in 1920, before gas fridges, there was a round "ice box" with revolving shelves. It didn't get baked very far. Ice came in square blocks. Nobody wanted to chip the corners off. But surely a smart designer could whomp up a modern version on his cadprog? 80 years is a long time to wait for a Lazy Susan Fridge. Even the brand name is still waiting.
-- rayfo, Oct 22 2000

standalone lazy susan http://www.stacksan...limit=0&pID=18&titl
The vendor suggests use in a refrigerator. [egnor, Oct 22 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

smaller standalone turntable http://store.yahoo....ghac/lazysusan.html
"Fits Most Sizes and Refrigerator Brands" [egnor, Oct 22 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(??) Baked #1 http://www.rior.co....s/Refrigerators.htm
Search for "round fridges". Models start around 2000 British Pound. [jutta, Oct 22 2000]

(???) Baked #2 (German.) http://www.foron.de/prod_d1.htm
Turntable shelves, lower levels are drawers, they won a couple of design awards and do custom colors. This is the manufacturer's webpage; not sure if #1 and #3 are really just references to #2. These are the same guys whose FCKW-free "greenfreeze" refrigerator scared the major manufacturers into offering similar low-impact models back in 1994. [jutta, Oct 22 2000]

(?) Fridge in the Round by Equator http://www.us-appli...om/rfeqrounref.html
Round Fridge [sausage roll, Mar 13 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Problems of either being smaller than a square fridge to fit in the same space, or larger than a square one to get the same internal space. Squares use floor space more efficiently than circles.

That being said, it might be possible to build a square fridge with <what do you call the curved side triangles used to turn a square into a circle?> shaped shelves in the corners, and a pole down the center with bearings on the ends to let the circular center shelves turn. Possible problems there being things fall off when turned, and my fridge is generally jammed full of crap piled on stuff.
-- StarChaser, Oct 22 2000


A partially rounded fridge might be more popular -- models with flat backs and rounded fronts (or full half-circles) which can still fit evenly against a wall, or corner fridges with curved fronts. These would look nifty, provide more shelf-frontage so that getting at food would be easier than with a flag-front fridge (though the revolving-shelf thing would be even better), and not waste much floorspace. Could still have the open heat-venting / easy-access back, too.
-- Monkfish, Oct 22 2000


Thanks. I suspect we won't have to wait long for a manufacturer to get a round tuit. We've had square tuits around for too long.
-- rayfo, Oct 22 2000


Refrigerated vending machines with rotating circular shelves are common. (You press a button to rotate it until you see the product you want...)

You can buy standalone "lazy susan" turntables; you could just put one of those on a normal fridge shelf.
-- egnor, Oct 22 2000


I wonder how the guy kept the open air fridge from leaking all of its cold air to the outside- it sounds like a real feat of engineering. It would also be very interesting to know what the energy consumption of this fridge worked out to be, and if that consumption was greater or less than the average rectangular fridge.

I once helped build a friend's house which was cylindrically shaped. When I asked why the house was cylindrical, he told me that round houses are about 30% more energy efficient than square or rectangular houses. (Actually, we've found out after 5 years of testing that the house is more like 40% more fuel efficient than a rectangular one.)

I wonder if a round fridge would consume less energy than a square one?
-- BigThor, Oct 24 2000


As a dinkum Aussie would say, "I reckon we've all had a fair shake of the tree. Youse all a great bunch of mates."
-- rayfo, Oct 24 2000


Open air fridges use a principle called an "air curtain." You can see for yourself at the supermarket: notice the downward-pointing vents at the top front that produce a slight downdraft, which keeps (most of) the cold air inside. Also a round fridge need not waste space in the corners if you can fit the compressor and heat exchange coils there.
-- rmutt, Oct 27 2000


I think we can compromise on this one: just have a square fridge whose shelves rotate. You know, the square shelves. This will work if the fridge is big enough.
-- Vance, Feb 01 2001


lovely idea [rayfo].
-- neilp, Aug 26 2006



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