The final result looks like this:
STEP 1: Choose the organizers. As shown above, we chose the Stanley Removable Bin Compartment Professional Organizer, which comes in two heights. For the purpose of this discussion, I'm calling the taller one the "large" and the shorter one "small." Stanley refers to them as "10 Compartments" and "25 Compartments" respectively. At the time of posting, this link would allow you to choose either style:
It's important that all organizers have the same width and depth dimensions - only the height can vary. You usually can't mix and match - the similar-looking organizers from Harbor Freight, for example, are a different width and won't work with the Stanley organizers.
STEP 2: Choose the drawer slides. We picked a 20-pack from an eBay merchant, Quantum Hardware of Concord. For these organizers, the 16-inch length is the right one, and it's important that you choose a full-extension ball bearing slide - otherwise, you won't be able to fully open the lid of the organizer. Since eBay links are notorious for going away quickly, instead I'm including a search link for the right slide from that vendor. If that someday doesn't work, just search for a 75-pound full-extension drawer slide.
STEP 3: Modify the drawer slides. This design requires you to use 1/4-20 mounting hardware, which won't fit through the holes on the slide. You should choose two round holes (as opposed to slotted) in the slide that will fit the side of the organizer. In the photo below, I have a second slide piece sitting on top of a mounted slide, so you can see the hole configuration. The holes to modify are the two that line up with the mounting screws on the lower slide:
You must enlarge those holes to 1/4 inch. Because the slides are hardened, a regular drill bit from Home depot will dull very quickly. My Chinese bits from Harbor Freight wouldn't cut it at all! My advice is to order a solid carbide 1/4" drill bit. Since I didn't have one and didn't want to wait, I borrowed a solid carbide 1/4" end mill from Phil Oles, and used the milling machine.
To quickly align the slide for drilling, I made a small tool on the lathe. I used a pointed center finder to align the vise with the first hole, and then used the custom tool to align each hole thereafter. The tool (left photo) slips over the end mill (power off, of course), and the point aligns the slide. The vise can then be tightened, the tool removed, and the hole drilled (right photo).
But really... buy the carbide drill bit and drill them by hand - it'll be a lot faster!
The photo below shows all the hardware for one organizer drawer: four connector nuts, four spacers and four very specific screws. Refer to it for steps 4-6 below.
STEP 4: Buy Connector Nuts. The heart of this design is the connector nuts, which marries a broad, flat head with a deep bolt body. We chose the Platte River 812620, 1/4-20x12mm Steel Connector Nut in Bronze. You can buy 4-packs at Home Depot, or this link is for 100 at a much lower price:
STEP 5: Buy Button Screws. In the prototype for this project, I found that a standard 1/4-20 x 1/2" screw would not work in the drawer slide, because the head stuck up too far. While prototyping, I used the mill to shorten those screw heads in a custom jig I made:
That would have been far too laborious for 100 screws, so I found one that would fit, described as "Coarse Thread Button Head Socket Cap Screw Plain 1/4-20 X 1/2" This link was the one I used:
If that link goes away, try searching on "Metalgrip 1408CSB".
Incidentally, to determine what would fit, I used a neat Android app on my phone, called "Nuts and Bolts Pro." It gives precise measurements for various fastener types and sizes. I just looked through 1/4" bolts and found the one with the shortest head. Here's a screen shot:
STEP 6: Make or Buy the Spacers. By far, the better course is to buy them! We didn't, and I enjoyed the process of making them, but I spent a good 7 hours across multiple sessions. What you want is a 1/2" spacer with a 3/8" hole in it. This should work, although I haven't actually bought it to try it:
The reason I didn't buy the spacers is that I convinced myself it would look better if the spacer was 9/16" in diameter instead of 1/2". That's dumb. Buy the spacers. Buying a pack of 100 costs only a dollar more than our material cost for making them! It would make sense to make them if you only want a few.
The collage below sketches out the process of making them. At the left, Phil and I used his big band saw to cut 100 pieces around 5/8" in length. Then, for each piece, I faced one end and put a small chamfer on it, then drilled through, then used a custom fixture to hold them for milling to final length. Seven hours. Buy the spacers!
STEP 7. Make a custom drilling guide, and drill holes in the organizers. This needs to be very precisely done, but it's easy. Make a T-shaped guide (so it can be aligned to either side of the organizer), and using the drawer slide as a template, drill small holes through the guide. I used 1/8". The two sets of holes are for the large and small organizers.
Then, clamp the guide to the organizer (the lip makes it easy to align), and drill through the appropriate pair of holes for that size organizer:
Remove the guide, and enlarge the hole to fit the connector bolt. It is important that it be a snug fit. Our connector bolts measured 0.348" in diameter, which is the exact size of a letter "S" drill bit. That can't be a coincidence. Drilling it out to "S" size led to a snug friction fit. Buy the right bit for the job!
Also, be aware that in the thin plastic side of the organizer, a large bit like the "S" will be drawn into the material very quickly. Essentially, it first screws into the hole, and then cuts it. Be safe! Keep your free hand well clear of the drill bit.
STEP 8: Assemble. The connector nut uses a 5 mm allen wrench, and the button screw a 4 mm. Put the connector bolts through the box side, add a spacer on each, and screw the slide in place.
STEP 9: Take some measurements. With the slides mounted on the organizer, now's a great time to figure out some spacing. In the photo below, I used some 1/2" plywood spacers between each organizer, and also between the bench and the bottom organizer. I put the "base" side of the slide on each box, and then used a digital caliper to measure spacing to each slide from the previous:
There are four different spaces here, and I'll make an MDF spacer in each size to align the base slides when screwing them in. Here's the measurements I came up with (of course, it may vary with other hardware):
Cabinet bottom to first slide: 1-7/8"
Large case slide to next large case slide: 3-1/16"
Large case slide to next small case slide: 1-3/4"
Small case slide to next small case slide: 1-3/16"
Another set of interesting measurements was for the height of the organizer plus the 1/2" gap below it. I got this:
Small case plus gap: 2-9/16" = 41/16"
Large case plus gap: 4-7/16" = 71/16"
The reason for representing them as large fractions is for ease of design math. For example, the stack pictured has two large and two small cases. Add up the numerators (71+71+41+41) = 224, then divide by 16, and you get the height in inches = 14. That matches my measurement of the stack exactly, so I know the measurements are right. Now I can use them to design a big cabinet. That's the next step!
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