Rebuilding cupboards

Swimmer asked if I used quarter inch ply for all of it. Yes, but around the inside edge of each door, I reinforced the door with strips of quarter inch ply, so that there is a hollow rectangle that is a half inch thick. I used Titebond III glue for those reinforcements.

And yes, we do store some canned goods (in small boxes) on those shelves -- no problem, even though we travel over rocky dirt roads. The shelves are supported with thin strips of maple that are screwed into the walls. (The photos in the blog post, above, show the supports.) Inside the walls, I installed plastic spiral screw anchors. The walls themselves are just very thin ply sandwiched onto foam -- they have no separate structural integrity. So that is the reason for the anchors.

The closures are magnetic catches. But I also installed locking devices at the top and bottom of each door, to keep everything secure on bumpy roads.

The "locks" are just long drywall screws. I bent them at 90 degrees by putting them in a vice and heating them up with a propane torch, using a pair of pliers to bend each one in the middle. If you don't use a torch, the metal will crystallize and break when you bend it.

I then put a little piece of plastic tubing on the end of each "lock." Finally, I screwed each one into the face frame of my cabinet and screwed it down until it makes contact with the face of the door. To "unlock," turn the screw a quarter turn to the left. Very simple, works great, but not real pretty.

profdant139 wrote:
Swimmer asked if I used quarter inch ply for all of it. Yes, but around the inside edge of each door, I reinforced the door with strips of quarter inch ply, so that there is a hollow rectangle that is a half inch thick. I used Titebond III glue for those reinforcements.

And yes, we do store some canned goods (in small boxes) on those shelves -- no problem, even though we travel over rocky dirt roads. The shelves are supported with thin strips of maple that are screwed into the walls. (The photos in the blog post, above, show the supports.) Inside the walls, I installed plastic spiral screw anchors. The walls themselves are just very thin ply sandwiched onto foam -- they have no separate structural integrity. So that is the reason for the anchors.

The closures are magnetic catches. But I also installed locking devices at the top and bottom of each door, to keep everything secure on bumpy roads.

The "locks" are just long drywall screws. I bent them at 90 degrees by putting them in a vice and heating them up with a propane torch, using a pair of pliers to bend each one in the middle. If you don't use a torch, the metal will crystallize and break when you bend it.

I then put a little piece of plastic tubing on the end of each "lock." Finally, I screwed each one into the face frame of my cabinet and screwed it down until it makes contact with the face of the door. To "unlock," turn the screw a quarter turn to the left. Very simple, works great, but not real pretty.

So, in short, I can use 1/4 ply for everything. Just beef up some parts.

I build cabinets for work and there is nothing I like about the way they built the cabinets in my new TT. I understand the weight thing but the 1/4 in ply chelfs is not something I would store allot of weight on as far as can goods and such without adding some more support to them. I'm going to add some adjustable chelfs where needed while I'm at it. Its not going to add up to very much more weight. If looks matter to you I would try to build the doors to match what you have. Just my thoughts and maybe Im wrong.:)

Yes, Swimmer, I used 1/4 ply for everything. But it is not ordinary construction grade stuff -- this is baltic birch ply. A little more expensive, no splinters, looks good on both sides and the edges. Reinforce where needed. Support it as needed.

And note that the shelves, while long, are only a foot wide. So they don't sag in that dimension. If you need shelves that are two feet by two fee, for example, I doubt that quarter inch would be stout enough.

And the reason I use quarter inch has little to do with weight -- it has to do with bulk. Thick shelves and supports (like the one inch MDF clunkers that came stock with the trailer) waste a lot of cubic inches. Storage is at a premium, of course.

How good do you want it to look and what tools do you have? If you have a table saw, you can build some nice stuff. A chop/mitre saw would help too but you can cut angles on a table saw.

I would make the face frames with 3/4" or 5/8" (actual). You can make grooves in this thickness to hold/attach 1/8" plywood pieces. Or you can screw 1"x1" (3/4" actual) cleats into the rear of the face frames to which you can attach 1/8" panels. RV manufacturers typically have double-walled side/end and bottoms on cabinets and you can use good-one-side finish plywood. Using cleats, you can screw them to walls and ceilings for structural support and then install the finish 1/8" plywood to hide it.

Cabinet doors (and drawer fronts) can be made yourself with 3/4" material and then use a 1/8" inset panel by cutting a groove/dado (on table saw) and making the inset panel free-floating.

Joinery can be done using cleats, brads, dowels, pocket screws, "biscuits" and/or glue. Methods will depend on available tools and skill level. It's not easy to explain how to do it in a few words here. Note that miter corners may not be a good idea if there is a large seasonal humidity change. Hollow bottoms and end walls can be a good idea for running wiring, lights & switches. If you have a specialty plywood supplier nearby, you might get lucky and find some pre-finished plywood to match existing finishes. Or get some unfinished oak, maple or whatever and stain and use some varathane on it.

If you do some googling, there's tons of how-to info. on RV cabinetry.

myredracer wrote:
How good do you want it to look and what tools do you have? If you have a table saw, you can build some nice stuff. A chop/mitre saw would help too but you can cut angles on a table saw.

I would make the face frames with 3/4" or 5/8" (actual). You can make grooves in this thickness to hold/attach 1/8" plywood pieces. Or you can screw 1"x1" (3/4" actual) cleats into the rear of the face frames to which you can attach 1/8" panels. RV manufacturers typically have double-walled side/end and bottoms on cabinets and you can use good-one-side finish plywood. Using cleats, you can screw them to walls and ceilings for structural support and then install the finish 1/8" plywood to hide it.

Cabinet doors (and drawer fronts) can be made yourself with 3/4" material and then use a 1/8" inset panel by cutting a groove/dado (on table saw) and making the inset panel free-floating.

Joinery can be done using cleats, brads, dowels, pocket screws, "biscuits" and/or glue. Methods will depend on available tools and skill level. It's not easy to explain how to do it in a few words here. Note that miter corners may not be a good idea if there is a large seasonal humidity change. Hollow bottoms and end walls can be a good idea for running wiring, lights & switches. If you have a specialty plywood supplier nearby, you might get lucky and find some pre-finished plywood to match existing finishes. Or get some unfinished oak, maple or whatever and stain and use some varathane on it.

This is a photo off the internet that shows how an RV cabinet is typically made. If you do some googling, there's tons of how-to info. on RV cabinetry.

Thank you for that.

So, how nice do I want to make it? Well, the trailer is 20 years old. So, as long as it looks respectable, that is the main thing. I don't want a hack job.

I have access to a compound sliding mitre saw as well as a table saw.

The hole where the microwave was will be a simple door. I will get some 1/4 round to finish off the edges. I will either stain or veneer then stain the front.

The part of the other shelf where there is a hole, I will simply put a board up and likely stain it.

The shelf will be left unfinished.