How to Make Bespoke Size Flat Pack Furniture
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- If you don't want to spend all weekend trying to make your own cabinets but cannot find flat pack furniture of the right size then cutting down is a great way to create a size to suit you but with most of the work already done by others.
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Beware! IKEA PAX wardrobe doors (and other IKEA items) usually only have chipboard or some other "solid" material at the edges. The rest of the insides is just cardboard, that will not be usable at all to fasten anything to.
I was going to say the same thing kallax is mainly cardboard with just bits of chipboard in key areas. Found that out the hard way!
yep, i also found this out when I wanted to use an IKEA worktop but as a shelf, only a trim around the edges, some chipboard half way through for support then literally cardboard folded like honeycomb... wasn't great...
Not only the PAX series is “hollow” (cardboard honey grade). Lots of IKEA cabinets and even tables are!
For some changes like triming width of e.g. Kallax it is possible to trim board, get rid of cardboard (in places where you need to replicate holes) and replace it with some wood or chipboard glued in place. It is more complicated but totally possible. I done it to fit old Kallax in new space :)
@@HubertZajmaI did that with some IKEA small table top, but it was a pain to get all the glue residue and pieces of stuck cardboard out to make it all straight and even. Of course, perfectly doable, but not the most fun thing to do.
Excellent video with some extremely useful tips and insight. You produce videos that are consistently informative, relevant and enjoyable to watch and learn. Grateful for all of your time & effort in producing & sharing Stuart - cheers.
I recently reduced a 500 base unit to 450, marked the new holes out by measuring, didn’t think to use the off cut as a template, that’s a great tip for next time👍
Pro tip - best method for cutting melamine. Take 2 passes. 1st is a shallow 1/8” / 2-3mm scoring cut - keeps melamine from chipping. Then a second cut full depth. A fine tooth blade is advised but not necessary.
Definitely, very new to this but 2 passes and cutting down your line with a Stanley knife works well
the timing for this video is perfect! just took apart one half of a double pax wardrobe and am going to turn it into a top extension for the other half, and now thanks to you I don't have to do my head in figuring out how to do it😁
Ha! Never thought about this! From now on I’ll look at “doesn’t fit” with new eyes. Very good advice, cutting from top or bottom! Love your comment about the chance of matching the finish on top is about zero!
Part 2, when you shorten by less than 5 inches and mid way through your guide holes.......tracing paper!
What a great idea to use the offcut as a jig! Only downside I can see is if you are reducing by less than the height of all the holes. Great video as always.
Could cut the board a bit like tile, use a knife blade along your mark to precut the surface cleanly.
Ordinarily I wouldn't think of trying something like this. But after watching your video I wouldn't hesitate to have a go. The way you explained and demonstrated was brilliant and easy to follow. A Proper DIY project.
You’re a very good presenter. Your videos are interesting, useful and fun. 👍🇺🇸
20 minutes ago.. Great phrase.. 😂 For me it will toke 2 hours with proper tools, because, I measured twice, rethink, and only then cut.. 😂👍
Using the templates!
A seemingly obvious idea, but is so cos you told us
Brilliant
I’m a complete novice at this stuff. I have a very basic technical question. Why doesn’t the track for the track saw, move around while it’s being used? Thank you. Michael
Double sided sticky tape better than clamping together. When you clamp the smooth surfaces swim about.
9:43 - no, at this point throw the hardboard back away, and replace with a single piece of ply, which you will previously have got by shopping around for some just the right thickness to be a tight fit in the slots, and then rattle-canned white. The difference that ply vs 2 pieces of taped-together hardboard makes to the rigidity of the finished item is substantial.
Also drawer bottoms. Ever had that situation where if you've got heavy contents, after sometime the hardboard bottom bows, and can actually come out of the slots? Doesn't happen with ply.
Another great video! Possible silly question, but how did you secure the guide rail in place for the cuts, to stop any movement?
Witchcraft. Plus that aluminium guide rail thing has squishy grippy sticky gummy-worm pad things built into it.
Really good video thanks, I've done this before but the idea of using the off-cut as a template is genius!
When cutting the board with the circular saw is it worth using a sharp blade to cut along the line first so you get a cleaner line? Rather than just the tape.
If you slice a straight line first this should stop the jagged edge caused by the saw. Maybe something to test on a future vid.
I feel like going to IKEA and buying me some billy bookcases now :D
We had to take 34mm of the height of the Ikea Pax system to fit the room. Gutting. Decided to take it from the top as this only had the top section rather than the bottom which had the plinth. We had to recreate the hole pattern from the top and used a router to make the cuts. Right, I'll watch your video now....
What if you need to take off only 50 mm of the height. You would be cutting in between the original holes, thus would not end up with a nice drilling template.
Just moved in to our new house and wanted a ‘media’ wall. Not quite wide enough for standard ikea besta units. With the help of your excellent video, I managed to cut down 2 x tv bench and a single cupboard with great results👍 thank you for the content you provide, really useful!
When cutting first cut in reverse with half the depth and then cut all the way through - much better result :)
Thank God I don't use Ikea.
Or get a decent TS like the Makita with the scoring cut
'...and THIS, isn't it!', hahaha! Dammit, I've been doing it all wrong! Really good video about jig-making. PS. How about a video about fixing broken broom shafts? 🤣🤣🤣
Would scoring the melamine (deep score with a sharp knife) make the cut cleaner?
Your explanations, logic and execution are so spot on and easily followed Stuart and make perfect sense to the home DIYer..like me! 😊 I also appreciate the little tips and tricks along the way. Other nice things you do are to speak in terms of inches as well as in metric measures. Keep up the great content Stuart .! Best from San Francisco, Ca👍🏽
I've learned so much from your channel, thanks for all your content.
Ikea are cheap but you can't argue with their production quality... I've never had any issues, things do fit well. Those holes though are so critical, a really good set of drills is required 😊
Whenever I see dowels, I want to apply glue to them.
11:33 … and then turn the piece over and dump the cam out
Now THAT was a proper DIY video.
👍👌
I love watching your vids. I learn something new all the time, cheers!!
Excellent job Stuart, made a good alteration to the unit with a good finish ,It look's if it was bought in that size. As always a great and helpful video ,take care
Some good tips here but this can only be used on the furniture with 'solid' sides, the IKEA furniture which has thicker sides (KALLAX etc.) is hollow and only has solid portions on the ends where the joins are made. 11:30 try just turning the plank upside down and knocking it out with a quick thud.
I used several sheets of eight ny four feet of plywood to make bespoke shelving cabinates with drop handle desk and a fireplace unit all of which I very much love. 😊
Brilliant video yet, I need a workshop.
Hi Buddy, I tend to use the clear hybrid strengthing tape to secure the back boards after nailing up. Makes it much more stable.
Great technique to use the off cut as a jig. Seems obvious when you know how, but how many of us would have done that?
Great video, you have taught an old dog new tricks!!😀
Cut the backboard from the bottom edge as they have circular cutouts which have blanks - i dont know what they are used for bit a lot of ikea stuff has this circular cutout in it with a plastic blanking grommet
Think they are for fixing the cabinet to the wall...so it wont fall over if little people are climbing on them...
Great video again I’ll be trying this soon on a bookshelf I’m altering
Brilliant video stuart, really impressed and feel much less daunting by rhis task 👍🏼
If you just cut the top, you just gave yourself the exact texture and colour edge banding. Stick is on again?!
Great video. I'd love to get your take on fitting a wardrobe under a sloping wall.
It's a lot harder. Sloping behind or at the side?
I'm lucky enough to have a mate with a kitchen building factory, can get units in any colour any size.
Great video..followed OK.. but can't seem to find a 15mm forcen bit...doest it have another name or is it out of your odds and end box Stuart?
Hi, I am fairly new to this woodworking milarkie and I need to use those screw in threaded inserts, but I am not sure what sort of size to use. My workpiece is 18mm so I think i need 12mm inserts, but m6 or m8 or what size would be the best to use.
6:39 Well that's a bit of luck. In my house I'd need to cut off 4.5" straight through one of the old holes.
😂😂😂
He's cutting where the shelf is attached to the side panel so no worries about lack of chipboard, keyboard warriors relax
we did a bit of depth to fit existing wardrobes couple of years ago, worked out alright, just the shelf pinholes were a nightmare (there's so many) :)
The offcut as a jig is pretty obvious . What i liked though was your way of finding the depth to drill new holes - would not have thought of that .
Great tip stuart 👍
This is exaclty what I needed ! thank you - your awesome ;)
As with all worthwhile things, simple but effective. Brilliant👍
Hi does anyone know if I could trim 2cm off of yhe bottom of a pax wardrobe
do you have JYSKs in the UK? it's a far better brand imo
yes, they use less cardboard in table tops/doors :)
Some great tips my mate
Is there a knack to being able to drill the dowel holes straight down through the end? I'd use a jig and it'd still be crooked
Great practical video, smart solutions here, well done sir
Best 50 quid spent knowing its wasted just for the intro. Lol
Fine for when the panels your working with are solid chipboard or MDF, try trimming the side panels of an IKEA PAX wardrobe which have an outer frame with cardboard inners…
Didn't know Ikea Pax was cardboard. Mine were chipboard as are daughter's bought last year
Just turn the board over the cams will fall out.
Often had to do this. Most pleased with reducing length of an Ikea pine loft bed for daughter about 20 years ago. Gambled on her not growing any more... she didn't.
@@howarthcduse the off-cut of the mattress as a template to drill new holes on the remaining mattress
@enriquegarciacota3914 Ha ha! We got a shorter mattress. Her room was too narrow for the bed's original size. Would have fitted lengthways, but room would have been almost unusable except for sleeping.
She was thrilled with her one-of-a-kind custom made bed. I added an elegant desk hanging from, and supported by, the bed frame plus well-placed light switches and sockets
You make me laugh! I've actually done that 😂
That was one your best and indeed most usable videos ever! Thanks 😊
Now I am not stupid (except re. women) but I have never thought about modifying such furniture………..strange! Darling get my tools out!! 😂
Bob
England
Seen the airline crack created in the melamine drilling the newer sized panel
Had this exact issue with an Ikea Wardrobe. The 2300mm height was only size available, great but when ceilings are only 2100mm and it’s just been delivered! Did exactly as you did here. Copied joints/fixing points 200mm down, rebuilt to fit then cut off excess. Door more difficult as need to reposition hinges. Glad you confirmed my way wasn’t just me blagging it.
Truly Amazing guided video.. the best bespoke custom fit from standard pack….
I don't have a table-saw, just a Bosch Tracksaw system - which does a reasonable job. I've done a similar job recently for an extensive library of academic books (which always seem to amazingly heavy, plus there will Always be more soon!
Hiya Stuart. Just found your channel and i absolutely love it. Only for entertainment purposes i might add. Just recovering from 2 bouts of cancer liver and throat. Therefore not up to scratch you see. Explanation the logic and theory of your projects are brilliant. Keep them coming. Working my way through your back catalogue. All the best and thankyou.
Anyway to add height to a bookcase?
Some great tips there. Thanks!
I’ve done something similar with PAX. I also disassembled the door and cut around 10cm out so I had a complete 40cm wide unit from the original 50cm one. That required some precision and I could have done with a track saw; good to see yours getting some use.
I am going to make ikea billy a custom size now by following these rules. Thanks a lot well explained.
Nice video, thanks. Did one of there last weekend, and I'm quite pleased that I managed to work out the "template trick" for myself. If, like me, you don't have a fancy forstner bit, aviod the post and cam system and just screw through from the outside with ordinary screws. The screw heads are apparent on the sides, but that doesn't matter if you are slotting into a gap. For alignment, drill pilot holes straight through with the peice assembled.
This is Swedish made Billy, from waste wood. Double up shelves for extra strength and if a shelf is bowed just turn upside down. Use L brackets or modesty blocks and you can avoid all the hassle in this video
I've done this. I made a 600mm chest of drawers. Mine was Oak veneer with lots of exposed ends so I picked up some edge banding off eBay, by chance the colour match was almost perfect, the texture was off but I'm pretty sure only I'd know that. I couldn't get a 15mm forstner bit, but 16mm was ok.
A track saw looks essential for getting a really good straight cut. I don’t think a regular circular saw will do the job, and forget about using a jig saw - even with some kind of guide.
You can do it by hand if you have the time, the strength, and a metal ruler as a guide
Mark you cut line, cover the line with some blue tape. Cut. Just the weekend activity I needed.
Thanks Stuart, another useful bit of advice stored away for future use. Personally I've not needed to do this myself before but your techniques here are well thought out and practical - so much better to use a template than try to measure spacings and positions accurately !
I really like your videos. Can always use any “tricks” on other projects. You seem to be able to go from metric to US standard quite easily.
Brilliant! I'm left staring at a custom bookcase I built a few years back, which was 3 times more expensive than a similar ikea piece, and weighs a ton. Had I but seen this tutorial!
What you made will last longer, look better, and give you the satisfaction of building it yourself!
@@ImOnAJourneyMost Ikea stuff lasts as long as you need it - many years. Not so good if you move house unless careful with disassembly.
Price is such that, with current plywood and mdf costs, you might replace Ikea products two or three times for cost of custom made. If making it yourself, there's the cost of home with large enough workspace to build your own. Cost of tools to build your own.
Pax wardrobes, however, are best in a row bolted firmly together, with extra panels to double the thickness of end panels that have hinges.
I have scratch built large kitchens and wardrobes in days of corded drill, 6" circular saw, jigsaw, small Bosch diy router and milling stand (that was a brilliant tool). Horror alert for those over a certain age: that was pre-Ikea MFI era. Now, I'd usually modify Ikea
I cut down some Lack wall shelves for two alcoves in my old house. I did this because you would never see the cut ends. I never bothered to fill the ends. When the walls were being plastered I asked the guy to make those parts of the wall to kind of flare inwards so the shelves would be slightly wider at the front and narrower at the back. It took a while to cut them tight as they had to line up with the metal support that came with the shelves. Because I wanted to store lots of books I had to put a tiny plastic shelf support a couple of inches in from the front. I wanted no supports but the books were too heavy. I cut the shelves gradually with a chop saw and then finished with an electric planer until they were fitting tightly. They turned out great in the end and most people thought they were a hand made shelf that was varnished to match the Ikea tv unit.
Works well for repurposing old furniture too! Rather than buy my son a new desk it got trimmed down. Worst case, I didn’t do a good job and I needed to buy a new one.
Thank you some really great tips on this vid....I think these techniques will come in mighty handy when doing my kitchen
What if you want to reduce the height by less than 5 inches and you cannot use the off cut as a template because you've cut through the portion with the holes?
Then you need to find a piece of cardboard, cut it to the same width as the piece, offer it up to it, transfer the relevent holes to it and use that as your template.
Brilliant video, very useful tips. Many thanks 👍
Collins DIY & Advanced Physics 👍
brilliant thank you
I’m so impressed 😊
great method using existing cut off, ive done it the very hard way
Great tutorial - I did a similar thing with a double door sliding wardrobe, it went perfect but keep in mind one of the doors won't go back as far as it used to. I also bought 2 pairs of cheap suction cups so my wife and I had a way to manoeuvre the heavy mirrored doors back onto their runners.
Great video. Bravo
New DeWalt drill driver by any chance? 😊
I see your track saw is coming in handy great work and tips thanks
great video thx
Great video😊
A very good one Stuart very informative as always
Proper proper diy 👏👏👏