Joining cabinet panels together 101

[Jikpluvin]

Hi there,

As you will be able to tell, I'm not that knowledgable when it comes to choosing the right method.

I am making a simple wall bed cabinet using 18mm MDF. The vertical panels are about 200cm x 40cm with the horizontal panels (top & backs) being about 150cm x 40cm.

All I need to do is join them. I was thinking of using dowels and glue because you can't see them so the whole cabinet will look neater.

However, what I'd like to know and may seem a strange question, which method of joining wood is the quietest?

The reason for asking this is when we will be on the bed, there will obviously be some strain on the whole setup and I'm just wondering if some joining methods under this circumstance will cause more noise (creaking) than others such as dowels, joining blocks etc.

Hope that makes sense and you can advise.

 

[dance]

wall bed cabinet as in a fold up and away bed?

 

[condeesteso]

I'd say dowels would be OK, biscuits would be better but you need a biscuit jointer for those. With mdf I believe the choice of adhesive is critical, as it is very absorbent and has no real grain structure so an mdf / mdf joint is inherently quite weak. Personally I would look at a penetrative adhesive, not pva or Titebond. My first choice would be polyurethane - Screwfix sell 'Builders Mate' and it sticks quite incredibly. It is a bit messy and hard to get off the fingers! Cleans up easily once dry (chisel, abrasive etc). It's handy stuff to have around and has a very long shelf-life. And don't at all dismiss the chipboard screws - self-tapping but better with a small pilot. Those and Poly adhesive should be very strong and stiff I think.

 

[George_N]

I'd say dowels would be OK, biscuits would be better but you need a biscuit jointer for those. With mdf I believe the choice of adhesive is critical, as it is very absorbent and has no real grain structure so an mdf / mdf joint is inherently quite weak. Personally I would look at a penetrative adhesive, not pva or Titebond. My first choice would be polyurethane - Screwfix sell 'Builders Mate' and it sticks quite incredibly. It is a bit messy and hard to get off the fingers! Cleans up easily once dry (chisel, abrasive etc). It's handy stuff to have around and has a very long shelf-life. And don't at all dismiss the chipboard screws - self-tapping but better with a small pilot. Those and Poly adhesive should be very strong and stiff I think.

PVA glues are fine with MDF. I've made frame and panel doors and drawer fronts (18 mm frame, 6 mm panels, all MDF) and put together with just waterproof PVA...lasted for years with no problems (so far...touch wood, or should that be MDF).

 

[Jikpluvin]

Thanks for your replies, I really appreciate it.

I now understand that using dowels and the right glue will be fine for this project, but would they "creak" more than other methods such as chipboard screws with or without joining blocks etc?

I've got this feeling that using screws would give more play when there's a strain but don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing when try to avoid any creaking. I would prefer dowels because of cosmetic reasons but I don't want to hear big creaking noises everytime one of us turns over in the bed if you can see what I'm getting at. I'm probably being too paranoid as it may be unavoidable but I thought I'd get some good advice first before I decide how to proceed.

One of the back panels will be secured to the wall as the bed itself will be attached to the side panels with springs.

Thanks again.

 

[condeesteso]

Yes, I accept pva will probably do it, but I still feel poly will be way stronger. Also if you think what the flat pack guys have learned over years, the combination of dowels, carcass screws and strong adhesive should be as good as you will get with this material. These are specially designed to do what you need I think, but I would pilot them (undersize full depth pilot) to avoid any risk of the mdf delaminating. If still in doubt, get 2 scraps, make a joint and 'test it'.
These screws:
http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails- ... /cat840220