CONSTRUCTION:

This cabinet was designed and built for some friends to keep their electrical saucepans and fry pans tidy.

We were constrained in height, length and depth, yet had to have a minimum of 10 1/2" space between shelves.

It is a simple design, made using MDF (medium density fibreboard) and re-cycled pine timber.

The drawer sides were recycled pine and the drawer bottom was made from 6 mm plywood.

The doors were MDF edged with re-cycled pine. I did this to give added protection to the door edges, MDF board can easily be damaged by chipping or breaking away.

The back of the cabinet was closed using 6 mm plywood to keep out any creatures not wanted:), not that there were any such creatures in the house, but Prof likes to do that as a matter of course. It also gives the body of the cabinet rigidity

The door hinges are overlay hinges, selected to allow the doors to fit and close between the sides of the cabinet. One advantage of this type of hinge is that it can be adjusted vertically and horizontally, should a door should sag through hinge wear over time.

There are several styles available, depending on where or how you want the doors to be hung, e.g. to fit over the edge or the sides or to hang between the sides, etc.

It is advisable, if you have not used these to seek the advice of your hardware retailer as to which one to use. Many have sample hanging so you can see how it is done and which one is suitable for you particular task.

The drawer slides were made using three pieces of wood. Two were edged one side with a bevel, using a dovetail router bit and the third one was edged both sides.

One piece was attached to the bottom of the drawer and the other two were glued and nailed to the frame of the drawer framing.

The wedging effect of the dove tail edge allowed the drawer to be moved without coming out of the guide

    showing the profile of the slides

Handles are plastic handles, which can be bought at any hardware store.

I fitted pine timber around the base of the MDF to give it more protection if the cupboard needed to be moved.

The kickboard and rear base was of re-cycled pine.

The back of the cabinet frame was routed to take the plywood back; glued and tacked for security.

COLOURS: The inside of the cabinet was painted in white gloss enamel for easy cleaning. Also white reflects light into the cabinet to making it easier to see inside.

The outside was in gloss enamel and is a soft grey colour to match the kitchen.

It was given several coats; each being sanded back smooth, to remove any sign of brush marks and the final coat reduced to more turpentine than paint to keep the shine.

It was then allowed to cure and harden and then polished and buffed to a high shine.

The finish feels soft and smooth as silk. :)

There may be some who might criticise this method, certainly those interested in a commercial return. I would agree that you would not make money out of this method, as it would be too costly

However, Prof is always eager to learn and if someone has some critical comments to make I would be pleased to hear of them. Please go to my guest book and enter your comments.

However cost was not an issue as the client supplied all of the materials; new and re-cycled timber. I was making it without charge for a friend.

I have used this method of finishing using enamel over many years with success and the finish is long lasting. Some people have given it a spray coating of furniture polish and buffed the finish periodically.

In Australia, we have a furniture polish product called Mr Sheen, which does not have a spirit or turps base, (water) and it does not damage the paintwork but helps keep that nice sheen to it.

Worldwide Copyright John W. 1998,2001

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