Curvaceous Cabinets

[SuzyHomemakr]

After looking at an incomplete project for sooo long, I finally have my cabinetry act together. Just to make things fun, all cabinets are built as curves.

I laminated 1/8" okumne plywood to 1/8" lauan door skin, with 6 oz. epoxy cloth in the middle. All of this was wrapped around a custom form to get the curve. This method worked well, and once set, the curve didn't straighten out, like when using your basic yellow glue.

The upper section is carbon fiber and polished aluminum. The hood has a 12" automotive radiator fan in it, really sucks up the heat and odors. The hood was the only part of the project that I jobbed out, as my TIG welding skills are non-existent. Though I did make the patterns for the metal cuts.

The cabinet door under the sink tilts out from the bottom, and contains the trash. You can also see my over-and-under mount sink. I tossed out the funky old heater and installed a second AC under the new Dometic/SMEV range top. The floor-to-ceiling cabinet is closet above, and storage with a roll-out microwave below. Four LED puck lights make for nice task lighting at night, without having to turn on the overheads.

Still a little sanding, fitting and shelf work to do...

I've got pics of the process, if anyone is interested in more technical details.

[Hittenstiehl]

Those look really fantastic!

What is the object attached to the vent hood or is it just an optical illusion. It looks like there's something more there that you can't quite pick out in the picture.

[HiJoeSilver]

Gorgeous!!!

[55AS]

Over/under mount?

[SuzyHomemakr]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Those look really fantastic!

What is the object attached to the vent hood or is it just an optical illusion. It looks like there's something more there that you can't quite pick out in the picture.

Thanks! That's a free-form carbon fiber speaker box/hood-attacher thingie! Maybe the attached pic tells a better story. It conforms to the curve of the inner skin, and flares out to hold the speaker. I built a wacky-looking form, then stretched black fabric over it. That got epoxied, then a few layers of matting and carbon fiber.

[SuzyHomemakr]

Originally Posted by BambiTex

Over/under mount?

Details in another post: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f38/...nk-152716.html

It's over the base plywood, but it's an under mount sink mounted under the laminate.

It's worked well, you can easily wipe off the countertop.

[4riveteers]

Looks great!
I like the Star Trek motif upper cabinet electronics all over the place, and then you kept the Formica and aluminum trim below to maintain old school look.
Can you squeeze in a Keggerrater anywhere? Maybe under the sink and bring the tap out the top of the counter between the sink and stove?
Looks great, keep going man!

[Mollysdad]

That's beautiful!

[Minno]

Beautiful!

Chris and Kay

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by SuzyHomemakr

... That's a free-form carbon fiber speaker box/hood-attacher thingie!

That's exactly what it looked like.


Really like the curved cabinets. Nice job all around.

The hood is great, too.

[drew05]

Beautiful work!!! What are all of the gadgets in the cabinet above the sink? I love how you mounted the sink!

[Seagars]

Wow that's awesome

[Seagars]

I'll take a set

[Ruscal]

Fun stuff! A man needs his projects. Keep it free...
Russ

[SuzyHomemakr]

Originally Posted by 4riveteers

Looks great!
I like the Star Trek motif upper cabinet electronics all over the place, and then you kept the Formica and aluminum trim below to maintain old school look.
Can you squeeze in a Keggerrater anywhere? Maybe under the sink and bring the tap out the top of the counter between the sink and stove?
Looks great, keep going man!

Alas, my keggerator stays on the patio. Though I do have a couple of Carbacap bottles (http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Carbac...xoCT-8QAvD_BwE)to haul along some homebrew (and whenever I buy a commercial keg). Just as good!

[truckasaurus]

Beautiful design and the execution looks exceptional.

I'm leaning towards a similar AC solution and wanted to ask how it works for you so far or if you had any learning points?

[jballauer]

Lagunitas...nice! You have good taste in beer. Really great work on the laminations...I plan to do something similar on my rebuild.

[Piggy Bank]

That is freakin cool!

[SuzyHomemakr]

Thanks to all my fellow campers for the kind words!

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

Beautiful design and the execution looks exceptional.

I'm leaning towards a similar AC solution and wanted to ask how it works for you so far or if you had any learning points?

I ran an entirely new cord and circuit, so that I plug into a 50A, then split it. The second AC is the only thing on the new circuit. The cord from the outside goes into a small household panel with a single 30A breaker, then to a single plug. Breathtaking in its simplicity!

As to how well it works, every little bit helps here in S. Florida. I also have a box fan that hangs over the bed to push the air around, and smaller fans here and there. I've got Reflectix in the windows and fancy NASA ceramic paint on the roof. Yesterday the temp inside was 81, with everything (28K of AC) going full blast. So not as cool as I'd like, but with a cold beer in my hand, bearable.

In retrospect, I wish that I'd re-done the insulation when I had everything stripped out. We were in too much of a hurry to go Airstreamin'!

[SuzyHomemakr]

Originally Posted by jballauer

Lagunitas...nice! You have good taste in beer. Really great work on the laminations...I plan to do something similar on my rebuild.

It takes an amazing numbers of clamps, Harbor Freight is a good source for the cheap ones. I found that using 2X4s on the ends of the forms, and making the forms 1 1/2" thick worked well. You have to be sure that the forms don't torque around, otherwise the cabinet will set up twisted, never to lay flat! I used the store brand of epoxy from Glue Products Plus in W. Palm Beach, but another good brand is Basic No-Blush from Progressive Epoxy online. You want the good stuff that sets up clear, without the amine blush (white streaks) that can happen with stuff like West Systems (hey, at least it's expensive, too! )

I forgot to mention that I used Wood Kote Lite-N-Up Wood Bleach on the okumne plywood. It's easy to get an Airstream interior too dark, I think, and bleaching out the wood brings out lots of character. Five coats of Petit Captains marine varnish, and you're ready to install!