90deg plywood edge joining


rkrueger

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I converted a chest freezer into a kegfreezer a few years ago and I have to say, it was one of the best things I ever decided to do. My wife and I had it in a couple rentals in a side room out of the way, so it wasn't much of an eyesore. But now we bought our first house together and the only good spot we have for it is in our kitchen/dining area.

Needless to say the wife is not a fan of the white chest freezer look in her contemporary/rustic styled kitchen. I'm allowed to keep it though, as long as I gussy it up and make it look nice and fit in with the decor. My plan is to wrap the three sides with 3/4" plywood, but I can't think of a good clean way to join the edges that would be strong enough to keep it together. I'd like to avoid having to edge band if possible, which means I'd need to go with a 45deg bevel cut. Is there a strong joinery method I could do here, or would I likely need to consider a different idea altogether?

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The whole concept might not work. I know a lot of chest freezers have the condensing coils run around just under the metal sides, front & back of the freezer. If you cover that with plywood it's going to seriously affect the ability to refrigerate. That may not be the case with yours.

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2 hours ago, Janello said:

Just a thought...rip an angled block to run the inside length of the miter and use a urethane construction adhesive with some screws or brads to hold it until the glue dries. Put a small bead on the plywood miter as well.

You mean something like this?

edge_miter_joint_reinforced_with_spline.gif

1 hour ago, drzaius said:

The whole concept might not work. I know a lot of chest freezers have the condensing coils run around just under the metal sides, front & back of the freezer. If you cover that with plywood it's going to seriously affect the ability to refrigerate. That may not be the case with yours.

You're right, that's something I'll have to consider and research.

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2 hours ago, drzaius said:

The whole concept might not work. I know a lot of chest freezers have the condensing coils run around just under the metal sides, front & back of the freezer. If you cover that with plywood it's going to seriously affect the ability to refrigerate. That may not be the case with yours.

a condensing coil will create heat, the evaporator is what cools, most condensing coils are located near the compressor, What you may find is if you have a frost free freezer it will be like a heat pump and reverse operation to melt ice on the evaporator coil,

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2 minutes ago, ncfowler said:

a condensing coil will create heat, the evaporator is what cools, most condensing coils are located near the compressor, What you may find is if you have a frost free freezer it will be like a heat pump and reverse operation to melt ice on the evaporator coil,

Most refrigerators & upright freezers have the condensing coils either at the back or underneath. Any chest freezer I've seen close enough to tell (read: had to help move) has them under the skin around the sides.

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The coils are definitely in the sidewalls, which is why you build a wood collar on top so you don't drill through the walls.

Being that I'm not using it to freeze, or get close to freezing, it's not working that hard I'm thinking.
I've been seeing ideas for this on pinterest. There's a lot out there. Of course it doesn't mean that their freezers are still working today or not having issues.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/39125090487193246/

 

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Any way you can have a space between the freezer & cabinet & somehow integrate ventilation? Your probably right though, It'll work, just take a little longer to chill the goods.

I've never heard of such a freezer mod. Do you just turn the thermostat down or did you have to modify it?

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I would use a rabbeted joint on the corner and a small corner molding to cover the small remaining ply edge, 1/4" will work well. Mitered plywood corners are difficult to achieve decent results and then they are very fragile to damage. A small 1/2" square solid wood corner will provide much more durability. 

I make my own corner molding with the router table  and then cut out one corner on the tablesaw. Cut a 3/8 X 3/8 rabbet which will leave an 1/8 thick "L" shaped molding. A 1/16 or 1/8" radius bit will give you a good smooth molding. 

Good luck if you insist on a mitered corner. Make practice pieces before you commit to cutting miters on ply. Do not use imported or cheap big box ply if you go this route. B-2 domestic ply is probably the minimum grade to purchase for decent results on either style corner joints. Purchase enough extra to replace your largest part if errors are made.

Leaving a gap between the metal case and the inside of your ply is very smart. Then finish the ply case inside and out especially the edges too ! 

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15 hours ago, drzaius said:

Most refrigerators & upright freezers have the condensing coils either at the back or underneath. Any chest freezer I've seen close enough to tell (read: had to help move) has them under the skin around the sides.

true enough on larger freezers, but most that are under 5cu still use the conventional method of fan and coil to remove the heat from the condenser. but,what do I know. I only work on stuff over 100 ton,

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2 hours ago, ncfowler said:

true enough on larger freezers, but most that are under 5cu still use the conventional method of fan and coil to remove the heat from the condenser. but,what do I know. I only work on stuff over 100 ton,

You can put a lot of kegs in one of those.

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On 2/27/2016 at 8:29 PM, drzaius said:

Any way you can have a space between the freezer & cabinet & somehow integrate ventilation? Your probably right though, It'll work, just take a little longer to chill the goods.

I've never heard of such a freezer mod. Do you just turn the thermostat down or did you have to modify it?

Most use an external thermostat that has a sensor fed inside the the unit.  The freezer plugs directly into this and it shuts the power off and on.

There are others who have went a bit fancier and wired in their own digital thermostats.

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On 2/27/2016 at 9:05 PM, wdwerker said:

I would use a rabbeted joint on the corner and a small corner molding to cover the small remaining ply edge, 1/4" will work well. Mitered plywood corners are difficult to achieve decent results and then they are very fragile to damage. A small 1/2" square solid wood corner will provide much more durability. 

I make my own corner molding with the router table  and then cut out one corner on the tablesaw. Cut a 3/8 X 3/8 rabbet which will leave an 1/8 thick "L" shaped molding. A 1/16 or 1/8" radius bit will give you a good smooth molding. 

Good luck if you insist on a mitered corner. Make practice pieces before you commit to cutting miters on ply. Do not use imported or cheap big box ply if you go this route. B-2 domestic ply is probably the minimum grade to purchase for decent results on either style corner joints. Purchase enough extra to replace your largest part if errors are made.

Leaving a gap between the metal case and the inside of your ply is very smart. Then finish the ply case inside and out especially the edges too ! 

i am certainly not insisting on a mitered corner, it's the only idea I had really which is why I started this thread. This is a great idea for me to work with. Thanks for sharing!

Since the top edges of the case would be covered by the wooden collar at the lid, and the sides facing the wall would be unseen, there would be no need for me to finish those edges. I just couldn't think of a good idea for the corners and joinery as I'm still very new to the hobby, but you've covered that for me. Thanks again!

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Life changes. You never know when the case may need to be repositioned or where it might fit into your next home. Finish all sides. It doesn't take that much extra,time or materials . Any case like this being exposed to heat and moisture should be finished on all sides, in and out. Make sure to add some small leveling glides so the bottom edge isn't sitting in a potential puddle some day. Seal the bottom edge with as many coats as the visible faces get. Moisture like spills or condensation will make unsealed bottom edges swell .

Think about ventilation . I usually try to set up a chimney type air flow. In at the bottom can come under the gap the feet make ( and it could be higher like a toekick)  The upper exit could be a cutout for your hands to lift the lid.

Check the temperatures in the area around the compressor before and after the enclosure is in place. You could add ventilation openings easier before finishing. I have built in many appliances and heat is always an issue.

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