design and engineer soffit cabinets

[reinhardt]

i've seen a few guys on this forum build 'soffit cabinets' as we shall call them. i wanna build some down the length of a garage wall. i'm not necessarily looking for you guys to engineer my cabinet for me, more point me towards some understandable tables on the net.

i plan on basically a shelf ~16' long made of 2x4's with sliding doors on the front of it like Jack Olsen's. want shelf top approx 18" from ceiling and shelf edge approx 16" from wall. plan on supporting rear of shelf by attaching to each stud which are 24" on center. plan on supporting front of shelf with all thread through drywalled ceiling to unistrut screwed to top of nearest ceiling joist and top plate of wall. the ceiling joist run parallel to the wall i plan on putting the cabinets on, they are also 24" on center. as for proposed stored items and weight, things like jigsaw in case, empty dewalt toolcases, bulky light ****.

trying to figure out what size all thread to use, a table outlining load capacities of machine screws would be great.

trying to figure out size of screw to attach shelf to wall with, a table outlining load capacities of wood screws would be great.

trying to figure out distance between all thread supports to prevent sag, a table would be nice.

trying to figure out the load the ceiling joist can handle, assuming wall plate will handle half the load of the 'soffit cabinet'. table again....

i have searched the internet and only given myself a headache. i work in ship repair, so this wood construction is foriegn to me. i can build anything with adequate prints, engineering things myself is difficult for me. i find myself questioning what screw to use where and how far to space braces, etc.... on any given project. thanks again for the help guys. i figure you guys would have this information squirreled away within easy reach.


ben

 

[JOHNMAN]

Why not just build actual cabinets? Forget the all-thread supports for the front of the shelves.

The SIDES of cabinets give them strength as do the face frames. No need for 2x material for cabinets. Check out the construction of your kitchen cabinets. They typically fasten only to studs. Many only support the shelves from the sides. Some allow the face frame to support the shelf in the middle. Not hard to make. Mine are not soffit shelves and I don't yet have doors.....

 

[reinhardt]

very interesting idea johnman. would waste less space than 2x4's would. a revised plan suggested by johnman leads me to ask if anyone knows of a good guide to building basic cabinets. i fit steel for a living, not wood! thanks again.

ben

 

[rickairmedic]

Here ya go right off the web .

http://www.totally-free-woodworking-plans.com/free-kitchen-cabinet-plans.html

Rick

 

[Kevin54]

If I were going to build quite a bit, I would pick up a Kregs Drill Jig and go that route instead of just gluing and nailing.

 

[ddawg16]

I built mine out of gray melamine.....like john said, all the strength is in the sides.....

Here is a pic of one of mine during construction....

There is a strip attached to the bottom rear of the cabinet....this is anchored to the wall and carriers a majority of the weight with the loads transfered through the sides in the form of shear force.

The top rear strip has really only one purpose....to keep the top from pulling away from the wall....in some cases I will attach a bracket to a front corner to give it additional support.

The Kreg pocket hole cutter is your friend....one of the best ways to build face frames...

I would not recomend melamine unless you have the tools...like a really sharp 60-80 tooth blade....

Mind you....the sliding doors is still a very good idea....it's a very enexpensive way to make doors.

My doors came from the MIL's kitchen....so I have a head start...

I believe there are more pics in my Garage build link in my sig.

 

[usmc_noma]

Here's a good link for cabinets that I used. I have these but without the doors for now. I also modified the size for something smaller but spanning the 14' width of my garage. It was relatively inexpensive too. 2x2s are less than $2, a 4'x8' 23/32" AC plywood sheet was $25 and your screws are cents on the dollar at Home Depot.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-P...installing-large-garage-cabinets/Step-By-Step

I'm also building another cabinet out of the same 23/32" AC plywood with nothing more than glue and screws. Both will be strong enough to hold what I have in store for it.

Matter of fact I can do pullups off the one I linked to.

 

[Wingnut65]

Those are the same plans I used in my garage. Like others, I can't follow directions either and I made mine double height. I will upload some pix this weekend. The instructions are correct on the strength - I can stand in it with no problem.

 

[csp]

Why not just build actual cabinets? Forget the all-thread supports for the front of the shelves.

I have both. The soffit type shelving for bigger bulky items and long term storage like Christmas lights in large boxes. I don't want to take up wall space for items that aren't needed on a regular basis or need to be in large totes/boxes. The bottom of my soffit shelves are at 8.5' also. They are out of the way and not taking up wall space that's easily accessible.

Wall cabinets are for things needed on a fairly regular basis and not in large boxes, IMO. I have a need for both types.

My wall cabinets cost a lot more to build than the soffit shelves too. Cabinet grade plywood is a lot more expensive than a few 2x's and sheets of OSB (I already had 12-15 sheets of OSB and scrap 2bys as a bonus).

 

[reinhardt]

great link usmc_noma! looks easy to build, and has fairly detailed build instructions for a simpleton such as myself.

 

[usmc_noma]

If you do another search on Family Handyman there's another set of cabinets that uses the same concept for full 4x8 cabinets. There was a member who posted about it within the past few months and they looked really sturdy. If I can find the link I'll post it.

edit: I couldn't find a link but I know someone posted about it a few months ago. He used 4x8 sheets and sliding doors I believe. Looked really good and sturdy.