[frankp]

I picked up the Harbor Freight 2 HP dust collector today, $158 out the door with the 25% off coupon. No accessories yet, but I'm planning a thien separator and will at least get a 1 micron bag instead of the 5 micron.

Hopefully I'll get to putting this thing together in the next few days, but I'm not holding my breath. Lots of projects that we're working on, as usual.

Wife just asked today if we could look at new kitchen cabinets at Ikea. I'm not generally a fan of Ikea but they actually have some cabinets that are real wood, not just fiber board and particle board.

So I may have another project in the works in the next couple of months.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Check out the Wynn filters instead of the bags...

 

[geltz61]

I bought the same dc about a month ago. It works good. Bought a 1 micron powertec bag on amazon for 29.99. Fits it fine.

 

[Gene Howe]

Good DC for the money. Mine is vented directly to the outside. With a collector in line, very little sawdust reaches the atmosphere. Sure saves space and the hassle of emptying and cleaning bags and filters.

 

[Bill White 2]

The only downside I've heard about 'em is that the holes for the casters don't align well.
Mine has been a workhorse.
Bill

 

[geltz61]

Yea, I had totally the wrong hardware kits for it. Had to go to lowes for bolts and redrill out the holes. Other than that mine works great.

 

[Al B Thayer]

I picked up the Harbor Freight 2 HP dust collector today, $158 out the door with the 25% off coupon. No accessories yet, but I'm planning a thien separator and will at least get a 1 micron bag instead of the 5 micron.

Hopefully I'll get to putting this thing together in the next few days, but I'm not holding my breath. Lots of projects that we're working on, as usual.

Wife just asked today if we could look at new kitchen cabinets at Ikea. I'm not generally a fan of Ikea but they actually have some cabinets that are real wood, not just fiber board and particle board.

So I may have another project in the works in the next couple of months.

I looked at Ikea cabinets for my southern home. I like them. I'm choosing which woodwork I want to do and which I want to buy or sub out. Stairs are in along with other items so kitchen may very well be Ikea. One thing is for sure. Be ready to put some time into assembly.

Al

Nails only hold themselves.

 

[MT Stringer]

Wife just asked today if we could look at new kitchen cabinets at Ikea. I'm not generally a fan of Ikea but they actually have some cabinets that are real wood, not just fiber board and particle board.

So I may have another project in the works in the next couple of months.

Just curious - Why don't you build them yourself?

That is what I am planning to do this coming year.
I have been practicing...

 

[mn pete]

I've got a 25% coupon too and I've been eyeing that same DC. Might have to run down there on Saturday morning. It's not far from the Rockler and I have gift cards!

 

[frankp]

MT Stringer, I was planning to build custom cabinets myself. The biggest issue with that is time. I'm a slow builder to begin with and the reality is I've not done true cabinets before, which means I'll be even slower and make more mistakes. That option is still on the table but this is more of a "do it quick and get it done" kind of thing so we can have a usable kitchen as quickly as possible. To the point that if we go the Ikea route, I'll probably pay for them to do the install as well.

 

[MT Stringer]

MT Stringer, I was planning to build custom cabinets myself. The biggest issue with that is time. I'm a slow builder to begin with and the reality is I've not done true cabinets before, which means I'll be even slower and make more mistakes. That option is still on the table but this is more of a "do it quick and get it done" kind of thing so we can have a usable kitchen as quickly as possible. To the point that if we go the Ikea route, I'll probably pay for them to do the install as well.

Don't be skeered. You can do it!

I followed the basic workflow described in the videos by

. Since I have a small work area, I built the face frames first, then built a carcase to match each frame and put it in place. This was my practice run to determine if I have the skills and tools to tackle the kitchen next.

Hope to get started soon on the kitchen.

Good luck with your remodel. I don't blame you a bit for letting someone else install the cabinets.

Note: I have a lot of friends on a fishing forum and on Facebook. When it comes time to remove the existing cabinets, I will put out a call - first come first served - any or all - free to a good home. What doesn't get taken will go to the Habitat Restore.

 

[GoNavy429]

Note: I have a lot of friends on a fishing forum and on Facebook. When it comes time to remove the existing cabinets, I will put out a call - first come first served - any or all - free to a good home. What doesn't get taken will go to the Habitat Restore.

Thank you...Thank you....Thank you. People that are responsible enough to recycle often don't get the thank you they deserve. Every time I watch tv with shows like kitchen crashers, house crashers, etc...and they just take a sledge hammer to the stuff and throw it in a dumpster, I just want to choke the daylights out these idiots, because there are so many organizations that can put this stuff to use again. It is just more of that throw away world we seem to be moving towards.

 

[frankp]

Well, it turns out the Ikea stuff is actually particle board for the carcasses, which puts it back into the "no thank you" category. I'll have to see what my wife thinks about the whole thing. I'd still like to do it but I'm not sure I can convince her...

 

[ryan50hrl]

Did you look at cabinets to go?? I looked at them a few years back and was pretty impressed for prebuilt stock cabinets.

 

[MT Stringer]

Well, it turns out the Ikea stuff is actually particle board for the carcasses, which puts it back into the "no thank you" category. I'll have to see what my wife thinks about the whole thing. I'd still like to do it but I'm not sure I can convince her...

Here are a few thoughts...

• I bought the rail and stile bit set made by Freud. There are several profiles available.
• I also bought the raised panel bit made by Freud.
• I ran into a problem getting it to fit and be adjustable on my router table. I wound up making an auxiliary fence which simply made my existing fence thicker to allow for the big bit to have clearance to spin freely. I also made an auxiliary table top out of 1/4 inch mdf which I clamped and screwed to my existing table top. That gave me just enough additional working room to raise or lower the big bit when cutting the raised panels profile.
• When cutting the stiles for the drawer fronts, I discovered I needed to make a coping sled to hold the short pieces securely. That worked out nice...no damages pieces and no injuries either.
• Using the prefinished 3/4 inch plywood made life a lot simplier. I didn't have to do anything to the carcases. Just cut 'em and put them together (just like Kris described in his video).
• I made my carcases flush with the inside of the face frames. That made it easy to install the drawer slides (side mount).
• Since my cabinets were to be painted, I used poplar for all of the doors, drawer fronts, drawer stock and face frames. note: The drawer stock was simply sprayed with Deft Glossy finish. They turned out really nice.
• One last note - I made a ladder frame for the base and set it first and leveled it. Then simply cut the plywood for the sides at 31 inches (a little more during rough cuts). That let me cut 6 base sides out of one sheet of plywood.

Hope you find some of this stuff useful.
Mike

 

[frankp]

Thanks Ryan! Just priced out effectively the same kitchen as I planned at Ikea (less 2 half depth base cabinets) for $100 more with full plywood construction and better drawer construction too! I figure with the extra 2 cabinets it's probably only about $500 difference between the cabinetstogo price and the Ikea stuff. I also have a couple of other options that might bring the price down even closer.

 

[ryan50hrl]

I couldn't believe their quality for the price compared to other places....we came really close to ordering before deciding to just reface. They were a few thousand cheaper than our next option and way nicer.

 

[Al B Thayer]

MT Stringer, I was planning to build custom cabinets myself. The biggest issue with that is time. I'm a slow builder to begin with and the reality is I've not done true cabinets before, which means I'll be even slower and make more mistakes. That option is still on the table but this is more of a "do it quick and get it done" kind of thing so we can have a usable kitchen as quickly as possible. To the point that if we go the Ikea route, I'll probably pay for them to do the install as well.

I'm with you on that. I used to think it was best to build them myself. But it is a lot of work and when you have the rest of the house to build. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Al

Nails only hold themselves.

 

[w1pers]

Thank you...Thank you....Thank you. People that are responsible enough to recycle often don't get the thank you they deserve. Every time I watch tv with shows like kitchen crashers, house crashers, etc...and they just take a sledge hammer to the stuff and throw it in a dumpster, I just want to choke the daylights out these idiots, because there are so many organizations that can put this stuff to use again. It is just more of that throw away world we seem to be moving towards.

I agree, I don't mind if it was trashed to begin with but is it really that difficult to remove them? Ikea? My wife went there for the 1st time today and said it was the worst experience she has ever had at a furniture store. Vowed never to go back. Had to walk the entire store just to get to the checkout to find out they didn't have the lamp or chair she picked out. No offer to order or ship or any remedy. Defiantly not the experience their commercials make it look like.

 

[ACP]

Congrats on the new DC. I like mine a lot. I'm a Wynn Filter guy with mine but also have the separator. Nice air flow with the increased filter surface the pleated filter gives. I wall mounted mine. I only use it for the TS and planer. Everything else is hand tool, so keeping it up off the ground helps reduce the footprint. I need to get one of the rocker expandable hoses though. I hope it is a workhorse for you.