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deedles_gw

Again with the lazy susan questions. Anyone seen this done?

deedles
10 years ago

There is a corner susan. Want the swing around attached doors for sure, so that's a lazy susan.

But, I'd also like to get rid of the center pole, a la the super susans.

So, has anyone ever seen a super susan with attached doors? I understand that this would mean 2 doors to turn instead of one and a fixed shelf with no adjustability. I know what will be stored in there, though and that won't be a problem.

I wonder if this would even gain me anything storage-wise?

Would it be the best of both worlds or extra work for not much gain?

Comments (33)

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    I can only talk about my susan which has a center post and a hinged door that opens separately. I really prefer the hinged door as I often use the part of the susan that's revealed as like regular open shelving to reach in to grab frequently used stuff. The ones with the attached doors requires you to spin something just to gain access. I've also had no problem with the center post at all.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Annie: My friend has hinged doors and she doesn't like that they are banged up from hitting the other cabs. Do you notice that with yours?

    I had one with the center pole and the swing around door and I liked it, I'm just trying to see if I can squeak a little more storage room out of each by losing the center pole.

    One advantage of the hinged doors: someone here once posted a pic of how they used the space between the turntable and the end of the cab to stand their cookie sheets up. That would have to have been a super susan.

    Trying to get 10 pounds in a five pound bag....

  • ControlfreakECS
    10 years ago

    I think the problem with your design idea is that the top and bottom "doors" would have to have a gap between them to allow for the shelf that the super susan sits on, while still allowing for free swinging motion. I am thinking that is not possible without the stability of the center pole.

    Hmm.... maybe a center pole on the top one to hold the susan in place that is attached to the door. Then the bottom one could have the door attached to the super susan that rests on the base cab floor? I'm not carpenter. Obviously this is a very custom job.

    I agree with you about the swing door vs. the hinged. I put up with the hinged for the function of the Korner King. Most of my frequently accessed items are on the drawer mechanisms, so I spin the susan less often so it is more like getting into my easy reach corner cab above.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    control: Yeah, there seems to be trade-offs for everything. But now I'm pondering the hinged door/super susan and having the cab made a few inches longer on one side to give me a space for standing up cutting boards and cookie sheets. That would fit my mission of stacking functions. It would turn one of my 18" drawers bases into a 15 or 16, though. Not sure if that's a good trade?

  • itsallaboutthefood
    10 years ago

    I have a super susan (no pole) with hinged doors. I am able to use the space in the corners to store things on both shelves. I think this option gives you the most storage. If you have attached doors which swing around with the susan, I think you could only use the space in the corners on the bottom.

    I think you will lose space if you split the door like you are describing since the top susan has to swing free of the bottom susan and that limits the height of stuff you can keep in the bottom.

    I also keep often used items in the front and open the door to retrieve them without spinning the susan.

    I don't find that my door is getting banged up. However it is between the dishwasher and the stove....so maybe my situation is different.

    This post was edited by itsallaboutthefood on Sat, Dec 7, 13 at 10:38

  • GreenDesigns
    10 years ago

    The ones with the doors attached are much more limiting and problematic for appearance sake than the ones with the hinged doors. Especially if you want full overlay cabinets, or even inset. They only work well with partial overlay. Unless you have herds of 5 year olds slamming the doors in your kitchen, the only way that the hinged door gets beat up is if there's a learning deficit involved. Once you bang the doors once, you generally don't repeat the action. It's really not a difficult adaptation of closing the door rather than just pushing a single door and letting it shut. It's why there aren't soft close on hinged doors. It's the one door that requires a bit of effort to close in the right order. It becomes automatic though, and only has to be thought about when there's someone new in your kitchen rummaging around.

    THe hinged door super susans are the best bang for the buck as far as amount of storage, and accessing that storage. And integration of appearance into the kitchen as a whole.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yup, amazingly (to me) the hinged doors are pulling ahead, purely for the ability to slide some stuff in the end as discussed. I wonder if my friends door banging has something to do with the way it was designed or installed... it's really banged up and she put like a band-aid on the edge. I'll have to ask her again. Maybe her DH has a learning deficit, ha!

    itsallaboutthefood: I hope you read this because I was wondering if you can tell me: is your cabinet 36" along the back edges (if you know offhand) AND how much space do you have between the turntable and the end of the cab? Like an inch or two or even three?

  • jakuvall
    10 years ago

    I often put in the Hafele Suzi Q- have one myself. Doors fold in and mechanism spins-
    It works with frameless full overlay, framed inset, or framed partial overlay. Looks funny with framed full overlay so I don't use that.
    Yes it has a center pole-I've had mine for 9 years and really can't see getting more stuff in there than I already have. I also don't think that any with bifold doors are nearly as convenient.

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    deedles,

    I don't have a pole, and my trays go almost to edge. Like others have said, it was natural to put things I use most toward the fronts. Shelves are so substantial, they hold crockpots and other heavy items.

    This is one of my favorite things in new kitchen.

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    duplicate post

    {{!gwi}}

    This post was edited by bookworm4321 on Sat, Dec 7, 13 at 11:55

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    deedles,

    I don't have a pole, and my trays go almost to edge. Like others have said, it was natural to put things I use most toward the fronts. Shelves are so substantial, they hold crockpots and other heavy items.

    This is one of my favorite things in new kitchen.

    {{!gwi}}

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    deedles,

    I don't have a pole, and my trays go almost to edge. Like others have said, it was natural to put things I use most toward the fronts. Shelves are so substantial, they hold crockpots and other heavy items.

    This is one of my favorite things in new kitchen.

    {{!gwi}}

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    deedles,

    I don't have a pole, and my trays go almost to edge. Like others have said, it was natural to put things I use most toward the fronts. Shelves are so substantial, they hold crockpots and other heavy items.

    This is one of my favorite things in new kitchen.

    {{!gwi}}

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    deedles,

    I don't have a pole, and my trays go almost to edge. Like others have said, it was natural to put things I use most toward the fronts. Shelves are so substantial, they hold crockpots and other heavy items.

    This is one of my favorite things in new kitchen.

    {{!gwi}}

  • itsallaboutthefood
    10 years ago

    My super susan is 36". I have about 1.5" on the sides. I'm not sure though that if I put a cutting board or something there, if I could make sure it stayed upright.

    But it is the back corners where there is a lot of space (although you have to reach in to put things there). There is about a 10" triangle (10" on the 2 sides of the right angle) on the left and the right sides. The furthermost corner of my super susan is angled though....so no space back there but I don't think I could reach that anyway.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    jakuvall: I remember you told me about the suzie-Q a while back. I can see the benefit to that, too, but it would preclude using the edges to slide in cutting boards, etc.

    I guess the final answer is, what do I need most. I need to be able to cram the most stuff efficiently into the smallest spaces. Being able to have a place to slide my sheets and cutting boards on edge is really appealing and that would dictate a super susan with hinged doors.

    unless I'm missing something...

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    IAAATF: Hey, you found me a spot for those darn tall thermos bottles that DH uses exactly one week a year (hunting). I'm thinking the cab guy could make slots to take a vertical skinny divider to keep the stuff upright.

    So, if you have 1.5" left on the side, do you have face frame cabinets?

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    I apoloize for the multiple posts. I kept getting an error message that post rejected, then everything went up.

    deedles, I'm not much of a cook, but I bake a lot. I have a dedicated place for cooking sheets, but my trash can sits under the sink, and no special place for recyclables. My kitchen not that large, so it came down to what I wanted most.

  • bellsmom
    10 years ago

    Deedles

    I don't see how you can have supersusans and attached doors. Sort of by definition, supersusans operate independently and each susan rests on a fixed shelf. The kind of susan you describe would have to have a center pole and no fixed shelves or else doors couldn't rotate.

    I may be the person who posted pictures of using the space beside susans to store cookie sheets and such.

    I have frameless cabinets with super susans and bifold doors. Because my cabinet maker did not custom build the susans, there is about 1 1/2 inch of space beside each susan.

    I can't find my post about using this space, but here are some pics:

    This shows the way items can be slid into the spaces beside the susans and also UNDER the susans.

    one last image:

    And this shows most of the items I have stored alongside or under the susans.

    By the way, I have had NO problem with the doors being marred by bumps. If I had a center pole I definitely would not be able to store my Nesco cooker or my sous vide supreme on a susan. They are both just too large, and I want them where they are convenient.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Oh it was you! Thank you for finding this thread and posting those pics. I especially remember the 'under' the susan part. And I see you even hang some stuff on the door.. another bonus.

    This is really helpful and I do appreciate you popping up! Wow, you can really cram some stuff in there. I like it.

    Your dog looks like "I hope she doesn't put me in there with that stuff." or more likely, "nope, nothing edible".

    Thanks Bellsmom. I can't find that thread and I searched every which way to try.

  • bellsmom
    10 years ago

    Hi, Deedles.
    Yeah, I looked for it too, thinking I could just link it.

    Glad what I posted was helpful. I nearly didn't, because most of the pics have been on GW several times. I DO hope I see your kitchen when you have it done.
    Mine is such an endless joy.

  • bellsmom
    10 years ago

    Deedles,

    It was fun to respond again to one of your posts.

    I just thought to add this: One of the big advantages of supersusans that I don't often hear is that the shelves can be adjusted up and down. Some center post susans are adjustable, I think (this is based on the fact that for years I had one that had collapsed permanently into a rubble pile on the bottom of the cabinet. Maybe they all are adjustable.)

    Anyway, if you decide on conventional supersusans, I would suggest you be sure they upper one (or two--you could, you know, have a three shelf susan) are situated on adjustable shelves.

  • itsallaboutthefood
    10 years ago

    I have frameless cabinets.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks everyone for weighing in. I feel like I'm getting close to my answer on this.

  • katy-lou
    10 years ago

    Seems like you are figuring out what you want, but have you considered no susan, and just a stepped back shelf? This is so much more accessible than the blind cabinet I had before and lots of room with it all easily visible and reachable.

  • firstmmo
    10 years ago

    I had a corner susan and a tall compartment that worked well for me. I had this because the corner to the left was slightly larger than the one to the right. This gave me just a bit more room. The hinged door was not my favorite but the cabinet company said they really worry about the doors that attach to the circular susan because they hear all the time about little kids getting their hands caught in them as they spin around. That worried me.

    I have also seen a great version where the middle of the susan are drawers and the sides are small compartments. Will have to look for a picture of that.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I like that set up with the side slot. That looks really handy.

    I think the thing you are referring to is that Korner King? I've looked at those but the stuff I want to keep is too big for the compartments.

    I'm going to show your pic to my cab guy... that could work nicely.

    Thank you!

  • susanlynn2012
    10 years ago

    Firsthouse_mp, I LOVE that side slot for my stool! I must show that to my kitchen designer!

    Bookwork4321, I love your pan cabinet that I may get also.

    I am trying to decide if I want a tiny cabinet for my trash can. I know I want to keep my recycables in my home office as I do not want to use up precious cabinet space as my kitchen is not that big. Any more picture of your kitchen Bookwork4321?

    Thank you everyone for sharing as I am trying to decide also want to do with the corner cabinets.

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    firsthouse: if you read this, would you be able to measure the front dimensions of your corner? I'm trying to figure out how much wider the left side is than the right so I can talk to my cab guy about it. thank you!

    katy-lou: I have sort of the same thing now except I wasn't smart enough (pre-GW) to have DH make a shelf stepped back like yours. Both shelves are full depth and although I can keep a lot on them, it kills my back to get down low enough to dig for the stuff on the bottom back. I'm not nice and neat like you and I keep putting more stuff in there because I can so it's constantly shuffling to get out what I want. Your cabs are beautiful, though and I do appreciate the input and pic. I love seeing the different examples of how people make things work.

  • firstmmo
    10 years ago

    Right side: 13-1/2"
    Left side: 18-1/4"
    So about 5" of space
    Truthfully, there's no need to actually have the divider but the cabinet people thought I would put large cutting boards in there or something like that since it's 28" tall x 24"D. But since I need step stools all over because I'm barely 5'2", the stepstool is my partner in all things! At one point I think I did end up putting my huge turkey cutting board there.

  • firstmmo
    10 years ago

    This is what I was thinking of, perhaps not for your use Deedles since you need to store larger things, but might be useful to someone else. Combines the corner drawers with the lazy susan.

    Here is a link that might be useful: KornerKing

  • deedles
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    thank you firsthouse. I could see one of those KK's for the smaller stuff or if I had 2 corner cabs, one of those could be useful.