could fall in back of one, preventing closing.
P. T Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute."
Politicians replace "sucker" with "voter."
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Thank You...I like your idea. I had seen something like that for narrow cabinets where cookie sheets and thin pans were stacked on edge. Didn't even dawn on me to do it for wide cabinets. Will certainly be a lot quicker, easier, and more forgiving (measuring wise) that complete drawers.
Question, what is BB?
Thank You
Probably BB = Baltic Birch ply, and excellent substrate for drawer & similar caracasses.
We (occasionally) down here in the South use unidirectional Ponderosa Pine for similar use.
What sort of door is over the openings now? I ask, because there are some nifty hardwares for swinging doors to start sliders out, which can make for an elegant cabinet.
It can also be a good idea to take what you are going to put in the cabinet, and sit there on the floor an look at how you would/could stack and/or combine it. It's little things like making slots for the extra blades for the cuisinart near, but not in the way of where it sits on the rool-out (but remmbering a spot for the extra bowl underneath it).
If you convert the door to attached-to-the-roll out, don't forget to allow for adjusting the door. It can be better, with two roll outs to attach the door to only one--but that may be personal bias.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
The doors are overlay paneled doors. Under one of the other corner cabinets (same size door and opening) I attached a couple of half round shelves to the door which work pretty well. Had to add extra hinges that opened wider than what was already on there. It was a cabinet that extended 2 feet into a dead end so I built drawers that rolled into the dead end when closed and rolled to the door opening when opened. When the drawers were rolled to the dead end the half round door shelves closed into the cabinet. Lot of work and the accessability to the drawers could be better.
I attached a couple of half round shelves to the door which work pretty well.
Best of that breed is the Amerock half-moon sliders. One shelf guide goes on the bottom of the door, so it swings right out. The other shelf "waits" and will slide out on 150# or 200# integral guides. The racks come white or chrome wire (optional thin, 1.5mm, lexan bottom 'liners' too) or in almond or white solid acrylic. You are still left with a small diagonal "dead" space (which is where the animals will all hide) but the rest of the space is used very well overall. (I never could find a lift quite small enough to fit in that leftover corner <sigh> . . . )
Had to add extra hinges that opened wider than what was already on there.
That's far too common in my experience (like decent opening hinges are so much more expensive <puzzlement>).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Baltic Birch. Sometimes called Russian Birch. Applewood ply is good also.
These units have an upper slide for stability, and a lower slide to carry the weight. Before I started using these, I built a 30" lower cab section and put two of these in, and loaded them up with over 100 lbs each of cans and weights. Worked perfetly, so I installed four of them in my existing kitchen, and have had no complaints from DW or HO's for 2 years, with the exception of a can falling off behind and blocking one of the units.P. T Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute."
Politicians replace "sucker" with "voter."
NOTA.org
Another question, what's the best/strongest method for installing adjustable shelves in the pull-out unit?
They're not truly "adjustable," as with bracket pins. I use the light 1-1/2" aluminum angle screwed to the bottom of the shelf with two 1/2" pan head screws. Then I screw that to the carcase of the slide. This allows repositioning and/or removal of a shelf to access the screws on the bottom of the inside of slide for removal of the entire unit. The shelves have to be installed after the slide in in place. Any adjustable shelving would have to be tightly installed to prevent any lateral movement. I can post a pic if you need it.
Thank You. I would appreciate it if you would post the picture.
Jimmie,
These are pics of my own kitchen. The first is a pic of the unit. Second is the shelf support. Third is the complete pull out. Hope these help.
Thank You and great work!!!!
Very nice.
I'm assuming the space on the right is deliberate, from the excellent level of finish. Does it get used for anything specific (like hanging coats, aprons, brooms, etc.), or is that "reserved for future use"?Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I assume you're talking about the first pic. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for that finish, it's our Kenmore refrigerator. This is the kitchen. The other three slides are used for more canned goods, a potato and onion bin, soft drink and cereal storage. I have one more, used for cutting board and knife storage. I don't think you can beat'em. I demonstrate'em all the time to HO's.
From Rev A Shelf.
View Image
Full-extension. The narrowest model is a 12 incher.
Thank You. Can you tell where I can purchase them?
Rockler sells a lot of this stuff, as does Lee Valley. If you Google for RevAShelf, you will get a link to a place I think is called Kitchen Accessories.
http://wwhardware.com/
They have the full selection of Accuride and Blum glides as well.
Thank You for the info.