Robotron: Plywood Cabinet Repair

D_Harris

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Has anyone ever had to repair a cabinet where the plywood edge was split, making the edge thicker than the T-molding.

Someone did a bad job on the top rear of this Robotron cabinet and I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about repairing it.

There is a bad putty job there and it looks as though someone attempted to cut a slot with a chisel and hammer.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 

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I'd cut out the inside edge, Bondo and sand to the original width. Actually, seeing the outside, I'd patch that us and sand it down too.
 
If you have access to a router and the t-molding cutter, then Bondo the whole thing and recut it. If not bondo the bad seams and use a glue gun to glue the new t-molding down.

ken
 
My concern is that the plywood is "wider" as a result of it separating.

Holding it together when I use Bondo and keeping it together are what I'm worried about.

Perhaps I'll try some Vise grips with wood strips when I Bondo, and then rout the slot.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York
 
I would squirt a bunch of wood glue in there and clamp it using strips of wood and clamps or vise grips.
This will get the wood back down to the right thickness.
Then bondo the slot and recut with slot cutter if needed.
I prefer to use clamps so I can control the amount of pressure better.
 
I would squirt a bunch of wood glue in there and clamp it using strips of wood and clamps or vise grips.
This will get the wood back down to the right thickness.
Then bondo the slot and recut with slot cutter if needed.
I prefer to use clamps so I can control the amount of pressure better.

Agreed 100%.
 
Yep, jimkirk is correct, that's how I've fixed several cabs. Also helps to put a strip of tape on the backside where its vertical, helps hold the glue in from running out the back.
 
[jumping on the bandwagon] I do something very similar when I have plywood delaminating. I squirt a bunch of glue where it is delaminating. I normally have a very long handled flat blade screwdriver I use to separate the layers so they get a good dose of glue. Then I put Reynolds Release Aluminum foil under the clamps. It keeps any excess glue that sneaks out from sticking to the clamps. I use a bunch of the spring clamps from Home Depot.

1279dc99-3bdd-410d-85c3-0c43a4853cef_300.jpg

They are cheap enough that you can use a bunch of them. And they work great on the edge of plywood.

ken
 
I know this is old, but I wanted to say thanks for the ideas.

I actually used a similar idea on a falling apart water damaged particle board section of a Pole Position II cabinet.

I used wax paper around the swollen piece and tightened in a vise. I then used Cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) which you can apply after everything is already clamped up because of the capillary action which pulls the glue down deep into the wood.

I unclamped and peeled off the wax paper and the thickness of the particle board was back to normal and hard as a rock.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 

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