Shop Cabinet Question

[tim walker]

About to start building base cabinets for the workshop. Will use a separate base and level that, then install cabinets on top. The cabinets will be all drawers, no doors, and approximately 30" wide. There will be a 1/4" back applied. These cabinets will be et about 12" away from a wall. My question is a solid bottom or just stretchers and no bottom since all drawers?

Attachment 513986

[Jim Becker]

Just stretchers saves material but allows dust and critters to enter from below. There may also be a squaring advantage to a full bottom as well as easier recovery of small "stuff" that inadvertently fall out of the drawers. It really doesn't matter otherwise, IMHO. I'd likely use a solid bottom because I find that easier for assembly, but...

[Dave Zellers]

This very closely mimics my kitchen I designed and built 2 years ago. All drawers, 30" wide for one wall, variable on the other.

I would absolutely build a solid box for the drawers- much more integrity. What I did for the base was just make an open frame with cross supports where I needed them, shim it perfectly level, screw it to the floor, and screw the base cabs to that. No more than a couple screws into the walls were needed. Rock solid and bug proof.

If you are sitting them on concrete in your shop, you could attach cleats to the floor or screw a piece of 3/4" ply down and attach your open base to that. Basically all I'm saying is make the cabs solid and the base open.