Anyone try walk-in closets?

[Dave Lewis]

We have a 10' x 6.5' romm that is to be a walk-in closet. (house is 3 yrs. old) I went to Loews to look at Closet-maid. It's not in-expensive to go that route and quality appeared so-so.

I rec'd a quote for pre-finished maple ply of:

3/4" sheet finished 2 sides @ $91/ea
1/2 sheet 1 side @ $72/eaWhat jig would be recommended to make the pin holes?

Source & cost of pins and inserts?

Pre-made drawer source?

[Jim Becker]

Great price on that pre-finished plywood! (unfinished BB 18mm {3/4"} is up to $91 list around here)

Last fall, I built a plywood version of the MEG hole drilling jig that Norm Abram featured in the two-part "Jigs" episode of NYW a few years ago and actually used it for the first time this past weekend for the upper cabinets that are going above the wet bar in our addition. This jig uses a plunge router with a guide collar. Every single hole is absolutely clean in the 1/2" cherry plywood being used. The Rockler jig I had used before immediately went in the trash as it was very prone to tear out...'never ever got a clean hole with that thing.

Pins and inserts are generally pretty easy to fine at both the normal "woodworking" sources as well as places like cabinetparts.com and woodworkershardware.com.

Subbing out drawers economically is a little harder because many of the sources only work with the trades. I have bought drawer boxes from Keystone several times, but had to prove to them I was "qualified" to do business with them as well as give a reference from the fellow who referred me. You can buy drawer boxes from places like Rockler, but they really want a lot of money.

[frank shic]

here's the best manual drill guide that i've found so far:

http://32mm.dalrun.com/System_Tools/Drilling/mbjigs.html

it's the J&R drill jig which you won't find advertised very widely although jim tolpin writes about it in one of his books.

if you're going to be line boring all those closet panels, you might want to look into an entry level line boring machine like the delta 32-325 or buy the melamine panels that are sold at home depot which are already line bored.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I don't want to try to tell you what to do or how to do it, but I'd be very hard pressed to put $91 a sheet material into a closet. I have designed and installed a whole bunch of closet systems. I cannot even come close to building modular closet cabinetry for the price and convenience of buying and installing Mills Pride cabinets. I used them in my own home 14 years ago, and they have held up with no problems. Look here:

http://www.millspride.com/selectroom/closet.cfm

[Joe Chritz]

Walk in closets beg for melamine and edge banding but on the subject of holes.

I use a dedicated jig made from 1/2 plywood with a series of 1/2 holes. A 1/4" downspiral (thats important) bit in a plunge router with a 1/2 bushing and you are GTG.

I do a fair number of cabinets and a non-adjustable shelf pin jig seemed to fit the bill well. It was made from scrap in about 10 minutes.

Joe

[Bill Huber]

I made one, very easy and not a lot of work.
I use a router to make the holes as Joe does.

But you can buy one from a lot of difference places, here is the one form Rockler. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5876&filter=shelf
You can also get all the hardware from them also.


This is the one I made.

80386

[Joe Jensen]

When I built my closets years ago I called and found a shop with a drilling maching for 32mm cabinets and paid them like $20 to drill my holes for me. The second place I called that had a 32mm dilling machine agreed. Took them like 10 min..joe

[Josiah Bartlett]

As much as I hate to admit it, Ikea gets my business for things like this, or I use melamine.

Costco has a decent closet system as well, but its a bit on the pricy side and its special order at most warehouses. It looks nicer than the Lowes stuff though.

[fred woltersdorf]

Pre-made drawer source?

i have used valen drawers (valendrawers.com) just recently. many choices for materials and construction. they will ups them knocked down, very easy to assemble and they are resonable.

[Matt Meiser]

When we get around to doing ours, we are using white melamine with hardwood edging on the front. Menards sells white melamine panels with the shelf pin holes predrilled for not much more than it would cost to make them. My plan is to rip the front edge off and glue my own edge on.

[Prashun Patel]

I just finished our whole upstairs - about 6 closets.

I love the Rockler Jig-It Shelf-pin jig. It's only $25, and it accommodates 5mm or 1/4" pins. It's sturdy and versatile, allowing u to drill holes at different distances from the edge. It's also easy to use with the uprights pre-installation, or after they're up. Shop-made drilling guides out of wood or p-board are prone to getting eaten up pretty quickly.

I got all my shelf pins (1/4") @ BORG. They're cheap and sturdy. I prefer the spoon style. They have a buncho styles there, though.

Whatever jig you use, I'd get a self-centering bit (the Jig-It comes with one) as it'll make the holes uniform, straight, and protect yr jig.

You can also get yr rods and rosettes from BORG. I'd get the 1 1/16" ssteel rods. I really like the rosettes LIDO makes. They're hefty and look great.

Check out hardwarehut.com for stuff u can't find @ BORG. They have lotsa accourtrements that'll make the Mrs. love her closet.
If yr gonna do plywood, I'd get unfinished pwood and just use a Watco Danish Oil type product. Easy to apply and sturdy enough for bedroom closets. I wouldn't try to poly it. Too time consuming and overkill.

I'd also edgeband w/solid wood. The BORGs of the world sell 3/4" banding that can be slapped on easy enough. It doesn't even really require flush trimming w/router unless yr a perfectionist.

The big departure btn a full diy system and a MillsPrideish prefab is in the drawers and doors. If you really want doors and drawers for that professional look, you can get them unfinished @ Rockler. I'd get the doors and drawers first, and THEN plan yr divider spacing, though ;)

[Rob Will]

Unless I was going to build custom cabinets with solid wood fronts, I would use the closet maid system. It is clean and fast.

Rob

[Todd Bin]

I can't believe two things about this thread.

First, we are woodworkers dang it. Why are people actually recommending buying some junk cabinets at home depot form closet made or who ever. (I mean no disrespect to the person that posted that specific brand but it wasn't the only post). I don't know about you guys but my wife thinks the closet is the most important room in the house. So I say make those cabinets look great. Maple and Mahogany all around.

Second, for the hole drilling jig. Why don't you just use pegboard. The holes are very regular. Just cover the ones you don't use with tape.

Respectfully,

Todd

[Matt Meiser]

Pegboard will certainly work, but the plunge router jigs tend to make a better hole in man-made materials like Jim mentioned. I built the same one (its part of the NYW 2-part Jigs episode) and even on Melamine I get clean holes.

[Jim Becker]

I don't want to try to tell you what to do how to do it, but I'd be very hard pressed to put $91 a sheet material into a closet. I have designed and installed a whole bunch of closet systems. I cannot even come close to building modular closet cabinetry for the price and convenience of buying and installing Mills Pride cabinets.

'Depends on the situation, Dave. And I think this also applies somewhat to Todd's comments, too.

Take my new master suite walk-in closet. It's open to the master bathroom. No door. No way am I going to put any kind of white material in there since my bath cabinetry is QS cherry and cherry crotch. I have to either buy a system that is somewhat expensive (may have to do that because of time) or build from the more expensive sheet stock in order for it to look right.

But I'm not disagreeing with you (Dave) in theory. I'd use the quick assembly products like Ikea, Mills Pride, etc., in a heartbeat in situations where it would work for me design wise or is hidden simply because I cannot build it for what it costs to buy and I'd rather put my time and money into projects that would be more visible. I have so little shop time now and would rather build fine furniture. That's the rub Todd, sometimes we have to pick our battles...err...projects...based on many factors. I'd build EVERYTHING from scratch if I had the time. But I don't.

I actually have the same dilemma with our new laundry room. I may opt for cabparts.com to cut it all out for me, but will have to "upgrade" to a paintable material given the wall (mild yellow) and appliance colors. (cherry red) The room has a pocket door that will be open most of the time to let in the wonderful natural light from the east. White cabinets will not work for us.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I can't believe two things about this thread.

First, we are woodworkers dang it. Why are people actually recommending buying some junk cabinets at home depot form closet made or who ever. (I mean no disrespect to the person that posted that specific brand but it wasn't the only post). I don't know about you guys but my wife thinks the closet is the most important room in the house. So I say make those cabinets look great. Maple and Mahogany all around....

Respectfully,

Todd

Todd (and Jim) - I suppose this discussion is why we have vanilla and chocolate. There is PLENTY of woodworking involved in designing and installing a closet system using systems such as Mills Pride, Ikea and Closet Maid. Some of these companies offer solid wood and/or wood veneers as an alternative to melamine. I have quoted many dozens of closet systems for clients. Close to 100% are not willing to spend the money for a system priced higher than white melamine, including my own wife. The cost goes up really fast - perhaps three to four times the cost of melamine for wood or wood veneer. Many, many people have the attitude, "It's a closet". Nobody sees it but the homeowner. Many folks actually like white!!!

I have tried making cabinets rather than buying the kits. Again, the clients simply will not pay me what I need to make cabinets for closets. The systems offered cover a wide range of materials, and I cannot buy the materials for what many of the modular systems cost as a kit. Maybe that's not woodworking to some, but the client makes the rules.

In my own home, we have oak cabinetry throughout. Except for the two walk-in closets in the master bedroom and the utility room. Those are done in white melamine, and we are happy with both the look and the durability. Again, vanilla and chocolate.

[Peter Stahl]

I can't believe two things about this thread.

First, we are woodworkers dang it. Why are people actually recommending buying some junk cabinets at home depot form closet made or who ever. (I mean no disrespect to the person that posted that specific brand but it wasn't the only post). I don't know about you guys but my wife thinks the closet is the most important room in the house. So I say make those cabinets look great. Maple and Mahogany all around.



First off it's just a closet and second most of us are really cheap I mean very frugal. My closets are barely walk in, more like stand in and I used the closet maid wire stuff.