Thanks to REI’s post, I got my wheels turning. I thought the idea of having a drop down table out the back of my van would be perfect considering I want to do a pull-out kitchen on the opposite side of the back of the van. Without knowing what was behind the original decor of the van, I stripped it and was pleasantly surprised.
I first added insulation inside the door because really, why not? I then measured and drew out what I wanted to build and how I wanted to relocate the speaker. I also wanted to use the cubby holes on the bottom to hold my spices. I cut a piece of 1/2″ ply for the back of the door. I used a compass to draw a circle for the speaker and cut this out using the jig saw.
I then cut another piece of ply for the actual table but then I started to look around my shop and decided to go the fancy route: use scrap wood and glue together a table that would look like a cutting board. While this increased the project time, I am happy I went this route as now it is a focal point in the van. I then painted the backboard the same color as I painted the platform of my bed.
For the legs, I had to make sure they wouldn’t interfere with the speaker. This is why one has a different design than the other. To attach the legs, I used 2″ hinges and simply put a screw on the end of each at the top; this is what the table will drop down into to keep anything from moving. I measured where I need to drill these holes on the underside of the table. I got one side slightly off which then caused the wood to crack a bit when redrilling so be careful on this step.
After I let things dry, I needed to figure out how to attach everything to the van. I did a few trial and error test runs and settled on following suit with how the REI article describes a curved door. I scribed a piece of wood and then cut this with the jigsaw.
I made two of these, countersunk the pieces and then attached them using self drilling sheet metal screws.
I then measured and countersunk where the screws were going to go to attach everything to the van. Again, I used self drilling metal screws for this.
Once everything was attached, I laid the table down, set it in place and then installed 1″ hinges from the back to the table (I plan to paint these). I then constructed my own bungee cord that I purchased on amazon with hooks to secure everything so nothing is moving when the table is not in use. I of course have the cord matching the inside accent of hot pink!
I can use the table with letting the bungee dangle or I can reattach it and hang stuff from it. I plan to add some decorative something or another over the insulation and keep my spices in the cubbies. I’m pretty stoked on this set up!
