Project Information
This was my first big project. I made these two basement cabinets as test beds. I'll be making some built-ins later, so I wanted to make sure I could:
Find and process the rough lumber.
Find and cut big sheets of cabinet-grade plywood.
Find and install two different styles of cabinet hardware.
Mill, cut, route, and drill.
Put all the parts together correctly (measure twice and… nevermind).
The carcass is pre-finished maple plywood. The top and sides are joined at a bevel because the joint shows. The sides and back have dados to receive the shelves, which are secured with glue and brads (plus screws in the back). Possibly the dados in the back are overkill, but they lock the shelves in square and help prevent sagging. The face-frames are poplar, joined with glue and pocket screws, and attached to the carcass with glue and biscuits. The door frames are poplar, joined with glued cope and stick. The door panels are prefinished plywood. The hinges are two different styles of Blum face-frame hinges. Having tried both, I prefer the Blum 2-way adjustable 1-1/4" overlay to the Blum variable overlay-they're more adjustable and beefier. The legs are adjustable leveler legs-they were really easy to install and are great for the uneven damp floor.
I used my little Delta jointer (not fun), a Dewalt thickness planer, Bosch router and table, Bosch contractor table saw, Porter-Cable biscuit joiner, Craftsman and Bosch drills, Craftsman and Bosch circular saws, Dewalt quick-change countersink, and Kreg pocket-hole jig. Other than the jointer, the tools are great. A bigger table saw would have helped, but it wasn't necessary. A good plywood blade was. So was a backup supply of countersink bits, because the ones that come with the Dewalt kit are fragile.
I'm not completely sold on pre-finished plywood. The finish is really strong, but some touch up is inevitable. So for the next job, I'll put the extra money towards a spray gun and do all the finishing.
Find and process the rough lumber.
Find and cut big sheets of cabinet-grade plywood.
Find and install two different styles of cabinet hardware.
Mill, cut, route, and drill.
Put all the parts together correctly (measure twice and… nevermind).
The carcass is pre-finished maple plywood. The top and sides are joined at a bevel because the joint shows. The sides and back have dados to receive the shelves, which are secured with glue and brads (plus screws in the back). Possibly the dados in the back are overkill, but they lock the shelves in square and help prevent sagging. The face-frames are poplar, joined with glue and pocket screws, and attached to the carcass with glue and biscuits. The door frames are poplar, joined with glued cope and stick. The door panels are prefinished plywood. The hinges are two different styles of Blum face-frame hinges. Having tried both, I prefer the Blum 2-way adjustable 1-1/4" overlay to the Blum variable overlay-they're more adjustable and beefier. The legs are adjustable leveler legs-they were really easy to install and are great for the uneven damp floor.
I used my little Delta jointer (not fun), a Dewalt thickness planer, Bosch router and table, Bosch contractor table saw, Porter-Cable biscuit joiner, Craftsman and Bosch drills, Craftsman and Bosch circular saws, Dewalt quick-change countersink, and Kreg pocket-hole jig. Other than the jointer, the tools are great. A bigger table saw would have helped, but it wasn't necessary. A good plywood blade was. So was a backup supply of countersink bits, because the ones that come with the Dewalt kit are fragile.
I'm not completely sold on pre-finished plywood. The finish is really strong, but some touch up is inevitable. So for the next job, I'll put the extra money towards a spray gun and do all the finishing.