How to install gas struts 

+Jeff Waite Hi Jeff, Many thanks - I am hoping to finish off the drawers in the next 2 weeks. Cheers. Peter

+Wobblycogs Workshop Now I have done it once I would not hesitate to use them again. Metrol have been a great help. Cheers. Peter

​@@NewBritWorkshopawardeesttfftf 8:25 fff

+Ron Cooper Hi Ron, Many thanks - you are a great supporter and it is much appreciated. Peter

Glad it was helpful! Peter

+Craig Hastie Hi Craig, Many thanks. I should have thought it through a little more at the design stage. The way the top hinges up and forwards makes any normal use of gas struts almost impossible. The only way to do it was my first attempt. Unfortunately the horizontal vector of thrust was in the wrong direction. I then had to devise the "compound" idea by introducing the swinging arm. The second design assumed that it would be easy to get both adjustable gas struts to the same force which I could not manage. The final design works quite well. I wanted to show the failures as I hope it will be more informative to anyone going through their own design process. Another approach could be to use linear slides. I know that Accuride make them (they are not drawer slides) but I could not take the risk of trying those without a higher degree of certainty of success. Gas struts are really inexpensive for what they offer and so I would recommend them to anyone. Cheers. Peter

Thanks for further information, always good to understand the design process. Seeing you make mistakes and evolve the design will definitely give a lot more people confidence to have a go as you are known for having made some really good cabinetry and if you, (who for your info sit on a pedestal in many of our minds) can make mistakes it's OK for the rest of us to too.

+Craig Hastie I am red with embarrassment now - thank you. Peter

+Educating Savvas Many thanks. I also use the top of the closed unit as a work surface for other tasks. Peter

Sounds great!

Wow, thanks!

Glad you enjoyed it

Glad it was helpful!

+Philip Gostling Many thanks Philip. Peter

+Harvey Smith Hi Harvey, You should have said hello - perhaps we'll meet next year. The gas struts are very interesting and for the main lifting part of the CNC cabinet it was complicated by the parallel motion which is quite unlike the top hinged situation with a car tailgate. The top is not very heavy and the fixed stays seem to be okay. Certainly anyone doing their own design could fully commit to gas struts at the design stage and they should not encounter the retro fitting complication that I experienced. See you nest year at D&M. Peter

+Malcolm Daly Hi Malcolm, How are you? Almost all the wood that I use for these workshop "furniture" items is either left over from something else or it has come out of the skip at the timber yard. I did have to buy a little bit more oak faced MDF for the drawer fronts but they have yet to be seen in public. They are being made now and I hope to have the whole thing finished in the next 3 days. The video will take a little longer. I did not intend to put hinges on the top but a couple of people have suggested it so I am giving it a try. The problem comes with the stays to hold it safely open but I am working on that. Cheers. Peter

+New Brit Workshop (Peter) I'm fine thanks but my CNC machine that I build from scratch has been a bit of a disappointment, it's not as accurate as I'd like and an incident involving missing tabs damaged my spindle so I'm dismantling it and starting from scratch, hay ho upwards and onwards. Looking forward to seeing your cabinet finished, cheers Malcolm.

+Malcolm Daly Hi Malcolm, I am sorry that your CNC is not as good as you had hoped. What size will the finished machine be and how much has it cost so far? Peter

+New Brit Workshop (Peter) it'll an 8' x 4' sheet. Approaching 5. Malcolm.

+Malcolm Daly Ouch ! Breaking new ground like this is often tricky but (eventually) one ends up with something far superior to anything on the market for the same outlay. Good luck. Peter

Hi Sandeep, Many thanks. Peter

+nippychippy Hi Robert, I have been away for two weeks and have also been helping all sorts of people with various practical tasks. I will be glad when the CNC cabinet is completed as it has been one of my trickier tasks. Cheers. Peter

I can see that still watching must of been a lot of head scratching another great video

Hi Adam, Brilliant. Peter

Many thanks for this - especially coming from an expert. Cheers. Peter

+Chris L Hi Chris, Many thanks - did it happen to you? Peter

No, I'm far too clever to make that mistake. *cough*

+Henrys Workshop I had thought of that at the start but I would have to find a way of ensuring that the additional lifting mechanism did not interfere with the movement of the CNC platform. Another idea was to have the top hinged but with a simple stay. In the raised position it would provide an anchor point for a vacuum hose linked to the spindle and also for the mains cable of the Dewalt router that I will install soon. Many thanks for your brilliant suggestion. Cheers. Peter

A simple hinge could work very well!

In the medical field you have so much to memorize that you look for anachronisms to help you remember. In my case its "tits up" or "tube up". Hope this helps!

Hi Derek, Many thanks - it is the "final" effort from me ! Cheers. Peter

Hi Chris, Apart from the gas struts there are two pairs stays, one set on each side with one at the front and one at the back. One end of each stay is attached to the rising platform and the lower end is attached to the frame. The stays are about 450 mm long. That means that the platform has to move through an arc defined by the stays. The gas struts just provide the motive power. Peter

+Bala Chandar Hi Bala, The gas strut that I emptied was sent back and refilled. It is as good as new and in use in that cabinet. Good luck with your project. Peter

+Joe Stafford Hi Joe, My design does not allow for a gas strut for the lid. Originally I was going to have the lid as a detachable piece but, after some encouragement from other viewers, I have installed hinges. I am currently working out the easiest design of stay. Cheers. Peter

Attatchment a dust collector to it and you could do your machining whilst it’s closed!!!😂😂

@@NewBritWorkshopIn addition to hinges on the cover top at the back edge, I was going to suggest a piano hinge along the front so the front folds flat against the top when opened. You might attach a whiteboard to the inside of the cover for making notes or sketches when in “working” mode. When I saw your name attached to strut installation I knew you’d have a meticulous execution of the install!

Hi Rusty, great idea - cheers. Peter

Hi Akinetik Fitness, In order to get plans or to contact me via email I need your email address. RU-vid no longer has a private messaging service and so in order to get in touch you need to place a comment on this or any other video with your email address. The RU-vid software should identify and send it to the spam folder for The New Brit Workshop. Nobody will be able to see your email address except you and me. I will then delete your comment so that it does not end up in the public domain and I will then send the plans. Were we to do this the other way around then my comment, with my email address, would appear for all the world to see. Peter

+ian beswick Hi Ian, I hope to be putting the main construction video on line in the next 2 or 3 weeks and all will then be clear. Peter

Hi Qhungvt, One installs the gas struts in their open position and then when you close the lid (or whatever) you have to apply some force which then provides the stored energy to open the lid later. Peter

Hi John, I changed the CNC to a smaller model and decided to make the enclosure smaller. The new design is without gas struts. The old design worked really well and I would have continued to use it but for our move of house and my slightly smaller workshop. Here is the new cabinet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EysYVMnZxBQ.html Peter

@@NewBritWorkshop Thank you sir

Hi Muhammad, I am not quite sure how you propose to do this but as long as the mechanism has a positive stop for the gas struts to push up to then it could work. The other consideration is the amount of force needed to close the butter leaf away. Good luck. Peter

Sorry I mean how much weight would they are Handel and my table have extendable legs which are I don't like they block way for chairs to push in under the table that's why I want to fit

Hi Muhammad, You can get different gas struts with different force ratings. The ones that I used are adjustable by allowing some of the gas to escape. Doing an adjustment is a one way process and if you let too much out then the gas struts may not have enough force capability. I recommend that you look at the supplier's or manufacturer's web site to find the particular force capability that you need. You should easily be able to find something strong enough for your needs. Peter

+horatio71 Hi John, The Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is a great tribute to one of the United States' best music writers but I admit that I do over use it. I have not seen that video and will look out for it. Many thanks for your support. Peter