Are you able to show us more detail on how and where you place the smaller thicker pieces of plywood to strengthen the cabinet framing when using 6mm plywood? Thanks.
Good day mate! MINT MINT MINT!!!! I love these vids and with a beer and a gummie watched the lot in one night :D such great instruction (from a dislexic kayak coach ;) Do you sell plans ? Id love to build this way, im a chippy but cannot create stuff like this for my van from scratch. Lemme know mate please Andy :D
Finally somebody using lightweight design for a van, I keep seeing all those heavy 12mm plywood cabinets, sometimes even thick frames beneath of 50x50mm square. You can also apply following methods. Create circular cut out with a forstner drill or similar like in aviation design. This would save further weight. Use aluminium frame and rivet shin plywood sheets to it, will decrease weight further but is more expensive.
Good job, ive been watching loads of van conversions, and it always concerns me just how heavy the whole process is especially the cabinets, this has been inspirational 👏
Very informative and inspiring. Thank you! Now all I have to do is figure out how to adapt this process to the more rustic look I want in my '60s VW bus...
nice work but as you eluded to the devil is in the details. It reminds me of seeing houses built in California; they would put structural steel beams in key location for earthquakes. Not that I'm suggesting putting steel beams in a van but structural lumber to support heavy objects or ones with loads i.e. sink, refrig., etc. This seems to be the difficult calculation how much and how big??? Have you designed and tested for these key components? It would be interesting for you to come up with some basic plans which you may even be able to sell.
One tip I learned from Dave at endgame channel, he builds his whole pickup camper out of cedar. Light weight, very strong, check out his channel. His whole pickup campers are around 600 pounds and works of art.
I was so disappointed when I saw your jig for marking out the spacing for the drawer catches that had two holes on it , said no on them. Suddenly my mental image of you was shattered, I had been under the misconception that you never made any mistakes 😁
This is a great process. Love all the little details. I had never thought of blue taping a jig for a guide bushing. Seems obvious, but it’s a really good idea.
Genius ! Been trying to find a similar Poplar sheet …. No Luck CA, AZ, OR ‘net searches. I will scour your vids to see the construction, beyond the finger joinery. Thank you for providing such Useful content ! 👍🏼
1/2” is definitely strong enough for a cabinet built. In fact, how you built this is exactly how many vintage RV’s were built. Even drawer boxes had 1/4” sides and bottoms. 1/2” for fronts/backs and fronts were routed out for overlapping inset finish. I’ve seen another cabinet builder use 3/8” using screw locks only. His theory was he could remove it all when it came time to sell the van.
Higher quality plywood will have more layers for a specific thickness, this is key to using thinner materials. Standard 3/8" is often only 3 laminates thick vs 4-5...
I love your approach to woodworking and problemsolving. I'm a furniture maker who's just embarking on a van project, and your thought process appeals to my craftsman side!
If you put 2 parker screws in at 8:32 that stick out just 1 or 2 mm then you can just hold the jig against the drawer, give it a tap with the hammer and you don't have to draw. You have then the pilot holes ready to drill.
Thank you for the specific information about the Southco push latches. I have been a cabinet maker for 30 years or so, and I try to use similar jigs for hardware installation, but what I really appreciate is your explanation of the continuously operable spring latch, which avoids "dead slams" against the cabinet face. This type of detail is really important and hugely frustrating, after the fact, when you have to purchase online and can't get the hardware in your hands to judge how well made or practical it is. I will order those latches for my Sprinter casework. They appear to have the added benefit of being flush and visibly locked when ready to travel but easily operated when in use. Do you have any negative comments about them, or would you use them again? Do you think it would be practical to add a thin felt or foam strip to the latch catch angle piece to eliminate any rattle, or are they solid enough to not need that? I always enjoy designing construction and assembly challenges into my custom kitchens and interior trims and wainscoting jobs, which result in a clean esthetic/ finish appearance and I appreciate your description of how you enjoy those challenges in the shop, but I've gotta comment that the routed out overlay sequence you perform on your facework has got to be the most over the top difficult to pull off thing I've ever seen! I realize you allow for some "fudge factor" with the 1/16" bit and 3/32" gaps, but ... the alignment of the routing jig ... the completion of the inside corners.... the transfer of the easily broken/ multitude of super thin sections finished routed panel.... the final glueup difficulty.... ???? More power to ya... would you perform this same process again or choose a different challenge next project? You should be ... "The Human CNC" !
great videos! First I've seen of someone really trying to build ultra light. I know it's tedious and you are kind of winging it, but could you do a more detailed video on building the cabinet boxes? Keep up the good work, it's much appreciated!
I guess foam and fibreglass will kill 2 stones with one bird. Lightweight and insulation. Great idea mate I might look into it. My build has just started and I don’t want to have any dead weight, performance and fuel economy suffer.
I have been living in a van for 5 years now. Vanlife is a hard-knocks life for EVERYTHING that goes into the van. People laugh when I say that I deal earthquake and hurricane forces daily but it's true. I know of no other phenomena comparable to the torque, twist, velocity and vibration that you live with in a van. My old tick-tock alarm clock rattled apart recently because I had it secured to part of the van that, unexpectedly, conducted road vibration to the old brass clock... And these thin sheets are going to hold up under all that? 🤨
The only thing worse at shake, rattle and roll is a camper/trailer, but I get your point. I would think there are some suspension tweaks you could possibly do, but campers are leaf springs only, thanks.
Love your ideas on construction of low weight. What is your thoughts on low weight seating/benches? Any Ideas to minimize weight and provided necessary strength?
By far the best way to build is use .9 and 1.2 aluminium sheet. . Fold the .9 to form the cabinets and fold the 1.2 to form the drawers, then cover with wrap. It will cut the weight down enormously.
Howdy. Just for your consideration: 0.9 and 1.2 mm aluminum (I'm assuming you are using millimeters) is .5 and .67 pounds per square foot respectively. 3mm and 6mm poplar plywood is 0.25 and 0.5 lbs per square foot respectively.
Hi Thank you for making me aware. I would have never thought that any timber could be lighter than aluminium. I will now consider other materials. Enjoy your build mate mine has just begun
Are you able to show us more detail on how and where you place the smaller thicker pieces of plywood to strengthen the cabinet framing when using 6mm plywood? Thanks.
+1.. 33lbs is Tier One Klass Leading Craftsmanship.. Bravo.... Cheers, Vail, Colorado
Good day mate! MINT MINT MINT!!!! I love these vids and with a beer and a gummie watched the lot in one night :D such great instruction (from a dislexic kayak coach ;) Do you sell plans ? Id love to build this way, im a chippy but cannot create stuff like this for my van from scratch. Lemme know mate please Andy :D
Finally somebody using lightweight design for a van, I keep seeing all those heavy 12mm plywood cabinets, sometimes even thick frames beneath of 50x50mm square.
You can also apply following methods. Create circular cut out with a forstner drill or similar like in aviation design. This would save further weight.
Use aluminium frame and rivet shin plywood sheets to it, will decrease weight further but is more expensive.
Nice job! Thank you for taking the time to film, edit and upload.🤙🏼
Good idea to go without rails for the drawers, but do they rattle while driving?
Good job, ive been watching loads of van conversions, and it always concerns me just how heavy the whole process is especially the cabinets, this has been inspirational 👏
Hi, do you have any videos on how you insulate your vans?
I love this idea of 1/4inch plywood build cabinet. Nice work! I like your perfectionism, . Thanks for sharing.
Great video, as usual! I am looking for a long time for colored CA glue: where did you find your black one?
4:14 but even when you're using a bench, you're still on your knees..
Very informative and inspiring. Thank you!
Now all I have to do is figure out how to adapt this process to the more rustic look I want in my '60s VW bus...
You're a true craftsman. Very impressive work.
nice work but as you eluded to the devil is in the details. It reminds me of seeing houses built in California; they would put structural steel beams in key location for earthquakes. Not that I'm suggesting putting steel beams in a van but structural lumber to support heavy objects or ones with loads i.e. sink, refrig., etc. This seems to be the difficult calculation how much and how big??? Have you designed and tested for these key components? It would be interesting for you to come up with some basic plans which you may even be able to sell.
5:54. Southco push to close cabinet latches.
One tip I learned from Dave at endgame channel, he builds his whole pickup camper out of cedar. Light weight, very strong, check out his channel. His whole pickup campers are around 600 pounds and works of art.
Amazing work
I was so disappointed when I saw your jig for marking out the spacing for the drawer catches that had two holes on it , said no on them. Suddenly my mental image of you was shattered, I had been under the misconception that you never made any mistakes 😁
This is a great process. Love all the little details. I had never thought of blue taping a jig for a guide bushing. Seems obvious, but it’s a really good idea.
Genius ! Been trying to find a similar Poplar sheet …. No Luck CA, AZ, OR ‘net searches. I will scour your vids to see the construction, beyond the finger joinery.
Thank you for providing such Useful content !
👍🏼
Hey Stan, thanks for the kind words. A few years back I bought some through Continental Hardwoods in Portland.
1/4inch plywood, is that strong enough ? thanks
1/2” is definitely strong enough for a cabinet built. In fact, how you built this is exactly how many vintage RV’s were built. Even drawer boxes had 1/4” sides and bottoms. 1/2” for fronts/backs and fronts were routed out for overlapping inset finish. I’ve seen another cabinet builder use 3/8” using screw locks only. His theory was he could remove it all when it came time to sell the van.
Higher quality plywood will have more layers for a specific thickness, this is key to using thinner materials. Standard 3/8" is often only 3 laminates thick vs 4-5...
Can I hire you to do lightweight white maple veneer cabinets for my van? I can provide the design.
I love your approach to woodworking and problemsolving. I'm a furniture maker who's just embarking on a van project, and your thought process appeals to my craftsman side!
Craftsmanship!
Thank you so much for sharing your process! So much info, I know I'll be rewatching a couple of times.
Thank you!
Wonder if you could use 1/2”Kerdi (schluter shower board) for panels since you are attaching supports anyway
Sounds heavy.
If you put 2 parker screws in at 8:32 that stick out just 1 or 2 mm then you can just hold the jig against the drawer, give it a tap with the hammer and you don't have to draw. You have then the pilot holes ready to drill.
Thats a pretty good idea. I don't think it would even take a hammer, just a firm press which I'm already doing to keep it aligned. Thank you!
GREAT WORK!
Thank you for the specific information about the Southco push latches. I have been a cabinet maker for 30 years or so, and I try to use similar jigs for hardware installation, but what I really appreciate is your explanation of the continuously operable spring latch, which avoids "dead slams" against the cabinet face. This type of detail is really important and hugely frustrating, after the fact, when you have to purchase online and can't get the hardware in your hands to judge how well made or practical it is. I will order those latches for my Sprinter casework. They appear to have the added benefit of being flush and visibly locked when ready to travel but easily operated when in use. Do you have any negative comments about them, or would you use them again? Do you think it would be practical to add a thin felt or foam strip to the latch catch angle piece to eliminate any rattle, or are they solid enough to not need that? I always enjoy designing construction and assembly challenges into my custom kitchens and interior trims and wainscoting jobs, which result in a clean esthetic/ finish appearance and I appreciate your description of how you enjoy those challenges in the shop, but I've gotta comment that the routed out overlay sequence you perform on your facework has got to be the most over the top difficult to pull off thing I've ever seen! I realize you allow for some "fudge factor" with the 1/16" bit and 3/32" gaps, but ... the alignment of the routing jig ... the completion of the inside corners.... the transfer of the easily broken/ multitude of super thin sections finished routed panel.... the final glueup difficulty.... ???? More power to ya... would you perform this same process again or choose a different challenge next project? You should be ... "The Human CNC" !
great videos! First I've seen of someone really trying to build ultra light. I know it's tedious and you are kind of winging it, but could you do a more detailed video on building the cabinet boxes? Keep up the good work, it's much appreciated!
Adam use sheet aluminium it will cut the weight down by half at least
@@stevel1451 I've not worked with metal much. I'm more of a woodworker. But I've also thought about foam with fiberglass
I guess foam and fibreglass will kill 2 stones with one bird. Lightweight and insulation. Great idea mate I might look into it. My build has just started and I don’t want to have any dead weight, performance and fuel economy suffer.
You know, if you drilled some holes in the sides, you could shave off that 1/4 pound... Cabinets could always use more ventilation. Just sayin'. ;-)
After seeing many people burning a ton of money building their furniture with a chainsaw, this is quite a treat!
Fantastic work!!
Mezmorizing, I'm not even sure how many times I've watched this perfection...
It was a pleasure,to see your work. Where are you? Janice in Port Angeles, Washington
I use my makita track saw to cut out drawers when I have done continuous grain projects.
I have been living in a van for 5 years now. Vanlife is a hard-knocks life for EVERYTHING that goes into the van. People laugh when I say that I deal earthquake and hurricane forces daily but it's true. I know of no other phenomena comparable to the torque, twist, velocity and vibration that you live with in a van. My old tick-tock alarm clock rattled apart recently because I had it secured to part of the van that, unexpectedly, conducted road vibration to the old brass clock... And these thin sheets are going to hold up under all that? 🤨
The only thing worse at shake, rattle and roll is a camper/trailer, but I get your point. I would think there are some suspension tweaks you could possibly do, but campers are leaf springs only, thanks.
You have incredible skills and patience in order to get these kind of details down so fine!
Great stuff. Inspiring. I have a small fridge cabinet and a camp kitchen box I want to build for VW Eurovan and willl apply as much of this as I can.
Yes this is how custom is done. It's not easy.
Love your ideas on construction of low weight. What is your thoughts on low weight seating/benches? Any Ideas to minimize weight and provided necessary strength?
Use folded sheet aluminium it will drastically reduce weight. It won’t attract or hold moisture like wood does
By far the best way to build is use .9 and 1.2 aluminium sheet. . Fold the .9 to form the cabinets and fold the 1.2 to form the drawers, then cover with wrap. It will cut the weight down enormously.
Howdy. Just for your consideration: 0.9 and 1.2 mm aluminum (I'm assuming you are using millimeters) is .5 and .67 pounds per square foot respectively. 3mm and 6mm poplar plywood is 0.25 and 0.5 lbs per square foot respectively.
Hi Thank you for making me aware. I would have never thought that any timber could be lighter than aluminium. I will now consider other materials. Enjoy your build mate mine has just begun
$25 for 1 latch? I like the look of them but not that much.
Why would anybody who knows anything about cabinets think that it’s ironic that the drawer boxes weigh so much compared to the cabinets?