Sommerfeld T&G Cabinetmaking system

[Bob Michaels]

I'm about ready to build a fairly elaborate cabinetry system for our walk-in closet and already own Marc Sommerfeld's T&G cabineting making system. I purchased it a couple of years ago and have used it on solid wood jobs but not on plywood. I think it works very well. I have a very good hardwood dealer close by who has cabinet grade birch veneer plywood. Considering the inevitable thickness differences in 3/4" plywood, has anyone run into problems using the system with a decent grade of plywood. Also, can anyone tell me why Marc offsets the T&G by 1/8" from the edge? I suspect it is to hide any tearout. I also have a Domino and would appreciate opinions on building plywood cabinet boxes using the T&G system vs the Domino. Thanks.

[Rick Potter]

Cannot address the Domino, but I have built my kitchen with this system. It seemed to work well, and lined things up nicely. Make sure your plywood is straight and not potato chipped a bit, it makes a real difference.

One problem I had with prefinished maple cabinet sides was cutting the grooves going crossgrain. Some of the ply really chipped out badly, so I made a tall fence and tried backrouting a shallow groove by using a spacer on the first pass, then routed it normally with the spacer removed. This worked well, but then I discovered I could backroute the crossgrain pieces in one pass without any problem, using featherboards put on backwards. Worked great. Routing with the grain, was done normally.

If I understand your question about the 1/8" offset, I assume that would be to allow a bit of 'fudge' room between cases.

Hope this helps,
Rick

[Rich Engelhardt]

Great system!
I believe the 1/8 offset comes into play mostly on the bottom shelf. It eliminates that messy "speed bump" where the face frame meets the shelf & allows a nice smooth transition.

W/plywood, using a climb cut produces a nice clean cut. Watch the videos.
Also - the Feather Board they sell is very good. In the grand scheme of things, it's a bargain.

[George Bokros]

I have used the T&G system with ply and it works fine. I did not cut any cross the face grain but climb cutting should eliminate that issue. Great system, makes strong cabinets for sure.

[Charles Lent]

The offset tongue and groove joint lets you join with the surfaces flush or with the 1/8" offset (by flipping the panel over or by cutting the opposite way). It also works well when using pocket screws by giving the screws a little more bite. You do need to take the time to decide which direction that you wand the offset before you rout, but the system works very well once you learn it. Watch his videos several times.

Charley