put a dado in the back of a cabinet?

[garybushey]

I am building more cabinets for my garage (it is turning into an addiction) out of 3/4" sides and a 1/2" plywood back. There are fixed shelves at 1", 36", and 71 1/2". Do people usually put a dado into the back piece for the shelves to slide into or just screw directly into the shelves from the back? I have 1/4" dadoes for my shelves to go into the sides but if I do that in the back that is taking away half the material. I could make shallower dadoes but would they be worth it?

 

[froglips]

Hey Gary from Cary (bet you never hear that!)......

I'm going to say, like most things, depends

I don't think it hurts to put them in the back and offer some additional support. Say if you plan to put your weight lifting free weight collection near the back behind your woodworking tools.

Nails through the back likely will support it well enough though.

Dado's across the back may also complicate the assembly as you need them to align.

If you'd like more support across the back, I might suggest a cleat that the shelf rest upon. You can add it after you assemble the cabinets.

Either way, glad you are enjoying your addiction!

Jim

 

[Canuck]

Screws from the back always work ok for me for non-adjustable shelves.

Just make sure that you draw a line or string along the center of the shelf (on the back panel) so that you make sure that you hit the shelf and not air!!!:BangHead: Bin there and done that more than once.:embarrassed::embarrassed:

For adjustable shelves, you can drill a set of shelf pin holes into the back (aligned with the side shelf pin holes) and you can add additional shelf clips along the back of the shelf. Gives you a little shelf location flexibility.

Wayne

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Jim's suggestion of a cleat is the way I would go. But I would install it before assembly. When you do the dry fit, w/ the back in place, mark a line for the bottom of the shelf. Remove the back and install the cleats. That way, when you do the final assembly, the cleats help keep the shelves aligned and straight. I just used this method on a 5' wide dresser I made. :thumbs_up

Bill

 

[Joe Lyddon]

I just screw from the back... seems to be working OK.

I wouldn't open myself to alignment errors to those back shelf dados... Life is too short!

... hate to say it... Just screw it! :rotflm: :rotflm: IMHO

 

[Joe Scharle]

I use edge band support on all shelves. Just a piece of 1" - 1.25" stock with a shallow 3/4" rabbet for registration and glue area; front and rear. Pin nail them on and after the glue dries, route them flush with the top of the shelf. You'll have to cut them short to allow for the end dados.
For fixed shelves, I run a bead of glue along the rear band and pin nail thru the back. Just set a tape on the floor in front, extended to the center of the shelf. Lock it and carry it to the back and fire away. It will be simpler though, to glue on a ledger in the rear.
I read years ago, that edge banding halves the deflection factor. Sure seems to bear out on my work.

 

[Joe Lyddon]

I use edge band support on all shelves. Just a piece of 1" - 1.25" stock with a shallow 3/4" rabbet for registration and glue area; front and rear. Pin nail them on and after the glue dries, route them flush with the top of the shelf. You'll have to cut them short to allow for the end dados.
For fixed shelves, I run a bead of glue along the rear band and pin nail thru the back. Just set a tape on the floor in front, extended to the center of the shelf. Lock it and carry it to the back and fire away. It will be simpler though, to glue on a ledger in the rear.
I read years ago, that edge banding halves the deflection factor. Sure seems to bear out on my work.

That looks real good! I do that across the front... was thinking of doing that across the back too... now, I will!

Ever do the ends too?


Thank you!

 

[Scwood]

First I only use 1/4" ply for my backs.After I assemble the upper cabinet,I rabbit out the back of the cabinet with a router.Then just check for square and glue and then staple in the back with some 5/8" wide crown staples.Now in my upper cabinets I put in a 2 1/4" nailer at the top and bottom.