Cabinet making material?

[buns]

Hi guys,



Soon I will be moving and unfortunately my old DIY cabinet will not be able to join me. It is exactly the right design for me but beyond it not fitting down the stairs, it has several other problems. I was wondering whether anyone here would have the expertise to advise me.



I made the last cabinet out of veneered chipboard type material. The main reason was that I could buy the board all ready from B&Q - thus it was easy. The cabinet has 3 sections, a space for a centre speaker with shelving for equipment either side. The major trouble is that the whole thing is too flexible for its weight. As a result, it makes very worry creaking noises and has in fact been damaged when moving it about. I do appreciate this may also have much to do with my novice joinery!



So first up - what do I use to build a replacement? I do not have the money to buy something custom built, but I would like to make a better stab than last time! Is MDF going to be a stronger material? I could just veneer it when finished. Or I read about MDO - would this also need veneered? What about the cost?



Then for the joinery itself. Can anyone point me to any good guides? Last time I just attached the face of one board to the end of another using dowels and glue. Is there an easy and inexpensive method I could use that would make a stronger joint? I could spend a bit of money on tools if it would genuinely help and they would be useful for future DIY...



Many thanks for any help



Adam

[SimonO]

You can buy veneered MDF :nod:

[stee-b]

The flexy has to be a firm favourite :

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexy.html

The Italian site has better pics with the English version giving the full run down on building. Of course you may know your Italian :lol: and not need the English site!



With a bit of careful planning one of these will last for years.



Steve

[buns]

I have the design already - it is all 'CADed' and ready to go - I just need to get a handle on what is the best way for materials.

[SYNTHesis]

I have the design already - it is all 'CADed' and ready to go - I just need to get a handle on what is the best way for materials.




Don't go with the 18mm or less MDF over large spans - say 1m+. The stuff sags over time, especially with heavy equipment sat on there.



Birch or marine ply is better, especially the sheets that has the grain running at 90 degrees to the a-joining layer. Its always tough to bend wood against the grain so this would work well.



Another good material is Corian or the stuff they use for worktops, very strong, good damping and wouldn't sag. Would look a little 'different' for an AV stand though.



But the best approach is to use a cross member across the greater dimension of the wood. It provides a backbone to the panel and ideally should be placed towards the center for maximum effectiveness, it doesn't have to be particularly high either. A bit of 3x2" would work wonders here.



Don't forget to build strength in to the structure from the bottom up.