Cabinetmakeing Question

[Alan Turner]

I have been asked to bid a pair of identical cabinets. They are to be 53" tall, 21" deep, and 37" wide. No feet or base. The material spec'd is maple ply. The construction spec'd is a box for the outside, with edge banded edges, and then a box inside of this box, set back from the front by 2" to permit the installation of glass doors (to be supplied and installed by the customer, and setback 1/2" in the rear, for a 1/2" thick back. The inside box is to be 3/4" on the top and bottom, and either 3/4" or 1/2" on the verticals. The price difference between the .5" and the .75" maple ply, grade A-1, is only $7 per 4x8. Finished clear. (I will sub the finishing, and spec. conversion varnish.) They are to hold clothing, but will have a TV on top of one, and other stuff on top of the other. This couple is European, and I believe that they feel this will be a touch of home for them, or so says the designer who is the middleman.

I am not really a cabinet sort of guy. Hence the inquiries.

1. I am thinking that it will be tough to get a good lamination of the two boxes since I don't expect the plywood to be that flat. Was thinking that I would edgeband with 1/4" or so hard maple, glued and 23 ga. pinned, and then trimmed to height with a router on a jig per FWW article about 6 mos. ago. Then I would bag the two sheets, forming each of the sides and tops and bottoms, using Unibond 800, and shoot the two pieces together lightly with 23 ga. pins just to hold registration between them during the glue up.
Total of 8 baggings. Any thoughts here?

2. If I go with the .75 and the .5 on the verticals, then will I get warpage, and hence should go with the .75 all over? Any counsel?

3. How to join the corners? They will be stepped if I just butt them after the lamination. Was thinking that I could shoot a scrap of the thickness on before the glue up in the bag, and then remove the scraps, and would have an accurate joint. I was thinking that I could just glue these up, without biscuits or rabbits for the corners since they are all stepped. The back is structural, and I would install it with glue and nails after finishing ( courtesy to the finisher). On the inner panels, I could just glue on edge banding, and thus be able to adjust the fit with a shoulder plane if need be.

Should I avoid this like the plague? It looks to me like aobut two days of work that is not much fun, but I hate to turn away work. Maybe I should run away from this commission. Guidance from the cabinet guys here at SMC would be much appreciated.

[tod evans]

allan, i think you`re on the right track, i`d look to lumber core ply instead of veneer ply. and with a little planning and some visqueen(sp) you should be able to bag them in two pulls. the reason for lumbercore is your 37" span.........02 tod

[Alan Turner]

allan, i think you`re on the right track, i`d look to lumber core ply instead of veneer ply. and with a little planning and some visqueen(sp) you should be able to bag them in two pulls. the reason for lumbercore is your 37" span.........02 tod

Tod,
I am not familiar with Visqueen. What is this?

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Of course you're capable of doing it...but it sure sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of it. BTDT, and I won't do it again. Is this a designer you work with regularly, or might expect to work with regularly as a result of this job? If not, I'd walk away.

KC

[Richard Wolf]

Tod,
I am not familiar with Visqueen. What is this?

Tod is showing his age, visqueen is now called ploy drop cloths.

Richard

[Paul B. Cresti]

Tod is showing his age, visqueen is now called ploy drop cloths.

Richard

Or he has been hanging around us Architects for too long! I call it visqueen also

Alan,
I for one should not be giving you advice but it does seem like you are trying to talk yourself out of it while you want us to talk you into it. I would look at it from the perspective as: do you need the work, this will add a new client to your list whom may wnat other work done by you, may open up to some better projects, etc. I for one do not like working with other designers because ....well you know.....I kind of am one myself...

[tod evans]

okay i guess i`m one of the old fart brigade i don`t like designers either but i only tried to give a production viewpoint on this one.....in my opinion a 37" span even using lumber core is questionable without a true ledger but if the designer will accept responsibility for design flaws i`d bang it out per spec......and richard`s right plastic sheeting, nothing goes in my bags without it! tod

[Mark Singer]

Visqueen....6 mil between the sub grade and slab...its a moisture barrier..

If you use MDF core it will be very flat

[Alan Turner]

So, your guys are recommending that for the bagging, I use the 6mil poly between the sets of laminations in order to reduce the number of baggings required. This I would do.

No comments on the 23 ga. pins for locators. Does this mean that you fellows think this is a decent idea?

And, the use of just glue for final assembly; you think that passes muster also? PVA OK here?

On the bagging, I would think that I would leave the Unibond 800 shy of the edges by perhaps 2 inches on the front edge so that I have no squeeze out to deal with.

[tod evans]

allan, using 23 ga is okay but protect your bag! you can use any glue you want to to do the laminations, i regularly use pva. on exterior stuff and stuff i want to remove from the bag in a couple of hours i use poly. pva will most likely be fine for the case corners........02 tod

[John Gregory]

Tod is showing his age, visqueen is now called ploy drop cloths.

Richard

Heck, I knew what Tod was talking about. I must be getting old