Suggestions for a Cabinet to Mount Clarkson T&C Grinder

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Planned replacement of the open linisher and D-E grinder in the dirty corner of my workshop with units having built in vacuum dust collectors means I shall loose the storage space under the existing bench. About the only practical way of replacing it will be to change the Clarkson Mk 1 T&C grinder into a "Mk 1 1/2 (!)" by taking it off the standard pedestal and putting it onto a cabinet or drawer base.

Problem is what base unit to get.

Something around 18" / 500 mm square by 3ft / 900 mm high looks to be the best fit given the space available and would match well with the bases on the new RJH linisher and grinder units. Objectively the most suitable solution is probably one of the multi-drawer side cabinets sold by Snap On, Mac Tools, US Pro et al to hang on their mechanics roll cabinets but the prices start at painful and move up. Even after new bearings and a drill sharpener I have barely £230 in the Clarkson so spending more than that for something to stand it on feels wrong somehow.

I'd be grateful for any more wallet friendly suggestions and any advice on successfully doing the transfer. I imagine any base needs to be sturdy and quite heavy. Thanks.

Clive.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Clive,

I've mounted a Centec 2A milling machine onto a two drawer steel filing cabinet, I put a 3/4 inch ply wood base onto the cabinet with the mill on top and then bolted it through, I now have storage for tooling close to the mill and it all seems rigid enough.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

On a small span like that that you can create a cheap and rigid open 'cabinet' with concrete blocks and scrap kitchen worktop and a few wall fixings to bolt it all together.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Thanks for the replies.

Martin

Filing cabinets are indeed impressively strong. I guess they have to be given that paper by the yard is 'kin heavy and standard operating conditions in old-line offices seems to be well overfilled.

Actually that's the fall back option as the existing storage is a 2 1/2 drawer deep unit made by transplanting two whole and one cut down to half height drawers into a simply plywood box on wheels something like 30 years ago. Replacing the plywood box with a nice 1' square steel tube frame should produce something amply strong but the drawer sizes and depth aren't really a good fit for tooling et al. I lucked into a goodly quantity of British made ex civil service 4 drawer filing cabinets on a "free if you haul basis" about 20-25 years back and put them to good use after suitable surgery. One cut done to two two drawers and bolted together with a blockboard, ex civil service desk, top makes a nice low level bench. Three more cut down to three drawers with similar material on top makes a nice high bench. Three more crude ply boxes on tiny wheels with 2 1/2 drawers in each sit neatly under my steel bench and can be pulled out to get at the stashed at the back treasures too good to bin, albeit not seen for over a decade! As the drawer sides are half height most of them carry a pair of half length half height lift out trays cut from surplus drawers ( I said I got a lot didn't I) 't give a better fit with tooling and general stuff sizes. Half lemng 'cos full length is tricky to get out and probably too heavy anyway.

pgk pgk

I see where you are coming from but I'm trying to get away from makeshifts. Now the big 60 has been and gone I'm finding nice more desirable and spending, within reason, less painful than it used to be. Got good mileage out of ex-kitchen cabinets with angle iron reinforcements and similar expedients in my dank and dirty past tho'.

Clive

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Retirement and the big 60 has made me meaner when it comes to spending on stuff I can create. My sheds whole run of kitchen type units and worktops were DIY from MDF sheet. It can end up as strong as you want especially when held with brown glue.

Half the hobby shed run visible below

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Posted by pgk pgk on 21/09/2015 19:11:38:

Retirement and the big 60 has made me meaner when it comes to spending on stuff I can create. My sheds whole run of kitchen type units and worktops were DIY from MDF sheet. It can end up as strong as you want especially when held with brown glue.

Half the hobby shed run visible below

Have to say those units look much better than my kitchen ones!

Edited By V8Eng on 21/09/2015 20:11:11

Edited By V8Eng on 21/09/2015 20:15:22

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

pkg pkg

Thats very impressive. How well do the drawers cope with tooling and similar metal loads which must, I think, be some what greater than they were designed for? Despite successfully using the cabinets in the past with my idea of suitable reinforcement, probably overdone, I've always considered the drawer and runner structures both inherently too flimsy for shop use and too hard to upgrade. Beginning to think that assessment may have been wrong. Despite my chronic habit of vastly overloading storage of any type.

Clive.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Draws on rails, with ball bearing runners take a fair bit of over load, and still move with a finger touch.

Ian S C

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