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I’d like to install some cabinets and counters in my garage to store all my tools, cans of miscellaneous content, etc… and also provide work surfaces for various projects. I’d like to use a design similar to what you would find in a kitchen. For the most part this is a project to help learn how to build kitchen cabinets and counters with the side benefit of extra storage in the garage. After that long winded intro… my question is: What type(s) of wood, joinery, materials, finish, etc. would you recommend for use in the garage that would provide the learning experience that would be beneficial? Thanks ahead for your help!!!
WL
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Hello Willie, There are all different types of material available to do the project you describe. Some of the material is dependent upon your location for availability and how much you would want to spend. In my location, my lumber distributors sell a plywood product that goes by the name Virola Plywood. It has a mahogany looking skin with lumber core. It is 23/32" thick, is very strong and stable and sells out here in Texas for $29.95/4'x8' sheet. I use it extensively for my cabinet shelves, floors, interior dividers, and also for countertops as a substrate for plam. I have even built the entire carcases with this material where a customer wanted to have additional cabinetry built to match existing mahogany cabinets. In my opinion it would be a good choice for your project. You could also use Melamine, or MDF or any cabinet grade plywood with whatever veneered surface you might like; however, for a garage, I would choose a lesser priced product. As for the joinery, I join all my carcases with dadoed joints. You can cut two side pieces and cut dadoes for the floor, toe-kick and rear nailer and assemble the case with glue in the dadoes and nails. I usually drive the nails for the floor or permanent shelves at an angle and into the dado so that nothing will be seen from the outside of the case. The dadoes can be cut on a table saw with a stacked dado cutter or with a undersized (23/32") router bit using a straight edge. You can make face frame cabs or frameless(euro) cabs. If you didn't want to tie up alot of cost in machinery for making doors you could make up slab doors out of the same material you use for the carcases and attach some edge banding to cover up the plies of the edges of your doors. After installing your countertop substrate, you can apply plastic laminate (plam) and you're all set. I should point out that some people don't like to use any type of plywood as a countertop substrate and instead use MDF. In the arid climate I'm in I use Virola plywood and have never had a problem with seams due to expansion and contraction; but, perhaps in climates with a great deal of humidity this may not be the case. There are many ways to go about your project, all I've done is explained my methods. You would probably do well to get some books on the subject and decide which method would be right for you. If you have any other questions just e-mail me. If you'd care to see more details on construction, and some completed projects you can view my web page. http://business.fortunecity.com/ingram/109 Good Luck with your project. Frank "Mad Dog" Maglin.
*Mad Dog,Tried your link. All I got was a blank page.Steve
*Nice site Mad Dog!Excellent work, by the way. How do you get those dovetails in plywood to not splinter? Good, sharp bit? I've always had trouble getting a good dovetail in plywood, but I though maybe it was because I was using inferior wood, or a bad bit.Link worked fine for me.James DuHamel
*Thanks James, When I make dovetailed drawers, I use a product known as Baltic Birch Plywood. The 1/2" thickness that I use I believe has nine plies, making it a very desireable product for drawer const. Tearout can still occur if some precautionary steps aren't followed. You're right about using a good sharp bit, but what seems to help the most is taking the router and making a quick light pass in the opposite direction you would normally rout. Normally you would rout left to right; instead, make a light pass over your jig traveling from right to left. I must state however that this step should be performed very carefully as traveling in this direction with a router can be dangerous as the router wants to jump quickly when routing in that direction, so take a good grip on the handles and exercise caution. After making that first light pass you can now make the completed cut traveling the normal direction from left to right. Occasionally you may get an inferior piece of plywood where you still get a little tearout, but not very often. MDM.
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Thanks for all the great info but all I get is a blank page when I try to access your website. Am I missing something?
WL
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For those who cannot seem to open the site, are you using a browser other than Internet Explorer?
If you are using Netscape, or another browser, this may be the problem.
I am using Internet Explorer, and I've had no problem accessing the site. I even bookmarked it, so I can go back periodically and access it.
James DuHamel
*Thanks for the info Mad Dog. Is that you in the pictures?I do not build a whole heck of a lot of cabinets, and I try to use the best wood possible when I do. I have always loved dovetail jointery, but because of the blowouts I seem to get when dovetailing plywood, I now just try to use solid wood for these areas that get dovetails. I really like the look of the different shades of wood when dovetailing plywood, and staining them. I'll try your advice next time and let you know how I do. I am absolutely sure that if it doesn't work, it will be because of something I did, and not your advice.Thanks again,Hames DuHamel
*Yes James, That is me in the pictures. You sure are right about using the best wood possible. I get my material from Paxton Hardwoods in Grand Prairie, Texas. They provide real good quality and they also deliver right to the shop. I went to dovetailing my drawers at no additional cost to my customers which is an up charge in some shops, and others don't even offer it. I agree on the terrific look you get when you apply a finish to them. Thanks also for pointing out the possibilities as to why some folks can't access my site. MDM.
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What a small world this is!!! I work in Grand Prairie at Lockheed. Paxton is just north of me.
WL
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I'm using Netscape and can access the main fortune city site and browse around but can't get to MD's site. Any guru's got some helpful hints? (Other than the obvious - switch browsers). I'd like to see the mans work.
*Hey Ralph,I wish I could tell you the answer as to why some people can access my site and others get a blank page; however, I am very computer illiterate. I'll e-mail fortunecity and see if they have an answer. MDM.
*To those of you that could not access my page, I was told there was a missingtag at the end of the page, therefore Netscape users could not see the page. I have been informed that the problem is now corrected. If you still can't access please inform me. Thanks, MDM.
*Willy, nice post!When I started out in woodworking/carpentry in the 60's, my foreman told me to go home and build a toolbox. If I couldn't build a toolbox, then he didn't want me on site. It was a nice project and I learned a lot.I feel the same way about workbenches and cabinets--if you can't build them, you don't belong in woodworking. So Willy this would be a very good first project and would get you into cabinetry.I use 3/4 CDX Ply. It is cheap, strong, takes screws and glue well, and cuts well without toxic fumes. It looks like crap, but hey, its a garage, and who cares? MDF is not as strong, doesn't take screws as well, and there are some issues with cutting it (dust, toxic fumes) that I don't like, but paints very well. But regular Plywood has voids, which can be a problem for shelf pin holes, etc., so I sometimes use 7 layer baltic birch for the casework. For drawers, I use the same 7 layer baltic birch ply, or some 1/2" clear pine drawer stock.For casework joinery, I rely only upon glue, dados, and rabbets. For drawer joinery, I rely upon the box joint, which works well for either the ply or the solid wood. Buy the best drawer slides made, I like Accuride, at about $20 a pair.For the top, I used particle board and finished them with laminate, which is very easy to apply and finish.A couple times a year I find myself having to build low end cabinets for either a garage, a basement, or attic. What I do now is make up the drawings, and order the stuff from a local cabinet shop which makes up the parts for me. I asemble them on site. I buy MDF sheets, line bored for shelf holes and sprayed; special MDF for shelves which have an edging applied and sprayed; and pre made drawer parts. All this stuff is basically MDF which is delivered to me in sheets, and I just rip the full sheets to width, cross-cut the the shelves to lenght, nail up the casework, assemble and fit the drawers, and I am done. Not a lot of craftsmanship involved, but it sure saves me time!I would recommend a book from Tauton Press on Making Kitchen Cabinets (I forget the author now), which is an excellent book and takes you through the process step by step.Good Luck!
*WillyI would suggest that you use MDO (medium density overlay),aka sign board, you get both the properties of plywood and mdf where you want them...Scooters post is a good one to follow.....................Good luck
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I'd like to install some cabinets and counters in my garage to store all my tools, cans of miscellaneous content, etc... and also provide work surfaces for various projects. I'd like to use a design similar to what you would find in a kitchen. For the most part this is a project to help learn how to build kitchen cabinets and counters with the side benefit of extra storage in the garage. After that long winded intro... my question is: What type(s) of wood, joinery, materials, finish, etc. would you recommend for use in the garage that would provide the learning experience that would be beneficial? Thanks ahead for your help!!!
WL