MOTM

That crazy stooge Hendry wrote:
> > Explain to me why this does not allow one to
> > bolt the big honking rack rails back to back
> > for "butt-ended" rows one on top of another.

> Paul Schreiber <synth1@...> replied:
> There is no end support. And, not everyone relishes
> the thought of drilling 11 gauge steel.

OK.  That's good enough for me.  If you decide to go this way, I can still
use the rails for center Butt-ended" connections.  I have no problem with
the drilling and cutting.  So, as long as the "bend-radius" is the same
(that's the real important part), it sounds like they would work for me
too.

> I don't want to have 2 different part numbers (short one/long one)
> to keep track of. Call me lazy.

OK, I lost my thinking cap.  Whack em down the middle.  I can cut one of
the four in half again and stagger the butt joints that way.  However,
uncut would still be preferred.

> If I provide 90 degree bends in the long rails, the I
> suspect a "wood wedge" (actually, a complimentary pair!)
> on the top and bottom insides could 'tilt'
> the rails to give an overall slope to the *panels*.

> In fact (Mark T., help me out!) a planer with a 10 degree
> offset could be used to angle the *inside* surfaces of the
> top and bottom wood pieces so that a 90 degree bracket
> 'tilts' perfectly!

> You wouldn't need to plane off but ~1.5 inches back from
> the front edges: just enough to give the slope. I'm 
> thinking 5/8" birch plywood here.

> Thoughts?

Sure, I think you are overly concerned about the exactness of the wood
matching up to the metal.  Any woodworker worth his salt can get the
cabinet size within 1/16".  Hell, even 1/8" would be close enough.  There
is about that much slop in two rows of MOTM because of the oversized holes
in the MOTM panels.  If I was planning a 2 row high cabinet, I would
determine the exact inside size by this method:

I'd get my 4 new big ass long rails and four MOTM blank panels (or modules
if you are careful).  I would butt the two inside rails together and fasten
(or insert magic buss <grin>).  Then bolt the four panels to the ends (2
each side boys).  Then I would bolt the outside big ass long rails to the
outside edge of the four MOTM panels.  I would leave the screws only finger
tight.  I would compress everything toward the middle and measure.  Then I
would stretch everything to the outside limit and measure.  I would split
the difference between those two measurements and use that as my planned
cabinet inside dimension.

Yes, by all means.  Keep the metal 90 degrees.  Let the user plan his own
slope angle.  Plywood = crap for synth cabinet unless it will be tolexed. 
I hate tolex too.  However, having said that, if you dress the plywood edge
with trim glued on so you don't see any of the laminations, there is some
good looking plywood out there.  I think the slope could be incorporated
into a wood cabinet with a router, or a table saw and fence, or....  There
are several ways to do it.

Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with the wood rails for the very
top and bottom.  However, I would not use wood screws.  For about 15 cents
each you can get those cute little metal things that go into a wood hole
form the back side (some self gripping teeth) and provide regular bolt
threads (like 8/32) to the inside of a wood hole.

OK.  I'll shut up now.

Hendry (who just found out that Shemp was a stooge before Curly.  And Larry
had a gambling problem, and had actually developed a callus on one side of
his face from being slapped.  After almost 30 years, when the stooges were
canceled, the network would not even allow them back on the property to say
farewell to associates they had worked with)  Is that a long enough sig for
you JWB?