Built-in cabinets

It looks great!

We have a practically worthless closet in the master dedroom of our 1950’s house that I would like to take out and do something very much like that.

Nice looking built-ins.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

wow..that’s sweet

-- Life is enjoyable especially when you borrow from people

Looks neat.

I really like this. Great concept and use of space. Turned out real nice, always fun working in the old houses and making everything fit. Great job.

-- Randon Riegsecker, crosscutservices.com

very nice,,where do you start on something that nice?

-- Dan Hux,,,,Raleigh, NC http://whitdaniel.com

Nice job! Built- ins are fun to design and build. Part of the challenge is making them appear as if they belong in a certain space and not just taking up space. Yours look like they fit their surroundings quite nicely. Thanks for sharing.

-- Doug

Beautiful work.

I am an amateur trying to take a shot a built in furniture. I am curious about how you did the coping along the right side. I am assuming you used a filler strip or made the face frame larger than the casework? How much space did you give your self to get the right fit – did you measure the out of square first and then decide the size filler?

Thanks

-- Shawn, I ask in order to learn

Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful comments.
Shawn, To answer your question about coping to the wall, I made the face frames slightly wider than the cases on the four side sections. Normally when I build a cabinet like this, I would make the face frame 1/4” wider than the face frame but I might have made the outside edges 3/8” wider in this case. I suggest you use a long level and check the wall for plumb and flatness to see how much you need to make it fit before you build the cases and face frames. Before you mark the side of the face frame prior to coping to the wall, it is easier if you back bevel the face frame so when you do the final fitting you are not trying to shave off a full 3/4” thick surface but rather a much thinner surface.
When I installed these, I installed the two sections on the left first, then the two sections on the right and finally the center section slipped between the two sides. It had to be done in that sequence because there was a radiator on the left wall and an existing door jamb on the right wall, so it was not possible to install either of the side sections last. It actually went smoother than you might expect. Of course they were all built and painted in my shop (garage) and then moved to the site for installation. I gave the whole unit a final coat of paint after installation.
Good luck with your project and keep us posted on your progress.

-- John, Long Island, NY

I built nearly an identical design, (even the handles and hinges), for a client in her kitchen and also a library wall in an 1870’s house she is restoring. Very nice work, fitting it in to a crooked space neat and tidy without scripe strips really makes a project. The dovetailed drawers are an added bonus, most of my clients don’t want to spring the extra $ for this.

-- Gary; Marysville, MI...Involve your children in your projects as much as possible, the return is priceless.

Regarding clients paying the extra for drawers – you are correct but I’m more of woodworker than a business man. I knew this client was very particular and this was my first nproject of this kind and it turned out to be a very good advertisement for me. It’s been several years since this job was completed and I’m still getting kudos from her and everyone who sees it. Not much new business from it although I have done several other jobs for the same client. The dovetail drawers do take a lot of extra time and I don’t think they are any better than any other well constructed drawer other than the visual value. It all depends upon the client. While everyone would agree that dovetails are the nicest, most people would not notice if the drawers were not dovetailed. I do some renovation/additions to existing kitchen cabinets and I don’t use dovetails in them. In that situation it makes no sense to make a drawer in an existing kitchen that very much better that what exists.

-- John, Long Island, NY

Usually I’ll use an interlocking rabbit on my drawer corners. Much stronger and will last longer than the nailed together butt joints on a lot of old built-ins that clients want me to repair/retrofit new drawers and hardware into. Sounds like your in a similiar business situation I’m in. Replace it if that is what they want, repair it if that is all they can afford, or replicate it if that is what they need/want.

-- Gary; Marysville, MI...Involve your children in your projects as much as possible, the return is priceless.

Thank you for the details.

-- Shawn, I ask in order to learn