In this video, I’m finally organising my main van drawer, which houses all my essential day trip items, by making draw dividers to create segmented compartments , as it’s become a total mess!
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0:00 - Intro & the existing drawer
0:55 - What I keep in the drawer
1:32 - Cardboard layout
2:37 - Creating the wood drawer dividers
5:57 - Installing the drawer dividers
6:42 - Putting the drawer back in the van
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If you’ve watched my bed and bed storage videos in this van build series, then you’ll have seen that I’ve built a pretty hefty drawer underneath the far end of my 3 section pullout bench/bed. It’s made out of scraps of good quality plywood, rests on two push-to-open sliders and has a peg that holds it in place.
I built the drawer knowing I would need clever van storage, and I’ve found the drawer particularly handy for day trips. If we want to make lunch or coffee in the van, then you can sit 2 people on the bench and still have access to the draw, making it very practical for holding everything needed for day-to-day use. Hopefully this video might give other vanlifers some van storage ideas!
This is what I keep in the drawer: a folding toaster, 2 gas canisters, 2 saucepans with lids, 2 heat proof mats, a chopping board, an Aeropress coffee maker and coffee, two tins of soup, bin bags, kitchen roll, a kettle and cutlery.
I cut a load of scrap cardboard to fit the drawer length or width and now it was just a case of trying to fit everything in the drawer, in the most logical and organised way possible. With everything roughly laid in, I got the cardboard and started dividing each item up to find a layout that worked.
I sourced a full sheet of hardboard and rough cut it into 18 centimetre strips with the circular saw. This depth will allow the pieces to sit comfortably below the top of the drawer. I went for hardboard because it is cheap and light, so won’t add too much weight - or cost - to my van build. I had way more board than I needed, but that took a bit of the pressure off getting it right the first time.
After the wood was cut, I sanded the edges to smooth them down. Having finalised my layout with the cardboard templates, I drew up a view from above so I knew what was going where, and then drew all of the pieces out with their measurements and cuts , so I could refer to them as I worked. I was cautious with my first few cuts but soon sped things up by using a square against the edge of the circular saw.
Once I had a couple of pieces made, I could cut 9cm into the depth of the board, which is halfway, to test the joins. I did two passes on each cut here, as the board is 3mm thick but my circular saw blade is less than that. Where necessary, I finished the cut off with a hand saw. The joins worked well and were kind of satisfying!
I had to cut notches out of a couple of pieces to fit around objects and the handles, but after that it was just a case of cutting out all of my pieces as per my plans. Before long I had all my pieces cut and it was time to find out if this idea would work, and if my measurements and saw skills were accurate enough. I was pretty excited to get them in the box, and the first few went in well, but unfortunately it didn’t continue that way. Time to make a few adjustments...
Having worked out which pieces were the problem, I trimmed or remade them to get a much better fit. It was also time to neaten up the dividers too. There was a fair bit of minor tear-out from the saw, and it was just a case of sanding over to get a pretty good result.
I could then sand all the pieces and their slots thoroughly before fitting them again. This time it was really successful & I was ready to get the drawer back to the van and put all of my day trip essentials back in the draw - this time neatly and in an organised manner.
Whilst the wood is fairly soft, I'm hoping to varnish the dividers when there's next a spell of decent weather, and that should help to protect them a bit.
With the drawer full, I'm all ready for my next day out, so hopefully I'll be able to get out and about in the van soon.
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#Vanlife #NissanNV200 #LensOfJames
29 июл 2024
