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Cabinet Build - Follow Along.....

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MAYOR28

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Due to the lack of a basement in our home we have minimal options available for storage, as such my garage has unfortunately become the home for a vast majority of the seasonal junk.....Luckily I do have a shed that contains the yard stuffs, but I would really like to take back my garage.

Solution: Build Cabinets!

Here is the overall cabinet design. Fortunately the ceilings are very tall and I can accommodate bins above the cabinets for additional storage.

cabinetlayout_zps94e2a97a.jpg


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MAYOR28

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On to the doors, I cut all of the door material on the table saw, but used the miter saw to cut all of the rails and stiles to length. This gave me a very square end (after some set up). Here is all of the cut sticks:

IMG_20141026_162713798_zpsphhowycb.jpg



I then set up the table saw for cutting a dado in the rails and stiles to accept the inner 5mm panel. This also took a lot of set up, run the pieces through one way, flip them and run them again = guaranteed centered dado.

IMG_20141026_154222285_zps4ftmhhd7.jpg



Had to make a push stick for this operation.

IMG_20141026_164544134_zpszyqwfdkk.jpg


IMG_20141026_164535866_zpshquftfsu.jpg
 
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M

MAYOR28

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ratdoggy said:
Not that I know better but wouldn't it be better to build them and then hang them?
Better quality I'm thinking
Click to expand...

FJ 432 said:
I see said the blind man, no back. Looking good.

I'm curious as to the small cabinet in the corner and what is your plans for this unique space.
Click to expand...


Cabinets built separately will also have 2 side panels between each separate cabinet when hung. This, plus my inexperience with cabinet building led to the current approach (and a Family Handyman example).

The two small spaces, to the left and right ends, will be shelving units. The far left will not be directly accessible, so it may end up as more of a display area, or a magazine holder......
 
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Rod N

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Keswick, Ontario
MAYOR28 said:
Then put up dividers for to hang everything else from:

IMG_20141024_152751642_zpsxbysp9b1.jpg


IMG_20141024_152758471_zps7zkilzb8.jpg
Click to expand...

So notching the dividers and hanging them on the French cleat is strong enough?

Did you use any fasteners?

Why did you go with hinged doors instead of sliders?

Great job BTW! This is obviously not your first project.
 
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MAYOR28

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Rod N said:
So notching the dividers and hanging them on the French cleat is strong enough?

Did you use any fasteners?

Why did you go with hinged doors instead of sliders?

Great job BTW! This is obviously not your first project.
Click to expand...

I am betting on the french cleat and the lower support (below the lower shelf) to be strong enough. I am not planning on putting 1000 pounds in each bay, but should be good for ~200 I am hoping.....

The slider doors (very common & I have seen a lot on GJ) seem harder to get right than its worth. Some would probably argue that my hand built doors are harder to make, but the actual mechanism for opening (the hinge) was purchased and did not involve multiple cuts or tracks.....the doors also provide full access to each bay, rather than always having one are blocked by a sliding door.
 
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MAYOR28

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The 'finished' look:

IMG_20141109_111851486_HDR_zpslzkhohhd.jpg


IMG_20141109_111839931_HDR_zps9fra87zu.jpg


IMG_20141109_111822877_zpsd0nmq4xt.jpg



I still need to add the door gap fillers, the shelf front fascia, paint the underside of the cabinets white, and adjust all of the doors for proper fit.....But I have started sorting some things into there. I think they are going to work out great. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
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rharman

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That turned out very nice. Clean simple doors make the best look.

Just curious as to what type of hinges you used. I have to make several doors for a closet update we're doing an I'll be using BLUM half-overlay (frameless) so looking for any tips or feedback. I've not used them before.
 
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s.gaspar

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looks good wish i had enough skill for this, for some reason wood and i dont get along
 
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M

MAYOR28

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rharman said:
That turned out very nice. Clean simple doors make the best look.

Just curious as to what type of hinges you used. I have to make several doors for a closet update we're doing an I'll be using BLUM half-overlay (frameless) so looking for any tips or feedback. I've not used them before.
Click to expand...

rharman-
I used the Blum 1/2" overlay hinges (found on Amazon in a 10 pack).

Tips:
1. Get a spring loaded drill bit set to pre-drill for the screws on the doors (do not need this for the frame screws).
2. Drilling the large (32 or 35mm) hole for the hinge was tricky. I set up my drill press with a fence to make them all the same, but setting it up was still difficult. The measurement from the door edge was something like 20.5mm, and getting it just right took a few trial scraps......
3. Don't adjust the doors until they are all up and have all the stoppers/bumpers in place.
 
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larry4406

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Nice job on these! Several questions if I may.

1. Can you share some of the dimensions you used so as to minimize waste?
2. What type and thickness plywood did you use (looks like 5/8 AC)?
3. What did you make the door frames and inserts from?
4. How did you cut the female french cleat on the dividers so that all matched exactly?
5. What kind of jig did you use to drill the pin holes for the shelves?
 
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M

MAYOR28

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larry4406 said:
Nice job on these! Several questions if I may.

1. Can you share some of the dimensions you used so as to minimize waste?
2. What type and thickness plywood did you use (looks like 5/8 AC)?
3. What did you make the door frames and inserts from?
4. How did you cut the female french cleat on the dividers so that all matched exactly?
5. What kind of jig did you use to drill the pin holes for the shelves?
Click to expand...

First off, let me say that I am a mechanical engineer by day, so I like to design and over design things. I spent over a year working on this layout in my spare time here and there. I used a program called Draftsight, which is very close to AutoCAD (and in fact saves in the same format). I can post the full design layout if you would like, but since I had all of the pieces drawn up the layout and waste was a little easier.

1. I laid out all of the cuts (with a 1/4" excess) on the 4x8 sheets of plywood. There was a considerable amount of excess, but I have plans to make one more single cabinet above my bench with the leftovers.

2. The face frames and the doors are 3/4" birch plywood (cabinet style). I minimized the use of this since it was $50 per sheet. The top and bottom shelves (above and below the dividers) are 1/2" general grade plywood. And finally the interior shelves and the dividers that attach to the french cleat are 23/32" general grade plywood.

3. The door frames are 3/4" birch plywood (cabinet style) and the inserts are 5mm plywood. The 5mm is for linoleum floor leveling.

4. I laid out each of the french cleats on the panels by hand and cut them individually with a jig saw. When they were all complete I stacked them together and made sure they lined up.

5. I use a Kreg jig, I figured it was worth the money rather than having to lay them all out by hand. I kind of wish I had used shelf standards in the 2 bays that have adjustable shelves. I think this would have been easier and stronger,but I can always switch to these if the holes turn out too weak. The holes and pins do not hold really well in the plywood.
 
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tomd

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Apr 8, 2011
Messages
469
Very nice.
How did you drill all the holes for the shelf cleats? One at a time by hand? Or with a sheet a peg board as a guide?
 
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