Best method to put together cabinets/shelves

[tonyps]

All, I am preparing to make a dozen or so cabinets/shelf units (craft storage for the Mrs) with adjustable shelves as well as fixed shelves into which will go a number of drawers.
I have read varies articles/books/how to's on joining the cases together.
Rabbets, dados, biscuits (do not have the machine for this), butt joints with screws, nails, dowels......
I want to do this the easiest (??) but strong way so these will last for quite a while.
Approx six of the these will hang on the wall with french cleats.
So my question is what would be the best method to join these?
The largest ones will be around 30" tall, 12-18" deep, 24" wide (I think)..
I have: Table saw, dado set, router table, hand held router, various plywood bits and the other usual hand held drills and stuff in my small shop.
Materials will be 3/4 ply for cases and shelving, 3/4 and 1/2 ply for drawers.
I was thinking of using rabbets in the tops/bottoms of the cases to recess the sides into, glue and nail/brad these together, use 1/4 ply for the backs recessed into rabbets on the sides and top/bottom pieces
cut dados in the inside of the cabinets to hold the fixed shelves, drill shelf pin holes for the adjustable shelves
I have made some bookcases before but not really cabinets so looking for suggestions, I want to do the job right.
Your insight and suggestions would be most appreciated!
Tony

 

[SubGuy]

I would use rabbits on corners and dado for shelves unless you desire adjustable shelves, then you would need a shelf pin kinda deal. An easier solution would be pocket hole fasteners, but you either have to hide the screws with dowels (Kreg does pre-made dowls that fit the pocket hole of Kreg System) or deal with them. Pocket holes are strong, but probably not as strong as traditional joinery. I wouldn't use miters on a long butt joint, they can be difficult to get right unless you are well experienced, have alot of clamps and attention to detail. Miter lock joints are nice for that application. Face Butt joints aren't very strong with glue alone and screw are difficult to hide unless using veneer. If your doing a traditional face frame, I would go with half laps or pocket holes for the face. I hope my ramblings help. Good luck and post pics!

 

[nn4jw]

Tony, I made a set of hanging shelves on French cleats exactly as you have described just a few months ago. I had no fixed shelves as such, just shelf pins. I used rabbets on the sides just as you described and a plywood back in rabbets, glued and pinned. Worked out well.

 

[Jeff]

Very similar to bookcase construction and your plan is sound.

You might consider a dado for the fixed bottom shelves of each unit with the rabbet at the top end (you could also dado both ends). That locks the box square and vertical plus the rabbeted ply back adds additional rigidity. BTW, some folks use beadboard ply for the cabinet backs for a little more finished look.

 

[JimD]

I'd probably use a combination of pocket screws and through screws with glue. Maybe shallow dados for location and a little strength. I used purely through screws before getting the pocket screw jig. It is handy. I countersink the through screws and cut plugs to cover the holes with. It doesn't make them invisible but not objectional to me. If you're going to paint them, you could just put lightweight spackle or bondo over the screws and sand flush. A big advantage of using screws is it clamps the joint until the glue sets up. Brads may not (but should). Brads would be easier to hide for painted work but don't look so good if clear finished or stained. Pocket screws are used where they don't show. They are a good quick way to make a face frame or even a cabinet.

How will you hide the edge of the plywood? I've used iron on veneer, solid wood about 1/4 thick and face frames. I like solid wood but it takes a bunch of clamps to do.

I've tried many ways to drill shelf pins and my favorite is the Krieg jig, it's about $35 and available at Lowe's. Like their pocket hole jig, it's plastic with metal in strategic places and doesn't look like it's worth the price. But it works very well, better than jigs costing 3X as much. (I use a different pocket hole jig that isn't available now)

 

[tonyps]

Thanks very much for all of your input, suggestions. I ended up going with "pocket holes" for all the joinery. It came out much better than what I had thought it would, and was relatively quick and painless, once I remembered to mark which side of which board got the pocket holes..:0) I picked up a shelf pin jig at WoodCraft in Raleigh. Not a big fan of anything plastic, but it worked as advertised.
Cabinets are all almost completed. Next comes the difficult/most important part of the whole project, for me at least. That will be to hang them on the wall.
I want to use "french cleats". Should I use 3/4" plywood or 2x4, 2x6? I have read/heard that this is one of the best methods and can support a substantial amount of weight. I have a few questions "ya'll" can hopefully answer.
I know the cleats should be as long as the cabinet is wide. But how wide should the cleat be? 4", 5" or more? When ripping to 45 deg, with the board flat on the table saw, should I rip it exactly in half so that both pieces are of equal width? Or should one piece be wider than the other for added support against the wall? I have read that the part on the wall should be wider so that you can drive two screws to provide better holding.
Thanks again for your suggestions!
Tony

 

[nn4jw]

I over-engineered my cleats knowing they'd be carrying quite a few books. I used 2x6's ripped at 45 degrees in half. The sections attached to the wall studs are attached with counter sunk 5/16" lag bolts. The matching cleat halves on the shelves are screwed into the top and bottom shelves every few inches.

My shelves are in three sections, two 2-foot wide and one 4-foot wide. The wall cleats are continuous 8 feet long.

The sides of my shelves aren't particularly visible on the wall they are hanging on so I didn't worry about the gap between the back edge of the shelves and the walls due to the cleats. If they were more visible I'd have installed some moulding.

 

[tonyps]

Morning, thanks for the info! I have this compulsion to over engineer so I was leaning towards the 2x6 but I also want to keep it as simple and effective as possible. I was not sure if 2x6 would be over kill and whether or not the width should be equal for both parts. Last thing I want is to hear this really loud "CRASH" in the middle of the night. The cases are all 3/4" ply with the exception of the back which is 1/4" ply.
Thanks again!
Tony.

 

[Jeff]

Here's the concept. 2.5"-3" wide cleats are plenty as long as they're fastened to a wall stud.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/french-cleat-storage-system/

 

[SubGuy]

I just thought of this, but I would refer to the "Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction" by Andy Rae. You can get it almost anywhere that sells books or Rockler. I love the book. Help me put my construction thoughts together and remind me of things I need to take into consideration. I also have a few other cabinet construction book I like as well, but this one helps in deciding on which construction techniques.

 

[McRabbet]

Here is a sequence of SketchUp components that I have used when I build Base Cabinets or Wall Cabinets. The Base Cabinet shown here is a 4-foot, 2 section base that can have shelves or Drawers added. The Wall Cabinet is a basic 18 inch unit -- shelf holes can be drilled in the sides and shelves added. I show a simple overlay door with 1/2" reveal in the last picture. The cabinets are all made with 3/4" plywood and face frames with 3/4" hardwood stock. Face frames are usually assembled with pocket hols screws on their back sides, which are essentially invisible from outside the cabinet. The method I use insures the face frames will square up the cabinet and French Cleats are shown for the Wall Cabinet. Hope this helps -- contact me for added details.

First, the base cabinet:

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Next is the Wall Cabinet:

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