carcass construction

[tombo]

I will shortly be starting a wardrobe project for my brother in law using maple veneered mdf. Its going to be two boxes about 2 feet square and about 7 feet tall.

what construction method would be best biscuits & glue or would some type of carcass screw be better?

when applying edge tape can i econimise by doing only the faces that show?

Finishing inside a box is a pain, how well does pva stick to varnish if i finish the pieces before assembly?

Tom

 

[Philly]

Tom
MDF and biscuits go well! I've got a few projects made like that and they have stood up well over the years. Mind you, you'll never be able to take them apart so if you need to flatten them for moving some kind of KD fixing would be a good idea.
Pre-finishing components before glue-up is a good idea-glue certainly will not stick to varnish so make sure you mask off any areas you expect to glue to.
You don't have to put edge tape on unseen surfaces-depend totally on you!
Let us know how you get on,
Cheers
Philly

 

[Barry Burgess]

Tom I tend to rebate more when using MDF so as to hide as much of the edge as possible and I tend to trench the back into the sides and do the same with shelves. The construction is stronger but it takes more time. Check the diagonals on the boxes both front and back if you are fitting sliding drawers for squareness.
Barry

 

[Scrit]

At 7ft tall I'd consider carefully exactly how you are going to manhandle the item into place if is delivered pre-assembled (assuming that in itself isn't going to be a major hurdle to overcome). If you can get it into place assembled, then glued biscuit joints can produce a strong carcass, but I find them unsuitable for on-site assembly and I prefer a KD fitting solution such as the Rafix which can be all but hidden when used judiciously. Not a fan of Confirmat screws on MDF I'm afraid as they can be impossible to hide and I feel that they can spoil an otherwise good looking piece of furniture. The same applies to carcass screws.

Finishing inside a box is a pain, how well does pva stick to varnish if I finish the pieces before assembly?

It doesn't! You'll need to protrect the glue surfaces with masking tape of PVC tape before applying your finish - the lacquer or varnish will prevent any glue from attaching to the wood fibres and will cause a weak joint

Scrit

 

[tombo]

Thanks for the input guys, the more i think about it biscuits are out.
The KD fixings will allow me to pre finish the parts and not worry about glueing problems. Plus as scrit says it will be a whole lot easier to get it to site.

These type look pretty good but need very precise drilling and alignment. What is the chance of success with a hand drill can i buy a jig to help layout or do you have to make one?
Also how many would i need to hold the thing together?

Finally i will be using kitchen type euro hinges like this, how many would be needed to support the door 7 by 2 mdf?

Tom

 

[wizer]

i'm going to be making a wardrobe in the near future, would also be interested if there is a jig availible for the rafix fittings

 

[andrewm]

I built something similar using 19mm maple veneered MDF and used biscuits. But this was assembled in the room in which it was being installed with the expectation that they would not be removed.

Each carcase was 1m wide, 600mm deep and as high as I could make it based on the diagonal across the side being slightly less than the height of the room (about 8ft) so that they could be assembled on the floor and then tipped upright into position.

Verticals were edged with 25mm solid maple and horizontals with iron-on maple edging strip. To avoid swelling if it got damp I put a melamine edging strip on all rear edges.

The complete carcass was finished with a coat of sanding sealer and then two coats of wax on the interior once it was in position.

Seems to be standing up to everyday use.

Shout if you want to know more.

Andrew

 

[Scrit]

i'm going to be making a wardrobe in the near future, would also be interested if there is a jig availible for the rafix fittings

Hafele do the Unitool Rafix Drilling Jig:

but they are about £163 + VAT (that's for two templates, 800mm rule, drilling guide, etc and seems to be a standard price for many of Hafele's jigs). A bit heavy for a one off especially as you can achieve much the same result with a 20mm router cutter, a 5 or 10mm drill and a couple of home made jigs. The 20mm bit is inset 9.5mm from the edge and the 5 or 10mm hole for the dowel is on the centreline of the shelf/top/bottom.

Scrit

 

[Barry Burgess]

Tom last time I had to install them far from my workshop I went and bought the Ikea carcass with birch veneer. The cost was about the same as I would have paid for the timber and all the fittings were supplied and from what I can remember the European hinges were £3 a pair.
Just a thought
Barry

 

[wizer]

I've just been searching around for a homemade Rafix jig. Anyone got any thoughts?

I searched for 'Rafix Jig' and was suprised to find that Rafix is the name of an Irish Folk Band... who do a good jig :roll: :wink:

 

[Guy]

Hafele have a new jig thats is pretty cool, does almost everything, cost me A$120. Here is a link to it.
The Australian site has a brochure containg details of the jig

 

[tombo]

$120 AU is about 50 quid... the project could afford that anyone know of a supplier in the UK.

Tom

 

[Scrit]

Guy -

You need to be a Hafele Australia customer to access that site. Bit like the UK. The Danish site items are not available in the UK and in any case that jig doesn't appear to work with the Rafix fasteners - although it will work with the cam and dowel Minifix style of fastener. The problem with any of these fastener suppliers is that they are proprietory, so in most cases only the OEM makes the jigs.

Tombo -

At £50 you could make a couple of jigs and still have a ruddy good night out in the pub with money to spare (then again, I am a mild drinker when Black Cat is on......). If you cut the costs, then a SINGLE Rafix jig (001.25.217) is around £ 45.00 + VAT and the tool guide/depth stop (001.28.750) is circa £21.00 + VAT with the 20mm bit costing about another fiver plus the dreaded. Without knowing any better is the Australian item just the guide, or the whole thing?

The Minifix cam and dowel systems are a bit cheaper but the full jig still costs about the same and the low cost jig (001.27.202) is around £67 + VAT. . However they do offer a low cost marking jig for the Minifix system calleMinifix GV marking jig (001.27.211) which is really designed for the Minifix GV mitre joint connectors but will also do for the standard right angle connectors as well, at £14.40 + VAT to achieve what a sliding square could achieve.

You know, it might just be simpler to buy a box of these from Axminster and use your biscuit jointer

Scrit

 

[Roger]

Jiggy jig jigs:

Jigs and more Jigs

 

[Scrit]

Hi Rogert

They're the Hafele jigs - pretty much the same prices as well

Scrit

 

[Roger]

Yeh - I wouldn't get one .... but !!

That a little bit 'o jig for a lot of money best spent on Wood or Cider (or both)!

 

[Guy]

Guy -

You need to be a Hafele Australia customer to access that site. Bit like the UK. The Danish site items are not available in the UK and in any case that jig doesn't appear to work with the Rafix fasteners - although it will work with the cam and dowel Minifix style of fastener. The problem with any of these fastener suppliers is that they are proprietory, so in most cases only the OEM makes the jigs.
Scrit

I bought it from seeing on the Danish site before Aus had it in stock. Hafele UK will have them in stock just need to quote the part numbers. There is an insert to do the Rafix connectors, but i dont use that i use a Blue Max 3 to do the drilling
here is the catalogue page from Hafele UK site . the pricing is comparative to the Austarlian price

Unitool multi drilling jig 001.25.000
Suitable for System 32 001.25.042
Suitable for Ø 35 mm cup hinge 001.25.031
Suitable for Ø 26 mm cup hinge 001.25.030
Suitable for minifix 12, 24 mm tightening distance 001.25.020
Suitable for minifix 12, 34 mm tightening distance 001.25.021
Suitable for minifix 15, 24 mm tightening distance 001.25.022
Suitable for minifix 15, 34 mm tightening distance 001.25.023
Suitable for Ø 20 mm connector 001.25.024
Suitable for Ø 18 mm connector 001.25.025