Help me find drawer slides to convert a suitcase into an portable shelving unit.

May 11, 2007 9:10 AM

Help me find drawer slides to convert a suitcase into an portable shelving unit.

I recently purchased an aluminum carrying case and a stack of small trays designed to fit in it for transporting jewelry. When it arrived, I found that the case doesn't have any slides in it - the trays just stack on top of each other, which makes it really awkward to get at things on the bottom when it's full of heavy items.

I'd like to install some tray sliders in the side walls of the suitcase, something like the yellow highlighted piece in this mockup.There's not much free space on the sides of the trays, so I was hoping to find or make a plastic sheet with grooves about every inch and a half that I can glue to the walls. How can I easily make something like this, or is there an existing part out there that I can use?

posted by chundo to grab bag (4 comments total)

I would think the easiest way would be to buy plastic and use a grinder to grind out the grooves. Alternatively, thin strips of wood (or plastic) glued into the side of the suitcase would work nicely.
posted by JMOZ at 9:44 AM on May 11, 2007

Looking around I'm thinking about getting a sheet of something like this, fastening "rails" to it every inch and a half, and glueing the back of the whole sheet to the inside of the case. I'm not sure of the strongest way to attach these rails (plastic or wood probably?) to the plastic sheet though since some of the shelves could get heavy. Staple gun? More glue?
posted by chundo at 10:09 AM on May 11, 2007

If there's clearance for a freestanding frame within the case, that would be strongest so you could actually bolt the shelves on (countersinking the heads so it fits). Glue may work, but some pastics take glue better than others. Staples (from the back of the plastic) or small screws might be a better idea.
posted by JMOZ at 10:14 AM on May 11, 2007

How about this:

Drill out the sides so that you can poke a pair of machine screws through on each side, for each tray—so each tray would be supported by 4 screws, which would act as glides. Thread low-profile nuts onto the screws to hold them in place. Voila, you're done Perhaps use washers to spread the compressive load. Not pretty, but quick and cheap. I'm guessing the screws would only need to be 3/4" long, and could be very slim, like 6-32.
posted by adamrice at 10:51 AM on May 11, 2007