Woodworking help for a dummy!

[Clive]

ok so well outside my comfort zone here and hoping this wonderful community has members with skills that can help guide me !

I’m wanting to make a slide out cupboard for the back of our landrover camper, i’m pretty comfortable with metal fabrication but for this application a ply (12mm i think) construction would be more suitable

i have next to no woodworking experience beyond rough stuff like stud walls etc and i’m aiming to making something a bit more “fitted kitchen” quality like here ! ( maybe being a bit ambitious!)


first question - what saw and blade should i use to get a really clean cut without fraying on 12 mm ply ? what can i get to help me cut panels i need straight and square from 8x4 sheets ?

second question - i need to bolt into the ply ( not through it to located this construction). do the equivalent on “nurserts” exist for wood ? if so any tips for using them ?


there will be more questions i’m sure - i will
post pics of my efforts in exchange for advice ……. maybe just for comedy value !

 

[Nearly]

Festool plunge saw and guide rail. £500

Getting one made £priceless.

 

[Hardweld]

I do little wood work myself, tend to make everything out of steel because that's what I know. When I am doing wood I would find the rip saw to be my best friend. Get a cordless one if as lead can be a pain backside when chopping long pieces. Jig saw handy for curves and corners etc

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Good kitchen carcassing is 18mm.
A 60 toothed Makita/Dewalt type saw blade will cut nicely although I’d be cutting from the back. You can ‘knife’ your edge but only on stringy timber not MDF. Some ply cuts ok some needs to be knifed. Again work out the lay of the layers and mark F&R to help.
Titebond3 is good glue
SS

 

[tomlad]

Use a straight edge, guide rail when trying to be straight.
Jigsaw are great but much less likely to cut a straight line.
Saw bench or skil saw type will be easier to rip straight. As said above.
M18 hand held circular saw is possibly on my " needed " list atm .

 

[Welderloon]

Use Aluminium - Landrover - end of discussion

 

[ladycrofter]

Put masking tape where you're cutting, it helps stop splintering on the underside especially. Also put a scrap board underneath to stop the outer veneer blowing off. And go SLOW

As said no jigsaw!!! The top line will be okay but the underside will look like a drunk cut it, the blade bends unless using a large wide bladed floor mounted saw.

 

[ladycrofter]

@Hardweld is spot on. Take the plunge and buy a battery "skilsaw". Priceless and you'll use it often. Get a brand like Dewalt, then you can buy matching cordless drills, grinder, recip saw etc

 

[Clive]

Use Aluminium - Landrover - end of discussion

the rest of what in it is all steel / aluminium and a really good set up but this part will be better in light ply - its would be complex in steel with a lot of bends etc that I don't have the equipment to do well

 

[Clive]

Good kitchen carcassing is 18mm.
A 60 toothed Makita/Dewalt type saw blade will cut nicely although I’d be cutting from the back. You can ‘knife’ your edge but only on stringy timber not MDF. Some ply cuts ok some needs to be knifed. Again work out the lay of the layers and mark F&R to help.
Titebond3 is good glue
SS

18mm would be stronger but i need to consider weight - looking at VW camper fit outs they seem to use 12mm

 

[Clive]

@Hardweld is spot on. Take the plunge and buy a battery "skilsaw". Priceless and you'll use it often. Get a brand like Dewalt, then you can buy matching cordless drills, grinder, recip saw etc

we have one in the workshop but I think blade is wrong for my use as it creates really messy / splintered edges ?


can you get a track / guide for them to keep straight and square ? that's the big challenge here and will be essential to the quality of outcome I think, I know from welding / metal work that everything is easier if straight and square !


we have a lot of Millwallkee m18 drills and other handtools

 

[SilliamWhale]

You can get a guide clamp or even make one of you don't want to use a tracksaw.

Regardless even a low budget screwfix tracksaw will do it

 

[Keithy1394]

we have one in the workshop but I think blade is wrong for my use as it creates really messy / splintered edges ?


can you get a track / guide for them to keep straight and square ? that's the big challenge here and will be essential to the quality of outcome I think, I know from welding / metal work that everything is easier if straight and square !


we have a lot of Millwallkee m18 drills and other handtools

If you dont have a track say you can just clamp a straight edge to your piece and run a circular saw down it obviously you need to account for the body of your saw when measuring cuts

 

[tomlad]

I have several of the clamp straight edges
I rate them
1 is 4ft , very useful.

 

[tomlad]

https://ffx.co.uk/products/bora-bora-br-544100-2500mm-long-ngx-clamp-edge-294322?max-za-2&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoJa2BhBPEiwA0l0ImILfpZSrwuFVqFNjkdt5ZI_3sgdmuPdqPyxYFZY8ynMTzY8FA_nVERoC6YwQAvD_BwE

Not this one but symular

 

[ladycrofter]

If using a board eg a 4x2 for a straight edge, put the edge against a door jamb first to check the wood edge is itself straight. A lot of timber is slightly bowed due to the drying process.
Use large clamps and don't forget to put clean packers in so you don't mark your wood under the clamps

 

[zero]

If you have Milwaukee gear then get a bare saw and tracks to use the same batteries. A mix of 12 and 18mm ply will be ok depending on where the strong bits need to be and i think its called birch plywood that some joiners use for doors as it has a finer finish.

 

[JWL]

To get a near enough "perfect" edge but time consuming is to cut wider then clamp a straight edge and run a router down
Straight bit or use a rounding one so no sharp edges on the exposed bits

I rebuilt the living part of my old Dobbin lorry and used 12mm furniture board for the carcases and cabinets. 90⁰ corners I cheated and used an aluminium profile that the boards slipped into and this also made the joins solid with very little work. Also means that the corners won't get damaged by knocks

 

[zero]

Bubble foil is good insulation down behind everything, and foil tape is good at holding it in place behind the woodwork.

 

[br jones]

we have one in the workshop but I think blade is wrong for my use as it creates really messy / splintered edges ?


can you get a track / guide for them to keep straight and square ? that's the big challenge here and will be essential to the quality of outcome I think, I know from welding / metal work that everything is easier if straight and square !


we have a lot of Millwallkee m18 drills and other handtools

If youn have miwalkee batterys then a milwalkee battery plunge saw and trsck would make life eeay for you ,cut clean square and dead straight ,had one for years one of the best tools for cupboard making there is