it would be nice to find a tutorial on simple cabinet making

[Ron Dickey]

http://www.google.com/search?q=cabinet+ ... 31&bih=925
everyone make his or hers different. I know it is just some sticks and plywood a cut here and there some hinges and a knob. And that is about the cabinet in the Box Kite but it has fabric instead of doors.

I see some do a setup for the galley in the trailer I have seen some where the galley sits outside the trailer and is put in when done.

But What I mostly see is the end result.

I have been to tons of gatherings now but most are being used, you do not want to climb inside and just open doors. The galley is usually in use and you feel a little like you are imposing to just start opening things .... after all this is someones house. Mostly I see pictures of the finished product rear a tutorial of how it was done.

I can find books everywhere on building cabinets but most cabinets in trailers are, or look like, works of art Made for that one person or family.

the closes I have some is Ben and Max at Camp Inn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYzT3p008KE

this one is simple fun music too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_31h48k70Fs
but like most it is the whole trailer.
this shows a galley and I like the set up but it is the end result as usual. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5whNoQ ... re=related

most do not show tools used, glues, nail guns, stains, nor how to aline a hinge. I think I have it but will not know until I try. Got a galley to build with sliders. Found some youtube's on putting in sliders.

[Ron Dickey]

sliders
side
part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBezCmIfp_0
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMKfCQA7cd8
simple info for a slide
under mount slide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWmDOQP9O6s

hidden Magnetic catch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIPG-XwJtf4

there are so many different sites to learn from I found Charles Neil Woodworking he is a teacher and has a blog too. He talks simple like he knows the folks he is teaching know some and want to under stand more.
you might have better sites to share.

[Ron Dickey]

do most cabinets in Galleys have bases or do they just sit on the floor giving one more space?


are they framed of just flat pc's of wood like above?

With the new LED's are folks putting lights in them?

has anyone put in adjustable shelving

are there systems for keeping them closed during travel. Some say in another site they put things in there so they stay (other things they need along that come out like attachable side table tops.

[bobhenry]

are there systems for keeping them closed during travel.

In the barn I installed baby security locks to store bought cabinets to keep the doors from swinging open on their own. Also, Rubbermaid anti slip shelf linen does a good job of keeping things from walking around.


When I built chubby I built a very simple box then veneered it with luan and tiled the top.

[Ron Dickey]

I also built a poll

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=56895

Ron Thanks for helping future teardroper's of the world unit to make camping more trouble free.

[Festus]

I'll try to explain how I did my cabinets.



I didn't use a base on the cabinet, space is at a premium in a teardrop and the base isn't needed.

I decided on how I wanted my cabinet doors and drawer positioned then made a face frame. The face frame is what your cabinet doors are attached to, typically made of 1 1/2" wide x 3/4" thick wood, joined together in a kind of "grid" with openings for your doors and drawers. The vertical piece on a face frame is called a "stile" and the horizontal piece is called a "rail".

Because not much is "standard" on a custom teardrop, you make everything fit with as much usable space as possible. The outer stiles on the face frame in my galley are 3 1/2" wide instead of 1 1/2" so the cabinet doors can swing open fully 90 degrees without hitting anything. The main thing when building your cabinets is take your time and be sure your cuts are square and if you have two pieces that need to be the same dimension lengthwise, make sure they are. Little errors add up to be big errors.

I used a Kreg jig for making pocket holes to join the face frame pieces together. It's a quick and strong way to build. I also used the pocket holes to attach the face frame to the teardrop sides and floor. If you notice in the photo, I screwed a scrap piece of material from the ledge at the rear to the face frame to support edge of the countertop. I just used 1/4" luan plywood to make dividers between the door openings on the face frame. Try to keep things as light as possible, but still strong.

Overlay doors are simple to construct and they are made a little larger than the door opening on the face frame and are very forgiving. You don't have to try to fit the door to the opening like on a flush mounted door. I used simple wooden turnbuckles I made to hold the drawer and doors shut while traveling. There are many ways to do this, but my galley has a rustic look to it. I found suitable hickory sprouts that would work for my pulls on my cabinets and used those in place of store bought pulls.

You can probably find some good books on cabinetmaking at your library. Most will be a lot more information than you need for a set of teardrop cabinets. Again take your time and plan out what you want in your cabinets before you start cutting.

As far as tools go, for a basic set of cabinets you could do everything with probably no more than a drill, tablesaw, tape measure or folding rule, screwdrivers and some clamps. A router would let you make some nice edges on your cabinet or you can get a stile and rail bit set and make cabinet doors similar to what the cabinet shops produce. I really would consider the Kreg jig too. That is one purchase I made that I don't regret. I use it a lot, but I'm always building something. You always have the option to buy your cabinet doors instead of making them too. There's nothing wrong with that if you don't want to spend the time or money to make your own. The face frame and cabinet and drawer boxes are easily made.



I hope this helps you somewhat. Just break it down into small projects. Draw up your plan. Build your face frame. Build a drawer box., etc. and pretty soon you will be camping in style!

Lynn

[VijayGupta]

My go-to book on cabinetry is Jere Cary's Building Your Own Kitchen Cabinets. Each chapter discusses a different aspect (layout, framing, doors, drawers, etc.) what your design options are, standard dimensions, and how to fix up your mistakes.

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Your-Kit ... 0918804159

[S. Heisley]

Ron, once you decide what you want, you build the front frame and attach it to your galley sides via the Kreg system (if you have it). Everything else attaches to the walls and that front frame. No base...A base just takes up space and adds weight. Build your cabinets directly on the deck, which becomes the bottom of your cabinet. Build your cabinet doors or simply cut a piece of maybe 1/2" thick plywood to fit and attach with hinges. (If you make a frame around your cupboard door, you can use 1/4" plywood.) If you want a shelf inside, screw 1x1's or 1x2's on the sides or front and back, beneath where you want the shelf to sit and cut a piece of sturdy plywood to fit on top of the shelf support boards. Screw and/or glue the shelf to the support boards. Upper cabinets are basically the same except you have to add a shelf at the bottom of the upper cabinets and that becomes your "base" for those. I don't think you can build your cabinets more simply than that.

For drawers, build a box to fit and attach the drawer guides.

...Add hardware knobs, handles, catches, etc.

[mezmo]

Just remember that built-in-place cabinets do not need to
be built like the separate cabinets you purchase and install
in your home. Building them in-place will save in materials
and time and cost. That used to be the normal practice until
"they" took most of the "skills" out of the home building process.
Now, it's just purchase separate/individual cabinets "as components"
and install them - with those cabinets governing your design.
Building them in-place allows you to exactly do what you want
'customized' to your needs and desires.

Using the already existing wall and floor surfaces as part of the
cabinet is a thrifty practice and has been the norm for trailer
construction from the very beginning. You'll save the cost of, and
the time needed to make, cabinet bottoms, sides, and backs by
utilizing the already completed TD walls and floor for them, as
appropriate.

Another way to look at it, is to sort of consider the TD itself as
one Big Cabinet, in and of itself, and think of the other 'cabinets' you
are seeking to build as just interior subdivisions/compartments
inside/within the main "TD as a Cabinet". You don't need to build
each compartment as its own separate cabinet. This approach does
require some preplanning for it as you design the TD, but it is not any
more difficult than planning for "hard points" or locating framing pieces
for the various bits and pieces one puts-in/installs when fitting out
the interior.

Festus and Sharon gave good advice on a basic approach to building
the cabinets in place. Look at some books or on-line info on cabinet
building and decide what you want and then adapt their methods to the
build-them-in-place approach.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[grantstew8]

I've not made cabinets as such but here are a few videos showing my galley and cabin design (by the seat of my pants.)

Galley design part I http://youtu.be/UYjfWMit9Sk
Galley design II http://youtu.be/4GJPdNqe1Mo

Cabin Cupboard I http://youtu.be/WdJOKOOPVCc
Cabin Cupboard II http://youtu.be/bJRG4ywQIao

I'll be working on cupboards this week-end if I get a chance.

[halfdome, Danny]

Ron,

Have you checked out your local community college for a basic cabinetmaking class?
Rockler and Woodcraft sometimes have them at local stores.
I instructed one years ago.
Woodsmith Magazine had a kitchen cabinet tutorial in a recent issue, back issues are available.
You might also check out Woodsmith and other woodworking magazines at your local library.
At my local library I can check out older issues.
Danny

[Treeview]

Here's a pdf that I downloaded:

http://tinyurl.com/me8gpmt

I bought a pocket hole jig from Harbor Freight. I've used it on a couple of things but no cabinets yet. I can see that it will simplify wood joinery for me.

Tom

[halfdome, Danny]

Here's a pdf that I downloaded:

http://tinyurl.com/me8gpmt

Tom

That's a pretty basic idea of cabinet construction.
You really don't need the Kreg Drawer Slide Mounting Tool as a framing square will do the same job and the Kreg table saw sled jig can be replaced with a block and clamp.
I would however recommend the Kreg jig over anything Harbor Freight sells.

"There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey". Author unknown

Danny

[KCStudly]

What Lynn said ^^^^. +1

Plan, plan, plan, then build. And even though I don't know for sure how I will use the space, I have left enough flexibility in my design that I can add, or rework features later. The only thing that I am really locked into is the height of my counter and the width
of my cooler bay (both to suit my existing cooler and the heavy duty drawer slides that I picked.

Remember that the cabinet face frames can be an integral part of your cabin structure, allowing you to build much lighter if you tie it all together well. Like a trestle bridge, a bunch of smaller members tie things together well resulting in a brutally strong structure using less material (i.e. less weight).

Plan your cabinets as part of the structure! My cabinet face frames are both roof spars and wall stiffeners all in one!

[angib]

It would be good to see some examples of lightweight, trailer furniture construction. Most cabinetmakers do not see light weight as a benefit so they tend to concentrate on techniques that are strong and simple but heavy. Anything more than 1/4" plywood is not trailer cabinetmaking but house cabinetmaking.