A detailed demonstration from start to finish building fitted wardrobes in one day (er... plus a little extra as it turned out!!) Support the channel at: www.buymeacoffee.com/freebird
@@Alastair_Freebird You go into a lot more details in your construction of projects. A lot of people just skim through it and you dont see a lot of steps they did to construct things. Yours makes me feel like I'm a bit of a virtual apprentice 😂 I particularly like the pop up of names of things like the screws/tools/products you use. It's the little things that count...Well to me a least. ✌
I doubt I'll be constructing any day soon but I do love to know how things are built and your level of detail and explanation is very satisfying! thank you!
Love it, at 6 o’clock in the morning together with my first cuppa of the day. I’m a retired electrical engineer and I’m fascinated by your quality and finish. I do learn a lot from your vids, i do a lot for my kids (as most dads do these days) so while I’m no where near your level, you are setting the bar in terms of planning, fittings and execution. I don’t have spray facilities or access to a good selection of merchants, but I try to do my best. Now I’ve got my Mac repaired I will be trying to get to grips with Sketchup. So a big thank you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Mike S thanks for the comment and nice feedback Mike and I’m interested you watch early in the morning. Seems a few people do that actually, I was surpass at the viewcount when I tried an early morning upload on another video recently!
Just want to say amazing work just found your channel and I’ve been watching all your videos. I’ve just started doing fitted furniture myself and all your videos are a big help to me Thank you !
Brilliant video, love the level of detail and answers so many questions that other channels don’t address, or taken as a given. Look forward to more in the future, great job.
Hi Alastair just finished two wardrobe units built in used a lot of your techniques really happy thanks buddy God Bless. Used Cutwrights who supply me with CnC cut Eggar boards, been supplying me for the last 15 years. Thanks again.
Let me know when you do! And remember that it is a good thing that lots of people won’t yet be watching at the start because that is your time to find your voice and grow in confidence, then the audience will come when you stick with it 👍
Great video shows a great deal of trade tricks ,for someone like me that is just a keen amateur building my own wardrobes. Thanks again will be watching the next with interest.
I think the easiest way to drill those side panels would be to clamp them underneath and drill through the pre drilled one? Basically, use the prefab one as a template.
Hi Alastair, do you use a plinth in this instance, as it has a heavier weight to bear, in comparison to small alcove units with adjustable black feet directly attached to the carcass? Cheers!
@@Alastair_Freebird "detailed build video" everything you do is very detailed explained, why you are doing things that way and not the other and a lot of tips...for instance, the scribing tools and other stuff you use to get the job done....rarely seen anywhere else. I'm doing a renovation myself at the moment, I very much like baltic plywood furniture but couldn't find much on YT. The wardrobe closets is something I will have to do also...it is really exactly what I need. Do you also do plywood furniture?? Thanks for contacting, M
Thanks for this feedback it’s helpful to hear. Yes I do sometimes do projects with plywood. Are you on Instagram? I am more active on there than RU-vid at the moment.
Come across your channel recently. Really good video’s. Gives a lot of people a good idea of the prep involved all the way to the finished product! Going to attempt to tackle a project like this soon. I’ve seen you use Lawcris, there are so many variations and textures of material on offer. What’s your recommendation or your go to for the carcass material? Keep up the good work 👍
Anthony Doyle thanks for the feedback! I mostly just use a ‘white textured’ melamine, I forget the code, with a matching 0.8mm ABS edgeband. I used to mostly use Egger boards which I perceived to be best quality, but lately I favour the Unilin brand which has better ecofriendly credentials, was slightly cheaper and perfectly serviceable quality!
quality video, really helpful!. the drawing you have that you are working from here is in 2d, is this one that you've designed in sketch up? if so how do you go about printing or changing the view so you can use it as an elevation?
Is the Lamello Zeta sa good tool for making these cabines on site? You can prefabricate everything and just put them together at the customer. At least that’s what I think.
When I construct my units I use 3.5x45mm screws, iv never had any problems with this method at all, I pre drill first with a 2.5mm drill and have never had any problems at all Iv used the hafele carcas screws before and found them to be a bit of a fad to be honest but that’s what I thought, others may like them
End boring or drilling is usually a different maching to face drilling. If you specify face drilling only and pilot through on site then using the black passivated screws, should a nice compromise in price. My only comment is on screws where shelves are concerned have a tendancy to breakout easy. I'd possibly switch to 4 screws for 500-600 shelf depths. Or pre-drill sides with 5 & 8mm holes, 2x 5mm 32mm in from ends, and three 8mm, one central and the other two set in from the 5mm holes by 32mm. Then pilot and fix through the 5mm holes, then drill 8mm holes through to shelf, knock in and glue an 8mm dowel. This will give the shelves far superior strength, and cheaper than a domino fixing. I know you don't need to conform to any stds but that method would just about achieve fira bs6222-3. Also, take a look at hettich drawer runners as an alternative to blum. Ps the base idea is exactly what I've used on many shop fitting designs in the past, fitters love it for ease leveling. Those feet are rebranded by hafele from a company in Italy called italliana ferramenta. They have some great products!
Very interesting video. I have a question about the materials. In particular, the choice between chipboard, MDF and plywood as the substrate. Why chipboard rather than the other two? I would guess that plywood is more expensive but would allow for greater width in a single unit (I may well be wrong there) but what is your reasoning for using chipboard substrate? Thank you
Hi! Simply cost and fitness for purpose. I mean it's good enough - properly edgebanded, it has a tough impermeable surface, and because this furniture is fitted in position there are no concerns about strength of joints etc. And at this stage, I found that MDF core melamine boards were both rarer and more expensive. I was getting large sheets cut and edgebanded for me by a supplier. At this time I was actually using plywood for small cabinets which we made entirely in house (we didn't have an edgebander) but frankly it bothered me that i was offering an inferior internal finish in terms of stain resistance and waterproofness etc vs melamine, unless the customer had it painted or lacquered which they rarely opted to do due to cost. You may be interested in this comparison video on these sorts of matters: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sCKi0nkFILU.html
Yes please look at this video with 3 different sliding door projects including showing how the metal framed style are assembled ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kxx9_aH-bIY.html
How well do you find pocket holes work in mdf ive gotta make a new radiator cover not sure whether to use dominos or pocket holes. Might be using 25 mm mrmdf
Martin O we use pocket holes joints in 18mm MDF all the time, I like them for speed and they are strong enough done right in MDF (coarse thread kreg screws; don’t overtighten. Obviously you just have to think about making sure they’re hidden. And I’d only use them for edge-to-face joints with MDF, between carcase parts etc - not edge to edge joints like for face frames
You should try having the back inside the unit, squares the whole unit up automatically. For a 600 deep unit have the bottom 600mm and the top+ dividers 582.
sean duffy I see the benefit of a full width base, slipping it onto the plinth without friction. I find our current method easiest to assemble. Would you use an 18mm back panel? How would you fix it?
First video of yours that I've watched (will watch many more as this is my kind of woodworking). Very interesting how completely different your method of construction is to Peter Millard's.
@@Alastair_Freebird So your method, at least in this build, is to design a kit of parts that are then assembled much like a conventional 'flat pack', whereas Mr Millard's cupboards are more 'scratch built', the same way I do it with lots of dominos, glue and clamps - which your method avoids. I'm sure you do scratch building too but I haven't watched those videos yet.
I have never heard the term ‘scratch built’ though I am familiar with using dominoes. We use dominoes sometimes, for dividers and things were we want an invisible fixing. I neve me quite saw the need for them for general carcasing, although I do sometimes wonder if I got set up with a rapid system of jigs it’s might start to make sense. What are the benefits in your opinion?
Really interesting, thanks for the video! So clear and concise. One question regarding the fixing of the carcass. I see at 8:27 you screw fasten the carcass to the side rail which is adhesively bonded to the wall. Apart from this, is the carcass fastened to the walls/plinth/ceiling in any way? Or do you just rely on the weight to keep it in place? Once again, thanks for sharing this!
David Scott thanks for commenting! Sometimes I drive nailgun nails (16 gauge dewalt) through the base into the plinth then fill the little holes with white wax but often I just decide it’s not necessary with the weight holding it in place plus the side fixings to the wall
Freebird Interiors Cool, understood. So the screws at the side go into the wall and not just into the rail you’ve mounted? PS thanks for the reply. I’ll definitely give you a subscribe and “buy you a coffee”. Your vids have been such a huge help to me! 😄👍🏻
David Scott I think in this one maybe they did just go into the batten which had already been glued and nailed to the wall. I am not always consistent in my methods!
Hi great video as always, just think if you were going to use drawer boxes without frontals then change the orientation of the drawer. This would be more pleasing on the eye and wouldn’t show end grain. Just a small suggestion it might be worth considering.
Hi Simon I considered doing this however that way of building drawers is less structurally strong because it means the pulling force is constantly pulling on the joint in the direction it was assembled. It may be that the glue and dominos are strong enough to resists it but I have memories of cheap pine furniture where the frontage is dowelled into the drawer sides and eventually pulls off. I also considered mitred joints, or even there is a routes profile called a drawer lock that could be used. I settled on the simplest easiest option as standard, making sure to check with customers in case they wanted something different! Experience has taught me to keep it simple where I can!
Thank you for sharing. You are using MFPB in this video (and others) as opposed to the Finsa Hidrofugo for the sides and tops of the cabinets. Can I ask how you came to use this? Was it simply because MFPB is more stable (I've had some full height MDF wardrobes - and not good quality MDF - with sliding doors and IKEA (sorry for swearing) internal fittings for some 15 years now with no signs of bowing), or because it cuts down on time, as the supplier can not only cut panels to size, edge band and pre-drill and you don't have to paint the panels? I recently quoted for 8.9m of storage and I specified Finsa Hidrofugo for cabinets, shelves, drawer fronts, doors and trim. Was I wrong?
Hi! Well this project was made before I’d even heard of Hidrofugo but anyway we would always use melamine faced boards for internal cabinetry, as I see no benefits to making internals from a board that also needs to be painted, significantly raisin the cost to the customer with no real benefit. Melamine is a good durable surface. But for external parts I prefer painted finish without the small visible seams on the edgebanding. For this project we were buying melamine faced chipboard cut and edged to size by a supplier. Currently we use melamine faced MDF from the Finsa 12 twenty range (mainly because it’s available in a manageable 8’x4’ format) processed with our own cnc machine and edgebander
@@Alastair_Freebird thank you, Sir, for your reply (proving once again how good a channel this is!). I recently quoted for my first large project (8.9m) and Hidrofugo was in my spec purely for the reason that it could be painted absolutely any colour the client wanted. I get where you’re coming from though with the time issue. Sadly the customer loved the design but was waiting on some funds to clear so hasn’t proceeded. I’ll have to go back to the drawing board now and, for my own interest, get a quote from Lawcris or Falcon Panels for MFPB. Once again, thank you for replying and for the excellent content. Regards.
I have an alcove I'm I'm going attempt to build either fitted wardrobes or stud it out and do it like a closet. Will buy my doors from a door company I figure just stud it out will be the easier option and will leave more space inside if I build a carcass I'm not get full use of interior space. Any tips or thoughts. Thanks
chubby chequer yes and you can save money not building full carcases. If fitting wardrobe style doors on concealed hinges though I would recommend making up a sort of face frame to receive the doors, using 90mm pre-cut and edged melamine (from places like Hills Panel products or many DIY stores) as you can create an accurately sized square opening that you can pack into the main opening
@@Alastair_Freebird thankyou for the advice it's much appreciated👍yes i was going to fit a complete base then add a face frame like you said in was thinking of using MDF but may not be strong enough or could look poor quality painted. But then again if I can get some pre cut melamine I maybe better making 2 full carcasses I'm a little indecisive which is best way. Ps I just bought the huepar laser from watching your video. Thanks
Hi, good job. Can you tell me why you not using confirmats for base as you anyway covering it with plinth? And back its obvious not seen anyway so why you not do less work? (stronger connection, than pocket screws) or i am missing something thanks
Such great informative videos!! I absolutely cannot afford to buy bespoke wardrobes but I am inspired and confident I can make some myself. One question...I have new laminate floor. Is the base essential or can I just secure the back of the wardrobe to the studs? I don't want to rip the floor up but have been told you shouldn't screw or nail into laminate.
Samantha Patrick for me it would be slightly preferable to cut the laminate away with a rail saw so the wardrobes sit firmly on solid floor (and the remaining laminate edge would tuck just under the plinth fascia.). But you could probably also get away with bearing the weight of the units directly onto the laminate. Instead of my ladder plinth method I suggest using the black plastic adjustable feet with a clip-on plinth as used in kitchens,, because the slight sponginess of the laminate underlay will mean you’ll need to adjust the level of the units when the weight of them is pressing onto the laminate.
@@Alastair_Freebird Thank you so much for coming back! Can you tell me the titles of your videos that cover ladder plinths & black feet with clip on plinth so I can study both? Thanks again 😁
Chippy Steve what thickness do you use for the back panel? Last time I checked 8mm at my supplier was a similar price to 18mm. Less than that is too thin for me.
Oh, the melamine boards? We were getting them cut to the sizes we needed and edgebanded by the board supplier Lawcris. The actual manufacturer of the melamine faced chipboard is Egger. More recently we have got our own CNC machine and edgebander and we cut and edge the boards ourselves, using Finsa brand melamine faced MDF
@@Alastair_Freebird No lol, i mean the actual mdf structure you attach the "integato G" things too, sorry for my crappy explanation . ps you have an edge bander - i have wondered about doing it with an iron but I have a feeling they will eventually come off or chip (i guess ok for the diyer).
Apologies..I indicated a ‘thumbs down’ for this video. That wasn’t my intention. I’ve been designing, supplying & installing fitted kitchen & bedroom furniture for the last 20years or so. Always keen to pick up handy tips & time saving tricks!! Keep up the good work ;)
Freebird Interiors The end result you have is very similar to my mine. The only major differences is in prep time. I don’t have a workshop ( I did at one point employing at my peak was a total of 7 machine & assembly staff including myself. Working from home with no additional overheads is a walk in the park in comparison) ..so my method is to use a local supplier for my cut & edged panels. I supply a detailed cutting list indicating which mfc panels need to be taped. No screw, cam & dowels etc holes required. Therefore this will or should reduce cost. This list also contains my hinge quantity, shelf pegs, hanging rail & tube end supports. Another supplier I use is for the vinyl wrap components which consist of doors & drawer facias, panels for plinths, ceiling & side infills, exposed end panels. The final supplier is for handles. So, overall everything on show is in made to measure vinyl on the exterior. Everything behind the facias is in 18mm mfc. All screw holes, hinge holes & hinge back plate holes are carried out on site. I’d like to think I’ve cracked the technique of simplifying made to measure wardrobes with minimising costs along with minimal time on site. I don’t even need a van now! I pay a local currier to pick up my materials then deliver to site with an average cost of £50. My mode of transport is a BMW 5-Series estate with the rear seats folded flat. The boot fitted out with 9mm mdf panels held together with loose pin hinges for swift removal if required. So, no additional running costs for a van, insurance road tax etc etc. To give you an idea of the kind of work I do, I can be found via My Builder & Rated People which has various images of my work. I could go on & on but I not bore you too much. I’ve even made a ‘table saw’ which which can be easily taken apart to fit in my car, images I would gladly send which may either enlighten or amuse you! Details could also be forwarded outlining how I make up my fitted wardrobes, techniques which would hopefully save you time & money. Thanks for you reply Alistair.
Keith Brigham your approach is the most profitable, I don’t need any persuading. I am already doing it mostly your way (none of this touched our workshop except receiving delivery a couple of days early and reloading into the van, to avoided scheduling issues if the supplier let us down which has happened before). And of course the ladder plinth which we make from offcuts. Oh, and the birch drawers! A little handmade touch that I feel makes of a bit more special. I know a couple of guys making a ton of money keeping things simple your way. I have tried to be clever with different techniques over the years but I’m coming back round to their way of thinking. When I analysed a range of work recently I found that an MFC and vinyl wrap wardrobe like this was far more profitable than our painted alcove units etc which surprised me because this lroportion of material costs was higher . But what kills the profit on the other type of work is the overheads. When I make a realistic allocation of the monthly overheads of workshop, staff etc (and this is even without paying workshop rental!) to the job hours involved in a workshop job, it is such a big outgoing cost. Whereas when I buy on components the cost is controlled and predictable and the profit on that job sort of rises above the ongoing workshop projects that are tying up the workshop time if you see what I mean. We are currently planning a larger wardrobe job and I got a direct quote comparison from Lawcrks for just cut and edged boards (cut on the beam saw), vs cut, edged and drilled (CNC cutting and drilling). The saving was just shy of £200 inc vat without drilling so I am going to try it that way this time, and rely a little more on my own common sense and skill in positioning and predrilling the shelf screws etc. It’s worth noting however that for that job the customer specifically wanted spray painted doors. So I wouldn’t have got that job if I didn’t offer that. One final point... if I moved wholesale to the bought-in MFC and vinyl method I would still get the door supplier to oredrill the hinge holes as at 50p or so a hole to me it seems worth it to save the extra task on the fit and especially to save the nasty dust and mdf curls it produces. Why do you prefer to do it yourself? 👍
@@Alastair_Freebird I totally agree with your birch drawer boxes with blum soft close runners. Along with a painted finish choice you can certainly achieve a higher end look with those options. Drilling the hinge holes was purely a cost saving exercise. My door supplier charges £1.00 per hole so I bought the Blum eco drill which makes very easy work of this. It soon paid for itself. My theory is...rely on others / supliers as least as possible then there's less of an head-ache or potential things to go wrong. As you've highlighted in you vidoes. Fixing the cabinets together I simply use 4x38mm counter sunk screw witb a 2mm pilot hole. This eleminates the need for pre-drilled holes & the use of the fixings you used in this video. I picked up a good tip from you, using kreg screws (32mm) when fixing 2x 18mm boards together.This fibish looks neat & saves required pilot hole scenario. Always learning & looking for time saving tips.
daniel hammond I designed them, we made the drawer boxes and ladder plinth in our workshop, I got the boards cut and edged to order by Lawcris in Leeds and the vinyl wrap doors and plinths made to order from East Coast Fittings.
daniel hammond I do think MDF core is better however we all have to choose our compromises somewhere in order to win the work at a profitable rate. And if you choose your fixing methods right, once it’s all built, no one would ever know the difference and it should make no difference in service, so it would be money down the drain I think!
I share a lot of this sort of detail on the membershup site. For example here are the posts filtered using the 'wardrobes' tag: www.buymeacoffee.com/freebird/posts/61937
jonathan Delaney for me 3mm is too thin, it’s prone to bulging/flapping and I just think if it’s bespoke made it should have a better rigidity than ikea etc. Having said that (in case I sound like I’m getting on my high horse!) I often think that my methods of fixing are nothing special and would not necessarily hold up to repeated movement of the furniture any better than flat pack alternatives; but because it’s fitted furniture it doesn’t need to withstand the stresses of movement or siting on a poorly levelled base, it just needs to be rigid in situ.
jonathan Delaney were they cheaper unbranded/Hafele branded ones? I’ve heard a couple of woodworkers say they rate the Grass Dynapro runners that Hafele also sell as the best of this sort, above Blum.
Looks to me like your suppliers are a right bunch of clowns, missing parts, incorrect cuts, the reason your confirmats aren't pulling flush is because the pilot holes aren't being drilled deep enough. It's a very poor show for a supplier using CNC machines and suggests they just don't care about the work they are sending out. The whole point of paying for CNC drilling is to save time and be sure that everything is bang on, if it isn't then there is no point as it is costing you time and headaches on site.
Getting the supplier to do cnc drilling like this was always a waste of money and time to be honest - just unnecessary - but for us the benefit was more in the learning process, in readiness for when we have our own CNC machine (which is arriving to our new workshop next week!!)
@@Alastair_Freebird Nice, you will not regret getting a CNC machine, its going to be a big learning curve of course until you are able to realise it's full potential but will be well worth it. In a year you will be doing all your cutting, pre-drilling and routing with it and wonder how you ever got along without it. After that you will no doubt want a vinyl wrapping machine so you can ditch painting but lets not get ahead of ourselves 😉
