Euronorm Crate With Drawers

The goal of this project: a crate with 3 drawers that can be stacked on euronorm crates.

240x120x1.2 cm plywood

1.20 m angle iron

6 fully extensible drawer rails 35 cm.

3 drawer pulls

2 folding handles

Euronorm crates are slightly under 60x40 centimeters. Calculate the size of all pieces you need, taking into account the width of the drawer sliders. For the height keep in mind that you will add some strips to the top and the bottom to ensure the crate is stackable. So make the crate 2.4 cm lower than you want the assembly to be. Then cut the sides, and while you're at it, cut the plywood for the drawers as well. For the outside I have used a laminated plywood. Mount the rails on the sides and then assemble the outside box.

The drawers will be held closed by latches on the drawer handle. These latches will need something to hook behind, and therefore I created some bars that go just above the drawers. Cut angle iron 6 centimeters wider than the inner width of your crate. Cut out a little v-shape, bend the edges and drill holes to mount the bars in the crate. If you want to make it more solid, weld the bar after bending the edges. If you have high sides on your drawers, you might need to notch out the bar a bit for the drawer to go through.

You need two locking bars. The top drawer will use a catch that can directly be screwed in the top of the crate.

I used glue and a brad nailer to quickly assembly the drawers. Screw the drawers to the rails. Measure out the center of the drawer and figure out the height your latches need. Drill a pilot hole at this location and use a hole saw to make room for the drawer pulls. Note that the top drawer might need a notch for the top catch.

Cut some plywood into thin strips (~10mm wide). These will form the lips that will hold the crate in position in a stack of euronorm crates. On the top these strips should go on the outside of the crate. At the bottom they should be in-set.

Pro-tip: leave a bit of room between the lips, to allow any moisture to have a way out, preventing rot. This also allows you to tie the crate down with a strap. Also don't put full length strips at the bottom, but leave the middle open. That way you not only stack your crate on a 60x40 crate, but also on two 30x40 crates (which would have their lips in the middle of your crate).

Use a template to mark out where you want your handles. With a router remove enough plywood to get the handles nicely countersunk. Screw them in.

Disassemble everything for painting. I went with a dark lacquer for the drawer fronts to get the color closer to the lamination of the crate. Then I went with a good few coats of transparent lacquer. To waterproof the edges of the plywood I used woodglue, but there are also special edge sealers or epoxy resins available.

When all the paint has dried, you can assemble everything again. And there you have yourself a nicely stackable crate with drawers!