Projects, Tips and Ideas.
Imagine what you could build! Creating your very own dream record storage unit is a breeze using our modular drawers. Essentially what we’re dealing with here is a home assembly custom creation. Think Ikea meets Lego and Meccano!
Full & detailed instructions for assembling your DMCs is on the How To… page, However, on this page you’ll find some tip for construction and ideas & guidance on how to get started, and then develop and customise your chosen creation!
Tips for constructing your DMC’s.
First things first. Safety. Make sure you’re wearing the correct PPE! Cut proof gloves, eye protection etc. Panels and components may have sharp edges and there’s lots of small screws and parts, so make sure you keep little people and pets away from your chosen construction area. You’re working with wood, so splinters & dust may be a hazard, and the black faced ply can have sharp edges too! Take your time and be careful. Ideally, you’ll have some experience of general DIY and be competent using hand a power tools. If you’re unsure please do get in touch and we’ll do our best to assist!
TIP # 1
Use a workbench, if at all possible, it’ll make everything much easier! (Heres a good one). Assemble the tools you’re going to be using and make sure you have everything you’ll need. Minimum requirements are a suitable screwdriver and some sandpaper. However, a cordless drill driver & selection of drill and screw driver bits (PZ1, PZ2 etc.), sander, a couple of 600mm quick clamps, countersink drill bit (1.5mm - 2mm) will all make life much easier and faster.
Carefully unpack the parts, set the hardware, shims & fixings aside and inspect each panel. Now’s a good time to gently sand off any sharp edges from all the wooden components. Once you’ve done that, you’ll also be far more familiar with the parts. Separate the outer carcass parts from those of the drawer. The outer carcass consists of five parts - a square back plate, a pair of sides, and a pair of top/bottom panels which are distinguishable by the two small catch mount holes toward the front lip. That should leave you with the drawer parts - back, sides, base and drawer front. You will be using two sizes of screws to assemble the DMC, 3mm x 12mm and 3mm x 25mm. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the difference, and keep them separated. The 25mm will be used for the main assembly of panels, and the 12mm for the drawer runners and catch (if you use it). Make sure you use the correct screwdriver bit too otherwise you’ll damage the screw heads!
Tip # 2
Preparation. Check the guide holes on all the panels, and if needed, run a drill bit through to make sure they’re open and visible from both sides. Carcass assembly. - You can use any method which suits you, but we have found it easiest to lay a bottom panel flat on the bench, add a side and then the back plate, so you have three panels held. Screw the back plate to the bottom and side panels, and then add the second side and top panels. If you have some quick clamps, it’s easiest to assemble the carcass by dry fitting the whole unit, clamping it and screwing it together. It’s not essential, but you can predrill and countersink each hole if you wish. During assembly you should make sure that the screws are seated flush or just beneath the surface which will help when you are fitting the drawer runners, and when you start to connect modules together for your chosen unit design.
Tip # 3
Drawer assembly. The drawer itself is pretty self-explanitory, dry fit the bottom, sides and back together. Screw the side panels to the bottom plate, and then fit and secure the back plate. Before fitting the drawer front, you’ll need to fit the catch (if you want to use it). With the catch fitted, align the drawer front and make sure it’s seated tight up to the drawer bottom and sides. Then fit the KD fittings into the recesses and secure the drawer front. Drawer runners. Use the two shims provided to support the drawer runners while you secure them to the outer carcass. Rest the runner on top of the shim making sure it’s flush to the back panel, then extend the drawer runner to expose the back mounting holes. Get a couple of screws (3 x 12mm) fitted to the back and while ensuring the runners are still sitting level on the shim, work your way forward adding screws until ALL the screw holes are used to secure the runner to the carcass. You will need to slide the runners in and out a little to expose all the mounting holes!
Project # 1 - Step One - Building a Simple unit………
Now you’ve got your modules constructed, let’s start building a simple unit made up of a couple of modules. We’ll start with a pair of DMCs, then add BASE’s and join them together as a pair. You can join all our modules together with M5 x 30mm Coach Bolts, nuts and washers. This is the simplest and easiest way, and it allows you to make adjustments as you build. Better still, it makes it super easy to dismantle and change or extend your unit at any time in future.
Tip - for joining multiple modules - remove the drawers and lay the modules on their back plate while you line them up and insert the bolts through both carcasses. This also makes it easier to fit the bases as you go!
Shopping List - 2 x DMCs, 2 x BASE’s, 1 x 2MT top. Will hold up to 300 records.
Step Two
At this point, you could just add a top, (2MT) and leave it at that. However, we want more don’t we? So let’s add a ‘special order module’, a half-height double (HHD) which holds 200 + CD’s, or DVD’s and accessories. This will sit perfectly on top of our two DMC’s.
Shopping List - 1 x HHD (Special Order Half-Height Double).
Step Three
Now we have a nice usable unit, a simple finishing touch is all we need. Here we’ve added a sheet of 4mm clear styrene (like Perspex) bought from the local DIY store and cut to size. It cost about £40 and really makes the top shine! You could also paint or varnish, oil, wax or stain the top if you want.
Project # 2 -
If you fancy a change, or want to make a new creation from what you’ve already started, this might help. With the three modules we now have, there are many possible new designs we can build. By now you already know how to join modules so we won’t go over that again, but you can add a larger top (4MT), an internal shelf (INTs-S) and even splash out on some toughened glass to top it all off. We’ve used 6mm toughened glass cut to size at our local glass merchant. We’ve also applied some Danish Oil (Dark Jacobean Oak, if you’re interested!) to the top and internal shelf which really works well. One light coat carefully applied with a sponge so that the colour doesn’t bleed into the cut edges on the front and sides and wiped off with a clean rag immediately before allowing to dry. Easy!
Shopping List - 1 x 4MT (top), 1 x INTs-S (internal shelf), toughened glass (if you choose!).
Project # 3, More records? More drawers then!
Develop your design into a 6 or 8 drawer unit with 4 or 6 additional DMC’s. The 6-drawer unit has an internal shelf (INTs-S) for an amp, tuner, cd player and accessories, while the 8 drawer unit maximises your record storage within the same footprint. Later you could add side panels and even replace the drawer fronts with ‘special order’ fronts - without the catch lock holes. These work well with the recessed 120mm drawer pull handles.
