How to Make a Counter Slide on a Hoosier Cabinet

The original Hoosier cabinets put American ingenuity to work to create efficiency and convenience in home kitchens at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The upper hutch section stored and dispensed ingredients, and the lower cabinet stored tools. The hutch stood on brackets that allowed the countertop between the two sections to slide back to the wall and extend out into the room only when its full depth was needed. Reproductions of these brackets can be supplemented with modern drawer rollers under the countertop.

1 pair Hoosier side brackets
4 to 6 wood screws with washers, as called for by brackets
Drill or screwdriver
1 pair under-mount drawer slides
1 to 2 center-mount drawer slides
Wooden, glass or composite countertop
Scrap-wood blocks slightly thicker than your countertop

Instructions

- 1
  Attach one side bracket to the back outside of each side of the cabinet section by driving the wood screws through the holes provided on the brackets.
- 2
  Mount the cabinet portion of each of the under-mount drawer slides to one far side of the cabinet frame. Place center-mount drawer slides on inner frame members to support the countertop.
- 3
  Mount the drawer portions of the drawer slides at corresponding spots on the countertop. Make sure that the countertop glides evenly on the slides, then set it aside.
- 4
  Set scrap wood blocks against the side brackets to support the hutch section of the cabinet. Set the hutch on top and attach the side brackets.
- 5
  Insert the countertop, engaging the drawer slides.

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