Operation Cabinet Rebuild - Woodwork Advice

[Wiredworm]

Howdy folks!!

As some of you may know i've had an R&B for a while now and when I got it the cabinet rear end was in pretty bad state. Well now i've ordered some new decals so I've finally decided to take the plunge and get it sorted.

I don't really want to start doing anything too extreme until the decals arrive but in the meantime i've noticed some other work on the cab that also needs doing.

This is the section below the head. As you can see it's missing a piece entirely and the top part of the ply is really badly separating.



There's a big bit missing in the middle. The power cable used to drop through there because there was no cord cup in the back (in fact there was no hole for the cable at all).



There's some really nasty splitting and lifting going on too.



Now given the amount of damage the only option I can see is to remove the whole section and make up a new one before refitting it in readiness for the sanding and respraying. But - the million dollar question is - how the hell do I remove the section without totally knackering the cabinet?

Underneath I can see two blocks which have a brad nail into them. There's also some residue around them which makes me think they're glued in place too.



This is a side shot of the top of the cabinet - the bit running vertically in the picture is actually the bit which sits below the head (if you rotated the picture 90 degrees clockwise then it would actually be the right way up). It looks like the piece I want to remove is actually routed to fit down into the cabinet and then this top section has the extra width so it sits neatly on top of the cabinet.


So, if anyone has any good recommendations as how to get this part removed then i'd appreciate it. I had thought about smashing the heck out of it with a rubber mallet but I thought a bit more finesse might be a good idea. Perhaps start by getting something and trying to pry the wooden blocks from the corner maybe?

Suggestions and ideas would really be welcomed.

 

[JT.]

I'd saw the bulk of it out of the way, just leaving a couple of thin strips of timber attached to the cabinet on either side, then use a really (really) sharp woodworking chisel to carefully remove what was left over.

Is the back of that cabinet removed too though? If it's a bit of a state, you might find that someone on here has a spare cab in slightly better condition - wanted ads like that have been successful before.

 

[Wiredworm]

Yeah the back of the cabinet has already been stripped out. Dan had previously fitted a piece of MDF in there but the whole lot really needed doing properly so i've removed it for now and am currently working on figuring out the best way to rebuild it.

Of course if someone did have an old spare DE cab they'd be happy to sell on then I might be interested - but price is key as i've already spent a fair bit on it.

 

[Wiredworm]

Well i've been out tonight and done a little shopping. Managed to grab a sheet of 18mm ply big enough to do the top of the cabinet and the back end for a little over £10. It's not WBP but I don't believe that matters in this case; the same size sheet in another DIY Store which WAS WBP was nearly three times the price.

Also got the wood filler, a set of chisels and some wood adhesive.

The only thing that I am struggling with is how I go about obtaining or making the wood segments that are currently being used to join the corners of the cabinet. I think they're called gussets and in some cases they just provide bracing for the corner whilst in others they have a further function (such as the vertical ones which provide support for the leg bracket and adhere the back corners of the cabinet).

Here's an example of one of the joining pieces.



The size of that piece is relatively small so there's no way I could make it by taking a strip of wood and cutting it at a 45 degree angle. I just don't have the tools to do that.

I was sort of hoping that you'd be able to buy that sort if piece as a strip which I could then cut to size but a fair bit of digging around online hasn't turned anything up.

Can anyone confirm what these pieces are called and how I might go about obtaining them or making them please?

In addition to the joining section shown above I also need some like this for the leg supports.



If anyone has any good ideas or suggestions then i'd really like to hear them.

 

[RudeDogg1]

Do u have a table saw? Batton set at 45% job done

 

[replicas]

They Wil'have to be made, next time I am in the workshop I will run you off some.
Give me a week or so and I will let you know when I have them done for you.

 

[Rus121]

Whoa. There's some work to be done there. Paul just did a great job on his STTNG backbox. It had some delamination like yours and he glued it down before filling it I think.

 

[Wiredworm]

If it was just a little bit delaminated Russ then i'd give it a try; but this thing is seriously knackered. Not only is it lifting but whole sections of the wood had fallen out. It's just a mess and the only way to make it right is to replace the entire section. My woodworking skills aren't the best but i'm damned well going to give it a try. But i'm not stupid enough to just run in so the plan is to get the router and do some practicing before I take the plunge and have a go. First objective is to get the section which sits below the head removed and then replaced. That really needs to be sound with the gussets in place before I can reinstate the back end.

@replicas Really really huge thanks for that kind offer. Would you like me to send some dimensions over for what I need? Of course please let me know how much I owe you for your time, the materials and postage and i'd be only too happy to paypal the money to you. It dawned on me that I could make them using a table saw with a 45 degree cut but it's another tool I don't own and it seems crazy to buy one for the sake of a dozen or so cuts. I'm trying to save funds for the tools which are going to get more usage (the random orbital sander for example). There's no real rush on the parts because I go on vacation later this week and won't be back until 9th August.

 

[carl lawrence]

If that was my pin I would not take all if that top off ....

I would splice a piece of wood in,looks to me about 1"3/4 of damaged at the top ,so you use maybe use a piece of 2x1

Bonus with this method is you do not alter the structural integrity of it