How to build your own kitchen pantry storage lazy susan.
We built lazy susan shelves into the pantry storage closet.
I bought two 4 by 8 foot by 3/4 inch oak panels to a make the new shelves for the pantry. We cut each panel into four 2 by 4 foot pieces. We needed six pieces to make the six shelves. We cut these six pieces to fit inside the pantry closet from our template.
We then marked the center of the door from the template onto one of the 2 by 4 foot plywood pieces. We used this point as the pivot point for the router to route out a 14.375 inch radius half circle out of the plywood. We then shortened the radius to 13.625 inches and routed the half circle again to make the half circle 3/4 of an inch smaller so that it would easily fit into the half circle of the back shelf.
We added a 1.5 by 1/4 inch oak lip around front of the back shelves and the half circle shelves so storage items would not fall off of them as the lazy susan was turned.
We then constructed the pivot post out of three 1 by 4 inch by 8 foot oak boards. These three boards were glued together as a 3 by 3 inch post 8 foot long. We drilled 5/8 inch holes in each end 3 inches deep for the bottom and 5 inches deep for the top. We placed a 4 by 5/8 inch steel rod in the bottom hole and a 7 by 5/8 inch steel rod in the top hole. The lazy susan pivots around these rods which are anchored in the floor at the bottom and to the inside wall of the pantry closet at the top.
We then mounted three 70 inch double track standard rails to the post on three sides. These rails were used to mount three sets 11 inch double track brackets for the half circle shelves to sit on. We cut a notch into each half circle shelf so that they would fit around the 3 by 3 inch post and rails snugly.
We then sanded, stained and varnished all the pieces for the lazy susan shelves and then took them inside to the pantry closet for final assembly. We mounted the back shelves in the closet first and then mounted the 3 by 3 inch post in the thrust bearing on the floor and attached it to the wall with a 5/8 inch pillow block bearing. We then mounted the half shelves on the post.
I tested the lazy susan pantry cabinet to make sure it would rotate around the pivot post and not bang the back shelves. It is easy to get to all of the storage items in the pantry. My wife and I love it.
