JPG40504 wrote:If using 1/4" plywood for a back, I do not understand what is supporting the 'ledger' on the cabinets. IMHO it is no better than nothing and might as well be omitted. This requires attaching the 'cabinet ledger' board to the back edge of the sides.
I have used 1/4" plywood backs on both of my large wall cabinets. The cabinet beveled interlocking ledger is glued and screwed to the plywood back. The top of that ledger butts up against the top of the cabinet.
After the cabinet is hung, most of the force bearing on the two ledgers is vertical. Yes there is a small amount of force that is trying to pry the ledger off of the plywood back, but certainly not enough to worry about and certainly not enough to shear or break a 1/4" plywood sheet.
The most important function of the cabinet back is to keep the cabinet square. = Prevent racking.
Here is a couple photos one shows the lower right corner of my library cabinet. The other shows the outside of the closed cabinet. The cabinet is approximately 4ft by 4ft by 12" deep. It is holding approximately 200 woodworking magazines. Wt? - don't know, but it is heavy. This cabinet also has doors that serve as a tool cabinet. All of this hung by a ledger on a 1/4" plywood back.
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Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
Dusty
I saw the picture of your shop you posted on Nick's new forum. Is the cabinets your talking about going to be replacing the shelf you now have? If so let me suggest you build the cabinets to incorporate that shelf. It would add tons of strenght to the shelf and to cabinets. Plus you would have a place to store rarely used things. If nothing else it would be great storage for long wood. Like moulding, picture framing and other long pieces.
I have high storage like that which I use to store my prize wood, moulding, picture framing stock, pieces that are long and fairly thin or light. Although I do have a piece of 3.5" X12" x8' rough sawn perfectly clear black walnut up there. I have had it for over 20 years and I just can't bring myself to cut it.
I sometimes get it down and comtemplate what it might be, but I always decide what I have conjured up is not worthy of such a piece of beautiful wood. I will probably go to my grave with the wood up there and one of my grandsons will find it and use it a ramp for load his motorcycle or something. I'd would come back from the grave and kill him.
Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty
I saw the picture of your shop you posted on Nick's new forum. Is the cabinets your talking about going to be replacing the shelf you now have? If so let me suggest you build the cabinets to incorporate that shelf. It would add tons of strenght to the shelf and to cabinets. Plus you would have a place to store rarely used things. If nothing else it would be great storage for long wood. Like moulding, picture framing and other long pieces.
I have high storage like that which I use to store my prize wood, moulding, picture framing stock, pieces that are long and fairly thin or light. Although I do have a piece of 3.5" X12" x8' rough sawn perfectly clear black walnut up there. I have had it for over 20 years and I just can't bring myself to cut it.
I sometimes get it down and comtemplate what it might be, but I always decide what I have conjured up is not worthy of such a piece of beautiful wood. I will probably go to my grave with the wood up there and one of my grandsons will find it and use it a ramp for load his motorcycle or something. I'd would come back from the grave and kill him.
Thank you, Ed. That might be a very good recommendation. The point has been made that cabinets up against the ceiling are likely too high since I have to reach across that work bench.
If I lower the cabinets to a recommended height while at the same time retaining the high level shelf I would probably be a lot better off.
What I have to evaluate is all of the peg board space that I would lose. I guess the real question is do I then need that much wall space for peg board.
"Making Sawdust Safely" Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
dusty wrote:Thank you, Ed. That might be a very good recommendation. The point has been made that cabinets up against the ceiling are likely too high since I have to reach across that work bench.
If I lower the cabinets to a recommended height while at the same time retaining the high level shelf I would probably be a lot better off.
What I have to evaluate is all of the peg board space that I would lose. I guess the real question is do I then need that much wall space for peg board.
Dusty
If dust isn't a problem I would stick with the peg board. Cabinets are great to hid things in but that is also the catch, things are hidden. My neighbor remodeled their kitchen and offered me the overheads. I jump on them. Now I wish I hadn't. Yeah I can store a lot of junk, yeah my shop looks neat and tidy when all the doors are shut. But things are hard find. I can't tell you how many times I was digging for something and found something else and said to myself I didn't know I own one of these.
Since dust and spiders are a real problem for me I intend one day to redoe all my cabinetry. My idea is to make the cabinet only one tool/quart can width deep and have a door with a frame that is also one tool width thick I may even consider a second door on the first again one tool width thick. That way when I do open the door I will be able to see and touch everything in the cabinet. No more little boxes of #12X3/4" screws hiding behind a glue bottle. Or 3ft hunk of 3/8" all thread lying behind everything else on the shelf.
Chuck posted some nice pictures of tools chest where nearly everything could be seen when you opened the doors. By having thick frame doors you can line the door with peg board or shelves and double the storage space.
Dusty - If you construct the cabinets with a partially open back, you could still access the pegboard. Mechanically, you don't need a solid back. a 3/4 x 1 1/2 x whatever your width at the top and bottom of the cabinet should be sufficient. See Wood Magazine Nov. 1997 pp. 62-65. Their length is 23 1/4, but it should do for any length.
If you don't have a copy, PM me and I'll arrange something.
I noticed that the Shopnotes that is on display had a section called something like modular garage storage and while I don't get the magazine anymore I did flip to that area for a brief gander at what they had.
If you get it then look for the article, if not maybe picking this issue might be worth while for someone about to do some work in their garage. Sorry I couldn't study it for long but I'm tempted to pick it up to check out some of the other things they had to offer in this issue.
Since you are making these uppers yourself, there are no standard sizes to worry about; no standard assembly procedures; no standard anything. All dimensions will depend on your space and your use requirements. You have so many options. I can knot even begin to make suggestions, as I do knot know your needs. Only you can decide what you need. Any of the suggestions are good, but do they match your needs? Any decision you make will be sure to fill many of your needs and after your cabinets are all built and hung, rest assured that you will find them lacking in some way. I can offer a suggestion about your problem of having to reach over your lowers to access the uppers: Suspend them from the ceiling rather then the wall. That way you can position them closer to the front of the lowers and you will be able to reach the contents easier; not a standard procedure, but perhaps a practical one. If you can knot find a use for the "dead space" behind your ceiling suspended uppers, so what??? Think "outside the box"! Do tell us what you end up doing!!!
Tim
Buying US made products will help keep YOUR job or retirement funds safer.
Okay before you blast my idea please remember I have a lot of treasures stored in every crack and cranny one can think of. So many in fact about two years ago I began labeling every box, cabinet door, drawer and can holding anything at all. I still can't find anything. fjimp:eek:
F. Jim Parks
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
I'd would come back from the grave and kill him. 
