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What kind of wood would you use to build your cabinet?

slowandeasy

Active member
Veteran
Ready to build a cab for a friend. Want to make a nice cabinet NGB style, what kind of wood would you use? Have an old Mills Pride cabinet, melamine is heavy, but it is already white and usually not warped. Dont wanna spend a fortune, and so far the total dimensions are 4' high x 4' wide x 2' deep, for easy cuts and less wood. Any suggestions?
 
If your cab turns out to costly for your taste. Go around to your local thrift shops or type cabinets into craigslist and just modify what you find.You can take the money you saved from not starting from scratch and spend it on some nice genetics or nutrients or bulbs etc.

Sorry if i went off topic. I always like to think of all my options and thought that you might not of considered these . good luck
 

slowandeasy

Active member
Veteran
Wanna do a nice cabinet. Been looking on craigslist for old furniture, just nothing fitting the bill yet. So it will take 3 4x8 sheets of whatever to create the cab. Wanna make it tight and right, it is gonna last a long time.
 
J

JackTheGrower

There is a really thin sheet called door-something or other sheets.. I mean it's really thin..

Well you can make some strong and light weight panel with this thin wood sheet and 1x2's!

Think of it as the sum of the strength of all it's parts. If you glue and screw you can build light weight "parts" that can be assembled and disassembled.

To make a panel glue and screw two sheets onto a 1x2 frame so that it's hallow inside like a door is..


You might use 1x3 or 1x4 instead of 1x2 for added strength

Just a thought! .
 

Hovz

Active member
1/2 inch plywood should do fine, you can buy marine plywood but its more expensive.
 
L

LolaGal

With possible high humidity levels and/or heat to contend with for years, a water resistant wood would by Cypress. Redwood would also be a nice choice for a custom cabinet and would suit your needs as well.

If using plywood, I would go with marine plywood because of the moisture resistance.
 

Jnugg

Active member
Veteran
Melamine,plywood,marine plywood,OSB,MDF...all these will work.I do like the melamine for the reason you stated,it's already flat white and hardly if ever will warp.
 

slowandeasy

Active member
Veteran
Everyone's situation is different, cabinets are moveable and removable much easier. They also can be made into a self contained perpetual unit. This room calls for a cabinet, but good idea none the less.
 
S

Sir_Nugget

How about saving money and time with a grow tent like the new hydro hut silver ed, or if u want cheap check out htgsupply grow tents
 

Payaso

Original Editor of ICMagazine
Veteran
Hey randude that's good thinking...

Heat dissipation thru the roof, venting thru the attic - no smell in the house.

I once visited a growroom in Holland that you entered thru the bathroom shower, pulled up the base and went down into a basement grow by a ladder.

Did the Dutch Police find it?

Yes.
 

Payaso

Original Editor of ICMagazine
Veteran
Grow tents are well known for exhausting nasty gasses that can ruin your grow. The plastic they use for the walls is HIGHLY suspicious and until the manufacturers of these units change to perhaps a hemp-based fabric wall I would avoid them...
 
S

stoned teacher

I'm using those 1x2x8''s that are at home depot for my tent frame cause it's stable enough but not a lotta wood which i prefered due to , hauling in, not taking up a lotta extra bulky room and the thought of a quick teardown...their like $2 a piece very straight and easy to work with.....

6mm thick poly for the walls whatever i have laying around for floor...

As for wood, seal it up well with a few layers of sealer like Deft (and on top of that watch water and humidity as you should with any grow) and you should be fine....
 

slowandeasy

Active member
Veteran
Tents are good for some, but he wants a flower/mother/cloner cabinet all in one. One fan one filter. There can be zero smell, and it is going to be around for a long time. Dont want some cheap plastic gas fire hazard. Thanks for the options, but a wooden cabinet is what is going to be made...it is a one time investment that more than pays for itself after the first run.
 

DiscoBiscuit

weed fiend
Veteran
1/2" AA Fir or Birch plywood is expensive and the very best IMO. Minimal bracing (if any) needed and very easy to finish.

1/2" BC plywood is like the above but you need to be handy with a trowel and some drywall mud to get it as smooth as the A/A. Much cheaper than AA.

MDF is the stuff used for furniture, computer stands, etc. It gets a bad rap with really cheap shit that breaks after assembly but proper bracing makes all the difference. Melamine is laminate used on MDF for appearance. IMO, flat ceiling white latex is a better reflective surface than melamine. MDF has better sound damping qualities than plywood but it's heavier.

I've done both plywood and MDF. Given the circumstances, one couldn't really tell the difference in either finished product. Plywood is much stronger but MDF has it's qualities too.
 
S

stoned teacher

Tents are good for some, but he wants a flower/mother/cloner cabinet all in one. One fan one filter. There can be zero smell, and it is going to be around for a long time. Dont want some cheap plastic gas fire hazard. Thanks for the options, but a wooden cabinet is what is going to be made...it is a one time investment that more than pays for itself after the first run.


Oops sorry didn't notice that...

Previous post has good advice....I'd just add again that I recommend sealing the wood first well, especially if you go MDF. MDF I've found easiest to work with...
 

Jnugg

Active member
Veteran
You can't go wrong with MDF...It's what I build all my Car subwoofer boxes with...if you're worried about strength just add a little Elmers wood glue or some Gorilla Glue to all seams and joints.

My first box I ever built has been sitting downstairs in the carport for over 3 years,other then a little discoloration (from smoking in the car) that box is just as strong/sturdy as the day I built it.
 

TryComb

Member
My vote is particle board or the melimine I used the first one and I have a 4' wide 6' tall 2' deep cab. I spent less than $100 at the depot for the sheet goods and maybe just a tad more for hinges. You want to glue and screew it together, and I used a rabbet on the edges to make the joints stronger. Then I caulked the inside and put two doors on the front.
TC
 
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