Kitchen cabinets - like no one makes em

[Spectric]

What are your dowel jigs?

The one I started out with is a Dowelmax, absolutely top notch engineering and precision every time. I have used it for hundreds of 10mm dowels and I can honestly say that I have never had a problem with alignment. This gives an idea,

The only issue is that it can be a slow process, not so much the drilling but the gluing and insertion of all the dowels followed by clamping within the open time of the glue. I went down the route of buying a Domino XL700 in the hope of a faster method but although it makes a nice oblong hole with a precise depth I have found getting precise location to be hit and miss which is no good because you have to re make that part. They do provide a sloppy setting which helps with alignment but not for me.

So more recently I went for the Jessem doweling jig which is a cheaper option than a dowelmax because it comes with 6,8, 10 and 12 mm drill guides unlike the Dowelmax that comes with just 10mm but you can buy the others. Everything is give and take, the dowelmax has the clamping built in, the Jessem you need to clamp but the one thing that I do like about the Jessem is you can not only offset the drill guide without unclamping it from the workpiece but also in 2mm increments which gives better flexability when it comes to your dowel pattern.

This thread was something I posted giving a comparison, Dowelmax, Jessem and XL700

 

[recipio]

There is no end of bespoke hardware now for kitchens but i would just screw the boxes together using confirmat screws using 18mm ply. The important thing is to have a good saw to cut dead square panels with a chip free cutline. There is something very satisfying if you have an efficient build method.

 

[Spectric]

together using confirmat screws

Not forgetting the special drill bit needed.

 

[RobinBHM]

Melamine faced MDF, track saw, confirmation screws.

Quick n easy carcases and a hard wearing pre finished cabinet interior.

 

[cowtown_eric]

Marples 148....Get/make long rods and you can dowel base cabinet gables with precision in you want!

 

[Seascaper]

Hello, beginner here, planning my first kitchen build.

Why does no one build cabinets using a wood frame structure skinned with a thin(nish) ply?

I have a drawng which saves me loads of ply. Looks great in CAD. No idea how it might stand up. I could add diagonal(?) support to brace the square in the absence of the back panel.

But I guess there's good reason why everyone uses 18mm ply board boxes. I don't know.

Thanks
Phil

There is one company not using ply and chip, solidwoodkitchenunits they call themselves, all made in the uk and prices seem good compared to mainstream ply and chip.

Hello, beginner here, planning my first kitchen build.

Why does no one build cabinets using a wood frame structure skinned with a thin(nish) ply?

I have a drawng which saves me loads of ply. Looks great in CAD. No idea how it might stand up. I could add diagonal(?) support to brace the square in the absence of the back panel.

But I guess there's good reason why everyone uses 18mm ply board boxes. I don't know.

Thanks
Phil

Hello,
Take a look at Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets this is one company not using chip and ply, all solid wood, and prices are realistic,
Regards

 

[jetsetwilly]

Not sure how relevant this is but diy camper van builds sometimes involve frames clad in thin ply for lightness (although even here solid 15/18mm sheets dominate these days). Eg Deep Red - A self-build motorhome - home page

 

[robgul]

There is one company not using ply and chip, solidwoodkitchenunits they call themselves, all made in the uk and prices seem good compared to mainstream ply and chip.

Hello,
Take a look at Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets this is one company not using chip and ply, all solid wood, and prices are realistic,
Regards

Hmm - the products look quite good but to appear to be "solid oak" but not solid oak as one might expect - looks like loads of thinner than normal strips laminated together to make boards (a bit like Oak Furniturelan stuff) - rather than the more usual wider boards in oak kitchens?

 

[Jar944]

The Yanks like a hybrid system. They screw plywood together to make boxes and put a face frame on the front. It has some merits - you can use a quality hardwood on the front to match doors and drawer fronts. You can also use cheap self closing hinges if you don't mind the appearance.

I thought face frame cabinets were a thing on your side as well?

 

[Jar944]

Thanks very much for the replies.

"But you haven't explained a huge amount."

TBH I am a little unsure what info is useful and I am only beginning to plan, but here's a go.

-All units will be on ground and pinned to walls
-Fully integrated kitchen appliances

I am thinking 40*70 frame, maybe maple? With 6mm birch ply skin (dare I consider 3mm) and 12mm ply shelves. But is that way too light?

-Would a 40*70 frame on the ground, pinned to wall, be strong enough for fridge freezer and dishwasher?
-How wpuld you joint the framing?
-Would you put some diagonal support to brace the square (not in my image)?

I have never done this but OK with table saw, router etc.

Here are a couple of CAD pics I did today to gove an idea so far. Those top four units are more general storage for a small house.
View attachment 143594
View attachment 143595

That seems like material and labor would be more than a conventional build. You can build large boxes with 12mm and just stick frames (or doors/drawers) on the front. It doesn't need to be one box per cabinet.

 

[recipio]

I thought face frame cabinets were a thing on your side as well?

Not really. The Euro 32 system is pretty well used by all commercial suppliers now. Of course there are bespoke makers who will do face frames but they tend to be high end. I'm basing my observations on all the books and YouTube videos I see from the US.

 

[Jar944]

Not really. The Euro 32 system is pretty well used by all commercial suppliers now. Of course there are bespoke makers who will do face frames but they tend to be high end. I'm basing my observations on all the books and YouTube videos I see from the US.

You are correct, I don't personally know anyone who has euro cabinets in their home. The majority are faceframe with overlay doors. On the commercial side they are almost exclusively euro. For residental a small percentage are inset, but as expected it's only the higher end market.

 

[Lefley]

The one I started out with is a Dowelmax, absolutely top notch engineering and precision every time. I have used it for hundreds of 10mm dowels and I can honestly say that I have never had a problem with alignment. This gives an idea,
View attachment 143867

The only issue is that it can be a slow process, not so much the drilling but the gluing and insertion of all the dowels followed by clamping within the open time of the glue. I went down the route of buying a Domino XL700 in the hope of a faster method but although it makes a nice oblong hole with a precise depth I have found getting precise location to be hit and miss which is no good because you have to re make that part. They do provide a sloppy setting which helps with alignment but not for me.

So more recently I went for the Jessem doweling jig which is a cheaper option than a dowelmax because it comes with 6,8, 10 and 12 mm drill guides unlike the Dowelmax that comes with just 10mm but you can buy the others. Everything is give and take, the dowelmax has the clamping built in, the Jessem you need to clamp but the one thing that I do like about the Jessem is you can not only offset the drill guide without unclamping it from the workpiece but also in 2mm increments which gives better flexability when it comes to your dowel pattern.

This thread was something I posted giving a comparison, Dowelmax, Jessem and XL700

Well after reading your detail articles and then googling a lot of other articles. I’m going to order the jessem. Thanks for your detailed reviews. They really helped.

 

[Spectric]

Well after reading your detail articles and then googling a lot of other articles. I’m going to order the jessem.

You will need to get your head round the method of marking, once it's mastered then the sky is the limit. The Jessem mentions aligning a centre line, personaly I align from the end which I find works perfect. On your workpieces mark them up so a cross is the joint face where your dowels will go and the two flush faces have a tick on them like this

Now the objective is to have the dowel pattern mirrored on both faces so clamp the jig to the tick mark face and edge align to the other tick and repeat for the other side bearing in mind the jig is symetrical from both ends. Now I find that I don't always get the dowels where I would like them with it set flush to the end tick mark so I use a Kreg multi tool

which allows me to place the end face a set distance in / out and be able to do exactly the same on the mating piece without any measuring.

Hope this helps get you started.

 

[Spectric]

Also get yourself some decent one handed clamps, they make life easier.