Make your own drifta storage box

[muzza01]

Luke certainly doesn't agree with you Muzza:  of course, we don’t use any chipboard or MDF, if we did , they would fall apart
Must say that I agree with him.  I recall MDF being marketed as "the woodworkers clay" however, to continue that analogy, I would expect that,given the stresses involved in a camper, especially if used off road, the 'clay' would quickly revert to 'mud'.
MDF is essentially a combination of dust and glue, and as such has no genuine structual strength as found in timber / ply.

If it is sealed with epoxy or 2pac-poly it will be water-proofed and won't swell.  As for structural strength, I thought we were talking about a mobile kitchen in a CT not a structural wall in a building.  I think you would be surprised how many internal/external doors, kitchens and bathroom vanities all using MDF.
I am sure Marschy has enough know-how and experience to build a great kitchen out of MDF.

[Marschy]

Only thinking of storage boxes as per the OP, similar to the Drifta Tucker Box. Should be easy to knock up one of them using the jig I have for the router. Even before gluing, dry fitting the panels together gives you an idea of how strong the joins are.

[kylarama]

Drifta website has some convincing rationale about building your own http://www.drifta.com.au/settFAQ.php#whycant

It's hard to argue with majority of those points in the link, but if you have the skill set, tools and your willing to hunt around for quality materials and hardware (not Bunnings!) go for it!

Nothing like quality shed time and the immense satisfaction of sitting back at your favorite campsite admiring your handywork.

Of note.  The slide out kitchens on the older Outback Campers were constucted from 12mm lacquered chipboard.  The inlaws old one had done alot of km's and the olnt broken parts were the ball catches.

[evolution]

Just as a background on some applications that MDF is used in.
My history has allot of custom automotive audio/visual. MDF has been used for custom installs for years.
It is far better in application than ply for woofer boxes due to lower flex of flat panels when the woofer kicks. Hence much better sound and lower distortion from vibration.
This includes very large competition woofers that can weigh up to 60kg each and are incredibly powerful. Generally these boxes are completely sealed so I am sure you can understand the forces exerted on the MDF.
Now in regards to MDF absorbing liquid, yes they do like a sponge. However when it comes to epoxy and resins the right one will not absorb. I have fiberglassed lots of enclosures with custom designs over MDF, never had an issue with swelling or warping.

Now would I use MDF to make a slide out kitchen? No. Very high weight for size compared to ply.
Would I use it to make a storage box? Yeah, why not? If you have the material then its a cost effective product.

I can understand both sides of the flip on this, but if you understand MDF and how to use it to the maximum of its capability then it will do great for a lot of applications. And can be incredibly strong.

I agree with what's on drift as website. For a kitchen then yep, much more cost effective to just buy one from them. But at the end of the day a box is a box. Its not overly complicated.

Cheers
Evo

[achjimmy]

Personally I wouldn't use MDF, plus a sheet of 9mm ply can be had for $40 it ain't expensive. But as above MDF has its places and it can be sealed. There is no way you want a speaker box/sound enclosure made out of anything else, it just so sonically dead.

[McGirr]

Pics of my storage box. It does the job for me.

Mark

[muzza01]

Pics of my storage box. It does the job for me.

Mark

Nice Job

[dazzler]

Good points on the epoxy not swelling and being waterproof.

Epoxy would be good and seeing as mdf is not wood and epoxy looks crap on wood all will be good with the world.

Epoxy away 

[dazzler]

Being serious for one moment 

It depends on what you are after.  If you are just after a storage then ply glued and screwed will work fine.

If you use kregg screws and glue like this;

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=16966.25

It will be super strong.  I recently pulled this out when I changed my design and it took a lot of bashing to get out.  The centre spline section delaminated (splintered) when bent over at about 80degrees.  You can fill the holes where the screws go in.

If you are after storage and something that looks great then that takes some skill and experience.  If you have it then no worries, but it is difficult if you dont.  Keep in mind also that using sheets of 8 x 4 ply leaves you with lots of offcuts that are of no use to the project so you need more sheets to finish it.  I would reckon that drifta have a component use for most of theirs.

Do you spend $400 to build your own or $1000 to buy one and which is good value in the long run.  Thats a personal thing I think.

[Monkeybucket]

As a Carpenter I find myself approaching this kind of thing by designing the box around the way you will cut out the pieces or developing a cutting list. and fitting it into the sheets of the material you wish to order. A simple way to do this is with scaled down cut outs using paper/card/plastic whatever is destined for the bin. 
You can then change sizes and design to suit before you go cutting up valuable materials.
There are a million ways to fasten your corners shelves for better strength but nothing is a s simple as the housing joint or through housing. Some still use an arrangement of dowels and others get fancy and manipulate the strength of a dovetail section.

Personally I have gone with Dowels, liquid nails and screws for my fridge/table unit. I used 40x20 aluminium angle to reinforce the job and have bashed the hell out of it over 12 months without it giving an inch. I sealed the ply with a natural polish that I had left over from a pile of flooring contracts called OSMO polyx. Not as easy as mix and coat epoxy but totally non toxic. 

Good luck with you decisions. There are many different animals out there that serve there purpose.

Here is a lil peek at MK1 of my fridge slide unit.



 

Cheers
Chris 

[berlitza]

thats looks tuff as nails monkeybucket, brilliant job on it

[kylarama]

This stuff's the go for lightweight storage boxes or camp kitchens.

Goldcore light plywood.
http://www.goldcorelight.com/index.htm

Almost half the weight of hardwood marine ply (13kg for a 8x4 12mm sheet), AA grade and is very stable.


Atkar in Melbourne stock it.

[Monkeybucket]

Nice find...  Just wonder how the price would compare??  I know I can non structural 17mm 8x4 plywood sheets for under $65 each.

[Jon]

Used 9mm cd ply on my first version and it twists so consideration during design is needed. #2 is 12mm AA grade marine ply, sooooo much nicer to work with.

[Barry G]

Nice find...  Just wonder how the price would compare??  I know I can non structural 17mm 8x4 plywood sheets for under $65 each.

As always, 'you get what you pay for'.  Cost of the material is a 'one off', while the reduced weight would result in on-going reduced fuel use / improved load capacity, both of which are likely to be of greater net benefit in the long term, provide d you can stretch to the initial extra price.

[kylarama]

Nice find...  Just wonder how the price would compare??  I know I can non structural 17mm 8x4 plywood sheets for under $65 each.

18mm is too heavy if you want it to be portable or watch weight.  A sheet of AA grade 12mm marine ply is around $70-$80 and weighs around 10kg less, 12mm Goldcore is another 10+kg lighter.

I'll find out next week what the single sheet price is for the Goldcore.  Last time I got it was pack lots on a project price I'd rather not disclose.

12mm is the go, along with a combination of housing joins, 6g screws for fixing and an expoxy glue like the single pak Purbond.

[Kangaron]

The beauty of making your own is you get exactly what you want, where you want.
I had a go and couldn't be happier, happy with the time in the shed + drinks as well.
I chose 12 mm Marine Ply as i could get it at a discount. Measured up what I needed and they had a proggy on their PC that worked out all the cuts for minimal sheet usage. [keeping in mind direction of the grain on the surface layer].
I glued, screwed and used biscuits.

[chriso57]

I reckon anyone with reasonable woodworking skills could knock up a simple storage box similar to the Drifta setup. The actual kitchen however is a work of art. Everything just works so well and its brilliantly designed and put together. Years of development is invaluable.

I have the DPOR with storage box combination and could not be happier. It was a substantial initial outlay but I consider it as an investment. Do it once do it right.

[Monkeybucket]

Kangaron...that is one beautiful setup you have got there.

yes, you would have to agree Drifta have spent the time and tested all there stuff to make it top quality.

[duggie]

I have a 5 and a bit year old Trackabout and it came with the tail gate mounted Drifter Kitchen. On the first trip the water pump tap started to leak , (I replaced it with an electric tap together with an electric pump) . Even though the leaking water was mopped up after each use it somehow worked its way under the clear coat finish that Drifter had used. After the first year I had to completely sand down all of the Drifter kitchen and reseal the timber not just the top but the whole kitchen had mold colour stains under the Drifter clear coat. Great product, well built and the kitchen works well, but after my experience with their product, I will be building my own pull/slide out storage box.

cheers duggie

[muzza01]

The beauty of making your own is you get exactly what you want, where you want.
I had a go and couldn't be happier, happy with the time in the shed + drinks as well.
I chose 12 mm Marine Ply as i could get it at a discount. Measured up what I needed and they had a proggy on their PC that worked out all the cuts for minimal sheet usage. [keeping in mind direction of the grain on the surface layer].
I glued, screwed and used biscuits.

Awesome job. Looks great.

[dazzler]

I reckon anyone with reasonable woodworking skills could knock up a simple storage box similar to the Drifta setup. The actual kitchen however is a work of art. Everything just works so well and its brilliantly designed and put together. Years of development is invaluable.

I have the DPOR with storage box combination and could not be happier. It was a substantial initial outlay but I consider it as an investment. Do it once do it right.

Hi Chris.

You summed up what I had stuffed around trying to say

Cheers.

[Marschy]

Not so much a drifta box. This idea is stolen from pictures I have seen on the web when you search for 'Chuck Box'.

I measured the clearance through the tailgate to make sure it's going to fit. The stand simply sits on top of the box for storage in the camper.



The stand is removed to reveal the chuck box.



Then the box sits on top of the stand and the doors are opened.



I haven't finished drawing the plans entirely. There is going to be a fold out top table that will make the table top as wide as the box with the doors open. Also the doors will have shelving. The shelves in the box itself will be adjustable and they will be able to fit the stove and crockery. The compartment on the right in the main box will be for things like kettles.

I'm just working out weights and whether building it out of MDF will be ok, or if I should do it in marine ply. The only problem I envisage with MDF is the base of the actual box may bee a little too thin with 12mm MDF so may need to be thicker.

[Malcolm Tugless]

I know you have a penchant for MDF, but in this case I'd be using 12 mm waterproof ply. Its not exorbitantly expensive, and is far more structurally sound.

Pretty cool design, I like.

Edit: when I say waterproof ply, I mean waterproof, not marine, there is a difference in both price and inherent qualities. Marine ply is predominantly use in boat building, where the structure will be or could be submerged. That's in an under the waterline application. Waterproof ply is more than adequate in any situation other than that.

[Marschy]

Not a penchant for MDF in this instance. They just look sooooo nice when they are done in ply, check out this link.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/21268-Kitchen-Kit-Chuck-Box/page35

Edit: looking back at the link where I stole the idea from, I need to cut a bit of material out of the stand to reduce the weight a bit