# Wardrobe Designs\Plans?



## wizer

Hi just a quickie. Anyone know of some wardrobe plans online? I need to build one quickish (hah!). It will probably be an MDF affair as it is going in a spare bedroom and won't be seen much. It probably wont last more than 2 or 3yrs either as by then we'll be married and looking for the nursery space. I'm going to have a play around in sketchup and have a look at how flatpack wardrobes are constructed. Any tips, links or advice apprecieated.


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## Paul Chapman

Hi Wizer, 

This type of fitting http://www.woodfit.com/product_info.php ... 17mm+board has been used on several pieces of flat pack furniture that I have assembled and has always struck me as being particularly good for things like free-standing wardrobes. Provided you have the means to drill the holes accurately, I think they would be good.

Most flat pack wardrobes seem to consist of a top, bottom and two sides put together with this type of fitting and a back pinned on or fixed in a groove. The doors usually use the concealed type of hinge used in kitchen cabinets.

Hope this is of some help

Paul


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## wizer

thanks Paul, i've come across them before. Have to put my thinking cap on to work out how to use them. 

I notice that almost all flatpack furniture is (plastic?) veneered chipboard. Is this the best man-made material to use in this situation? Would Ply or MDF be better or worse?


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## Paul Chapman

All depends - melamine coated board will not need finishing so as you want it to be a quick job, that might be best. Just be careful about cutting it without chipping the melamine - I use a router, but there have been some recent threads about this. Wood veneered board would, in my view, be nicer to work with and wouldn't need too much finishing. Plain MDF would probably need to be painted, so would take the longest.

MDF is probably better than chipboard as a core material, although most flat pack stuff you buy tends to be chipboard. I've not used ply for this sort of thing.

Whatever you use, I would always go for 18mm rather than 15mm board

Just one other point on design - I think wardrobes are often very wasteful of space. Most have a shelf at the top and one hanging rail under that. If you only want it for jacket-length clothes, I think a better arrangement is to do away with the shelf at the top and have one hanging rail at the top and another half way down. That way it holds twice as many clothes. Depending on the size of the wardrobe you might want to insert a shelf half way down, using those same knock-down fittings, purely for stability.

Hope this helps.

Paul

PS I know people knock IKEA, but have a look at their stuff for ideas - I think some of their designs are brilliant. And if anyone knows about knock-down furniture they do. Go in the evening during the week - it's not usually crowded then. I'll now run for cover 8-[ 8-[


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## wizer

cheers Paul, I agree with you about the top shelf. I want to make some deep drawers on full length runners for blankets, etc.

I would go to Ikea, but I want the wardrobe to fit the space exact.

Better get sketching.


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## Paul Chapman

Another thought, Wizer. If you don't envisage disassembling and reassembling the wardrobe very often, then you could use a simpler fitting such as Confirmat screws http://www.woodfit.com/product_info.php ... -+7+x+50mm

These are often used in commercial flat pack furniture and provide a very strong fitting. They are designed for use in chipboard and would be simpler to fit than the Klix fittings I suggested above. However, if you take them apart several times the thread will eventually lose its grip and in that sort of situation the Klix would be better.

Paul


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## engineer one

wizer, most been said before but if you check some older books
there was a thing called a compactum.
this was generally for a "gentleman's" dressing room.

on the left was a full height hanging rail about 2 feet wide,
generally one which pulls out to the front. on the other side,
was a shelf for the "dressing table" you know mirror, cuff links
etc, and underneath, two or three drawers for socks etc.

they were often sold post war as utility furniture, like a fool 
i got rid of one about 5 years ago. not storage space whilst i
could find a proper home.

paul :wink:


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## JPEC

I hate to promote the Ikea thing, but if you want really quick for the carcass buy the next size bigger than you need and just cut down the top and bottom boards, all the shelf peg holes etc. are already done for you.

Not very craftsman like but quick.

I shall now run before the furniture makers catch me!!!

Julian


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## George_N

The biggest drawback with the cam-lock type KD fitting is drilling accurately enough without CNC machinery. Biscuits or pocket screws are both quick and relatively easy. Choice of materials depends on whether the carcass will be seen or not. If not MFC is a good choice, easy clean and no finishing needed, except for edge banding. Doors could be veneered MDF, edged to match (or with contrasting wood). If you want lighter doors and don't mind a paint finish, you can make MDF frame and panel doors. Use 18 mm MDF for the rails and stiles (80 - 90 mm wide) rout a 6 mm groove and use 6 mm MDF for the panels. Join the frame with 6 mm MDF loose tenons. Or use solid wood for the frame and veneered MDF for the panels.


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## wizer

cheers George, got me thinking. Do they do sheet material which is MFC one side and Veneer the other?


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## engineer one

not sure about retail, but most wardrobes are like that from
the sheds aren't they?

paul :wink:


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## jasonB

Not seen any Melamine/veneer boards, would be a bit unbalanced. Why not go for a wood grain MFC. I've just done a wardrobe in beech MFC for the carcase, Tulipwood faceframe and MDF doors as described above.(used a total of 24 sheets 8x4 & 9x4) Forgot my camera but will be back next week for a little extra job.

Jason


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## wizer

i'd love to see those photos Jason, lots of ideas now... thanks.


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## jasonB

I could always knock you one up the same if you have £3750 to spare :lol: I could reduce it a bit if you do the painting :wink: 

Jason


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## wizer

hell, why dont we round it up to 4k and i'll throw in my dog and some tomatoes from my allotment?


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## Steve Maskery

Wizer,
At the risk of sounding like a brazen hussy, why not take a look at my article in this month's GW?* It's not a design as such, but I explain how I built a wardrobe quickly and cheaply. MDF boards, edgebanding and pocket screws, in a nutshell. There are also a couple of simple jigs to make hinge-setting and handle-fitting quick and fool-proof. It's more about speed and ease than actual design, but it may be of help.

(* At least I think it's in this month, GW177, not actually seen it yet!)

Cheers
Steve, cooling off after being in 36 degrees for a week)


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## wizer

consider me hussled Steve. I'll see if I can find it.


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## Scrit

George_N":2yfafwz6 said:


> The biggest drawback with the cam-lock type KD fitting is drilling accurately enough without CNC machinery.


The trick is to have the proper jigs for the job:












This jig is for the Unitool Minifix 12 and 15 Jig sold by Hafele to go with their Minifix cam and dowel fasteners. Hafele, Blum and Hettich all sell jigs to go with their KD fastenings

Expensive for a one-off, but well worth it if you ever need to make 3 or 4 pieces.



WiZeR":2yfafwz6 said:


> Do they do sheet material which is MFC one side and Veneer the other?


It's MFC with white or magnolia one side and a wood effect melamine coating on the other - special order or one or two big suppliers like Lawcris in Leeds might have it. I get 8mm back materials (MFC and MDF) this way (white/magnolia and beech/matallika) this way but I've never had any of the thicker stuff. Kronospan list a few lines in 15mm, but none in 18mm in the literature I have.

Scrit


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