Built in Storage - Work in Progress - Update #1

[Gari Biasillo]

I've had a built-in storage project on my 'to do' list for over a year but had never had the time to do it. Until now, that is. My wife and 2 1/2 yr old son are visiting Japan for two months, visiting relatives and friends, and generally having fun, while I'm stuck here working and paying the bills :rofl:

Disclaimer: I haven't done any serious flat work for years (I fell into the bottomless pit of lathe-land!), so you'll see lots of errors, and imperfect work! :D

Here's the alcove that needs the storage. Usually a dresser of some sort would got here but I'm going for something different.

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I've built the carcasses for the two main storage cabinets. The first is tall, which will house the vacuum cleaner, and has a little cubby hole at the top. I'll put some ply later: maybe some painted peg board? The left panel is Walnut ply, already finished with shellac and WOP.

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To the left, is the main cabinet. Three draws will go in the bottom, two sliding doors in the center, and two sets of two sliding doors at the top. The top is Walnut, and the inside shelving is Mahogany, which saves a bit of $$$ and the contrast should look nice IMO.

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It was a tight squeeze but it fits! Oops! I dinged the wall! :doh:

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I used plugs to fill the screw holes, which is a first for me. The top bungs will end up being hidden (more on that later) but the inside ones will be visible: the contrasting Walnut/Mahogany should look nice when the finish is applied.

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I plan on putting a plywood back on the main cabinet but I'm not sure what to do about the socket on the wall, so I'm looking for some advice...

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Should I just cover it up, cut a whole in the back so I can access it if need be, or something else? :huh:

Next up - the face frames. I'll post a follow up when that part of the project is complete.

Thanks for looking!
-Gari

[Gari Biasillo]

It's in the dining room, so I doubt we'll need it for anything. Maybe a lamp? We'll store my wife's craft supplies, and misc. stuff in there, no electronics. I don't want to mess with the wiring. I'm leaning towards just cutting a hole in the back of the cabinet for access.

[Darren Wright]

Personally I'd cut a hole for it. Never know what you might end up doing down the road (or someone else for that matter). Wouldn't have to put all the stuff out to put it in later.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I don't know what the code is in your area but I was told that you CANNOT just cover it up. Your local hardware store or electrical supply house should have something called an extender. It'll extend the box out the width of the plywood & you can just attach the outlet to that. If you really don't like an outlet there, purchase or fabricate a removable cover for it. It must remain accessible.

Here's a thread on SMC where I asked the same question...
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=44715&highlight=mudroom

[Frank Townend]

Rob beat me to it, but he is right, you can't 'just' cover a live outlet. I'm also with the others, best to cut access holes in the back of the shelves for future use. Rockler (and others) sells grommets (http://www.rockler.com/CategoryView.cfm?Cat_ID=200).

[Gari Biasillo]

Thanks you all for the info. I wasn't really keen on covering it up, so yes, I'll be cutting an access hole. And thanks for the grommet link - I didn't even think of them but I think I'll add a couple to the top just in case. :thumb:

[Stuart Ablett]

Looks good so far Gari!

I've asked my Dad about the plug in the wall, he was a provincial electrical inspector in BC for about 30 years, so I'm sure I'll get the right answer for you! :wave:

[Gari Biasillo]

Thanks Stu. I'm sure the guys advice here is right (it sounds unsafe to just cover up a socket) but would be great to hear it from a pro from the same province that I live in.

Another option could be to simply not have a back on the cabinet. I'll be securing it with screws to the left end right, so it should hold up well.

BTW - I'm not sure if I posted this to the correct forum, so please move if it's not!

[Stuart Ablett]

Here you go Gari..........

Stuart:
The outlet is required to remain accessible, which would require an access through the back of the cabinet. Remove the receptacle and install a blank cover. Like you state; With a hole in the back of the cabinet. If the larger area showing the plug location would be to accommodate a TV or stereo equipment the plug could remain as is. The whole idea is to be able to determine there is an electrical outlet there. Imagine if there was a problem with that circuit and trying to determine where that problem may be.

Dad

[Gari Biasillo]

Thanks! and please pass on my thanks to your dad!

I spend some time making the face frame for the cabinet. I wanted dovetailed joints, which I accomplished with my router that I have mounted in my TS wing. the added benefit of mounting on the TS is that you can reuse the fence.

The pins are easiest - just push the rails through in one pass. I bit of fuzzies was left behind but nothing a bit of sandpaper can't fix.
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The tails are a little more involved but easy enough with a jig. Fist pass...
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Second pass...
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I also routed dados in the middle rails for the sliding doors. Here's a picture of the rails and styles ready to be assembled...
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I biscuit joined the frame to the case, clamped it all up...
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Now, in my first post, I said that I'd make mistakes...and did! The eagle-eyed among us will notice that I completely forgot to make the styles for the top divider and bottom draw dividers! :doh: I'll have to just glue them in later. Oh well, shouldn't look to bad...I hope! :o

Next up? Not sure yet - either the doors for the cabinet or the frame for the tall cabinet, depending on which takes my fancy.

[Stuart Ablett]

Gari, I'll pass along your thanks.

Boy, when you make face frames, you make face frames! :thumb:

I'd have not noticed, unless you said so :dunno:

[allen levine]

looks great, it was commented on, but interesting face frame.

[Chris Mire]

gari,

nice looking storage you got so far.

about the outlet, this may be more trouble that you are looking to get into in order to deal with it but what about making a face plate out of wood to match the back of the cabinet. not sure what type of wood you planned to use for the back, but if you used walnut or mahogany you could make a face plate to match. marty walsh did this i believe in his shop mainly because he needed a cover with more spaces than normal. he may have discussed how he did it in his shop thread.

just a thought.

ps. i noticed the missing dividers, but i figured you had other plans. i think it will look fine just being glued in, just tell everyone you meant to do it that way....:D

chris

[Gari Biasillo]

I've been making good progress with the project...

I've stained the Mahogany inside the cabinet to better match the walnut face-frame...
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I constructed the closet face-frame using the same techniques I showed in my first post...
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Here's a close-up...this joint did not go so well - a bit of chip-out.
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It will be covered by a door, so it shouldn't be too conspicuous - unless you got down on your knees to inspect it :p

I biscuit jointed the carcass and face-frame, glued up, and positioned them ready for clamping...
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..and here it is clamped up with my handy-helpers.
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I used scraps for cauls, to prevent marring the frame...
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There's a bit of glue squeeze-out but as I already finished the pieces (a few coats of shellac and WOP) it was easy to clean off: much easier than unfinished wood...
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Next up is the doors: two hinged doors for the closet and four sliding doors for the cabinet.

[allen levine]

looks fabulous, thanx for the pics.

(man, I gotta get me some more clamps)

[Ed Nelson]

Great looking project. I had a similar problem with a library unit I built a while back. The back was 1/4 ply. Where the outlet went I glued a piece of 3/4 ply for added stability and used a box extender to move the outlet flush with the back of the cabinet. I even found a face plate that matched the finish! It wasn't that difficult and will look a lot better than using a grommet in the back of the unit.

You can see the outlet in this picture. (sorry for the large pic)
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/960/IMG_0068.JPG

[Gari Biasillo]

Wow! That looks great, Ed! Mine pales in comparison! Thanks for the info.

[Gari Biasillo]

It's been a while since I last posted about my progress. I've completed the four sliding and two swing doors, along with a set of boxes to display my turnings.
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I still need to work on the three drawers for the bottom section of the unit. Here's a picture a couple of the doors slid open...
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You'll notice no handles except on the largest door. My wife didn't like the sliding door handle I purchased as they stood out too much. She prefers a simple handle cur into the sliding doors. I might make a low-profile insert but I'm not sure yet. The small door at the top will have a similar handle to the larger door.

Finally, here's a close up of the display unit, with a few of my turnings: I'll post some pictures of the upper two under the turning section shortly.
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[Bill Satko]

Finally, here's a close up of the display unit, with a few of my turnings: I'll post some pictures of the upper two under the turning section shortly.


That is very attractive way of displaying your turnings. :thumb:

[glenn bradley]

That turned out really well. The display boxes create a great balance in that space.