Maximum height of Melamin Particleboard Sysport?

festoller

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May 2, 2009
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I am in the middle of building a few new Sysports. Kronospan offers a 19 mm Melamin Particleboard, that looks like Festool grey and I was planing on using the same Hettich excenter hardware Guido Henn used for his project instead of glueing the case. Although I might just Domino it.

With my collection of Systainers the ideal height would be 1100 mm without any additional partition inbetween. The rear will be the same material but 8 mm and rabbeted and glued into the case. See photo below.

I have built quite few Sysports out of 16 mm plywood, but the last one in 1100 mm wobbles a little. Now the question is if the 19 mm Melamin particleboard will be rigid enough without partition in 1100 mm.

[attachimg=1]
 
The melamine-covered MDF is far more rigid than plywood.  The price for this rigidity is brittleness and less resistance to chipping.  You're more likely to get tear-out around system holes, especially if they're not drilled dead-on perpendicular to the surface being drilled.  The LR32 system or a good line-boring jig used with a plunge router helps significantly. 

[smile]
 
I built my sysport from 3/4" melamine and it is approx 6 ft tall.  It has developed just enough outward bow in the side panels that occasionally a drawer slide will pop off the roller at the worst part of the bow.  I plan to install a couple small eye screws and use a bit of .030" braided steel cable to keep the bow in check.    Not been a big problem, but I wouldn't build it that tall w/o a center brace of some sort again.

Fred
 
I built mine out of 19mm MDF melamine and it is 1000mm tall without casters.  It is similar to what you intend but I used a groove instead of a rabbet in the back..  So far no problems.  My experience with particleboard cores is similar to MDF although I haven't used it to build a Sysport.  

See the recent  thread on "The  Leftover Systainer Port" for pictures and description.
 
I have two that are 5 feet high without casters.  19 mm Melamine coated MDF.  The back is 1/4 "hardboard" - a composite material - not sure what it is called internationally, pinned into a rabbet.  No problems.  BTW, my logic was that with 4 inch casters, the sysports came just to my eye level, so I can see what's on top.  If I were doing it again, I would use pegboard on the back and hang guiderails and such on it.
 
Thanks guys!

The rabbeted back will leave enough space for a steel pegboard (like the one on the Workcenter). It will help as counterweight and if not in use still be flush with the wall.

 
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