Material for shop cabinets

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I'm looking to make some cabinets for my garage. They will be 4' high, 6' wide, and 2' deep, with one or two middle shelves. I'm going to hang them on the wall, and store auto fluids, hand power tools and such. I'm not sure about mounting to the wall- I can bolt into studs easily, possibly some type of french cleat.I'm thinking angle iron, with masonite riveted in to form the sides, top and bottom, and the shelves will be 3/4 MDF.I'm wondering what size angle iron I should use- the "overbuilder" in me says 1 inch, but I'm wondering if 3/4 or 1/2 would do. I'm really trying to keep costs down.I have a 110 amp stick welder and chop saw to do it with.
Reply:I'm having a tough time getting a picture of how well a blend of metal and wood is going to tie together real well.  I'd be thinking all wood or all metal. The two are just too difficult to bond together with any sort of strength or integrity. Pop rivets through wood will be a ton of drilling and still not as strong as a glued and nailed joint.  I'd for sure use one inch angle minimum and some diagonal straps as well as some support strapping for the bottoms of the MDF shelfs. If ya can't tell, I'm not a real MDF fan. It's not as strong as it is heavy. MDF shelving will sag under it's own weight on longer runs. Plywood isn't as prone to that.Sorry. Hope someone's got some ideas here. At least way more positive than mine. LOL!!!"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:I built all out of good one side 3/4 inch plywood and deck screwed them to the studs - full of all kinds of stuf and never had a problem. For an all metal cabinet I would frame in 1" X 1/8" angle iron including the door. I would make 1 1/2" long brackets (X4) and weld them face to face on the top and bottom frame and use 1/4" lag bolts through the brackets to the studs. The bottom and the shelves i would use 1/8" plate minimum for strength. The top sides and doors i would use just sheetmetal ie 22 ga. all welded to the inside of the frame for a clean lookI do not recommend mixing steel and wood unles you make an all metal frame including shelf mounts and exterior and just use 3/4 plywood drop in shelves.Hope this helpsAndy
Reply:I decided to go with wood. Gonna be HEAVY....
Reply:Originally posted by mattmcl I decided to go with wood. Gonna be HEAVY....
Reply:Yeah, you must support it well, but it's pretty bomb proof. Most of those cheap desks have no support, and are sometimes even 1/2 instead of 3/4. I built my computer desk to support a 22" monitor using 3/4 MDF and there is no sag after four years. I used schedule 40 pipes for the legs and built a cabinet underneath to support it though.
Reply:True , most desks are thin mdf stuff, when you step up tp 3/4" and and even 1" it gets rock solid. Until it gets wet lol...StangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey