Cabinet materials and hardware for off road use

[derjack]

I think unless a company was already set up for this type of construction it would be a tough sell to get them to use it.



GR8ADV "I will not be the 'doer' but the 'commissioner' of said work."

I don't get to your point. It's not about this company, it's about flight case construction mostly. This has nothing to do with selling.

There are a lot of companies using this type of building interior. This particular one has a lot of do it yourself material, that's why it's helpful here for everyone.
No need for special tools or knowledge! Everybody can do this. + You can build it part for part! No need to construct a whole sidewall furniture.

IMHO very important:
Weight will kill everything OFFROAD (especially) like
- more fuel
- more ware of tires
- more ware of everything is your suspension
- less acceleration
- less negative acceleration
And so on...

 

[FEDUPWBS]

Hi,

Actually the only and best way is in flight case building method, like this:

http://www.4x4-innenausbau.de/index.php this website is in German but i think it's easy to get what is mend. Or out it in a translater.

It's in the first look more expensive than taking a simple kind of wood. But you can use these "cases" for ever and on different vehicles. imho most vehicles here are made much to heavy and not rough enough to go off the road. Heavy does not necessarily mean it's robust!

You can Google 'Adam Hall', this is the basic idea. This is what all 'professionals' do here in Europe, btw.

This is awesome. Modular, seems to use plywood with laminate=super strong and repairable if need be. I dig the look. Any distributors of this in the states?

 

[derjack]

This is awesome. Modular, seems to use plywood with laminate=super strong and repairable if need be. I dig the look. Any distributors of this in the states?

Like I said: Check Adam Hall: http://www.adamhall.com/en/Aluminium_Extrusions.html
The distri in Germany offers plywood in 6.9mm instead of the common 7mm, wich makes the connection between plywood and the casemaker easier. The other nice offer is the plastic connector offered from the distri, to connect the casemaker profile in the edges.
But this is nothing that you can exchange by the standard flightcase building method. The plastic connector are just easier to fit.

Not the plywood is just 7mm/~ less a third of an inch. Light but still strong.

 

[Ron Bones]

Yea that looks the perfect solution! Easier than my aluminium build, might try to adopt that for my seat/bed build now!

 

[PaulJensen]

... what cabinet materials, construction and mounting methods/techniques, joints, and hardware do you all recommend to withstand the rigors of offroad work.
.

Plywood cases offer excellent strength to weight ratios...

Plywood offers unequalled flexibility of design options...Flats, curves, angles with endless combinations possible...

Plywood can be finished with unlimited surface coverings ...Paint, veneers, metals, plastics, etc...

Plywood is relatively inexpensive, available everywhere and works with simple tools...

Fiberglass and epoxy expand the design options to include curved casework and doors / drawers... You can have style with function...

The construction method that I feel is strongest is building the cases with "box joints"... A simple way, exceedingly strong and not too time consuming after you build a calibrated joint cutting jig... Put them together with epoxy and coat the cases with a thinned out coat of epoxy to seal the wood... Use them in a boat if you wish... Same with the drawers...

Roll up tambour doors are a style worth considering for their security and stay-closed design... Bonus points for looking good too...

Cabinet backs should be rabbetted, glued and stapled or screwed to the case...

Attaching the cases to the vehicle is dependent on the backing material... Screws and bolt combinations rarely fail...

Hardware for drawers: Accuride A3832 with the 'hold close' option...Double them up for extreme conditions...

Hinges for cabinet doors: Stainless steel piano hinges...

Latches for doors are dependent on door design... No one, is best... I like to build wood slide-bolts into extreme condition vehicles to supplement the 'hold-close" drawer guides...Silent, more than strong enough and stylish...

"T-nuts" and bolts with washers work the best to attach cabinets together and to fasten drawer hardware to the cabinet cases... Thread lock them if you love overkill...

Finally, custom can be affordable if the fabricator is fast, creative and having a good time...!!!...

I hope that helps...

 

[GR8ADV]

This stuff is all excellent, thank you all, and keep it coming. I expect that there will be times of several hours of 20-40 mph washboard to deal with...that will shake most anything apart (except my cabinets of course). Well that is the plan anyway.

Again, thanks.

 

[GR8ADV]

Plywood cases The construction method that I feel is strongest is building the cases with "box joints"... A simple way, exceedingly strong and not too time consuming after you build a calibrated joint cutting jig... Put them together with epoxy and coat the cases with a thinned out coat of epoxy to seal the wood... Use them in a boat if you wish... Same with the drawers...

Paul, what are your thougts on a dovetail box and or drawer?

 

[PaulJensen]

Paul, what are your thougts on a dovetail box and or drawer?

Dovetails look nice, but if I remember right, box joints are stronger according to a test done by the folks at Fine Woodworking magazine...

 

[southpier]

a dovetail would offer mechanical strength, but a box joint would be as strong as the glue holding it.

 

[GR8ADV]

a dovetail would offer mechanical strength, but a box joint would be as strong as the glue holding it.

That would make sense. It would further make sense that a glued dovetale would be stronger still. Unless of course the strength provided by the increased surface area of the glued box joint was greater than the mechanical advantage et al of the dovetale. At this point we would likely have to look at failure methods to make a determination. Let's assume that they are both robust and great candidates for use.

 

[southpier]

let's beat this into submission and not discharge the long grain to long grain glue premise. the pins of a dovetail joint have, but the tails not so much.


more confusing ... are there two concurrent threads with the same question asked in different words, or am I caught in the expo forth (sic) dimension .... ?

 

[Joe917]

Forget the dovetails unless you enjoy the work. Box joints are fine, personally I would use biscuits.
If you can, the best way to reduce cabinet weight is to build into the vehicle. Rather than building a box and installing it you use the exterior of the vehicle as the cabinet back and floor(or back and top for uppers). Where you have two cabinets side by side use one common gable. Avoid drawers where possible, they add weight.
It takes some planning but you can eliminate quite a bit of material without sacrificing strength.
Or you could use a foam core with fiberglass and carbon fiber, its only money after all!

 

[ersatzknarf]

Yes, it can be done here.
See this thread, starting from this post : http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/38228-Our-quot-new-quot-Tiger?p=1120799#post1120799

This is awesome. Modular, seems to use plywood with laminate=super strong and repairable if need be. I dig the look. Any distributors of this in the states?

 

[OBORG]

Pocket holes with screws and titbond waterproof glue all door panels spaced with space balls and glue with moister setting poly 3m glue

 

[ersatzknarf]

Herr Jack,
I am a little late, but thank you very much for posting this !

Hi,

Actually the only and best way is in flight case building method, like this:

http://www.4x4-innenausbau.de/index.php this website is in German but i think it's easy to get what is mend. Or out it in a translater.

It's in the first look more expensive than taking a simple kind of wood. But you can use these "cases" for ever and on different vehicles. imho most vehicles here are made much to heavy and not rough enough to go off the road. Heavy does not necessarily mean it's robust!

You can Google 'Adam Hall', this is the basic idea. This is what all 'professionals' do here in Europe, btw.