bb

"bent"

17/12/2006 3:48 PM

Making (sewing notions) drawers with clear plastic faces

If I were to make a huge cabinet to store all of the sewing motions kicking
around the house, and I would want to use clear plastic drawer fronts, what
would be the correct way to mount these flat clear plastic faces to be the
front of the drawers. I would most likely be cutting the plastic, and
drilling the holes from a big sheet, though you can order both done when
buying. I have learned how to use a cloth wheel to round the edges of
plastic, the coloured kind anyways: don't know if the clear plastic I am
thinking of is any different from what I used to make Pacman keychains.
Everything else would be plywood, possibly painted. The drawers could range
in size from anywhere from say 1-1/2" High to 8"High, say, and the width
could be 48"-58", possibly 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or full width including a max 48"
x 8".

I may be able to make some drawers flip down to expose threads positioned
on pins by colour. Probably take a 1-1/2" x 58" x full depth (maybe ~20"
drawer.

Any ideas or have you seen anything like this.

I've got a space 58"W x 7-8' high, and full depth, and I mean its kickin.



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----


This topic has 8 replies

bb

"bent"

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

18/12/2006 11:58 AM

I definetely have some ideas I didn't used to, but I think I am still
missing the boat. For instance if I could dado or even rabett in rthe front
edge, what kind of example would that be? Wouldn't that mean I'd have to
make the sides/back/bottom one piece? Otherwise wouldn't the bottom and
front being held by the sides/back? Is that ok? I am thinking
engineer-wise. If I just drilled it on the front to hold it, I don't know,
it would just be kinda hanging there, no rigiditity. I can't really plan on
strips on the top and bottom if I don't know what I'm trying to achieve. I
am just against doing anything, and just doing something is a little
ridiculous.

Right now, I am stuck in the thinking that I NEED to support the bottom as
much by the front as by the sides/back.

the plastic must replace a wood piece with serious rigidity.

Hmmm I wondr what would happen if I took off the front of a drawer (w/ a
floating dado bottom), ansd replaced it with a screwed on piece of flimsy
plastic?



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

bb

"bent"

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

18/12/2006 1:38 PM

I like the idea of a face frame for a front, with a groove for the window,
but it will not will suit when designing for having smaller drawer sizes.

i could use square dowels side to side on top and bottom, possibly w/
groove, or rabbett. I'm stuck here. Should it have a free floating bottom,
or attached at all/any edges? Due to the quantity of drawers unknown I
don't know whart to glide them on, and so, doubly not sure how (a
potentially large) 3 sided box would perform with any contents



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

bb

"bent"

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

18/12/2006 1:48 PM


i think its a short stretch to realise i could attach the plastic rigidly,
having a four sided box, and do a semi- or full floating bottom



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

w

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

18/12/2006 11:21 PM


bent wrote:
> If I were to make a huge cabinet to store all of the sewing motions kicking
> around the house, and I would want to use clear plastic drawer fronts

Good question, this; it stretches the imagination.

For a small drawer (less than 3"x5" front) a face frame won't work
well; the wood wants to be several grain-spacings deep at all
points, for strength. One could box-joint or dovetail a wood
front with routed inset for the polymer at 3x5 or larger.

How about a thru-dovetailed front in plastic? You could
drill/pin with a nail, or use suitable glue (dark adhesive caulk?).
The dovetails would work OK with a bandsaw in polycarbonate
plastic. You might be able to chisel it, even, with a hot-blade
cutter (this is a common bit in soldering-gun kits).

Or for a small drawer, maybe bend the plastic to make front/bottom/back
in one piece and glue wooden sides on? The full joint size would be
large
enough that glue strength isn't critical. Dipping the plastic in
a kettle of boiling water will soften it in a few seconds, then
clamp it to a form to cool. Remember that your form has to allow a
radius for the bend! I've always liked being able to see through the
bottom of a drawer full of parts.

l

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

17/12/2006 6:19 PM

In article <[email protected]>,
bent <[email protected]> wrote:
>If I were to make a huge cabinet to store all of the sewing motions kicking
>around the house, and I would want to use clear plastic drawer fronts, what
>would be the correct way to mount these flat clear plastic faces to be the
>front of the drawers. I would most likely be cutting the plastic, and
>drilling the holes from a big sheet, though you can order both done when
>buying. I have learned how to use a cloth wheel to round the edges of
>plastic, the coloured kind anyways: don't know if the clear plastic I am
>thinking of is any different from what I used to make Pacman keychains.
>Everything else would be plywood, possibly painted. The drawers could range
>in size from anywhere from say 1-1/2" High to 8"High, say, and the width
>could be 48"-58", possibly 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or full width including a max 48"
>x 8".
>
> I may be able to make some drawers flip down to expose threads positioned
>on pins by colour. Probably take a 1-1/2" x 58" x full depth (maybe ~20"
>drawer.
>
>Any ideas or have you seen anything like this.
>
>I've got a space 58"W x 7-8' high, and full depth, and I mean its kickin.
>
>
>
>----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet
>News==----
>http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
>Newsgroups
>----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

There's more than one "correct" way. If I was doing something like
this, I believe I'd just cut a saw-kerf wide dado about a 1/4" from
the front edge ot the sides & bottom of each drawer, and drop in an
appropriately sized piece of plexiglass. Size the plex so that there
is enough room to hook a fingertip over the top edge to pull the
drawer open.

--
Often wrong, never in doubt.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore, Maryland - [email protected]

Uu

"Upscale"

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

19/12/2006 3:41 AM


<[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Or for a small drawer, maybe bend the plastic to make front/bottom/back
> in one piece and glue wooden sides on? The full joint size would be
> large

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary effort to me when something much more
simple would suffice. Something as simple as two flathead screws fastening a
plastic window directly to the front edges of the drawer sides. There's
plenty of visually appealing screwhead types available that would make any
project like this look good.

Dd

"DanG"

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

17/12/2006 4:10 PM


I think I would make a wood "picture frame" with a plastic or
glass window in it for the drawer face.

The only ways I see to make the face completely of plastic
require either making the entire drawer of plastic bonded together
with methyl chloride or making the faces of heavy plastic (1/4" or
more) screwed to the drawer carcass sides and bottom.
___________________________
Keep the whole world singing. . . .
DanG


"bent" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I were to make a huge cabinet to store all of the sewing
> motions kicking around the house, and I would want to use clear
> plastic drawer fronts, what would be the correct way to mount
> these flat clear plastic faces to be the front of the drawers. I
> would most likely be cutting the plastic, and drilling the holes
> from a big sheet, though you can order both done when buying. I
> have learned how to use a cloth wheel to round the edges of
> plastic, the coloured kind anyways: don't know if the clear
> plastic I am thinking of is any different from what I used to
> make Pacman keychains. Everything else would be plywood,
> possibly painted. The drawers could range in size from anywhere
> from say 1-1/2" High to 8"High, say, and the width could be
> 48"-58", possibly 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or full width including a max
> 48" x 8".
>
> I may be able to make some drawers flip down to expose threads
> positioned on pins by colour. Probably take a 1-1/2" x 58" x
> full depth (maybe ~20" drawer.
>
> Any ideas or have you seen anything like this.
>
> I've got a space 58"W x 7-8' high, and full depth, and I mean
> its kickin.
>
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure
> Usenet News==----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> 120,000+ Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via
> Encryption =----

Ll

Leuf

in reply to "bent" on 17/12/2006 3:48 PM

17/12/2006 7:50 PM

On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:19:12 -0600, [email protected] ()
wrote:

>There's more than one "correct" way. If I was doing something like
>this, I believe I'd just cut a saw-kerf wide dado about a 1/4" from
>the front edge ot the sides & bottom of each drawer, and drop in an
>appropriately sized piece of plexiglass. Size the plex so that there
>is enough room to hook a fingertip over the top edge to pull the
>drawer open.

In that case I think you'd need to make the drawer bottom thicker than
normal and perhaps dovetail it to the sides or another strong
connection. I think I would just screw the front to the sides and
bottom, with a piece of wood glued to the underside of the bottom to
give enough thickness to screw into.


-Leuf


You’ve reached the end of replies