My plan for shop cabinets.

[Robert gree]

I need to get some quick and easy shop cabinets built. i have linear feet of 8 foot tall cabinets to build so MDF is going to be my choice. On finishing i would like a painted surface, My usual procedure is to seal the end grain with drywall compound then paint. I dont get to smooth of a surface this way.

What would be a good product to use to finish these cabinets so they have a pretty smooth surface and resist moisture.

cabs will have 24" wide shelves and i will be using 1/4 aluminum pins as shelf supports. my guess is each shelf is good for about 40 pounds

3 side observations.

1. MDF went from 21.70 to 27.82 a sheet (i was told due to the disaster in chile)

2. Im wishing i had the dust collection hooked up

3. im not looking forward to building the toe kicks to deal with a 6" drop over the length of the cabinets. to account for foundation slope

[Chuck Isaacson]

I am not sure that MDF would be the best for this.. I think that I would use some 3/4" Birch ply. I think that it will hold together a little better than the MDF would. It will also be a little lighter. MDF is HEAVY!!! Just a thought. I used Norms dream kitchen series for the basic design of the cabinets in my shop. Simple and easy. I did 3/8" dadoes in all of mine. I am not sure what he did. I think he did 1/4". They turned out great anyway. Good luck. I had fun doing mine.

[Jeff Monson]

I'll second Chucks opinion, birch plywood. mdf will not hold up well for cabinets or shelves for that matter.

[John Gregory]

To paint MDF I would prime with an oil base primer. Water base will raise the "grain"

To make shop cabinets and probably kitchen cabinets, I would use Melamine and confirmat (http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/7050-CSP/7mm-x-50mm-Connecting-Cabinet-Screw) screws. they can be used on MDF too. The melamine gives you a prefinished carcass and brightens up the interior.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have built shop cabinets with doors, drawers, face frames, out of MDF - oil-based primer paint, then a topcoat (I think I used some type of oil based enamel - a time long ago, in a house far, far away). Came out fine. I honestly don't remember what I did on the edges - but I know I did something, and it wasn't drywall compound. Might have been a cheap polyester bondo-type filler? Whatever - the final product came out great - very smooth surface, durable, and easy to clean.

I would personally be leery of MDF for the floating shelves, unless you plan on an edging strip across the front. There is some yardage to be gained by attaching some 3/4" qtr-round to the case back as a shelf cleat - but this means you don't have moveable shelves

If you haven't seen this, you might want to take a look:

http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm

In the material drop-down box, you have to scroll past all the wood species to get to MDF, etc. I have a documented tendency to over-engineer everything (if its worth doing, its worth over-doing), but my concern would be that the sagulator assumes an even load distribution across the shelf, and (a) my stuff piles up more toward the middle v. against the case walls, and (b) put something heavy - like a belt sander - in the center and it seems you've got more of a point load that a distributed load. . Just my thoughts - YMMV.

Your apprehensions about the toe-kick and scribing to level brings back memories. These were my first cabinets ever, 90-yr-old house with poured concrete floors sloping to floor drains - and I still remember every cuss word I needed to get that part done - PM if you need some of them :D. My only advice there is the std cabinet installation method: build a separate ladder-style base that is 6" tall, level, scribe, cut, (I repeated these 3 steps a few times), paint, install. Then set the cabinets on top of that.

[Robert gree]

I am not sure that MDF would be the best for this.. I think that I would use some 3/4" Birch ply. I think that it will hold together a little better than the MDF would. It will also be a little lighter. MDF is HEAVY!!! Just a thought. I used Norms dream kitchen series for the basic design of the cabinets in my shop. Simple and easy. I did 3/8" dadoes in all of mine. I am not sure what he did. I think he did 1/4". They turned out great anyway. Good luck. I had fun doing mine.

Weight isnt a concern. as they are non movable. Birch ply is 44 a sheet here. and i cant see spending the extra on something that will be ripped out when i move in a year or two. Plus i cant foot the extra cost.

[Ben Hatcher]

Robert,
Sand the edges with 150, 220, and then polish them with at least 400. You'll be able to see a darker line develop just below the top and bottom surface and a lighter center section when you've sanded enough. Wipe them off with a brush, don't use compressed air. Prime the edges with an alkyd primer in a thin to medium coat. Once dry, sand again with 600. Top coat with whatever you like. The edges will be silky smooth no matter what the profile.

[Walt Nicholson]

There is a post somewhere around here from a few weeks back (I can't seem to find) about some really nice 3/4 ply that HD recently got in that is $24.95 per sheet. I bought some for a project and was impressed (flat, no footballs, minimal voids when cut, etc.) Couple of other folks on the Creek had the same experience. Might see if you local HD has any as it was pretty good stuff for the money.

[Shawn Buonarosa]

I just use a couple coats of size on my mdf edges, toughens them up and leaves them fairly smooth.

[Greg Portland]

My vote is for Melamine-faced plywood, it will be strong and moisture resistant. Get some edgebanding and you won't need to paint them. The white color keeps the shop bright & the surface is easy to clean. Melamine particle board will be cheaper but not as strong. Depending on your application you might be able to get away with using the cheaper stuff.

[Robert gree]

My vote is for Melamine-faced plywood, it will be strong and moisture resistant. Get some edgebanding and you won't need to paint them. The white color keeps the shop bright & the surface is easy to clean. Melamine particle board will be cheaper but not as strong. Depending on your application you might be able to get away with using the cheaper stuff.47 a sheet 20 more a sheet which adds up to about $360.00 more to the project

[Joe Shinall]

Have you looked for poplar plywood? It's 29 a sheet here at Home Depot and Lowe's. I use it all the time cuz it's 10 bucks a sheet cheaper than birch or oak ply.

[Steve Griffin]

The absolute last thing I would consider for shop cabinets is painted. Painting and priming takes too much time, is messy and last about 3 hours before it gets chipped or scratched.

I'd buy the cheapest plywood you can find and use a poly or varnish, if you want to get fancy and finish them.

If you insist on MDF, I would definitely take the extra step and sand with 120 grit to get rid of the saw marks. Save your 600 grit for something other than shop cabinets.

-Steve

[Greg Scull]

Just a thought... My lowes had birch 1/2 in for 40 a sheet. I went to the pro desk and looked into Baltic birch and two sided MDO. 5x5' sheets of bb were 24$ special order($18 a quarter sheet in store) and the MDO was $28 a sheet.
They basically put little to no markup on my special order and ordered in small qty 2 ea.
Might be worth trying to order something they don't stock in store...

[Doug Hobkirk]

Robert -

MDF should be fine, even if you just coat it with poly. A lot of us overbuild our shop cabinets - do they really need to be as nice as kitchen cabinets? I would suggest you don't let the MDF touch the floor where it is likely to absorb moisture. You could build a toe-kick "frame" from 2x lumber, do whatever you need to make it level, and then screw your cabinet boxes to it. When you move you would have the option of unscrewing the cabinets and moving them to your new location with a new toe-kick frame (hopefully you won't have such a large pitch to deal with).

[Bruce King]

Call around to cab shops and see if they know a local place to buy plywood seconds or "shop grade" plywood. I have bought birch and mahogany at good discounts this way.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I recommend melamine for shop cabinets....the stuff from Home Depot is perfect for this application. It's about $40 a sheet and readily available.

For the edges, use iron on edgebanding. No finishing required...and the surface is durable. It's instant gratification!

For putting the carcass together, use a simple 1/4" x 3/4" rabbet, some yellow glue and some 1-5/8" coarse drywall or deck screws about 4" apart. Pre-drill countersink holes. Cover the exposed screws with white screw caps.

For hinges, use cheap 110 degree concealed Euro hinges. Grizzly has some for about $3 a pair. Use two per door unless the door is wider than 24" and taller than 30"...then use three hinges. Concealed hinges offer easy 3-way adjustment, and they self close so a door latch or hasp isn't required. A 1-3/8" forstner bit will be needed to drill the pocket hole.

-Jeff :)

[Cary Falk]

I don't like MDF for structural things like cabinerts but I understand the money crunch. I only have to add that you better eat your Wheaties because 8' MDF cabinets will weigh a ton.:D

[Keith Albertson]

I wouldn't put a lot of effort into making pretty cabinets if you are planning on moving in a few years. I think structural strength and speed would be more important.

Before I retired from the service and was moving every 3-4 years, I used to make my shop cabinets out of 2x4 or 2x3 frames, then skinned them with something cheap (1/4 hardboard, recycled plywood, 1/2 MDF, pegboard). The 2x frame saw strong, fast, and easy to attach to a wall. For adjustable shelves, I drilled holes in the 2x4 uprights. Strengthened the shelves with some hardwood edging strips about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 wide.

Worked great, adaptable to any location (garage, basement), and easy to fit on a 2x4 kicker frame. Not elegant but very functional, easy to fit to a sloped floor, and I didn't cry when I had to leave them behind.

[james bell]

I have built approximately 15 cabinets for my shop/garage out of MDF. Most of them are 24" x 24" x 8', with a couple being 18" wide with no movable shelves for tall items.

I rip one sheet 24" and 25" (less the blade width) for the back and front.
I rip another sheet in half for the sides.
I rip another sheet in half for the top, bottom, one fixed shelf and movable shelves.

I route the long edges on the back of the sides 3/8" to hold the back. I route the top and bottoms of the back and sides for obviously the top and bottom. Approximately 6' up I route a 3/4" dado on the sides/back for a fixed shelf, which also gives support.

I purchase the 5/8" shelving strips from Lowes/HD, and thus route four strips in the sides to mount these.

I glue and nail (2" finish nails) the cabinet, and mount the door with hinges - I initially used up a lot of the 35mm euro hinges I had and then went with regular hinges. I was concerned about the glue and nails, but these have lasted years with no problems.

The neat part is I made a base of 2x4's, in the corners I put a triangular scrap piece and then put 2 1/2" casters (full swivel, no brake) screwed to the triangular corner piece. This lifts the cabinet 1/2" off the floor so I can roll it around.

Cut the shelving down to size and you have a great cabinet, inexpensive, with a few shelves left over for the second cabinet.

I put Dry Dap on the edges, sand down, and luckily my wife paints them.

FORGOT - I have a 5x 10 landscape trailer I use to get the MDF, and I use a Festool to cut them all. With all of the MDF's in the trailer, I put a 2x4 across the front of the trailer crosswise, and then lift one of the MDF's onto the 2x4. I then get more 2x4's underneath, ensuring I have two 2x4's supporting both my cutting. All of this can be down outside, so dust is not a problem (depending on your neighborhood).

If anybody wants pictures, let me know.