[bryansong]

My family draws names for Christmas and this year I managed to get my wife. I have chosen to build her a pantry pull out and would appreciate any advise you have to offer.

It has to go between the refrigerator and the wall (about 16") and as tall as the refrigerator. I want the cabinet to be as deep as the refrigerator as well.

I've been looking at track that would be strong enough and came across one that's floor mount and it has a track at the top middle. This seems to be the most heavy duty but it is an expensive way to go.

I've also seen one where there is a track at the center top and one on each side at the bottom but those slides are only rated at 130 pounds.


Any advise?

Bryan

 

[Stick486]

150# plus filing cabinet drawer side mount glides top bottom and perhaps center...
these types can be had to 300#....
http://www.cabinetmakerssupply.com/ball_bearing_full_extension_cabinet_supply_660_ctg.htm

 

[bryansong]

150# plus filing cabinet drawer side mount glides top bottom and perhaps center...
these types can be had to 300#....
Ball Bearing, Full extension - Cabinet Drawer Slides - Cabinet Drawer Slides & Specialty Slides

Thank you.

 

[MT Stringer]

@bryansong - Have you searched HOUZZ for ideas. Some of their ideas are tagged with the source info.

 

[bryansong]

@bryansong - Have you searched HOUZZ for ideas. Some of their ideas are tagged with the source info.

No Mike I haven't, I'm not familiar with that site. I'll look at it.

Thanks!

 

[DesertRatTom]

She'll love it. Make those drawers out of some heavy duty stock, it is very easy to load up a shelf with canned goods weighing a lot. We use the pantry a lot. Only thing I'd change is having a couple of shelves closer together. Smaller stuff can go there.

The brackets should be self closing so you don't wreck the doors by banging them into still open drawers all the time.

If the pantry is next to the refrigerator, make provision for the door to hit a felt pad instead of the metal. My refer is black, so I put the black pads on the edge of the referigerator door, top and bottom so the pantry door stiles land on them. The pads are all but invisible.

 

[bryansong]

She'll love it. Make those drawers out of some heavy duty stock, it is very easy to load up a shelf with canned goods weighing a lot. We use the pantry a lot. Only thing I'd change is having a couple of shelves closer together. Smaller stuff can go there.

The brackets should be self closing so you don't wreck the doors by banging them into still open drawers all the time.

If the pantry is next to the refrigerator, make provision for the door to hit a felt pad instead of the metal. My refer is black, so I put the black pads on the edge of the referigerator door, top and bottom so the pantry door stiles land on them. The pads are all but invisible.

Good ideas Tom, the planning is underway.

 

[DonkeyHody]

Brian,
I spent literally years pondering over my pantry pull-outs before I ever even started drawing them up. I'm an engineer, and sort of OCD to boot. Here are my recommendations:

1. Make a bottom unit and a top unit to cut down on the weight of each drawer and increase flexibility. No need to pull out a massive 7 foot tall drawer when you could pull out a 3 foot tall drawer instead.

2. Use standard full-extension heavy-duty drawer slides instead of something built specially for pull-outs. They're less expensive, will carry the weight, and if one ever fails, easy to find a replacement. I used a pair of slides for each drawer; it's really just a tall drawer.

3. Install nylon guide wheels inside the top of the face frame to limit the side-to-side movement of the top of the drawer. It won't turn over anyway, but the guide wheels just take out the "tippyness" of the tall narrow drawer.

4. Make shelves adjustable. Sooner or later, you'll want to change something.

 

[DonkeyHody]

Oh yes, I forgot: I made drawer fronts for the drawers instead of hiding them behind a door. Why open a door so you can pull out a drawer? If the drawer closest to the hinge isn't quite all the way in when you close the door, you'll rack the hinges.

 

[bryansong]

Brian,
I spent literally years pondering over my pantry pull-outs before I ever even started drawing them up. I'm an engineer, and sort of OCD to boot. Here are my recommendations:

1. Make a bottom unit and a top unit to cut down on the weight of each drawer and increase flexibility. No need to pull out a massive 7 foot tall drawer when you could pull out a 3 foot tall drawer instead.

2. Use standard full-extension heavy-duty drawer slides instead of something built specially for pull-outs. They're less expensive, will carry the weight, and if one ever fails, easy to find a replacement. I used a pair of slides for each drawer; it's really just a tall drawer.

3. Install nylon guide wheels inside the top of the face frame to limit the side-to-side movement of the top of the drawer. It won't turn over anyway, but the guide wheels just take out the "tippyness" of the tall narrow drawer.

4. Make shelves adjustable. Sooner or later, you'll want to change something.

Andy, thanks for that advise on the two pull out solution and the adjustable shelves. I want to make this a tall cabinet but I've been sitting here tonight running this over and over in my mind and couldn't decide on a one or two pull outs. I'm still not sure but you've definitely given me more to think about.

This thing is going to be about 30" deep so I'm kind of worried about the rigidity of having adjustable shelving. I think putting upright side rails to each shelf is a must and should stop the shelf from bowing or sagging.

What do you think?

Bryan

 

[MT Stringer]

Here is some reading for ya.
Search results for: 'pantry pull out'

Rev-A-Shelf makes some pullouts. Scroll through a couple of the pages and the rev-a-shelf stuff will appear.

 

[DonkeyHody]

Brian, If my pull-outs were as deep as yours, I think I'd use a center support for the shelves. Adds a lot of flexibility.

Here's a quick sketch-up of what I'm talking about.

 

[bryansong]

Here is some reading for ya.
Search results for: 'pantry pull out'

Rev-A-Shelf makes some pullouts. Scroll through a couple of the pages and the rev-a-shelf stuff will appear.

Wow Mike those are beautiful. Do you think the shelves are Baltic Birch or Maple. I mean the wide up and down pieces.

Bryan

 

[bryansong]

Brian, If my pull-outs were as deep as yours, I think I'd use a center support for the shelves. Adds a lot of flexibility.

Here's a quick sketch-up of what I'm talking about.

Andy, that is an excellent idea and that's what I'm going to do. That solves the sagging worry but now I need to find a jig to drill the holes for the adjustable shelves. I was looking at one at Rockler yesterday but that's the only one I've looked at so I'm open to input from anyone with suggestions for other jigs. I'll look today at what's out there.

Great suggestions, thank you.

 

[DonkeyHody]

I used metal shelf standards and clips like these, only brown.

https://www.amazon.com/Knape-Vogt-S...id=1509022923&sr=8-8&keywords=shelf+standards

I didn't cut dados for the standards, just mounted them on the surface of the uprights with screws instead of nails. I cut notches in each shelf to fit around the standard. Now the shelf won't slide side-to-side.

Another reason to use drawer fronts instead of a door to hide the pull-outs is that when you open the door, it blocks access to one side of the pull-out. Make the two pull-outs of different widths so you'll have room on one for the wide stuff.

 

[bryansong]

Andy,

I think I would rather go the shelf pin route.

 

[Stick486]

Andy,

I think I would rather go the shelf pin route.

a loaded shelf and a moving cabinet quite often don't go together well...
be safe.. use the standards...

 

[bryansong]

a loaded shelf and a moving cabinet quite often don't go together well...
be safe.. use the standards...

What!!!

I don't have a dado stack set for my table saw, just as I don't have a shelf Pin Jig.

 

[bryansong]

I used metal shelf standards and clips like these, only brown.

https://www.amazon.com/Knape-Vogt-S...id=1509022923&sr=8-8&keywords=shelf+standards

"I didn't cut dados for the standards, just mounted them on the surface of the uprights with screws instead of nails. I cut notches in each shelf to fit around the standard. Now the shelf won't slide side-to-side. "



I didn't read this right the first time through, you didn't use dados.

I like this idea and between this tread and the Pin thread it looks like other comments are good for going this way.

 

[MT Stringer]

You can buy shelf pins that have holes in the support piece so you can screw it to the shelf.
https://www.amazon.com/Rok-Hardware...qid=1509032784&sr=8-8&keywords=shelf+pins+1/4

Also, I use the Kreg shelf pin drilling jig. Easy to use and pretty versatile. I have drilled a lot of holes with the jig. Actually, I have two of them attached together (with supplied connector) to make it easy to drill holes in cabinets sides. I know there are a lot of shop built jigs that folks make and use, but this jig works well for me.
https://www.amazon.com/KREG-KMA3200...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=P0WP76Y0JBGMX1NC59J8