PB and Shop Cabinets

[BKind2Anmls]

I have a lot of cabinets to build for my new shop. I have bought the Sommerfeld T&G cabinet set. I am thinking about building them out of PB with oak or pine face frames. I may add Miller Dowels to reinforce the joints if I feel it necessary. I would stay within the span rules for PB shelves reinforced with solid wood edging and will paint the PB and lacquer or poly the wood.

Does anyone have experience with painted PB shop cabinets? Have they held up well for you? Plywood is just so expensive and I would need a lot of it for all the cabinets.

Thanks,

 

[Gotcha6]

JMTCW, but have you considered either Melamine or MDF? I've seen MDF make some nice cabinets in gov't buildings when varnished or sealed. Melamine may cost more than PB but it may be worth it in durability. I just have a problem with joining anything to the edge of PB. Just not much to work with unless corner cleats or brackets are used & gluing would seem more difficult than necessary. If you decide to use PB be sure to seal it real good so it doesn,t deteriorate from high humidity.

 

[JackLeg]

If you go PB, keep ANY water away from it at all cost! It'll swell and break. No real structural integrity.

Build em once, build em right!

IMHO

:wsmile:

 

[JimmyC]

Working with PB can be done, a friend of mine in NJ was a part owner of a formica furniture shop / retail store about twenty years ago and they specialized in juvenile bedroom furniture. Particle board comes in three different grades and make sure that you use the heaviest (furniture grade), your bits will take a major beating and will dull much quicker that you think. You might also think about using pocket holes as due to the fact that the tongue on the T&G probably won't have enough strength. That being said, I definitely wouldn't use it for the shelves, MDF either for that matter.

Ikea makes a large amount of their furniture with PB, but personally I think all off their products are garbage and wouldn't even use them in a garage. You might be able check out Habitat for Humanity's Restore for used cabinets, they would probably cost less than making them.

Good Luck.

 

[BKind2Anmls]

I was pretty sure PB was not the greatest idea. I guess it was wishful thinking looking for a different answer. I need to make a lot of cabinets and would like them to match (unlike my current shop) but, like most everyone else, don't have much money to spend right now.

I was also thinking of building frames out of dressed 1 x 4's or 2 x 4's and then covering them with luan or some other thin medium to keep the dust out. I currently have a lot of my tools hanging on slat wall and hate the fact that everything is always covered in dust. I'm going to enclose and label nearly everything in the new shop.

 

[Mike Davis]

I don't think Peanut Butter shelves would hold much weight. :dontknow:

 

[dpanda]

Susan,
I would go with the 1x4's and 2x4's and luan. I think you'd be much happier with the results. I've made my shop cabinets with 1x12 pine for the cabinet sides and shelves, and made the doors with luan framed with pine.

I've never spent a lot of time with the finish on the cabinets, at the last house I stained them Min-wax Golden Oak, and in the current shop they are painted white. But I've felt with a little more effort they could be finished quite nicely.
Dan

 

[Partman]

I don't think Peanut Butter shelves would hold much weight. :dontknow:

+ 1 :wink_smil

Danny