Thread: cabinet side walls

When i did my trade the ends always went through. I never asked why and never needed to cause thats the way it was. I don't know if there are any cons to running them through but the pro is if you have one or two shelves you will cut them along with the top and bottom at the same size which means one less cut.

Are you talking grain?
Thanks.

Originally Posted by chiseler

Gday,
What are the pros and cons of the cabinet side walls running vertical or horizontal.
Damo..

Hi Damo

If you are building a cabinet from veneered board it's purely a matter of which look appeals to you the most. To my eye (and also Ikea's) a piece looks better if the grain runs vertically in the sides and longitudinally in the top, bottom and shelves.

If you are building from solid wood you have to take account of potential expansion and contraction due to moisture changes in the wood. This is the basis of the "rule" about grain direction. With horizontal running grain, expansion and contraction will alter the height of the cabinet, causing grief with internal components and doors. Vertical running grain results in expansion / contraction affecting the depth of the cabinet -- which is relatively easily accounted for.

Interesting question .... I always do the side panels in a vertical plane for the reasons Ian enunciated ... but also because it is much easier for me to get grain match and a flat surface using fewer joins ...

Vertical alignment also reduces the amount of end grain to be dealt with and this is useful to remember if doing raised panels.

Rob

I have to agree with Ian, vertical.

HOWEVER

You use the word "Cabinet".
If you are building something to display Grandma Great's china, you're building furniture and the following comments don't apply.

The vast majority of kitchen cabinets, only one side of the exterior box is visible. That's usually covered by the face frame, drawer fronts and doors.

With kitchen cabinets, only one side is usually visible except for the end cabinet and that can be covered by good veneer plywood using contact cement or covered with an end made as a raise panel. The interior of kitchen cabinets and their shelves are usually covered with shelf paper. For kitchen cabinets I use particle board covered with Melamine. The cabinets are glued up boxes and made with Melamine with a gator back (brown durable covering) except for interior dividers which use a double sided melamine. Assembly is using rabbets (rebates) and a TiteBond I glue. Any excess glue scrapes off with ease. I generally shoot nails for added strength.

Thanks for all your replies but i guess i have to fess up it's not going to work.What started out as a 20 drawer collectors cabinet 10 side by side. Firstly the sides were made from five pieces of recycled silky oak glued together to become a panel 450 x180 x10 but because of some sloppy saw benching after working with the planes i'll be lucky to end up with 8mm.
The drawers were to have groves cut in the sides to slide on runners screwed to the walls,but with only 8 mm whats the chance of punching the screws right through, hence the idea of turning the wood around,it would mean a bit more
cutting and gluing but then i could glue the runners on.My guess is you blokes are thinking stop dicking about and start again making sure you get at least 12mm this time.Save the bits you got you'll find a use for them in the future
Damo

Hi damo

let me think on this for a day or so.
I think there may be a drawer runner that works with what you have

Gday Ian,
Just an update,this morning i took the panels out of the glue set up and not a pretty sight it was,a slight bow and flat as a outback dirt road.So it looks like an upper body work out with the number 5,when finished it looks as expected 8mm and will probably be even less after sanding,so its going to be a redo for 12mm at least.Just as an aside the cabinet in the photo i made about two years ago for the wife but i Tnever liked it so kept it in the shed.The sides ran horizontal,the drawer fits were somewhere between piston and sloppy,more towards the latter i think and probably why there hasn't been any binding,until this week when the second last drawer when opened wants to take the one above with it,which confirms what you said about wood movement.The other photos are of the wood i want to use for drawer fronts, it comes from the doors of a found wardrobe.Its 22mm thick veneered on both sides with a solid core of narrow pine t/g together.22mm is to thick for what i need so question is if cut to about 12mm will it still be stable or would it need a back veneer??P1010882.jpgP1010883.jpgP1010888.jpgP1010893.jpgP1010901.jpg i would hide the veneer edge with cockbeading.

Originally Posted by ian

Hi damo

let me think on this for a day or so.
I think there may be a drawer runner that works with what you have

Hi Damo
have a look at the attached sketch of a way to mount drawer runners on thin cabinet sides.

What I've drawn should work for you. The runners are attached at the front, are restrained in grooves so they can't move vertically, and fixed at the rear by means of a cover strip.

The approx 1.5 mm and 3 mm dimensions are based on the typical 1/16" and 1/8" small dimensions used in the US.

Ian,
Thanks for that,a good idea i will keep it in mind for the future.
Damo.