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8020 "skin" ideas needed

7K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  keeponvaning 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi, I have built a small cabinet frame from from 8020. ( technically the 1010 material, so 1 x 1 inch framing size)

It is roughly 18 x 30 x 40 inches.

I am looking for some ideas on materials to skin it with.

An example would be 1/4 or similar baltic birch, but it would be nice if it were more open like a screen or perforated material for some modest air flow.

Ideally black, but I guess white would be ok as well. Not excited about gray colors.

In a perfect world, would rather just buy the material and cut to size vs having to do lots of drilling and finishing on it.

The 8020 slots are already pretty occupied, so it will be fastened to the exterior of the frame work.

Am even considering using heavy duty screening material but am unsure how to make the edges of that look nice and not be sharp.

__

I am more of an electrical / mechanical person so really looking for creative / aesthetic inputs as well as the normal mechanical things that I would come up with.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Harry
 
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#9 ·
Good idea. Or perhaps a 1x2 frame slotted picture frame to accommodate the panels, like a shaker door. I’m planing attaching the skin to my 80/20 frames with small angles to the perpendicular t-slot on the inside so that the 80/20 is hidden.
 
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#10 ·
Thanks to everyone for the ideas so far.

I am definitely thinking about them.

For this particular setup, there are some 1010 frame pieces at various heights and interior shelf boards that come right to the very outer edge of the 1010 framing (in some locations).

As a result, I can add some attachment points if needed, but the "skin" needs to be entirely on the outside of the frame work.

The frame is just normal 4 sided / slotted 1010, so I can add fasteners, and I have also can drill holes in it relatively easily for #10 screws / bolts at the center X points.

It is interesting what creative / aesthetic people are on these forums can come up with that I completely missed.
 
#11 ·
#13 ·
Probably no worse than some other things that I have done.

Between the cost of the 8020 and corner assembly pieces, plus the effort that went into buying / cutting / staining the baltic birch base, back and shelves, probably I should just stay on a track of trying to make it look as nice as possible. It is amazing how fast just the parts costs of this little cabinet add up.

It was a real effort to stain and finish the boards so that all 6 faces of each board look reasonably nice.

At the moment, I am leaning toward a first attempt by using black plastic peg board and an edging sort of like 83Grumman suggested, but who knows what the next rev will look like.

I am not really set up to cut sheet Al or steel decorative sheets very well, but maybe down the road or can find someone.

It will probably be more obvious what to change after the first round of skin is on.
 
#15 ·
Hi, I have built a small cabinet frame from from 8020. ( technically the 1010 material, so 1 x 1 inch framing size)

It is roughly 20 x 30 x 40 inches.

I am looking for some ideas on materials to skin it with.

An example would be 1/4 or similar baltic birch, but it would be nice if it were more open like a screen or perforated material for some modest air flow.

Ideally black, but I guess white would be ok as well. Not excited about gray colors.

In a perfect world, would rather just buy the material and cut to size vs having to do lots of drilling and finishing on it.

The 8020 slots are already pretty occupied, so it will be fastened to the exterior of the frame work.

Am even considering using heavy duty screening material but am unsure how to make the edges of that look nice and not be sharp.

__

I am more of an electrical / mechanical person so really looking for creative / aesthetic inputs as well as the normal mechanical things that I would come up with.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Harry
You can go to Lowe's and they'll custom make any size window screen that you want out of aluminum frame and rubber or aluminum screen.
 
#16 ·
maybe try perforated plastic panel and bolted on with the corrected t-nut for your 80/20 slot.
 
#17 ·
maybe try perforated plastic panel and bolted on with the corrected t-nut for your 80/20 slot.
Almost as cheap as plywood.

Love US Plastics. Been to their outlet store along I-75 (Lima, Oh) many times.
 
#21 ·
Do you think that UV stabilized is critical in this application?

I know that it is ideal, but it seems like stress relieved would be more critical.

In this particular van project - won't see that much sunlight normally.

I am so used to over building things that it is challenging for me to grasp if decorative items will hold up or not in real use or not.

Maybe I should just assume that the surface panels will need to be swapped out periodically?
 
#27 ·
I have 20 years cutting aluminum with my chop saw using an ATB trim blade and it is still quite sharp and cuts wood fine. I also use a rip blade on my table saw. I have hurt myself cutting reaction wood on the table saw. I never even knew it existed until after I got back from the ER. Reaction wood explodes when cut - hint, always use a push stick. Letting the work get away from you is bad enough with wood but metal is just completely unforgiving. No one got hurt, but I have a significant gouge in a banquet table from some 1/4" that got away from a student.

I cut very little metal now, mostly with the chop saw and I clamp the work using WD40 or paraffin wax for lube. Ear plugs a must.

Having a negative rake triple chip would be nice. Should have done that 20 years ago.
 
#29 · (Edited)
If you lower a chop saw blade into tall material you are potentially climb cutting. If the blade takes a big bite it can throw the saw arm down and back and fling the work up the fence making the bite even bigger. If you slide into the material it you can avoid most of the effect of climb cutting but the material must be very secure.

If you don't know what climb cutting is try to imagine cutting dados on the table saw feeding the wood from the back of the saw. Zoom! The same effect could occur it you were doing a large router cut and went clockwise around the outside of your work piece.

The anti kickback shoulders common on most blades nowadays counters most of the possibility of the blade chunking into medium to large pieces of solid material. When working with thin or small pieces or extrusions the shoulders will not be in play.
 
#34 · (Edited)
The wire screen idea was almost used, but instead the customer opted for this temporary arrangement using polymer panels from HD.

There is some more work to go, but you can get a feel for how the Power Cabinet will look when she finalizes the decision on the general van interior aesthetics.

In the meantime, the cover also serves as a 1 inch lip for the top shelf. (plan is for use to store bedding and similar).

It also helps keep up out construction dust.

This is in a 148 MR Transit. The sun was getting pretty low in the sky, so I had to really push the aperture wide open and it is slightly out of focus.

Motor vehicle Gas Automotive design Engineering Machine
 
#36 · (Edited)
Adding to the thread drift, here's the blade I've used to cut aluminum posts and spans (from SC&R) for cable railings:

.

Thanks :) - my post of the Power Cabinet photo is actually the original topic. That is the 8020 cabinet that I was needing ideas for the "skin"

It is a combination "van power system", "storage cabinet" and "bed base", all in one.
 
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