Long time lurker, first time poster here, so take it easy.
I have decided to embark on my biggest project by far to date, kitchen cabinets. I have made a few "test" wall pieces out of painted poplar in the basement but still have some questions about preferred construction techniques. Mostly they revolve around finished end panels and mounting. I have read a lot of posts around here about these topics, but I haven't been able to discern a clear answer. In general, construction is all 3/4" prefinished ply carcass (for a home shop, having one type of plywood is just easier). Face frame are 3/4" solid stock (perhaps beaded). Doors are 5-piece flat recessed panel (aka Shaker) inset. The LOML wanted end panels that look like face frames with inset doors. The pieces I did in the basement are simply 5-piece panels attached to the side of the plywood carcass (easy enough). I used butt joints where the sides meet the face frame with less then satisfactory results, so I think I will go to tongue and groove or mitered corners. But has anyone every made the corners out of one piece? My ff stiles are 1 1/2", so I could use 8/4 stock and cut a 3/4 x 3/4 rabbet out of the back (effectively mimicing two 1 1/2" rails meeting at a mitered corner). The rails would attach to the side and front of this piece and I would have a seamless corner (with quarter-sawn grain on one side). Is there anything wrong with this approach? Second, how would you attach the faux side door inside the faux frame? Just glue and pin nail the rails and stiles?
As far as hanging, the ones in the basement had the 3/4" plywood backs recessed 3/4" from the back of the sides and I put a 3" wide piece of 3/4" solid stock level across the recess. This matched a 3/4" piece of stock put on the wall as a bracket. I loved this system except that I lost 1 1/2" of interior depth. Are there more efficient ways? Should I just flush the back of the sides with the back panel and shim to the imperfections in the wall?
Finally, for my test pieces, I dado'd the bottom into the sides, leaving about 1" of the side below the bottom shelf (bottom rail is 2" for hiding UC lighting). I don't like how this looks. Could I rabbet the bottom panel into the sides (glue and screwed through side)? I am worried about putting lots of heavy dishes on the bottom shelf and all the weight being born by the screws in shear mode. The advantage of this is that I could apply a 1/4" piece of cherry ply to the bottom and make it match while also hiding pocket holes from the bottom shelf to the face frame and the end "grain" of the side plywood. Would this be strong enough? Should I use a tongue and groove so there is a little bit of the side under the tongue to help bare the weight? What is standard for custom cabinetry?
Thanks for all the help just from reading through the previous posts. Please let me know what is unclear, as I am sure I have utterly confused most of you.
Cheers,
Paul