Shop cabinets (uppers and lowers) - Face Frame or No Face Frame?

[Sean Nagle]

Only went outta style because they are cheap and quick to produce. If it's not cheap particle board junk or Ikea, it's not the American way any more.

A pair of Blum clip hinges is about $11. A pair of precision butt hinges from Horton Brasses is about $12.50. BORG butt hinges are considerably cheaper than either. Doesn't seem as if European hinges are considerably cheaper... now they can be considerably cheaper to install.

[Geoff Potter]

I went a little of both. Face frames for the uppers and frameless for the bases. This is my first real shop so the cabinets were more for learning than aesthetics. The photo shows the in progress base cabinets. I haven't finished the drawer fronts yet.

[Bill Arnold]

I've made frameless cabinets for everything in my shop. Where I feel it necessary, I'll place stretchers between drawer positions in the middle of the vertical span. I haven't had any issues with my cabinets.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Only went outta style because they are cheap and quick to produce. If it's not cheap particle board junk or Ikea, it's not the American way any more.

I'm a bit off topic because I'm addressing frameless cabinets in kitchens vs. shops.

Frameless cabinets were around in Europe for many years. Europe adopted a 32mm system to build cabinets that provided a crisp contemporary design. It wasn't until the late 1970s that I began to see this construction in the US and its associated contemporary door style alternative. The common design at the time in the US was arched or cathedral raised panel cabinets, usually from oak, with exposed hinges. Prior to that, many US homes had site-built cabinets (usually with a faceframe) and simple plywood doors with no edge treatment.

It's really a matter of personal preference and in matching your home's existing architecture. If you check out kitchen magazines that highlight high end homes on the left coast and high end apartments in Manhattan, you will see plenty of sleek frameless cabinets often using very exotic woods, hardware and glossy finishes.

Also, not all core material is the same. Just like plywood, particle board from Home Depot is different from particle board used by a quality cabinet manufacturer.

-Jeff

[Tom Clark FL]

Wow, I didn't know this subject was so touchy. Almost like a DC, Festool or EZ Smart "discussion" .

I think the difference of opinion is probably caused by what we each visualize when talking about 'shop cabinets'. Many may be just thinking about kitchen cabinets in the shop, while others may be thinking about workbenches, machinery stands, and drawer units, all of which fall under the heading of 'shop cabinets'.

Bottom line is to make whatever suits you…

[Joe Mindell]

I've built 2 frameless cabinets in my shop, and I've had no problems. I agree with those who say that as long as the cabinet is designed to be strong then the lack of a face frame shouldn't matter. Mine have 3/4" plywood sides and bottom. They are 48" long with 2 full plywood dividers in the middle for extra support and a strecther between drawers and lower doors. Becuase I wanted them solid, I put 2 layers of 3/4" MDF on top. The back is 1/2" MDF and that may provide similar rigidity to what a face frame would have done. I'm tellin' ya--those babys are solid and the don't move. I have a miter saw and lathe on the counter and they are rock stable.

I like the look of face frames too, and put them on my cabinets inside, but for the shop, quick and solid take precedence.

[Chris Singletary]

I went without face frames and just put dust frames everywhere I wanted a drawer or the top and bottom of the cabinet and did not use drawer slides just the slick tape from woodcraft on the dust frames for the drawer to slide on. Have a box of every size finish nail in 18 and 16 gauge from 1/2" to 2-1/2" plus pins and a few quikgrips slides as if on slides with out price for drawer slides.

[Nick Mastropietro]

Glen; I like many others perfer cabinets with face frames, the added strenght is the primary reason. Here are a few pics of some cabinets I made over this summer. This link will take you to a thread that shows the doors in place. Scroll to the second page of the thread. http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=125210

[Jeff Heil]

I really like your finished cabinet doors!

My shop cabinets still look like your before shots after almost two years. Built the boxes and added shelves to organize my stuff when setting up my workshop and still haven't found time to build the face frames or doors. The boxes are have pocket screw slots cut to attach the ff.

Always seems to be a project that takes precedence. I have the material and hardware, just need the time.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I prefer face frames but needed some quickie cabinets in my garage so I knocked some together out of white 3/4" borg melamine with 1/2" ply backs. I haven't even had time to put doors on them, but one of them had had a 100 pound truck transmission sitting on its shelf for a couple of years and there is no noticeable sag. They are dadoed and french cleated to the wall, and 24" wide x 15" deep.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I prefer face frames but needed some quickie cabinets in my garage so I knocked some together out of white 3/4" borg melamine with 1/2" ply backs. I haven't even had time to put doors on them, but one of them has had a 100 pound truck transmission sitting on its shelf for a couple of years and there is no noticeable sag. They are dadoed and french cleated to the wall, and 24" wide x 15" deep.

[Mike Wilkins]

Late reading this thread. Don't know if anyone else has stated this, but why not make some of each style. Great practice in making both; and the practice will come in handy when you decide to update your kitchen. You will have experience in both. I have both styles in my own shop world, and feel there is no advantage in either, other than less material for the no-face cabinets.

[Ken Garlock]

HI

When I built cabinets for my shop, I used the New Yankee Workshop Hutch plans as a starting point. They do not have a face frame and I suspect you could have the Irish step dancers perform on them with damage to the dancers or the cabinet. I ordered the plans from NYW site, studied them and decided what I would do.