Good day's work methinks: laundry sorter for the boss

[kerfin]

She wanted a laundry sorter, so I planned one with Sketchup. Designed to fit our laundry room and her laundry baskets. After a trip to the wood supplier this morning to see what pre-milled wood was available, I spent the rest of the day making a design in Sketchup. Ended up with a nice set of detailed plans to take into the shop tomorrow after I pick up the wood. Downloaded the cutlist ruby and used it to plan my shopping list for the morning. No specific questions, just posting to the community, but comments and suggestions always welcome.

Is this considered a topic that should be posted in the beginner's forum instead of here? I've been poking away at the woodworking learning curve for about 15 years now and just made my first mortise and tenon joints for another project.

I hear the call to supper...

Laundry sorter 600.jpgLaundry sorter exploded 600.jpg

[Birchwoodguy]

Looks like a nice functional unit for the laundry Kerfin. I would suggest you look at the joinery details; specifically thinking of diagonal shear. That is, what will keep this unit from racking front to back or side to side in use. M&T will work if set deeply into the legs and there are other methods. you may get better rigidity if the base pieces were wider, or you may consider using knock-down hardware to increase stiffness at the leg to rail connections. If the piece is going against a wall the back could be made with some thin plywood to provide stiffness, even a pair of diagonal braces would work. In my experience a piece such as this will get constant use and will need to be rather sturdy to take it long term. Just my bit, the work looks simple yet elegant.

Robert.

[kerfin]

Thanks Robert -- I had been contemplating rabbeting 1/4" plywood into the back to protect the wall, and that would add shear strength too. Interesting that 20 M&T joints aren't enough, along with screwing and gluing the shelf slats, but really only 8 M&T joints protect against lateral shear-racking in the four rails front and back, and there is a lot of torque on them because they are at the top and bottom.

[Birchwoodguy]

I wouldn't say the M&T are not enough, just consider the depths of these and the widths of the pieces carefully. With the plywood back you have the lateral direction taken care of. The front to back direction will be getting lots of push and pull forces in use, so take the time to make your joints accordingly. If I were building it, I would consider a wider piece at the base so the M&T are wider at the legs. Just saying, to review and satisfy yourself that the frames will be rigid enough for the use. Hope you didn't take the comments as anything more than advice.

Robert.

[kerfin]

Hope you didn't take the comments as anything more than advice.
Robert.

Oh, no problem, that's why I post here. This is one of those infrequent forums on the net where the community is clearly helpful and nonjudgemental, kind of like my friends' shops around town. I have been busy beefing up the design and will post an update. Thanks for your help.

Update: New image.
Laundry Sorter.jpg

[Wally in Calgary]

Oh, no problem, that's why I post here. This is one of those infrequent forums on the net where the community is clearly helpful and nonjudgemental, kind of like my friends' shops around town. I have been busy beefing up the design and will post an update. Thanks for your help.

Update: New image.
Laundry Sorter.jpg

Is this going to be fastened to the back wall?? If not then as Robert was trying to point out -- is the side rails should be deeper so as to prevent front to back racking when the baskets are pulled out and pushed in. A 2-3" tenon on these side rails would be much stronger and the slats could sit in a rabbet or a groove.

[Birchwoodguy]

Thanks Wally - thats what I was trying to say.

I think the side rails could afford to be wider and if the extra width was above the slats then they could double as basket guides (sort of) and not detract from the nice light lines of the piece, nor be in the way of the baskets.

When I noted a wider base frame, I was attempting to give the work some rigidity but not make it look too heavy.

Good Luck with it Kerfin, and thanks for not taking any offence from my comments as none was intended.

Robert.

(Note: some of my USA friends like to read here and they say we are soooooo polite!!!)

[Scott M]

Like Wally, my first thought is that if it's screwed to a wall, then racking isn't an issue.

If not, then it is.

[kerfin]

Thanks for the latest comments. I've been so busy in the shop that I never made it back to check. The job is done: we'll see if racking becomes a problem. The piece feels very solid, but I can see why deeper side pieces would make sense. This my first M&T project, and I learned a lot from it. Worse comes to worse, I can screw it into the wall.

Laundry Sorter done.jpg

[kerfin]

After year and a half of constant use there is absolutely no sign of front-back racking, and the botchy stain has lightened up and evened out very nicely. Looks much better now. Phew.

[Woodwreck]

I'm not going to join the quibbling over joinery but I sure am impressed with your Sketchup skills. great job.