Making the adjustable lighted shelves was perhaps the most difficult part of this project. If I had done a little better planning, the shelves might have been fixed, and not adjustable. This would have saved a significant amount of time and money.
In order to power the adjustable lighted shelves, I electrified the rear shelf pin "holes". The left side of the shoe cabinet has a positive 12 VDC rail and the right has a ground rail. The rear shelf pin holes are actually zinc plated, brass, round threaded standoffs that are tapped and soldered into brass bar stock that runs the height of the cabinet. The transformer wires connect to the bar stock.
First I used the LR32 to drill all the shelf pin holes. For the "electrified" holes in the back of the cabinet, I used a 1/4" dia router bit, rather than the 5 mm bit. The larger holes accommodate zinc plated, brass, threaded standoffs. Next, I cut a dado approximately 1/4" deep on the back of the side panel centered behind the line of holes. This dado centers the brass bar stock over the holes.
The brass bar stock is sandwiched in the cabinet's side panels.
The bar stock which is clamped to the side panel has to be tapped for each hole's threaded standoff. I used a drill guide bushing to drill the pilot holes for the tap. The drill guide bushing is dropped into the 1/4" dia holes that I drilled with the LR32 system. I used a drill press to drill each pilot hole in the brass barstock.
The side panel is moved and the drill guide bushing is transferred to the next hole until all the pilot holes are drill in the brass bar stock. I am using the side panel as a template for all these pilot holes that are drilled in the bar stock.
After all the pilot holes are drilled, the bar stock is removed from the cabinet side panel, and each hole is tapped for the threaded standoffs.
This soft "free machining" brass can be power tapped with a standard tap chucked in a cordless drill.
Zinc plated, brass threaded standoffs are screwed into each hole of the barstock.
I used a plumber's torch to solder all of the threaded inserts to the brass barstock. Flux painted onto the stud of each standoff helps the solder flow better.
Some sand paper cleans up the torch marks.
The bar stock with all the soldered on threaded inserts is pushed into the cabinet's side walls. This metal bar with its attached threaded standoffs is removable--an important aspect for painting the cabinet.
Each shelf pin hole in the rear of the cabinet has a flush threaded insert that supports the shelf and powers the shelf's LED light.
The edge of each shelf is routed on the sides so that the shelf slide back over a threaded standoff.
A wire from the LED strip light travels through a dado on the edge of each shelf. A crimp-on ring connects the wire to the electrified rail. When the shelf is pushed back, the wire is pushed into a deep dado on the edge of the shelf hiding the wire and standoff.
In order to power the adjustable lighted shelves, I electrified the rear shelf pin "holes". The left side of the shoe cabinet has a positive 12 VDC rail and the right has a ground rail. The rear shelf pin holes are actually zinc plated, brass, round threaded standoffs that are tapped and soldered into brass bar stock that runs the height of the cabinet. The transformer wires connect to the bar stock.
First I used the LR32 to drill all the shelf pin holes. For the "electrified" holes in the back of the cabinet, I used a 1/4" dia router bit, rather than the 5 mm bit. The larger holes accommodate zinc plated, brass, threaded standoffs. Next, I cut a dado approximately 1/4" deep on the back of the side panel centered behind the line of holes. This dado centers the brass bar stock over the holes.
The brass bar stock is sandwiched in the cabinet's side panels.
The bar stock which is clamped to the side panel has to be tapped for each hole's threaded standoff. I used a drill guide bushing to drill the pilot holes for the tap. The drill guide bushing is dropped into the 1/4" dia holes that I drilled with the LR32 system. I used a drill press to drill each pilot hole in the brass barstock.
The side panel is moved and the drill guide bushing is transferred to the next hole until all the pilot holes are drill in the brass bar stock. I am using the side panel as a template for all these pilot holes that are drilled in the bar stock.
After all the pilot holes are drilled, the bar stock is removed from the cabinet side panel, and each hole is tapped for the threaded standoffs.
This soft "free machining" brass can be power tapped with a standard tap chucked in a cordless drill.
Zinc plated, brass threaded standoffs are screwed into each hole of the barstock.
I used a plumber's torch to solder all of the threaded inserts to the brass barstock. Flux painted onto the stud of each standoff helps the solder flow better.
Some sand paper cleans up the torch marks.
The bar stock with all the soldered on threaded inserts is pushed into the cabinet's side walls. This metal bar with its attached threaded standoffs is removable--an important aspect for painting the cabinet.
Each shelf pin hole in the rear of the cabinet has a flush threaded insert that supports the shelf and powers the shelf's LED light.
The edge of each shelf is routed on the sides so that the shelf slide back over a threaded standoff.
A wire from the LED strip light travels through a dado on the edge of each shelf. A crimp-on ring connects the wire to the electrified rail. When the shelf is pushed back, the wire is pushed into a deep dado on the edge of the shelf hiding the wire and standoff.
