McCray Style Icebox

McCray Style Description of Construction

The overall design criteria has been centered on these principles; Beauty of appearance, modern functionality, ease of repair and authenticity. Only when the advantage of modern materials or design has great advantage do we opt for it. These units, as well as the top-mount style are designed and built to last generations. Please call for specifics on any of the items mentioned below.

The Main Features Of Construction Are As Follows:

All solid wood construction. No particleboard or veneer is ever used. Very high quality marine grade plywood is only used as the base for the Plexiglas or tile in models so equipped. This is because of its lower cost and superior dimensional stability.

Units are finished on sides, front, back and top and so can be viewed from any direction.

Any choice of wood and stain is available. White oak, red oak, walnut, cherry, mahogany, maple, ash, pine, tropical exotics, etc. Units can be shipped unfinished, which allows you to better match the stain and finish of existent cabinetry on-site. We also offer a "distressed" finish as an option, which makes the "new" icebox look aged. Trim options are available so your icebox can be made to look anywhere from simple and attractive to highly ornate, similar to the Sears icebox pictured on the Sears page.

Doors can be either solid flat or raised wood panels or insulated tempered glass with wood frames (as is seen in the actual McCray to the right). This will be specified in the contract. Door gaskets and glass panels are replaceable. Doors will swing open from the center outward unless specified in the contract. The doors are NOT reversible swing, swing direction must be specified in the contract. Units are available with between two and eight doors.

The interiors of these iceboxes are available with either wood paneling, opaque white Plexiglas that mimics the original (but breakable) opal glass, or ceramic tile, just like the original McCrays.

Interior wood paneling and shelves will be saturated, not coated, with a penetrating marine epoxy for long-lasting, waterproof durability. The epoxy leaves a beautiful fine finish with a great deal of depth. This is the same epoxy system used for wooden boat decks, cabins and hulls.

The Plexiglas interior is glued to a plywood backing to give the Plexiglas a solid "non-plastic" feel which better mimics the opal glass. Tiles will be epoxied in place and then grouted. They should never come loose.

All shelving is adjustable. But to maintain authentic appearance the number of adjustable positions is limited. The means for obtaining adjustability is authentic to the period.

Shelving is an epoxiatied wood lattice approximately one inch thick with square holes between the boards. A CAD rendering of the latticework is shown below. The wrap-around banding on the four sides has been omitted so you can better see the profile of the lattice. This design is an improvement over the original McCray design in that it will allow for easier cleaning and will help keep smaller items from tipping over. The view is from underneath, the topside is of course flat. Half shelves are also available.

All interior electrical and plumbing lines are sleeved inside conduit so future repairs can be performed easily. This should avoid ever having to dismantle the cabinet to make a repair.

The optional lighting for the unit will be unobtrusive and faithful to the look of the period, although obviously not authentic. The lighting will be pleasant to the eye. Switches for these lights will be electronic and hidden inside the cabinet so they are invisible. How the lights function can be controlled for units with glass doors. These functions include; opening a door lights only that compartment, lights all compartments, or turns the light(s) full on from a dimmed state. The lights can be turned off or left on either dimmed or at full brightness when all doors are closed.

Bulbs will be easily replaceable by the consumer.

Temperature control is handled by a microcontroller with a digital readout and control panel. Temperatures for the freezer and the refrigerated section are individually selectable. The readout and control panel may be located behind the drip pan apron or inside one of the refrigerated compartments which will be specified in the contract. There will be no visible thermostat if the unit is hidden behind the apron.

All hardware is made of solid bronze, patterned after actual antique pieces and will conform to the UL safety standards for child entrapment. The doors will be able to be pushed open from the inside with only 15 lbs. of force as per UL 250 §4.7 & §8.28. The bronze will not be lacquered, unless requested, so they will patina gracefully over time.

The optional icewater spigot is made of bronze with a bronze “dripcatch” mounted below. They will be similar in appearance to the one shown here which appeared in the 1915 Sears and Roebuck catalog. Note that they are mounted to the face frame and not the doors. This option also includes a bronze and copper icewater tank inside one of the upper refrigerated compartments and will be visible from the exterior in iceboxes with glass doors or whenever that door is opened for units with wood paneled doors. All visible piping to and from the tank is copper. All sweated joints in the system is made with lead-free solder. The position of the spigot will be specified in the contract.

Although these units are not UL listed they are constructed with UL listed components and are in compliance with the majority of UL standards listed in the UL 250 manual for “Household Refrigerators and Freezers.”

The compressor for these units may be located remotely as an option. This would remove the noise and heat generated by the compressor out of the kitchen. In-unit compressors have sound deadening materials in the compressor compartment, which is located either above or below the unit.

Insulation is extruded and/or foamed-in-place polyurethane with a “R” value equal to or greater than the average modern refrigerator. This insulation is hydrophobic with a closed cell structure and will not absorb moisture. The insulation is installed so as to form a seal around the interior cabinet with no gaps or holes so moist air is unable to pass through and condense on the interior cabinet.

The power cord exits from underneath the icebox so that it can be hidden from view. This would require a floor-mounted outlet to be installed to take full advantage of this feature. This may only be a concern if it were desired to place the unit in the center of a room.

All doors are built from a design that completely eliminates the problem of broken stile and rail joints without effecting authenticity of appearance in any way. It also eliminates the problem of hinge or latch screws being pulled loose.

The carcass face-frame is heated to prevent moisture from condensing on the face-frame between the doors. This is a standard feature in all modern refrigerators.

All glued-up wood panels are biscuited for superior long-lasting joint life.

Warrantees, shipping and other particulars will be specified in the contract agreement.

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