Shop Cabinets out of mdf???

[Chris Lee]

Now that I sucked it up and dropped $1000 for an Oneida Gorilla, I decided it was time to turn my shop into more of a permanent shop and install some cabinets and a lumber rack.

I was thinking for the lumber rack I would get some of the standards from HD or Lowes and various brackets. SHouldn't set me back too much and from what I have seen should work quite well.

For the cabinets I was thinking about makind some of the cabinets from the last issue of WOOD(the one befor ehat is out now) It looks like they made them out of MDF and I was thinking that would be the way I would go. I don't have a lot to invest in this after the Gorilla and the ductwork so I am hoping MDF will work as I can get a sheet of 3/4 for about $22 I think and should be able to get a couple cabinets out of 2 or 3 sheets.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Chris

[Jason Tuinstra]

Chris,

I'm glad to see your post. My big up and coming project is going to be building a whole new shop for myself after the recent move to CA. We're taking possesion of the house in a month, so right now I have a file filled with shop ideas and my brain is on overload with what to do.

I've been borrowing a lot of ideas from the latest Wood magazine (April/May) for their cabinet's and their lumber rack (page 92). At this point, I think I'm going to blend their "utility cabinet system" and some of the ideas from Steve King's post on his <A HREF="http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=9770" TARGET="_blank">miter saw station</A></EM></font> from a number of months ago. I want to increase the depth of the top so that I can put a router table in, along with some other goodies.

I like the option of the less expensive MDF, but it loves moisture, so the edges should be treated. Getting it off the ground, per plans, is key as well. More than this, though, you need to make sure that you use the right kind of fastening screws so that it won't pull apart with use.

Well, have fun! I know I can't wait to get my shop put back together.

[John Hemenway]

Although I've used MDF, I hate it. Bad dust, HEAVY, fragile edges and moisture issues!

Have you seen the way Norm builds shop cabnets? It's very economical with sheet goods. A run of cabnets is one unit, not individual boxes. Tops and bottoms are just ply strips (cleats). He uses birch ply (about $34/sheet at orange borg), 2x4s, CDX ply and masonite make up the tops. See the projects 'Garage Workshop', Miter Bench and Storage' or 'Workshop Hutch' for examples.

[Richard McComas]

Why not use Melamine. Edgeband with iron on tape, get some institutional hinges and your done. No paint/finishing and no face frame if so desired. Simple and inexpensive.

Click <a href="http://www.fototime.com/inv/33B6A174558B455">here</a> to view pictures

[Steve Clardy]

I used strawboard for a run of 20' of shop cabinets. Similar to PB, but made out of wheat straw, water proof glue. 3/4"x49x97 sheets run $16.00 at my cabinet supplier.
Steve

[Dave Falkenstein]

I have installed many cabinets for various storage applications, including my own home shop. I would recommend Home Depot and the Mill's Pride line of melamine cabinets as a base for your project. I cannot build them for the price I can buy the kits at Home Depot. You can also buy melamine sheet goods and custom build whatever you need that does not come stock. Melamine looks good and holds up very well, especially on cabinets. (Melamine is not so good for surfaces that take a lot of abuse, like saw table extensions.) MDF , on the other hand, will require finishing, adding to the cost and labor to build cabinets. I'm about to build a couple of mobile tool racks - my choice of material is predrilled melamine sheet goods for the sides and undrilled melamine for the rest of the cabinetry. For building your own cabinets, check out confirmat screws at McFeely's for MDF, melamine or other man-made materials.

[JayStPeter]

My personal feeling is that MDF is great for shop fixtures (including cabinets). It's cheap, flat, stable, strong and easy to work with (especially with good DC).
But, I like to practice or try out techniques when building shop stuff. So, I have built most of the cabinets in my shop out of ply. HD has (or at least had) "Sandeply" for a decent price. I used it for most of my shop cabinets. It has taught me a bunch about dealing with how ply likes to bow. I'm sure the knowledge will help me when I finally get to some built-ins for my kids playroom.

Jay

[Bob Hovde]

Is there such a thing as "grades" of MDF? I was doing a project for LOML last weekend and ran out of the MDF I got from the Borg. Searching my rafter storage, I found an old piece and used it to finish. The newer MDF was dense and smooth, while the older MDF was course and left a rough edge after cutting/routing. The newer MDF looks like there's no way for it to absorb water, while the older version has wood grains in the surface that look ready to absorb and expand. I guess I knew there were different kinds of MDF, but I never had different kinds together for comparison before.

Point being - If you use MDF, make sure it's a good grade.

Bob

[Mark Singer]

Use Ultra lite MDF it is great to work with and only a couple of $ more!

[Doug Edwards]

I built these cabinets for equipment storage at our engineering office (the stuff is usually all inside the cabinets). They were easy to build and cheap. The sides are 3/4" MDF with backs and doors out of 1/2" MDF. The set here cost a little over $100 a couple years ago. I built them over a weekend. Probably about 10 hours effort. That was about half what HD wanted for poorly built shop cabs.

[Chris Lee]

Doug,

Those look pretty similar to what I had in mind.

Thanks for everybody's advice. I will post some pics when I can find some time to build these.

Chris