Once I find something that works, I pretty much stay with it. And the system I’ve used for making simple cabinets is still largely the same. I use multiple shaper setups for making cope-and-stick stile-and-rail doors, raising panels, and other high-end cabinetry projects. But in this article I want to focus on basic cabinet construction using a minimal number of tools—tools that most carpenters already own.The hardest part of being a finish carpenter and cabinetmaker is making mistakes, so I have come up with systems that help prevent mistakes. Watch this video and you’ll see how (before I rip cut the sides of the cabinet) I cut all the dado for the bottom shelf and I cut rebates for the cabinet back. That way, I always end up with one left-hand side and one right-hand side, instead of two left-hand sides.
Like I said, in my shop, I have a lot of cabinetry equipment—shapers and in-line boring machines, along with molding machines and router tables. But you can make a cabinet, including all the moldings, with tools that most carpenters already own! So for this article, I’m using pocket hole joinery for everything—both assembling the cabinet boxes, and making the face frames.
There are a half-dozen different ways to make drawers, from fancy dovetail joints to the Quarter-Quarter-Quarter drawer system. But I want to demonstrate a method I’ve been using for years that’s simple, easy, and affordable—no extra tools required, just a table saw, a brad nailer, and a staple gun.
And the same goes for making the doors. Instead of using my shaper to cut cope-and-stick stile-and-rail doors, I made the doors for this article with just a router and a miter saw.
Read the full article by Gary Striegler on www.thisiscarpentry.com
WhatsApp Hendrik Now