Thread: Recommend Dowel Jig for making wall mounted storage

Hi JS007,

Unless you want to go completely screwless, I'd strongly recommend screws to hold the cabinet together and you could consider a french cleat to mount the cabinet to the wall. This allows for getting everything level beforehand and takes the guesswork out of finding the mortar joints etc while trying to hold the cabinet in place.

They're relatively simple and sturdy.

FRENCH CLEATS EXPLAINED...In 5 Minutes! (There's More To French Cleats Than You Think--3 Main Uses!) - YouTube

Cheers

Bryan

Hi

For the dowels just knock some panel pins into the sides of the unit where you want the dowels to be, but leave them sticking out and get some pincers and snip the head off the panel pin at an angle to form a sharp point, then put your side panel in position and tap with an hammer. The panel pins will transfer a mark onto the side panel where the dowel needs to be, now pull the panel pins out of the side of the units, you now have all the places you need to drill for your dowels

Make the back of the unit out of at least 18mm MDF if you are going to be screwing it to the wall, to hold it in position cut 2 dead men out to say 4" x 2" to a length that is equal to where you want the bottom of the cabinet and lean the dead men against the wall (so you may need to add say 10mm to your measurement to allow for the lean of the dead men) now you can rest the cabinet on the dead men while you fix the unit.

I agree with Tung Tied; use screws. MUCH quicker and easier. It’s MDF; not fine cabinet timbers where you might want to hide the joinery.

You also need to consider your cutting; you need to design the joinery so that all the loads are either in compression or shear. If you were making this out of 18mm MDF you should make the back 316mm by 1964mm and the three internal dividers 316 x 272, join these together first. Then add the top and bottom (1964 x 300) followed by the ends (350 x 300). You mount the unit to the wall by the back panel which is now fully enclosed on all outer edges; the screws (or dowels if you still go that way) are subjected to shear loads. If you assemble the unit by making the carcass first and screwing the back on last you put that last joint in tension; which is the weakest method and not what you want.

As it’s MDF you will need to coat it in something; either paint or thinned down varnish.

Definitely screws instead of dowels. You can glue as well

Timber & MDF (due to the fact that MDF is just compressed wood fibers) are no different to each other in that they both fail to accept a good screw fixing into their end grain, so a glued dowel would be stronger than a screw. Also the dowels are being glued parallel to the wall, thus any forces are not trying to pull the dowel directly out of the joint instead they are pulling against lets say a 8mm dowel, which is much stronger than pulling against the diameter of lets say a 10 gauge screw.

Thanks mate for the reply.

Thanks mate. I am using MDF if as its relatively cheap and strong. Would you recommend anything else? If I go the MDF route I will just paint it with a roller.

Originally Posted by Camelot

Timber & MDF (due to the fact that MDF is just compressed wood fibers) are no different to each other in that they both fail to accept a good screw fixing into their end grain, so a glued dowel would be stronger than a screw. Also the dowels are being glued parallel to the wall, thus any forces are not trying to pull the dowel directly out of the joint instead they are pulling against lets say a 8mm dowel, which is much stronger than pulling against the diameter of lets say a 10 gauge screw.

Can you recommend a Dowel Joiner. I fairly handy but have never done this before?

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

I agree with Tung Tied; use screws. MUCH quicker and easier. It’s MDF; not fine cabinet timbers where you might want to hide the joinery.

You also need to consider your cutting; you need to design the joinery so that all the loads are either in compression or shear. If you were making this out of 18mm MDF you should make the back 316mm by 1964mm and the three internal dividers 316 x 272, join these together first. Then add the top and bottom (1964 x 300) followed by the ends (350 x 300). You mount the unit to the wall by the back panel which is now fully enclosed on all outer edges; the screws (or dowels if you still go that way) are subjected to shear loads. If you assemble the unit by making the carcass first and screwing the back on last you put that last joint in tension; which is the weakest method and not what you want.

As it’s MDF you will need to coat it in something; either paint or thinned down varnish.

Thats great advice on the construction. I would like to try dowells or some other method as I would like to build up to making some furniture for inside the house. I want to make a book case for my study out of laminate and then a buffet out of timber.

I can't really recommend an easily obtainable dowel jig; mine are vintage (Stanley 59 and Record 148).

Denis from Hooked On Wood has reviewed two Chinese made jigs; his website is HERE. One jig in Episode 28 got an "exceptional" rating; the other a 4-1/2 out of 5. He is a member of this forum and his reviews are very comprehensive and fair.

Originally Posted by JS007

Can you recommend a Dowel Joiner. I fairly handy but have never done this before?

If you are looking at doing a few things moving forward a biscuit jointer is a good tool.

A few years back I made a Bookcase/Wine Rack for a client, they did some remodelling and blocked off a corridor opening with a Bookcase and Wine Rack above (the wine rack formed a bulkhead on the other side of the wall above head height) This was made out of MDF and pained to match their staircase balustrade.

You can see from the pics that I used a biscuit jointer, but MDF will bend over time with heavy loads, so for your application ply would be stronger and you could lip the front edge with hardwood, also for the shelves make the lipping say 30mm x 30mm section (or whatever you can buy off the shelf around that size) this will add strength to the front of the shelf without taking away too much storage space.

Bookcase fitted.jpg Bookcase assembelled.jpg
Components Painted.jpg Wine Rack.jpg

That looks good mate. I am open to a biscuit joiner. Whilst its only cabinetry for the garage now I want to learn and be able to make nicer stuff. I am interested in the biscuit joining. How do you do it and what do you use.

Originally Posted by JS007

That looks good mate. I am open to a biscuit joiner. Whilst its only cabinetry for the garage now I want to learn and be able to make nicer stuff. I am interested in the biscuit joining. How do you do it and what do you use.

There are a few different YouTube videos, I just picked one of them, "a picture is worth more than a thousand words" How to Use a Biscuit Joiner | Woodworking - YouTube

Regarding brands, I would go with someone like Makita or Bosch the are made for Trade people, so won't fall to pieces too quickly.

Dowels or biscuits means your also going to be needing a set of clamps . That's fine if your intending on setting up as you go and your going to be doing more stuff. Screws or nails mean no clamps needed. For this job any way.

Sounds like your totally new at all this . My honest opinion which your going to find out any way if you go down the MDF path and have never used it before. MDF has its uses . But its crap stuff. The main reason why it was introduced was that it could be moulded on its edge . Or inside from its edged to create a paneled look . This couldn't be done with Ply or chipboard and get a neat finish . So they invented MDF. That's my understanding why we have this stuff in our lives.

Its good for moulding but for carcase construction its heavy as hell once made . It splits and de laminates a bit like slate . But so easily its ridiculous, that's when you screw together or nail without proper size pre drilling or knock in dowels with to much glue. If you get that figured out first then good clean but heavy cabinets can be made .

It also sags with time . So does Ply if used flat for a shelf . I like to work with solid wood. But if I'm after fast cheap construction I'm a fan of using chipboard. The stuff covered in Pine veneer. I used to get it cheap from Tile Importers in Melbourne for $30 a sheet . 20 years ago . No idea what it is now . Out of MDF Ply and chipboard manufactured boards, the chipboard sags the least in shelf use I reckon . Solid is the best for sag of course.

Like said before . knock up a set of shelves and use French cleat on the back . Use a thin MDF back in it to save $ and weight. Glue on solid edges and paint or finish how you like.

When I build stuff like this I like to make up braces to hold things square while I'm assembling or drilling for screws or nails . The brace is just square cut chipboard or ply or mdf that is shaped so it can be clamped to top and side with two clamps . I make up three or four of them . This helps keep everything true and square .

If your going with dowels then yes you need a jig . Or a tall pedestal drill and your own wooden jigs . You could make up your own wooden jigs though . Used as a guide for getting those holes square or plumb .
Proper true marking out for hole positions and drilling dead on is crucial with doweling . Get them wrong and things get very frustrating and hard.

I reckon It took about two or three jobs trying short cuts when I was younger to realize that what the teacher at trade school was trying to drum into us about doweling was right . Marking out and drilling right . There's only one way or its hard work.