Cabinet Building

[maki2]

I also do some practical testing for figuring out what size and type of angle will work. I do that right at my local hardware store that has a good selection of aluminum extrusion. It is a Do-It-Best chain store. They have 6061 T6 in a variety of shapes and thickness and lengths. They also have a lot of the "architectural" aluminum extrusion shapes. So when testing for the framing members of the face frame for my bed I took out of the rack some 6' lengths of U channel. The 3/4 x3/4 x 3/4 by 1/8" flexed a little more that I though was appropriate so I went up to the 1x1x1x1/8 size. The square tube size was a given since the3/4 square tube is the size that can fit snugly inside of the U channel.

So try to find a hardware store with a good sized selection and do some practical testing of flexing across a given distance of span. If it bends to easily, it is not strong enough. You will then develop a sense of what size will work for what purpose.

 

[VanTalk00]

If you mean can you trim off one side of the angle as well as the inside radius area then bend over a length.  Yes but not with a super tight radius of course. 

Found a couple videos that go into some detail:

If you only have 6061, use heat to bend it. Otherwise, it will break.  See this video.
If you can find 5052, you won't need heat to bend it.  See this video.

Good points about the square channel.  I'll change my design for the bed.  Btw, I just geared up for clecos and pull rivets.  Those cordless Milwaukee rivet guns look nice, but ooh-la-la, $$$$.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

alluminium seems like a very expensive way to go about this, unless you already have the extrusion kicking around. I fail to see any advantages to alluminium.

 

[maki2]

It is one of those things. When all you are familiar with using is one type of material you will have trouble understanding the advantages of something different unless you take the time to look at it more closely. There is the initial cost and then there is cost savings over time. If you only look at the initial cost then you are not going to see all the advantages and will just blow it off as not being as good as wood.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

It is one of those things. When all you are familiar with using is one type of material you will have trouble understanding the advantages of something different unless you take the time to look at it more closely. There is the initial cost and then there is cost savings over time. If you only look at the initial cost then you are not going to see all the advantages and will just blow it off as not being as good as wood.

I have worked with alluminium for years so it is not about blowing it off or being unfamiliar with it. Can you elaborate on the cost saving over time you are referring to? I understand the benefits of alluminium in an exposed environment but in a dry area like a van, I don’t see any benefits.

 

[maki2]

I have worked with alluminium for years so it is not about blowing it off or being unfamiliar with it. Can you elaborate on the cost saving over time you are referring to? I understand the benefits of alluminium in an exposed environment but in a dry area like a van, I don’t see any benefits.

What are the benefits of using aluminum structural framing in an aircraft?
When you sort that out you will have the list of benefits. I have of course already mentioned them in previous responses so I am not going to repeat myself.

 

[B and C]

Planes used to be made out of wood and many are still flying. Heavier yes but wood is easier for most to work with. Don't use 2x4's, they are heavy. 1x4's and 1x2 are pretty strong especially if skinned with a thin veneer plywood.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes there is absolutely no reason to use 2x4's. I have even seen some builds use 2x6's, 2x8's, and even 4x4's. highdesertranger

 

[rruff]

Heavier yes but wood is easier for most to work with.  Don't use 2x4's, they are heavy.  1x4's and 1x2 are pretty strong especially if skinned with a thin veneer plywood.

Plastic drawers work for me   Cheap, durable, light, and you don't have to build them.

 

[B and C]

Plastic drawers are great for lightweight stuff. I keep all my underwear in them.

 

[rruff]

They work great for heavy stuff too. Cans of food, books, etc. I lived in my truck for 13 years and spent a lot of time traveling in the boonies (bad roads) and never had an issue with them.

 

[B and C]

When I tried canned food in one, it ended up bulging at the bottom and eventually cracked. I use them for pots and pans and other assorted stuff but they are on shelves or under cabinets on shelves. They do make good drawers as the plastic slides easily.

 

[VanTalk00]

I think using plastic boxes is a great idea if you can find the right size and shape.  For my little van, I don't think that's going to be possible, so I have an alternate idea.

Y'all who think building with aluminum is crazy might think this is a crazy idea too, but here goes ...

I'm intrigued by the idea of building coroplast drawers.  There are some Youtube videos out there that show how strong they can be and how easy it is to build custom drawers (even with dividers, etc.)   I think I would reinforce the bottom with some thin wood, and I'd make a thin wooden drawer front with a solid wooden handle extending across the drawer near the bottom, so you're mainly pulling the box from its bottom.

If you think about it, why should a drawer have the same strength of material on its sides as its bottom or front?  Where is the weight?  Not on its sides.

Has anyone heard of someone doing this?  What were the results?

 

[B and C]

Nope, no coroplast here.

I found if I just measured the space where I wanted a plastic drawer and then went on a quest (usually Walmart), I could find one with almost the exact dimensions wanted. Failing that, Google is your friend. Better to err on the small side. I did in a couple of places and found the little space the drawer left was good to hold something else.

 

[maki2]

I think you should go ahead and build some Coroplast drawers. Exploring materials and methods is a terrific and creative way to spend ones time and money. We learn by doing. Long term durability for long years of life cycle structural integrity is not always the end game goal. You certainly would not need to have longevity as a goal in a high mileage vehicle or in a high mileage human either. Also if you know exactly what your needs are and you want to experiment with materials and configurations then why not do it in Coroplast, it is fun to play designer in alternative materials and it can even be profitable and end up generating a new source of income in your life. Maybe your experiments will lead to your designing a set of van furniture that you can sell as plans with assembly instructions to other van dwellers. That is not an impossible to achieve scenario.

I think what people are not understanding about my presentation of building cabinetry in aluminum is that I am not trying to convince anyone that they should make their cabinets with the method I am showing. The person who started the thread has an open mind and was asking people to present a variety of ideas. I presented what I am doing. You could present what you are doing or if you have not yet gotten there then ideas you have seen that are inspiring you to consider for your build.

I myself have an open mind. I like wood, I like plastics, I like metals, I like composite materials including carbon fibers and fiberglass, I like paper products and all the variations of structures that can be created from it including corrugated and core structures. The building products made from plant fibers other than trees are interesting to me. So of course are mineral based materials. I like seeing new tools, I like learning about new methods of construction. I like seeing new technology and advance in science. I have a curious mind as do many people.

A forum is at its best when people have open minds to new possibilities and can enjoy the creative variations that others present. It is at its worst when someone feels so insecure they try to justify what they are doing by negatively criticizing what other people are creatively making. Your ideas don't have to match those of anyone else and they don't have to match their ideas to yours. Freedom of choice is part of living a "freedom" nomadic life.

 

[highdesertranger]

hey maki, ignore the naysayers. I love your aluminum frame cabinet keep the pics and info coming. highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

I like plastic drawers. The commercial ones are handy, I have owned many variations of them over the years.
I have used a variation of plastic drawers in RV cabinetry to put into a tall built in cabinet structure. The drawers are the plastic bins from the restaurant supply stores, they are used in the salad bars at restaurants and grocery store deli sections. The runners were cut from plastic stock material that is sold at Home Depot as part of the system for plastic lattice fencing.
This photo is of a tall storage close I built into a motorhome using the food pan bins. The bins come in the plastic shown, also in clear polycarbote and in stainless steel. The steel ones are suitable for supporting heavier objects.


Ikea sell some really sturdy plastic bins that will slide into dados cut into plywood. They sell the bins for about $2.00 each by the piece in the warehouse area of the store. There are several sizes of bins.

The ones from Ikea are very strong and durable as they sell them as part of the childrens furniture line for organizing kids toys and craft materials. They bins are a more substantial alternative plastic to the typical plastic drawer systems. They do come in bright colors as well as white. I often see these bins at the thrift stores such as Goodwill. The older bins are sometimes red and blue. The Ikea website is selling different colors now as they try to keep up with current decorating trend color schemes. On the website you can see some examples of the wood framed cabinets with dadoe recess for the drawers to slide into. When choosing to use pre-made bins you will of course be designing your cabinets to fit their specific sizes unless you purchase their cabinets to use as your furniture.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/20474/

 

[flying kurbmaster]

interesting how you guys revert to name calling, when someone comments on your material or design, I care less if you make your build in your 1991 Chevy with 180,000 miles out of gold bullion but I will still comment that it is not a very good idea for most people unless you happen to have a lot of gold bullion sitting around, I am not too sure who is insecure. 
Coroplast on the other hand has been used for a lot of different builds, one guy built a sleep in bicycle trailer, there are a lot of advantages to coroplast building, it is inexpensive, light and in a environment that is not exposed to the sun it will last a long time. I think it is a good idea for an interior of a van, the only down side  I see is the look of it however can be painted and that is a personal thing. If I would build out of coroplast I would start by getting old realestate signs at the dump and experiment with them. Then I would build with some nice coloured stuff like green or orange not sure what colour it is available in but you can get it coloured.. I built some fender skirts, a belly pan, grill blocks, and a camback for a van about 8 years ago, the camback is the only item that deteriorated so bad that I had to remove it. It was exposed to a lot of sun but it took at least 5 years. The spats and belly pan are still on.

 

[maki2]

Planes used to be made out of wood and many are still flying.  Heavier yes but wood is easier for most to work with.  Don't use 2x4's, they are heavy.  1x4's and 1x2 are pretty strong especially if skinned with a thin veneer plywood.

The tools I used to fabricate the aluminum frame are listed below. Except for the rivet puller and a file for smoothing metal they are the same tools I use for wood working.

marking tool, be it pen, pencil, awl, etc
measuring tape
square
drill motor and drills
center punch
power miter saw with carbide blade, the same fine tooth finish blade I cut wood for cabinet making with.
jig saw .. metal cutting blade in it
file...metal working file versus one designed for wood
clamps

Aluminum is not any more difficult than wood for building face frames and I find it to be faster. As I have done both techniques and worked at both metal work and wood work for a living I think I am a pretty good judge of how easy one is compared to the other. They both have benefits, but for my specific build the benefits of aluminum outweighed the wood framing.

There is no one else on this forum that I know of who has the same circa 1970, lightweight, molded, fiberglass travel trailer that I pull with my 4 cylinder vehicle. I need lightweight and I need a structure that can flex without coming apart. Aluminum framing answers that criteria, wood does not.  The newer, molded fiberglass, travel trailers have molded fiberglass cabinets. Those work great and meet my criteria but they would be a labor excessive build and not significantly lighter in weight.

 

[Cammalu]

I had to look up coroplast. I love the colors!