How to build type cabinet?

I don’t have plans, but if you are located near me (southwestern Ontario Canada), or near another one of us, perhaps we can show you our cabinets and offer assistance with planning, etc.

One important thing to consider is that if your shop is accessible to mice, you need to make the cabinet mouse proof. Mice love to make condominiums out of the cases in the old style cabinets which have space for them to get in between. Their pee is corrosive to type, and they are good at remodeling the cases for their use by chewing away the partitions between the type compartments.

If you adopt the old style cabinet design with space between the cases, completely enclose the cabinet with plywood (including the bottom), and put a door on the front. (Or, you can run the old style cases through a table saw to cut away the upper lip on the front to make them, essentially, dustproof cases).

If you have the so-called “dustproof” cases which fit flush together, then you will need to make the slides in the cabinet out of metal like the commercial ones, so there is no room for mice to get between the cases. (Also, don’t forget to put the topmost case in upside down, or slide a piece of plywood in at the top, so the mice can’t get to the top case either).

I built one several years ago of 1/2 inch plywood, using1/16x3/4x3/4 inch aluminum angle for the rails and sawing off the raised lip as Geoffrey suggests. The back can be much thinner plywood - 1/8 inch or so. You need handles on the cases if you adapt the lip-front cases this way. And a couple of 2x2 blocks for the base to raise it off the floor a bit.

Bob

Sorry for double post

Rick

I built a cabinet out of 3/4 plywood, i framed the sides with some 3/4 pine boards to look like a Hamilton type cabinet.

Rick

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