woodworking ideas and solutions

[Dallas]

Will,
It's always easy to find how things won't work, the trick is to make them work the way you want them to, with only the available materials at hand.
An old saying from one of those military services comes to mind... Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!
If it's possible to take a tree, which doesn't resemble a cabinet at all and with a bit of perseverance, turn it into a cabinet or a table or a campfire, why is it so far fetched to imagine using the aforementioned items to build something that would sell for a couple of grand?
Besides, DC motors aren't that hard to slow down if needed.

That might be fun to build!
I think a piece of coarse threaded rod attached to a DC motor with a nut attached to the bottom of the drawer. A switch on the wall attached to a reversing circuit? of some sort, or a reversing relay? so when the button was pushed once it would come out, when pushed again it would retract.
Probably an old Shurflo water pump motor would work, or maybe a starter motor off a lawn tractor engine? Just thinking under the box!

I saw one setup that was electric, was cool, just touch the button and hmmmmmmm out came the drawer, touch it again and hmmmmmmmmmm back in it went, I wanted to tear that one apart so bad to see who's setup they had behind it but the guy had spent a lot of money at marathon to get his bus and for some reason he didn't want me to take it apart lol.  I have looked and looked for that hardware lol, I even talked to steve, a friend at marathon and he just laughed and said if he told me all their secrets they'd never get a customer lol.  When I saw your post I thought of that prevo, was really cool.

The hardware for that runs about $800. to 2000. sawbucks. But if you do make your own, what happens if the motor RPMs are too high-could become a super-large wooden projectile LOL FWIW Will

[Ray D]

There also is some hardware out there where you pull the drawer out, then give it a little nudge and it closes itself, fast at first then it slows down at the very end.  No electricity.

Ray D

[cody]

There is an endless variety of hardware available for doors and drawers, my concern here is more to show some methods of making a nice looking set of cabinets without breaking the bank, two goals that are important to all of us is to make mama happy and still leave a fair amount in the beer fund lol, besides look how pleased mama will be to see what all is possible lol.

[Dreamscape]

Oh Great~Now you come with the how to's for building cabinets right after I bought some ready made!  The one thing that scared me was all the fancy tools that cost so much! It's not that I didn't have the desire, it's the fact that it would take so much time to learn. I just didn't have the time, we were pushed to move in! Oh well, maybe I can learn something that will help me build a birdhouse!

Go for it cody and I'll learn how anyway!

~Paul~

[gyrocrasher]

If it's possible to take a tree, which doesn't resemble a cabinet at all and with a bit of perseverance, turn it into a cabinet or a table or a campfire,

Even I can build a campfire!! Mitch

[grantgoold]

I sure would like to see several of you, experts with wood,  provide the rest of us with articles that layout how we can learn to build cabinets. I am sure there are a variety of topics and "tricks of the trade" that most of you would be able to provide.

How about a half dozen of you each decide to write up a little article for a cabinet building section on BCM?

Come on guys, we could all use some of your insight. I know I surely could benefit from focused presentations.

FYI, I need lots of pictures! 


Grant

[zubzub]

Every so often I have to build a cab door or two for a project.  I would like to know how to cut melamine particle board with a tables saw and not get blow out on one face.  Right now the only way I know is to rough out blanks with the saw and then use a router and straight edge to finish the edges....and.....it's........so..............ssslllowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[Dallas]

Try putting a piece of scrap over the place you are going to be cutting and use double stick tape to hold it to the melamine, cut through both the MDO and the scrap as if they were one piece. It won't stop the tear outs completely, but will get 90%+ of it. The tighter he scrap is to the MDO, the fewer tear outs you'll get.

Every so often I have to build a cab door or two for a project.  I would like to know how to cut melamine particle board with a tables saw and not get blow out on one face.  Right now the only way I know is to rough out blanks with the saw and then use a router and straight edge to finish the edges....and.....it's........so..............ssslllowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

[FloridaCliff]

Every so often I have to build a cab door or two for a project.  I would like to know how to cut melamine particle board with a tables saw and not get blow out on one face.  Right now the only way I know is to rough out blanks with the saw and then use a router and straight edge to finish the edges....and.....it's........so..............ssslllowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Try using a double cut!

Lower your blade to between 1/2-3/4 through on the first cut, then flip it over and run it threw your table saw on the other side.    If your blade is at least 80T, it wll also help.


Cliff

[Blacksheep]

As for those electronic self opening/closing drawers? Why not do what I did for my tv? I used a pair of drawer slides, only vertical! You could do this fairly easy and it would gaurantee, no drawers opening while moving!
Now that I think about it, it would easier than my tv!
Hmm, now that I think about it even further, nobody mention this idea around Susan EVER!

Ace

[JohnEd]

ZubZub,

The suggestions about cutting with a backup are very true.....and they only eliminate "most" of it.  Maybe enuf for your purposes.

Remember that sage advice of "it's ALL in the wrist, Son".  Remember that?  In wood working that changes just a little.  Comes out "its all in the SAW BLADE, fella".  And it is.  The blade you want has a lot more teeth per blade than you now have but I can't say how many.  Look into a "Plywood" blade.  I get the best performance from "carbide tipped blades" of any flavor.  I think that is because the tips are attached before they are ground so the blade ends up as true as a really spendy bent tooth blade of yesteryear.  I don't think they make the really small tooth plywood blades from carbide tips but you will find out.  Point here is that the highest tooth count you can find in carbide may do the trick for you.

If you can make you finish cut on a band saw....well, they don't chop up the edges at all if your blade is sharp. 

That advice on making two cuts is to be cherished.

HTH,

John

[JohnEd]

Cody,

I can buy cabinet making books all day long....and past that.  To any level and degree using whatever tool set there is and in tricolor extra gloss print.  The woods are thick with it. No pun intended.

Here is what's lacking...IMHO:  First of all, digress to the building stage and WHY.  We are supposed to have solid wood behind the skin to allow attachment of cabinets to be firmly attached to the walls AND ceiling.  Nice to see how that is accomplished. and how you wood attach to them.  Then there is the "I didn't install those crowd and what should they do?  I think a LOT of guys would elect to install ready made cabinets and how to smooth out that deal would be good data.  Also, there are a tournament of manufacturing styles associated with ready made and what to look for and what to reject is great info.  Like, how to burn before install all particle board "ANYWHERE" cabinets.

Any cabnet features peculiar to Buses would reduce your overall work load.  That level would still break my author back but you are heftier in knowledge than scrawny me. (260 and counting)  Self closing and latching doors jump right to mind.

Let me know if I can help.  Like with sharpening pencils or similar....

John

[dolson]

For cutting melamine on a table saw with no scoring blade the blade choice is very important.  Most melamine blades are ATB type and have different bevel angles on the teeth and a low rake angle on the tooth than other blades. the one we used to use is from FS tool http://www.fstoolcorp.com/Products/Saw%20Blades/Laminate%20-%20Chip-Free%20Cut.aspx  Another key is the blade height when cutting which can significantly change the angle that the blade enters the material.  Raise the blade just enough to to stop the chipping on the top and you will get the best results on the bottom.  Also use a throat plate that is tight around the blade, most table saws come with one that is wide to accommodate dado sets.  We used to cut laminated panels and melamine chip free on table saws every day with these blades a few years ago but now we cut several thousand sheets a month and have moved to a different type of machine that does a perfect job but it is not practical for occasional use.

[zubzub]

yeah I use most of the tricks already mentioned, but it might be time for a better blade. I have been using a finishing blade but not one dedicated to melamine. Mostly because the last dedicated melamine blade didn't last long and did not impress me much...thanks to all for the tips...

[PP]

Will,
It's always easy to find how things won't work, the trick is to make them work the way you want them to, with only the available materials at hand.

Dallas, I only mentioned the motor speed because the subject reminded me of a time in an RV park where a camper with a 5ver was getting ready to leave and his slide wouldn't go in. Not being a mechanical person, he called the local mobile RV repair. The guy determined that the motor had burned out. Since he didn't have one in stock to match the one in it, he put in a different one that he had handy. When the owner pushed the slide button, that slide went in so fast and came to such an abrupt stop that the entire stereo/TV center broke loose. It was a mess to say the least. But he got his slide in so yes, you are right, make it work with the available materials at hand. LOL Will