Thought I'd start a separate thread which may in turn help other DIY'ers. This is one half of my front room: and I'd like to put small cupboards at base level either side of the chimney breast similar to: and then some floating shelves above. I'm thinking just plain gloss white units/shelves as it will then match the doors, skirtings etc. I just need a simple sketch of the units if you may Brian. I'm not sure on height of units, that depends on doors I suppose? Should I use pre-made doors or make my own out of MDF? Rough prices etc?
Two questions first on looking at it proper, do you want them both sides, and do you want them sticking out past the alcove a bit? What widths are we talking approx? I can do you out a full cutting list if you want? It wont take me a minute?
02:51am?? haha The RHS space is 480mm wide, The LHS space is 1000mm The breast is 250mm deep which isn't a lot for cupboard space so I'd be willing to come out to say 330mm Any idea what to do with doors, pre made or make out of MDF?
Ok, a few drawings to start this rolling, Ill add more if you need to see more details Its pretty handy really, make a carcase with a back first, it needs to be narrower than the alcove. If your using kitchen hinges to hang doors(35mm hole) the frame needs to be flush with interior carcase gables. Then when you hang doors they will cover approx 16mm of frame. So, Id use 3x1 for the vertical frame parts, and 2x1 for the horizontals. Make the frame 5mm wider in total than the alcove, then make the carcase to sit behind frame, so that the carcase is flush with the frame either side inside the press. The 5mm will allow you to plane frame to fit exactly to walls. Or, if your lazy, make frame 5mm smaller and run a bead down to cover scribe gap to wall. When your happy with frame fit on the wall sides(1 per unit) Screw frame onto carcase and shove carcase in. Use adjustable legs or boards in and out the way(3) to support units. Screw the unit onto these boards on edge. The boards will need a small notch cut out on the top corners to allow them to be pulled out so theyre ends sit flush with the frame face. You will be using these to fix the skirt, or plinth board to. If you are using legs, level with them. But, you will still need boards screwed to carcase floor to fix plinth to, but they need not rest on floor. If your not using legs, then the broads will both support unit, and give you a fixing point for plinth. Borads will be approx depth of unit and they're ends will face out to you. 6x1 or something will do, pending your skirting height of course so that the skirt sits onto bottom frame rail say 10mm. After the unit is pushed in and level screw to wall. Use a rail in the back of unit at the top if you wish. 3x1 or something screwed in either side through gables. You can tack the hardboard back to it too if you like, if your fitting a back. Then, time to fit the show gables, again, easy, your frame will be overhanging end of unit and the gable will sit in here. Blind out the carcase gable to bring it to 18mm overhang on the frame so that the gable will sit flush when fixed on. The top can now be fitted, 18mm top with an edge mould of your choice. You could tack a dado mould onto it like the pics above, or get some 25mm dowel, flatten one side with the plane and tack it onto to top underneath. This is a nice detail and not often done. You will of course need to return it into breast. Read all that and look at pictures and ask as many questions as you like, I dont know how handy you are at this, but if your not Ill go into more detail so that you'll be able to do it no matter how much you hate timber work If I was you, Id make a rod. A rod is just a stick the width of the alcove and a bit. Mark the frame plan view onto this and the carcase and breast positions. You will be easier able to see what sizes stuff needs to be, overhangs, carcase size, all the important widths. As for the doors, mdf is fine, a dado can be used for mouldings, mitre them and tack them on around 68mm from edge or whatever you feel looks ok. I would leave the bottom one up 30mm more that the sides and top so that the bottom rail ends up being thicker/wider. This will look better. Look at your house doors to see what I mean. The important thing about making the doors this way is that both sides HAVE to be primed/painted within 15min-30min of eachother. They wont warp then. Ask away, Im sure Ive missed loads of stuff As for sleeping, plenty of time for that when your dead When theres problems to be solved, ideas to think about, and drawings to be put on paper Ill always be wide awake into the small hours BG
Moved this into our DIY section if that's alright. Would be good to be able to find this stuff again easily.
Working hard on a cv that does not resemble a 10yr olds scrap book of what they did at school and figuring out how to send it electronically, etc..
good lad, include your clever stuff you've built, links to casting machine video etc. there's loads of good work, got to show them it
I thought this thread was lost!! Thanks for the very detailed explanation Brian. I'm going to have a go this weekend. I'm just a little unsure what the difference is between a carcase and the frame you speak of?
Frame is the white deal/red deal bit on the front of the main press 'box' Make the 'box from panels(like your kitchen) or from rips of ply/mdf, whatever(you'll have to paint those) And then onto the front of that box you fix your frame to, ladder style like above, made from laths. Understood??
yeah, I'm not sure why I would need legs though? Wont the box be screwed direct into the wall? Then at the front there will be the ladder?