Media Cabinet #5: Shelf Pin Holes

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This is part 5 in a 18 part series: Media Cabinet

The adjustable shelves will rest on the usual shelf pins.  All of the shelves will be the same size with indents on the underside to index the shelf pins (to prevent them from shifting).  To ensure that the front edge the shelves will have a uniform offset from the slanted front regardless of where they're placed, the line of shelf pin holes needs to run parallel to the slanted edge of the side panels.   

I made a drilling guide for use with a plunge router with a 7/16" guide bushing.   The 1/4" dowel indexes the slanted front edge of the side panel to establish horizontal offset of line of holes from the front edge.  The drilling guide holes are 1" apart vertically.


I tried the guide on an off-cut to make sure there would be no issues with veneer tear-out when drilling.  All holes had a nice clean edge.



With a partial dry fit, I first did a sanity check with the guide placed on each side to make sure the holes would line up properly. 
After working out where the lowest pin hole should be located, I made a spacer to keep the guide parallel to the fixed shelf surface.


With the panel clamped tightly in place, I drilled the first set of 11 holes front and back.


I needed 16 holes altogether, so after drilling the initial 11, I made some 5" spacers to shift the guide up 5 holes.  I aligned the guide laterally by eye, centering the guide holes over the previously drilled shelf pin holes.  Ideally, I could just rely on the 1/4" indexing dowel to set the lateral position.  However, I made a slight goof when cutting the taper on the side panels.  They were not cut at exactly the same angle, so they diverge by about 1/16" at the top of the panels.  I could use the indexing pin on both sides at the lower end of the taper because they haven't diverged much at that point.

With the guide clamped in place, I drilled the remaining 5 holes front and back.


I'm happy with the results.  The other side went just as smoothly.


I bought some extra long 5mm shelf pins, 1" total length.  I had some soft tubing that had the right inner diameter to slip over the pin.  This will provide a little bit of wiggle room should a given elevation of pins not be on the same plane (or if the shelf is not perfectly flat).



To test for planar pins, I used the bottom panel as a makeshift test shelf. (I won't complete the adjustable shelves until after the cabinet glue-up.)  I installed the panel at a couple locations, and I could only detect the slightest rocking.  With the weight of a component on top, it probably won't be noticeable. 




Next I'll work out how to get cables routed in/out of the cabinet.

11 Comments

Nice jig, like the way you kept the inset from the front taper!

Are your shelves going to have the pin buried into a slot or will they just rest on top? I guess you'd need a short notch for the rear pin if so.

Psyched to see how you work out the cable wrangling, always a pain and yes the wall warts are another pain!
lookin real good ross.

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Thanks, guys.   Splinter - the shelves will just rest on top of the pins.  I didn't really want to mess with a slot in the self.
I was wondering why not using the Festool guide rail?

FS 2424/2-LR 32


https://dutchypatterns.com/



 Dutchy
 commented about 10 hours ago
I was wondering why not using the Festool guide rail?

FS 2424/2-LR 32

That was actually my initial plan.  The problem was that I couldn't work out a simple solution for consistently locating the rail at a specific angle and offset from the vertical rear edge for 4 sets of holes.  I'm sure I could have made it work, but it started feeling much more fussy than a simple bushing-style drilling template.  The Festool LR32 system just wasn't designed to drill shelf pins at an angle (off vertical) while still keeping the shelves parallel to the ground.
Now it's clear to me. Thanks! 

Nowadays all our row drilling machines are based on 32 mm, but long ago they were sometimes based on 25.4 mm or better to say 1"

https://dutchypatterns.com/

Lovely little detail using pipe on the shelf pins. These things are what elevates a "good" project to "exelent"

"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner


 Kaerlighedsbamsen
 commented about 23 hours ago
new
Lovely little detail using pipe on the shelf pins. These things are what elevates a "good" project to "exelent"
Thanks!  I love it when I find a good use for junk I've hoarded over the years.  😀
Oh yes! That feeling when you FINALLY need that little part that you stored 15 years ago. SO good!

"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner


 Kaerlighedsbamsen
 commented 1 day ago
Oh yes! That feeling when you FINALLY need that little part that you stored 15 years ago. SO good!
Exactly!  My usual problem is that I know I have the thing, but I don't know where I stored it!