? on attaching a cleet

[Ralrick]

I built a fairly small shelving unit (about 20" X 40") that my wife wanted for her paper punches she uses in scrapbooking. She would like me to hang the unit on the wall but I didn't plan for hanging the unit when I built it.

I would like to use a cleet to hang in on the wall, but I made the unit with a rabbet around the inside edge of the entire back of the shelving unit to install the cabinet back (1/4" oak plywood).

My question is this: I used 3/4 poplar and there is about 3/8" after the rabbet was cut. Should I use small screws to attach the cleet in this remaining 3/8" of wood or could I just use glue and small nails to attach the cleet to the oak playwood and sides? BTW, the shelves are 3/4 poplar but they are installed at a steep angle (see pic) so unless I can find a way to install the screws at the same angle, I probably can't use the shelving boards to attach the cleet. I have made the cleet with a 45* cut on a piece of oak about 1x5. :eusa_thin

Any suggestions welcome . . . . .

 

[jeff...]

Nice job on the wall unit :icon_thum. If it were me I would make up a couple of screwboards (top and bottom) and shoot some long fat screws through the screwboards / plywood back and catch a couple of wall studs. if your concerned about the screw heads showing you could plug your pre-drilled holes with some wood buttons. Remember I'm a Neanderthal, so take it for what it's worth. I've always had to be concerned about little kids and now that I'm a grandpa I'm just as concerned, so I would make an attempt to secure it to the wall for good or at least until I wanted it to come down. That unit has got to have some weight to it.

Thanks

 

[DaveO]

I would think that for the load that it would be holding you could glue the cleat to the back of the plywood back. The difficult part would be getting good clamp pressure for a good glue bond. If you could remove the back panel that would be easiest, but if not you might have to stack up some scrap stock on the inside of the unit to allow your clamps to bridge the top and apply pressure on the inside. You might want to also glue a spacer block to accommodate for the offset that the cleat will create as to not mess up your shelf angle by having the cabinet hang angled on the wall.
MTCW,
Dave

 

[McRabbet]

I would make French Cleats to hang it (for examples, see this PDF file or this video for more details). Because you said you have recessed the 1/4" plywood back in a 3/8" wide rabbet, I assume that it is 1/4" deep and the back is flush with the sides. You need to rip cut a 1" x 4" x cabinet width piece of poplar down the center with your table saw blade at 45 degrees. A 1" x 2" piece of the same length is needed for an offset piece at the bottom of the back. Secure the 2" wide cleat across the back behind the drawers, pre-drilling screw holes 3/8" from each end and secure it with 1-1/2" drywall screws (the screws will go into the sides from the back). Put one of the angled pieces near the top with the sharp pointed edge of the 45 facing down and secure the same way. The other 45 will be secured to the wall (preferably to at least 2 studs or with molly bolts) with the sharp pointed edge away from the wall and pointed up. The two 45's will mesh together and will hold the cabinet securely to the wall with no exposed fasteners. If you've mounted the two cleats on the back of the cabinet so they are flush with the top and bottom, you could also add screws into the top and bottom for added strength.

Ideally, the French cleats are recessed into the back so the cabinet sides are flush with the wall. I've hung 75 - 100 pound cabinets this way, including the Dining Room Glass Wall Cabinets in my 2008 calendar submission. They work very well and are easy to make.

 

[Ralrick]

Thanks for the quick responses.

Jeff - I had thought of putting a board on the inside of the shelving unit, but unfortunately it is not deep enough to include the board and the punches she plans to put on the shelf. This may an option if I use a 1" wide strip that will go just under the top edge of the cabinet - there is no way to install the strip under the other shelves since they are at such an angle.

Rob - the french cleat in the PDF is exactly what I had in mind (you can see part of the cleet I already cut behind the shelving unit in the picture.) In your description, were you saying to screw 3/8" from the edge even though this would be right at the edge of the rabbet? The rabbets are 1/4 deep so that the Oak plywood is flush with the back of the unit but I thought the poplar would split if I tried to screw through the edge of the rabbet.

Dave - I'd rather not remove the back but think I can get enough clamping on the cleat if I clamp right at the top of the unit and find a way to avoid the molding on the top of the unit. Would you use wood glue or 'gorilla' glue if you were attaching the cleat to the plywood? lastly, I was planning to put a spacer at the bottom of the unit so that it did hange square.

 

[McRabbet]

Thanks for the quick responses.

Rob - the french cleat in the PDF is exactly what I had in mind (you can see part of the cleet I already cut behind the shelving unit in the picture.) In your description, were you saying to screw 3/8" from the edge even though this would be right at the edge of the rabbet? The rabbets are 1/4 deep so that the Oak plywood is flush with the back of the unit but I thought the poplar would split if I tried to screw through the edge of the rabbet.

Dave - Lastly, I was planning to put a spacer at the bottom of the unit so that it did hang square.

Rick, if you predrill the poplar with a clearance hole and countersink it should not crack. Also drill into the sides (and top/bottom if you overlap them fully) with a smaller bit so they don't crack either. The lower spacer piece could be glued onto the back if you preferred as it doesn't bear any weight.

 

[Travis Porter]

I would like to see some more pics of this. LOML has a bunch of scrapbook stuff and I wonder if you sized it to fit the Sizzix dies and cutter?

 

[DaveO]

Dave - Would you use wood glue or 'gorilla' glue if you were attaching the cleat to the plywood?

I would use regular Titebond 1 glue, or any other PVA glue that you have. Personally I don't think that Gorilla Glue is all that great for standard (typical) glue ups. It does have it's uses where it can excell, but they are limited.

Dave

 

[Ralrick]

Travis -

I don't have any idea what a sizzix looks like, but I'll have my wife load up the shelf with her cutters tomorrow and post a pic . . . . hers range in size from 1"x1.5" (planned to go on bottom shelf in two rows) up to the biggest ones being 3x5.5 and 5x5.

 

[Ralrick]

Travis -

Here is a picture with the shelving unit and some of her differnet size punches. My wife mentioned that these are not the same as Sizzix dies . . .

 

[Travis Porter]

My wife has some of the same style dies as well as the sizzix with the dies. I like the way you did the shelves tilted instead of level as it would seem to help keep them towards the front and easy to reach. Have to talk with the wife and see if she wants one similar.

Thanks for posting!