How to get started on some cabinets???

[Jason Scott]

Hey all,

I have seen many of you build your own cabinets. I would like to start with some shop cabinets and do not know how to get started. I have seen norm do his and some of your alls pictures, but I really do not know what to make them out of, or dimensions or what. Should I just use my kitchen cabinets for dimensions or is there a standard I should shoot for? I have searched and read as much as I can here on the forum but am still a little confused. Just a couple of questions:

1. What type of plywood do you make them out of. I assume 3/4 but do you get it with a nice veneer like walnut, cherry, etc.? Or do I just pick up some birch ply at home depot?

2. On the doors, for the floating panel, what do you use for that panel? Just a really thin veener type wood or what?

I'm sure I'll have more questions, and I have to finish my wife's coffee table first, but I am hoping in the next couple of weeks to get started on them...I just ordered a ZCI and Freud pro. dado 6" blade set for my Powermatic TS in anticipation of doing some stuff like this, also looking to make a bookcase. I am really curious about this veneer plywood, ever since i took my coffee table top to the cabinet shop to get sanded. The stuff was gorgeous, it was a 4X8 sheet of plywood that looked as good or better than my 4/4 walnut solid wood top I imagine I can't pick this up at the local box store, where would I get it? Thanks for any help.

jason

[Chuck Lenz]

Sounds like you need to find a cabinet makeing book.

[Jason Scott]

Yeah, you are right, and I am going to, more interested in the veneered plywood, what/how/why of it all...And also if you make the cabinets out of plywood, and the face frames and doors out of say walnut, do you stain the plywood to match? How does that work? Thanks

[Joe Chritz]

Look for good quality veneer plywood. Believe it or not I found some good stuff, birch and maple at Menards here. It is about $50 a sheet and is graded B2. (the letter is one face the number the other. AA1 is top)

Anyway, look for consistent cores, thick veneers and preferably a HVPA rating. (Hardwood veneer plywood association)

The two major ways to build a face frame cabinet box are dados or screws. Zip'r screws (or another manufacture) through the sides is more than strong enough with 3/4 material. Backs are either set in dado's a 1/4" in or so, or set in a rabbit or just glued and stapled on (planted on).

I suggest building one or two and trying a construction method then do a couple more a different way. I am on my 5th or 6th full kitchen and a few bath cabs and I am just getting a good system down. A good book would be well worth the money.

FWIW, I now use zip's to assemble the boxes, pocket screws to attach the faceframe and use a 1/4 finished panel on the exposed ends. I also build a separate toe kick and build lower boxes 30 1/2 inches tall.

The Cutlist program (I don't have a link handy) is worth everybit of the $25 bucks or so. So is a cabinet door program, I use cabinet doors from woodshop calc and it isn't bad.

Shop cabinets are a great way to practice and see what looks good. I have flat panel, raised panels in a couple designs and poplar, hickory and oak shop cabs.

Any specific questions just fire away. It is great to research but you really have to make some dust to learn. Like grandpa always said, wisdom comes from experience which comes from bad judgment. Mistakes are a good thing, it makes you learn faster.

Good luck

Joe

[Todd Bin]

Hey all,

I have seen many of you build your own cabinets. I would like to start with some shop cabinets and do not know how to get started.
jason

Go to the sommerfed tool web site.

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/dept.asp?d=117

And get his DVD on cabinet making and you might as well get the raised panel door video as well. I like his method of cabinet construction. Of course you will need his tongue and groove cabinet making router bits and a pocket hole jig, but in the end you will have some nice cabinets.

[Todd Bin]

Oh, I missed your question on materials. For shop cabinets you can just use 3/4" "apple" ply. It is a premium grade ply which is made in the USA. But for kitchen cabinets you would choose a ply that is veneered with whatever species you want to build the cabinets out of. i.e. Walnut, cherry, maple, mahogany. Or if you are really zealous then you could buy apple ply and sheets of anykind of veneer you want and veneer it yourself. But that would be a really, really big job.

The face frame and door rails and stiles would be made of solid wood. You have a choice for the panel. You could use 1/4" ply or 3/4" solid wood that is raised so it would fit the groove. If you go with the solid wood approach, don't forget the little spacers to allow for expansion of the wood.

Good Luck.

PS. since you like inlay, a nice design touch would be to inlay a different species of tree leaf into each cabinet door.

[Darrell Jones]

I was afraid to try cabinets until I got this Kreg Pocket Hole joining jig. It's really easy and I have been making cabinets like crazy. Laundry room, garage and enclosed trailer. Wife is estatic. I don't know, maybe pocket holes falls out of some true art form code but it sure works for me. I have been using 3/4" plywood from Home Depot. Has a very nice finish on both sides and is 13 plies I beleive. $26 each, just a couple bucks more than the rough stuff. They also have walnut for 40 and oak for 50. I just use the same 3/4 for the doors except for one I painted and used 1x4 pine with 1/4 ply for flat panel. I also got the pocket hole cabinet video. Like I said, I never would have attempted these until I found this jig. JMHO

[frank shic]

skip the face frames and build frameless cabinets with screwed butt joints if you have an accurate tablesaw. you'll save a lot of time when it comes time to install the hardware especially if you use a 32mm line boring jig.

[keith ouellette]

I was afraid to try cabinets until I got this Kreg Pocket Hole joining jig. It's really easy and I have been making cabinets like crazy. Laundry room, garage and enclosed trailer. Wife is estatic. I don't know, maybe pocket holes falls out of some true art form code but it sure works for me. I have been using 3/4" plywood from Home Depot. Has a very nice finish on both sides and is 13 plies I beleive. $26 each, just a couple bucks more than the rough stuff. They also have walnut for 40 and oak for 50. I just use the same 3/4 for the doors except for one I painted and used 1x4 pine with 1/4 ply for flat panel. I also got the pocket hole cabinet video. Like I said, I never would have attempted these until I found this jig. JMHO

I also love the pocket hole jig. Its very easy to use though i only use it where the screws wont show. Otherwise I use biscuits.

Start with a simple door. Just a plain square where the rail and stile are held together with a mortise and tenon. The mortise will be a dado alond the center of the stile (and rail) cut with a dado blade. It will also hold a flat panel. Make a tenon on the rails to match the size of the dado you cut. A Plane jane door.

I would start out with face frames for the cabinet box and force yourself to learn how to install the hinges. Its not as hard as it looks. Move slow and deliberate and allow yourself plenty of mistakes. Then move up to a router bit set to make your doors.

[Lee Koepke]

The height of the cabinets will vary with the proximity to other tools and the intended uses.

Example: I have a 36" high top for my CMS and an adjacent bench at the same elevation, so longer stock flows across well. My outfeed table is slightly lower than my TS so I can use that for assemblies, etc.

I personally make the dimensions of the shop cabinets to suit the need of the surrounding tools and workflow.

I had some birch ply from HDepot that I wouldnt use on my pending entertainment center, so thats what I build my CMS out of ( as well as scrap MDF and plastic laminate )

[Dirk Lewis]

Sounds like you need to find a cabinet makeing book.

great idea....how about a suggestion or two?

Jason, you might want to check out Danny Proulx's books on cabinets as a starter, hes got a couple of different styles to follow if you are interested