Movable shelf in cabin

We may be the only ones that didn't get the TV, but in case we weren't...I made this hinged shelf to provide a centered shelf for laptop movie viewing or our electric heater. The shelf can be placed on either of the two cabinet doors or on both edges to be in the center. It can be left folded for the heater or opened to provide a double wide shelf (for laptop (ipad next trip) :grin: ). It stores attached inside a cabinet door.

 

Karin, you seem to be quite the handywoman. Are you a professional cabinet maker by chance?

 

Karin is just one handy dandy daughter! That's why Towed Hall lives at her house so she can adjust as needed. You can also see in the picture the beginning of our collection of hiking stick badges from places we've been. yeah, her idea too!

 

Very nice! We too have no TV .
The middle shelf would be great for Scrabble games. etc.. We use travel board games that the tiles stick in, but this would be a great, simple improvement!
keep the great ideas coming!
Eileen

 

Karin,

Nice shelf. So far my laptop fits between the two open doors. Like you shelf idea.

Also on the Uff Da Inn, the top shelf is open, like yours. See that you found netting, will you please share your source, attachement info, and photos.

Jean

 

Jean,
I too have open shelves. while I'm not interested in using netting on the CI, I did something similar on the v-berth shelves in our sailboat.
Fo the boat i used Catamaran Trampoline fabric -very soft, strong and will not mildew/mold. I got the fabric and snaps from Sailrite -another GREAT little company http://www.sailrite.com/Trampoline-Mesh-Soft-White-63

I but a fabric band at the bottom and top and used metal snaps (that screw into wood and are hammered into fabric) to snap it in place.

I have a chunk of this tramp mesh in my fabric scrap box -may be enough to do the whole project. PM me with your address if you want me to send it to you (i'm trying to clear out stuff so you'd be doing me a favor : ) )

Eileen

 

Eileen,

Do you have a photo? I am a very visual person, so pictures speak.

Thanks,

Jean

 

More info- the shelf is atttached the same way whether it is attached on a single door or in the center. I used small latches (I think they are called Hasp Latches (but essentially a hinged flap goes over a fixed eye). We use small S-hook clasp to hold in place and use the other part of the s-hook to hold a cloth harness for the heater (so I wouldn't fear kicking off the shelf). I don't know if it would be comfortable for board games- we may just be short, but I think it would be too high for easy viewing!

 

Jean,
My boat is 55 miles away, so it may be a couple of weeks before I can get some pictures.
Eileen

 

Shelf in cabin

Has anyone gotten a fold down shelf installed here in the initial build or built one in themselves? Seems like it would be useful generally to put a little TV or laptop on if you don't have the TV option. I didn't get a TV since most of the time I'm in the boondocks, but I did want an antenna cable put in in case I wanted to bring one along.

 

Karin,

We didn't get the TV either and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how we were going to set up the laptop. Never thought about a shelf between the shelves or just putting the computer between the shelves... brilliant! I prefer to over think things. Thanks for the great idea.

Looks like you matched the stain pretty good, what brand and color did you use?

 

Jenn,
take a look at this.http://www.airdesks.com/cardesk.asp
I have the one for using by a chair or couch but think I might get this one if I ever retire and we can go on longer vacations in Suite Retreat. I love mine it is so flexible and when I first got it I thought I would be dumping my laptop if I was not care ful but I have been using it for 4 yrs I think and never had a spill - not even close to one.

 

That was another thought I had except I would run the bars/rods through brackets under the cabin so I won't have to drill holes in the face of them. Don't know if it's feasible, have to wait for our trailer to see what might work before I start talking about building things. Also thought about a pull out shelf too, but I don't think there's enough depth for a 9" shelf. I'll let you know if I come up with anything.

 

Look on Amazon.com at "Under Cabinet Cook Book Holder". I'm not sure if it comes out far enough to open the screen to a useable position but maybe it could be modified.

 

Jenn,

I got bored working on making the shed door bigger to get the trailer in, so I started playing around with a shelf idea. This is a prototype made out of some scrap plywood. Won't know if I'll go with it until I see how it plays out in the trailer, but I thought it would be an alternative to drilling holes in or attaching anything to the face of the cabinets.

I only need a 10 x 14 shelf, but I think you won't have any problem if you need to go bigger to accommodate your computer. The 3/8" shelf is butted against a 2x10 board that would represent the lower footwell cabinet. I would probably use 1/2" thick board when I make the actual shelf .

Currently these are the only two items I think I will need to place on the shelf and there is plenty of support for both.

The rods are 3/8" fiberglass about 18" long, I also tried 3/16" metal rods but they didn't provide the support I hoped for. I would have had to move the clamps right to the edge of the cabinet to keep it from drooping but I want to keep them as out of sight as I can. The metal clamps are left a little loose so you can slide the rods in and out for breakdown and setup. The screws that came with the brackets didn't pierce the top of the 3/8" shelf so they should be fine to use under the cabinet. I'm guessing CI uses at least 1/2" plywood there.

Not sure how much weight I put on here, but the shelf held up really well. The rods flexed a little but not enough to notice a separation at the cabinet face or make anything slide off. Sorry, didn't have any bricks lying around for this demo.

I know there are some master craftsmen out there that could refine my prototype... I would appreciate any feedback or ideas you might have.

aj

 

That is an interesting support idea. Our trailer is undercover for the winter, so I can't peak, so I'll just post. Could you get the same effect with drawer hardware- a pull-out shelf that just slides back to store?

In regards to the stain I used for the shelf, lucky leftovers (sorry, I know that wasn't useful).

 

Karin,

I initially looked at drawer hardware but all the slides I found would hang about 2-3" below the cabinet. I found some mini slides and thought I was on to something but they didn't extend out far enough to give me a 10" deep shelf. I'm looking at pencil drawer slides too, but haven't quite figured out if I can make them work. If you know of a source for hardware that hangs an inch or less under the cabinet let me know, I'd much rather have a clean, low profile, pull out shelf than one I have to break down and stow.

No biggy on the stain thing, when I hear from Cary regarding my ship date I'll ask about the stain they use.

 

Hi Jenn,

Didn't consider the overhang of the upper cabinet... one of those things when you don't have the trailer to work with. Don't know the depth of the lower cabinet either which I'll need to determine the type of shelf or support I want to use.

I think I'll just wait until I get the trailer so I'm not guessing about everything.

Good idea about the grill for the shelf, another thing I didn't think of.