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Cabinet has a little give...should I worry?

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DrewKaree:

SKIP - YA HEAR ME? - SKIP those chintzy L brackets, as all you're doing is making the edges somewhat sturdier. 

1)  Get yourself a 2x4.  An 8 footer, if need be. 

2)Cut it in half. 

3)Trim it so it just fits inside your cab,  somewhere in the middle, under the monitor area perhaps.  Both pieces (remember, you DID cut it in half, yes?). 

4)Screw into  your 2x4 braces from the OUTSIDE of your cab.

5)Find your favorite seating area (think La-Z-boy)

6)While getting settled, have the wife fetch you a beer.

7)Rest easy.

Problem solved.   ;D

Seriously, it'll go WAY quicker and be more solid that way.  As was said, it flexes now, all that'll happen over time is your screw holes will enlarge with the rocking, the "hold" will get sloppier and sloppier, and soon, your wife will be playing, and it'll fall apart on her.

I'm just trying to save your wife from getting yelled at for destroying all that hard work.  She can e-mail me her thank you later, or just give Pixelhugger all the info he needs when buying my hat for me ;D

Carry on.

pmc:

Shouldn't his new braces be installed diagnally? I was an engineer in school, but it doesn't seem to be helping me now.  :D

My cabinet rocks a bit too (left to right). I used 1-2" cleats to hold each panel to the next. It's on 4 casters and has no rear panel. I've always assumed that the lack of a rear panel is what prevented the cabinet from staying square when pushed. I also assume that the casters are not creating the instability (carpeted room and only 1/2-inch clearance anyway). I always expected to add a rear panel or diagnal braces to ensure that the cabinet remains square at all times. No more rocking.

Both my monitor shelf and the floor panel are mounted on 2x4's and they are square and tight. Seems to me that adding more horizontal braces will do little to keep the cab from remaining square. But I'm speculating.

- pmc

Ed_McCarron:

"I always expected to add a rear panel or diagnal braces to ensure that the cabinet remains square at all times. No more rocking."


Sure, a square back panel or diagonal braces would have the same effect - keeping the sides of the cab perpendicular to the base.


"Both my monitor shelf and the floor panel are mounted on 2x4's and they are square and tight. Seems to me that adding more horizontal braces will do little to keep the cab from remaining square. But I'm speculating."

The horizontal braces would help -minimally-.  Think of a 2x4 mounted with the long side vertical screwed across the cabinet.  If you put 2 screws on each end of the lumber, you've created diagonal vectors inside the lumber - albeit small ones with regards to the vertical.  They'll help a bit, but not much.  I'd think the screws would me more likely to rip thru the cab sides if it rocked too much - very short torque arm in that mode.

Bottom line, I gotta agree with you.  Diagonally or a back panel would be the most stable.

ahofle:

What's the best way to do a diagonal brace?  My cabinet also rocks a little left to right when 'certain people' play, heh.  I have a horizontal 2x4 under the monitor shelf, and also 2x4s on the bottom, but apparently those aren't enough.

Ed_McCarron:


--- Quote from: ahofle on August 01, 2005, 03:38:46 pm ---What's the best way to do a diagonal brace?  My cabinet also rocks a little left to right when 'certain people' play, heh.  I have a horizontal 2x4 under the monitor shelf, and also 2x4s on the bottom, but apparently those aren't enough.

--- End quote ---

If it were me and I had to do it?  No back panel, right?

Take 2 diagonal cross braces, half lapped in the middle (think a big "X" with the ends cut to fit to the cabinet sides) and screw/glue/whatever into place.  It's all about the triangles.  Triangles strong, parallelograms weak. :)

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