More fun with plywood

[witoke]

Since composite lightweight panels are now so ubiquitous there are an increasing number of fittings available for them. This is one company <http://www.youngengineers.com> that makes hundreds of different kinds for commercial aircraft construction alone. If they'll hold an Airbus together for the anticipated lifespan they should be able to hold van cabinets as well.

One way to do this yourself is simply to add a couple of layers of glass backing squares or a 9-12mm ply layer, 10x10mm would be more than enough where you want the new fitting to go. Another simple DIY option is to remove the core in the place where you need fasteners and glue in either a solid wood plug or a plug of thickened epoxy in the hole. The core can be taken out with a router or a hole saw. The hole saws work particularly well since you can then cut a solid wood plug with the same saw and just glue it in. Dowels are fine too. The plugs can be small, 12mm/1/2 inch is usually plenty although the bigger ones are more fun to make.

Though as I say this I wonder how many of us have actually changed their cabinets so that new fasteners are required? I suspect that number is very small but there are very simple ways around it should the need arise.