Hanging tool cabinet design question

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

My next project in the queue will be the Fine Woodworking cabinet here.  A link on the page allows for downloading a PDF of the plans.

Here's my first question:  How much is overkill?  The original plans are 32" wide.  I have a space on my wall, between the windows, that is some 70" wide.  I want to modify the plans to 65" wide; which will put the outer edges of the case centered on two studs (with plenty in between to support the French cleat and eventual weight of a filled-up cabinet).

Second question:  Will a continuous hinge, ~46" long, be able to support two doors that are 32" wide, with the tools that they'll eventually carry?  Should I divide the cabinet into three sections with three doors instead?

This is my first tool cabinet build and hope to get it right the first time.

[ez-duzit]

It would be a mistake to stick with the original design and double the width. You will almost certainly have trouble with the wide door cantilever.

If you are enamored with the original design, just build two.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

It would be a mistake to stick with the original design and double the width. You will almost certainly have trouble with the wide door cantilever.

If you are enamored with the original design, just build two.

I'm worried about the two inside doors butting into each other on opening.  But I think it would be a bad idea to make the doors so wide, as you suggested.  I think I'll divide it into four sections; the two outer covered with two door, and the two center "open" with drawers top to bottom.

Thanks!

[hbmcc]

32-inches is a lot of weight to be hanging from a cleat. Even 24 inches can intrude into your working space.

Can you open the the area next to the windows as small niche-like shelves? Allow a couple inches clearance from the window frames (trim)? If you need the window framing for box support, can you combine trim-surround and tool box support? Is swinging a door 180 degrees into window light going to bother you. Remaining open during a work session can cut out light.

One thing that bothers me about cabinets is how vacant they look with a small number of tools. That will never be a problem for me.

The structural question is related to shear strength of the carcase, hardware and fasteners. Plywood is not strong as an end support. You need tough, hard, solid wood for screws. I over design hinges, and don't want old pianos just to salvage hinges.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

32" is the width, not the depth.  In my case, the over all design will be 65" wide.  The depth of the case (with doors) is only 14".

For hanging this cabinet, it will be located on the wall with a cleat up top, but I'll also run horizontal stringers (for lack of a better term) that are the same thickness as the cleat.  Probably a three of them; one at the bottom, and then two in the middle, and then screw the back of the cabinet to those stringers for additional support.

If I design it with two doors (each only 16" wide), on the left and right side, with drawers and shelves in the middle (no door over them), I'll have space for other tools, such as my routers and other portable power tools that need a home, too.

Here's what I'm looking at.  Notice the framing for the windows and that there's a stud just a few inches inside each one; that's the edge of where I want the cabinet to sit.  The outlet that's there will be moved out of the way.

(edit)

I have a bunch of chestnut that I'm trying to find a use for. It's got a lot of staining from metal fasteners and bug holes; it was once part of a log cabin. I'll use a lot of it for constructing this cabinet. I'll post up initial drawings in Sketchup once I get far enough into it.

[DaveR1]

I see a couple of easy options. 

Narrow the cabinets to 30 in. wide and put a 5 in.-wide filler piece between them. Set the filler piece a couple of inches back from the hinge line to give the doors room to swing open more than 90°. Hang yard sticks or other long skinny things on the filler. If you really wanted to use the space, you could make that filler strip a door to cover cubbies for hand planes or something.

Another option is to make the cabinets 24 inches wide and put a shelf unit between. You would still need to put the front of the shelf unit back a few inches so the doors will open to more than 90°.

[Ray Newman]

I am also  thinking about such a cabinet.

From Fine Woodworking #237, pp. 33-39 --42 "H, 28" W, 13 7/8" D -- http://www.finewoodworking.com/videowork...ol-cabinet

These might give you some ideas:

Wood #201, Nov. 2010 has an article for a free standing cabinet and base along with a 7 drawer tool chest that fits into the base. 76" H, 36" W, 20" D. Downloadable plan at --- http://www.woodmagazine.com/project-plan...dable-plan

Woodsmith ,  vol. 39, #232 (current issue) has a cabinet and chest similar to the above Wood design. 80" H, 36' W, 23" D. See --
https://www.woodsmithlibrary.com/view/issue/232/

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

One big cabinet sounds to me like trouble. You might also leave it behind if you move. Why not split this cabinet apart? Put the enclosed units on the end with an open shelf in between. Then you have two half cabinets and lots of shelf storage. It is a more versatile design. Anyway, good luck with the build. I'll bet the chestnut looks great. It deserves a new life in a tool cabinet.

[barryvabeach]

I can't offer much help just wanted to point out a few things.  I could not find the link to the exact one you are talking about, but have built a few tool cabinets.  Give some thought to how often you will have it open.  I usually just do WW on weekends, so I open the cabinet once on Sat and close it Sun when I am done.  If I understand you correctly, the open doors would go over the windows, and thus cut down on natural light.  If so, I would come up with a different plan, since I would hate to block all that natural light, and opening and closing it each time I wanted a tool would be a pain to me.  I second the idea to think of more than one cabinet, but I would build the main cabinet so than when it is fully open, it would not block any of the windows.  That gives you open access to the tools you use most of the time ( chisels, planes, marking tools etc ) .  If you want storage for power tools, I think a separate cabinet, without doors unless you need them for safety, would be quicker, though actually, I keep power tools lower to the ground,  and only keep fairly light tools in the tool cabinet, since my workbench is directly below my main tool cabinet, and I don't want to have to reach over it to get a router, etc.

[EricU]

I would go to the library and borrow a copy of the FWW toolboxes book by Tolpin "The Toolbox Book".  There are a couple of really wide tool chests in there.  Another thing to consider is, with the doors open, a 32" wide tool chest is going to be 64" wide.