Looking for advice on making a mailroom cubby cabinet

[Larry Browning]

My department at work is moving into a new building and I have offered to build a nice mail cubby cabinet. (What we have now is just an old metal bookcase with a bunch of magnetic bookends dividing the mail slots.) The company will buy the materials and I offered to design an build the cabinet. Now I understand, that I can just make a simple box with dividers and probably would not need a formal plan. But I got to thinking about exactly how I would go about creating all these cubbies. What size and orientation should they be? Should I make a couple of oversized ones for bigger packages? What would be the best joinery technique? What thickness plywood should I get?

I am thinking I will need to make about 40 cubbies, to handle the folks in our department and allow for some expansion. I guess what I am asking for is suggestions about how to build this cabinet.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

We build these all the time. build a box with 3/4" material, with 3/4" vertical dividers. Route 1/4" dado's and use 1/4" masonite for the shelves. Just did one last week in a doctor's lounge in a hospital.

[Larry Browning]

We build these all the time. build a box with 3/4" material, with 3/4" vertical dividers. Route 1/4" dado's and use 1/4" masonite for the shelves. Just did one last week in a doctor's lounge in a hospital.
Hummm.. Would it work to make 3/4 horizontal dividers with 1/4 hardboard vertical patricians. That way there would be room for a name label under each cubby. Or how about 1/2" shelf dividers? That would still leave enough room for the label. If I used 1/2" shelves could I use 1/8" dadoes?
Also, what size should I make each cubby? I was thinking of making the box 12" deep and then 3.5X10 cubbies.

One other thing. Any ideas as to making a jig for the dado spacing?

[Jamie Buxton]

...One other thing. Any ideas as to making a jig for the dado spacing?..

You're going to cut the dados on the table saw? That's what I'd do. Use a cutoff box. Put a clamp on the fence to set the workpiece position. Dado all the boards at that position. Move the clamp to the next position and repeat.

[Ron Jackson]

+1 for the 3/4" verticals and 1/4" masonite horizontal dividers. I have constructed several sets of "mail-room cubbies" for college campuses, and that was the most versital design. Be sure to make opening wide enough and deep enough to handle intra-office envelopes. and space dados approximately 4" apart vertically. I have always used a width of 12 inches and depth of 14 inches. I glue a 1/2" "shelf stiffner" across the lower front edge of the masonite shelves, to better facilitate addressee labels. Sometimes it allows more versitility to make the entire unit 3 or 4 ft wide and 4' tall, if it's going to be placed on a table-top. Doing so allows expansion if needed, by simply building another module, and the smaller sizes are usually more easily moved around or relocated in what's generally a "small" mailroom. Good luck, and have fun.

[Dan Hintz]

If you go with a few oversized holes for large packages, leave a spot for a tag... when a big package is placed into one of those holes, the tag is removed and placed in the mailbox the package belongs to.

[Larry Browning]

You're going to cut the dados on the table saw? That's what I'd do. Use a cutoff box. Put a clamp on the fence to set the workpiece position. Dado all the boards at that position. Move the clamp to the next position and repeat.
Well I guess I'm an idiot, but I cannot visualize what you are saying at all. What is a cutoff box? All I can think of is a box where you put scrap pieces of wood. I may need pictures?????
Plus, my 1st thought was to cut the dadoes with a router. I would think using a table saw would be difficult especially close to each end of the board.

[Joe Chritz]

I would just use the fence and a miter gauge or dado sled. Use a stop block and set the distance for the first dado and cut all pieces. Move the fence to the next position and do all the pieces. Wash rinse repeat. You do have to adjust for the sides if the outside pieces and the vertical dividers aren't the same length.

Unless the sides are over 4 foot you should be able to do it easy on a tablesaw.

I like the idea of using 1/2 material on the front of the dividers. Make them just a shade narrower than the opening and all is good. You could use 1/2 plywood and band it if you wanted but I can't see a big advantage.

This system gives you plenty of adjustability on heights of the openings.

Joe