My First Cabinet - Need advice

[Dave Lame]

I am a beginner about to build my first cabinet an would appreciate your advice on my current plans.

OK, its just a shop cabinet. Mobile. With Levelers.

My current, tentative plans are:

1. Use 3/4 MDO because plywood is too expensive and MDF too heavy.

2. Use pocket screw joinery because its simple and low cost. Kreg jig inexpensive and don't need a ton of clamps. Will also use glue for additional strength.

3. Base will be a torsion box for stability when moving.

4. Casters will be 3" polyurethene.

5. Will use ?? for leveling. (want to eventually have multiple shop cabinets and benches all at same height and garage floor is far from perfect).

6. Will have 3 small drawers and 2 large slideouts. Will use 200lb capacity slides as will house relatively heavy tools. Best slides are ???. Are manufacturers weight specs trustworthy?

Thanks in advance four you suggestions all of these 6 items.

[David Giles]

I still remember my first cabinets (not that long ago) and the anxiety that came with having too many choices and not enough experience. So I'll pass on the same advice that one old grouchy woodworker gave me..."Just go make some sawdust".

There are a dozen ways to make cabinets. Make one. Then make another a different way. Then make a another a third way. After about six cabinets, you will be comfortable with different fabrication techniques and, more importantly, will have found one or two techniques that fit your personality and style.

Specifically, to your questions:
1) I thought MDO was expensive. Maybe not. Any sheet good will work.
2) okay. Get the Kreg bulletin on cabinet construction and the Proulx book on simple cabinet design. Both are suitable for pocket hole construction.
3) Overkill. Just bolt the casters onto the bottom. Double up the wood if you want.
4) Bigger is better for rolling. 3-5" are good. Depends on the size of your floor cracks!
5) ?? = shims / boards to roll the cabinet onto. Or build a long, level bench and roll the cabinets underneath it.
6) Ditch the slideouts and go all drawers. Blum are the best, but pricey. Accuride, Grass, BORG and CSH slides will all do the job for shop cabinets. Pick one that fits your budget. Buy one set of Blum and one set from CS Hardware, then you will know for future projects.