Shop cabinets, What is the best way to build them? Plans? Ideas? What works/doesn't?

[Thom Sturgill]

Don't forget Norm Abrams videos and plans at New Yankee Workshop, I know the show is off the air, but the website is still there.

[Tom Clark FL]

I have around a couple of dozen home-made shop cabinets in my shop. All the cabinets use the same super simple construction method. I break down sheet goods with just my circular saw using home-made guides. Parts count and material useage is at a minimum, yet the cabinets are all extremely solid. Here are a few photos to give you some ideas. One shows the very simple construction.

All use face frames as I find that design to be extremely sturdy and don't have to worry about how much weigh I put in or on the cabinets. Butt joints and glue and finishing nails make for super fast construction. One photo shows a new cabinet. The cabinet was built yesterday. The drawers today, and the drawer fronts go on tomorrow. I am finally replacing the steel leg bench that I have been using since 1984. The hardwood top was moved to the new base.

By the way, these cabinets are quite inexpensive to make, far less than what it would cost to purchase them.

Sorry, the photos don't seem to show up in the order they were loaded in. (?)

[Steven DeMars]

I have the Dewalt with the both tracks & love it . . . Table Saw accurate . . . Really works well . . . Just support your stock well . . .

Steve

I will have to check that site again. I went to it a few weeks+ ago now when I was swinging back towards making them myself and it said he was out and there was an unknown amount of time before he would have more in stock. I will have to check again to see if I can purchase a copy of it.

Out of curiosity which tracksaw do you have? I have read up on the 3 options but as with anything reviews on amazon 33% love it, 33% like it and 33% hate it and think the inventors should die. I read up on the makita and the thin initial cut to prevent veneer destruction seems interesting as does the lower price. The Dewalt was interesting I guess mostly because I have a fair number of dewalt tools and really like them. And of course Festool I have read created them and does a great job with them... So I guess I just wonder what kind people have and like.

Thanks for the advice!

Joshua

[Joe Scharle]

Get "Introduction to Cabinetmaking" by Mark Duginske either from the Kreg website or write to:
Mark Duginske
P.O. Box 406, Merrill, WI 54452.

It's a small booklet on pocket hole cabinet making, and you can start building the same day.

[Jerome Hanby]

Hi Tom,

I ordered your book. The PayPal link was a little odd, hope you received the order okay. Think the only notify you may get is the one from PayPal.

I have around a couple of dozen home-made shop cabinets in my shop. All the cabinets use the same super simple construction method. I break down sheet goods with just my circular saw using home-made guides. Parts count and material useage is at a minimum, yet the cabinets are all extremely solid. Here are a few photos to give you some ideas. One shows the very simple construction.

All use face frames as I find that design to be extremely sturdy and don't have to worry about how much weigh I put in or on the cabinets. Butt joints and glue and finishing nails make for super fast construction. One photo shows a new cabinet. The cabinet was built yesterday. The drawers today, and the drawer fronts go on tomorrow. I am finally replacing the steel leg bench that I have been using since 1984. The hardwood top was moved to the new base.

By the way, these cabinets are quite inexpensive to make, far less than what it would cost to purchase them.

Sorry, the photos don't seem to show up in the order they were loaded in. (?)

[Tom Clark FL]

I am finally replacing the steel leg bench that I have been using since 1984. The hardwood top was moved to the new base.

Finished the drawer fronts today. The photos show the old bench as it was for 20 years, and how it was just transformed. I could have made the change years ago, but the bench was quite useful as it was. It kept all the most used tools plugged in and ready to go. That was very handy when I was making a lot of telescopes. Now that I am retired, there is not so much work going through the shop, so I can play at a more relaxed pace and not be in such a rush!

One thing about building your own shop cabinets that no one has mentioned so far: It is so easy to customize what you build to fit exactly what you need and the space you have. Also, you can build a design to any size you want very easily. Once you have built your first cabinet and find out how easy it is, your shop will be customized to fit you and the type of work you like to do. Purchased cabinets are seriously lacking in drawer space…

[Alan Schaffter]

I recommend a slightly different approach based on your statement:

"Cost is an issue but so is wanting to build out my shop thru my own hands"

From your description it sounds like you have been getting by for awhile without shop cabinets- so waiting a little longer shouldn't be a problem. By your questions, it sounds like you are a novice woodworker. So, with those two pieces of information, I suggest you get and read a book or two on building cabinets- good cabinets, then make the best cabinets you can. Use this as an opportunity to improve your skills and learn new ones, try more than one technique. If you just slap together some "shop" cabinets, that is what you will have- "slapped together shop cabinets" and you will have learned little. You don't need to spend a lot of money on them- you don't need to build them from hardwood, etc. Use some decent birch ply and straight pine for face frames, and door stiles and rails. You should be able to make everything with your tablesaw and hand tools.

I used the process of building my shop cabinets to learn and improve my skills. I used oak harvested when they cleared the lot for my house so the face frames and doors cost me almost nothing, but I took my time building these cabinets and glad I did. I experimented a little too with M&T, pocket screws, etc.:

[Alan Lightstone]

That's nothing. You should see Alan's dust collection.

I couldn't agree more with Alan. As I am learning, I have vowed to use different techniques (or at least one new technique) on every project. Using this approach, each completed project looks better and better. Learning how to square lumber, pocket screws, dados, dovetails, stopped chamfers, jointing, planing, sanding, finishing - all used for the first time on my shop cabinets.

I started with my workshop. Building cabinets, customizing them for my individual space and tool requirements. Built a few jigs along the way to make things easier.

Now I'm on to interior furniture, having learned many useful skills along the way building those shop cabinets. I'm happy my mistakes are hidden out in the garage.

[Paul Murphy]

I would [and did] build my own cabinets, it's great experience, all you pay for is materials, and in a garage you can plan to avoid potential problems with the concrete footer present in many garages. In my case the footer was tall enough that notching stock cabinets would have cut into the bottom shelf/drawer. Building my own cabinets saved me from that dilemma, and I got exactly the cabinets that I wanted, with the countertop height that worked for me.

I used the home-built "tracksaw" solution to cut plywood resting on strips of wood, and the cuts with a Diablo 40t blade are great if you screw a MDF "ZCI" to the base of your circular saw. A brad nailer and pocket screws saved lots of time, and allowed me to get by with a minimum of clamping. I brushed on a waterborne finish, but honestly spraying would have saved a bunch of time. I have a lot of pull-out shelves in the base cabinets, and they were well worth the effort.

Enjoy the project, it will be well worth doing yourself.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

From your description it sounds like you have been getting by for awhile without shop cabinets- so waiting a little longer shouldn't be a problem. By your questions, it sounds like you are a novice woodworker.

You are absolutely right. I am a very novice wood worker. I have spent several years turning and have really loved that. At this point I am looking to learn from this process. I suppose what I was hoping to do was to short-circuit that learning curve just a bit. I have been wondering about plywood versus Melamine, pocket screws versus other joinery types etc...

Pocket screws appeal because they simplify setup and assembly. But if they won't hold up over the long term for the cabinets then they are worthless to me. If they work well but it is a good option for my first few cabinets. Etc...

So, with those two pieces of information, I suggest you get and read a book or two on building cabinets- good cabinets, then make the best cabinets you can. Use this as an opportunity to improve your skills and learn new ones, try more than one technique. If you just slap together some "shop" cabinets, that is what you will have- "slapped together shop cabinets" and you will have learned little.

I like this idea. I actually ordered and received a book from Amazon on building cabinets. I was unable to find one at the local library. The one I got was "Kitchen Cabinets Made Simple" by Gregory Paolini. I hope that this is a reasonable book. Do you, or anyone else have any recommendations on other books?

Thanks!

Joshua

[Alan Schaffter]

I had originally planned to finish my shop in an "old saw mill" motiff with weathered boards, etc. but then I saw an article in FWW where Scott Gibson built some A&C kitchen cabinets. Since I had a ton of almost free oak I decided to to go that route.

I'll tell you truthfully, my cabinets photograph well, and my shop actually won an award, based partially on their appearance, but they don't look nearly as nice up close in person (and that doesn't even address things like mixing quartersawn, riftsawn, and flatsawn oak in A&C cabinets ). I repeatedly ignored and had to re-learn the same lesson- "be careful of and don't take too many shortcuts, you'll likely be sorry later". For my lower cabinets I built a 2 X 4 box/toe kick and leveled it "sort of". I joined sections and dadoed the melamine (over particle) bottom to accept melamine partitions, added strip across the top front and corner bracing at each partiction, added blocking at the back to attach the partitions to the wall (the drywall forms the back of cabinets), and used pocket screws to make the face frame which I attached with glue and finishing nails. The whole thing was pretty much cobbled together. The floor wasn't level, the walls not plumb, so this was the hard way to do things. It would have been much better to make the cabinets then install them instead of building in place. I rationalized the shortcuts and less than satisfactory results to myself by saying they are just shop cabinets! I had to do that too often!! If I had to do it again, I would have made separate single or double cabinets the right way!! I did that with the upper cabinets and was much more pleased with the results. One suggestion on the lower cabinets- don't skimp on the drawer boxes or slide hardware. If you are like most, you will overload the drawers and be sorry when they start to fall apart or don't open correctly. Though I made boxes from ply, I used good ply, dovetailed all corners, and used 100# ball bearing, full extension slides.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Couple comments:

First:
The circ saw and a guide will do you just fine. I made a set for a friend, who has a PC circ saw and a router. I had him get 1-1/2" x 1/4" [or was it 3/8"?] alum bar stock from Granger - not huge $$. Drill + tap holes, and then used 1/4" machine screws in countersunk holes thru 1/4" ply. The reason for the alum bar stock was [a] very straight, [b] last a lifetime, [c] easy to change the bar to a new ply base, if needed, because of the screw attachment.

We made one with 96" base and one about 30" base. BUT.....the bar overhangs 6" on either end of the base - this allows for dead-on alignment of the saw at the start of the cut when you need the full length of the base. Also - I just got back from there, and built a 24" x 72" cabinet with 12" x 8" cubbyholes, with dadoed and tenoned 3/4" and 1/2" ply. I used an extra chunk of bar stock and made a jig for the router and bit, to align the dado cuts. Worked perfectly - but only for that specific router and that specific diameter bit. The other side of the base can be used for a different setup, and the base can be easily replaced for other setups/cuts.

Second:
This might sound weird, but I helped a neighbor do this some years back. To maximize storage space in his garage, we built wall-mounted cabinets that sat about 6" above the height of his vehicles' hoods, and mounted them on the walls in front of where the cars were parked. The cars' fronts' go in right under the cabinets. Now - he can open the doors and reach in from the side, but actually to get at them, the cars have to go - so those are used for non-shop storage of general stuff, but still..........created a bunch of extra storage space that way.

And, last - since you are new to this, if I might offer a tip to help prevent stupid mistakes that someone may have made somewhere along the line: When using the circ saw jig, as you make your layout/cut marks, put a short squiggly line where the saw blade is supposed to make the kerf. This helps keep you from setting up the jig on the wrong side of the line, and making a cut that is blade-kerf-width too narrow. Not that I have personally done this, of course - just heard tales.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Hello Kent,

Thanks for the reply.

The circ saw and a guide will do you just fine. I made a set for a friend, who has a PC circ saw and a router. I had him get 1-1/2" x 1/4" [or was it 3/8"?] alum bar stock from Granger - not huge $$. Drill + tap holes, and then used 1/4" machine screws in countersunk holes thru 1/4" ply. The reason for the alum bar stock was [a] very straight, [b] last a lifetime, [c] easy to change the bar to a new ply base, if needed, because of the screw attachment.

Do you happen to have any pictures or anything of this setup? I think I am following you but I am a bit uncertain how the bar comes into play? It is attached to the base of the saw? Or to the guide? I am guessing the saw if it can used with a router as well. If I am correct in thinking that then how did you square it to the blade? I think this might be something I can build in order to get started. I found some bar stock at Grainger online. 1/8th x 1 1/4". I think 1/8th might be to thin. It was 8' long which is a lot of metal for what I am thinking I need. I will keep searching and see what I can come up with.

Ah there it is. 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide.

And, last - since you are new to this, if I might offer a tip to help prevent stupid mistakes that someone may have made somewhere along the line: When using the circ saw jig, as you make your layout/cut marks, put a short squiggly line where the saw blade is supposed to make the kerf. This helps keep you from setting up the jig on the wrong side of the line, and making a cut that is blade-kerf-width too narrow. Not that I have personally done this, of course - just heard tales.

A very good idea. Thanks!

Would love a little more info on how you made your guide? How did you remove the dado in the guide and keep it all straight and perfect? A dado blade in the table saw? Or ???

Thanks!
Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I used the home-built "tracksaw" solution to cut plywood resting on strips of wood, and the cuts with a Diablo 40t blade are great if you screw a MDF "ZCI" to the base of your circular saw. A brad nailer and pocket screws saved lots of time, and allowed me to get by with a minimum of clamping. I brushed on a waterborne finish, but honestly spraying would have saved a bunch of time. I have a lot of pull-out shelves in the base cabinets, and they were well worth the effort.

That is a Fantastic Idea! I have been thinking about tear out on the melamine/plywood and this should solve it very nicely. If I couple with the other idea of the aluminum bar then I would get pretty much exactly what I want for this process. I will have to give it a try. How did you cut the groove for it? It would seem you just barely loosen the depth setting screw so it will slide but not shift left to right and then slowly lower it down thru the zero clearance insert piece screwed to the buttom.

BTW how did you do that? Did you just drill holes in the base plate of the saw? It seems possible to do, especially if you take that plate off of the saw first. I guess I jut never contemplated modifying the tool that way. Now it seems both possible and even desirable to do so.

As a follow up question to one and all is there a circ saw that is a better than the others or a particularly good model or is anything within a certain price range "good enough"? I looked at HD and they had some pretty cheap stuff under a hundred but for between $99 and about $150 there were lots of options: DeWalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee, Makita. A similar but slightly different list, kind of favoring Porter Cable at Lowes. And on Amazon lots and lots of options. Everything seems to be just a tad cheaper but of course seems to be a $250 saw for $100 so buy it now. Seems likely that the list price is slightly inflated tho they do see like some good deals.

If a brand isn't better is the type of "shoe" (if that is the right word) better in one style than another? I have seem some that seem completely flat top and bottom like a bent at the ends sheet of metal and others that were clearly cast. It seems like the flat sheet would be easier to machine, drill and tap but might be weaker or ??? As I have said and I am sure you can tell I am something of a novice so any advice or suggestions would be great.

Thanks!
Joshua

[Steven Wayne]

I ordered the Tom Clark book.. Thanks for the recommendation.