Under sink drawers

[markopolo]

I think several people here have already installed under sink drawers or drawers in a cupboard in the kitchen area. I really like the idea have been intermittently working on this project.

Currently under the sink in my van there is one 3/4 depth shelf and the carpeted floor. I'm going to remove that 3/4 depth shelf and install four drawers. I'll use plywood side panels to support the drawers and threaded rod to keep those sides perpendicular to the floor and give the assembly a box like structure. The side panels will be fastened to the van floor using L brackets. I'll use leftover pieces of the threaded rod to "wedge" the structure in place by eliminating any chance of sideways movement.

I measured the height of items we carry in that space before deciding on drawer heights.

This drawer "box" will be easily removable in case I ever need to access the propane, electrical or plumbing lines that are on the side and behind it. The bottom drawer length is 18" and the three drawers above it are 22". All of the drawers are 21" wide. I'll have approx 12 sq ft of drawer space

The drawers, when closed, will butt up against the existing cupboard doors which should prevent them from opening when we are driving.

The drawer slide units were on clearance at $2 per pair so that how I ended up with metal sided drawers. Other materials used so far are two x 1/4 sheet of 1/2" plywood for the drawers and one x 1/4 sheet of 5/8" plywood for the supporting sides.





I mistakenly cut the drawer fronts too short. I can use them as is but might re-do them when I can set set up a saw outside. It has just been too cold for that type of work.

[markopolo]

I'm making some progress with this project.

I used threaded rod to give the drawer unit a box like structure.


One pair of rods are at the very bottom of the structure and the second pair are at the bottom of the top drawer.


The lowest drawer is near the floor and is the smallest at approx 21"w x 18"d. It will be used for things like candles etc.


The other three drawers are approx 21"w x 22"d


I varied the drawer heights to accommodate the items we have in the van.

[markopolo]

I cut new drawer fronts yesterday. They're about 1" wider so I can mount the drawer ends properly. It was cold outside but the ground was clear of snow so I was able to cut and sand everything outside. I'm glad I did as we had about 4" of snow overnight.

[markopolo]

I installed the new under sink drawers today. The top drawer bottom is 1/2" below the sink p-trap. I sectioned it off to protect the p-trap. That drawer has a useful 7" depth. The bottom drawer front is the original cabinet toe-kick. That drawer has a bit more depth - probably close to 8". My toaster fits nicely in there in a plastic bin.

The Blum cabinet door hinges securely hold all four drawers in place when closed.















Four drawers really maxes out the useable space under the sink.

[booster]

Very nicely done!

Do you have pic of how the hinges hold the drawers in place? Ours latch on the tracks, which are laid down extension slides, but not very securely. I made them very close to the door, which does most of the holding, but it would be nice if the drawers held themselves, too.

Don't you just love the bar code stickers they put on the wood (with very good, messy, hard to remove, glue)?

[AK49er]

Well done marko! The fun never ends, always something to change or fix!

[markopolo]

Thank you AK49er - van projects are fun I have a few house projects on the to do list but they seem more like work

Originally Posted by booster

......... Do you have pic of how the hinges hold the drawers in place? Ours latch on the tracks, which are laid down extension slides, but not very securely. I made them very close to the door, which does most of the holding, but it would be nice if the drawers held themselves, too.

Don't you just love the bar code stickers they put on the wood (with very good, messy, hard to remove, glue)?

Sorry booster, what I posted wasn't very clear. Mine is like yours in that the cabinet doors block the drawers from sliding. The drawers butt against the doors. The springs in the hinges are doing all the work. They're quite strong. I can't pull the drawers open with doors closed. There's a gap between the doors and I tugged on a drawer but the doors won't budge.

--------- Yeah - those stickers are a pain. We'll line the drawers with non-slip liner so I'll probably leave that sticker in place rather than fight with it. If DW sees it she'll peel it off though.

[Davydd]

Nice job. You can never have enough drawers. If the drawers bump the cabinet door you might consider putting some self-adhesive rubber door bumpers on the drawer faces. That could dampen any potential banging noise. Also some kind of spring latch on the side of the cabinet wall to hold the drawers back could help.

Door bumpers

[booster]

Thanks Marko, that clarifies the latch/hinge thing. Because the drawers go almost all the way out to the door hinges, they really don't have much mechanical advantage for opening the doors, which is probably why ours has never flown open.