lazy susans

Hi.

We have a pantry in our kitches that's basically a closet. Way too deep for the small items we keep in it. I'd like to put a lazy susan in it so that we can get to the stuff at the back. But it'll need to be quite large. I'd like it to be floor to top of door (over 6 feet) tall and about 32 inches wide. I'd also like at least 6 shelves.

So far I can't find any suitable lazy susan hardware. The most common kind, such as used in the corner of base cabinets isn't suitable since the shelves move together. The mass of what I've described above would be too much.

Closer is the 5-shelf pantry lazy susan from Rev-A-Shelf.

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even it isn't large enough (only 22 inches wide and 5 shelves). I say it's closer partly because it seems to have a center pole mechanism where the shelves rotate around the fixed pole. So the shelves only move one at a time.

In my mind's eye picture, I see the same sort of hardware as on the Rev-A-Shelf that fixes the shelf to a pole. But with shelves made of d-shaped cut plywood for extra strength to hold the soup cans and a thin lip attached around the edge of the shelves to hold things from falling off.

Anyone know where I might find hardware like this? I've looked at Lee Valley and several others.

Or would anyone have a better mind's eye picture to suggest?

Thanks! Steve

Reply to
Steve Schefter
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lazy susans lose a lot of area in the corners. how about pullout pantry shelving units?

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Reply to
Charles Spitzer

shelves).

Check out

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I'm looking at their catalog and they show an Amerock full round with a (how's this for luck?) 32" diameter shelf. It says the height is adjustable between about 23" and 31". Maybe you could connect two or three together? Or put in a couple of fixed shelves to separate the different lazy susans?

todd

Reply to
Todd Fatheree

How about rolling your own?

More work, but infinitely flexible.

Use an inner pipe for the pole and a larger outer pipe for the shelf spacers/supports. The biggest challenge would be securing your shelves to the pipe supports. I suppose you could even use a square post and bore a hole down the center for your shelf supports. These would be easier to mount to your shelves, but might bind/wobble with wear.

shelves).

Reply to
Bill Stock

I started down one path using a pipe in a socket as a pivet point, but then it occured to me:

Build standard shelves and put a small lazy susan on each shelf.

The hardware exists, you have more options for configuration, you don't waste the back of the closet arc space, and you won't need the lip for stuff that falls off. (it'll just land on the shelf, inconvenient, but not a "mess".)

Consider stressed skin platforms for the shelving if the span is particularly wide or the shelves will carry a heavy load.

Reply to
Philip Lewis

I think that DIY approach makes some sense. Please excuse this attempt at "refinement":

Use short lengths of threaded steel pipe -- nipples. Maybe 12" or whatever. The threaded connectors will serve as stops. Drill appropriate sized holes (OD of pipe) in each round shelf. And, to aid in the easy movement of each shelf, use UHMWPE -- I can never get the letters right. It is that rather slippery stuff sold as anti-friction tape -- but get it in maybe 1/4" - 1/2" thickness. Drill matching sized holes in maybe a

4"x4" piece and screw that piece into the bottom of each shelf -- so, you get easy spinning because the plastic's surface is sitting/riding on the threaded pipe connector. Certainly shelf thickness will have to sized for weight of what will be stored on it. Both so it won'd droop and it won't crack at the center hole.

In case you think that the ongoing rubbing of the pipe against the wood (inside the hole in the wood) might be a problem (squeaks?), you could oversize the hole through the shelf and screw plastic squares both above and below the shelf with a perfect-sized hole for the pipe OD. That way, only the plastic will be in contact with the pipe.

BTW, if you have never worked with this plastic: Rather than generating "saw dust", it creates something like cotton candy. Kind of flies around rather than being sucked up by the DC connected to the TS. No real problem, just strange and a little extra work. HTH. -- Igor

Reply to
igor

We have found that large drawers are very useful. They give full access to the contents of the drawer. A wide variety of drawer hardware is available.

Dick

Reply to
Richard Cline

If i interpret you intentions correctly you would end up with a set of circular shelves, wich will offer no more space than the usefull front part of the rectangular shelves anyway. You would do better with putting the shelves on wheels and pull them out in a straight line.

Reply to
Juergen Hannappel

Drawers are the way to go, did my pantry that way. Each drawer is 19 wide (inside) 24 deep. Two sections wide. Caned goods weight about 16 lbs/fq ft. Single layer. Not the tall cans tho. Didn't measure them. Bottom two have 5.5 inch sides, two with 4.5 in, the rest 3 inch. All the fronts are the same.

Reply to
Rick Samuel

Philip Lewis wrote

Thanks for the suggestion. I had thought if it before, but wasn't keen on losing the space that a shelf-on-a-shelf would take up. But as you bring it up again and I think about it some more, it's getting more appealing. It certainly is easier than the idea in my original post and I can try it out with just one shelf to see how it goes.

Thanks also to the others who took the time to think about it and offer other options. I need to dig a bit more through the hardware website that Todd suggested. Lots of good stuff there.

There are a few reasons why the pull out drawers some suggested won't work in our case. For starters, the door is not as wide as the cupboard. Also, with how the door is situated in the kitchen, opening it up wide enough to get right out of the way of the cupboard opening isn't possible. Finally, getting items out of a drawer at top-of-head height would be a bit of a challenge.

In terms of losing the space that putting a round shelf in a rectangular cupboard would cost, I had planned on having the area around the lazy susan left as a shelf (picture a D-shaped section of the existing shelf cut out and spinning while the area around it stays in place).

Steve

Reply to
Steve Schefter

Howdy!

In article , Steve Schefter wrote: [snip]

You might also look at

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for the swinging shelf option...

I'm in the same boat; the (so-called) pantry is a frickin closet, and stuff was always getting in the back and forgotten and hard to get out.

We've yanked out the crappy wire shelves the builder put in and have pondered what to do next. I'll rip out the door-frame to put in drawers, if I have to, but I like the "Wooden Pantry Organizers" linked to above, at least in concept. My problem is that I'm about a half inch shy on the lateral space to put in the double shelves, so I'm still dithering.

One cabinet I saw at Lowes that had the same sort of fittings used a piano hinge to support the swinging cabinets. The Rockler offering appears to use (effectively) knife hinges top and bottom.

I'm trying to figure out if I can (and will) fabricate such myself. The trick is supporting the weight reliably...

yours, Michael

Reply to
Michael Houghton

Depending on how much room you would lose (such as if the ceiling in the closet is much higher than the door frame), you might consider vertical drawers. 3" - 8" wide, 5' - 6' high (with a drawer at the bottom to make up the difference and get some toe-kick space). I love 'em -- especially for canned stuff. Adjustable shelves in each drawer. (One fixed shelf in the middle to help with structure.) If the closet is extra deep, you could have a "thick" pantry door with 6" shelves on it, and then the vertical drawers inside. FWIW. -- Igor

Reply to
igor

If I go with drawers, I first do some demolition work to remove the door and frame and make the opening full width. Otherwise, I have about four inches of dead space on both sides. I'm not fundamentally opposed to the idea, mind you. Also, the ceiling in the closet is eight feet up, and the door is only "normal" height. If I do the swinging shelf bit, I can put put a usable shelf up high for stuff.

I'm thinking that if I fabricate swinging shelves myself, I'll make them in two sections to cut down on the moving mass, and use piano hinges. Put a four inch deep set of shelves in the back of the closet, then a set of swinging shelves. I still have enough depth to put in another shelf that will swing all the way out to fill the space, and yet leave everything more accessible than it was before.

yours, Michael

Reply to
Michael Houghton

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