Expert: Jamie Yocono - 5/23/2010

Question
Hello. I found 8 cabinet doors on line. They are brand new in the boxes. They were made by a local cabinet shop that closed down. They are maple with a leaded glass insert. Absolutely beautiful. And they will fit in the 10' section I need them for. Only thing is I cant use the old cabinets so I need to build new. I was hoping you could tell me what thickness plywood would be best and what size I should cut the plywood pieces. The space is exactly 10' where on the wall. I was going to buy 4 30x30 cabinets. I am hoping I can do this on my own. Well maybe with a little help.
     Thank you in advance for your help.
                                     Chris

Answer
Hi Christine,

Building cabinet boxes isn't really difficult, but you do need some decent tools to accomplish the task. At the very minimum, you'll need an accurate way of cutting wood - usually done with a tablesaw. Also, you're going to need some other power tools - generally a drill, sander and a router. With those, along with accessories like clamps and a decent place to work, you shouldn't have a great deal of trouble building your boxes.

There are two types of kitchen cabinet boxes - ones that have a face frame, and the more modern, Euro-style that does not have a frame on the front edge. So deciding which box you plan on making is first. A face frame cabinet will allow you a little more flexibility in using those doors you purchased, while a frameless box will be slightly more difficult to make those doors exactly work.

Which do I prefer? Without a doubt, a frameless box is what I recommend. The hinges you will use are easier to adjust, and it's just an all around better looking cabinet. Cleaner, more modern.

There is an excellent book on building these cabinets - one that I think would be perfect for guiding you on how to build your boxes. It's called Making Kitchen Cabinets by Paul Levine. It's old, and at the time, there was a video that was made to go along with it. You can check out the video here: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Kitchen-Cabinets-Paul-Levine/dp/1561589039/ref=pd_b...

I didn't see the book available on Amazon, but I did find it here: http://www.tower.com/making-kitchen-cabinets-paul-levine-hardcover/wapi/10191689...

This book is older, and it will be somewhat dated, but the information is very good. He is a big fan of plastic laminate, so many of his designs use it. Try to get past the "dated" quality of the book and look at his construction techniques. It is a very simple, sturdy design, and one that I still use to this day. You'll basically be building "boxes" out of a good quality plywood, apply a solid wood edging to the plywood, to hide the ply edges, and then attach the doors. He also goes into drawer and door making, as well as counter tops, but the true value to you is the box information.

I also just found a place on line where you can buy and watch the video right at your computer. Isn't technology amazing?  http://www.iamplify.com/taunton/product_details/Taunton-Press/Making-Kitchen-Cab...

Anyway, there is a fair amount of detail that goes into making cabinets - like adding mounting rails to the back of them, or raising them off the floor to create your kickspace, so it's way to much for me to go into here. But for less than $20, you will get all the info you need from buying the book or watching the video. I highly recommend them.

Good luck, please write back if you have more questions,

Jamie in Vegas




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Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com