Materials for Garage Cabinets

[lowpolyjoe]

I spent a few minutes playing with Sketchup the other day trying to model some cabinets.  I quickly realized i need to make some decisions that i hadn't really thought about .  Face frame vs Panel cabinets (i think those are the terms).  I would imagine the Face Frame design is stronger but takes a little more time and materials. 

As it turns out, it's possible i won't do any designing myself at all.   My sister got me a subscription to Fine Woodworking for Christmas.  I completely forgot about it, but the first issue just came in the mail.  I was flipping through it and discovered they have a big spread about building your own shop storage.  I didn't have much time to read through yet, but i may just use their tried-and-true designs if they look to fit my needs.   Funny how things work out like that.

I did notice they use lag screws as height adjustment on the bottom of the cabinets to get them level.  Clever, but I feel like that is a very small contact patch for a cabinet that is going to support a work surface.  Has anyone tried this?  Pros and Cons?

Thanks

[lowpolyjoe]

Hey Guys. 

I think i may have done something stupid.  I was picking out drawer sliders online a few weeks ago.  Those nice Blum full extention models sure are expensive.  I picked out what i wanted and it came out to way more than i wanted to spend.... then i noticed the front page of the site had a great sale on another model who's description looked very similar.  So i bought the ones that were on sale without doing my homework.

They finally arrived today and something doesn't seem right.  They have holes to mount the slider to the inside of the cabinet, but i don't see how i'm supposed to attach the drawer to the slider  ???

I believe this is the side that screws into the cabinet:


And this is the slider that extends and presumably attaches to the drawer somehow:


There are only 2 holes along that section - one is round but seems inaccessable... the other is square and *might* fit a screw through it.  I fear that i bought sliders that require some extra attachement for the drawers  themselves :-[  :(  They sort of look like the sliders in my refridgerator and they have special runners along the side of the drawers.

This bums me out.  If there are attachments to buy that will further bloat my budget and further delay the project.  Flat out returning these will cost a bit because they weigh a ton (i have 6 pairs). 

Can i rig something up?  Maybe just drill some holes through the extended piece to screw it directly to the drawers?

This is the model:


Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks a lot!

[chet]

Joe,  Check your email,  I sent you the installation instructions. It's copyrighted stuff, so I didn't what ta post it.

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks a lot 

I think a few of these are in my future:

https://ahturf.com/store/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=T51.1901

Glad to see they're pretty cheap

[beenthere]

Shows some sort of locking device in your link. What are you "locking up" ??

[chet]

The locks weren't included with your slides when you got them?

Quote from Joe,
My head almost exploded trying to read those instructions 

so ya got it now?  :D  :D  :D

[lowpolyjoe]

Beenthere - if i  understand correctly, the locking devices attach to the bottom of the drawer (one on each side) and then they lock into the runners to secure the drawer.

Chet - I will double check the package but it was pretty full with just the slides so I don't think the locks are hiding in there.  Looks like there are two different types of locks (one for inset applications) so I think they expect you to buy the ones you need separately from the slides. 

I was so frustrated by all the different types of drawer slides and hinges and plates that I just threw my hands up and started ordering stuff.  Not such a great idea , heh. 

I've got a box full of 60 hinges as well.  Ill be sure to let you guys know how that goes ;)

[lowpolyjoe]

Did some recon in the box the slides came in.  Didn't find any drawer locks, but i did find a printout of some instructions on assembly that i missed the first time through.

I'm definitely in over my head with this garage cabinet project   :D

[chet]

When I built my new shop, there were two things on my most wanted list. One was it needed a garage door, and the other was  lots of storage space. Lots of cabinets makes it very easy to keep clean and organized, and you can always find the tool or item your looking for. Over time ya remember where every thing is.  :D



 
 


 



 
All the lower cabinet shelves are on full extension slides


 

[lowpolyjoe]

Wow 

I'm jealous.  Beautiful shop.  I spent a lot of time this weekend working on my garage but there's still a long way to go.

I'm curious if I will have room for all my junk when all is said and done.  :-)

[Mooseherder]

Nice shop Chet.
Looks big enough for moving around in.
I like the clamp storage idea also.

[WDH]

It is a super nice, roomy, well equipped, shop!

[Magicman]

That is very nice and also well lit.     I love it.   

[lowpolyjoe]

Anyone have any advice / opinions on pegboards? 

The previous house owner had a decent sized pegboard area in the garage which i quickly filled up with garbage.  I'm hoping a lot of the stuff i had been hanging up on the board will now go into drawers (if i can ever get the drawers worked out  ;)). 

When cleaning out the garage for the new cabinets i wrecked most of the old pegboard and had to throw it out.  I still have a ton of pegboard hooks/loops/etc...   i'm trying to decide if i should get another piece of simple pegboard or maybe go with an alternative.  I know there are a lot of fancy versions.  This one, for example, looks like it might support the old style pegs as well as some slotted stuff, but it's hard to tell from the picture

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00917004000P?vName=Tools&cName=GarageOrganization&Shelving&sName=Wall%20Storagemv=rr

One thing i got sort of addicted to was magnet-based tool hanger strips.  I bought one a while ago and found myself trying to hang every screwdriver i own on it because it was easy-access.  Downside is that it doesn't "look neat" because the tools are randomly aligned. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-magnetic-holder-65489.html

Or i could just make custom hangers for the specific stuff i want to hang?

Would be nice to hear some opinions. 

Thanks!

[chet]

Anyone have any advice / opinions on pegboards? 
The previous house owner had a decent sized pegboard area in the garage which i quickly filled up with garbage. 

:D  Dat's why my new shop was gonna be PEG BOARD FREE. I wanted a specific and orderly place to store each type of item. I did break down and install the one small area you see, for always needed small tools. I'm proud ta say, it still has more room on it.  8)

[beenthere]

I like the pegboard "wall" covering. And I quit bothering with the 1/8" hooks, and just went to 1/4". They stay tight for the most part and don't fall out when removing a tool.

When putting up the pegboard, I ripped 3/4" strips from finished 3/4" pine boards to put behind the pegboard between two rows of holes. That gave the relief needed to put in the hooks and screwed nicely to the studs at 16" o/c.

And yes, the pegboard fills up fast but does keep that stuff visible (I like) and off the floor or off the work bench area.
I think it (my shop) looks junky, but have people visit that just rave about how neat everything is in my shop....  : : :
But is just the way I like it.   8)

[lowpolyjoe]

Oh man... i'm having a rough time with the remodel   :D

I bought a bunch of hoses, gates and adapters to setup for dust collection.  I ran everything behind my cabinets this weekend before screwing everytihng into place.  At the end of the day i went to use my miter saw only to discover the 2 1/2" dust collection setup i bought is not the standard shopvac size (which seems to be something like 2 1/4?).   Nothing would connect to anything!  Not to my vacuum, not to my tools' dust ports.  Anyone know why they make two "standard" sizes so close to eachother?  Seems like a ploy to sell more adapters... which i fell for because i just ordered several "shopvac adapters" yesterday to try to get things all hooked up.  Very frustrating.  If i knew i would need so many darn adapters i might have gone with the 4" for future upgradability  >:(

I also bought $140 worth of plywood to make doors for my cabinets... only to discover 1/2" plywood cannot hold the Blum hinges i've got  :(   The cup requires a 1/2" deep forstner plunge, so it looks like i need 3/4" ply for the doors.  I'm too lazy and cheap to make real hardwood doors for my shop  ;)   It's frustrating because the 1/2" ply is already cut so i can't return it.    Hopefully i'll be able to use it for my drawers.

Hate to wine like this, but i needed to vent a bit - and also thought anyone else reading this thread and considering a garage shop makeover might find some of this info helpful to prevent the same mistakes.


I time-lapsed some of the cuts and assembly of my panel cabinets with pocket-hole (Kreg Jig) assembly.  It's a pretty boring video since it's a lot of cuts, but anyone considering a similar build might be intereseted in watching the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekEwbwlHfUg

[lowpolyjoe]

I've just about run out of steam on my cabinet build...  Results are nothing special but a lot nicer setup than what it replaced.

Best part of the project is the cabinet that houses the miter saw or router table.  Each is attached to a platform that slides into place and sits flush with the rest of the countertop.  No more problems cutting 8ft boards with the mitersaw or trying to roundover a big piece of MDF for my speaker building projects.  Only one tool fits in place at a time, so that's a bummer.  But i didn't have enough space to dedicate desktop space for both.

I also got a dust deputy connected to my shopvac hidden in one of the cabinets.  I ran dust collection hoses to 3 gates, one of which can service the miter saw / router table station.   Doesn't work great, but it's better than nothing.   In the future i might run a real dust collector unit but for now i wasn't willing to shell out the cash.

Before (actually - work is already in progress)





After





Eventually i'll make doors for the hanging cabinets but i'm demotivated right now.  The doors i already made for the lower cabinets came out like garbage.  Half was due to the fact that the plywood is somewhat warped, half was due to the fact i've never assembled hinged-doors from scratch before.   The six drawers were a lot of work since i've never made drawers from scratch (aside from one failed attempt in the distant past).  They came out ok.  Only one is very crooked.  Full extention, smooth slide and soft-close are nice features of the Blums i used.  I accidentally ordered "tandems" with the quick-disconnect option.   Not sure if they're easier or harder than standard slides, but i had to do a lot of fiddling to get everything to fit.  Annoying that Blum specs are all metric.  Or rather, annoying that most of my measuring tools are English  ;)   I tried to find a metric speed square at home depot but didn't see any.  It's annoying to constantly convert.

[beenthere]

Don't beat yourself up.

Those cabinets look pretty darn good, and you learned a lot that you can make better ones next time.   8)

[WDH]

Now the shop looks too nice to use  ;D.

[thecfarm]

Organization,what does that mean?  :D  That looks good. Somethings I do good on and some things I do bad on. Organization is one of those things. But I have a few things organized. So much easier.

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks guys.   I still need electrical and lighting taken care of but i'll probably delay that a while.  I'm a very messy worker so i like having drawers and cabinets to hide the mess in

My wife wants me to make cabinets for our downstairs 1/2 kitchen, but given this experience i don't think i'm quite ready.  Everything is alright for a shop, but not the kind of quality i want to look at in the house every day.  Everything is just a *little* off. 

I would really like to learn to work with hardwood and make some face-framed cabinets that look nice.   

[Tree Feller]

That's a pretty amazing transformation to your shop, Joe. I think you did well and the shop looks very organized. I like organized.   ;)

When you get motivated again, try making a frame and panel door. A solid-wood frame with a 1/4" plywood panel glued in place is DanG stout and not difficult at all to make.

[Larry]

I think you made a vast improvement in your shop that should serve you well for a long time.  At the same time you did a project that stretched you skill level and learned a few things.  A great project overall.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Thanks guys.   I still need electrical and lighting taken care of but i'll probably delay that a while.  I'm a very messy worker so i like having drawers and cabinets to hide the mess in

My wife wants me to make cabinets for our downstairs 1/2 kitchen, but given this experience i don't think i'm quite ready.  Everything is alright for a shop, but not the kind of quality i want to look at in the house every day.  Everything is just a *little* off. 

I would really like to learn to work with hardwood and make some face-framed cabinets that look nice.

This is a really good book to learn to make face frame cabinets, i have the earlier edition: 
http://www.amazon.com/Building-Traditional-Kitchen-Cabinets-Tolpin/dp/1561587974