Need Advice for Project...

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I would like to make a Medicine Cabinet out of metal....  Has anyone made such a beast ?I believe I'll probably use thinner 5" angle or weld up a rectangle with 6" x1/8th flat stock.  I am having an issue with mirrors however...  Not sure how to assemble or hinge them properly, as I would like at least one of the mirrors to 'swing open'.  I'd prefer to have it ALL made of metal, but wondering if it might be necessary to 'Box it in' with hardwood or similar in order to make the hinges work properly....  Any suggestions and/or photos would be GREATLY appreciated!Dimensions would be approximately;  24H x 36L x 6"DCheers,/Jman...Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:Used to see those back in old hospitals.  They were made out of sheet metal and with a sheet metal door with the mirror inset into it.  Are you thinking something like this:or a standing cabinet like this:--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Wow, that Top Cabinet is freakin' BEAUTIFUL !  That would look REALLY nice in my Bathroom....(I also need the mirror 'above' the vanity)I was able to get hold of some 3"x3" angle for dirt cheap and figured that I might use it for the medicine cabinet.  I would cut it to 45's make a nice frame and go from there...  The Missus has changed her mind and wants it 'longer' as opposed to 'wider', so I think maybe having the mirror swing open would be the way to go...  Measurements would now be 24"w x 30"h.  Mirror would be on hinges affixed to the 'face' of the angle frame about 1" from the opening (mirror sized would be 20"x26").Now if that doesn't work out, she's going to end up with a nice MIRROR ONLY, inside a really nice looking STEEL FRAME !  Cheers,/Jman...Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:A quick run to Depot will give you plenty of ideas. I have a couple of old metal cased mirrors in the house.A few from my house.Original 1960's in the master bath. Not really any diferent than the new ones, only the case is steel instead of pllastic.Original sliding mirror cabinet. This one will go in my shop as my "firstaid kit" eventually after it gets new mirrors cut. I'm using it right now as my template to fashion one for the middle bathroom. You can buy the plastic mirror track cheap at Depot. You just glue it in place.New cabinets, in plastic similar to the metal one in pict 1 and 2. The differnce is that they use a plastic back glued to the mirror with the hinges rather than steel in the original. You can get them to do all sorts of funky things with beveled, frosted, etched mirrors. A good glass shop can help you with tons of options. The place near me did a beautiful set of matching hunting scene "windows" for a glass doored cabinet I built for a customer years ago. Sorry no picts..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW,That turned out GREAT !  Good info on the track system too...  I'm a NEWB when it comes to such things so any help is of GREAT value and Much appreciated !  I know what you mean about the glass options as well,....  I found a TON of SUPER expensive mirror at a AUTO GLASS shop of all places and the prices on those high quality mirrors were PHENOMENAL.  I have two pieces on hold right now until I make up my mind.Cheers,/Jman...Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:A few thoughts that might help. The cabinet in the 1st pict is 14" on the inside. It's designed to slip into the wall between studs. The slider also is designed to be inset, but the wall studs have to be cut to do so. In a bearing wall like my house that means you will need a header over the opening. The nice thing is that this cuts down on how "big" the cabinet looks since it doesn't stick out 4" into the room. This would also let you concentrate on a "frame" that you see, and just build the basic box out of whatever you want. The "mirror" in the last pict is actually 2 medicine cabinets mounted so the mirrors "match". The customer originally had the one on the right and it was inset. They wanted to go to a 30" vanity from the tiny 18" one when we remodled the bath, but the wall behind is a bearing wall, and she didn't decide on the larger sink until after the wall was moved and up. She was fine with the surface mount, and I managed to find a mirror that almost exactly matched the original that we could flip, so it swung the other way. Given a choice I would have prefered to set the studs so that both could have been inset, with a post between the two at the right spacing..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I probably should have thougt about the Stud placement as well but the Medicine Cabinet was an after thought... At least the way we are looking at it now   To be honest, when we built the room, I was more worried about where the 'PEX and ABS' was going to go and the issue of cutting into the 'MAIN' for the new hook-ups...  Funny too, cause' the wall in question is 12" concrete with 2"x10" ceiling and 2"x4" studs at 16"'.  Probably could have hung ANVILS off that wall !Cheers,/Jman...Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:see the little slot in the back of the 1960's cabinet? that was for the disposal of disposable razor blades..they would pile up in the wall behind th sheetrock..anyone out there old enough to remember disposable razor blades?