Up and Under Cabinet Doors

[Scott Welty]

I have a job to build a bench in a kitchen/dinning room for sitting at a large table. They also want some storage under the bench but not with lifting lids (cushions in the way). I thought maybe these up and under cabinet doors would work. Regular doors would maybe get in the way. Sliding doors are a pain because what you want is always on the 'other' side!

Scott

[Mark W Pugh]

I assume the doors would be on the back of the bench so one wouldn't have to crawl under the table? I would assume regular doors would work, but I like the flip up door idea. It will take up a little storage space on the top.

[Scott Welty]

Nope - they want the storage under the bench and mostly for kids so yeah there will be crawling about to open them. The benches themselves are pure benches - no backs. Other option is just open underneath with baskets that come out. Cheaper to be sure!

[Mark W Pugh]

Kids and pop up door mechanisms? If they don't get them all the way in, lay/stand on them, oops. I like the basket ideas, accessable from both sides?

[Martin Wasner]

Drawers?

Ten character minimum

[Scott Welty]

No both sides. Bench is against the wall...that's the back.

Scott

[Scott Welty]

ugh...good point. I'll push for baskets.

Scott

[Martin Wasner]

I've built 5' long drawers that came out the end before for breakfast nooks. I can't remember what the slides cost, but they were crazy expensive. Worked sweet though.

[Mike Berrevoets]

I just put in about an 8 foot long drawer that came out the end of our breakfast nook bench. I looked at slides but they were too expensive so I just used some casters and it rides on the floor. It does get heavy with stuff in it so we try to keep lighter items in there.

My kids call it the coffin drawer.

[Aceline Fenton]

You can find a number of built cabinets doors online with good quality material

[Justin Ludwig]

IMG_3560.jpg

Those are 60" KV full extension. $200 a pair at my cost (greatly reduced from retail). I was looking at Rockler mag last night and they sell a 48" pair for $400!

I did not build the island or the drawer faces.

[Scott Welty]

I've installed some 3 foot long slides and alignment is tough to keep them from binding. I can imagine it being even worse trying to keep 5 foot long slides exactly parallel. Are the KV slides somewhat forgiving? Some I've used are sensitive down to 1/64.

[John Lankers]

With kids being involved, I would build the drawer on a set of fixed casters and maybe incorporate a stop to prevent the drawer from coming out completely by accident. Wooden guide rails are a given to prevent racking.

[Martin Wasner]

I always worry about floors being scarred up by casters.

The KV slides that I've used are 500# slides. I use them all the time for pantry pullouts. They're easy enough to install. The only part that sucks is they don't come apart. You have to mount them to the drawer, take them off, mount them in the box, then remount the drawer. Use some pretty solid stock for mounting them. They basically get lagged into the carcass. I like using Baltic Birch for build out in this scenario since it takes a screw so well.

[Justin Ludwig]

I always worry about floors being scarred up by casters.

The KV slides that I've used are 500# slides. I use them all the time for pantry pullouts. They're easy enough to install. The only part that sucks is they don't come apart. You have to mount them to the drawer, take them off, mount them in the box, then remount the drawer. Use some pretty solid stock for mounting them. They basically get lagged into the carcass. I like using Baltic Birch for build out in this scenario since it takes a screw so well.

+1. I scratched my head for a few minutes on the jobsite because I had not played with the guides before arriving (an hour from the shop). We mounted them with 1" course thread screws we usually use for mounting drawer faces.

They are forgiving +/- 1/32 on both sides.