DonsDeals Blog: How to Build a Kitchen Breakfast Nook, Convert a Closet into a Slide-Out Pantry

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

How to Build a Kitchen Breakfast Nook, Convert a Closet into a Slide-Out Pantry

I built a Slide Out Pantry for Canned Food for a lady, back in the early 80's. It was allot like this project. I still never have built one for my self. But I liked the idea and think it would be quite useful. I was a Cabinet Maker back then. And this Pantry was part of a hole house set of Cabinets I built on Site in a Log Cabin. The owners were building the Cabin (2 Story Log House) them selves. I made everything out of Solid Pine, except the shelves were Pine Plywood. I glued up the doors, out of solid Pine. No door or drawer handles, just beveled edges, so the you could gram them on any corner. I really would have liked to have been building those for my self!;) Check out the Video on Ron's site. It's give good details on building a Slide Out Pantry and the Breakfast Nook, look pretty nice too...

Don

How to Build a Simple and Inexpensive Breakfast Nook or Banquette

Okay, call me nostalgic, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for things that harken back to the fifties. That's probably why, given the opportunity, I'll always choose a restaurant booth over a table. In her kitchen, my grandmother had what she called a banquette. I can still remember sitting there with a steaming stack of pancakes hot off the griddle in front of me. This breakfast nook is a bit different than hers in that it's L-shaped. Nonetheless, if you're thinking about adding a little charm to that special corner in your home, this project could just do the trick. It's designed to be simple and inexpensive to make. Take a look.

Go there...
http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_build_a_kitchen_breakfast_nook_or_banquette

Convert an Ordinary Utility Closet into a Pantry with Slide-Out Storage Units

You know what they say about storage space ... you can never have too much. I suppose that's especially true in the kitchen. The solution for some folks is to turn a utility or broom closet into a pantry. That's fine except for one thing; the shelves are so deep that it's virtually impossible to find, let alone, retrieve something that's hibernating in those dark recesses at the rear of the shelf. Usually what happens is we simply forget that it's there. In this project we build a simple box cabinet that slips into the closet opening and fit it with two pull-out shelving units that are accessible from both sides. The result: everything in the pantry is visible and within easy reach. See for yourself.

Go there...
http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_convert_a_closet_into_a_pantry_with_pull_out_storage

How to Make Straight Cuts in Plywood Without a Table Saw

James wrote asking where he could find a clamp-on straightedge for cutting large sheets of plywood that would work with nearly all styles and brands of circular saws. In this week's pantry project, I use one. This tool can be a real life saver when making almost any kind of cabinet without the aid of a table saw. If you'd like to see one in use, click here. Clamp-on saw guides come in several lengths, but if you're considering buying one I'd recommend getting one long enough to rip a full sheet of plywood. There are a handful of manufacturers making these, but the one that seems to stand out in terms of quality and customer experience is Emerson Tools' U-99 99-Inch Ultra Wide Grip Clamp with Double T-Track. It's a bit pricey at almost $125, but this is a tool where quality very much equates to performance.