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Reaching into the back of a base cabinet is a chore; this fixes it with a shallow wooden tray on drawer slides that rolls the whole shelf out to you. It's a fast, high-impact kitchen upgrade built from a single 1x6, a bit of 2x2, and some scrap plywood, and it slides in without modifying the cabinet permanently.
Because it's a retrofit, everything is cut to fit your cabinet, so the first job is measuring: the clearance opening (remember the door hinges eat into it) and the depth. The source's opening was about 14-1/2" once the hinges were accounted for — measure yours carefully, because a tray built to the nominal opening won't clear the hinges.
Build a simple 1x6 box with a tacked-on 1/4" plywood bottom. The clever part is the 2x2 rails: the drawer slides mount to them, and the 2x2s then either screw to the cabinet shelf from underneath (in a tight cabinet) or sit as a base. Mount the slide pieces level and in the exact same position on both 2x2s — the plan is emphatic about this, because slides that aren't parallel bind. The finished tray lifts out for cleaning, and the 2x2 rails double as a lip that keeps items from sliding off the sides.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x6 board, 8 ftTray box. | 1 each |
| 2x2 board, 4 ftSlide rails / base. | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywood scrapTray bottom. | 1 each |
| 21" drawer slidesSide/bottom mount. | 1 pair |
| Pocket and wood screws, 1-1/4" and 2" | 30 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 20 each |
| Wood glue | 3 oz |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Tray sides1x6Cut to your cabinet depth. | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 20" |
| Tray front/back1x6Cut to your opening minus slide clearance. | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 13" |
| Tray bottom1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 14 1/2" × 20" |
| Slide rails2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 21" |
Buy 3 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Measure the clearance opening of your cabinet — remembering the door hinges take up a little room — and the depth. The example had about a 14-1/2" clearance opening once the hinges were accounted for. These numbers set every cut; a tray built to the nominal opening won't clear the hinges.
With everything cut, build a simple box — 1-1/4" pocket screws or 2" countersunk screws and glue. Keep it square.
Since side/bottom-mount slides carry the load, you can just tack a 1/4" plywood bottom onto the box with 1-1/4" finish nails and glue.
Attach the drawer-slide pieces to the 2x2 rails, mounting them level and in the exact same position on both 2x2s. This is critical — slides that aren't parallel will bind and jam.
Position the whole assembly inside the cabinet. In a tight cabinet, screw the 2x2s to the shelf from underneath; with more clearance, fasten them however suits. Slide the tray in — it lifts out easily for cleaning or finishing, and the 2x2 rails keep items from sliding off the sides.
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