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Woodworking at Home

Save steps and keep the kitchen clear of gawkers' traffic with this slick two-way drawer solution. Once you see how easy it is, we bet you'll find many uses for this ingenious sliding shuttle system.

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By Ralph Bagnall

of the goals in remodeling the kitchen in our home was to minimize unnecessary traffic flowing through the work area. The way my house is built, a counter separates the kitchen from the dining room: two rooms with separate tasks that still share some of the same "tools," if that's how you want to think of the silverware and dishes.

An Idea is Born

The idea I had to deal with this situation was to create a "double drawer" in the counter cabinets. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come up with a way to make it have double the storage space inside as it does outside — the laws of physics can only be violated in "Dr. Who" reruns — but I was able to create a drawer that opens from either side. Someone in the kitchen can open the drawer from that side and stow the flatware and dishes away directly from the dishwasher, and, when it's time \ to set the table, there's no need for young helpers to "spoil the broth" as they get underfoot of the cook in the kitchen. Now they simply pull out the drawer on the dining room side for their table setting supplies.

Shuttle Technology

'Hie "secret" to the success of this plan is a simple pair of nylon shuttle blocks. Made of a clear, self-lubricating material, they'll work with whatever wood and finish you choose — and, if you don't know they're there, are hardly visible, so you can impress your friends with your "magic" drawer.

34 December 2004 Woodworker's Journal