Camp Kitchen / Chuck Box

[eddomak]

This is my project to build a camp kitchen (or as some call it, a "Chuck Box"). It is used to store the stove, fuel, cooking implements, plates, bowls, & cutlery for 5-6 people, so that it is all in one place for easy storage, movement, and deployment.

Current Situation:
Everything is separate or in stackable plastic storage crates, which means around 4 trips between the campsite and the 4WD, and constant stacking / unstacking to access items. The stove sits on a separate stand.

Design considerations:

• Weight - ideally can be moved by 1 person unassisted, but most likely to be moved by 2 people, so in the region of 20-30kg fully loaded would be good. This meant making it out of 12mm ply
• Size / Dimensions - needs to fit the 3 burner stove, and fit within a set space in the 4WD
• Access - ideally the drawers are accessible from the rear of the 4WD (for roadside meal stops) without needing to move the kitchen. The contents must also be accessible when the kitchen is deployed and the cook is standing facing the stove
• Cost - ideally keep the costs to around $AUD300 at maximum (since a commercially made one is around $AUD600), so I was willing to try Baltic Birch (BB/BB)

As a result there were 2 test configurations, done by stacking the contents in their current containers:
1) Low and Long - the main advantage is increased bench space, but it could prove unwieldy for 1 person to handle
[attachimg=1]

2) Tall and Narrow(er) - less bench space, but could also make a stand that encapusulates the lot, which means it is exactly 100cm when deployed, which makes it a perfect working height. This is the option I chose.
[attachimg=2]

I wanted to learn something new and put something unique into the mix, so was going for some pivoting / swing-out drawers. This would make it easy to access the contents from both sides. I would need to learn how to cut the correct radius, and also do the bent laminations for the curves. Thanks to those who helped me out with advice on the other thread in preparation for this project.

Sketch Up Diagram:
The basic kitchen is here, with only a single drawer shown (my Sketchup is not very good yet).
[attachimg=3]

Build to follow in next posts...

 

[WastedP]

Timely post.  My wife bought a used Honda Element this summer and it is really been the perfect road trip rig for us.  I do all of the cooking, and when we camp all we have is our backpacking-grade cook stove and equipment.  With this shift to car camping (and car-camping cooking) I have been trying to figure out a project like yours. 

Looking forward to the pics.

 

[eddomak]

This will be my first project where screws aren't being used (except for affixing hinges, slides, latches etc). Because of the main material being 12mm baltic birch plywood, I am using the 4mm x 20mm dominoes. The 10mm plunge depth is fine and does not allow the domino to show (although I had considered using through-tenons to show off a little to those in the know  [wink]).

Since it was BB/BB ply (ie butterfly patches on both sides) I couldn't use a cut optimiser as I was avoiding the butterflies showing on visible surfaces.

Even though it was a very light grain pattern I was also trying to pay attention to grain direction and also to matching panels.

I used the TS55 REBQ on rails with Precision Dogs parallel guides, then the MFT to rip to square and exact length.

Marking out and mortising
Because it is such a thin ply, I heard that I needed to use more dominos for strength, so the gap is around 40-70mm between each domino.
To save measuring every one, once one side was marked then all parallel sides would all be referenced off one another.

This is the back piece...
[attachimg=1]

Here you can see:

• referencing of the edge
• referencing off the face
• referencing to a centreline
• Subsequently I decided to reference off the base of the DF500 instead by clamping  the mating piece 10mm off the centreline so that I would have a consistent line rather than some slight wandering, and using the same markings on piece to - saving time in marking and less errors in transfers. Thanks to one of the recent threads on that trick!

A pile of pieces..
[attachimg=2]

Assembly:
I did a test fit using test dominoes. I didn't want to have a LOT of test dominoes for every mortise, so I tested each individual join with the full number of dominoes, then assembled the whole thing with only around 3 dominoes populated per join.
It all came together (phew!). Sorry - forgot to take a photo!

At this stage I also test the order in which I thought assembly needed to take place...

I decided to assemble sub components and pre-finish parts as I went along.

Sometimes things needed quite a bit of "persuasion" even though they had been fine during the test fit.

Finish:
I sanded a quick 2 passes (ie zig zag up/down, then zig zag left/right) with the ETS150/5 using Granat 180, and then 2 passes with Granat 240.

I am using 2 coats Osmo PolyX - what a fantastically easy and foolproof way to achieve a great finish! I am always apprehensive about painting/staining, but you really can't go wrong with this. I will do a final roundover with the router and apply a coat to those edges and third coat to high use areas.

Next part: The pivoting drawers, which would need the carcass drilled prior to final assembly...

 

[eddomak]

...when we camp all we have is our backpacking-grade cook stove and equipment.  With this shift to car camping (and car-camping cooking) I have been trying to figure out a project like yours.

Yes indeed - what a shift when instead of talking about shaving grams from your equipment to saying "Let's put a 5kg cast iron dutch oven in the back."  [blink]

Have a look at this great Australian mob who are now exporting to the USA - DRIFTA (and in particular the car back kitchens). His stuff is legendary around Australia's 4WD scene.

There are also some great designs for "chuck box" on YouTube, and if you want it I am happy to share my Sketchup model with you.

 

[eddomak]

So, these pivoting drawers have all been just a concept so far...

To complete the assembly of the main carcass, I would need to pre-drill a hole to put the pole/hinge upon which all the drawers would pivot, so last night was crunch time. In the end, I knew that if it didn't work out, then I would just leave the hole in place as it would not be visible under any drawers.

I used the that was going to be the template for the drawer bases and:
1) Marked the centre-point for the pole
2) Used a nail, string and pencil to it drawer the arc (leaving some extra space)
3) Used the cordless Carvex with a thin blade and cut roughly to the line (leaving it oversized, as it I would use the router and trammel for a final smooth arc)
4) cut the two left corners to size
5) Used the PDC drill and a spade bit to drill through the base and carcass
6) Inserted the pole

[attachimg=1]

Now, does it pivot and clear in all the right places?

Part way open...
[attachimg=2]

Open all the way...
[attachimg=3]

A video of the action...
Video

So far, so good...

The drawer fronts are supposed to be attached to the front of the drawer (with the sides captured), and flush with the carcass sides.

And when the drawers are open, it would need to be clear of the carcass sides like this...
[attachimg=4]

But when it is closed in that position... there is a massive gap that can't be bridged.  :'(
[attachimg=5]

Strangely (to me) enough if the drawer fronts had been resting on top of the bases like this...
[attachimg=7]

Then it would have enough clearance (provided I have a subsequent curved corner around the pole.
[attachimg=6]

So, unless I was to redesign how the drawer fronts interacted with the main carcass, I think I need to give up on the pivoting drawers for this project.  [crying]

Instead, they're going to need to be conventional square/box type drawers on simple lightweight runners (or maybe not even on runners....

Next: Further final assembly and finishing (warning - I have not yet completed this, but it should be done by 1 week's time)...

 

[eddomak]

Well, it's been a while, but finally I believe the camp kitchen is complete. It always needed to go on to the backburner compared to other projects as it was only used every so often, and was 85% functional and I took it out "as it", but I decided to finish it off once and for all before camping over Easter.

As mentioned above, I needed to give up on the pivoting drawers, and went conventional instead. As i was in a rush for the drawer dividers and they were not loadbearing I just used 6mm plywood and shot brads through them.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

I attached some heavy duty handles, push-button drawer pulls/latches so that things don't open in transit.

This is the left hand side
[attachimg=3]

This is the right hand side, that faces the back of the car when in transit, so I can still access cutlery and picnic gear from the side of the road:
[attachimg=4]

[attachimg=5]

[attachimg=6]

A bit of stainless steel cable to keep the front panel from dropping too low and interfering with the cupboard door.
[attachimg=7]

There is also a cupboard underneath the stove that holds the pots, pans, kettle, paper towel dispenser, collapsible wash up tub, and spare gas.
[attachimg=8]

This is "fully deployed.
[attachimg=9]

This is a shot in field use - it sits on a collapsible aluminium stand, and has an extendable aluminium rod to hold the bench top area up.
[attachimg=10]

All in all I am very happy with the whole exercise. It makes packing and unpacking so much easier, and actually saves quite a bit of space in the car (compared to the previous plastic crates) in transit. Deployment is simple and my wife is happy at how simple it makes things. It certainly makes it easier to say "yes" to a quick camping trip because of the reduced hassle  [big grin].

I challenged myself and learnt a lot in the making (even though some things didn't make it), and got to apply a lot of things I had learnt in earlier projects.

If I had to do it again I would go for full extension drawer slides (despite the weight), and give myself a tiny little bit more breathing room / tolerances for the internal dimensions of the cupboard and drawers, if even only 10mm more.

 

[Holmz]

Nice work and good insights. I like it.

 

[Bob D.]

Very nice. Can you provide the source for those drawer pulls/latches please.

It looks like when the know is pushed in the latched is locked and the drawer
can not be opened. I can think of a couple uses for those.

 

[eddomak]

Can you provide the source for those drawer pulls/latches please.

It looks like when the know is pushed in the latched is locked and the drawer
can not be opened.

Yes, you can use them as regular drawer pulls, or to lock the drawer/cupboard closed you just push it in.

Search eBay for "push button caravan drawer" and you will come up with many examples and a couple of variants as they are used in caravans a lot.

They are an easy install, but 12mm ply is a thinner than the recommended minimum (so I cut a spacer). They are around $AUD4 each, and I just purchased 4 more than I needed as spares or to allow for bad manufacturing tolerances.

 

[scalci]

I know this is an old thread.

Anyone got plane thay can share to build one of these or similar?

Rgs

 

[eddomak]

I know this is an old thread.

Anyone got plane thay can share to build one of these or similar?

Rgs

I am happy to share my sketchup model with you if you'd like. You'll probably find it is a bit big for your purposes, but you can use it as a base.

Check out the camp kitchens or "car back kitchens" from DRIFTA for some further ideas on layouts and sizes.

This YouTube Video is also a different style, and I really like how the stand works in transit:

This is also another one that has helped a lot of people:=213s