Any Carpenters or Cabinetmakers around?

[Jaxom]

I hope someone or perhaps a few of you kind folks can give this wannabe wood worker a guilding hand.

I think I've written down in all my notes just what it would take to make a grow cabinet as far as functionallity goes. But now I would like to adress appearence and construction of the cabinet I wish to grow.

Honestly, I've seen many cabinets of various designs on here, OG, and many other boards as well. I can only hope that my cabinet preforms as well as these designs do. But you have to admit, most are not what you would want to place in a den or someplace where it would blend in with the surrounding furniture.

This is what I hope to accomplish. That and gain experience with wood working and most notibly my brand new router and router table.

The design.... Basic large box. 48"tall 24" deep and 48" across. Inside is divided into three chambers. One large chamber for scrog, and the other side divided in half horizonally. Pretty much a NGB box, only the chambers are different sizes.

Here's my problem. Just about everyone knows that wood you buy from home impovement stores is never actually the size it's advertised to be. In my case the 3/4" plywood I wish to use really isn't 3/4" thick! I can't just chuck a 3/4" wide router bit into the router and cut a daddo or rabbet, if i did the slightly thinner ply would leave gaps. I could use some suggestions on building a jig or two to work this issue out. I want nice tight joints, no air/light leaks and making for a more stable construction.

I'd really appreciate any and all advice on this!

Jaxxx

 

[GratefulPhish]

thats pretty hard to accomplish with plywood. just measure twice, cut once and make the overlaps in the wood work to contain the light. I build my boxes caulk the corners, and then line the outside in poly and mylar the inside so no light/air will escape.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

Yeah, 3/4 plywood is really 23/32, and If you run a dado with a 3/4 bit, and then glue the joint, it should be plenty tight. There is normally enough variation, even in cabinet grade wood that the 3/4 cut is still tight.

 

[Laxpunker]

I'd suggest spending the extra couple bucks and picking up some MDF. It's solid, muffles sound better, and looks nicer than plywood. Plus, from my experience the variations are generally unnoticeable.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

yeah, MDF would work well....

 

[GOT_BUD?]

I'd suggest spending the extra couple bucks and picking up some MDF. It's solid, muffles sound better, and looks nicer than plywood. Plus, from my experience the variations are generally unnoticeable.

Just don't get it wet. It will expand and basically fall apart with time. Best way to get around that is to paint it with several layers of white paint, including the edges.

 

[JollyGreenGiant]

MDF also doesn't hold screws very well...

I've built cabs out of it before no problems just use a brad nailer to assemble and lots of wood glue (the glue is actually what holds everything together in my opinion). MDF is acutally gonna be cheaper than plywood and probably more consistent.

 

[Grat3fulh3ad]

Melamine board would work nicely as well, and will be fairly waterproof if glued properly....

 

[mtnjohn]

jaxom, if you have a steady hand , you can cut your dado's with a circular saw freehand (you can also use a straightedge)..set your depth and cut your dado with multiple passes and then use a sharp chisel to take out the rest, done it a hundred times
works like a charm

 

[Guest]

i dont think the dados are gonna give you that much strength, i build my cabinets without them, drill pilot holes with an 1/8" bit, and then countersink a 3/8" hole for a wood plug,
and they are super strong,
i wouldnt use any kind of melamine, mdf, or any other kind of particle board, they are, in my opinion, crap, i would use cabinet grade birch or if your painting it, id use mdo, which is a marine grade plywood with a smooth laminate, just my 2 cents

 

[pikes peak 69]

As a Cabinetmaker and installer for 30 years before my disabilty, I would say that your best way to do cabinet construction is as follows.

Use Baltic Birch Plywood. A little pricey but straight, flat and smooth.
Build a jig that you clamp on your boards you want dados in. The jig needs to have 2 rails that are the width of the router baseplate plus a specified amount(determined by cutter size and plywood size, see below)

An example of the jig would be like this: If router base is 6" diameter and you use a 1/2" cutter. Also measure your plywood and get a thickness reading on it. So let's say it is 23/32", with a 6" router base, you would build your jig with the rails spread apart 6 7/16". that would be the dia. of base plate plus the difference of the cutter size and ply size.

The other option is to use biscuits(small football shapes splicers) and save the routing for decorative edging.

Sorry, I can't do pics. or drawings.

pp69