Free up the double sliding pail cabinet

[Flyn2high]

Here is a cool mod that will free up a lot of space. In my Solitude 310GK there is a huge cabinet to the right of the stove and oven with two small trash pails. I ended up installing a larger sliding pail in the island behind the door below the small sink. That freed up a huge space where the trash pails were.

The setup I got needs a little modification as it is too tall by 1 1/4” and will not clear the small sink drain.

Here is a link to the sliding pail I used at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002XD08Y..._wdg_tit_nw_mr

I actually got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond which was listed for the same price but I was able to use a 20% off coupon. It wasn’t stocked in out local store so they shipped it to me.

[Flyn2high]

Making the pail shorter actually wasn’t that difficult. I made it 1 3/4” shorter to give a 1/2” clearance to the drain pipe.

I cut the four legs with a hacksaw and overlapped each by 1 3/4”. Then clamping them together I drilled two holes and used two screws and nuts to secure each leg (see photo).

The pail needs to be shorted also. I marked a line about 4” up from the bottom and cut the bottom off. Then I took the cut bottom and put it inside the pail It is tapered and you can push it down so it is 1 3/4” shorter. We have the same pail in our home and I actually calculated how much shorter it would be based on the wall thickness and the angle of the taper.

I plastic glue to secure on the inside (see photo of the outside bottom of the pail and a shot looking inside.

You need 1/2” spacer on the bottom of the cabinet so that the slides clear the lower cabinet frame. I cut 2 pieces of 13.5” x 2’ x 1/2” thick plywood. I glued and screwed them to the cabinet floor and then screwed the sliding frame to them. It is much easier if you release the slides and disconnect the lower half of the frame.

With regards to the cabinet. I spent the most time to remove the shelf. It actually is not that difficult but I did not know how it was attached. The easy way is to use a block of wood and tap the shelf up from the bottom. It is fastened with tiny staples that come up easily. Once the shelf is removed you need to remove the middle cabinet horizontal frame. There is a 3/4” square piece behind it that is stapled on. Pry it off and you can remove 4 screws that are on the rear of the frame.

I will be making 2 big heavy duty drawers in the cabinet that originally had the pails. The front door will be hinged like the cabinet on the left side of the stove. I am using 3/8” thick birch plywood for the drawers. I will start that tomorrow.

[Flyn2high]

With regards to the material for the drawers we have a specialty plywood dealer nearby. I purchased a 4’ x 8’ sheet of birch cabinet grade plywood that is 3/8” thick. I purchased two pairs of slides at my neighborhood Lowes. They are 20” long with full travel. This is a few inches longer than the original double pail slide.

The special hinges are available from Amazon. Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After assembling the drawers I sanded it down with 150 grit and then 200 grit paper. I gave them two coats of Minwax Semigloss clear Polyurethane while sanding between coats. One trick I learned to get a nice smooth finish is to use use a tack cloth just before painting.

Attached are a few photos.





Tomorrow I will work on installing the door.

[Flyn2high]

I used a 1 3/8” forster bit to make the large bind hole for the hinges on the back of the door.. The door installed on the cabinet easily. I used the old latches and added a small cushion to the edge of the door opposite the hinge.

When I installed the top drawer I saw where I screwed up. I assumed that when the door opened it would be clear of drawer on the hinge side. The hinges pull the door away from the cabinet when it opens but the right side moves to the left about 3/4” The slide and the edge of the drawer hit the door by about 1/4”

Had I known that I would have made the drawer narrower. I came up with a fix to salvage my drawers. I took off 3/8” from the right side of the front face plate on both drawers to clear the door. I also mounted the slide under the drawer so that it cleared. I will plug the old handle holes on the door with putty next time I’m at Lowes.

See photos.

[Roll With The Changes]

That was my original plan, but the backwards slide idea just came to me and it made the job much easier.

Nicely done!

[Flyn2high]

That was clever. I didnt think of that.