Thread: Wife has challenged me

Wot she has that many shoes, she needs one of them???
I've not made one but have seen a few. One that I saw, used a large lazy susan bearing on the bottom to carry it all, and a piece of pipe in the centre to align it all. For the shelves, you could use 16mm MDF as it's going to be painted, use the offcuts from the shelves cut into strips and use them to hide the pipe, chamfer the corners like a barrel, and screw them into the pipe.
Kryn

Thanks. I also had a quick look on YouTube and found this one: https://youtu.be/8bUmpl3_Jeo

Guy used plywood

I'm not a great lover of plywood for something like that, as I can't get a decent finish on the cut edge, always splintering, thats why I suggested MDF.
Make sure to allow for extra shoes, there's a big sale on soon.
Kryn

Originally Posted by nogi

So I want to try and redo our walk in robe but the boss wants one of these:



Has anyone built anything like this? Not sure where to start. And while on the topic of walk ins, what material do most people use? It will be painted.

I suggest you make it from laminated board -- painted MDF will look all scuffed two weeks later and SWMBO won't be happy. Pay a kitchen flat pack maker to cut it all out, edge it and drill it for knock down fittings or adjustable shelves.
laminate as opposed to melamine will look better for longer

Use a good Lazy Susan bearing top and bottom -- it just requires you to be very accurate with your layout which is relatively easy if the top and bottom parts are both the same size. Reinforce the bottom panel to accommodate the load.
You should be able to get a suitable Lazy Susan bearing rated for 300 or 450 kg. I estimate that the shelving alone will weigh close 200 kg.

This thread reminds me of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell in Overboard. The unit needs to be made from solid Cherry.

Originally Posted by ian

Pay a kitchen flat pack maker to cut it all out, edge it and drill it for knock down fittings or adjustable shelves.

I make a lot of solid wood furniture for family, friends and (now) commissions BUT I have found I simply cannot compete/compare to professional kitchen makers in cost nor quality for utility furniture like your cabinet. Most kitchen makers have access to computerised cut lists for an enormous range of modules AND they can buy melamine covered board for less than half of what we can! I have had success in going to my local kitchen company, choosing from their standard modules and giving them the time to automatically cut it when they have a gap or imbalance in their production. About 3 years ago, as an exercise, I got the kitchen co to cut one unit and I cut another identical one. They delivered a completely cut and drilled cabinet for less than I paid for the board!

fletty

PS, make sure that you do the assembly though to satisfy 'domestic pressure'?

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

I'm not a great lover of plywood for something like that, as I can't get a decent finish on the cut edge, always splintering, thats why I suggested MDF.
Make sure to allow for extra shoes, there's a big sale on soon.
Kryn

Darn, plywood is so much cheaper than MDF or laminated pine at Bunnings. I was thinking plywood with some sort of trimming in the front to hide the rough edges?

Thanks for the other replies too.

A look on Youtube shows that US kitchens are pretty much always constructed from ply. Seems like ply there is cheaper than melamine. Here it's opposite...
See if you can find anything from the New Yankee Workshop New Yankee Workshop - Featuring the Craftsmanship of Master Carpenter Norm Abram

Norm uses 1 sided face grade ply and edges with 1/2 inch or so timber glued and pinned...their kitchen guys do face framed cabinets. they make a frame the right size and a pocket hole jig to make holes to screw the frame on..
The wife got me a couple of books from the US on kitchen construction for Xmas...

I'm thinking with a kitchen I have coming up in the near future I'll try melamine carcasses and put face frames on them...

Originally Posted by nogi

Darn, plywood is so much cheaper than MDF or laminated pine at Bunnings.

I was thinking plywood with some sort of trimming in the front to hide the rough edges?

I'm seeing Bunnings' price for 2400x1200 16mm MDF is $29.50, and $33.00 for 18mm

a similar size 2400x1200 17mm ply sheet is $92.30 and it's a special order.
even CD structural ply is about 2x the cost of MDF -- $56 for 15mm and $65 for 17mm and then you would have all the drama of filling both sides, edging the exposed edges and painting.

Out of interest what is the comparative costs of MDF and ply in your local Bunnings

Originally Posted by david.elliott

A look on Youtube shows that US kitchens are pretty much always constructed from ply. Seems like ply there is cheaper than melamine. Here it's opposite...
See if you can find anything from the New Yankee Workshop New Yankee Workshop - Featuring the Craftsmanship of Master Carpenter Norm Abram

Norm uses 1 sided face grade ply and edges with 1/2 inch or so timber glued and pinned...their kitchen guys do face framed cabinets. they make a frame the right size and a pocket hole jig to make holes to screw the frame on..
The wife got me a couple of books from the US on kitchen construction for Xmas...

I'm thinking with a kitchen I have coming up in the near future I'll try melamine carcasses and put face frames on them...

Please be aware that what is designated in Australia as AA ply is readily available almost everywhere here in North America, as is the AB face grade stuff Norm favoured. Bespoke face veneers are also very easy to obtain, as is the CD ply sold in Australia.

CD structural ply is cheaper than an equivalent thickness Melamine board.
I'm not sure I recommend a face frame construction screwed to a melamine carcass

Originally Posted by ian

I'm seeing Bunnings' price for 2400x1200 16mm MDF is $29.50, and $33.00 for 18mm

a similar size 2400x1200 17mm ply sheet is $92.30 and it's a special order.
even CD structural ply is about 2x the cost of MDF -- $56 for 15mm and $65 for 17mm and then you would have all the drama of filling both sides, edging the exposed edges and painting.

Out of interest what is the comparative costs of MDF and ply in your local Bunnings

The $92.30 is Plyfloor. I've never considered using that on cupboards/furniture etc. Out of interest, has anyone used it for anything else besides flooring because I like the price and SHMBO is hinting re a built in laundry cupboard and it may get wet

Originally Posted by Lappa

The $92.30 is Plyfloor. I've never considered using that on cupboards/furniture etc. Out of interest, has anyone used it for anything else besides flooring because I like the price and SHMBO is hinting re a built in laundry cupboard and it may get wet

I'm struggling to find anything other appearance grade ply at Bunnings -- they have 25mm stuff for $161 per sheet, and 12mm AA for $88 per sheet. Though I think 12mm is a little on the thin side for the proposed unit.

Originally Posted by ian

I'm struggling to find anything other appearance grade ply at Bunnings -- they have 25mm stuff for $161 per sheet, and 12mm AA for $88 per sheet. Though I think 12mm is a little on the thin side for the proposed unit.

They don't do marine ply in full sheets at 17/18/19mm and a lot of the other 1/2 ply sheets are, let me be kind, not very straight.
The CD is, being kind again, more like EF.
Since Mr Ply&Wood went belly up on the northshore, there's not a lot of choices re good ply. Most sell CD or AA Marine only (at an arm and a leg) and not BB or BC. If Bunnies sold good quality they would have a captive market on the Northside.
Found one on the northern beaches. Prices seem good but need to view before purchase.