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Rolling shop cabinet
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Built to house a scrollsaw, this mobile cabinet was designed with comfort and storage in mind
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By Art Mulder, photos by Roger Yip, illlustration by Len Churchill
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Something to Hold Onto
I quite like stainless-steel bar handles as drawer pulls. But because they're pricey, I designed pulls from shop scraps and a section of maple dowel. They have the look of the large bar handles, but they cost less and suit this project.
Cut two pieces of half-inch dowel to length. Next, cut four end blocks from maple. Carefully set up your drillpress and drill 1/2"-diameter holes using a Forstner bit, about 3/8" deep into each of the end blocks. Use a fence and stop block on a drillpress table to ensure that all the holes are drilled in the exact same location on each block. Place a few drops of glue in the holes, push the dowels into place and set them aside to dry.
Attach the drawer faces and pulls to the drawer boxes using countersunk screws. You can also position the cabinet top in place now and fasten it down.
On a Roll
The final step in this project's construction is to mount casters on the bottom of the cabinet. Cut some mounting blocks, roughly five inches square, from scrap walnut. Without the blocks, the weight of the cabinet would be carried completely by the bottom of the cabinet. This would place a strain on the joint between the bottom and the sides. The mounting blocks sit under the sides, and help bear the weight. Choose walnut to balance the project visually-so there is walnut trim both at the top and the bottom. Attach one pad at each corner of the cabinet, set in about a 1/4" to create a shadow line. Fasten the casters to the blocks.
When finishing the piece, avoid aggressive sanding. The face veneer on modern plywoods is thin. For best results, I usually skip straight to fresh 150-grit sandpaper, followed by 220-grit. Vacuum off the dust and wipe on a coat of boiled linseed oil. Wait five minutes and wipe off any excess. After 12 to 24 hours, apply a second coat of oil.
Once the project is dry, buff it with a soft cloth and apply a coat of paste wax to complete the job.
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