under bed storage for Escape 19 - minimal woodworking skills
We recently purchased an Escape 19, first generation. It has the permanent bed and I wanted an under bed storage drawer. I learned a lot from the many posts. But I'm not a woodworker and have minimal tools. Here is what I did.
1. Went to Home depot and bought a sheet of 3/8 plywood. I felt 1/2 inch was too much/heavy. I had them do the cuts. I have a 2x4 bottom and 12 inch sides. Simple cuts all for free. Final drawer size - 4 feet long, 12 inches high, and 24 inches wide.
2. Assemble the sides using screws, glue and a cordless drill. Tools most of us would have.
3. The 19 footer has a raised section under the bed (2 3/4 inches higher than actual floor), but set back from the doors by 4 inches. Perfect. I used standard non swivel casters 2 1/2 inches high at the front under side of the drawer. These casters fit perfectly in this space and are a fraction of an inch above the floor. So the drawer doesn't roll. It actually sits on the raised platform.
4. I wasn't going to pay a few hundred dollars for the long drawer slides at Lee Valley and then deal with attaching them and lining them up and screwing into the floor - too much skill needed for me. SO, at Lee Valley I bought 2 side mount casters for $3.70 Canadian each. I mounted these near the rear of the drawer so less than a quarter inch of the wheel was below the drawer.*
5. In the front of the drawer, I cut out a hole for your hands to slightly raise and pull the drawer forward. It rolls great on the rear casters. Once its pulled out a bit the front casters touch the floor and it rolls on all 4 casters.Also the front castors will hit the 1 inch high strip of wood right behind the doors. So when i brake a bit hard it can only slide forward a bit before stopping. If i slam on the brakes hard the lip may not stop the drawer so I may add something else to act as a stopper - but thats for later.Here are a few pictures.
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