Bob Lang's The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker, Revised Edition E-Book

Robert W. Lang

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 473

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Demonstrating how woodworkers can approach the complex job of designing and making built-in cabinets for kitchens, family rooms, and home offices, this technical handbook provides meticulously detailed shop drawings, instructions, and hundreds of professional tips for saving time, materials, unnecessary aggravation, and money. Bob Lang offers practical, hands-on guidance for building traditional face-frame cabinets as well as constructing contemporary frameless Euro-style cabinets. Woodworkers will learn how to measure rooms and design fitting cabinetry that considers both function and aesthetics, how to develop working shop drawings and cutting lists, and how to work with materials as varied as solid wood and plastic laminate. Technical instructions for cutting and joining the basic box, as well as for fitting it to drawer stacks, sinks, corners, appliances, and islands, are also included, as are detailed steps for sanding, finishing, and installing each piece. This revised edition also offers a colorful new 16-page idea gallery with photographs of finished cabinets.

Leseprobe

© 2006, 2014 by Robert W. Lang and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.

© 2006, 2014 by Robert W. Lang and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.

Bob Lang’s The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker, Revised Edition (2014) is a revised edition of Bob Lang’s The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker (2006), originally published by Cambium Press and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. This version published in 2014 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. Revisions to the original book include the addition of color photographs and a new introduction. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

ISBN: 9781565238039eISBN: 9781607651598

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lang, Robert W., 1953-

 Bob Lang’s the complete kitchen cabinetmaker / Bob Lang. -- Revised ed.

   pages cm

 Includes index.

 ISBN 978-1-56523-803-9

 1. Kitchen cabinets. 2. Cabinetwork. I. Title. II. Title: Complete kitchen cabinetmaker.

 TT197.5.K57 L36 2014

 684.1’6--dc23

               2014009236

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

Note to Authors: We are always looking for talented authors to write new books. Please send a brief letter describing your idea to Acquisition Editor, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.

For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], with 9781565238039 The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker, revised edition in the subject line.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Gallery

1 Two Kinds of Cabinet

2 The Power of the List

3 Cabinet Purposes and Variations

4 Building Boxes: Joints

5 Building Boxes: Fasteners

6 Building Boxes: Materials

7 Frameless Cabinet Details

8 Face Frame Cabinet Details

9 Face Frame Materials and Assembly

10 Preparing Box Parts

11 Edge Treatments for Frameless Cabinets

12 Drawers and Drawer Slides

13 Frames and Panels

14 Hinges

15 Working with Plastic Laminate

16 Countertops

17 Cabinet Bases

18 Finishing

19 Installation

INTRODUCTION

A little more than ten years ago I had this idea to write a book about building cabinets. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was at the point where my career was about to change from full-time cabinetmaker/part-time author to full-time author/part-time cabinetmaker. After thirty years of earning my living making things out of wood, I was ready for a change. I thought there was a need for a book written from the point of view of someone who had been exposed to different methods and techniques.

In my woodworking career I cycled through a number of jobs in shops large and small, intermixed with owning my own shop. My resume from that time may look like I’m the type of guy who can’t hold a job, but those years gave me a broad base of experience. I wanted to distill the best practices from those years and adapt them into techniques that could be used successfully in a typical, minimally equipped shop. I also wanted to include details and options for face frame cabinets, frameless cabinets, and what I typically build, cabinets that utilize the best features of both styles.

What I had in mind was the sort of book I needed when I was starting out, a reference that would lay out sensible options for construction and a way to manage a project from conception to completion. The woodworking part of a typical kitchen project is relatively simple; the difference between satisfaction and frustration is usually found in how the numerous choices and steps of the project are handled. The risks are higher if you are doing this work for your own home as opposed to doing this work for someone else.

Things can still go wrong when you’re not your own customer, but eventually you get to walk away. If you have to live with the results of a poorly planned project (or with a family who had to go for far too long without a working kitchen), what might have been a rewarding experience can turn ugly and stay ugly. That sort of thing can be avoided, and avoiding disaster is what this book is all about. There are a lot of parts in a typical kitchen, and the sequence of making them and putting them together along with keeping track of them all is a big job.

The success of the first edition of this book was a bit of a surprise, and it has been gratifying as an author to hear from readers who found it helpful. In the fast-changing world of publishing, not many books have the staying power to last through several printings. It’s surprising how similar the process of putting a book together is to a large cabinet project. There are a lot of little pieces to fit together, and the goal in each case, at least for me, is to put together something of quality that will last a long time.

There is a real satisfaction to be found in taking an idea and a pile of lumber and turning it into something useful and enduring. There are practical benefits to be found in making cabinets. You can have a kitchen far nicer than you could otherwise afford and much better suited to your own needs when you build your own. If you’re considering cabinetmaking as a career or as a serious hobby, a kitchen or other cabinet project is a good way to get a taste of it while filling a need and to get equipped with the basic tools and machinery.

The real benefits are far beyond the practical ones—at least they are for me. Being able to see physical evidence of a day’s work is a far cry from what most of us do these days. Parts become boxes and boxes become cabinets and before long an empty room is transformed. That’s a satisfying experience, and the satisfaction carries on and grows every time you enter that room. When we build, we build in parts of ourselves and we find that the project also helps to build us. Physical evidence that we did something of lasting value is hard to come by in the information age.

No book introduction is worth a hoot without some thank-you’s. First of all, I want to thank all of the people I worked with in shops and on job sites. Every one of them has been a teacher in one way or another, and our shared experience enabled me to leave behind things I am proud to say I made, or helped to make. Second of all, I want to thank all of the readers who have supported my work since my first book was published in 2001. As I tell students in my classes and readers I meet in person, “guys like you make it possible for guys like me” and it is deeply appreciated.

Robert W. Lang

Last but not least is a special thanks to my friend Dale Barnard. He and I first met when he stepped forward to help my research for Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furniture. In this book, the photos of finished cabinets are Dale’s work, and once again I am grateful for his help.

—Robert W. LangMaineville, OhioMarch 2014

Fitting the space.The line between fine furniture and fine cabinetry isn’t always clearly defined. The visual elements are the same, but the “built-in” nature of cabinets requires some different techniques and attitudes. Much of cabinetwork remains unseen when the project is finished, but what happens behind the facade is critical. In this built-in, several individual cabinets fit together, and in the course of installing them, they all need to fit the allotted space. Accurate measurements and a few tricks make it possible.

GALLERY

Variety within a style.Custom cabinets can be adapted visually to suit the character of the home and the home’s residents. On the practical side, variations of details define zones in the room, tailored to suit the task at hand. Color and consistency tie a variety of everyday activities into an inviting space. The central island is a good example of “right-sizing.” It is big enough to provide additional work and storage space without being so big that it dominates the entire room.

Purpose built and a purposeful look.The large sink makes the function of this area clear, while the custom cabinets make it an integral part of these cabinets. The extended stiles anchor the sink to the room and to adjacent cabinets.

A common front.These cabinets share a single face frame. The reversed arch on the lower rail ties the cabinets to the space. In the upper cabinets, small drawers and open shelves define the corner.

Fitting function in style.Several of these cabinets have been designed to fit specific appliances, yet the common design elements ensure that nothing looks out of place. The contrast between the spectacular veneer on the panels and the simpler grain of the frames helps define each space.

A graceful transition.Cabinets placed back-toback are transformed by a single end panel into a peninsula that separates the kitchen from the dining area. The vertical divider on the counter shields the working parts of the kitchen from view.

Design challenges and solutions.Seen from the dining area, the effectiveness of the vertical divider is evident. If you look closely, you can also see that the upper cabinets have been custom made to fit around the exposed ceiling beam.

A place for everything.This view shows cabinets made for specific tasks. A sink is placed in the corner, lower cabinets accommodate pastry preparation, and a small refrigerator is tucked away.

New cabinets with an authentic look.In this restored bungalow kitchen, the cabinets look as if they have always been there, but they are brand new. Period construction details and the right hardware aid in creating an authentic look while up-to-date appliances and granite counters fit right in. This small kitchen combines function and charm in a way that wouldn’t be possible with stock cabinets. Attention to every detail makes the difference.

Making the most of a small space.The back door and window above the sink provide natural light, and the white paint and linoleum floor help to make this small space warm and inviting.

A matter of scale.In this large kitchen, wide vertical elements at the ends of the island match the scale of the cabinets to the scale of the room. This and the taller, narrow counter caps define the kitchen as a distinct area.

Tradition at the toe.In modern kitchens, the area below the cabinet doors is recessed and known as the “toe-kick.” In the early 20th century, the detail matched the baseboard of the room.

Borrowed from architecture.Decorative curved brackets, called corbels, serve a functional purpose. In this case they provide support for the heavy, overhanging counter on this island. Here again we see the end panel extend to the floor and baseboard below the doors.

Taking care of the transitions.The tall cabinet at the left end of these cabinets is deeper than the counter and base cabinet next to it. This provides an elegant way to move from one cabinet form to another and simplifies installation, as the shallower cabinets butt into the tall one. Notice the recess between the two sets of upper cabinets. This visual break carries around the corner so that the upper cabinet matches the depth of the tall cabinet. Slight misalignments between the cabinets can be hidden by the recess.

Details aren’t always fussy.The addition of glass in these upper cabinet doors turns this run of cabinets into a visual opportunity. The stiles (vertical elements) of the doors and the long horizontal edges of the drawers feature a small bead. This easily added detail gives visual interest to simple inset doors and drawers.

Adapting an elegant style.These cabinets feature several design elements of California architects Charles and Henry Greene, who worked in the early 1900s. The sculpted handles, cloud-lift shapes on the rails, and ebony pegs were all signature features, adapted here in a thoroughly modern kitchen. Posts on the outer corners define the wall cabinets.

Beauty and function combined.Details usually found only in fine furniture are combined with the functional elements a working kitchen needs. In these cabinets, as in the upper cabinets, posts define transitions between cabinets, and behind the outer face, several individual boxes make construction and installation manageable. Careful planning at the outset leads to success when the job is finished.

1. TWO KINDS OF CABINET

European Frameless vs. Face-Frame Cabinets

One of the biggest decisions the cabinetmaker will face is whether to build traditional face-frame cabinets, or European frameless cabinets, also known as 32mm cabinets. This choice will affect nearly every aspect of the project, and also introduces a third option, building hybrid cabinets using the best aspects of each method (Figure 1 & 2).

Both choices use boxes that are mainly constructed of plywood. The differences lie in how the finished face of the cabinet is constructed, how the parts are prepared for assembly, and the type of hardware used to swing the doors and move the drawers in and out of the cabinet.

When European cabinets were introduced to the United States about 30 years ago, nearly every element was different than what was commonly used. Today, the great American melting pot has worked on cabinet design, and it is rare to see a cabinet made in one style that doesn’t contain at least one element of the other.

Figure 1. Basic definitions: A European 32mm, or frameless, cabinet with overlay doors and drawer, top, and a traditional face frame cabinet with inset doors and drawers, bottom.

Differences in Construction, not Appearance

People think that appearance is the biggest difference between the two styles, mainly because we think of the visible parts of face-frame cabinets as being constructed of wood, and European cabinets as being of plastic laminate. Visualize the door of a face-frame cabinet, and an oak raised panel, stile-and-rail door likely comes to mind. Think about European cabinets and the image will likely be that of a hospital laboratory: a row of uniform white plastic doors with brushed-chrome wire pulls.

The truth is, you can build in either style and achieve the finished look that you want. You can also mix the elements to achieve the look that satisfies your eye, the construction method that suits your building style and the tools you have available, and your budget. Big decisions should be informed decisions, and you should have a thorough understanding of both styles before you can intelligently choose which one, or which parts of each one, are right for you.

32mm Center to Center

When the 32mm system was developed, Europe was still being rebuilt after World War II, and German design was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus dictum “form follows function.” The cabinetmaking system that was developed provided a method to efficiently produce an inexpensive, standardized, yet flexible product.

The notable feature of the system was line-bored rows of precisely spaced and located holes that could be used for many purposes: locating hinges, drawer slides, and other hardware, as well as dowels to hold the cabinets together. The “32mm” name came from the spacing of the holes, and that was a function of the machines developed for drilling them. 32mm wasn’t chosen because it met perfectly a predetermined set of design goals, it was simply as close as the German engineers of that time could place two drilling heads next to each other.

Figure 2. Cutaway views of European 32mm cabinet, top, and traditional face-frame cabinet, bottom.

Overlay and Inset

The other, major feature of 32mm Eurostyle cabinets was the absence of a solid wood frame — the face frame — around the front of the cabinet. These cabinets are known as frameless because the front edge of the plywood box is covered with a finished band and is exposed to view. In traditional 32mm cabinetry, the doors and drawer fronts overlay nearly the entire face of the cabinet. Except for the gaps between them, the doors and drawers are the only visible parts of the cabinets when viewed from the front.

Figure 3. Typical hole layout for frameless cabinets. The 5mm system holes locate hardware such as drawer slides and hinges, the 8mm assembly holes are for the dowels that hold the case together. Boring all the system holes allows the standard cabinet end panel to be used in any number of configurations.

This clean, modern look has great appeal to many, but others find it too stark and sterile. Functionally, it increases access to the inside of the case, and makes it easier to get things in and out of the cabinets. Structurally, the front of the cabinet isn’t as strong as a face-frame cabinet, but unless the cabinetmaker has gone too far in using cheap material, or has pressed the limits of width to their maximum, frameless cabinets are stronger than they need to be.

The doors and drawer fronts don’t have to be overlaying the front of the cabinet, they can be inset, that is, they can fit within their openings. This brings the edges of the cabinet into the picture as a design element, and changes the appearance significantly.

With either method, all of the doors and drawer fronts, as well as all of the other parts, need to be made as precisely as possible. With overlay doors, the gaps between the doors and drawer fronts are crucial to the appearance of the finished product. They need to be a uniform size, and they need to form uniform lines and square corners. The hinges and drawer faces are adjustable for position, but the hinge adjustment can’t make an obtuse corner square, or a short door taller.

Standard practice is to set these gaps at ⅛ inch (about 3mm) or less between doors in overlay cabinets, or between the door and the cabinet in inset doors. People will say that overlay cabinets are easier to make than inset, because the doors don’t have to fit inside the openings. The truth is, either way you do it, you have to get the cabinet openings and doors square and the right size, or they won’t work or look right.

Don’t make the half-overlay mistake — Europeans will make fun of you if you do. In face-frame cabinets there are times when the edges of the doors overlay their openings by ⅜ inch or ½ inch. Misguided souls, trying to adopt the frameless 32mm system, often try to impose this form, usually as a method for building cabinets without working carefully. The existence of half-overlay hinges is taken as confirmation that this is an acceptable method. In fact, half-overlay hinges are for the purpose of hanging two doors from one vertical cabinet component.

If you try to build a frameless project with half-overlay hinges everywhere, you will be introducing all kinds of complications and variations to a relatively simple and elegant system, and the finished product won’t look right, because you won’t be able to achieve uniform gaps between the doors and drawers.

32mm in a Nutshell

As the 32mm system matured, several parameters were developed:

• System holes are a vertical line of 5mm diameter holes, 32mm from center to center, bored on the inside of the cabinet side. The line is 37mm back from the front edge of the cabinet, and a second line of holes is close to the back of the cabinet. The distance between the two rows is ideally some multiple of 32mm.

• Assembly holes are at 90 degrees to the system holes, near the top and bottom of the cabinet sides, and at other locations where a fixed shelf or divider may occur. These holes are 8mm in diameter, and are spaced in multiples of 32mm. There are fewer assembly holes, and they are used for dowels that hold the cabinet components together.

• Different types of cabinets can be made from components with the same boring patterns. Drawer slides and door hinges are engineered to go in the same holes, simplifying the production process.

• Cabinet components are standardized as much as possible, and most of the work is completed before the cabinets are assembled. Raw edges of plywood are covered, hardware is attached, and the components, if wood, are finished before they are assembled.

OVERLAY:

the doors and drawer fronts cover and overlap their openings.

INSET:

the doors and drawer fronts fit inside their openings.

Because of this standardization, parts need to be made with precision. Many new machines, and refinements of old ones, were developed to handle these processes quickly and accurately. However, these expensive machines are not necessary to produce quality work. A careful worker can produce high-quality work efficiently with minimal investment in tools.

The drawing on the facing page (Figure 3) illustrates a typical side-section from a European-style 32mm base cabinet. Note how the vertical system holes are utilized in three different ways: the hinges plug into holes in the front row, the shelf is supported by pins in both rows, and the drawer slide is screwed into holes in the front and back rows. The bottom of the cabinet is attached to the sides with six dowels, and the front and back top rails, as well as the rail below the drawer, are attached to the cabinet side with dowels.

RAILS:

Frame, door and cabinet parts that go side to side.

STILES:

Frame and door parts that go up and down.

Designed-in Flexibility and Efficiency

This cabinet could also have doors that extend to the top of the cabinet, eliminating the drawer using the same group of holes. Or, the doors could be eliminated and a stack of drawers could take their place. The two sides of this cabinet could be part of a huge number of parts that are cut to size and have their edges banded, the holes bored, and even make their way through the spray booth if they are veneered, easily handled as flat parts taking up a minimum amount of shop space. Even the mounting plates for the door hinges, and the drawer slides are attached while the sides are flat parts. It doesn’t become a cabinet until just before it goes out the door to be delivered.

Figure 4. Euro story board—This full size layout for a frameless cabinet shows the location and size of all parts and hardware mounting holes for a typical base cabinet.

If the planning is done correctly, and the right machinery is in place, this is an incredibly efficient process, especially when compared to the way that a lot of people made traditional face frame cabinets. Finished doors and drawer boxes arrive at an assembly station where a complete box has just arrived, the doors and drawers and put in place, some minor adjustments made, and the cabinet is complete and ready to be delivered.

Efficiency Isn’t Everything

People tend to focus on the holes and the hardware when examining the 32mm system, but these are not some kind of fairy dust that magically makes the system work. In fact, the system of holes can actually produce serious bottlenecks, especially if you want to build a variation that requires deviating from the standard pattern. In a manufacturing environment, drilling all of those holes is a one- or two-step process, because of the equipment that is used. In a small shop that has to drill these holes one at a time, the process is a slow and tedious one.

The real keys to the efficiencies of frameless cabinets are the thorough planning, the precision of making the component parts, and the concept of bringing each part as close to completion as possible before assembling the cabinet box. If you can come close to these three goals, you can build anything in an efficient, cost-effective manner. If you are building cabinets professionally, you might even make a profit.

Many cabinetmakers, especially those building traditional face-frame cabinets, don’t plan very well, don’t work as precisely as they can, and as a result tend to assemble complete boxes or face frames first, then completely assemble the other major component based on what size the other component ended up. Once the cabinets and face frames are together as a unit, measurements are taken, cut-lists are figured for doors and drawers, and these pieces are started. In a small shop, this can be a nightmare because all the machines and benches are surrounded by completely assembled boxes that won’t be heading out the door anytime soon.

For me, the decision on which style to build is based on aesthetic and financial decisions, not on faith that one system is stronger, or the other is faster. Nice cabinets can be made with either method, and as we take a closer look at each, and at some hybrid methods, we will find some methods to build either style as efficiently and pleasantly as possible.

The Rise and Fall of Line-boring

If you take a close look at a cabinet made with system holes, you will quickly realize that most of the holes are not being used, and likely never will be. As the 32mm system evolved, boring machines were developed with enough drill heads to bore all of the holes for a cabinet side at one time. At first glance, this seems like a good idea: the part goes in the machine, the operator hits a button, and the boring is complete. But a more complicated machine requires more setup and maintenance. In a commercial shop using the 32mm system and line-boring machines, it made sense to drill holes that might be needed, but likely wouldn’t, than it did to stop and reset the machine.

The result of this was a lot of wear and tear on tooling, a lot of particleboard dust generated, and cabinets with interiors that looked like they had been strafed by machine-gun fire. It was also a Herculean engineering task, trying to place the line of holes in just the right spot, so that any possible variation of drawers and doors could be accommodated, and in trying to make custom work fit the system.

Figure 5. Hinge plate jig—A shop made jig will locate the holes for hinge plates in the same location in each cabinet.

The small, under-equipped shop may have been at a disadvantage for speed, but could produce a more attractive product, drilling and using only the holes that really did something. And the economics of being under-equipped can bring about some very efficient practical solutions. As we get further in to the specifics of building Europeanstyle cabinets, we will look at some low cost methods for locating the holes we want where we want them, without a tremendous capital investment in machinery.

Ironically, in the last few years, line-boring machines have been replaced with Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machinery. Where the goal was once to twist the design to fit the boring pattern, the boring pattern can now be easily adjusted to fit the design. The large manufacturers with millions of dollars in machinery are finally catching up to the little guy with a few simple jigs, like the ones shown here.

Figure 6. Shelf pin jig—This jig locates the holes for pins for adjustable shelves.

Figure 7. Many holes — In a manufacturing environment, all system holes are bored to simplify the production process and avoid the necessity to make decisions.

Working the System in a Small Shop

Three of the four advantages to the 32mm system have nothing to do with the system of line-bored holes — they are attitudes and ways of working that can be used no matter how you build your boxes and hang your doors. I think they are so important, that I have given each of them — planning, precision, and doing as much as possible before assembly — a good deal of space in this book. For now, let’s take a close look at the parts of the 32mm system that a small shop or one-man band can successfully adopt, and some that should be avoided.

Dowel construction is only efficient if you buy into the entire process: multi-head boring machines, dowel inserting and gluing machines, and case clamps. I have seen commercial shops that were incredibly efficient at sizing parts and line-boring holes, but were very slow in assembling cabinets because the cabinetmaker putting the boxes together had to manually put glue in each hole, and place each dowel by hand. If you add in drilling all of the dowel holes one at a time by hand, you will feel like you will never be done. Pick a method from the chapter on “Building Boxes: Joint Decisions” (page 52) instead, and avoid a major bottleneck in the production process.

Instead of trying to apply the system as a whole, find ways to make the individual parts of the system work for you. Other than the coincidence of being 37mm back from the front edge, the holes for door hinge plates and drawer slides don’t need to have anything in common. Use the jigs shown in Figure 5 & 6, page 13, and you can locate the hinge plates for all of your doors in the same location on every cabinet, without measuring and laying out each and every one (Figure 7).

Plan your hinges so that they are the same distance in from the corner of the door (I use 3⅞ inch) no matter what size the door is. If you then set, or make your jig for drilling the hinge plates to work from that, you only have to do layout or measuring work when you change door heights, like when you go from wall cabinets to base cabinets. If you have a different overlay on the top and the bottom of the door, as you will in a base cabinet, the distance from the inside edge of the cabinet to the center line of the hinge plates will be different at the top and bottom. Rather than measure every one, make the jig to reflect this, and you will have saved yourself hours of layout time, and eliminated numerous chances for a mathematical, measuring, or layout error.

Locating hole positions for drawer slides can work the same way. Find a convenient, consistent distance to set the drawer slide from the bottom of the cabinet, (or the top of an intermediate rail, like the top drawer in a typical base cabinet) to the bottom of the slide (I use ½ inch). Make or set your drawer-slide jig to hit this distance, and you can now drill mounting holes for all of the drawer slides on the job.

These jigs and holes can be set up to use either #6 x ⅝ inch bugle-head screws, or for 5mm Euro screws. I prefer the 5mm Euro screws, as I believe that they hold better than the wood screws, but I frequently use the wood screws. I suggest trying both, and using your personal preference.

Because we have placed the hinge plates and drawer slides where we want them to be, rather than on the grid, we can also put the holes for the shelf supports where we want them to be, and we can only drill the ones that are likely to be used. I also prefer to drill the shelf support holes at ¼ inch diameter, instead of 5mm. I am a worrier about shelves, and don’t think the European 5mm shelf pins look strong enough. I know that they have been used millions of times successfully, but I still don’t trust them. So I use ¼ inch shelf pins instead. (Figure 8)

Figure 8. Fewer Holes —In a small shop only the holes that will be used are bored. This means less work, and a more attractive cabinet, but it does require decisions by the cabinetmaker.

Figure 9. Face frame — Cutaway view shows typical face frame cabinet construction for base and wall cabinets.

The actual plywood boxes can be assembled in the same way whether the finished cabinets are frameless or contain face frames. There is a separate chapter on “joints for cases” (Page 52), and the chapters on assembling will cover the minor differences that might occur in some situations. For now, let’s look at what makes a face-frame cabinet, and what needs to be considered and decided before building. (Figure 9 & 10)

Traditional Face-Frame Cabinets

Face-frame cabinets are often referred to as traditional. The use of this term makes it sound like we have been building cabinets this way for centuries, that perhaps the founding fathers had kitchens with 36-inch high countertops and 3 inch x 4 inch toe-kicks. In fact, the traditional way of making cabinets is a rather recent development, as is the concept of kitchen cabinets entirely.

The modern kitchen only began to take its present form around the turn of the 20th century, with standard sizes of cabinets and appliances evolving in the 1920s and 1930s. It wasn’t until the post-World War II era that the forms we consider as having been used forever became entrenched. Before standards were established, most kitchens had very few cabinets. What cabinets there were resembled freestanding pieces of furniture, and often were called furniture-like names such as dressers and presses. The style and dimensions of these reflected the taste, skills, and judgment of the local cabinetmaker.

Even during the building boom of the 1950s, most new American kitchens were cobbled together on-site, and the standards that were followed were a mixture of what fit with the sink and appliances, and what the carpenter doing the work preferred.

The point is, we aren’t dealing with anything sacred when it comes to how we build face-frame cabinets. We are using methods and materials that have evolved over the years, and continue to change.

The big difference, of course, is the presence of the face frame, a solid wood framework that is attached, as one might expect, to the face of the cabinet. The members of the frame are usually between 1½ inches and 2 inches wide, but they can also be narrower or wider in some circumstances. This solid wood frame adds strength to the front of the cabinet, and helps to keep the box behind it from racking. It also covers the raw plywood edges.

With frameless cabinets, the front edges of the plywood parts form the face of the cabinet. These edges are covered cosmetically, but if you cover them using ¾ inch square solid wood, you will also stiffen the face of a frameless cabinet. Plastic laminate on the edges will also be stiffer than edges banded with a more flexible plastic material. If frameless cabinets are designed, built, and installed properly, the difference in strength at the front of the cabinet will not be significant.

The sum of all this is, you can make a perfectly sturdy and strong cabinet using the so-called traditional face-frame method, or using the so-called European frameless method. Although there are no meaningful differences in strength, there are differences in appearance. In the drawings on the next few pages, we’ll take a closer look at the differences in appearance between face-frame and frameless cabinets, and between overlay and inset doors and drawer fronts.

Figure 10. European 32mm — Cutaway view shows typical European 32mm, or frameless, cabinet construction.

Figure 11. A traditional look can be achieved with frameless construction by using wood frame-and-panel doors and end panels, with full overlay hinges.

Frameless Cabinets with Full Overlay Doors

Frameless cabinets can be made to have a traditional look with the addition of stile and rail doors, as seen in the elevation drawing above.

To most people, face-frame cabinets look better, and the general perception is that they must be of higher quality. Quality, however, is a function of the materials used and the skills of the maker, not the type or style of cabinets.

Figure 12. Face-frame cabinets with inset doors have a more traditional and formal look.

Face Frame Cabinets with Inset Doors

The nicest-looking face-frame cabinets will have inset doors and drawers, as seen here. Many cabinetmakers shy away from making inset doors because they are afraid to hang the doors on butt hinges. Many makers won’t build cabinets with inset doors for this reason, and few professionals actually have much experience at all with using them.

It really isn’t that difficult, you can make jigs and efficiently make mortises for butt hinges almost as quickly as you can bore holes for Euro hinges. And butt hinges offer some real advantages over other types of hinges.

Figure 13. Face-frame components can be added to frameless cabinet boxes giving a traditional look with simple construction and installation.

Butt hinges will open as far as someone wants to open them, unlike concealed hinges that have built-in stops. People expect that their cabinet doors will open like the doors in their house, and many concealed hinges fail after being pushed to their limits over a period of many years. Quality butt hinges can last for hundreds of years.

European-style concealed hinges can be used with inset doors in face frame cabinets without much trouble. You won’t be able to see the hinge barrel when the cabinet door is closed, the door won’t open as far, and you will see what appears to be a big robotic arm every time you open the door, but it is an alternative for the faint of heart. In the chapter on hanging doors (page 175) we will go step-by-step through both methods.

Hybrid Cabinets

The same appearance can be achieved by building smaller boxes, and using a common face frame across the fronts. This hybrid method, after being installed, will look more like one cabinet built in place than the previous examples. Building an entire elevation as one big cabinet is an option, but I don’t recommend it. I haven’t made a giant cabinet since the hernia surgery. The boxes in the drawing on page 19 are built as individual units, each with a distinct face frame. When the boxes are installed, the frames look wider where the cabinets butt against each other, and there will be a visible line where the two cabinet stiles come together. This method is so commonly used that its appearance won’t usually be objectionable.

Figure 14. Typical site-built cabinets look nice, but are difficult to move and install.

Building the cabinets as distinct boxes is an idea borrowed from the European modular concept, and from the manufacturers of factory-built face-frame cabinets.

Figure 15. When overlay doors are used on face-frame cabinets, the gaps between the doors are not uniform, resulting in a clumsy appearance.

Old-Time Cabinets

The old-time method was to build an entire elevation as a single cabinet. Some would argue that it looks better, but there are many disadvantages to this approach.

The first problem is in fabrication. If you are building modular cabinets, you don’t have to deal with vertical dividers inside the cabinets. The places where vertical dividers would occur are now cabinet ends. Making the dividers as dividers introduces the need for another method of producing joints, likely a dado across the width of the long cabinet bottom. It also complicates joints in components that would normally go entirely across the cabinet horizontally, such as the rail below the top drawer. These joints can be difficult to lay out and cut, and will also be harder to assemble. At the very least, they break the rhythm of building the same consistent box.

The second issue is that of size and weight. One big cabinet is harder to move than two or three smaller ones. This may seem minor, but if you are working by yourself, it is a major issue. It will also be harder to level the big cabinet during installation, and a long wall cabinet will need several people to hoist it into position. There is some slight savings in material costs, but this is outweighed by the difficulties imposed by size and weight.

Face Frame Cabinets with Overlay Doors

Lipped doors and overlay doors on face-frame cabinets are a common combination, but they don’t look as well as cabinets with inset doors. Both of these sit on the outside of the face frame; with overlay doors, the entire thickness of the door is outside the box, while lipped doors have a rabbet around the perimeter, so that part of the thickness of the door is inside the opening, and part is outside. Lipped doors have a slight advantage in that they keep dust from getting inside the cabinet. This might be an issue if you heat with coal or wood, or otherwise live in an extremely dusty environment, but other than that, I would avoid them.

It is quite difficult to get a uniform look to overlay doors on face-frame cabinets. They become a jumble of seemingly randomly placed lines. Though often recommended as being easier for the amateur to build, I think it is an easy route to amateurish-looking work. They are commonly used, and I think people don’t object because they are used to seeing them. The hinges used for lipped overlay doors also leave a lot to be desired; they are complicated to install, and don’t hold up very well.

Decisions, Decisions

There are many variations among builders in how the face frame relates to the other parts of the cabinet. Are the outer edges of the face-frame stiles flush with the outside of the box, or is the inside face of the cabinet side flush with the inside of the face frame? Is the bottom of the cabinet flush with the bottom edge of the frame, or even with the top of the bottom rail? All of these variations are used, and there are valid arguments for doing them either way or in between. As we look at the specifics of cabinet design, we will see what the differences are.

Because the face frame takes up a bit of space, it can be argued that frameless cabinets make better use of space. I myself used this argument just a few pages back, and while it is true, it isn’t important enough to sway your decision on which cabinets to build.

To the beginner looking to make his own kitchen cabinets, I would advise staying out of the kitchen for a while. Build some frameless cabinets for your workshop or garage, and try a face-frame vanity to gain some experience and become familiar with your choices. Try different materials, methods, and hardware before you commit to a major undertaking. The volume of boxes, doors, drawers, and snags along the way in a typical kitchen project will be challenging enough without doing it with methods that don’t feel right to you. The information in the following chapters will enable you to do that.

2. THE POWER OF THE LIST

Figure 16. Typical dimensions for kitchen cabinets, regardless of the method of construction.

Start with the Finish

Painted kitchens have been with us since the late 1890s and early 1900s when the modern kitchen came about. My bias is towards actually seeing the wood, but there is an appeal and an advantage to painting the cabinets. The original reason for paint was that it was more sanitary than a clear finish. Modern wood finishes make stained or natural-colored wood just as easy to keep clean as paint, so the decision to paint or not can be based on cost and appearance, not practicality.

What a light colored painted finish will do, especially if the room is small, is make the room appear larger. It will also keep it from being the dark and dreary place it could become if a dark stained wood finish were used. On the other hand, if paint is used in a larger room, it starts to look stark and institutional, more like a hospital than a home. The other advantage to paint is that the wood used doesn’t need to all match or even be the same species. You can use less expensive raw materials, and lower your budget.

Natural finishes — that is, a clear coating on the wood, rather than a stain — will have the same effect on a small room, and also work well in larger rooms. The color and texture of the wood grain and figure add interest to the expanse, rather than make it overwhelming. A natural finish will also age gracefully, darkening and mellowing over time, developing a wonderful patina. Most hardwood species will darken over time, some more than others, so consider what the appearance will be in a few years if your sample seems a bit too light.

Beware of the Dark Side

While my preference is for a natural finish, that shouldn’t be enough reason to keep you from staining the wood if that is what you prefer. I would stay away from really dark stains, especially if the room is small, because it will feel even smaller than it really is.

Make a sample board of the wood species, stain, and finish you want to use. Make it big enough to see from several feet away. If you’re on the fence between a few choices, make a sample for each, set them in your room, and look at them over a period of several days. Look at them at different times, under both natural and artificial light. This is the best way to judge what color you want. You don’t want to finish the job and have someone you love say, “Hmmm, I didn’t think it would be that dark.”

Do you really need to make this decision before you start to build? You might be saying, and in all likelihood you’re thinking, “I’ll just get going and let the wife decide while I’m making the boxes.” You need to know before you start for several good reasons. The first is monetary. Different finishes can have quite an impact on your material costs. You need to have one eye on the finish samples, and the other on your checkbook if you hope to stay close to your budget.

Different finishes, or details, can impact how you put your cabinets together, and what methods you use. If you’re going to paint, you can nail the face frames onto the plywood, fill the holes, and no one will ever know. If you’re using oak, and a medium to dark stain, you can do the same thing. If you’re using maple or cherry, you will want to carefully match all the exposed parts for color if you’re going to use a natural finish. If you’re staining, you can be more flexible in your wood selection. The point is, you need to know where you’re going before you take the first step. It’s much easier to change your mind, or let your wife change hers, before you have a thousand dollars of plywood cut.

Details, like solid wood raised panels, or flat veneered panels, will also affect the bottom line, the amount of labor you need to do, and the finished appearance of the room. The chapters on construction review many different options. Study them, and picture yourself both building them and living with them. Design and plan what works for you before you start.

The Bottom Line

Most people who contemplate a large doit-yourself project have two motivations; they want higher quality than what they can afford to purchase, and they want the satisfaction of accomplishing something that not just anyone is willing and able to do. If you plan thoroughly, keep track of which of these two paths you are following, and make a sacrifice now and then to the other path, you will likely be successful.

If on the other hand you jump in without looking, chase after satisfying your sense of accomplishment when you should be watching your budget, you will likely end up frustrated and miserable. You could easily spend $20,000 on equipment and tooling to build $10,000 worth of cabinets, and when you’re done, you could very well decide that woodworking and cabinetmaking aren’t that much fun after all.

A light colored finish makes a small room appear larger.

Dark colored paint and stain makes a small room appear even smaller.

If you’re really interested in pursuing it as an avocation or even a vocation, then your investment in time, equipment, and learning could be the best investment you will ever make. If you’ve read this far, it’s likely that no one will be able to talk you out of doing this. Since I can’t talk you out of it, I may as well show you how to do it.

Lists, Lists, and More Lists

There are many, many pieces and parts that go in to a typical kitchen. Each one has a cost in dollars, and an associated cost in the labor required to make it. Some alternatives you may be able to dismiss out of hand, but most you need to compare to at least one alternative in order to make an intelligent decision. I’m not a list-making person (I have a lengthy list of reasons why), but I begin every sizable project with a fresh legal pad, and start making lists.

Choose your finish before you start to build. This decision affects not only the materials you buy, but also how you build the boxes.

If you don’t have a lot of woodworking experience, keep a legal pad handy as you read this book, and make two lists. The first would be of your skills. On one side of the page list the things you are comfortable doing and on the other the skills you need to acquire. Most of the skills required to successfully build a kitchen are more tedious than demanding, and can be picked up through practice.

The second list should be of tools and equipment: what you own, what you’d like to buy, and what you can really afford to buy. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have some woodworking friends, talk with them about sharing tools and time. Look around for local resources, there is likely a woodworking club or school nearby where you may find some help, and there are some excellent resources on the Internet. It would also be a good idea to practice, either on something smaller than an entire kitchen, or by helping out on someone else’s project.

A small project is also a good way to practice dealing with all the lists and details you will need to complete a major one. You will need to create two budgets, one for money, and a second one for time. The first is lengthy, but simple. The second is more difficult to create, but just as important.

If neither budget can be stretched, I try to show alternatives that will save you time or money, or both. As you read along, look at the alternatives presented, and make note of which ones you prefer, and which ones you would like to try.

The Mother of All Lists

In order to set your budget, you need to know exactly what it is you will be building. Once you have created your cabinet layout, you can calculate the material and hardware you will need, and what your total costs will be.

The starting point is called a cabinet schedule, and an example is found on page 28. You can do this on an accountant’s columnar pad, or you can do it as a computer spreadsheet. This is a list of each cabinet to be built, along with some details about it. As you progress in your planning, this information will be used to generate other needed information about each cabinet, cutting and purchasing lists for solid wood and sheet goods, and schedules for hardware and accessories.

If you’re still on the fence about certain details, say types of doors, or types of drawer slides, make a separate column for each of your choices. You should also add columns to enter the dollar amounts of each item, such as hinges and pulls, and the cost per cabinet of each of these. Once you have your list of cabinets done, you will know how many doors and drawers you will be making, and you can accurately price your hardware. You will also know how much of the total cost any one item is. You may be agonizing over a decision that would change the total price very little.

Let’s go through the spreadsheet example, and I’ll explain the terminology that I use.

The first item is the cabinet number, which will refer to this cabinet’s location in the room. The letters N and B let me know that this is on the north wall of the room, and that it is a base cabinet. I always start my numbering with the cabinet on the left end of the elevation, and continue numerically. When I turn the corner, the N becomes an E (for east) and I start over at number 1. I usually list all of the base cabinets in the room, then all of the wall cabinets; floor-to-ceiling cabinets are numbered with the base cabinets, but detailed at the end of the cabinet schedule. I always start the numbering for each type of cabinets at each elevation at 1.

I number the cabinets this way so that when I’m comparing the cabinet to the elevation drawing, it’s easy to locate the exact one I’m looking for. When the cabinets are delivered, they can be placed close to where they are to be installed without referring to the drawing. Some people will assign cabinets numbers that don’t directly refer to their location, but when your helper asks, “Where do you want WB3?” you can let him know it’s on the right side of the west wall without having to stop and look at your drawing.

The columns marked “elevation” and “cabinet type” may duplicate information contained in the cabinet number, and if they do, I can keep them hidden in my spreadsheet program unless I have a good reason to show them, like two elevations on the south wall, or an odd type of cabinet make it necessary. If a cabinet is different from the norm in any way, like a blind corner wall cabinet, or a sink base cabinet, it is noted here.

Of the three columns that give the dimensions, the depth and height will normally be constant throughout the elevation. If that’s the case I will also hide these columns. If there is an unusual situation, like a cabinet that isn’t as deep as the others to accommodate some obstruction in the building, or a place where the countertop changes height, I will show them.

The next two columns tell how many doors are on the cabinets, and the type and location of the hinges. If I’m only using one kind of hinge on all the doors, I mark the hinge column “standard.” When different types of hinges are used, I designate them in this column. The “L” in parentheses in the hinge type column let’s me know that the single door is hinged on the left side. It might seem odd that cabinet “N-B-2” doesn’t have a door, but if I read across, I see that it has four drawers.

The number of hinges may seem like a silly column to add as most doors get two hinges, but I may have wall cabinets that are taller than normal that get three hinges per door, or a pantry cabinet that gets five hinges per door. By having a separate column for this I can keep track, and when it comes time to buy the hardware, I can let the spreadsheet program do the addition, and I know in an instant if I qualify for the quantity discount for buying fifty hinges.

The cabinet schedule is a list of each box to be built including dimensions, hardware details, and many construction details.

Pulls are usually the same throughout the job, but in case they aren’t, I add this column to locate the odd ones. The next column tracks the number of pulls I need for all the doors. Like the other hardware columns, it can be used to calculate the total amount I need to purchase, and I can add a column or columns to track the cost, or the cost of options.