(11-24-2019, 10:42 PM)Mr Eddie Wrote: Thanks John for the link.  I like being able to gang cut so many pieces at one time.  It has to be much faster than a conventional jig.  Do you use the jig only for DT and box joints or do you use the fence for all of your routing?  It would be nice to have a fence that was easy to adjust and very precise.

Lonnie

(11-24-2019, 01:20 PM)jteneyck Wrote: Stav, the other 5 of these I've made were only 20" tall, so the drawers did effectively go all the way to the floor.  




When I got this order they asked if I could make it 30" high.  Sure, but do you also want more drawers.  No, just make it 30" high.  OK.  

Gary, a universal mechanical properties test machine can measure most any mechanical property of a material or assembly. MTS in Minnesota is one of the largest manufacturers of this type of equipment, and the ones we have most in the labs I worked in, some of which sit on top of these cabinets.  We use them to measure the tensile, compression, and friction behavior of some products.  Machines like this are what FPL would use to measure the properties of wood, too, as well as the strength of joints, screw pullout strength, etc.  They come in lots of sizes with widely varying capabilities.  Our QA group has several with maybe only 5000 lb load capacity that sit on these cabinets, while we have one in our R&D lab that needs a high door to pass under and has a load capacity of nearly 100,000 lbs, and another that we use to measure the tensile strength of fibers only 2 microns in diameter, which requires only a few grams force but great accuracy.  

Doug, here is a photo of the drawer sides showing the 1/2" finger joints I used and the metal slides they ride on.  I use an original Incra jig on my router table to cut the joints, which allows you to cut the joints for all common parts at once.  Once the jig is set up and the fence positioned correctly I cut the joints for these 4 drawers in about 15 minutes.  You gang all the sides together, make the cuts on one end, flip them over and repeat on the other end, then gang the front/backs together and repeat the process using the complimentary scale on the jig.  As long as you index the jig correctly it's automatic.  I use the same jig for cutting dovetail joints in solid wood drawers.  There are several patterns you can use, too, to create joints that look highly machine cut to more hand cut.  




The first photo shows how the slides are mounted in the cabinet. 

John

(11-29-2019, 05:52 PM)Tapper Wrote: John (and others),

I noticed you mounted the slides near the bottom of each drawer. I've seen them located at the bottom, middle or closer to the top Is there an advantage to any particular location? On the drawers I'm building for my shop cabinets for some reason I'm thinking middle.

Thanks,

Doug

(11-29-2019, 07:03 PM)jteneyck Wrote: Doug, the directions say to mount them near the bottom of the drawer; the piece on the drawer something like 1" up from the bottom.  To your question, I've mounted them near the centerline of the drawer, too.  I don't recall observing any difference in how well the drawers functioned in either mounting location.  

With drawers of different heights, like I had, mounting the slides some constant distance up from the bottom makes more sense to me than centerline mounting as it reduces complexity and the associated probability of errors.  


John