more questions

[chief]

Hi, let me just start by thanking everyone that has offered me advice so far in particular jasonb, it has made the job a lot easier .

i am making some built in wardrobes out of birch ply, and i have a few morre questions if you dont mind.

1. To fix the back to the carcass, is it ok to use the same carcass screws that i used to screw together the carcasses? or wat should i use?

2. To fix the shelves support battens to the carcasses are 3.5 x 35mm wodscrews alright to use? or what should i use?

3. What is best to use to rub down the birch ply? (I guess a fininshing sander, or by hand)

4. What grit sand paper should i use to rub down the birch ply?

5. For the shelf lipping would 32mm x 18mm PAR softwood be alright? or what should i use?

6. For the face frame of the wardrobes would 12mm by 21mm PAR softwood be alright? or should i use a hardwood trim? or what should i use?

Sorry for so many questions

thanks

 

[jasonB]

1. If the backs are 6mm then something like 3.5x25 screws will be fine, I tend to use Ressier screws in the smaller sizes and Screwfixes Goldscrews for anything 4.0mm and above but and modern screw will do.

2. you want to aim for 12-15mm of screw into the carcase so add this to your batten thickness, a drop of glue would also help. I tend to fit fixed shelves with biscuits and carcase screws but use metal studs in 5mm holes for adjustable shelves.

3. The Birch ply should be reasonable smooth as it comes to you either a ROS (random orbit sander) or by hand with the paper over a block used in the direction of the grain.

4. Again if its decent birch ply then something like 180g before sealing, if you go with a waterbased finish then the first coat will raise the grain and need cutting back with the 180g, further coats can be cut back with 320g. I tend to use silicon carbide paper which can be bought by the meter off the roll.

5. Solid wood lipping only tends to be 4-6mm thick x the board thickness, make it a touch oversize and scrape/sand it flush, fix with glue and a few pins. A slightly less durable alternative would be iron on real wood edging, you will have a job getting birch but maple will be a close match or white beech if you can get it.

6. I would go thicker for the faceframe, at least 18mm finished thickness, good quality softwood (redwood) will be OK and easier to get hold of than hardwood, if you do go for hardwood then North American Poplar (tulipwood) takes paint well.

Have you got the sizes for lipping & face frame round the wrong way :?:


Jason

 

[Gary]

1.Yes or brads and glue.
2.Yes or use a Festool Domino.
3.Buy a Festool Sander.
5 &6 Depends finish you want.


Gets expensive this DIY

 

[motownmartin]

2.Yes or use a Festool Domino.
3.Buy a Festool Sander.



Gets expensive this DIY

Gary, do you work for festool, the name crops up quite often in your posts :lol:

Martin

 

[Gary]

FESTOOL

It sorts the men from the boys. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[motownmartin]

Thanks Gary, being a little older than you I don't mind being regarded as a Boy

Martin

 

[JFC]

I always thought Hilti did that :wink:

 

[chief]

The birch ply seems good quality (from russia i think they said), after rubbing an offcut by hand with 320g paper it came up pretty nice.

I was thinking 32mm by 18mm for the the shelf lipping to hide the shelf support battens, but i might try biscuit and carcass screws for the shelfs if the biscuit jointer isn't to much of a beast for me.

For the face frame you would use 18mm by 18mm is that right :?:
Also glued and pinned :?:

A couple of other things i forgot to ask are

1. Should i remove the skiirting boards rom behind the cupboards :?:

2. Leveling the floor with strips of timber is being quite tricking, would it be ok to use plastic packing wedges to level the wardrobes :?: Or timber wedges :?:

Once again thanks for all your help it is very much appreciated.

 

[JFC]

I normally use 75mm x 18 for my face frames to compliment the 75mm side rail of the doors . Timber wedges are fine and i normally leave the skirtings on and put a fillet around the edge to avoid any problems .

 

[chief]

Another reason i was thinking 32mm by 18mm was to help stop the shelfs sagging (something you suggested for wide shelves in a earlier post, although you didn't mention any dimensions i aquired them from a wooodworking book).

Although 32mm by 18mm was a missprint, i did mean to post 32mm by 12mm as these are the dimensions i read in the already mentioned woodworking book. But i would prefer to follow your advice on the matter.

thanks

 

[jasonB]

As you are thinking of a lipping with a downstand then 32x18 will be fine.

Not really sure how much of a faceframe you would really need with sliding doors, do you just mean something to cover the exposed edges of the ply ?

The only problem with wedges is that they will only give support to the edges of the carcase, fine for the two sides but if the carcase is quite wide then there may be a risk of the center sagging.

Jason

 

[chief]

I will just have to persist with levelling the floor with strips of timber like you suggested.

face frame wise i do mean to cover the exposed ply edges. As the shleves will have lipping, it is only the Side, top and bootom edges of the carcass that will be exposed. I thought a face frame would be more durable than veneering the edges, it was suggested in a reply to my earlier posts.

thanks

 

[chief]

What glue and pins should i use to fix the shelf lipping, and face frame (or whatever you suggest to cover the exposed ply edges) :?:

Is there a rule of thumb for working out the size of the pins :?:

thanks

 

[jasonB]

The pins are really only holding the lipping while the glue dries, aim to have say 12mm of pin in the ply.

For glue then PVA or an alphatic resin such as Titebond will do, nothing very special.

JAson