stevie

As @stewblack would say: "T-nut porn!"😀

Yes, that's it. In the selection box, click Black needled felt 2 1/2 oz. Then 1mtr length. £4.99. I wish sellers wouldn't keep changing their Ebay ads!

I particularly like the "pour glue into a bowl" suggestion. Squeezing the glue out of a litre bottle over such a long length is a pain.

Today's the day then, Luke? Good question. If you're an experienced cab builder with plenty of clamps and the necessary tools (like a brad nailer), you should be able to assemble the cab in one go. If this is your first attempt at building a cab, I suggest you work on one panel at a time, following the order of assembly on pp 20-21 of the other thread. The reason was pointed out by basstone and chienmortbb earlier. The plywood has a tendency to bow in the centre when you apply pressure to both ends. So it's likely that you'll need all four clamps to ensure a perfect fit - especially when you're fitting the second side panel. The job of the clamps is a) to hold the wood firmly in position while the glue dries and b) to apply pressure where required to adjust the position of the panels to ensure a tight fit with smooth seams. Although they say that full strength is reached after 24 hours, most PVA wood glues are fairly solid after one or two hours. I'd give the back panel and braces two hours to set, with perhaps one hour for the other panels - but there's no harm in waiting longer. Just make sure all your 90-degree angles are 90 degrees and check the dry fit of the next panel or two panels before the glue sets. I know I keep repeating this - but it's really important. And don't forget chienmortbb's pencil trick.

That's the one. And they will print the logo on the outside for you. Worth checking out perhaps.

I'd also be interested in a cover. I seem to recall from discussions on here that there's an alternative supplier with a superior product.

I'd like to point out a couple of minor niggles with the kit. First, the CNC machine forgot to rebate the back panel to take the input panel. The idea of the rebate is that it allows you to push the input panel into the rebate and simply glue it in. Fortunately, it's not a dealbreaker and here's what I suggest you do. Place the input panel over the cutout and mark each edge with a pencil. Then mark the other two edges. That will leave you with a pencilled square showing the outline of the input panel. Apply glue and stick it down. I've enclosed a couple of small pieces of poplar plywood with each kit that you can glue to the top and bottom of the input panel to bring the total glue area back to what it would be with the rebate. Apologies for the loss of focus in the photos, but my flash just whited everything out. The second niggle is the hole spacing for the top handle. I think this is because the handle manufacturer chose a weird hole spacing and we assumed the spacing was regular. It'll be fixed next time. In the meantime, you'll need to insert some of the screws at a slight angle to move the holes over a bit. The hole size is 3mm and the recommended screws are 5mm - so it can be done. Just screw in a few turns - then bring the screw to a vertical position and carry on screwing in.

I'm very curious to hear whether the others agree with you, Pete.

There is a trick that allows you to paint the whole cab in one go. I did mention it in the parallel thread, I think. You drill the holes for the feet and just screw the screws in (without the feet) leaving them protruding, say, 15 - 20mm. Paint the bottom panel first. Then turn the cabinet over, stand it on the screws and continue to paint the rest of the cab.

The reason I recommended sandpaper is because most people don't have a router, and sandpaper works surprisingly well. But you're quite right, Luke, a roundover bit and a router is the way to go if you know what you're doing.

Of course, I remember you mentioning that. Fascinating project! Still, it could be an idea for other builders. I sprayed my input panel matt black to contrast with the much rougher dark grey Tuff Cab elsewhere. Unfortunately, I had already glued the input panel on, which made it a lot trickier.

You might like to consider spraying the input panel with that paint before gluing it in.

Thanks for pointing it out @ChienmortbbHopefully, it will stop others making the same mistake. The glue will have filled the gaps - so I don't think there'll be a problem in practice.

The specification calls for 15.2mm rebates and 15mm plywood. That's not a huge amount of leeway. On the sample I received from the very first CNC company I used (not the current one), the rebates were slightly undersized and I had to take a Stanley knife to open them up. Not funny. Although I haven't assembled any of the current batch, I expect that taking the roughness off the mating edges with some sandpaper will make things easier.

That's definitely something to watch out for. You can check the fit of the joints visually at each end, but it's difficult to know what's happening in the centre. A steel rule like that one is a good idea. Even better is a steel square. Or you can check the fit against a straight piece of wood. My number one tip would be to test the fit of the next panel before the glue sets on the piece you're gluing. Maybe even check the fit of the next two panels if you can. The interlocking design means that if one panel is slightly out, you might not be able to fit the other panels.