Another DIY Drawer Thread - One Side only (1 Viewer)

[sonk76]

I've been inspired by all the drawer talk on the site here, and have started a build one of my own as well (build pictures to follow.)

I'm going to build one side only (with option for adding another later if needed), because I make frequent use of one of the 3rd row seats.

Mounting will be directly bolted to the 3rd seat captive bolts (not using a U-bolt.)

Below are a couple of images from my planning.

While 3/4" plywood is the primary construction material, I'm keen to maximize the available space in the drawers. Hence the slightly more complex drawer design, and use of 1/2" plywood for the drawer sides (drawer bottom still 3/4" ply).

I'm planning on using "L" brackets to carry the drawer load from below, rather than just screwing into the side of the drawer, and then having the drawer bottom hang from the drawer sides. The slides rated to 300# in mobile use. (the corner of the "L" bracket in the image where the drawer bottom and drawer side meets is still work in progress... I'm going to have to wait until the parts arrive to finalize that part of the design--that is why it looks a bit "half-baked" at the moment.)

Also planning on mounting my inverter on the wing for future easy access.

Plan is to use Monstaliner for surfacing.

Any words of wisdom from those who've been down the road before or otherwise included for these things?

 

[KIRUXA]

I'm in the process of building mine. Love your idea of the inverter and especially the staggered sidewall of the drawers. I might still that idea hehe

 

[TrekboxX]

Looks familiar. Jk. Looks great. I actually considered a very similar drawer design, but ended up keeping my sides one piece for ease of construction and aesthetics. I think the L-bracket is unnecessary with proper drawer construction, and adds weight. I would highly recommend locking slides or a mechanism to lock the drawer open. It's an abolute must with a loaded drawer on an incline. Also, you can skip the spacer under the slides(unless you have a reason for it I can't think of). They can just sit on the carcass bottom, as long as your box is square. It will give you more space in the drawer as well. Monstaliner is good, but undercoat well and if you use the tinted stuff make sure to wait until the first coat dries, scuff, then apply second coat. It's a pia, but worth it. Good luck!

 

[sonk76]

Looks familiar. Jk. Looks great. I actually considered a very similar drawer design, but ended up keeping my sides one piece for ease of construction and aesthetics. I think the L-bracket is unnecessary with proper drawer construction, and adds weight. I would highly recommend locking slides or a mechanism to lock the drawer open. It's an abolute must with a loaded drawer on an incline. Also, you can skip the spacer under the slides(unless you have a reason for it I can't think of). They can just sit on the carcass bottom, as long as your box is square. It will give you more space in the drawer as well. Monstaliner is good, but undercoat well and if you use the tinted stuff make sure to wait until the first coat dries, scuff, then apply second coat. It's a pia, but worth it. Good luck!

It should look familiar, as I've borrowed very liberally from many of the designs here--especially yours! In particular, the inspiration for all my dado cuts came 100% from your build.

Regarding "proper drawer construction", below is the initial version I penned up, is that one that could work without an "L" bracket? The concern I had with this initial version was the loss of space below the drawer floor and bolts intruding into the storage space from the sides. As I stated earlier, one of my design goals was to maximize the internal volume (hence the funky sides, etc.)

The spacer was intended to transfer vertical force from the sliders to the bottom (instead of the bolts/screws transferring this as a point load to the sides in a couple of places.) The alternative of having the sliders sit on the bottom was not feasible with the "L" bracket, given its dimensions--the original plan had them on the bottom as you stated (see pic.)

Great advice on the Monstaliner, I've never worked with it before. Btw, why did you use the "chasis saver" paint first?

 

[TrekboxX]

Don't get me wrong, I like the staggered sides! As far as proper construction, yes, normally the full dado for the drawer bottom is what is used. However, I felt that with 3/4 solid (Baltic) ply, glue and quality screws that are used in shear the strength would be more than adequate. On my build, the bottom of the drawer is only 1/8" from the box.

I guess I'm not understanding the L-bracket. Are there pre-drilled holes that require the spacer under the slides? Also, wouldn't you have the bolts protrude into the drawer with either design? Unless you counterbored them, of course. Mine stick out a little bit- it's a total non-issue. You could also use a connector nut if you wanted to maintain a fairly flush nut while maintaining the integrity of the 1/2" ply. You can find them at woodcraft as well as some other places. They are what I'll be using on the next one... Either way, great design work! I'm looking forward to the finished product!

Oh, yes- I used Chassis Saver. It's $$$, but good stuff.

 

[hoser]

Sonk, I'm in the same boat as you. I need a multi-purpose vehicle and can only put in one drawer side. And having just one side, drawer space is limited.

For maximizing interior volume, I always admired Jeff Kaufman's drawers. He used strips of HDPE rather than ball bearing slides. All accounts I have read say they operate smoothly... not "ball-bearing smooth" but smooth enough.

The drawers come out easy. One can make two identical drawers and swap them out... one for off-road and one empty for sports gear and day to day stuff.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/merchandis...80-100-series-cargo-drawers-jeff-kaufman.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=322516&stc=1&d=1241795128

 

[sonk76]

Based on the feedback here, I've updated the design for the the shelf slightly. Particularly around how the slides attach (no more "L" bracket")

I've also added Dado slots to accommodate potential dividers that could be used. I don't plan on using any initially, but figured it's easy to add the slots for them now, and then later if I need the dividers I can craft them quickly for use.

I'm still debating the "locking sliders"...

 

[sonk76]

I would highly recommend locking slides or a mechanism to lock the drawer open. It's an abolute must with a loaded drawer on an incline.

I noticed that the locking locking slides are sold in pairs (e.g., Accuride 9308). Based on your experience would it be a bad idea to install the locking slides on both sides (vs. just one side locking, other side "regular" as you had on yours)?

Since I'm only planning on building a single box, I would have to have expensive left over slides just to have one locking and other regular.

In particular, I'm concerned about the ability to pull out the drawer while simultaneously "unlocking" the locking slides. I'm imagining that you would have to disengage the lock with your thumbs on each side, while simultaneously finding a way to pull out on the drawer. This could be a challenge if the locking slides are on both sides. With a single locking slide, I can see how one had will unlock the slide, while the other will pull on the "T"-bar to open the drawer... any thoughts?

EDIT: Perhaps the Accuride 9307, which has "lock-out" only (i.e., locks drawer open, but not closed) would be the perfect mix. The problem is that I haven't been able to find a retailer that carries it online (at least not on a quick search). My understanding is that the 9308 has both "lock-out" and "lock-in", where the "lock-in" mechanism seems to be a bit redundant with the fancy Vector-T handle...

 

[TrekboxX]

I noticed that the locking locking slides are sold in pairs (e.g., Accuride 9308). Based on your experience would it be a bad idea to install the locking slides on both sides (vs. just one side locking, other side "regular" as you had on yours)?

Since I'm only planning on building a single box, I would have to have expensive left over slides just to have one locking and other regular.

In particular, I'm concerned about the ability to pull out the drawer while simultaneously "unlocking" the locking slides. I'm imagining that you would have to disengage the lock with your thumbs on each side, while simultaneously finding a way to pull out on the drawer. This could be a challenge if the locking slides are on both sides. With a single locking slide, I can see how one had will unlock the slide, while the other will pull on the "T"-bar to open the drawer... any thoughts?

EDIT: Perhaps the Accuride 9307, which has "lock-out" only (i.e., locks drawer open, but not closed) would be the perfect mix. The problem is that I haven't been able to find a retailer that carries it online (at least not on a quick search). My understanding is that the 9308 has both "lock-out" and "lock-in", where the "lock-in" mechanism seems to be a bit redundant with the fancy Vector-T handle...

Yes, I would definitely recommend only one locking slide per drawer. You'd have a hard time opening it otherwise. Check the accuride site, they actually sell a combo of one 9308 and one 9301 for this purpose. I think it's a 9308-5 or something, but don't quote me. The 9301 is exactly the same without the locking mechanism. Call or email Allegis corp, they will sell to you.

 

[sonk76]

Yes, I would definitely recommend only one locking slide per drawer. You'd have a hard time opening it otherwise. Check the accuride site, they actually sell a combo of one 9308 and one 9301 for this purpose. I think it's a 9308-5 or something, but don't quote me. The 9301 is exactly the same without the locking mechanism. Call or email Allegis corp, they will sell to you.

That's great to know!

Btw, did you ever consider the 9307--as an option? If so, any reason why you decided to go with the 9308 instead (to me the locking in closed position seems redundant with the Vector-T)?

 

[TeCKis300]

I've been thinking about a single drawer unit for the same reason you are and I like that you are trying to maximize the usable space. I especially like the stepped drawer sides to harvest back otherwise dead space.

Just throwing this out there as it's been an idea of mine that I've yet to execute because you're trying to maximize usable space.

Since we have the benefit of a tailgate that's quite stout...

Has anyone given any consideration to just avoiding slides altogether and going for a wheeled drawer in a birth type configuration. Basically the drawer will support itself by riding on some form small bearing/caster directly on the floor/carpet. Yet it can still lock against the outer frame/false floor when closed?

 

[TrekboxX]

Yeah, it's not necessary, but I like the locking closed for a couple reasons. First, if your rig is nose up you don't have to hold a heavy drawer closed while latching the handle. It acts as a "slam" latch. Also, I added rubber bumpers on the rear of the drawers to hold tension while they are closed due to my aversion to rattles, etc. So, it makes it both easier to close and compress the bumpers as well as extra strength to hold them closed. If one is good, two are better... As an added bonus, it somewhat forces the uninitiated to open the drawer with both hands. Helpful for the wife or kids so they are more prepared to handle a 200lb drawer! Just my 02. I'm sure some will say one-handed opening is important...

 

[sonk76]

Yeah, it's not necessary, but I like the locking closed for a couple reasons. First, if your rig is nose up you don't have to hold a heavy drawer closed while latching the handle. It acts as a "slam" latch. Also, I added rubber bumpers on the rear of the drawers to hold tension while they are closed due to my aversion to rattles, etc. So, it makes it both easier to close and compress the bumpers as well as extra strength to hold them closed. If one is good, two are better... As an added bonus, it somewhat forces the uninitiated to open the drawer with both hands. Helpful for the wife or kids so they are more prepared to handle a 200lb drawer! Just my 02. I'm sure some will say one-handed opening is important...

Makes sense. I've decided to pursue this approach as well. One side 9301 (regular) and other 9308 (lock-in/lock-out). Will share my experience once I receive them.

I also considered the non-slider approach with sliding materials as described above, but ultimately decided I wanted the smooth operation guaranteed by the explicit slides.

So far the build has progressed to the initial completion of the external box. I'm still debating what to do with the top cover of the box in terms of fixing it to the rest of the box. Debating between:

1) Permanently attached (most secure in case of accident + easiest to build, but near impossible to get to bolts for attaching/detaching the drawers from the rig)
2) Attaching the top with a hinge for the full or part of the top (this would give easy access to the drawer mounting bolts in case I want to take the drawer out, and if I design in correctly, could also facilitate access to materials in the drawers from within the vehicle, without the need to open the tail gate [not sure how important that is, but could be nice "just in case"]) the down-side I see with the hinged approach is that it is more effort to fabricate and it would be less secure in case of an accident.

Any thoughts on 1 vs 2 above?

 

[TrekboxX]

The hinged idea is an interesting one, however I personally don't see the need to remove the drawers, really, ever. Having said that, my top is permanently attached and it was a bit of a pain to crawl inside the box to bolt them down and attach the other hardware. That's why my new design will use connector bolts through the top into cross dowels bored into the uprights. Check them out. You can find them at most woodworking supply houses, like woodcraft, rockler, or lee valley. They make a very strong joint and are easy to install and remove. Once tightened, you can add a dab of silicone to the cross dowel to keep it from spinning if you ever remove the bolt.

A trick with the slides. When you get them, check for any play when they are closed. If any(it will be very minor if any), open them and bend the very rearward metal tab forward so it makes better contact with the rubber bumper when the slide is closed. You'll see what I mean.

 

[CappyKD]

Nice work. This has me wanting to install my single drawer this weekend. Can't wait to see the final pics.

 

[sonk76]

Ok the planning has advanced a bit here.

I'm going to make to part of the top cover for the drawers an access panel. This should:

1) Make it easy to install/remove the bolts that attach the drawers in the truck
2) Allow access to materials in the drawers from inside the truck (without opening tail gate), just in case this is needed (I don't see this being very often)
3) In the remote chance that something gets jammed/wedged inside the drawer that makes it difficult to pull open, this will provide an alternative way to access the drawer and remove the jam.

To improve security, I'm installing a lock on the top cover as well, so that the whole unit can still be locked for little extra security (yes, I do realize that if anyone really wants to get inside any of these drawers, there will be no stopping them.)

I've also incorporated the lock-in/lock-out slide on one of the sides per feedback here--shamelessly copying 1407driver's design for the drawer face implementation.

I'm finally hoping to make some building progress tomorrow... but have found the time spent on modeling things out very helpful (lots of little details would have been easy to overlook without building this first out in 3D.)

 

[sonk76]

Sonk, I'm in the same boat as you. I need a multi-purpose vehicle and can only put in one drawer side. And having just one side, drawer space is limited.

For maximizing interior volume, I always admired Jeff Kaufman's drawers. He used strips of HDPE rather than ball bearing slides. All accounts I have read say they operate smoothly... not "ball-bearing smooth" but smooth enough.

The drawers come out easy. One can make two identical drawers and swap them out... one for off-road and one empty for sports gear and day to day stuff.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/merchandis...80-100-series-cargo-drawers-jeff-kaufman.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=322516&stc=1&d=1241795128

Hoser, did you end up going down this road for your one-side-only drawer? Keen to see and learn as much as possible from people's experiences (especially since the one-side-only solutions seem to be fewer in between than the full setups?)

 

[hoser]

I am going down that road but I'm not finished yet. I took the easy route and went with the ARB drawer. It's better than anything I could build.

I don't require a 3rd row seat but rather I wanted my fridge slide at the trunk floor level. It might be possible to mount 1/2" plywood to the floor with cut-outs for the seat mounts. And have the fridge slide on easy to remove wing bolts. Still looking into it.

 

[spikey]

Don't forget acces to your jack! I don't see any provision for that in your drawings. I made a trap door to allow access to the jack and the space around the wheel.

 

[sonk76]

Build Overview

Rather than keep on posting slightly tweaked versions of design, etc. I'm going to try to consolidate all into a this post here.

I'll try to keep the up-front design images up-to-date so that they align with what is actually coming to life.

Here are the design images:

Here is a selective step-by-step (still work in progress)

1) Remove 3rd row seat attachments (3 of four) on drivers side:

2) Re-insert bolts and leave them standing tall so that I can use them to mark the plywood bottom piece of the drawers (see step 3)

3) Line up the plywood bottom where you want it to sit, and then use a dead-plow hammer to smack on the plywood from top--this will leave marks from the tops of the bolts that were standing tall #2 above. This will be your guide as to exactly where to drill the holes for the mounting bolts.

4) Drill holes into bottom of plywood, and test fit to make sure they line-up with the captive mounting holes.

5) Remove from truck, and build bottom part of drawer box

6) Begin building inner sliding box, by starting with the lower halves of the sides. The horizontal groove is for the bottom, the vertical grooves are for optional dividers.

7) I wanted to give the dividers a little extra horizontal support, so you can see that the vertical grooves are slightly deeper than the one for the bottom of the box.

8) Cut a 1/8" relief into the top part of the box side to help it mate with the bottom part of the side.

9) Combine top and bottom parts of the box sides (glue and nail gun.) I have the two sides on top of each other for compression during gluing only.

10) Added the strike plate to the box floor

11) Cut-out the latch mounting point for the front face

12) Test fitting components (things are not yet glued/nailed/screwed in...)

13) Starting to look like a drawer system (minus the wing, cut-outs for the lock-in/lock-out slider, internal cover for the latch mechanism, access from the top, all surface finishing, painting, etc.--yes, still a long way to go!)

I've also began to wonder if there is a more "creative" approach to the wing design than simply mounting an inverter as I have shown in my planning images above... I think I may be over complicating things there, but will share more if it looks like it might hunt...