Tonight's project...

[greenacres2]

When i built the bookcase for LOML last spring, it freed up an old 48" sink base cabinet that had been used for storage/table top. Tonight, i finally got around to adding a few 2x4's for a base, casters, and an old 1 1/8" thick MDF top that i salvaged from our office about 15 years ago. Now have a rolling cabinet with a 27" x 60" top to serve as an assembly table.

Bought a Bostitch pancake compressor last week, it sits nicely in the cabinet--i've got some rigid foam to add to help absorb some of the compressor sound and with the back left open there will be plenty of air flow. Air hose will go out the opening in the front where a false panel used to be above the two drawers. A hook on the end will hold the hose, with a power strip on the other end. More pictures will follow when she's complete with air and nail gun storage.

...okay, the original pictures will go up later as well. May still be a glitch in the system.

earl

[BigguyZ]

I did the same thing with an old vanity. I turned mine into a makeshift router table. It wasn't the nicest one, but because it was made for a sink it had the open space for the router already, access doors to get into it, and two drawers for bits. Really quite handy in a pinch.

[cabinetman]

WTG with the repurposing the cabinet. Post some pics when you can.


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[greenacres2]

Nope--still get an "upload failed" message when i try, so i guess it didn't happen after all. But i just walked out to the shop and it's there so i'm headed to the doctor to find out why i'm seeing things!!

I'll send a message to the moderators later--but compared to the rest of the site updating my issue is tiny.

earl

[jussi]

You can still post pics you just need to host it somewhere.

[greenacres2]

Let's try this...


Or is this better
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...ps594d6a7e.jpg

[greenacres2]

Here's the open back which is the photo i really wanted to show:


Turns out i had a photobucket account and was able to guess the login info. I'll be glad when we can go back to direct load...but at least it's fast and still here!!

earl

[chopnhack]

That a boy, Earl!! Good job on being Green and it being useful to boot

[cabinetman]

Here's the open back which is the photo i really wanted to show:

Pictures came out good, and so did your work. I just have a FYI comment. In looking at the front and back of the cabinet, if it was to be a permanently installed cabinet to a wall, for shop, utility, or a kitchen type cabinet, structurally it would be fine. What I'm looking at is a minimal structural assembly to prevent racking.

Racking can result from side forces that force the cabinet out of "square". On this cabinet the corners where rails meet stiles is all you have. It may be sufficient. For a mobile cabinet, or one that gets moved, its height works as leverage to become subject to side forces. Usually, with an ordinary kitchen type cabinet, rabbeting the back edges, and fitting in and fastening even a ¼" piece of plywood squares the rear of the cabinet, and helps minimize those forces.

A common method would be to integrate gussets to the corners, that support the directions of the cabinet members. In this one the corners created by the rails attached to the stiles may be enough. For the back side though, you don't have the added support of the drawer rails. If all you did was have some narrow strips of ¾" ply on the two sides at the ends to tie the vertical to the horizontal members, would create the "gusset" effect. Having them the length of the opening height would also stiffen the ends. If nothing else, triangles would be a substitute.

In thinking ahead, you will be doing all kinds of work on this bench, and moving it around, and there could be the possibility of stresses affecting the structure of the cabinet. Then again...maybe not.

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[greenacres2]

Good point Cab...i hadn't considered that. There is a 3/4" top screwed to the vertical members, but it won't hurt to string a 1 by something across the back. I could see catching a piece of gravel with a caster having a collapse!!

earl

[greenacres2]

More completer

Got some hard pink foam added a few nights ago. I got a great fit on the bottom, top was so snug it bowed. Grabbed a piece of 1 by, but the longest screws i had handy were 2.5" and the foam is 2" thick. Took a quick look, and grabbed a pair of really nice carbon fiber fender washers from a top fuel dragster (i quit throwing away "debris" this season--collected some cool oddball pieces!!). Added a hook for the air hose--still need to bore an end to run it inside the cabinet. The compressor is pretty quiet to start with, and the semi-enclosure did help a bit. Without the foam, i think it would have gotten louder instead of quieter.