From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Hanging a heavy cabinet
Date: 7 Oct 92 04:14:42 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <1asnslINN1ti@network.ucsd.edu> cnorman@weber.ucsd.edu (Cyndi Norman) writes:

>The cabinet is approximately 3 feet wide and 4 feet high (including a 1
>foot "lip" that is meant to balance the cabinet when it sits on a desk).
>It has wood-framed glass doors, a couple of shelves and mail slots on the
>bottom (above the lip).  The back and mail slots are good quality plywood
>and the top, door frames, and sides are 1 inch thick wood.  The entire
>piece weighs 51 pounds.

About the same as a big kitchen cupboard.

>...  Instead, I want to
>hang this cabinet on the wall.

You don't mention how thick the plywood back is or how it's connected to the
rest of the cabinet.  It's often only 1/4" thick, and you can't trust it
at all to bear weight.  Especially if tacked on with 3/4" finishing nails.

Your five possibilities all strengthen the wall side, what you need to
do is provide a strong support on the cabinet itself.

One way is to fasten strips to the back of the cabinet.  Say, 1x3.  They
should be screwed into whatever "real wood" they cross on the back
of the cabinets - eg: the back edges of the sides, shelves (if they're
permanently fastened to the cabinet).  The screws should be at least
2 inches into the cabinet.  #10 by 3" screws will be fine.  Each strap
should be fastened to the cabinet on either end, and preferably twice
in the middle.  Two screws each crossing point.  Predrill the holes
(to avoid splitting the wood).  When you select the strips, select
something with few or no knots, and looks reasonably strong.  Poplar
is cheap, clear, and reasonably strong.  Pine would probably be okay,
as long as there's no strength-damaging knots.  I wouldn't use lath
grade 1x3s.

Then, once you get the straps on, support the cabinet against the
wall, and drill through the back (where the strap is obviously) directly
into the studs.  Then install screws.  This will require careful
measurement to hit both the studs and the straps, but shouldn't be hard.
Caution is advised - you should be driving the screws 2 inches deep
into the studs.  If there are wires in that wall, you run the risk
of hitting them (NEC mandates 1 1/4" setback).  The risk is low, and
the immediate personal damage likelyhood is also low, but I thought
I'd better warn you.

With luck, you'll be able to fasten to three studs.

This is roughly analogous to how kitchen cabinetry (usually backless)
is fastened to a wall by means of "screw strips" recessed into the back.

This will result in the cabinet being 3/4" out from the wall.  Cover
the gap, if desired, with wood trim.

If there's no place to screw the straps in the middle, install them so
that they overlap the top and bottom boards.  (This will actually be
stronger.  Screw the strap to the top and bottom every 4 or 6 inches.
Maybe you should do this instead of.)

If you do this right, the thing will be strong enough to swing from.

Good luck.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
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