Birch ply kitchen units

[Patacake]

I am building an extension, the next step is the kitchen units, L shape 3m ish sq.
I will use the appliances from the old kitchen. so can strip old units and measure the unit sizes.
There is also a utility room to fit with units and a vanity unit in the shower room.
Saw ads on the bay for Birch ply units.
Phoned Avon plywood who said they can cut the boards if I give them a cutting list.
Have a Makita 1/4" router and some bits and circular saw and a chop saw.
Not sure what cutters or jigs are required, door hinge hole cutter, dovetail jig?
Not sure how to finish the units, lacquer, varnish or oil.
any advice welcome.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I am building an extension, the next step is the kitchen units, L shape 3m ish sq.
I will use the appliances from the old kitchen. so can strip old units and measure the unit sizes.
There is also a utility room to fit with units and a vanity unit in the shower room.
Saw ads on the bay for Birch ply units.
Phoned Avon plywood who said they can cut the boards if I give them a cutting list.
Have a Makita 1/4" router and some bits and circular saw and a chop saw.
Not sure what cutters or jigs are required, door hinge hole cutter, dovetail jig?
Not sure how to finish the units, lacquer, varnish or oil.
any advice welcome.

I made mine using a pockethole jig - definitely not "quality" woodwork, but very quick, and still going strong 15 years later. Standard cheap pine for the face frames, and ply bases instead of adjustable feet - given that my kitchen floor is not even close to being level, this made for lots of shims to get it all level.

After several water incidents, owing to cheap Chinese plumbing, all I can say is if I had used chipboard, I would probably be on my third kitchen by now, but the birch ply may outlast me.

Because this all happened pre-internet, I used (was given) a book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Kitch ... way&sr=8-1

I cheated and bought the doors, but everything else is all my own work

This was long before I even pretended to be a "proper" woodworker - face frames hide all the bodges, and even an agricultural, hamfisted Muppet like me can produce something worthwhile. The best part was I was quoted €7,000 for the kitchen, and built it for €2,000, including tools I needed and didn't have.

 

[siggy_7]

Having the panels cut to size precisely will be a big bonus. I did this last year. The interiors of the cabinets are finished with Mann's interior water based varnish - I would recommend this product, and suggest in general a varnish/lacquer is much more suited to a kitchen's hard life than oil. The cabinets were joined using dowels (Joint Genie - a really quality jig, you only need a drill). You'll need some good longish clamps. The strength in the cabinets mainly comes from the backs - mine are nailed on to the back of the cabinet which is easier and stronger than loosely fitting the backs into grooves.

If you don't have all the gear, I would strongly advise getting the doors made unless you just want solid panels.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[will1983]

I may be worth asking your plywood supplier if they can edgeband your sheets for you to.
Edgebanding will prevent the raw plywood edges puckering up when you apply your varnish and would save you a lot of time sanding the edges and getting a decent finish.

 

[Patacake]

Thanks for your comments.
Been agonising about what to do.
Avon ply do edge banding and Eastmans may as well?
I did not want slab doors as they are heavy. The old kitchen has Boulton and Paul Flowline Oak doors which are a marked difference from the slabs doors Howdens and Magnet sell, progress is absent. The old units are 500 deep so no good.
I could supply a cutting list for the carcasses and get a shop to make some doors? I don't have a mortiser for the joints.
I had seen the pocket hole used on yank web sites so was a new thing to see a couple of screws instead of a rebate joint for drawers.
I was thinking of routing the groove on the rear for the backs.
Maybe I will have a look in Eastmans and Avonply for ideas.

 

[Rorschach]

Is there a specific reason you want to make your own units? You don't sound terribly excited about it :lol: