I’m starting to build a slide kitchen and was going to go off of some YouTubers’ recommendations and use 3/4” plywood. I’m afraid though that it will make it too heavy so wanted to get some benchmarks from what people here have done. FWIW I have a Tacoma with upgraded leaf pack and shocks.
Kitchen slide builds - how heavy is too heavy?
- Thread starter Mayorcesar
- Start date
Enthusiast I
I have a 2020 4Runner. I built drawers for the back. I used a combo of 3/4 and 1/2 inch plywood. I used 3/4 for the exterior frame and 1/2 for the dividers and drawers. It is heavy but it’s sturdy for the trails. I have rebuilt it 3 times and love the final version. It’s a learning process to get to what you want.
it depends on several things, like how far is the span and how much weight will it hold. i built 6' drawers and used 3/4 because that is a long span and it will be holding a lot of weight. a kitchen slide will be shorter...say maybe 24-30". you can easily use 1/2 and be fine. it also depends on how you fasten the pieces together...i prefer to screw the sides of the drawer into the bottom piece so the screws are being pulled perpendicular versus screwing the bottom of the drawer to the bottom of the side pieces where the screw is being pulled on its threads all the time. proper fasteners and joints will be more important than a thicker board being used wrong. i'd also follow up fasteners with gorilla polyurethane glue. extremely durable..
but yeah, 1/2 will be plenty good. one thing i did was to use t-nuts on the drawer frame so i can take it apart easily and store the frame in the drawer if i ever needed to remove it for the space
but yeah, 1/2 will be plenty good. one thing i did was to use t-nuts on the drawer frame so i can take it apart easily and store the frame in the drawer if i ever needed to remove it for the space
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Thanks! I was planning on doing a 65” drawer. If my calculations from sketchup work out for the slide and the case I land at 160lbs empty. How much does your’s weigh?
oh wow, you are going big! ok, thought you were doing a shorter drawer. well, then yeah...i'd opt for 3/4 then. i'm not sure how heavy mine are. the 6' slides probably weigh 40# for a pair. i made two separate drawers because of the weight and i want to be able to remove them myself, so two separate drawers made sense. i load my with tools all the time and just keep the drawers in all the time. i lose a little cargo space, but with the cap i still have a LOT of space to load stuff on top of the drawer. one thing to note, i've had my drawer system about 4 years and everything i put on the top of the boxes for protection just came off. i used expoy and even glued down VCT thinking it would be durable and last. i finally just sanded the top of the drawers really well and fiberglassed the top. THAT was the best idea i had on the entire build
Yeah the 60” slides I have are 30lbs. The drawer I want to be a combo of kitchen and storage which calculates out to 60lbs and the case it goes into is another 60lbs. I was thinking 3/4” for everything is necessary because of how long it will be. But now I’m afraid my poor tacoma won’t be able to take the weight.
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yeah, i get what youre saying and im pretty sure i stay overloaded in my tundra...guess you can trim a few pounds elsewhere and see how it goes. the toyotas are very durable and if i had to push a weight limit, it would be with a toyota
Enthusiast I
I built a 48" slide (full extension) and used 1/2" plywood. It has been more than sturdy enough with no bend or bowing. If you're going that long (65") with your drawer, I would consider using 1"x1" or 1"x2" long [real] wood strips at the seam/joint between sides and bottom (glued and screwed)...if you choose 1/2" ply
@Mayorcesar, how is your progress coming?
im doing a big slide out storage box under our bed and i'm going with 36" slides and 3/4" plywood.
since i have been ripping so much plywood lately, i bought a track saw. that definitely helps keep a long cut straight...using an 8' straight edge clamped on the ends bows in the middle when i'm pushing in tight against the straightedge.
post some pics if you have them
im doing a big slide out storage box under our bed and i'm going with 36" slides and 3/4" plywood.
since i have been ripping so much plywood lately, i bought a track saw. that definitely helps keep a long cut straight...using an 8' straight edge clamped on the ends bows in the middle when i'm pushing in tight against the straightedge.
post some pics if you have them
We are 225lbs. over our GVW with a full tank of gas...and that's with no water and using plastic boxes to organize our gear for long term travel. Additional weight is not an option.
Seems Grubworm has sent us a pretty sweet setup...although drawer height has been sacrificed in lieu of mattress thickness. Thinner foam and taller drawers would've been lighter and stronger. But definitely looks pro!
Mattress deck could be fabricated from a urethane foam construction board, sandwiched with 1/8" plywood using a polyurethane adhesive. I'd go with 1/4" drawer bottoms and stay with the previously mentioned 1/2" drawer sides. Box bottom should be somewhat skeletal.
It's quite amazing how much weight you can save if you approach it like a race car/boat.
Just my $0.02
Seems Grubworm has sent us a pretty sweet setup...although drawer height has been sacrificed in lieu of mattress thickness. Thinner foam and taller drawers would've been lighter and stronger. But definitely looks pro!
Mattress deck could be fabricated from a urethane foam construction board, sandwiched with 1/8" plywood using a polyurethane adhesive. I'd go with 1/4" drawer bottoms and stay with the previously mentioned 1/2" drawer sides. Box bottom should be somewhat skeletal.
It's quite amazing how much weight you can save if you approach it like a race car/boat.
Just my $0.02
that is surprisingly strong. brother-in-law bought an R-pod camp trailer a couple years ago and had a problem in the bathroom and had to drill a hole in the floor. the floor of the entire trailer was foamboard with 1/8" plywood glued on the inside and a very thin sheet metal glued to the outside. i have also seen videos where people were building out the interior of a van using that method. definitely a lot lighter and apparently pretty strong.
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Loanrangie
Rank II
Enthusiast III
3/4" might be a bit heavy, i didn't make this but its a commercially made product and i think its 12mm plywood, even fully loaded i can lift it in and out of the back.
It has adjustable legs that fold underneath so can be used away from a vehicle.
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It has adjustable legs that fold underneath so can be used away from a vehicle.
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Totally agree...3/4" is wayyyy too thick. Even for 6' slides...although drawers could use a couple of 1/4" dividers to keep the sides parallel. And why not consider the availability of a good marine grade plywood. Usually has more veneers per thickness and just looks better once you get some finish on it.
Oh ya...I'd start entertaining hardwood runners and a healthy dose of bar soap if drawer slides were 40lbs.
...but what do I know about organizing ;-)
Oh ya...I'd start entertaining hardwood runners and a healthy dose of bar soap if drawer slides were 40lbs.
...but what do I know about organizing ;-)
i think thats pretty smart having a helmet back there to put on when looking for stuff...that way when the pile falls on you, your head is protected
haha...couldnt resist!
that is how i used to roll, id rather pack totes and work out of totes, but the wife wants drawers and since she does most of the packing and getting things, i just build to her specs. i suck organizing. i dont know how many times we're out and about and i'm looking for a battery charger or some piece of gear i cant find only to get home and unpack and find it buried under something. or how many times i cant find something, like a coffee grinder, so i buy one out on the road and then find it buried under a raincoat days later and now i have two. i have a LOT of duplicates due to bad organization...
@grubworm My solution to organization is to have two boxes, one for the stuff I use and one for the stuff I don't (or hope I won't) use. The stuff I use goes on the top, the stuff I don't use goes on the bottom. I never use any of it, so that works out pretty well!
In all seriousness... "how heavy is too heavy" depends on the vehicle's GVWR, and how much of it you want to use carrying stuff around constantly. Essentially, the lighter you can keep it, the better, because that means less strain on your vehicle's engine, drivetrain, suspension, and frame. Lighter is always better when you're building permanent structures.
In all seriousness... "how heavy is too heavy" depends on the vehicle's GVWR, and how much of it you want to use carrying stuff around constantly. Essentially, the lighter you can keep it, the better, because that means less strain on your vehicle's engine, drivetrain, suspension, and frame. Lighter is always better when you're building permanent structures.
Yes Mr. Dobbs...I seldom see any reference to GVW. Every time we hit a toll road our weight is displayed...very helpful. Just completed a 5 month adventure with 3 months at high altitude. Vehicle was struggling at times fully loaded...thinkin' it's time for something bigger.
