[zdawson]

Here's my situation...

I was unaware that IKEA rounds their measurements on many of their publications and on their website. Long story short, Iripped out a wall, re-framed, and re-drywalled a 93" openingto build-in my new pax wardrobes. Only after having them delivered did I find there were in fact 93'1/8" tall.

I am curious if anyone has suggestions for solving this problem. I'm thinking I can saw 1/8" off the bottom and be done with it. However, I have little experience in dealing with this particle board material used for the frame and am afraid it will not cut smoothly, splinter, or otherwise be damaged.

Thank you all in advance for your suggestions and advice!

[DesignDiva]

The PAX has a slightly raised bottom shelf, with a recessed toekick, correct? Take the 1/8 inch off the bottom of the side panels and the bottom of the toekick and you should be fine.

You do want to cut where your blade will enter the good side first, since chip out is likely to occur on the side the blade exits. Tape the area where you are going to cut with masking or blue tape, and saw right through the tape. That will help you get a clean edge. Also, you can use a particular saw blade (maybe a laminate blade? I'm not sure) that gives a smoother cut. Tigratrus would be the guy to ask about that. I am talking about a circular or table saw here, not a jigsaw.

If you're really worried I would think a power sander would work in any event. Just draw a level line and sand down to it.

[Tigratrus]

What are you using to cut the panel? In general, you want to cut (as eva said) with the good side facing the blade on a circular or table saw. If you put masking tape (blue painter's tape works well) on the cut line it can help reduce splintering too. If you have a good reliable system for making the cut, you can cut part way through on each side and get a tearout free cut most of the time. I've got a Forrest melamine blade that leaves a nice cut, but I get less chipout using my woodworker II and cutting from both sides than I do using the melamine blade and doing it in one pass.

1/8 of an inch though? Man, that's annoying. I'd try a test cut on another board about the same thickness first to see if you can cut it without a problem, it can be a pain cutting off such a small amount. Watch out if you decide to sand it, Mdf can generate some NASTY dust that does bad things to your lungs.

If you're 1/2 as irritated by the measurement SNAFU as I would be, I have to commend the calm nature of your post!



James

[zdawson]

Thank you both for your responses. I appreciate the advice.

I initially planned on trying the circular saw and am glad to hear that you both recommend that as well. I have since picked up a blade at the hardware store made to cut surfaces such as this. Hopefully the blue tape will reduce splintering as well. Luckily, I have framed a wall around the wardrobe so much of it will not be visible anyway. My primary concern is a.) getting it to fit and b.) keeping it level.

Thanks again for the advice. In the meantime, I'll remember never to trust anyone else's measurements

I'll repost this weekend when I'm finished and let you know how it goes.

[Ikealove]

I don't think you'll have to cut it. We have 8' ceilings in our bedroom, yet that cabinets were just a bit too high to put into place after assembly. My husband and dad instead assembled them while they were upright rather than while the cabinets were on the floor.

[Jennifer MacDonald]

Hello Mr. Dawson,

We can fully relate to your Pax Wardrobe problem. We just did major renovations and also measured for the Pax system. As it turns out we are off by 1/4 inch. We were contemplating cutting the bottom of the units off and are wondering how you faired with this project. And...we're interested in any advice you might have. Thanks...we look forward to your response.

Jennifer

[lanstan]

Any update on this???

[Jennifer MacDonald]

Actually, we do have an update. My husband ended up using a circular saw to cut each of the boards. The initial blade we used caused significant burning of the particle board, although this was the blade recommended by the hardware store. My husband ended up returning to the original blade on the saw and things worked perfectly. I'm sorry that I don't know what blade he used. I can find out from him if you need to know. My husband also used some sort of guide to ensure that the cuts were straight. Bottom line is that although it was a lot of work for my husband (not me , the wardrobes look fabulous. They literally look built into the space. If we'd purchased the smaller ones, the effect would have been much different.

J,

[Joyce]

In general, you also get good results with cutting particleboard if you use a jigsaw with a DOWNWARD cutting blade (available, as they say at any good DIY store.). This takes a bit of practice, but allows cutting of intricate shapes with no chipping.

I agree with advice about useing masking tape etc.

For more drastic reductions, as PAX wardrobes have equally spaced holes all the way down the sides, you can adjust the height by reducing the side panels by one hole spacing and fitting the base further up. Of course, you would also need to reduce the door or a drawer front by the same amount.