Anybody watch NYW this weekend?

[Brad Westcott]

I always record the New Yankee Workshop on the DVR and use them as reference on occassion. Usually when I need a jig I have not built or just as a check to see what new tools or techniques Norm uses.

Well, this weekend he started the first of several shows on cabinet making.

I was thoroughly floored!!!

He made his cabinets very quickly, used srews everywhere, he screwed the face frames together, used a solid top, bisquited the face frame to the carcas, and used veneered plywood from beginning to end.

I was really hoping to learn something with this show and the series but I was amazed at how simple the design was and how down and dirty the assembly was accomplished.

It reminded me of how I would build cabinets for my garage or a project that I really was not critical of.

But to advocate this basic process for kitchen cabinets going into a home really made me wince.

Did anyone else see the show and what are your impressions?
What would you have done differently?
I will let some of you go first.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

So he chose a different method than you would. He explained why he chose that method.


So what?

[Fred Hargis]

That sounds like one of the 9 show series for the kitchen he redid a coupe of years back. If so, at the time FWW published a companion piece (by Norm) on his construction methods. I thought they were fairly well thought out, and I used his methods (and design) for some I built for our master bath. I didn't slot for the biscuits, but most everything else I did as he did, using the prefinished ply. Made a very robust set of cabinets, and I have some to love the prefinished ply for this type of project.

[Bill Arnold]

All of his procedures are perfectly acceptable. Pre-finished plywood is used on a wide variety of high-end cabinetry. After I "retired" from my career job, I worked in a couple of cabinet shops helping build furniture for motor yachts. Without exception, the material of choice for all standard cabinet carcases is prefinished maple plywood. All of the cabinets for the yachts were Euro-style, so did not have face frames. Plywood edges were banded with whatever exterior wood was specified.

It might not be your way of doing things, but major designers and builders don't seem to have issue with this form of construction.

[Adam Strong]

If you saw the cabinets at the start of the show that these are to replace, it all makes sense. His method is for a good, sturdy design for the boxes that will hold up very well... The same design you would want for shop cabinets, only with a finished interior. He said the cabinets are to be painted, so no use having a nice hardwood on the face frames. Nothing wrong with any of it.

[Ryan Stagg]

I caught it - first one I've watched for some time. For built-in kitchen cabinets, I had no problems with his methods.

Lots of cabinet makers I know use kreg-type systems for face frame assembly. And lots of expensive production cabinets I see use even cheaper methods than biscuits and screws to assemble carcasses. I see veneer plywood in 100k kitchen installations, and I'm not sure I'd *want* to see solid wood carcasses in these applications.

A lot of people aren't familiar with these methods, and certainly the rank amateur is Nahm's target audience, so I don't see the big deal. Very little of his audience cares about heirloom-quality methods.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I think that compared to most of the junk cabinets out there, like the ones that came with my house, Norms might even be considered high grade. Cabinets are NOT furniture, more like framing with a bit of finish carpenter!

[Carroll Courtney]

Keep in mind that he went about it as a working business cabinet shop trying to make a profit.I'm just a weekend worrier and when I build cabinets for money, procedures are the same.Using the best material,working methods,saves time and money.---Carroll

[John Gregory]

If I recall correctly, Norm was trying to show that any well equipped home woodworking shop could produce a beautiful kitchen and save thousands of dollars. We will be redoing our kitchen in the near future, we will probable do something similar to Norms methods. I agree with Steve R, kitchen cabinets are not fine furniture. Not heirlooms. Some people suggests that a kitchen should be remodeled every 10 -15 years. I think few people could afford that, including us.

[Jason White]

I've watched it and also own the DVD set.

I'm not defending their methods, but just want to clarify a couple of things:

They used dado and rabbet construction for the boxes and reinforced with screws on the sides (in situations where they wouldn't be seen). Norm also toe-nailed brads into each shelf, which he always does on any type of cabinet. It's just a Norm-thing.

Pocket screws were used to assemble the face frames. Pretty standard stuff.

Also, the face frames were glued and biscuit-ed to the boxes because they didn't want to fill any nail holes.

3/4" Pre-finished plywood was used for all the cabinet boxes except in the "bar" area. 3/4" ply was also used for the backs instead of the normal 1/4".

From where I sit, this is pretty good construction! Better than you'll get from any home center or even a lot of custom cabinet shops.

Jason

I always record the New Yankee Workshop on the DVR and use them as reference on occassion. Usually when I need a jig I have not built or just as a check to see what new tools or techniques Norm uses.

Well, this weekend he started the first of several shows on cabinet making.

I was thoroughly floored!!!

He made his cabinets very quickly, used srews everywhere, he screwed the face frames together, used a solid top, bisquited the face frame to the carcas, and used veneered plywood from beginning to end.

I was really hoping to learn something with this show and the series but I was amazed at how simple the design was and how down and dirty the assembly was accomplished.

It reminded me of how I would build cabinets for my garage or a project that I really was not critical of.

But to advocate this basic process for kitchen cabinets going into a home really made me wince.

Did anyone else see the show and what are your impressions?
What would you have done differently?
I will let some of you go first.

[Mike Langford]

....Did anyone else see the show and what are your impressions?
What would you have done differently?
I will let some of you go first.

O.K. Brad....What would you have done differently?....

[Sean Nagle]

I was really hoping to learn something with this show and the series but I was amazed at how simple the design was and how down and dirty the assembly was accomplished.

You did learn something... how to build kitchen cabinets.

[Cody Colston]

O.K. Brad....What would you have done differently?....

I'd like to hear his method, too.

[Jason Strauss]

As I write this, I'm in the midst of building cabinets for a family member. I viewed Norm's approach as confirmation that I was doing things properly:
-prefinished ply
-pocket screws for the face frames
-etc...

I just wish this family member would have chosen some wood other than hickory. Very nice to look at, but exceptionally tough on the tools...

[Gary Muto]

All I got from it was that this season will be reruns just like last year.