Need some advice on making a toy cubby for my kids toys. Nothing fancy at all but mostly need tips on joinery. I plan on making it from 3/4″ ply. It will sit on the floor and have 4 cubby’s each about 2′ wide and 12″ tall. So picture the width 4′ wide by 2′ sub-divided into 4 rectangles.
Would it be ok to butt joint all the pieces and secure with kreg pocket holes plus glue? Plug the holes with kreg hole plugs. I’m thinking this might be easier than dadoeing the middle shelf into the sides and on the top and bottom.
Replies
Pocket screws will work fine for this type of application.
JIm
Thanks. Now if I want to secure it to the wall, how would I do that? I'm not concerned with it toppling over as it will only be 2' tall but I want to prevent it from being moved around.If I cover the back with 1/4" ply, what structural part of the shelf would be attached to the wall? I guess I would have to build in a cleat of some kind. If I did that, it would show from the front of the top row of shelves no? Any suggestions?
You have many options. You can screw it to the wall through the back. If you don't want the screws to show, drill 3/8" holes to countersink the screws and then glue a piece of 3/8" dowel into the hole to hide the screws. This works well if you are going to paint the cabinet. If it's going to be stained, you're better off getting a plug cutter (available from Lee Valley and Woodcraft) and cutting plugs from a piece of the same wood to fill the holes. If you select the wood carefully and orient the plug to the grain of the back of the cabinet, the patch is almost invisible. Another option would be to use French cleats. You screw one half of the cleat to the back of the cabinet and the other half to the wall. When they come together, the joint pulls the cabinet tight against the wall. See attached sketch and description. Hope this helps.
Jim
I was thinking of doing the french cleat idea but doesnt that leave a gap between the back of the cabinet and the wall? How do you hide that?
No, there isn't any gap if the cleat is installed correctly. I am attaching another sketch that shows how it works and pictures of each piece when they are installed. You can make you own French cleat. Just cut a piece of wood at a 45 degree angle and attach one piece to the back of the cabinet and the other one to the wall.
Jim
One of the pictures was missing. Here it is.
I see now. So the cabinet has sort of a false back to it and behind that is the french cleat. Interesting. I'm wondering if that would be overkill for this project though as this cabinet would be sitting on the floor. Good to know this method though, it will definitely come in handy for other projects.Do you know of any resources that I can find that would show me basic cabinet construction? Thanks.
There are many sources. Take a look at the Taunton website and find a book that you like.
Jim
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