I saw a note in one of the back issues about a guy building cabinets of melamine, and he said he glues and screws them together. What kind of glue would be required? I thought one of the benefits of melamine was that glue and stuff wouldn’t stick to it.
Replies
I always used Heavy Project Liquidnail and coarse threaded screws. Anything more than 1 1/4" screw got a pilot hole.
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
melamine glue, of course.
AKA as Roo glue
Barry, can you tell me more about that glue? Thanks.Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Rez
Here's a link
http://www.rooglue.com/
I get mine at my local Woodsmith store.
Started using it 3 or 4 yrs ago, and it works great
Barry
It's not the habitat, it's the inhabitants.
Won't you be my neighbor
Thanks, I'll have to give it a try.
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
I wouldn't consider gluing to the melamine surface. Melamine cabinets get built with rabbet and dado joints so there is positive registration and mechanical strength in the joint. The core material is exposed in the joints and poly vinyl acetate glues like Titebond bond them just fine especially when backed up with screws. Buiscut joints or dowels glued with PVA also work because you are gluing to the core material but the boxes aren't as strong.
Why would you guys use glue on melamine cabinets?
Brinkmann for president in '04
FHB #126 Nov 99 p. 64-69 "Building Kitchen Cabinets On Site" by Joseph B Lanza. " My cabinets consist of plywood or melamine boxes...Cabinet floors are cut the full width of the box, and the sides are then glued and nailred from below." No mention of rabetted joints. The pictures in the article show cabinets of melamine, and all the joints are butts. I have a project coming up that will require a simple 16' run of base cabinets surrounded on three sides by walls, so this method looks promising. I like the idea of using melamine because it is prefinished, but it's heavy, slick, and hard to glue.
Ditto Roo-glue,
I've used it for years as i'm often making some little melamine fabrication. Melamine covered particle board does not readily lend itself to dados, rabbets, etc.
joe d
I'll keep that in mind next time someone asks for Melamine boxes.
I use confirmat screws and butt joints and my boxes are hell for stout. Go together fast, just cut, drill shelf holes, edge, drill and screw. No muss, no fuss.
"Rabbets and dados" in melamine? I'd rather poke needles in my eyes than breath the dust from that type of milling. "Nails from below"? What, is that until the glue dries?
Now, don't get me wrong, if it works for you guys, good on ya. Me, I've tried lots of different types of glue - even have a bottle or two of Rooclear in the shop right now. But for my money I'm sticking with confirmat screws, 3/4" backs (thanks for that tip Adrian) and going glueless - can't see the purpose.
Brinkmann for president in '04
As you say,whatever works. I find a good 80t Hi ATB blade and fresh router bits cause virtually no chipping problems and feel the extra strength and ridgidity in the carcass is worth the work. Shop ventilation and a dust mask cover the dust.
Do you make plywood boxes the same way as you make melamine boxes?
"Do you make plywood boxes the same way as you make melamine boxes?"
No, I use pneumatic nails and staples and a little glue to fasten the parts for plywood boxes. But I am going to try that prefinished Maple plywood for boxes next time I get the chance. I priced it a couple years ago and it's a lot cheaper than A2 birch, when you consider the fact it's prefinished. Then I wouldn't use glue.
I might, or might not switch to 3/4" back in my plywood wall cabinets next time. I've been using 1/4" backs with a hanging rail for years, but really like the ability to just stock one size material and eliminate the hanging rail with the switch to 3/4". Makes for a hell of a stout cabinet, too.
This set of cabinets I'm building right now for our school district took about 80 sheets of 3/4" melamine, and I'm amazed at how little waste there is when I switched to one size stock.
How do you build your boxes?
Brinkmann for president in '04
I've gotten to where I use the rabbet/dado with screws and glue on everything. I've tried various combinations of joints, pneumatics, screws and buscuits but ended up there.
A lot of what i build is freestanding casework like bookcases and entertainment centres which I think need the extra strength and are usually more complicated assemblies. The slots I cut allow everything to register and makes assembly much easier. I am tooled and jigged up for this method, so time is not really a big factor and my market is custom and likes to see details like that. Edit - I also like that drum-like sound you get when you rap on the box.
80 sheets - hows your back feeling? My best (worst?) was 45 sheets of 3/4" for a restaurant kitchen out of a 10 x 16 shop.
Edited 8/28/2002 10:59:55 PM ET by Dick
"80 sheets - hows your back feeling? My best (worst?) was 45 sheets of 3/4" for a restaurant kitchen out of a 10 x 16 shop."
The back is holding up surprisingly well. I have a pretty efficient system down whereby I never lift the entire weight of a sheet. Probably the worst thing I do is tip a large wardrobe unit up off the floor after assembly, but even then, I'm pretty careful about using leverage and not fighting gravity any more than necessary.
I can't imagine working in a 10x16 shop, man. I get claustaphobic in my little shop and I have about 1,000 square feet. Just another challenge, I guess.
So what type drawer boxes you like to use?
Brinkmann for president in '04
I alternate between template dovetails and rabbets; bottoms fit in a dado. When I use rabbets, I also use countersunk screws plugged with a contrasting wood, featuring instead of concealing. I have a dedicated router for the dovetails so don't have to fiddle with adjustments. Sometimes I display the pins, sometimes conceal them. I usually cut the back shorter in the traditional manner so the drawer bottom can be removed, mainly so I can spray the drawer without worrying about masking the white PVC I use for standard drawer bottoms.
10 x 16 is almost impossibly small given that I share it with 14" bandsaw, 14" drillpress, 6" belt sander, lathe, planer, 48" jointer, two router tables and tablesaw with 36" outfeed and 48" side extension. I have added a 10 x 18 shed roof lean-to with a 4' x 16' level table for sheet good processing, assembly and temporary storage. Between slope and forest, I have a difficult property to build on. Have to cut a new driveway to even get a concrete truck onto the property. The good part is that it reminds me that I am happier staying small and hands-on and keeps me from tackling bigger jobs where I would be forced to get away from that. It always struck me that I'd rather build a $15,000 dining suite than a $15,000 kitchen.
I do the rabbit/dado/glue/screw everywhere also, except face frames, then pocket screws w/glue or biscuits/glue depending on the sitch.(fastening the frame to the box- )
Edited 8/29/2002 2:36:29 AM ET by gb wood
Face frames aren't commonly seen here. People seem to prefer the European style kitchen cabinets, even if they want traditional styling in the doors. I've taken to building a lot of my freestanding cabinets with legs (which double as faceframes) but I build the legs and sides as an assembly rather than a using seperate faceframe added on to boxes.
Dick,
Where's here? I do both styles, lately it's been mostly face frame with inset doors, flutes, dentil, that type of trip. Bunches of fun, I'm diggin it! I'm in LA-lotsa work here-I'm gettin ready to double my shop size-guy in the unit next to mine is movin, so I'm gonna snag that, bust a hole in the wall, & hopefully stay at least as busy!!
Edited 8/30/2002 5:32:55 AM ET by gb wood
Why wouldn't you?