Ken Cobbing
07-10-2016, 11:45 PM
Hi all,
I'm new to woodworking / cabinet building and have an idea I wanted to run past the old pros here. I'd appreciate critical feedback to identify any flaws with my idea.
I just hung up a wall full of Knape & Vogt (AKA John Sterling) "fast mount" wall shelving: 6' tall by 8' wide and 24" deep. These are great heavy-duty wall standards and brackets that hold a LOT of weight, don't break the bank, and made in USA.
After getting started on this minor "rough" project, I had the idea to make the shelves look like a finished piece of mid-century furniture by enclosing the shelves with sliding doors. The end goal is to make it look like a set of built-in floating shelves. For a rough idea, picture a wall of stacked cabinets like this (without legs of course):
340506
Or the sliding cabinets on the Eames storage units:
340507
Here is what the unfinished project looks like right now:
340505
My idea is to enclose the shelves with sliding doors by attaching a vertical piece to each side of the shelves to create a box. Then, cut a pair of grooves about 1/2" apart near the edge on each piece (top/bottom/sides) and insert 2 or more thin pieces of plywood to create sliding doors for each row of shelving. The structural integrity is provided by the wall standards and brackets. To keep the project as simple and inexpensive as possible, no additional hardware will be used for the sliding doors, but I have thought about adding UHMW tape to the door tracks to make the slide smoother.
Here is a photo of what the sliding doors would look like:
340504
So far I've only attached the wall standards and rough-cut the shelves to the correct depth (as shown above).
I have a few questions:
1) What thickness of Baltic birch panels should I use for the sliding doors? I suppose a minimum thickness is required to prevent bowing of the plywood doors. They will each be approximately 18" tall. I was thinking 1/4" (6mm) thick.
2) What width should I cut the grooves? For example, 6mm Baltic birch = 0.236". Should I make the groove fairly tight, like 0.25", or should I allow for some play to accommodate changes in thickness due to changes in humidity / temperature?
3) What method should I use to cut the grooves? I do not have a table saw. I have a track saw, Bosch palm router (Colt) and want to buy a plunge router (Bosch 1617EVSPK). If I use a router with a straight bit, will I have a problem with heat/burning when cutting a nearly 8' groove at a time?
4) I'm planning on attaching the sides with pocket screws. Any problems with that?
5) What should I use to finish the wood? I'm using 3/4" baltic birch. I'd like to keep as close as possible to the original light/white color and a very flat/matte finish. I'd also like the 13-ply eges to "pop" if possible. I was thinking of using Varathane "soft touch" matte polyurethane.
6) Related to the above question: do I have to finish the wood at all? These shelves will be used for long-term storage in the utility room and things should not move in/out too much, so wear on the shelves is not too much of a concern. The attached utility room is not conditioned and does get a bit hot / humid sometimes (occasionally a max of 85F / 60% for short periods of time), but never freezing (Florida).
Any help is appreciated. Thanks for reading!
I'm new to woodworking / cabinet building and have an idea I wanted to run past the old pros here. I'd appreciate critical feedback to identify any flaws with my idea.
I just hung up a wall full of Knape & Vogt (AKA John Sterling) "fast mount" wall shelving: 6' tall by 8' wide and 24" deep. These are great heavy-duty wall standards and brackets that hold a LOT of weight, don't break the bank, and made in USA.
After getting started on this minor "rough" project, I had the idea to make the shelves look like a finished piece of mid-century furniture by enclosing the shelves with sliding doors. The end goal is to make it look like a set of built-in floating shelves. For a rough idea, picture a wall of stacked cabinets like this (without legs of course):
340506
Or the sliding cabinets on the Eames storage units:
340507
Here is what the unfinished project looks like right now:
340505
My idea is to enclose the shelves with sliding doors by attaching a vertical piece to each side of the shelves to create a box. Then, cut a pair of grooves about 1/2" apart near the edge on each piece (top/bottom/sides) and insert 2 or more thin pieces of plywood to create sliding doors for each row of shelving. The structural integrity is provided by the wall standards and brackets. To keep the project as simple and inexpensive as possible, no additional hardware will be used for the sliding doors, but I have thought about adding UHMW tape to the door tracks to make the slide smoother.
Here is a photo of what the sliding doors would look like:
340504
So far I've only attached the wall standards and rough-cut the shelves to the correct depth (as shown above).
I have a few questions:
1) What thickness of Baltic birch panels should I use for the sliding doors? I suppose a minimum thickness is required to prevent bowing of the plywood doors. They will each be approximately 18" tall. I was thinking 1/4" (6mm) thick.
2) What width should I cut the grooves? For example, 6mm Baltic birch = 0.236". Should I make the groove fairly tight, like 0.25", or should I allow for some play to accommodate changes in thickness due to changes in humidity / temperature?
3) What method should I use to cut the grooves? I do not have a table saw. I have a track saw, Bosch palm router (Colt) and want to buy a plunge router (Bosch 1617EVSPK). If I use a router with a straight bit, will I have a problem with heat/burning when cutting a nearly 8' groove at a time?
4) I'm planning on attaching the sides with pocket screws. Any problems with that?
5) What should I use to finish the wood? I'm using 3/4" baltic birch. I'd like to keep as close as possible to the original light/white color and a very flat/matte finish. I'd also like the 13-ply eges to "pop" if possible. I was thinking of using Varathane "soft touch" matte polyurethane.
6) Related to the above question: do I have to finish the wood at all? These shelves will be used for long-term storage in the utility room and things should not move in/out too much, so wear on the shelves is not too much of a concern. The attached utility room is not conditioned and does get a bit hot / humid sometimes (occasionally a max of 85F / 60% for short periods of time), but never freezing (Florida).
Any help is appreciated. Thanks for reading!