This is going in my 05 Tundra Double Cab, with 6'2" bed. I'm planning on building the drawers full-length. I don't have any real expeditions planned, just short camping and MTB trips. Most trips will be me, my girlfriend, and her dog, and just be 2-3 days. We're planning a 2 week trip to montana, but we'll be stopping at friend's houses and at campgrounds, so we don't need to pack enough to be self sufficient for the whole duration.
I'm going to build drawers for under my sleeping platform, and am considering using sheet aluminum instead of plywood. I can weld aluminum, and I just met a guy that might be able to get the drawers cut and bent at the HVAC company he works at, if I give him a design to go off of.
I've got a few design questions:
1) For the drawer bodies, should I use heavy gauge aluminum with no frame? Or should I build a frame of aluminum square tubing, with thinner gauge aluminum over it, and weld the two together?
1a. What gauge would you recommend? I'm thinking maybe 0.080" or 0.120" if there's no frame. If I have a frame I might use 0.063" sheet, and then use 0.75" or 1" square tubing for the frame. I honestly have no idea, those are WAGs.
1b. What size lip should there be around the top edge of the drawers? If I don't have a frame, should the lip be a double bend?
1c. What material? I'm thinking maybe 5052, because it supposedly bends well and also welds well.
2) Should I build 2 drawers 24" wide, or 3 drawers 16" wide?
3) I'm tempted to only build the drawers 8" deep (just barely over my wheelwells), so I can have max height above for the sleeping platform. I figured it'll be usable for sitting in during the day and changing clothes, vs. a very short sleeping coffin. My cap is about 6" higher than the cab of the truck, 48" internal height. Will I regret it if the drawers are that shallow? It's a lot of work to build it, so it's got to have enough storage space to make it worthwhile.
Thanks,
Miles
I'm going to build drawers for under my sleeping platform, and am considering using sheet aluminum instead of plywood. I can weld aluminum, and I just met a guy that might be able to get the drawers cut and bent at the HVAC company he works at, if I give him a design to go off of.
I've got a few design questions:
1) For the drawer bodies, should I use heavy gauge aluminum with no frame? Or should I build a frame of aluminum square tubing, with thinner gauge aluminum over it, and weld the two together?
1a. What gauge would you recommend? I'm thinking maybe 0.080" or 0.120" if there's no frame. If I have a frame I might use 0.063" sheet, and then use 0.75" or 1" square tubing for the frame. I honestly have no idea, those are WAGs.
1b. What size lip should there be around the top edge of the drawers? If I don't have a frame, should the lip be a double bend?
1c. What material? I'm thinking maybe 5052, because it supposedly bends well and also welds well.
2) Should I build 2 drawers 24" wide, or 3 drawers 16" wide?
3) I'm tempted to only build the drawers 8" deep (just barely over my wheelwells), so I can have max height above for the sleeping platform. I figured it'll be usable for sitting in during the day and changing clothes, vs. a very short sleeping coffin. My cap is about 6" higher than the cab of the truck, 48" internal height. Will I regret it if the drawers are that shallow? It's a lot of work to build it, so it's got to have enough storage space to make it worthwhile.
Thanks,
Miles