Shop cabinets - drawers vs doors/shelves

[jms]

I have a 20' section of wall in my garage/shop that I'm going to build a set of cabinets and a workbench on. Will have both lower and upper cabinets.

A quick poll out there to see who uses doors and shelves, who likes all drawers, and who uses a combination of the two in their shops for the lower cabinets.

For the shop -- face frame or frameless ??

I know these are *mostly* subjective questions and so I expect everyone to have a different opinion, which is what I'm counting on -- I just hope you also say WHY you like one over the other as I try to whittle down my options and get to building these things -- my shop is full of stuff everywhere and I need to store tools and supplies much more efficiently than I'm doing now.

Edited: FYI -- I'm leaning towards all drawers, frameless -- combination of cabinets with 2 large drawers and cabinets with 3 drawers, and maybe 1 with 4-5 drawers -- cabinet bases 33.75" wide and 22.25" deep. I think this will give me the best access to the things I want to store, but wanted to draw on the experiences here to see what others thought - obviously that many drawers is quite a bit more material and effort, but I believe it will be worth it in the end.

[benush26]

This may be considered sacrilegious by some but instead of building upper and lowers I have friends search Craigslist and local want ads for kitchen cabinets that have come out of a remodel. I bought about 14' of uppers and lowers for $15 many years back and friends have found similar and better deals.
By doing that, you can get the clutter off the floor and then take your time building specific cabinets for the items you want.

I'm not saying you should not build custom if that's what you want, but as an immediate "use them this weekend" plan. Then you can have open and/or closed front, see what fits your usage pattern and then if you still want something specific, you are better equipped to design and build.

One friend took the lowers with the countertop and sink, removed the sink, then fit his chop saw into the space and has a great space. He found that he was okay with not having that saw on a stand.

Not certain if that helps in any way shape or fashion .

Be well,
Ben

[jms]

Thanks Ben -- I had considered doing the same thing actually and decided to build instead, simply because I want my bench to be custom to my shop and my needs. What I can't decide is if all the extra effort for drawers will be worth it :-)

I do agree though that buying used cabinets from a remodel is a great way to save money and get something in quickly !

[thunderbirdbat]

Have you considered picking up a cheap unit with drawers or an old dresser? It does not matter if you do not like the carcass as you can change that with what you build later. It would allow you to see if you prefer the drawers or just some drawers before going to all the trouble of building them to find out you do not like them. It will also allow you to see what drawer height works best for the things that you have or want to store in them.

[masonsailor2]

I would vote for a mixture of both. I find drawers better for the stuff that needs organizing and you need a few open shelves with doors for the bigger stuff. I don't do uppers or lowers with open shelving in a shop without doors. Too much of a dust magnet. The choice of euros vs face frame is just a matter of taste. Euros are far quicker to build. If you have a lamello tool euros are very fast. Face frames have a more traditional look. Biscuits make face frames easy also. I guess you have to decide the look you want and then build them. Melamine is a fast solution combined with euro style. Sort of a double edged sword though. A white melamine shop is great for lighting but looks a little sterile. Natural wood cabinets like birch ply and alder face frames for me looks more like a wood shop.
Paul

[thunderbirdbat]

I would vote for a mixture of both. I find drawers better for the stuff that needs organizing and you need a few open shelves with doors for the bigger stuff. I don't do uppers or lowers with open shelving in a shop without doors. Too much of a dust magnet. The choice of euros vs face frame is just a matter of taste. Euros are far quicker to build. If you have a lamello tool euros are very fast. Face frames have a more traditional look. Biscuits make face frames easy also. I guess you have to decide the look you want and then build them. Melamine is a fast solution combined with euro style. Sort of a double edged sword though. A white melamine shop is great for lighting but looks a little sterile. Natural wood cabinets like birch ply and alder face frames for me looks more like a wood shop.
Paul

I agree that some items are better organized in drawers than on shelves. I like this guys take on how to keep home made boxes of fasteners and small items from shifting in a drawer. I would like to add it to some of my storage drawers but have not gotten around to it with other projects taking priority.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXzeI0cOlM[/youtube]

[Hobbyman2]

I vote both, I have drawers for pliers wrenches , screw drivers , electric meters and all sorts of things , then I have cabinets for larger things , I like room under the work bench for pieces and parts of projects , what ever you decide it sounds like fun.

[rjent]

I vote both as well, but to add a wrinkle, putting everything behind nice doors and have either pull out trays or shelves leaves your options wide open. I prefer trays because it lets you get to the back easier than shelves but you don't fight the sides of a deep drawer and still have the advantage of height.

JMHO

[jms]

I vote both as well, but to add a wrinkle, putting everything behind nice doors and have either pull out trays or shelves leaves your options wide open. I prefer trays because it lets you get to the back easier than shelves but you don't fight the sides of a deep drawer and still have the advantage of height.

JMHO

Thanks Dick -- I actually considered this as well, and I kinda like the idea too especially for holding larger heavier power tools (Triton TRA001 router, circular saw, etc etc).

[wa2crk]

The decision is a personal one. I have a combo of doors and roll around cabinets with drawers. We both live in humid areas
so pay attention to the type of material you use. About 10 years ago I used MDF for cabinets in my garage and last week one of them fell apart due to moisture. The glue joints did not fail, the material did. A contributing factor was probably the weight of the books on the lower shelf so be aware of the weight load also. I went with overlay doors but I think I would go for face frames this time for a bit more strength. Also the face frame euro style hinges will probably be less costly.
Bill V