Right as I got done with the Shaker Box project I came
down with some type of bug that had me out of it for about 4 weeks. That delayed the installation of the windows
and anything else that I had planned in the shop or garden. To make a long story short the windows are in
and it’s on to the next project.
I belong to a local photography club and over the years
we have collected a computer, a sound system, a video projector, mixer and other
miscellaneous equipment. Currently most
of it is housed in a too small cabinet.
For some time, the club has been looking for something that would allow
the consolidation of all the items in one place, to no avail.
In a moment of weakness, I mentioned that if I had some
help from other members in the club I would design and coordinate the
construction of a custom cabinet to meet our specific needs. The board of directors agreed with the idea
and I started on a conceptual plan and cost estimate. The first plan received good comments but
also some well thought out concerns and suggestions. Over the next few weeks I drew up several
generations of plans each an improvement on the predecessor. With the “final” plan and a cost estimate
completed I received board approval to proceed.
Here is that final plan. However, odds are there will be
changes before it’s done. Right now the
cabinet has an Oak plywood case and doors, a solid oak face frame and melamine
covered adjustable shelves faced with oak trim.
Overall size is nominally 6’ tall, 44” wide and 22” deep. The back is pegboard to provide for some
ventilation and for flexibility in attaching hooks to hang cables and the
like. There is an open area at the top for
“public” use of the DVD player and Stereo.
Below that is a locked section with 6 adjustable shelves. Below the adjustable shelves still within the
locked area is a full width shelf for storage of longer items.
With the design done it was time to go shopping for the
materials. The only place here in town
to get oak plywood and solid oak is at one of the big box stores. The solid oak boards while good quality are
pretty pricey. Their hardwood plywood is
a C3 grade and varies depending on the supplier. I have had delamination and warping problems
so am a little hesitant to go that route.
Also, for this piece I would rather get B2 material, A1 if I could find
it is probably out of the budget.
I was a little hesitant to make the hour drive to a
commercial supplier in El Paso for the materials as any savings would be eaten
up in gas costs. However, as it happens
I am also in the design phase of another project, a combination game/dining
room table for my son. We have got the
basic parameters set and a conceptual drawing done although there are still
many minor details to work out.
This is where that project design stands. Half of the top is removed to show the game surface. What
this meant was that I could make an estimate on the quantity of
material needed for both projects. With the purchase of both project's
materials it made sense to make the trip.
Another member of the photo club offered to come along,
so off we went. End result of trip was the
purchase of three 4’x8’ sheets of oak plywood, a 4’x8’ sheet of melamine faced
shelving material and 91 board feet of four-quarter red oak. When I pick material for a project it’s not
just a walk in and load up. I go through
looking at each board to check that they are flat, straight and in good
shape. I also look to see that I like
the color and grain pattern. Anyway, it
takes a while. In this case I went
through their entire inventory of oak to get what I wanted. Here is the 91 board feet of oak boards I
bought stickered, sorted by width and stacked up ready to go. The sheet goods were stacked in another room.
I sticker the wood stack by putting thin wood pieces
between each board to allow for air movement.
While the material is supposed to be dry if it has not reached an equilibrium
the stickers will allow any drying to occur evenly. I do not want any warping to occur due to a
variation in moisture content between faces.
After letting the material set for a few days I checked
the moisture content which showed everything was good and dry.
Next up is to layout the pieces on the oak boards arranging them up to get the maximum yield.
Because the three boards I used were close in color and grain I did not
have to worry about matching those criteria.
This is how I mark up the pieces.
I put the piece name and its size on the board in chalk. That way it is easy to erase and change the
layout which pretty much always happens as I go through the process. Because I am not doing this to make a profit I can take quite a bit of time to to get the most efficient layout I can and as such the best use of material. In this case I have more time than money.
The cutting plan for the plywood is simpler I take the
drawing for the cabinet and take it apart piece by piece laying each one in a
4x8 rectangle that represents a 4x8 sheet of plywood. This is the cutting plan for the
plywood. The two pieces that I wanted to
be adjacent to each other when cut was the doors. I did this so the grain would flow from one
door to the other.
Next Up – Rough Cutting
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