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Subject: Re: [motm] DIY Cabinetry--Pros & Cons

From: "Microtonal" <microtonal@...>
Date: 2001-08-29

DIY Cabinetry--Pros & Cons, RFQ
I built a cabinet a few months ago in expectation of the flat rails.  Since I had never done any woodworking, I chose "ease of construction" in every case except the back panel, which I added without too much difficulty.  Some observations based upon my experience:
 
∗  Originally I was going to make the box 24U across by 15U high.  However, after some weight calculations, I cut this back to 18U across by 15U high.  This makes the cabinet around 80 pounds when fully populated so that one person can move it if necessary.  18U across is a multiple of the flat rail 6U length.
∗ With a few low power panels and patch panels, this cabinet matches the power capacity of the MOTM-900 power supply without having to upgrade wattage.
∗ If expecting to add Blacet or Wiard modules I recommend going for 8.75" depth minimum.  I have an MOTMized Time Machine that won't quite fit until I add the flat rails to my system.  The cabinet is 8.25" deep, but about 0.75" inches is inset to that knobs are not protruding past the cabinet frame.
∗ Going with the "plain looking" horizontal layout meant that I could get the wood cut at the hardware store.  Yes they made some mistakes but they paid for it, not me.  At Lowes the cuts were free.  I don't have a table saw, so this saved me some equipment cost. 
∗ I used 3/4" birch plywood for its straightness and appearance.  Make sure you pick out straight pieces. You can get a roll of birch edging that glues to sides using a hot iron, covering the plywood stacks.
∗ Originally I was going to do a Tolex box, but I decided to go for wood instead.  This was largely based upon availability.  Everything I needed for wood was at the local hardware store whereas for tolex I would have needed to mail order the tolex and angle strips to cover the seams.  Also, I have a nice looking Tolex box from Synthesizers.com and it appears that the edges of the wood needs to be beveled slightly for best application of the tolex.  That's beyond my woodworking skills, so the wood look was easier.
 
John Loffink
microtonal@...
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Tkacs, Ken
To: 'motm@yahoogroups.com'
Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2001 2:03 PM
Subject: [motm] DIY Cabinetry--Pros & Cons, RFQ


Well, the flat rails are here, and now it's time for many of us to start building homes for our module collections. For myself, I find that I'm not completely in love with my case ideas of three years ago. At the time, my studio layout was different, as was my lifestyle. I was designing them with the idea of gigging once in a blue moon, and of owning a small number of modules and slowly adding to it. But now I have kids so I'm "studio-only," and it's taken me so long to get around to the cabinetry that I now have a boat-load of modules that could fill up a large case right away.

∗Ease of Construction∗-it's easier to build one big console than three smaller ones, plus there starts to be a lot of "wood" in there. That makes having many cabinets, compared to one big one, heavier, more expensive, and harder to build. Also, for those with less-than-perfect woodworking skills, it's easier to get one console built properly than to make a series of cabinets that should look exactly the same. ∗Winner: Console∗

∗∗Angled versus Flat∗∗

[∗Ease of Construction∗-Not having to deal with angles makes for easier woodworking, especially trying to fashion multiple cabinets that all [should] look exactly the same. Staying flat, one could probably find wood of the proper width and just cross-cut them to length. ∗Winner: Flat∗

∗Ergonomics∗-Cabinets and consoles with one or more angled tiers give the appearance of being more ergonomic, but usually aren't, particularly, in practice. You would have to design the angles around the idea that the operator is in one fixed position for long periods of time, that the system will always be at a particular table height, and so on, which for me at least isn't realistic. ∗Winner: Flat (or no issue)∗

∗∗Wood versus Tolex∗∗

∗Ease of Construction∗-I find working with fabric in all forms to be a nightmare, personally, whereas working with sandpaper and stain is no big deal. ∗Winner: wood∗

∗∗Back or No Back∗∗

∗Ease of Construction∗-Naturally it's more difficult to make backs than to NOT make them, but it's hardly a big deal. ∗Winner: No Back∗