Under cabinet spice/knife/cookbook rack hinges

[Paul Franklin]

Folks,

SWMBO wants drop down racks under kitchen cabinets for spices, knives etc. The kind that are shallow trays that fold up under the wall cabinets and can be swung down to access the contents. I'm sure I have seen these racks in some catalog or a another, but all I'm turning up are cheap plastic ones that get panned in reviews.

I've seen one pull down knife rack but it gets lousy reviews too.

K&V sells a drop down cookbook rack and I found the hinges for it:

$33 a pair is pretty steep. I figure I need about 4 of these racks to do the job.

Anyone have a source for either decent whole assemblies or the hinges at more reasonable price? Or other ways to accomplish the job?

TIA,

Paul F.

[Leon]

I think I would build my own. Slotted side supports to hold the drawers. Drawers at front and back have dowels that fit in those slots. Front of slot on sides would open downward to alloe the front drawer pins to exit and drop down.

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:07:56 -0500, the infamous Paul Franklin scrawled the following:

That's outrageous, huh? Most are $70-130!

Why not build your own?

good pic

Here's yet another style.

($28 + s/h, $5 if you build it)

Build a small shelf and notch a board so it hangs right when it's pulled out. No big deal. A bit of trial and error might cost a few hours, but I'll bet you had a working unit or four in a day.

Combine the best features of the 3 styles, eh?

But first, ask these big questions: Do you know anyone who owns one? If so, do they like it? And most importantly, do they USE it?

Lots of things look great but aren't really that useful once you get down to it. Pools, spas, and convertibles (especially in the northern states) are 3 which come to mind.

-- It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars. -- Garrison Keillor

[Paul Franklin]

Thanks Larry and Leon!

The Family Handyman link listed Lee Valley as a source for the hinge brackets, but couldn't find it on the web site. Dropped them an email and within an hour had a reply saying the manufacturer discontinued them in 2006, but they took the time to surf the web and identify the KV alternative I already found. Usual A+++ service from LV!

Leon, your suggestion's a good one and I'm going to give it a go before spending $120 bucks on hardware.

As for the big questions, my first house had 2 of these and they were great! I think the reason they have fallen out of favor is that they can interfere with under cabinet lighting, and they don't work on Euro style cabinets without face frames. (They work, but look extra ugly) And they reduce the clearance under the wall cabinets. But none of those issues will be a problem for me.

Thanks gents, for the helpful advice.

Paul F.