I am preparing to construct the built-in unit described in FWW – Built-in Basics by Tony O’Malley. The assembly is based on the splines and biscuit joinery. Because I have access to a supply of inexpensive seconds of ½ “ cherry plywood I am planning on using this material. However there are a few issues I need to resolve.
1) Can I expect a lot of problems in biscuit joining the carcasses using the ½ “ material. There is not a lot of stock thickness to deal with and I will need a biscuit jointer that make accurate slots in the thin material. Right now I am preparing to buy the Porter Cable 557 or a high end Makita. Should I expect these to work well in the thinner stock?
2) I plan to laminate the plywood to get increased thickness and strength for the shelves and add plywood strip spacers in joining the carcases. Should I use contact cement or wood glue in laminating the plywood for the shelves.
3) As one of the ends of the unit will be exposed I was planning to increase the thickness for the trim by using plywood strip spacers and glue/nail a second sheet that can be scribed to the wall. Is this sandwich construction on the end likely to warp or bow?
(Because I am using thinner material I am going to use the ½” material for the backs of the carcasses to get better strength)
Comments would be appreciated especially on the biscuit joiner. It will not take to many ruined sheets of plywood to pay for one that helps make the job go right.
Replies
CJ81stan, Maybe you can try using a pocket hole jig fitted with the 1/2inch stock adaptor. Use hotmelt polyuerathane on the edge (not seen) After you screw the face frame to the standard.
-Lou
Thanks for suggestion Lou. I was wondering about the use of pocket hole assembly of the face frames and I may go this route. I have not used hot melt glue in woodworking. What are the advantages in this application-- Is it mainly the ease of application?
--Stan
Stan, Sorry for the delay. its easy, hot melt poly glue is real strong, I think franklin is the company that distributes the glue gun. its about a hundred bucks and the glue tubes are around 5 bucks.
-Lou
Thanks Lou
I'll take a look at this
Stan
I have also been thinking of glueing two thicknesses of ply together to make 1 inch thick shelfing that I would face on front with solid wood. I was thinking of using titebond glue to laminate two pieces. Any other ideas for glue?
Hi,
We use the Porter Cable 557 at the woodworking school that I attend. I am going to purchase one in the near future myself. It does the trick for anything I have needed it for. Can't really comment on the 1/2" material for the carcases as I exclusively use 3/4" ply for that, and, from anything I've read this is the thickness of choice. On another note, I am currently building a shelving unit and using a torsion box approach for strength for the shelves as I will have stereo equipment on the shelves and need the strength. I'm sure you could use 1/2" material for the shelving but would use the torsion box approach. Search on "torsion box" and you will find my earlier posts and an actual picture supplied by David Touchwood, a fellow woodworker a lot more experience than myself. Good luck.
Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled