I want to build cabinets for the bathroom. The bathroom scale is always one of those items that is space cluttering. I am looking for ideas on how toe build a drawer in the kick space of the cabinet to house the scale. The features it should have are:
1. Self opening toe kick
2. A mechanism to transfer the weight of a person so that it does not roll when stepped on. Very much like those step stools used in kitchens that are on rollers but lock when weight is placed on them. Or any other ingenious suggestions.
3. Easy to close with the a foot.
Any thoughts.
Thanks
Replies
I don't know, but if you figure it out, patent it!
Verne
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to cut it up and make something with it . . . what a waste!
Look at the steps at HD and how the bottom step works.
Sounds pretty complex.
With your emphasis on opening the drawer with a toe kick, and closing with a foot, it seems like you really don't want to bend over to open/close the drawer with your hand, like most drawers operate. If that is true, a big issue is that you want the drawer to open 18-24 inches without being pulled by a hand. I think the only practical way to do that is with electricity -- that is, a motor which opens and closes the drawer. Think of the CD tray in your computer. Of course, servo motors and such make for an expensive solution.
However, if you're willing to bend over, you can make the toekick a normal drawer, even with a pull on it. You reach down, pull the drawer all the way out, stand on the scale, then you push the drawer in with your foot.
Ah.. one more possibility.. Train your toes to be prehensile, so that they can grasp the pull and open the drawer without need to bend over.
Blum's servo drawer openers will do what you want. However - they're expensive, and it means electrical wiring in the bathroom. If your scale will glide easily on the floor you could make a "drawer" with no bottom.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
I just saw a new Salice slide that when pushed in a bit it fully extended by itself , like a soft close in reverse , they close in a normal mode .
It works like a touch latch , check it out and let us know how it worked .
regards dusty
Blum has a version of that too. The trouble for this application is that they push the drawer only an inch or so. They're intended to push a knob-less drawer out so that you can hook a finger over the front and pull it further.
Jamie ,
This is new from Salice , I have not used it only was told by my hardware guy
You push it in like a touch latch , then it fully extends , by itself .
I could be mistaken but I think that is how he described it , sounded like a good slide for wheel chair and disabled .
dusty
I have the Blum openers in our showroom. It's a 3" arm in the rear of the cabinet that swings 90° and gives the back of the drawer a good shove. It's enough of a push for the drawer to open all the way by inertia afterward. The bathroom scale, unless it was on wheels, would probably cause too much drag to open all the way, but it would definitely open that 3" or so that the rear arm pushes it.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
It wouldn't seem to hard to fashion a spring that would push the draw to full length once it was opened. BTW, I'm going to be gone for a few weeks so may I wish you a happy and very grand celebration of your Birthday.
I've been building vanities that utilize the toe kick space for several years, but I can see a couple of issues with your plan.
1. I'm not sure if you would be able to find a mechanism that would automatically open and close, and allow the scale to lower/raise when stepped on. Even if you could, would the scale read accurately with springs trying to raise it back up?
2. Assuming that you find or build this do-hickey, it would be necessary to step into a drawer to weigh yourself, and your scale would be very close to the vanity. I suspect that few people would want to do that.
The idea of using a toe-kick drawer to store a scale sounds pretty good, but that might be a little aggravating too. You would have to open the drawer, remove the scale, weigh yourself, replace the scale, and close the drawer. Possibly more hassle than most folks want.
If you build any kind of toe-kick drawer, do some planning before you build it. This vanity was for a customer, but the toe-kick pieces of the drawer fronts in my guest bathroom are too close to the tile floor to clear a thick throw rug. SWMBO wasn't real thrilled with that. - lol
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