Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club

Have a 2008 BFT and would like to add a folding shelf extension off the passenger side kitchen counter. Wondering if anyone has done this and would like to post some pictures and description of installation. Thanks.

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dsfriday
2008 BFT C/O

don't you have the cutting board in the top drawer that pulls out?

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2005 26' RSB Casual Elegance

We did this and really enjoy using them. I don't have pictures, but sent you a pm trying to explain what we used and how we did it.

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Charlie & Nancy
2008 BFT

Charlie & Nancy, would you share here what you send dsfriday? I am interested too.

Thanks,

Bill

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Barb & Bill
2004 Born Free 22' Built for Two (Sold)
no longer towing a 2008 Smart ForTwo

Escondido, CA

We took a wooden folding TV table and cut it in half...the light wood matched the Born Free Oak. Then my husband put a small strip of wood just under the cabinet overhang to attach the table half with hinges. Then he made a small wooden support that swings out of the way when not raised up to hold the shelf. It works great when we need it and is out of the way when we don't. Sorry I don't have a picture to show.

Hope that helps.

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Charlie & Nancy
2008 BFT

I should have said the top of a folding TV table.

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Charlie & Nancy
2008 BFT

Here is what I built for fold down shelves, one on each side, to provide an extension to the countertops. The entire shelf assembly is attached to the cabinet and not to the countertop. I used a continuous hinge and a folding shelf bracket. As you can see in the photos, I modified the shelf bracket to allow the continuous hinge to go full width. If I were to do it again, I would not modify the shelf bracket. I would keep it intact and use a continuous hinge on each side of it. The important thing to be aware of is that the pivot axis of both the hinge and the folding support must be in line. You could also use two folding shelf brackets and not need a continuous hinge, however, it would then require two hands to lower the shelf. I prefer it to be a one hand operation. I made the shelves out of plywood with an oak border. Blocking was required to get the pivot at the bottom of the countertop. One other caution; make sure there is no interference when the shelves are stored and the heads of the beds are being raised. The support brackets used are from Woodworkers Supply, Part Number 936-890.

We are very pleased with the added surface the shelves provide and they fold down and are not in the way otherwise.

Virgil

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2006 22 ft BFT diesel

Thanks Virgil, that is what I had in mind. The little utensil rack behind the sink also caught my wife eye. Is that OEM or a subject for another post? Year and model of your Born Free?

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dsfriday
2008 BFT C/O

dsfriday,

That utensil rack is something I designed and built. I earned a lot of points from my wife for that. It is really quite simple to build but I will take some closer photos and post them soon. Our Born Free is a 2006 BFT.

Virgil

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2006 22 ft BFT diesel

I, too, like the utensil rack and the one handed hinge. Great idea! We had problems finding something like that, so improvised, but it works fine. We do have a rack built at the back of both the counters. They hold a lot of things.

Shouldn't Born Free be getting some good ideas from all this?

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Charlie & Nancy
2008 BFT