"Lee Michaels" wrote

"Swingman" wrote

Now, I just need to figure out how to hang kitchen wall cabinets on a
straw bale wall ...

That is an interesting problem.

I used to build and install gym equipment long before it was easily
availble. Long ago, much equipment was built to be bolted or lag screwed
to a wall. And then it would be moved to a location where there was no
wall to drill into. We would make up a frame of two by stock to fasten it
to. I would often stain the wood and make it look fairly good.

I wonder if you could make up a nicely stained frame for the cabinets. I
know that it is a trend in kitchen design to make and island look like a
free standing peice of furniture. Would it be possibe to incorporate into
the design some nice wood peices? It could be two by or four by stock.
Maybe some nice stainless fasteners. Deep rustic appearance. You could
even paint the fasteners or have them made up by a blacksmith.

Make it strong and an integral part of the overall design. Something like
that would be strong enough to hang a horse off of it. It would have no
problem handling some modern cabinets. Hell, a good desiger could take
this whole straw house with the thick walls and make real design
statement.

Remember, it ain't a flaw, it is a design feature!

I've been assured by those who have done it that it is not all that
complicated an affair to build in the usual cabinet blocking into the straw
bales themselves ... AAMOF, I've already come up with three options for the
client, but they do need to fit in with the traditional "rounded corners and
curves" look and feel of the walls.

Attaching cabinets to "rounded corners and curves", with the added fact that
room dimensions are not as easily predicted as in traditional stick framing,
makes me nervous about too much preparatory work being done in a shop 160
miles from the site.

Whatever the method it will indeed be a challenge ... and generally I relish
out-of-the-ordinary challenges. We'll see if that continues to hold up.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)