The intended use of your cabinets will have a major influence on the materials and construction methods used to build them. Cabinets for a garage will have less finishing than a set for a kitchen or dining room. Cabinet back boxes can be constructed from single-sided plywood or MDF plywood. If the cabinets are intended for the garage, I would use 3/4″ thick plywood for added strength. There are several types of cabinets such as top, bottom, full height, etc. They all have the same basic body or frame, and they differ. just in size, number of shelves, hangers, slides, etc. Factory built cabinets typically use 1/2″ thick materials and then buttress the corners to save cost. Doors are almost always 3/4″ thick material and then carved, milled, painted, etc.
If the cabinets are to be used in a domestic setting, installing a face frame of a nicer hardwood material gives the outward appearance of a higher priced unit. If a pretty face isn’t that important, you can build the entire face of the cabinet out of plywood.
When placing cabinet pieces on your plywood to cut, try to use every inch of plywood you can. All the doors of one leaf, the backs of another and so on. If you have a biscuit jointer, using biscuits along with screws and a good glue can make a super strong cabinet. Once all of your panels are cut to size, cut out the cookie holes and begin assembling the cabinet boxes. Whether you are using plywood for the face framing or intend a hardwood face, you need to support the boxes while drying. Pipe clamps are cheap, so make several sets if you don’t have them on hand. The clamp ends are available at your hardware store and the pipe parts are simply black plumbing pipe. Pipe collets are available in twelve, twenty-four, thirty-six, and forty-eight-inch sizes at most larger stores already cut to length, but they will cut any length of pipe you need.
Once the main box is built, the front frame is next to be installed. The face frame should be attached with just biscuit and glue and maybe a couple of very small finishing nails if you are staining the cabinets. If the cabinet is painted, countersinking the nail heads and using wood putty will hide all the nails. If you are using 3/4-inch plywood, no additional interior bracing is needed unless you intend to store very heavy materials. Adding an extra small strip of plywood to the back of the cabinet, top and bottom, will allow you to screw a 1 1/2-inch-thick piece with larger, longer screws for additional support.
The doors can be mounted with a surface mounted hinge or with what is called a Euro hinge that is completely concealed when installed. Lay the cabinet on its back, and then adjust the door to make sure the groove on all sides of the door is the same. If the door is a full face door, make sure it is flush with all cabinet edges. Mark the hinge locations and install the hinges. European hinges require the use of a “bottom” bit that has no point at the end of the bit. When the door is drilled to accept the hinge pocket, you don’t want the tip of the drill to pierce through the front face of the door. If you have a drill press, this is an excellent tool for drilling cavities as it prevents the bit from wandering during the drilling process. It’s time to sand and paint or stain the new cabinets. Whether the new cabinets are full-height for a wall oven or a twelve-inch-high low unit over a refrigerator, the construction remains the same.
Pete
Your friendly building inspector
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