Preface: I have welded aluminum for decades and have done many boat interiors with just angles, bar and T shapes- all welded. So spending the (incredibly high) costs for these exotic extrusions seems pretty over the top to someone with a TIG torch and band saw or carbide blade miter saw? By simply cutting and fitting all the frames- then finding a TIG welder to do the joint work: I'd estimate the savings or 1000 to 3000% over the folks who use these 'platinum' priced extrusions! The stiffness of cabinets comes solely from the panels' attachments to one another- or the frame.. So framing elements that will be panel covered gain 0% from rigid extrusions as shown here.
Agreed. I have a bandsaw and tig torch. I may not know how to use the torch, but I sure as shit will learn, and I think there will also be the benefit of gaining more space in between the shelves and drawers simply due to the fact that that 8020 is so thick. LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!
Wow and wow! I am using 80/20 15 series for my van and this is BY FAR the best method, most clear and crafty video I’ve seen…and there’s only about 3 out there. Thank you for this video. You are my hero today.
you should use a top-open fridge or freezer, because every time you open a side-door fridge, it draws power for 10 min. Top-open fridge and freezers don't do that! Take look at Dometic!
My biggest gripe about top-open fridge is that everything is stacked on top of everything else, so you have to dig around to find what you want. But they are more energy efficient.
GREAT video! A lot of Van Life videos on RU-vid, but you showed what was missing in all of the others in detail. You certainly earned my subscription. Keep them coming.
This is great! I was looking for a way to make a lightweight galley and this looks like the perfect solution. I also noticed that you did something similar for your battery setup. Would you mind posting a short video or picture of what the battery area looks like? Are those 80/20 aluminum frames strong enough to hold 110 pounds of batteries? Thanks for sharing!
Thanks. We did build our mechanical boxes for plumbing and electrical out of 80/20. They are very strong. There are pics on our instagram feed: @our_thriving_life
@@OurThrivingLife Are those Blum slides still staying closed on the sharper turns? I am planning to use your guidance on this, but have the 1010 going across the top of each drawer, so I can install SLAM latches.
Hello and thank you for sharing your video. High quality work, thought out and carried out according to the rules of the art. Congratulations again, it's a really solid concept which is unlikely to move over time and easy to access in case of need for work or addition of cable passage or other necessary product. A little hello from the west coast of the Atlantic, very close to Nantes in Loire-Atlantique. Thank you so much. Jean-Marc.
Hi Jeff. Now that you’ve been building a few vans do you still recommend no horizontal 8020 pieces for the drawer slides? Just wondering how the cabinet slides are standing up over time and if the cabinet carcass is sturdy enough?
Jeff....your workmanship is inspiring!!!! Im making my wish-list of what's going into my van (which I'm hoping you and Lisa are going to build!!😊) using all of your videos!!!!
Another great informative video. Thank you! My sprinter arrives in a few weeks and I can’t wait to get started. Just curious… why did you attach the rear bracket to the p,wood instead of the 80/20?
The main reason is that it’s way easier to mount the brackets to the wood pieces, and then install those on the galley, rather than trying to work around the 8020 frame. Plus, I would have had to add 4 8020 cross members across the back to mount the brackets to. That would have meant 8 more 8920 corner brackets, and they’re about $4 each. Honestly, I’m tired of paying for those.
@@OurThrivingLife gotcha. Makes sense. Looking forward to seeing more of your build videos. I know building a van is a massive effort all on its own, so thank you for taking the time to shoot, edit, and upload these!
I'd tried putting pocket screws in 1/2" baltic birch ply using a clamp on Kreg jig but the screws poked out. How deep do you drill and what length screw do you use?
Hi thanks for the video in the description for draw slides when you go to amazon it shows 15 inch draw slides. Did you order 18 inch if so how did you change the size
The length of you slides depends on the depth of your cabinet. Blum recommends 3” shorter than cabinet depth, so for 21” cabinets I used 18” drawer slides. These slides have been tough to find lately, and prices on Amazon are pretty high. I’d check Rockler, Imeca, or cabinetdoorsandmore.com
Hi great video. I am planning on building using T-Slot aluminum and Baltic Birch drawers, pretty much exactly as you did. I want to install Slam Latches with the drawer face on the outside of the framing. I need to install good latches. I cant tell how you were going finish out your drawers. were you going to install aluminum cross bars above each drawer front to allow for the installation of latches? Any advice?
Sorry, I should have read "all" of the posts here first. Any update after two years of driving. Are your drawers still staying closed without any latches?
We ended up putting bars across the top of each drawer. Slam latches work, but I’ve found them to be extremely temperamental. We now use 90 Lb magnetic latches. We have a video on the channel going over different latches.
Good question. It’s kind of a pain to do a toe kick with 8020. It’s doable, but just requires more parts. Most people who do 8020 galley units don’t do a toe kick. This galley is only 21” deep, so it does take up much space.
