Custom Solutions for Storage Problems (part 2)
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Making Deep Cabinets AccessibleThe back part of a deep cabinet is often hard to reach and difficult to see, making it less than ideal for storage. To open up this space, you can build movable storage units that pivot on hinges or roll out on drawer glides. Tailored to fit your cabinet, these units can provide more accessible space for anything from canned goods to kitchen utensils. A Swing-Out Shelf Unit: Pivoting on a hinge at one side to allow access to the back of the cabinet, this unit has shelves on front and back sized for standard jars and cans. The weight of its contents demands solid support, which you can pro vide by attaching its mounting cleat with screws long enough to penetrate into the side of an adjoining cabinet. To avoid excessive stress on the mounting hardware, don’t load a swing-out unit with heavy items such as large juice cans. Dual Bins: Side-by-side glide-out bins, with partitions and shelves that fit your needs, are more complicated to build but accommodate awkward items. In the examples, one bin has a rear compartment for long-handled skillets and a front one for saucepans with space below for lids. The other bin combines shelves with a compartment for tall items and a top tray for large cutlery and other utensils. Planning: The dimensions of the swing-out and glide-out units shown depend on the size of the original cabinets and your storage needs. The arrangement you choose may include shelves for cans and jars, trays for flatware, or compartments for tall items that are hard to store in conventional cabinets and drawers. In determining the number and spacing of shelves, allow at least 1 extra inch between shelves, to facilitate storing and removing objects. If your existing cabinets have permanent shelves, you may need to cut them back or remove them entirely before installing a new storage unit. Materials: Most of the parts of the units shown here are made of clear birch plywood, which has smooth surfaces that are easily prepared for painting or staining. The vertical pieces, which carry most of the structural loads, are made from 0.75-inch plywood, as are the shelves for the swing-out unit. Shelves and rails for the dual bins are cut from 0.5-inch sheets, and the broad panel that closes one side of a glide-out bin is made from lighter 0.25-inch plywood. Cleats that support hinges or drawer glides are 1-by-2 clear pine. Building Tips: When cutting ply wood, use a circular saw with a ply wood blade or a combination blade that makes both crosscuts and rip cuts. To insure the proper alignment of joints in the dual bins, cut the pieces with dadoes, rabbets, and cutouts first. Make the remaining pieces as you go along. For both units, hold pieces together with bar clamps while you drill pilot holes for inconspicuous trim-head screws. Protect the unit’s finish with scrap wood under the clamp. Test assemblies for fit and alignment before gluing. TOOLS:
MATERIALS:
CONSTRUCTING SWING-OUT SHELVES 1. Determining the dimensions. 
A swing-out shelf unit (disassembled at right) is made of 0.75-inch birch plywood, with shelf rims of 0.25-inch lattice. The pieces are held together by glue and 1 5/8-inch trim-head screws. • The height of the unit is 1 to 1.5 inches less than the height of the cabinet opening. To ensure swinging clearance, make the width of the unit narrower than the cabinet opening by a third of the unit’s depth. • The unit’s total depth is the sum of the shelf depths plus the thickness of the partition and shelf rims. In the example shown here, with 3.75” shelves for standard-size cans, the depth is 8.75 inches. 2. Assembling the sides and partition. 
• Cut two sides from 0.75-inch plywood to the planned height and depth of the unit. Cut the partition 1.5 inches shorter and narrower than the height and width. • Clamp the partition between the sides so that it’s centered top to bottom as well as front to back. • Mark the thickness of the partition on the top edge of each side. Use the marks as guides for pilot holes for 1 trim-head screws at 6- to 8- inch intervals through each side. 3. Adding the top and bottom. (above right) • Cut top and bottom pieces 1.5 inches shorter than the width of the unit. Match the top piece to the unit’s total depth, and make the bottom piece 0.5-inch narrower to accommodate shelf rims. • Slide the top into position atop the partition; clamp the sides against it. Drill pilot holes for 1 5/8-inch trim-head screws to attach the top piece to the partition and side pieces. Screw the top in place. • Turn the unit upside down and attach the bottom piece in the same way, centering it between the sides to leave room for rims. 4. Installing the shelves. 
• Cut shelves as long as the width of the partition and 0.25 inch narrower than the distance from the partition to the front edge of the side, to leave space for shelf rims. • Position a shelf between the sides, making sure it’s level, and clamp the sides to hold it. • Drill two pilot holes through each side into the shelf, placing one about an inch from the front edge of the shelf and the other an inch from the partition, and secure the shelf with 1 5/8-inch trim-head screws. • Install the remaining shelves 0.25-inch lattice, as long as the shelf. Apply glue to the front edge of the shelves, and nail the rims flush with the shelf bottoms with 1 -inch wire brads (inset). FINISHING AND INSTALLING THE UNIT 1. Cutting the cabinet shelf. 
• On each permanent shelf in the cabinet, mark a cutting line parallel to the front edge and as far from the inside of the cabinet frame as the depth of the swing-out unit plus 1 inch. Start the line 1 inch from the same side of the cabinet as the unit’s hinge, and make the line several inches longer than the width of the unit, in order to al low swinging clearance. Check these measurements by holding the unit inside the cabinet against the shelf. • Use a saber saw or a handsaw to cut the shelf along the line. Smooth the cut edges with medium-grit sandpaper. 2. Attaching the hinge to the unit. 
• Position the hinge at the front edge of the pivot side. Center it vertically between the top and bottom and align the hinge barrel with the edge. 3. Mounting the unit in the cabinet. (above right) • Cut a 1 -by-2 cleat to the height of the cabinet wall on the pivot side. Attach the cleat to the back of the cabinet frame (inset) with 1 trimhead screws driven every 6 to 8 inches through the cleat into the frame. • Drive 3-inch trimhead screws through the side of the cleat and into the cabinet’s side wall, at intervals that avoid the screws that are already in place. • Set the unit on shims inside the cabinet and check for swinging clearance at the top. • Position the free hinge leaf on the cleat with the barrel against the cleat’s back edge. Mark the hinge holes on the cleat. • Drill pilot holes and use 2-inch No. 4 or No. 5 screws (the largest that will seat flush against the hinge to secure the hinge to the cleat . 4. Installing the magnetic catch. 
• Screw the steel strike plate of the catch to the inner bottom corner of the unit on the side away from the hinge. Be sure the edges of the plate are flush with the edges of the corner. • Swing the unit inside the cabinet and position the magnetic catch on the cabinet floor against the strike plate. • Mark the position of screw holes on the cabinet floor, swing the unit out, and use the screws provided with the catch to secure it. DUAL BINS FOR CONVENIENT STORAGE Determining the dimensions. 
The overall dimensions of glide-out bins allow clearance for sliding and closing the door. The bins are at least 1 inch shorter than the height of the opening and 2.5 inches narrower than the width. The depth is 0.25 inch less than the distance from the back of the cabinet to the inside edge of the front frame. Individual parts, including the width of each bin, are sized according to use. The bins are made of clear birch plywood: 0.75-inch for the fronts, backs, and partitions; 0.25-inch for the side panel, and 0.5-inch for other parts. CUTTING THE MAJOR PIECES Grooved right bin components. 
Start by making the front, back, and partition, as well as the rails. • The front and back are as high and wide as the bin; the partition is 3.25 inches shorter and 0.75-inch narrower. The 3-inch-wide top and bottom rails are as long as the unit’s depth; the length of the 2-inch-wide middle rail is determined by the position of the partition (Step 24). • A routed notch 1 inch wide and 0.75-inch deep at the top front serves as a pull. Corner cutouts sawed in the front and back are 3-inches-by 0.5-inch; a middle cutout in the back is 2 inches wide. • Dadoes 0.5-inch wide and 0.25-inch deep across the top of the front and back and in the top rail form a continuous groove after assembly; so do dadoes at the bottom of the front and back and in the bottom rail. A dado 0.25-inch from the bottom of the middle cutout aligns with dadoes across the partition and in the middle rail. A rabbet 0.25-inch wide and 0.25-inch deep on the right edge of the front and back fits the side panel. Grooved left bin components. 
As with the right bin, make the front, back, and partition. Cut the bottom rails, but make the top and middle rails once the partition is in place. • The front and back are the planned height and width of the bin, and the partition is 0.5-inch shorter and 1 inch narrower. Two 3-inch-wide bottom rails are as long as the unit’s depth. • The upper cutouts on the front and back are positioned to allow room for planned storage, as are the middle cutouts on the back. The up per and bottom corner cutouts are 3 inches by 0.5 inch, and the middle cutout is 2 inches by 0.5 inch. • A notch routed at the top front serves as a pull. A 0.5-inch-wide dado cut 0.25-inch deep across the front is inch from the bottom of the upper cutout; the partition’s dado aligns with it. The lower dadoes on the front and back are inch above the bottom, as are the dadoes running the length of the bottom rails. STRAIGH CUTS WITH A ROUTER: 
A router makes fast work of the precise cuts crucial to cabinet joints. The variety of avail able bits and the router’s adjustable cutting depth allow cuts of almost any size or shape. A rabbeting bit (photograph, far right) which cuts a notch on the edge of a board, usually has a ball-bearing guide on its tip that rides along the edge, keeping the cut at a uniform width. A straight bit (photograph, bottom right), which makes a square-bottom groove or dado, has no such guide. To ensure straight cuts, clamp a perfectly straight board to the workpiece, parallel to the cutting line and at a distance that allows the bit to just cut the line. Hold the router firmly against the guide when cutting. For either type of cut, grip the router with both hands and move it against the resistance of the cutting. CAUTION---Always wear goggles when routing, and never start the router with the bit in contact with the workpiece. ASSEMBLING THE RIGHT BIN 1. Building the frame. 
• Cut top and bottom pieces from 0.5-inch ply wood, 1 inch shorter than the depth of the cabinet and 0.5-inch narrower than the front and back. • Apply glue to both ends of the top and bottom and slip them into the dadoes on the front and back, positioned so that one edge extends 0.25-inch into the cutouts while the other edge is flush with the inner face of the rabbets. • Clamp the pieces together, and drill three pilot holes through the front and back into the top and bottom. Secure these joints with trim-head screws. • When the glue has set, remove the clamps. Apply glue to the long edges of the top and bottom and slip the dadoes of the top and bottom rails over the edges. Drill pilot holes through the rail ends into the edges of the front and back panels and through the rails into the edges of the top and bottom. Secure the rails with trim-head screws. 2. Constructing the middle shelf. 
• Cut a shelf from 0.5-inch plywood, 0.25 inch wider than the partition and 0.5 inch longer than the distance from the back to the planned partition location. • Apply glue to one end of the shelf and slip it into the dado on the partition so that the shelf edge on the open side extends 0.25-inch beyond the partition. Drill pilot holes and secure the joint with trimhead screws through the partition into the shelf. • When the glue is dry, apply glue to the other end of the shelf and to the top and bottom of the partition, and position the assembly in the bin with one side of the shelf extending 0.25-inch into the middle cutout, and the other side flush with the inner face of the rabbets. Complete the joints with screws through the back, top, bottom, and rails. • Glue and screw the middle rail to the protruding edge of the shelf. 3. Attaching the side panel and sliding channels. 
• Cut the side panel from 0.25-inch plywood, to fit snugly within the rabbets. • Position the panel in the rabbets and use a pencil to outline the edges of the top, bottom, shelf, and partition on the panel. Transfer the outlines to the other side of the panel, and reposition it with these marks facing up. • Place the glide channels on the panel, with their front ends flush with the front of the bin and their mounting screw holes centered over the outlines of the top and bottom. Mark the screw holes. • Glue the side panel to the bin and secure it with No. 6 finishing nails countersunk along all the outlines, taking care to avoid the marked screw positions. • Align the top sliding channel with the screw hole markings, and attach it with the screws pro vided, driven through the panel into the top. • Position the bottom sliding channel over its markings and use a framing square to make sure the distance between the top and bottom channels is equal at both ends, then secure the channel with screws through the side panel into the bottom. 4. Positioning the bin. 
• Slip the fixed glide channels over the sliding channels on the bin. Position the bin in the cabinet on shims so it’s level and clears the top and side of the opening. • Mark the locations of the upper and lower fixed channels on the edge of the cabinet frame . • Measure the distance between the fixed channels and the cabinet wall. Use 1 -by-2 clear pine to make two mounting cleats of that thickness and as long as the cabinet depth. 5. Installing the bin. (above right) • Extend lines from the marks on the cabinet edge along the sides and 1 inch onto the back of the cabinet. • Position a fixed channel against a cleat, flush with the front edge, and drill mounting holes in the cleat. • Center a cleat on the upper guidelines, and avoiding the mounting holes, drill four pilot holes through the cleat into the side wall. Attach the cleat with No. 8 screws. • Mount the lower cleat the same way. • Screw the fixed channels to the cleats using longer screws than those provided, for added strength. • Install the bin by inserting the sliding channels into the cabinet-mounted fixed channels. ASSEMBLING THE LEFT BIN 1. Making the bottom. 
• Cut a bottom piece 1 inch shorter than the depth of the cabinet, and - inch narrower than the front and back. • Apply glue to the ends of the bottom piece and slip it into the lower dadoes on the front and back, with its edges extending inch into the cut outs on both sides. Clamp the bottom in place, drill pilot holes into its edge through the front and back, and secure it with trim-head screws. • Apply glue to the edges of the bottom, then attach the two bottom rails with screws into the bottom on the front and back. 2. Building the long supports. 
• Cut long supports from 0.5-inch plywood to the length corresponding to the planned position of the partition, adding 0.5 inch to allow for the dadoes. Make each support wide enough to leave a gap between them for pot handles when their outer edges are flush with the edge of the partition. • Apply glue to one end of each sup port and slip them into the partition dado, outer edges flush with the edges of the partition. Clamp the pieces together, drill pilot holes through the partition, and secure the pieces with trimhead screws. • Apply glue to the free ends of the supports and the bottom of the partition, then set the assembly in the bin with the supports fitted firmly into the front dado. • Secure the assembly with screws through the front, bottom, and rails. BOTTOM RAIL 3. Constructing the top and middle rails. 
• Make two top rails with the same dimensions as the bottom rails. Glue and screw them into the upper cutouts on the front and back. • Make two middle rails 2.5 inches wide and as long as the distance from the outside of the back piece to the front side of the partition. • Cut two ledge strips, 1.5 inches shorter than the middle rails and 0.75 inch wide, and center one on each middle rail. Secure them with glue and trim head screws. • With the ledge strips facing inward, glue and screw the middle rails to the partition and the middle cutouts on the back. 4. Completing the left bin. 
• Make two short supports as long as the distance between the inside edges of the middle rails. Their width can vary, but they must be wide enough to support the smallest item you plan to store. • Lower the short supports onto the ledge strips and leave them loose or glue them. • Attach the sliding channels to the lop and bottom rails of the bin, centered and flush with the front, and mount the bin in the cabinet. SLIDING CHANNELS An Island That RollsNOTE: We use both fractional and decimal dimensions interchangeably (so, 0.25 inch = ¼-inch; 0.5 inch = ½-inch; etc.) Four swivel casters and a butcher- block top can transform a pair of kitchen cabinets into a movable island. With the cabinets fastened back to back, this unit offers additional storage space with adjustable shelves and doors on opposite sides, plus an extra work surface that goes where you need it. Buy two preassembled wall cabinets, 12 inches deep and anywhere from 18 to 60 inches wide, depending on your needs and the size of your kitchen. To make the island the same height as your counter- top—typically 36 inches—choose cabinets 30 inches high; the swivel casters and butcher-block top will add the rest. The top should over hang the cabinets on all four sides by 3 inches, providing handholds for rolling the island. Select cabinets with tops and bottoms of plywood or particle board at least 0.5 inch thick and add solid wood rein forcing boards to support the casters and butcher block. If the joint where the two cabinets fit together is noticeable, fill it with wood putty or conceal it under 1.25 by 0.25-inch wood lath, fastened with carpenter’s glue and countersunk brads. TOOLS:
MATERIALS:
JOINING TWO CABINETS 1. Drilling holes for bolts. 
• Remove the doors and shelves from the cabinets and lay them facedown, tops facing each other and sides flush. • With a pencil, mark 0.5 inch down from the top edge and 2 inches in from each side of the cabinets. Make a third mark halfway between. • Make sure the marks on both cabinets align with each other, then turn the cabinets around and repeat along the bottoms. • Drill 0.25-inch holes through the lip of the recessed area at each mark. 2. Bolting cabinets together. 
• Set the cabinets upright, back to back, and push an awl through each pair of holes to align them. Slide flat washers onto three stove bolts, and push each bolt through the holes in both cabinets. Put a flat washer and a split washer on each bolt, followed by a nut; then turn each nut finger tight. • Turn the cabinets over by tipping them on their sides, not on a front panel. Bolt the bottom edges together the same way as the top. After all six bolts are in place, hold each bolthead with a screwdriver and tighten the nut with a wrench until the split lock washer is compressed. 3. Fitting the reinforcement boards. 
•Measure the length of the recessed area on the cabinet tops and bottoms and cut four pieces of 1-by-8 to that length. • Make four marks on each board, 3 inches from the ends and 1 inch from the edges, and drill 3/32-inch holes at each mark. • Set a board in one of the cabinet recesses, snug against the front edge of the cabinet. Insert an awl into each hole in the board and push the point firmly into the cabinet . Remove the board, and drill a 3/32-inch hole through the cabinet at each awl mark. Repeat the process for each reinforcement board in each of the remaining three recesses. 4. Fastening the boards to the cabinets. 
• Set one of the reinforcement boards into its cabinet recess and push the awl through the holes to align them. • Then, reach inside the cabinet and drive a 1.25-inch No. 8 wood screw through each hole in the cabinet and up into the board. Install the remaining reinforcement boards the same way. 5. Attaching the casters.
• Turn the cabinets bottom side up. Set a caster in each corner with the holes in the mounting plate at least 0.5 inch from the edges of the reinforcement board. Mark the board through the holes in the plate. • With a 3/32-inch bit, drill 3/32-inch-deep pilot holes at each mark. Fasten the casters to the board with 0.75-inch No. 8 wood screws. • Unfinished cabinets—including the doors and shelves—should be painted or stained before proceeding to the next step. MOUNTING A BUTCHER-BLOCK TOP 1. Drilling through cabinet roof. 
• Turn the cabinets upright again, then measure and mark 2 inches in from each side and 1 inch back from the front edge of the reinforcement boards. Center a third mark between these two. • Drill 0.25-inch holes through the reinforcement boards and the cabinet tops at each mark. 2. Marking the butcher block. 
Set the butcher block upside down and, with a straightedge, draw a line 3 inches in from and parallel to each edge. Affix two pieces of masking tape at each corner as shown above, aligning the inner edges of the tape with the lines. 3. Positioning the butcher block. (above right) • Set the butcher block on the cabinets, aligning the tape strips with the cabinet corners. Push an awl through each hole in the cabinet roof to mark the underside of the butcher block. • Remove the butcher block and turn it over. Then, with a 1/8-inch bit, drill 0.5-inch-deep pilot holes at each mark. 4. Attaching the butcher block. 
• Reposition the butcher block on the cabinet. With the awl, align the holes in the cabinet roof with those in the block. • Slip flat washers onto six 3-inch No. 10 wood screws, and drive the screws part way into the block. When all the screws are in place, go back and tighten each one completely. • Remove the masking tape. Replace the shelves and re-hang the doors. |
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