Any referrals for a custom ARB Drawer Insert? For the Good Stuff!

[YieldHunter]

Mudders - Would like to have someone build a removable insert for one of Kiboko's ARB drawers that will hold the following:

• 4-6 stemless wine glasses
• 4-6 lowball glasses
• 4-6 shot glasses
• Small ice bucket
• Various drink making accessories (stirrers, knife, juicer, shaker, tiny cutting board, hand towel)
• Couple small cans of mixers
• ~4 fifth sized bottles
• ~2 bottles of wine

The idea is a high quality, well finished "Safari Bar" style open-top box that can be stored indoors but very easily slipped into an ARB drawer to safely and quickly make Kiboko a mobile bar. Doesn't have to be veneered, etc., but would want something covered in material that makes it look nice and doesn't rattle (maybe some straps too?). I have seen these in guy's Land Cruisers in Africa, but they are usually aluminum shells with custom foam molds inside. Don't need anything that hardcore, and don't want the ultra lux versions you see made like a high end humidor and perched on tailgates of Rolls-Royce Cullinan types (this is for bourbon, not Cristal).

I think it's a super cool idea (credit wife) to entertain people while out roaming around close to home. Anyone have someone in mind that would be well suited to build something of this nature? Obviously TX based would be preferred, but will take any suggestions. Thanks all!

 

[YieldHunter]

Tagging you @wngrog since you a) rarely come to the 200 series forum bc you "end up yelling at someone" and b) are highly likely to know someone that accomplish this task. TY sir.

 

[afgman786]

@ShenValley100LC has a sick bar he made in the back of his 100 out of wood.

 

[KLF]

I think you should have bought a Range Rover. That sort of thing is built in at the factory. Makes it nice while you're sitting on the side of the road waiting for the flatbed.

 

[wngrog]

Tagging you @wngrog since you a) rarely come to the 200 series forum bc you "end up yelling at someone" and b) are highly likely to know someone that accomplish this task. TY sir.

@Fireman could build that but he would end up making the wine bottle brackets for Gallo bottles

 

[YieldHunter]

@ShenValley100LC has a sick bar he made in the back of his 100 out of wood.

Just read @ShenValley100LC Tiki build thread... that’s my kinda dude. Priorities straight, ready to tackle the harsh realities of the great unknown wilderness with enough alcohol to die happy and cigars to celebrate the journey!

 

[kcjaz]

Not exactly what you are looking for but more portable and a nice addition to any bug out bag.

 

[Idaho Savage]

Mudders - Would like to have someone build a removable insert for one of Kiboko's ARB drawers that will hold the following:

• 4-6 stemless wine glasses
• 4-6 lowball glasses
• 4-6 shot glasses
• Small ice bucket
• Various drink making accessories (stirrers, knife, juicer, shaker, tiny cutting board, hand towel)
• Couple small cans of mixers
• ~4 fifth sized bottles
• ~2 bottles of wine

The idea is a high quality, well finished "Safari Bar" style open-top box that can be stored indoors but very easily slipped into an ARB drawer to safely and quickly make Kiboko a mobile bar. Doesn't have to be veneered, etc., but would want something covered in material that makes it look nice and doesn't rattle (maybe some straps too?). I have seen these in guy's Land Cruisers in Africa, but they are usually aluminum shells with custom foam molds inside. Don't need anything that hardcore, and don't want the ultra lux versions you see made like a high end humidor and perched on tailgates of Rolls-Royce Cullinan types (this is for bourbon, not Cristal).

I think it's a super cool idea (credit wife) to entertain people while out roaming around close to home. Anyone have someone in mind that would be well suited to build something of this nature? Obviously TX based would be preferred, but will take any suggestions. Thanks all!

This is about as Texas as it gets. Well played.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

This is exactly what I've been trying to do with my Tiki Crate, achieve the safari look, and bring the maximum amount of fun and still be a functional off roader. I'm on about my third iteration now of the Tiki Crate now and need to update my thread with the latest one. I could give you a MUD discount on the next one . The crate dimensions are little better now at 14x14x14 and lighter and stronger with 3/8" plywood and puzzle piece joinery at the edges. I put felt down at the bottom for the bottles to sit on and rope across the bamboo railings so separate bottles, between that and the palm weave its pretty silent even going down a trail. Going to put those anchor track tie to quickly secure and unsecure it Anchor Track 12 Inch - https://ironman4x4america.com/anchor-track-12-inch/. Mine is geared towards cocktails, and especially Tiki/Rum drinks which take a lot of ingredients and variety or liquors which is why mine is set to maximize the amount of 750 and 375 ml bottles I can carry. It fits 5x 750 ml bottles, 3x 375 ml bottles, 2x mugs/glasses, and 3-4 bitters bottles or shot bottles. It sounds like your just doing bourbon tasting and wine?

Custom woodwork like this is expensive and slow and it may be difficult to find someone who wants to take it on at a decent price unless they can recoup some of the design time and trial by selling at least couple (4-5). If you want it cheaper but there may be parts of it you can do yourself and minimize the amount of custom work.

What are the dimensions of the inside of your ARB drawer? Not knowing your dimension here's what I've come up with in a brief not-to-scale crappy hand sketch.

A three piece modular system removable system.

First, if you can install heavy duty lift top hinges (like on some coffee tables) and have some hardwood cutting board/counter tops. I would split into two. These lift up and out of the way providing access underneath. These could be hardwood (cherry or walnut is best, or possibly bamboo). Could be custom designed with whatever you want or an inlay and juice trough or just flat sleek and nicely finished. Either way this would be the main thing people see, it gives that safari look, and its very functional serving/prep/and can double for cutting board, and its an actual bar for them to come up to and hang out while you get people their drinks.

Bottles could lay flat alternating on both sides and rest on wooden tracks with grooves for them to rest in. These probably already exist could probably be cut and changed to work for what you want. Only thing is bottles vary a good bit, but if you alternate the bottle have a track on both ends for the fatter bottom of the bottles and a track for the skinnier neck of the bottles in the middle it should work and they dont have to fit perfectly. Place these on thin piece of hardwood with edges. Could do leather snap button straps but probably not even necessary. Again depends on drawer height, you might be able to do two layers if you wanted to to maximize space. If this part had a mirror bottom that would be absolutely baller and look sooooo nice.

Glasses put in 2-3 inch deep foam insert with cutouts for the different size glasses if you want one layer. Or if your drawer has enough height that you could have two layers of glasses in foam inserts. I'd use a black dense foam inserted into 1/4" walnut with a handle in the middle to lift up to get the other glasses. Black and walnut with a darker finish looks good together. This is actually very cheap to do.

For the drink accessory stuff, I'd do a removable caddy with custom pockets for an ice bucket, mixing untensils, pairing knife, etc and custom pocket for your shaker with a leather snap button strap would look really nice.

If Its fitted together tightly enough you'd have no need to strap anything down, you could have a modular 3 or 4 part bar system nothing permanent.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Custom woodwork like this is expensive and slow and it may be difficult to find someone who wants to take it on at a decent price

Just realized this is actually the 200 series forum: this will be cheap and easy, wife may just have to go a week without a new purse.

 

[YieldHunter]

This is about as Texas as it gets. Well played.

Hopefully I'll have it when I come hunting this fall in ID and you can see it and be persuaded to have one made yourself!

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Just read a bit of your build thread. You should have some graphic work incorporated into this around "Kiboko Bar" with some hippo artwork in.

 

[YieldHunter]

This is exactly what I've been trying to do with my Tiki Crate, achieve the safari look, and bring the maximum amount of fun and still be a functional off roader. I'm on about my third iteration now of the Tiki Crate now and need to update my thread with the latest one. I could give you a MUD discount on the next one . The crate dimensions are little better now at 14x14x14 and lighter and stronger with 3/8" plywood and puzzle piece joinery at the edges. I put felt down at the bottom for the bottles to sit on and rope across the bamboo railings so separate bottles, between that and the palm weave its pretty silent even going down a trail. Going to put those anchor track tie to quickly secure and unsecure it Anchor Track 12 Inch - https://ironman4x4america.com/anchor-track-12-inch/. Mine is geared towards cocktails, and especially Tiki/Rum drinks which take a lot of ingredients and variety or liquors which is why mine is set to maximize the amount of 750 and 375 ml bottles I can carry. It fits 5x 750 ml bottles, 3x 375 ml bottles, 2x mugs/glasses, and 3-4 bitters bottles or shot bottles. It sounds like your just doing bourbon tasting and wine?

Custom woodwork like this is expensive and slow and it may be difficult to find someone who wants to take it on at a decent price unless they can recoup some of the design time and trial by selling at least couple (4-5). If you want it cheaper but there may be parts of it you can do yourself and minimize the amount of custom work.

What are the dimensions of the inside of your ARB drawer? Not knowing your dimension here's what I've come up with in a brief not-to-scale crappy hand sketch.
View attachment 2602885
A three piece modular system removable system.

First, if you can install heavy duty lift top hinges (like on some coffee tables) and have some hardwood cutting board/counter tops. I would split into two. These lift up and out of the way providing access underneath. These could be hardwood (cherry or walnut is best, or possibly bamboo). Could be custom designed with whatever you want or an inlay and juice trough or just flat sleek and nicely finished. Either way this would be the main thing people see, it gives that safari look, and its very functional serving/prep/and can double for cutting board, and its an actual bar for them to come up to and hang out while you get people their drinks.
View attachment 2602886
Bottles could lay flat alternating on both sides and rest on wooden tracks with grooves for them to rest in. These probably already exist could probably be cut and changed to work for what you want. Only thing is bottles vary a good bit, but if you alternate the bottle have a track on both ends for the fatter bottom of the bottles and a track for the skinnier neck of the bottles in the middle it should work and they dont have to fit perfectly. Place these on thin piece of hardwood with edges. Could do leather snap button straps but probably not even necessary. Again depends on drawer height, you might be able to do two layers if you wanted to to maximize space. If this part had a mirror bottom that would be absolutely baller and look sooooo nice.
View attachment 2602887
Glasses put in 2-3 inch deep foam insert with cutouts for the different size glasses if you want one layer. Or if your drawer has enough height that you could have two layers of glasses in foam inserts. I'd use a black dense foam inserted into 1/4" walnut with a handle in the middle to lift up to get the other glasses. Black and walnut with a darker finish looks good together. This is actually very cheap to do.

For the drink accessory stuff, I'd do a removable caddy with custom pockets for an ice bucket, mixing untensils, pairing knife, etc and custom pocket for your shaker with a leather snap button strap would look really nice.

If Its fitted together tightly enough you'd have no need to strap anything down, you could have a modular 3 or 4 part bar system nothing permanent.

Really appreciate your insight here, think you 100% understand what we are aiming for in terms of form & function. I would love nothing less than whoever I partner with to make many times over their time and labor invested by selling a ton of them, but happy to eat the development cost to be first and get exactly what I want. Great point too on being "Kiboko" themed (gotta "ride for the brand"!).

In terms of dimensions, I have one ARB drawer fixed top (External specs 41" x 21" x 11" Internal specs 37.5" x 18.3" x 8.7") and one ARB drawer roller top (External specs same but the interior space ~1" shorter). Being modular helps here especially b/c the drawer doesn't slide 100% out of the frame when fully opened, so you can likely get more length out of the Safari Bar by put 1-2 pieces in and sliding them back before the final section gets dropped in.

Aesthetically, leather pulled over furniture foam might also be easier/cheaper b/c you can trim a block of that stuff fairly easily w/ a heated knife. Then you'd get the double protection for the glass of foam and leather. Could frame in a nice finishing wood, and that would look especially cool if the "lid" opened as you described into a bar top. In general though, I think trying to do more w/ foam and leather would be cheaper and better that predominantly wood which you point out gets expensive quick and is more limited shape form wise. With leather, I could also emboss the ranch cattle brand or Kiboko or whatever.

For the bottles, variation should not be a problem b/c always the same bourbon, vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. And wine bottles much more standardized. Probably have enough room for the bottle tray to be removable w/ the mixer can underneath it?

Here was my mockup. The bottles are in the back, but b/c they are set low in the drawer, I think there would be enough room to see/grab them.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Really appreciate your insight here, think you 100% understand what we are aiming for in terms of form & function. I would love nothing less than whoever I partner with to make many times over their time and labor invested by selling a ton of them, but happy to eat the development cost to be first and get exactly what I want. Great point too on being "Kiboko" themed (gotta "ride for the brand"!).

In terms of dimensions, I have one ARB drawer fixed top (External specs 41" x 21" x 11" Internal specs 37.5" x 18.3" x 8.7") and one ARB drawer roller top (External specs same but the interior space ~1" shorter). Being modular helps here especially b/c the drawer doesn't slide 100% out of the frame when fully opened, so you can likely get more length out of the Safari Bar by put 1-2 pieces in and sliding them back before the final section gets dropped in.

Aesthetically, leather pulled over furniture foam might also be easier/cheaper b/c you can trim a block of that stuff fairly easily w/ a heated knife. Then you'd get the double protection for the glass of foam and leather. Could frame in a nice finishing wood, and that would look especially cool if the "lid" opened as you described into a bar top. In general though, I think trying to do more w/ foam and leather would be cheaper and better that predominantly wood which you point out gets expensive quick and is more limited shape form wise. With leather, I could also emboss the ranch cattle brand or Kiboko or whatever.

For the bottles, variation should not be a problem b/c always the same bourbon, vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. And wine bottles much more standardized. Probably have enough room for the bottle tray to be removable w/ the mixer can underneath it?

Here was my mockup. The bottles are in the back, but b/c they are set low in the drawer, I think there would be enough room to see/grab them.
View attachment 2603223

Interesting idea with the furniture foam, that would look incredibly sharp in a nice cognac/light brown midcentury leather framed in by wood. I think that would be super sharp for the glasses. Does the drawer pull all the way out to where you can see everything in the back of it? I still think bottles suspended on wood supports on each end over a mirror would have more visual effect than sitting on leather (though could be less practical), but mirrors and bars go together and mirrors add depth and lighting to small tight spaces. Between the wood/Leather/Glasses/mirror it would look like somehow stepped into an African hunting club.

 

[YieldHunter]

Interesting idea with the furniture foam, that would look incredibly sharp in a nice cognac/light brown midcentury leather framed in by wood. I think that would be super sharp for the glasses. Does the drawer pull all the way out to where you can see everything in the back of it? I still think bottles suspended on wood supports on each end over a mirror would have more visual effect than sitting on leather (though could be less practical), but mirrors and bars go together and mirrors add depth and lighting to small tight spaces. Between the wood/Leather/Glasses/mirror it would look like somehow stepped into an African hunting club.

I like the bottles over a mirror, agree that adds nice touch. The "wood" support cross beam though I would want to be covered in at least leather. Wood wise I would like it to just be the lid/bar-top and decorative outer trim of the 3 modules (and the frame i suppose). Rest of it leather/foam for look and protection.

Sooooo, is this something you could do? Or know someone who could do it? My first thought would be someone who does interior rebuilds for classic cars. Happy to chat by phone if want to discuss more detail around that (message me if interested).

Since @duggy is running constant power back there, I bet we can plug a blender in at some point! Frozen margs watching the sun go down (or up?), sounds amazing!

EDIT: THE ARB DRAWERS PULL OUT OF THE FRAME ~70%, SO W/ DRAWER FULLY OPEN ~30% OF THE CONTENTS OF THE DRAWER ARE STILL COVERED BY THE TOP OF THE DRAWER BOX. I WILL GIVE EXACT MEASUREMENT LATER.

 

[YieldHunter]

@ShenValley100LC 14” of the ~38” drawer remains covered when the drawer is fully opened. For the purposes of pulling bottles out I don’t think it would be an issue.

 

[CharlieS]

This is so far from anything I'd ever do, but wouldn't it be better to find a small local cabinet maker/woodworker that is willing to iterate with you on design and build until you're happy. It sounds like you're not especially worried about cost. It is basically a simple drawer insert with some custom holders - that doesn't seem like it'd be too hard to make.

 

[YieldHunter]

This is so far from anything I'd ever do, but wouldn't it be better to find a small local cabinet maker/woodworker that is willing to iterate with you on design and build until you're happy. It sounds like you're not especially worried about cost. It is basically a simple drawer insert with some custom holders - that doesn't seem like it'd be too hard to make.

Well, yes. The original purpose of this post was to see if anyone on here could make just such an introduction. "Anyone have someone in mind that would be well suited to build something of this nature? Obviously TX based would be preferred, but will take any suggestions. Thanks all!"

To your point though, I think I'll have good luck w/ furniture makers who want to do something fun on the side. Reached out to couple people like that this AM here in Houston.

Was willing to iterate publicly on MUD though (and eventually share the final product, hopefully), b/c I would imagine there are others who might want something similar. Especially if they don't have the time/patience to go through the development process. Perhaps most importantly, the caliber of technologically savvy and creative people on MUD is such that I bet I get some good inspiration from others who stumble on the post (like Shen's suggestion of the hinged top).

 

[CharlieS]

More importantly, what bourbon do you recommend?

 

[ShenValley100LC]

I like the bottles over a mirror, agree that adds nice touch. The "wood" support cross beam though I would want to be covered in at least leather. Wood wise I would like it to just be the lid/bar-top and decorative outer trim of the 3 modules (and the frame i suppose). Rest of it leather/foam for look and protection.


Since @duggy is running constant power back there, I bet we can plug a blender in at some point! Frozen margs watching the sun go down (or up?), sounds amazing!

EDIT: THE ARB DRAWERS PULL OUT OF THE FRAME ~70%, SO W/ DRAWER FULLY OPEN ~30% OF THE CONTENTS OF THE DRAWER ARE STILL COVERED BY THE TOP OF THE DRAWER BOX. I WILL GIVE EXACT MEASUREMENT LATER.

PM'd.

Does anyone know if some of the ARB Drawers across different platforms have similar dimension (like their 100 series/Gx/4runner/etc)? Or how similar it might be to Dobinson drawers?

I'm not sure on the current draw of blenders, I feel like I remember its a bit, but if you want to save space and power requirements a Lewis bag and Mallet is a good old school bar tender option and gets you great quality crushed ice, plus I can engrave the mallet for you . I have a counter top ice maker that I'm making a spot for in the back and it is shockingly low power draw, like 90w during a cycle and 10w in-between cycles.