The Flammables cabinet stores solvent-based supplies safely. This cabinet is designed to protect flammable solvents, finishing materials and allow you to escape from a fire.
This 3-cabinet unit organizes and stores finishing supplies, including flammable liquids and Q-tips. It is easy to find and also makes it simple to put them back. It is easy to return. To avoid clutter, its designed to limit whatever is being stored to one layer deep.
Movable dividers with full extension drawers provide custom storage for finishing supplies and personal protective gear.
Safely storing flammable liquids (a requirement in professional settings) is a good idea for any home shop. The bottom cabinet in this unit is built to comply with the National Fire Protection Association’s requirements for wooden flammables storage cabinets. It is made from 3 cm AC exterior Fir plywood. Shouldered joinery is used. Door seals, spring hinges, cupboard latches, flame retardant and special signage are all applied.
Pullout tray Provides a clean work surface for pouring and mixing materials. It can also be used to spill.
After reading about its heavy-duty construction, you may be surprised to learn that a flammables cabinet is not meant to contain a fire. Its real purpose is to keep fire away from flammable liquids as long as possible, for both your benefit and for firefighters. This cabinet will keep your flammables out of flames for 10 minutes so that you can escape a fire. The cabinet allows firefighters to quickly identify a danger zone by displaying all of your finishing supplies.
Magnetic tool holder A steel panel and rare earth magnets create a versatile holder for brushes and other finishing tools.
To allow for full access, the middle cabinet contains drawers with over-travel slide slides. The bottom drawer is deep enough to store clean rags, tack cloths, gloves, dust masks, and even a respirator. The center drawer is just right for sandpaper sheets, sanding blocks, steel wool and other abrasives. Both drawers feature movable dividers.
Task lighting A box on the top holds lights and provides additional storage.
The top drawer is actually a shallow tray for preparing and mixing stains and finishes. When the tray is fully open, installing a simple stabilizer virtually eliminates the side-to-side movement caused by the drawer slide mechanisms.
This cabinet is easy to move Heavy-duty swivel wheels lock and roll it.
Small containers can be stored in the upper cabinet on shallow shelves. Long screws installed on both sides allow hanging tape and lightweight tools such as a spray gun.
The left door stores tools using screws. The door on the right employs a steel panel and rare earth magnets-a versatile storage system that can easily be easily and completely rearranged.
The doors mount on free swinging hinges, so they dont snap shut. Instead, the doors are kept closed by an old-fashioned elbow catch as well as a cupboard latch. Instead of a fancy cornice, the top of the cabinet has a box that I use to store clean, empty containers. It can also be used as a clamp light holder.
To build this cabinet, youll need one sheet of 3 cm exterior fir plywood, two sheets of 3/10 cm exterior fir plywood, one sheet of 1/10 cm plywood and a half sheet of 1/10 cm hardboard.
You will need one 48-sheet sheet of 3cm AC exterior Fir plywood, two 48-sheets of 3/10c AC exterior Fir plywood, one 48-sheet sheet of 1/10c exterior Fir plywood, and one 48-sheet of 1/10c exterior Fir plywood. A 24-piece 1/10c tempered hardboard is also required to build all three cabinets. You can custom-order 3 cm AC exterior fir plywood at most home centers. It is usually kept in stock by full-service lumberyards.
When building this project, keep in mind that plywood thicknesses are almost always undersize. Because this thickness can vary, the dimensions in the cutting lists are based on full thicknesses-3 cm plywood is considered to be 3 cm thick, for example. Adjust as needed according to the thickness of your plywood.
Fig A. Exploded View: Flammables Cabinet This cabinet has been designed to meet the National Fire Protection Associations requirements for a wooden flammable liquids storage cabinet established in Section 9.5 of the 2012 edition of NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. Visit nfpa.org for more information.
Fig B. Flammables Cabinet Joint Details
Fig C. Flammables Cabinet Door Box
Flammables Cabinet
Cut the cabinets 3 cm plywood sides, top, bottom and back (AD, Fig. To get the final dimensions, use A and Cutting List page xx. Next, cut a Photo 1). After drilling countersunk pilot holes in both ends, screw the rabbet joints on both sides (Fig A).
Photo 1. Assemble the base cabinet with glue and screws. The parts are made of 3 cm exterior grade plywood and all the joints are shouldered, glued and screwed.
Cut the shelf (E), and glue its lip (F). Note that the shelf is made using 3/10 cm plywood. Place the cleats G inside the cabinet. Then screw the shelf to the cleats, so theres no chance for it to fall when you move the cabinet around.
Photo 2. Install the door seal parts on the back of the cabinets face frame.
Cut the face frame stiles and rails (HL) from 3 cm plywood. Note that the bottom rail is wider than the top rail. Use glue and 1- to assemble the face frame.
To ensure that they are able to extend beyond the door openings on all sides, cut the MQ hardboard door seal pieces to size (Photo 2). The face frames must be covered and they should rest slightly above the surface.
Turn over the face frame and size the doors (R) to fit with 1/41 cm gaps all around. Then fasten the face frame to the cabinet with glue and screws, as before. Attach the casters (locking casters on the front).
Photo 3. Install spring hinges to mount the doors after using shims to center them in the openings.
Let dry the fire retardant paint (see sources) Then shim the doors in the openings and install the surface mounted spring hinges (Photo 3; see Sources). Build the door racks (SV; Fig. C) Attach them to the doors. Plan to fasten the retainers (W, X) later, after youve built the drawer cabinet.
Photo 4. Photo 4.
Cabinet Boxes
The two cabinets above the flammables cabinet arent intended to store flammable liquids, so theyre built using 3/10 cm plywood. Although one has drawers and the other has doors, both cabinets are built the same way, so you can assemble them at the same time.
Cut to final dimensions the sides, top and bottom for both cabinets (AA, BB, Fig D; AAA, BBB, Fig E; Cutting Lists, page xx). Cut 3/20cm deep x 3/10cm wide rabbets at both ends of each cabinet side. For the backs of cabinets, place a 3/20cm deep x 1/10cm wide rabbet at the back edge. Cut the cabinet backs (CC and CCC) to your final dimensions. Then assemble each cabinet with glue and screws. Predrill countersunk pilot hole as before. Assemble and install the box on top of the door cabinet JJJ) with glue and screws.
Fig. D. Exploded View: Drawer Cabinet
Fig E. Exploded view: Drawer
Fig. F. Drawer Divider
Fig. G .Tray Stabilizer
Fig H. Exploded View: Top Cabinet
Drawers
Photo 5. Photo 5. Spacers make this job easy.
Mount the drawer slides inside the drawer cabinet ( Photo 5). Attach the first slide flush to the cabinet’s bottom. Install spacers to position the rest of the slides. Mount all the slides flush with the front of the cabinet.
These drawers consist of simple boxes with fronts that are applied (Fig. F). The drawer box sides (DD, FF, HH) are rabbeted to house the box fronts and backs (EE, GG, JJ).
Pro Tip
Start with a large blank to save time while making rabbeted drawer components.
The blank should be cut to the same length as the parts. Rabbet the ends of your blank and then cut the parts to size.
Photo 6. Assemble the pullout mixing tray and drawer boxes. The tray is a shallow drawer container.
Cut a groove to house the drawer bottom (KK) in every drawer box part. Next, attach each drawer box using glue and screws ( Photo 6). Cut the drawer fronts (LL, MM, NN) to final dimensions. Mount them flush with the bottoms of the drawer boxes and run full width across the cabinet.
Photo 7. Photo 7. Only the pullout trays front extends above the box.
Use the drill press to drill a screw hole for mounting the knob through the center of each drawer front. Then, working on a flat surface, clamp each drawer front in position and drill countersunk pilot holes through the box for the mounting screws. Next, extend the knobs screw hole from the drawer front through the box. Then remove the drawer front and increase the hole in the box to
Photo 8. Build T-shaped dividers that slide back and forth to maximize the drawers versatility.
Attach the drawer fronts ( Photo 7). Attach the knobs to the drawer fronts. Make the sliding drawer separators ( Photo 8; R, SS, Figure. G). Butt the drawer slides against the drawer fronts and mount them flush with the bottom of the drawer boxes. Make the pullout trays stabilizer (TT, Fig. H) after you install the drawers. It should fit snugly between the back of the tray and the cabinet (Photo 9). Make adjustments as necessary.
Photo 9. Photo 9.
Place the drawer cabinet on top the flammables cupboard and attach it using screws. Install the retainers (W and X).
Shelves And Doors
Cut the door cabinets shelves (DDD) to final size and glue on the lips (EEE). Attach cleats (FFF), to the cabinet sides, and then screw the shelves together to the cleats.
Photo 10. Mount each door using wrap-around hinges. Stand the door on shims to position it at the correct height.
Reduce the doors (GGG), to their final dimensions. Wrap-around hinges (see sources) should be mounted on each door. They are located 2- Photo10. Install a cupboard latch outside and a catch inside the left door (see Sources). Attach the steel panel to your door ( Photo 11; Sources). Before mounting the panel, lay it flat and use an awl or a nail to punch holes for the screws.
Photo 11. Photo 11. Pan head screws
Place the door cabinet on top and fix it with screws. Install the retainers (PP,QQ).
Sidebar: Avoid A Devastating Fire
Heres a recipe you should never try: Pour some boiled linseed oil on a rag, wad it up and cover it with more rags or sawdust. Wait for 2 to 4 hours.
So, whats the problem? Fire. Every year, oily finishing rags are sited as the cause for disastrous, even deadly, fires. Every woodworker is taught that such rags can spontaneously combust. It is important to understand that an oily cloth can spontaneously ignite, while a rag that burns only when ignited with a spark or flame can burn.
Wood-finishing oils, especially boiled linseed oils, can cause a curing reaction that produces heat and can lead to spontaneous combustion fires. Because boiled linseed oil can be an ingredient in many oil-based stains and finishes without being listed on the label, the best practice is to be careful with all oily rags.
Oily finishing rags can cause a fire, but it is simple to avoid. Simply lay each oily rag flat so that heat doesn’t build up during oil cure. To prevent the rag from moving in the wind, add a weight to it. As long as the rag is secured with a clothespin, or spring clamp, it will be safe to hang over a rail or around the edge of a trash can. It is safe to dispose of the rag if it feels stiff and dry.
Temporary storage is often suggested by soaking oily rags into water or placing them in a steel fireproof box. These techniques will prevent a fire – until the rags have been removed. Then, because the rags are very likely to contain uncured oil, the risk of fire remains.
Bio
Kevin Southwick is a wood finishing specialist and furniture restorer/conservator. Learn more at southwickfurnitureconservation.com.
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