Rear Drawer Set-up

[deeker]

I thought it would be nice to have a bunch of my gear in a drawer system instead of in Action Packer-type Rubbermaid bins. The idea being that I could easily remove the set-up, but still have some flat surface to use on a regular, day-to-day basis. I figured I could try to build something out of scrap plywood and see where it went from there.

My dad is a hobby woodworker, I'm just good enough to be dangerous, so between the two of us this is what we threw together in a couple of hours and then took a few minutes the next day to paint and glue on the matting and fasten hardware.

We used scrap maple 3/4" plywood throughout. No drawer hardware like slides or tracks were used, just friction fit and arm strength to pull the drawers out. I picked up some recessed handles / tie-downs from Princess Auto, as well as some small D-rings. I stole some rubber matting off his shop floor for a no-slip surface to strap stuff down to on the top of the drawers. There are 98 1-1/2" screws and carpenter's glue holding the box and drawers together. There are 6 D-rings on top to strap down other gear. The size is 34"w x 28"d x 7"h. There is nothing to keep the drawers secured shut other than the back door and the weight of the contents. I could probably be on a steep incline before worrying about the drawers sliding open when I open the door.

Real craftsmen will be appalled at the outcome. Sorry. This was essentially Version 1.0 - protoyping the design and function of the system. I might keep it, or sell it, or burn it to destroy all evidence! I will entertain all comments and questions. I'm not going to change what you don't like, although I may use your ideas if I build a Version 2.0!

The pictures...

[Jayman]

Lol, like any of us are "real craftsmen"!

I think that looks awesome! I've always been tempted to do something like this in the back of the X, but never got around actually trying anything. That, and I've already dropped a bunch of coin on action packers, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to step up to something permanent like that.

Don't sell yourself short though, looks great!

[deeker]

The box is not permanent. I have to pull out the drawers and then lift out the box. I don't know the exact weight of the whole set-up when loaded. When the box is in the back it is strapped in place to keep it from moving around to four points on the floor of the storage space.

[Miner]

Looks much better then any of my "projects".

2.0 comment - what can you do to reduce unloaded weight?

[the x kid]

Good job. As long as it works. Could use some yellow accents.

[Snafu]

Very nice!

[CruiserRomey]

nice derek! i bet that's more than good enough. i'm still on version 1.0 and still okay with it, but have ideas on what to do next (baby seat teather points kinda screwed things up, lol).
to save weight, i've seen lots of guys cut round cheese holes out of some areas, keeping in mind the structural integrity of things. if you line the bottom of the drawers with some carpet (same one used for car audio boxes)/even just 2 channels or strips along the length, that might help with smoother sliding against the wood, but no biggy i'm sure. looks stout and rugged enough for jeep action!

with regards to unloaded weight, if one wanted to make one from scratch, you could work around an existing bin from canadian tire/wallmart that'll act as your storage drawer (i'm certain one of those is lighter than an equivalent sized wood drawer). at least it has it's own lid and you can slide in out and store away.

[Bow_Tied]

Great project!

I have never tackled this due to the child seat tether thing. How'd you solve that Romey?

Derek, did you start your planning around the amount of gear you have, specific bins for specific gear, or just start building based on the rough overall size you wanted?

[JAS]

Nice job on the project!

I am not sure if you want the drawers to slide easier or not as I don’t believe that there is anything other than friction holding them shut. If you do want a smoother action without going to slides you may want to apply wax to the friction surfaces of both the cabinet and the drawer. I use Minwax paste finishing wax around the shop over bare plywood which allows jigs to slide easier, but also to recondition my table saw and jointer every now and then. It is amazing what this stuff will do to help friction. I am sure that automotive wax would also have good results but I have never tried it on wood.

[CruiserRomey]

understood jas, but i'm not talking silky smooth sliding, just less resistance. and you can easily add a lock or stopper anyway, same way for those who use actual sliders with bearings (but, not that it has much to move out on to). but great idea on the wax! what's more important is that it's bolted or strapped to the floor incase of a rollover, which it already is. mine's made right to the edge of the the door, so when the (clamshell style) doors are shut, nothing is getting/slidding out.

ron, i had to take the sleep deck out, lol. the teather point is just behind the seat, so what i'd do next is cut that section out alltogether, or build a shorter box to accomodate, then that area can act as a little storage pocket for anything.

[Bow_Tied]

ron, i had to take the sleep deck out, lol. the teather point is just behind the seat, so what i'd do next is cut that section out alltogether, or build a shorter box to accomodate, then that area can act as a little storage pocket for anything.

[deeker]

Some replies to comments...

JAS, just friction - and the back tailgate - hold things shut right now. Not too much that I can't slide a drawer out, but they stay put for the most part. If need be, I'll drill a hole and drop a draw bolt or something in there to lock the drawers in place. I thought about wax but was trying it without first. Seems to be okay. The wood is pretty smooth too, so that helps. Also, I slightly radiused the corners of the drawers with a hand sander so there are no sharp edges to drag.

Ron, I just designed it to fit between the tie down points on the floor, then made the most out of the space available. Things fit in pretty well in the drawers. I thought about dividers, but stuff doesn't move around too much. If I pack it tight nothing will shift at all! As for the child seat latches, I have about 7"- 8" of space between the back of the box and the back of the seat. Lots of space for the top strap on a kid's seat. More good luck than good management there!!

Romey, not too concerned about the weight. I could cut almost all of the bottom panel out without affecting the structural integrity too much. That would shed a couple pounds. I'm still fit enough to wrangle it into place. Might be 25lbs without drawers. Loaded, maybe 85lbs???

x kid, NO MORE YELLOW!! Too much of a School Bus or Public Utilities service vehicle look to it. I'm not the biggest fan of the colour but my wife loved it. She drives it most of the time so she wins. Heck, she would win regardless, even if she never drove it. Most of us should be able to understand that.

[CruiserRomey]

cool dude. yeah, i'm not worried about weight either, mine (b/w 70 and 90 lbs) definitely weighs more than yours and it's never been an issue. i'm sure yours will serve it's purpose for years to come.