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| Lexiq:
Castor Wheels With the base otherwise complete, adding wheels is the next step. They'll make the cabinet easy to move around once complete, but also during construction. It's important to choose a wheel that's strong enough to bear the weight of the cabinet. The total weight of 3 2440x1220mm sheets of 18mm plywood is around 115kg. Not all the plywood will be used, and the other components are comparatively light, so something around 120kg seems like a reasonable upper estimate. I chose a 50mm castor with a 40kg load rating, multiplied by 4 wheels for 160kg total, which should be more than enough. The size of the wheel is another factor to consider, and how far the cabinet will sit above the ground. I had already chosen wheels before cutting the slots for the base, and used their dimensions to help decide on the vertical position of the slot. I wanted the cabinet to sit very close to the ground, so the wheels aren't obvious. On carpet it will sink a bit lower and appear to be flat on the ground, while still being manoeuvrable. A certain amount of estimation was involved, erring on the side of lower to the ground. If it turned out to be too low, I could add shims between the castors and the base. Fortunately, the estimates were close enough and this wasn't necessary. Wheel Types There are several options for the type of wheel (or foot): * Swivel Castor (with or without brake) * Fixed Castor * Levelling FootDifferent combinations of the above can be used. I considered using fixed castors on the back, with either swivelling castors, or feet on the front, but eventually decided on braked swivelling castors all round. I thought the brakes might be useful once the cabinet's in position, but in reality, they're difficult to reach once everything's assembled, and the cabinet doesn't move anyway, at least not on carpet. Wheel Mounts The wheels bear the weight of the cabinet, so they should be mounted securely. I decided to use the same threaded insert approach that I used to attach the ledger boards to the sides. This is both very strong, and also allows the wheels to be easily switched out. At this point I hadn't decided on exactly which style of wheel to use, and they all had the same mounting holes so were interchangeable. The other thing to consider was the swivel radius - the circle described by the castor as it swivels. The mounting point needs to be positioned such that this circle doesn't fall outside the area of mounting board, meaning the castor won't hit any part of the assembled cabinet when it swivels. |
| Zebidee:
Many commercial cabinets have just two fixed wheels at the back, mounted at ~45 degree angle, such that they don't engage the floor until you tilt back the cabinet. An advantage is the cab is normally not being supported by wheels at all, so more stable during frantic play. No need for a brake. Obviously this option/approach requires a little forethought (to put the angled back into the base), wheels rated appropriately for the weight, and must include handle/grips at top/back. I incorporated this into my Aussie lowboy cab - you can have a look if you like It does the job well, but could have used slightly chunkier wheels. The ones I used are sufficient, rated to 50kg each and she is a small cab, but could have gone a little higher. On the other hand, I like the colour. Also used leveling feet at the back for added stability. Once you tip the cab backwards sufficiently, the wheels take over. |
| Lexiq:
--- Quote from: Zebidee on June 25, 2023, 04:09:02 am ---Many commercial cabinets have just two fixed wheels at the back, mounted at ~45 degree angle, such that they don't engage the floor until you tilt back the cabinet. An advantage is the cab is normally not being supported by wheels at all, so more stable during frantic play. No need for a brake. Obviously this option/approach requires a little forethought (to put the angled back into the base), wheels rated appropriately for the weight, and must include handle/grips at top/back. I incorporated this into my Aussie lowboy cab - you can have a look if you like It does the job well, but could have used slightly chunkier wheels. The ones I used are sufficient, rated to 50kg each and she is a small cab, but could have gone a little higher. On the other hand, I like the colour. Also used leveling feet at the back for added stability. Once you tip the cab backwards sufficiently, the wheels take over. --- End quote --- Looks like a good approach - and I guess the wheels are pretty close to the ground so it doesn't need to tilt much before they take the weight, meaning that it will work even if the cabinet is against a wall. |
| Lexiq:
Back and Top Panels These panels are constructed using the same techniques used previously, with a few differences. The two largest panels need to be removable from the outside of the cabinet to provide access to the monitor, PC, and wiring inside, and the panels at the top of the cabinet need to account for the angled section. Central Panel The first step was to build the panel that sits between the upper and lower sections. This panel is fairly large and provides additional horizontal rigidity that prevents the cabinet from skewing left or right. The ledger boards are long enough to extend all the way to the base of the cabinet because they will also be used to connect the lower removable panel. They are positioned offset from the top of the panel to account for the space used by the monitor shelf ledger boards. Threaded inserts are used in these ledger boards to provide the mounting points for the removable panel. Lower Removable Panel This panel will provide access to the back of the cabinet where the PC is located. Dowel center points are used in the holes for the threaded inserts in the center panel ledger boards to align the holes in the removable panel. A dowel center point is a small tool that fits in an existing hole and has a point on the other end. With one of these in each mounting point hole, the removable panel is aligned correctly, then pressed down so that the points mark where the holes need to be drilled. With the holes drilled, joint connector bolts are used to attach the removable panel. These have wide, flat hex drive heads that spread load to avoid damaging the surface, and look reasonably good. Although they are on the back of the cabinet, they are one of the few externally visible fasteners used. Upper Removable Panel This provides access to the monitor, speakers and light box at the top of the cabinet. The construction is very similar to the lower removable panel and is attached to ledger boards running from a small, upper rear panel to the monitor shelf. Top Panels These panels are more difficult to construct because they meet at angles. I chose an angle of 30 degrees from horizontal for the rear angled section of the cabinet, which makes these angles easier to measure and cut. I used the track saw, adjusting the blade angle for each cut, then positioned the panels together to check the result. The ledger boards for these panels also needs to account for the angle. This was just done with a protractor and the track saw with the usual 90 degree blade angle to cut the lengths. With ledgers screwed to the panels, I used a sanding block to tidy up the ends and make sure everything aligned. Speaker Panel This is the final panel, and slightly simpler. It doesn't need to align with any other panels, so the ledger boards are square. The front facing end does need to be parallel to vertical so that the marquee can sit flat against it. This requires another angled cut. Additionally, and this also applies to the top front panel above, the ledger boards should stop well short of the front edge so they don't cast visible shadows when the marquee is lit. At this point, I was planning to start work on the front of the cabinet, and started to think about how to integrate the keyboard drawer. I couldn't decide on an approach and took a break to consider the options. It would be five and a half years before I resumed work, but I was happy with what I'd done so far and never considered the project abandoned. |
| EvilNuff:
Looks great, well done craftsmanship with clean work! Why the dual spinners if I may ask? |
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