EDC Drawer With a Secret

I have a mini fridge in my tiny house (yes, it is poetic), when I return home, I empty my pockets on top of the fridge. From the first time I emptied my pockets I knew there could be something more. Every time I emptied my pockets I thought about what "more" could be. I would watch every day carry (edc) videos online, "Adam Savage's Everyday Carry (EDC)"..."The Four Pieces Of Gear Alex Megos Always Has In His Bag"..."These Are The Four Things Tommy Caldwell Always Carries In His Gear Bag"...

Long story short, I decided to make a drawer to organize the things I carry every day.

Tools:

• Angle Grinder/Hacksaw
• Wire Brush
• Drill
• 3d Printer
• Clamps
• Table Saw
• Biscuit Cutting Tool

Materials:

• 2'' thick High Density Foam
• 1/2'' thick Plywood
• 1/8'' thick Plywood
• 4x Biscuits
• 4x Bolts
• 4x Nuts
• 2'' x 4'' Hollow Metal tubing (rectangular)
• 1' drawer slides
• Clear Spray Paint
• 12x Drawer Slide Screws
• Wood Glue
• Epoxy/Hot Glue
• 3d Printing Filament

• Cut the 1/4'' plywood into 4 pieces that will make up the walls for the drawer
• Cut grooves near the bottom of the 4 pieces, they will hold the bottom in
• Cut a groove for the biscuits in the ends of the wall pieces. Write letters on the ends so they can be matched later, and will line up well
• Cut out the base from 1/8'' plywood. Error on the side of too small, it should float a little bit in the grooves.
• Glue up the drawer. No glue is needed in the grooves for the base; however, glue is vital in the biscuits (not a lot of glue is required, a little goes a LONG way)
• Clamp it up and let it dry for at least 40 min (I let mine dry overnight, as my shop is cold)

Salvage Metal

• Wire brush the metal. I like to wire brush the metal before I cut it because it is hard to wire brush the ends (before it is cut, you aren't brushing the ends)
• Measure the metal and mark where it needs to be cut. Make sure the lines are square, it really helps
• Measure again (measure twice cut once)
• Cut along the lines, ensuring the cuts are straight and clean
• It helps to sand the ends to get them really clean and straight

Add Drawer Pull

• Cut out 3 sides of a rectangle from a corner in the middle (look at pictures)
• Bend the flap into the tube

Paint the metal. I used a clear coat because I like the color of the weathered metal, but a matte black would look great too

Attach Drawer front

• Clamp the metal to the drawer body
• Drill four holes for the bolts through the metal and wood... drill them on either end of the drawer, one on top of the other to ensure stability.
• put the bolts in the holes, and use some tape on a finger to get the nuts on the bolts

Start by cleaning the drawer slides, then install them. I'm not a great writer, so here are some links to youtube videos about installing drawers.

make a jig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLiBV9MRPmE

Kreg jig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFuO6_meRxA

Wood Magazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey2DwO4GJOk

This is by far the most fun step.

Cut a piece of foam that fits in the drawer and push it in. Before cutting lay out the items that will go in the foam and play around with arrangement. When you are ready, trace the objects and cut along the lines. Then, tear the foam out. If you are cutting a large area, make multiple cuts so you can pull out many strips (as opposed to a massive sheet)

A day later, I added a wireless charger. This is how I did it.

• Stick a pin through the center of the phone cut out
• Line up the center of the charger with the pin, and trace around it
• Draw a line for the cable, and mark where it ends in the box
• Drill a hole the size of the end of the charging cable
• Cut out the foam and lay the charger in

3d print the endcap. The file I drew and used is here.

Sand the end cap with an orbital sander, it leaves a REALLY nice finish. Cut out pieces for a box out of the thin plywood, then glue them together.

Place the box in the metal drawer front with some epoxy on the end. Put the cap on, and put a piece of wood through the tube. Then clamp the wood to the endcap, and the wood will hold the box to the endcap.

I hope you liked this instructable, please don't come to my house and steal my money!

Vote for me if you are pro round earth and anti-flat earth.

I know this may sound cocky, but this is the best drawer ever. It is so nice to have a place for everything.