simply-built cabinets

8/4/2019 Simply-Built Cabinets

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PLAN • BUILD • INSTALL • The easy way to great results

WOODWORKIN

POPULAR

Danny Proulx

simply-built cabinets



designing & buildingcabinets

While there are many reasons to build cabinetry for your home, thenumber one reason falls to the kitchen, the heart of any modern home. The

principles used to build cabinetry apply to both kitchen and other cabinetry, but

because of the importance of the kitchen, I want to start here.



material lists &cutting plans

Whether you’re building one cabinet for your bathroom, or 15 for your

entire kitchen, the place to start is on paper. If it’s multiple cabinets you are

building, then you need to start with a floor plan. It’s your information source and

road map to completing the project successfully. Draw the plan to scale so that

any potential problems can be discovered before you begin construction. You’ll

find this exercise is valuable and the time spent will be well worth your effort.

Design software programs are available on the

market for those of you who are familiar with

computers. These programs, (some free, some

costing under $100), sometimes allow you to

render a three-dimensional image of the pro-

posed cabinetry on the screen. A few programs

allow you to move around in the room, showing

different perspectives of the cabinets.

However, the most important exercise is

drawing a simple, scaled overhead floor plan like

the example illustrated in the drawing on the

following page.

Accurately measure the room dimensions,

locating all the doors, windows and any special

features of the walls. You may have a plumbing

run or heating duct pipe that has been boxed

in with drywall that creates a bump-out on the

wall. These special features have to be account-

ed for, as they may change your cabinet instal-

lation procedures. Use graph paper to scale the

R E F E R E N C E

Q U A N T I T Y

P A R T

S T O C K

A 2 sides melamine pb 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 221 ⁄ 2 (572) 31 (787)

B 1 bottom melamine pb 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 333 ⁄ 4 (857) 333 ⁄ 4 (857) cut as illustrated

C 2 backs melamine pb

3 ⁄ 4(19)

22

3 ⁄ 4(578) 31 (787)

D 1 back melamine pb 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 18 (457) 31 (787) cut oversize, then sides are angle-cut at 45° to fit

E 2 stiles hardwood 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 11 ⁄ 2 (38) 313 ⁄ 4 (806)

F 2 rails hardwood 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 11 ⁄ 2 (38) 111 ⁄ 4 (285)

G 2 rails hardwood 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 11 ⁄ 2 (38) 101 ⁄ 2 (267)

H 2 doors 3 ⁄ 4 (19) 10 (254) 301 ⁄ 2-high (775) stock can be wood-veneer pb or frame

and panel hardwood

CUTTING LIST FOR A 36" (914MM) CORNER BASE CABINET USING 3 ⁄ 4" (19MM) THICK SHEET MATERIAL

INCHES (MILLIMETERS)

(mm) (mm) (mm) L E N G T H

W I D T H

T H I C K N E S S



assembly procedures

Most woodworking shops, whether professional or hobby, have a similar

set of tools and machinery that include a table saw, drill press, clamps, drills,etc. Not every shop will have a table saw with a sliding crosscut table as shown,

above, but the cross-cutting task shown could also be completed with a circular

saw. The steps following are those used to build a simple, but very functional and

versatile cabinets. Please adapt the basic steps to the machinery and tools that

are at your disposal.



The standard upper cabinet is the most basic cabinet in this building

system. The sides or gable ends of the cabinet perform some important

functions. Primarily, of course, they define the height of the cabinet box and give

it strength. The sides also support the European hidden hinges and are drilled

for the shelf support pins. Also, in this particular cabinet style, the face frame is

nailed onto the side edges as well as the top and bottom board edges.

wall-hung face-frame cabinets



The standard base face-frame cabinet differs from the standard upper

face-frame cabinet in two areas — the lack of a carcass top board and the

addition of adjustable legs.

base face-framecabinets

No top board is needed, as the kitchen coun-

tertop covers the base cabinet. The countertop

is secured with screws and right-angle clips. This

method, along with the face frame, gives the in-

stalled base cabinet its strength and rigidity. I use

∕ " × ∕ " metal right-angle clips, two per side, two

on the backboard, and one in the center of the

face-frame rail. The countertop is secured with

two 5 ∕ 88" screws through each right-angle clip.

Adjustable cabinet legs are used, replacing the

base frame that was common with older-style

kitchens. These legs simplify cabinet installation



specialty cabinetry



countertops

The simplest and least expensive approach in a renovation project is to

use one of the many styles of roll or postformed laminate countertops that are

readily available. Laminate is applied under pressure over a particleboard form that

has a curved, moulded backsplash and front edge. It is relatively inexpensive and

available at one of the many countertop specialty companies in most major cities.



Drawers are required for many woodworking projects.

You’ll find them in desks, kitchen cabinets, storagecabinets, workshops and many more applications. We

need drawers to store and organize all sorts of things in

every room of the house, office and workshop.

Some woodworkers believe that a drawer lacks qual-

ity unless it’s built with dovetail joinery. I don’t hold

that opinion. There are dozens of ways to build high-

quality drawers, and all of them have a purpose and

place in modern cabinetry.

I’ll start by describing drawers made with melamine particleboard (PB) and then move on to other materi-

als such as Baltic birch plywood and solid wood. I’ll

explain some of the joinery options as well as the hard-

ware that can be used for your drawers.

Cabinet Drawers



door & drawerhardware

The hardware used to mount doors and drawers demands that both fit

properly and are correctly sized. The methods used to calculate the correct size

for both drawers and doors will be discussed in this chapter.

There are differences between frameless and

face-frame style cabinets that must be taken intoconsideration when doors and drawer boxes are

installed. Two common door-hinge mounting

styles are overlay and inset. The overlay door

is attached to the cabinet or carcass box withhinges and partially covers the front edges of the

cabinet. The inset door is set into the cabinet

opening, flush with the out-

side face. There are of course

variables on the two, includ-

ing half-overlay and pocket-

mounting styles. However, the

two generally accepted terms

for door-fitting styles are theoverlay and inset door.

Drawer boxes that are

mounted on mechanical

slides also demand that you

accurately size each box to

its opening. In general,

bottom-mount or full-

extension side-and-bottom

mounted glide sets require a

∕ " space on each side of the

drawer box for correct fitting.

However, manufacturers have

different specifications, so

you should verify the space

requirements before building

the drawer box.



Many finishes are available on the market. They include paint and stains

in any color imaginable, washed stains, polyurethane, oils and varnishes. Most

finishing products are easy to apply and produce excellent results. However, check

sample finishes on the type of wood you’ll be using for your cabinets, and research

all the properties. Check specifically for the product’s hardness, resistance to

stains from oils and grease, and its life expectancy. The finish will be subjected to

a good deal of abuse in the kitchen from heat, moisture and handling.

The Internet is a good

place to start your research on

finishing products and tech-

niques. Many major suppliers

have information-based sites

that are helpful. Some sites,

such as the one run by the

Hardwood Council at

www.hardwoodcouncil.com,have on-line data and infor-

mation brochures that you

can order.

cabinet finishes

http://www.hardwoodcouncil.com/

http://www.hardwoodcouncil.com/



cabinet installation

Cabinet installation methods vary depending on the installer. The primary

difference is whether to begin by installing the uppers or the bases. Each method

has its merits, as there is no absolute correct way of installing cabinets. Find

a process that you are comfortable with to achieve the end result: properly

installed cabinets. I will describe my method of cabinet installation based on our

sample kitchen layout at the beginning of the book.



W O O D W O R K I N G

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0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L

0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 1 w t P k C M T M D M T A w A T E F V V B D

0 4 L U E M M D M 1 M z E z N j U z M z U z f A = =

35313 653350 3 U P C

Yes, cabinets are those things that make up the

storage in a kitchen. And they are the built-in

storage spaces in your bathroom, den and other

rooms. But cabinets are also free-standing storage

units like bookcases. Building cabinets is really

building boxes and there are simple techniques to

create solid, quality cabinets that look great.

Learn easy steps for making doors and drawers

for your cabinets; how to make counter tops, install

hardware and more.

Cabinets are just boxes. Keep it Simple!

W0715 US $24.99(CAN $28.99)

E A N

F n L 1 0 4 0 1 2 4

0 1 J U Y r V y B Q d W J s a W N h d G l v b n M s I E l u Y y A o

0 2 S W 9 s Y S B k a X Z p c 2 l v b i k P R 3 J l Z 2 9 y e S B L

0 3 c n V l Z 2 V y A E 1 w w H o E M T A u N A I 4 M A E x B k V B

0 4 T i 0 x M w 0 5 N z g x N D Q w M z E z M D U 5 A A = =

781440 3130599

52299

ISBN-10: 1-4403-1305-9

ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-1305-9

4

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