MAXIMERA Filament Drawer – 14-Spool Storage for IKEA METOD

This modification turns an IKEA MAXIMERA drawer into practical filament storage inside a METOD cabinet. The original wooden drawer bottom is replaced with an open frame made from 3D printed side rails and four aluminium tubes. The spools rest between pairs of tubes, keeping them organised and individually accessible.

I developed this system for a METOD cabinet measuring 60 × 60 × 80 cm, measured as width × depth × height. My setup holds 14 filament spools in two rows of seven. Different spool formats can be combined, although the number that fits depends on spool width, diameter and the available clearance above the drawer.

Each drawer requires two Left Side Rails, two Right Side Rails and eight Tube Insert Pins. You will also need four aluminium tubes, eight pan-head screws measuring 4 mm in diameter × 30 mm long, fourteen pan-head screws measuring 4 mm in diameter × 10 mm long, and cyanoacrylate or epoxy adhesive. Four of the short screws connect the rail sections at their centre joints, while the remaining ten secure the frame from underneath.

For the 60 cm cabinet, cut each aluminium tube to 453 mm. The tube label in my original build reads 23.5 mm outside diameter × 1.5 mm wall thickness, giving a calculated inside diameter of 20.5 mm. The STEP assembly models the tubes at 23.6 mm outside diameter and 20.4 mm inside diameter, with a 20.2 mm pin insertion diameter. Check the fit of your tubes and printed parts before assembly.

Start by printing the four rail sections and eight pins. Cut the tubes to length and deburr their ends. Glue the pins into their designated seats in the side rails using cyanoacrylate or epoxy, then allow the adhesive to cure fully. Fit the aluminium tubes onto the pins and align the opposite rail sections according to the assembly view. Secure the tube connections by installing the eight 30 mm screws from the outside.

Remove the original drawer bottom and slide the preassembled frame sections into the drawer in its place. Connect the front and rear rail sections at the centre joints using four 10 mm screws in total. Then secure the frame at the underside mounting points using the remaining ten 10 mm screws. Load the spools onto the two tube pairs and check that the drawer moves freely and that the spools clear the drawer or front above.

The tubes span the width of the drawer. Assuming identical side connections and clearances, their length can be adapted using this formula: tube length in millimetres = 453 + cabinet width in millimetres − 600. For a 40 × 60 × 80 cm cabinet, the calculated length is 253 mm per tube, untested. For an 80 × 60 × 80 cm cabinet, the calculated length is 653 mm per tube, untested. Both versions require checking the actual drawer dimensions before cutting. The longer tubes also need checking for deflection under load. Different cabinet depths may require changes to the printed rails and tube positions.

To make better use of the cabinet height, I shortened both original 40 cm drawer fronts to 30 cm. Together with an additional 20 cm drawer front, this creates a 30-30-20 arrangement. This front modification is separate from the filament frame. The required internal clearance still depends on the diameter of the spools you use.