under-counter storage bin

Here's a simple little mod but I thought someone might be interested.

I saw the Karin's (Towed Hall) under-counter storage baskets and I thought it was a great idea. I couldn't find the Sterilite (#1660) small stacking basket anywhere (now I see them all over the place for back-to-school) so went to the Container Store to get some. While I was there, I saw another Sterilite stacking bin (#1286) that I thought might work so I bought one of each. We ended up using the larger bin.

Tim made a couple of brackets to hold the basket - they're just 1/2" aluminum angle bar that he cut to size, drilled holes for the screws, and then sanded the corners smooth. The long bracket in the back needed to be wider so he put a 1/4" thick piece of wood behind the aluminum. 3/4" angle probably would have worked better, but he had 1/2".

So far, it works pretty good and it seems pretty stable. It's survived one campout, but we haven't taken it on any bumpy roads yet. Right now, I'm using it to hold fruits/veggies I don't want to put into the refrigerator, like apples and tomatoes.

As you can tell, I'm not much of a photographer!







http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProd...=Specifications&ProductCategory=261&section=1

http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProd...=Specifications&ProductCategory=192&section=1

 

Good job, nice fit and looks great. Only one basket to remove instead of two.

 

I like your under-counter storage solution and have ordered the baskets. Just wondering if I will need to get 1/2 inch AND 3/4 inch aluminum angled pieces or will two 3/4' brackets work? Four feet is the shortest length I can buy so I hate to have a bunch laying around after I'm done. Thanks

 

Hi Mike,

Tim actually used a piece of 1/16" X 1/2" X 3/4" (3 ft length). He drilled the holes (for the screws) into the 3/4" edge and then used the 1/2" edge for the support. I think if you used the 3/4" edge in the back (between the hinges) and the 1/2" edge in the front, it should work. He doesn't think 3/4" would work in the front because it's a scant 1/16" too wide. Otherwise, I would get the 1/2" angle and add a wooden block (in the back).

As you can see from the picture, the bin just clears the hinges and front face. Also note that the bin has a couple of little support fins next to the blue handles. The 1/2" edge clears those fins no problem - anything wider, and you would have to make sure that the front brackets are attached inside those fins.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for the info it does indeed help.

 

I hope you like the set up - it's pretty handy.

Tim's in the process of making a little wind block for our stove a-la Jerry & Tina using some of the left-over angle bar - might take the bite out of buying a whole 3' length.

http://www.campinnforum.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showgallery&Number=1716#comments

I'll post a picture and description once it's done - I think it's another little mod that would be do-able with some simple tools.