Interior cabinetry face lift

[Twoxentrix]

I like the concept - we use neoprene wine bottle sleeves for each of the bottles, and they also work great for liquor bottles. The Benifits is you don’t need to remove them until the bottle is empty. Use them mostly when we are down by a river, protects the bottle when we place it in the water between a couple rocks (Chardonnay).
https://www.amazon.com/Carrier-Neopr...ne+wine&sr=8-9

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by BrianW

^^ Smart use of space! Consider gluing felt in the bottle slots for sound dampening and a bit of cushioning for the bottles. Also maybe put a piece of dense foam to cushion the bottom of the bottles.

That's a good idea and incorporated into the rack (as of an hour ago)... Just used some extra tool box liner material.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

I like the concept - we use neoprene wine bottle sleeves for each of the bottles, and they also work great for liquor bottles. The Benifits is you don’t need to remove them until the bottle is empty. Use them mostly when we are down by a river, protects the bottle when we place it in the water between a couple rocks (Chardonnay).
https://www.amazon.com/Carrier-Neopr...ne+wine&sr=8-9

Now that you posted that link, I remember seeing those sleeves from an earlier post of yours? (when I was looking for a solution on the forum). I like that idea and those in conjunction with a slightly larger cubby would expand the range of containers that could be carried with no rattle... Wine rack version 2.0!

[86Scotty]

Excellent upgrades and nice woodwork!

[Steve C]

Time for a new door pantry...???

I really wanted to copy someone else's plans on a door pantry, but just couldn't find anything that would work for me. My SMB pantry had seen better days and I didn't want that to be the first thing I saw every time I returned to my van. In planning, I wanted to keep it as relatively simple and lightweight as I could. I also wanted to maximize strength and aesthetic appeal (again in the eye of the beholder). I was concerned about hanging a lot of weight off the van door, so decided to keep the dimensions close to the original by SMB and didn't want to complicate things by adding extra folding extensions from it. However, I do completely understand why those features are desirable...

There are infinite ways to make a door pantry and mine is but one...

My old SMB pantry

[Steve C]

I decided to utilize a frame and panel construction for this project. I thought this style would add a little more visual appeal as opposed to a slab style (where the sides would have been a solid piece of wood). Of coarse with the right piece of wood a solid side would be cool...

First thing I did was select a relatively rustic (complete with a few worm holes) board from my selection of hickory - this board was mostly sap wood and therefore lighter in weight than typical hickory. I planed down the wood to a uniform 3/4" thickness and ripped it into a series of strips to be used for my panel frames. It was important to me to make sure I had enough of this particular board so that all the frames in the pantry would match.

The next step was to cut each one to length and make sure that they would visually match with their neighbor.

I then utilized my router table with a set of style and rail router bits to make a profile and a groove to receive each insert panel.

Then a test fit to make sure I didn't mess anything up. Once I was assured that everything would fit, I selected a board in a contrasting shade and placed it under the panel to identify exactly where it was going to sit when completed. I find that using a single board and matching the grain from one panel to the next adds a nice touch.

The next step involved cutting the four panels to size. Actually about 1/8" undersized to allow for proper expansion and shrinkage due to seasonal humidity changes. After sizing, I planed them down to approximately 1/2" in hight. I kept mine thicker than needed to increase the strength on the side panels, otherwise you could size them to fit exactly in the groove cut by the style cutting router bit. By leaving them thicker, I also had to cut out a rabbit along the underside to allow them to fit in the frame groves.

Then it was on to assembly. I installed some 1/4" foam backer rod in each grove so the panels wouldn't rattle added glue and a bunch of clamps.

[Steve C]

With the sides gluing I moved on to the face frame (front of cabinet). First I cut a dado in the stile (vertical strip) which will go over the cabinet sides. This feature will greatly add to the overall strength and insure that the sides are exactly parallel to each other. You can cut these dados after the frame is assembled, but that scares me since I use screws and I don't want to take the chance of running expensive blades into them. The dado is 1/4" deep and 3/4" wide set 1/4" in from the outside edge.

I choose to use pocket holes to assemble the rails (horizontal strips) to each of the stiles. Kreg makes an affordable jig that makes this supper easy to do. I drilled two pocket holes on the backside at each end of the rails (a later picture will show this).

Then I applied a little glue to each end and screwed it together.

[Steve C]

Then on to the overall carcass assembly...

The first thing I did was to cut two dados on the inside of each of the cabinet sides. These are sized to accept my 1/2" plywood shelves and were set 1/4" deep.

I also cut to width and height the mounting cleat that will hold the back of the lower portion of the cabinet together (along with the plywood shelf). This cleat is only 1/2" thick to assure I would have clearance between the cleat and the filled in wheel well of the van. This will be used to bolt the cabinet to the van's door. I also ran a dado in this cleat to wrap around the back of the lower shelf. This will give the mounting point more overall strength.

I drilled three pocket holes on the bottom of each forward edge of the shelves. These will be out of site and will be used to further strengthen the cabinet by screwing to the backside of the face frame.

Forth picture shows how the bottom cleat will wrap around the lower shelf. Notice that the cleat is 1/4" shorter than the shelf on each end. This is because 1/4" of the shelf will be inset into the dado on the cabinet side.

The next picture shows how the cabinet sides, shelves and face frame all go together. In the end product, that bottom shelf receives pocket holes on the forward edge.

Before the final glue up, painter's tape was applied adjacent to the dados (to prevent squeeze out from getting on adjoining wood surfaces. I applied ample glue to all the dados and clamped everything together.

Last picture shows how I attached the upper mounting cleat to the inside of the cabinet. Again, I used two pocket holes facing towards to van's door. Before screwing the cleat to the cabinet sides I pre drill with a 1/8" drill bit to make sure none of the wood splits.

[Steve C]

Then on to the cabinet doors...

For my cabinet doors I wanted a slim profile without sacrificing a substantial feel. So I decided to go with a partial inset overlay style. This allows some of the door to be recessed into the cabinet and some to overlay the outside of the face frame. I choose to go with a 3/8" inset and a 3/8" (I think) overlay. Taking out the additional wood from the rabbit also saved a little weight.

Both doors were constructed in the exact same manner as the cabinet sides. The only difference is that they each only have one panel and no center divider.

I used a rabbiting bit in my router table to create a rabbit along the inside of each door.

The third picture shows both how the door will fit within the cabinet and also the round over profile I used on the face frame edge.

I also wanted to try utilizing magnets as a latching system (thought it sounded cool). Here is my test door mounted on the side of my garage. I used this set up to figure out how many magnets would be required for a stout connection that would never open on its own, and still be relatively light... I utilized some rare earth magnets that were 1/4" diameter by 1/4" high. By using one on the door and one on the face frame it roughly doubles the strength? I found out that three (six) along the front edge gave me the desirable resistance I wanted.

I used a forstner bit to drill holes in both surfaces. On the face frame, I positioned the magnet so it would be a tiny bit proud of the surface. On the doors themselves, I left them a little more proud so the door gap would be the same all around the front (The hinges leave a gap at the bottom by design, and I had to match this with the magnet placement).

The magnets were carefully marked for polarity with a marker. While researching this I read stories of people gluing them in so they would repel instead of attract. I them glued them in using a 5 minute epoxy. Note: they stick best if lightly sanded on the sides and bottom before installation.

[Steve C]

The new pantry was installed over the original SMB door cut out with no modifications. I used two bolts on both the top and bottom mounting cleats and added the press on SMB black caps for the lower visible bolt heads.

I copied the SMB style coated wire rope door retainers as they are light, durable and handy.

In the end, this pantry was 2 lbs. heavier than the original SMB product.