Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/21/2005

Question
i want to build some kitchen cabinets and this is my first job.  There are many joinery methods for cabinet making. i want to know if this joint is a good choice for cunstructing carcasses?
i plan to use aa oak ply and a router table.  

Answer
Hi,

Although making kitchen cabinets is a difficult undertaking, it's certainly a project that is doable for people who have basic tools and some skills.  You mentioned that you have a router table, and that's a good start, but you're going to need a way to cut that plywood into precise sizes, so you're probably going to need a saw, too. Yes- it's possible to build a kitchen with just these 2 tools- a saw and a router table. It would be infinitely easier to do it with more tools- like a sander and a drill. So the more power you can add to your arsenal, the better.

Basically, there are 2 kinds of kitchen cabinets, face frame cabinetry and frame-less cabinetry. The face frame cabinets are the traditional cabinets what have a 1 x 2 face frame that is applied to the plywood box of a cabinet. Frameless are more modern and do not have 1 x 2 frames. They use a better hinge which is fully adjustable, which is often a problem area for traditional cabinets.

There are 2 books that I consider to be the best on this subject, and I recommend that you try to find a copy of each one. I have seen them on eBay, so perhaps you can save some money and buy them there if you can't find them at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble. The first is Making Kitchen Cabinets by Paul Levine. This book features frameless construction, the more contemporary method for building kitchen cabinets. The other book is Building Your Own Kitchen Cabinets (Layout, materials, construction, installation) by Jere Cary. This books teaches traditional cabinetry in a clear, straightforward language. It has everything you need to know to custom-build your own kitchen cabinets -- even if you've never tried a large-scale project before.

Both books are published by Taunton Press, which is the home of Fine Homebuilding and Fine Woodworking magazines. My choice for the better of the two books is Paul Levine's book. His style is simple, versatile, and you can build his designs with a minimum of tools. The design is modern looking and easy to customize.

Finally- to answer your question.... no, a 45 degree locking miter joint is not a good joint for constructing kitchen cabinet boxes.  Or- let's say, that joint wouldn't be my choice for making a cabinet box. A better choice would be to use a straight bit for making dados and rabbets. Those 2 joints are quite strong and adaptable for making kitchen cabinet boxes, and both of the above mentioned books discuss these joints in depth.

OK, I think I gave you enough to think about for right now!  Good luck...this is a big undertaking, but honestly, if you have some skill, some tools, and these books, you will complete your project just fine.

Please feel free to write back if you have any other questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV