Usage of round, under-sink cabinet in Tab 400

1LilTabbie

When I bought my 2021 Tab 400 I was delighted with the round cabinet.  Since using it for a camping season, I'm less enchanted.  I can't seem to find ways to efficiently use all of the space.  If there wasn't a center stile, I would use some low baskets that I could pull out.  I have a lazy susan on one of the shelves but it couldn't be full size as, due to the center stile, it wouldn't fit through the opening.  So as I turn it, things just fall off the back.  I'm not really complaining, just setting the stage and looking for inspiration on how you have used yours.  Thanks!

RMo

We tend to fill it with tall narrow containers in the back and gradually shorter ones toward the front - any thing from dog food to cereal, snacks, crackers...   It's not the most efficient as the containers gradually empty and take up more space than necessary but it was our best solution.  Still looking for inspiration too.

1LilTabbie

RMo, that's a thought.  I currently have pots and pans on the lower shelf and lightweight things like bags of chips, etc on the top.  I'll have to do some measuring I guess, and see what might work like you suggest.

Denny16

The 2018/2019 TaB400s do not have the center stile on the round under sink cabinet.  That said, the trash/recycle bins we use under the sink area would fit in the newer TaBs with the center stile.  We also store a collapsible wash basin under there, a tea kettle and cleaning supplies.
 Cheers 

1LilTabbie

Thank you, Denny16, I had wondered if the center stile could be removed.  The cabinet does fit quite a few things but accessing is a bit more challenging.

Denny16

@1LilTabbie You could remove the center stile to get a large lazy Susan installed, but as the doors are not flush fitting, you need the center stile for the doors to close against.  The original TaB400 round doors were fitted together, no space between them and latched in place, so a center stile was not used.  

That said, getting the two round doors aligned to fit properly together is a tedious task, getting the alignment correct.  

Here is what the 2018/209 TaB400 sink cabinet looks like with fitted doors:

You can see the left door is fitted with a lip behind the right door to keep it latched, with a single latch on the right door.  You have to open the right door to open the left door.

Cheers 

1LilTabbie

@Denny16, I see!  I think I better leave the design as is and just work with it!

gande

@Denny16…We have a 2018 400 like you, and our sink cabinet has a center stile (shown on the left side of this picture).  It’s different than the center style on the newer versions which have a reveal between the doors. It may be more for support and stabilization than any door function.

I was in the cabinet business for 35 years and I am still not able to get those doors adjusted correctly. I’ve worked with radius doors before and have  usually been able to adjust them satisfactorily. I’m not sure the installation at the factory is spot on.

I am considering modifying the cabinet to the way the newer version is built. The reveal between the doors would hide a lot of inconsistency in adjustment.

AndreO

Hi folks,
I also have a 2018 400. I found 3 issues with regards to those round cabinet doors.

First, check the pocket screws that hold the door jams in place. Mine came loose over time allowing the position to change.

Second, it looks like the pocket hole joints alone are not enough to hold the door jam in place. You can see, even when the screws behind are tight, they will wiggle back and forward as you open and close the doors. I had to shim mine forward. (More on bottom than on the top) No easy task to get that angle just right. Then I added perpendicular supports behind the jams for reinforcement. On a side note, to compensate for the jam angles being off, the hinges were adjusted to extremes at the factory, so I re-entered them before working out the jam's correct angle. That gave me the ability to adjust afterward.

Oh and working in such tight quarters makes it really hard to see and work behind. The effort to correct the angles was significant so you can understand why Nucamp doesn't want to fool around with it.

Third, the hinges themselves don't hold thier adjustments. I found that to be true of all the doors, closet, bathroom, and the round doors. I adjust them at the start of every season. This year I'm going to try some locktite blue to see if that will help.

Hope the info helps, however if you are not the handy type you may not want to attempt a permanent fix yourself. It can be really frustrating!

Andre

1LilTabbie

@AndreO, my question was on how people have utilized the space inside the round cabinet.  Perhaps your comment is directed towards one of the commenters regarding how the doors are hung/adjusted?

AndreO

@1LilTabbie
Yes it was. On the top I keep stackable pots and pans,  kettle, dish mat stuffed on the side and water jug, (used to hold fresh cold water while I wait for it to get hot.  Just so as not to waste it down the drain.)

On the bottom I have a cardboard box at the back for things like window cleaner, track lub, garbage bags etc. Infront of that I have 2 plastic containers, one for recycle and the other to hold dirty dishes between washes like coffee cups and utensils used to make sandwiches at lunch stops along the route.

Andre

1LilTabbie

@AndreO, thank you for sharing your ideas!  I'll keep that in mind about catching the cold water so it is not wasted.  Good thinking!

Denny16

gande said:

@Denny16…We have a 2018 400 like you, and our sink cabinet has a center stile (shown on the left side of this picture).  It’s different than the center style on the newer versions which have a reveal between the doors. It may be more for support and stabilization than any door function.

I was in the cabinet business for 35 years and I am still not able to get those doors adjusted correctly. I’ve worked with radius doors before and have  usually been able to adjust them satisfactorily. I’m not sure the installation at the factory is spot on.

I am considering modifying the cabinet to the way the newer version is built. The reveal between the doors would hide a lot of inconsistency in adjustment.

The post shown inside the cabinet is more of a support post, not a center “stile” which is normally the vertical parts of a classic door construction.  I agree, adding the center “stile” type post with a reveal between does make the door alignment easier.  I thought if this, but the doors would need trimming.  This support post being off center, makes getting larger items in the cabinet easier.

I also had a hard time aligning the doors, until I realized the left side door hinge post was not attached at the top (under the counter) correctly, and was not flush to the rest of the cabinet.  Once I got this reattached correctly and tightened down, I was able to get a fairly close alignment that looks good.
 Cheers 

Deb55

We have a 2018 T@B 400. On the bottom shelf of that round cabinet, I have a plastic box full of miscellaneous hand tools, batteries, fuses, duct tape, etc. On the top shelf I keep a collapsible dish pan and a collapsible dish drainer. Tucked on the sides, I have extra vinyl gloves for the dump station, and a rechargeable dust buster. 

1LilTabbie

Thank you, @Deb55 !