Have you built bed storage/drawers?

1/2" Baltic Birch

 

http://decked.com/

Check out this. They don't have them for the Tacoma yet but was told mid to late 2017 that they would. So if you can hold out for a few months I think it would be a good option. I will more than likely go this route once available.

 

I did a similar design on mine and probably cheaper....

 

I would love to go that route but $1,000+ is a little out of my drawer budget

 

If you don't mind me asking what would you say the approximate cost this was to build with all the materials? Ive been looking into the materials I'm going to use and I'm pretty set on using the bearings but I'm worried the cost for all of that will be quite expensive.

 

We built ours out of casters, 2' x 4's, 1/2" and 3/4" Doug Fir from Big Box store... Baltic birch is nice, but overkill for us.

I looked at a bunch of designs and basically combined two to make ours...One was on YouTube and the other Fine Homebuilding:

https://youtu.be/zkz0UHBO8T0

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/201...rawer-and-get-easy-access-to-all-your-tools-2

Article on The Big Drawer: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/2007/09/01/the-big-drawer

We put a coat of polycrylic to seal it and the grain really soaked it up...didn't do any sanding prior.

I like the design we chose because we wanted to keep as much height available for possible camping/sleeping in the bed...so we opted to not have pull out drawers underneath.

One note of caution:

We wanted to maximize the width of the bed slider without making it too wide so it wouldn't fit.

If you have the means to cut the plywood this probably won't be an issue for you, but we had the big box store cut it with their saw...so had to get it right the first time...Therefore, we erred on the side of caution and probably left a couple of inches of width on the table...so to speak.

The reason is the we took the measurement between the wheel wells, but didn't account for the fact the the wells slope outwards as they rise vertically...in other words, the wells are narrower at the bottom than at the top...so the bottom sheet with the casters can be narrower than the top tray part...just a heads up...the bed is small enough especially with the loss of use of the area in front and back of the wheel wells...so it slightly irks me to lose even 1.5-2.5 inches...oh well...live and learn.

Our design below:

 

Bearings were about $40 through Amazon and included more than enough for me. I used stainless button head bolts and stainless washers and nuts which did add to the cost but I'd guess that was around

I used some leftover plywood and some new but I'd figure it was about $100 in lumber.

Aluminum barstock for sliders were $40 and the latch was $35

Finish is up to you but I left it bare wood for a year before using Monstaliner - very pleased with how it looks and has been holding up. Think that was around $100?

 

My build around 200-250 with the polyurethane. No need to spend a mortgage.

 

First...good luck. The project took a lot longer than I thought it would, but it has been well worth it. The majority of my materials came from Home Depot, so I was not able to get the plywood I really wanted. I didn't spend the time doing my due diligence and now I don't stress over it.

I wrote up the majority of my work here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Some pics:







I read all sorts of options on drawer sliders. When I looked there were lots of places that sold them for quite a bit of money. In the end I found some for under $40 a pair (and I needed 2 pair). My drawers are not the full length of the bed (and that was a conscious design decision). I want to have a storage option that when I am sleeping in the bed, I can get to, and I didn't feel like trying to design pop top lids on top of my drawers. I also wanted to be able to lock my drawers, and I still have visions of locking my pop-top cubby. The sliders I bought can be found here.

I have more L-Track I plan on laying down on the top of my bed platform so I will have more tie down options. Funding is the limiting factor there right now, but it will happen.

The whole project did take more money that I had originally planned, but I could have reduced costs in many places. The varnish also took quite a bit of time to do, but the results are well worth it.

If you have specific questions about my build, feel free to ask. It is over a year old now, but still pretty fresh in my mind.

I am also not the most handy person, so it was a learning experience.

And because I can...here is a pic of my "helper" when I was working on this project.

 

Looked at these sliders...hows the quality, i know price doesn't always dictate quality buuuuuttttttttt, i also don't want to be disappointed. sweet build tho!!! system looks great!

 

Well...about the sliders....I kinda fucked up a set of them when I was working. I left them on while I was varnishing and ended up getting varnish in some sensitive areas. I finished up my build, and then bought another set. They really were cheap enough that I didn't stress.

As far as day-to-day use...they work great. I don't have a lot to compare them to, so I guess I am kinda bias.

So...given the price, I think they are worth it. I would recommend them, but I am not going to say they are the best thing ever. They do the job they are supposed to do, at a price that I consider reasonable. That is all I ask for in a product, and it delivered.

 

works for me...i just see all "comparable" sliders upwards of $100. but i like the price of these much better! ill probably just order these! thanks!

 

I've seen other threads saying that Decked has been saying this for years. I wouldn't hold out for this unless you can deal with indefinite waiting. When I asked someone (not affiliated) about it, he told me the reasoning was they weren't sure about a 2-drawer design vs a 1-drawer design. 1-drawer poses a problem as the deck material joins in the middle putting a seam over the drawer. 2-drawers might result in something too small. Take it with a grain of salt. I will likely build my own so this post also serves as my "sub'd".

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/decked-bed-organizer.315771/page-3#post-12323639

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Do not wait for companies to come up with something that will end up costing you two kidneys. Plenty of options/designs shown here. I've built mine and could not be happier. I did not use metal sliders as that would bring the project over the budget. I've got some pics in this thread....

I just have not been able to finish it. It rains too g'damn much in this part of the country and my garage is full of stuff/toys/crap/aquariums/trailer and so on. I need the weather to get better so I can coat it with polyurethane.

Will post pics when complete.

If you are around the Olympia AO, hit me up if you want to see it in person.


Rob

 

SORRY TO DIG UP AN OLD THREAD. seems like a lot of people are using birch? is it preferred over other woods like maple or basic fir and for what reason, its stupid expensive???

 

This article can speak to that better than I can.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/bl...-birch-plywood-why-its-better-when-to-use-it/

 

Plain pine ply from the depot and polyurethane. My set up is by far the best for what I need it to do. Holding up well in the shirt PNW weather. Use what you please.

 

I know there are a lot of great guys with great builds in here! I just wanted to share quickly that I am in the early stages of producing a Semi-DIY drawer system for purchase. You will be able to select what features you want, get a price, and have them shipped to you Ikea style for assembly. If your interested take a look here

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/feeler-new-drawers-for-your-truck.570105/

 

@Phoosa how's the 1/2" holding up? I have some sheets of 1/2 but seems most people use 3/4.