Under workbench storage question

[festal]

Hello all.  in my continuous search for stuffing more crap into my garage shop, I just found 2 more possible storage nooks.  Now comes the execution part. 
I have an mft workbench and regular workbench.  both have avaiable space below the stretchers and I'm thinking of putting a drawer with casters underneath each one.  i have about 10.5" of usable height
under my mft i have avaiable about 55"W x 24"D x 10"H
under my ulmia i have 40"W x 20"D x 10"H

in order not to loose height i'm thinking of skipping a cabinet and just build drawer on casters. Are there any issues with sagging if i build drawer of those 2 sizes with 3/4" plywood?
anything i should do to reinforce it?

Are there any low profile locking/swivel casters that I can use?  Regular double locking casters are all about 3" high which means that my drawer will be about 7" high.  Not the end of the world
but if something lower is avalble would be good.

any other suggestions? recommendations?

Thank you

Alex

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rmwarren]

Totally winging it here but I wonder if these would work in lieu of casters?

[attachimg=1]

Just screwed to a plywood bottom?

RMW

 

[kevinculle]

Only if your floor is perfectly flat, hard as the steel balls and clean.

 

[festal]

Yep  doubt they will work.  My garage floor is far from perfect. 

 

[rmwarren]

Assume you'll just roll it straight out, then straight back in?

Searching for "low profile casters" returned several wheeled options at 2" overall. One type inset into a pocket netting 1" height but appeared pretty lightweight.

RMW

 

[Sbradley0911]

Maybe try to attach ply on the sides and a piece in the middle so you use drawer slides. 2 per bench?  Might work, can't say for sure without really looking at it? Looks like u might have to reconfigure the casters location  on the 1 bench

 

[tsmi243]

If you nix the swivel, you could just use holesaw slugs as wheels on the outside of your drawer.  Ground clearance would be minimal, depending on how bad your slab is.  Cheese posted some a while back, and I think his wheels were actually inboard, so the sides of the drawer would still be flush. 

To keep the drawer tracking straight, you can add plywood side runners to the workbench legs on each side.

 

[Dongar]

A couple of ideas
https://choozone.com/under-bed-shoe-storage-on-wheels/
https://www.amazon.com/SPACEKEEPER-...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

 

[semenza]

That seems like a perfect place to use plastic storage boxes. I have them under all my mechanics type tool chests.

Rough concrete floor, much rougher than yours. No need for wheeled versions. They slide no problem.

I get ones that have the flip latches on the handles. Get ones that allow the lid to tip open with one latch still closed and acting like a hinge. Pull them out , flip the latch, tip lid open, reverse. I use them just like a drawer. The boxes handle used as the drawer pull.

The fact that they are closed top keeps all the dust and dirt out.

Seth

 

[batmanimal]

You might try a plastic tote like this, assuming you don’t mind dragging it on the floor
https://www.containerstore.com/s/st...lity-boxes/12qfd?p=0&ps=52&productId=11004537

Or a shallow plastic drawer could also work
https://www.containerstore.com/s/st...moke-stackable-drawers/12d?productId=10024854

For wheeled solutions, make sure that the wheels are facing the right way, or are 360 swivel.

 

[Bob D.]

Ditch the wheels and use some plastic runners/skids.

Buy the Wife a new cutting board then cut up the old one to make some strips that are the thickness of the board and 1" wide running front to back . That stuff slides easily over concrete. I use it to make footpads on outdoor furniture as it protects from being dragged over concrete and also helps keep water from wicking up into the legs.

Place 3 or 4 of them under the drawer, the number will depend on how sturdy the drawer is and also on its width. Make covers to keep dust out.

I would go with Seth's idea and use the storage bins he suggested. I use one under my rolling tool cabinet (which rarely rolls anywhere) to hold greasy metal bits or parts from working on various equipment or vehicles.

 

[festal]

Ha. didn't even think of using plastic containers.  THats a perfect application for them.  Its mainly for stuff that i don't need on every day basis and bulky items.  So storage bins will work great.  Also good idea on using plastic runners from cutting board.  UHMW glides easy and i can use those for the plywood drawer if i build it.  but i think getting plastic bins will be better

 

[semenza]

Nothing special but a few pics just to show my use.

    Under tool chests ----------------------------

    [attachimg=1]        [attachimg=2]

    Hinge handle type ------------------------

  [attachimg=3]

      Made use of space on top of 8' tall cabinets ------------------------

  [attachimg=4]

Seth

 

[derekcohen]

If you are going to do it, do it well. My underbench cabinet …

All the drawers hold tools …

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Peter_C]

I would drop that blue shelf all the way to the bottom, then remake drawers for above that are larger/taller. Drill bits make new holes easy enough, and washers can add strength if the new holes are too close or overlapping others. A welder can modify anything on it too. Actually I would just weld the whole thing for rigidity.

A cabinet on wheels for under the work bench is easy enough, but like Derek's I would just build them into the bench, and redesign the castor setup as needed. A few drawers could go below the stretchers too if the stretchers can not be lowered or modified.

I do like having a few inches for my vacuum floor nozzle to slide under equipment, and is always one of my design criteria. On that note I store a lot of stuff under my tool boxes.

 

[rmwarren]

Nothing special but a few pics just to show my use.

    Under tool chests ----------------------------

    [attachimg=1]        [attachimg=2]

    Hinge handle type ------------------------

  [attachimg=3]

      Made use of space on top of 8' tall cabinets ------------------------

  [attachimg=4]

Seth

Seth you made me realize I have at least 11,520 cubic inches of unused space I'd never even considered....  [scratch chin]

Thanks!

RMW

 

[Packard]

You can probably find under bed storage units with casters that would work for this.  Or at least be a model for this.  They have very cheap ones with plastic casters but they probably won’t hold the weight your would need. 

This dolly is rated for 500 pounds and is just $27.00.  It might be an option:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/de...MIzN2r_42D-QIVtTizAB2jvwlIEAQYBiABEgLB2fD_BwE

 

[semenza]

Seth you made me realize I have at least 11,520 cubic inches of unused space I'd never even considered....  [scratch chin]

Thanks!

RMW

  You're welcome. Makes room for more tools  [thumbs up]  Vicious cycle  [big grin]

Seth

 

[festal]

Great suggestions, many i didn't think of. 
[member=4358]derekcohen[/member] beautiful bench.  My bench has stretchers that are kind of in the middle, not on the bottom like yours.  Don't really want to relocate them.  I measured and between haveing a space under bench for holdfasts and quick tool placement there is not much room for cabinet.  I might end up selling the bench and making a new one, a bit shorter then this one but we will see. 

[member=50292]Peter_C[/member] I might drill out the holes and mount the blue stretcher lower but I'm not sure if i want to redo the storage area under the mft.  Frankly I kind of don't like the mft setup i have now and might change it around to a different one.  not sure yet.  I'm using tracktubes setup but the lack of side extrusions to clamp things is a bit annoying.  Might replace it with dashboard extrusions or just order 80/20 stuff.  Still deciding on which way to go.  Its a kind of a weird setup.  Top is shorter then the base but tracktubes are longer then the base so they stick out a bit.  Don't want to cut them, Might repurpose them to miter saw and do something else for mft

 

[Michael Kellough]

For maximum utilization of the space under the bench make custom sized drawer-like boxes but don’t use slides or casters. Instead just use a pair of nylon tack on glides on the bottom of the back end and a strong handle on the front. Best for seldom used supplies but I can fill a 5” deep box with steel and get it out with no problem when needed.