I use 3/4" birch ply with stub tenons. For my shop cabinets: Frame less trimmed with walnut. European hinges. Actually when I did small kitchens I always did 3/8" stub tenons regardless of face frame or frame-less.
I use 3/4" birch ply with stub tenons. For my shop cabinets: Frame less trimmed with walnut. European hinges. Actually when I did small kitchens I always did 3/8" stub tenons regardless of face frame or frame-less.
Ask a woodworker to "make your bed" and he/she makes a bed.
Thank you for your answer/comment, Jim. I am glad to know frameless is also frequent in the US of today.
All private homes I visited there in the last 30 years (for full disclose, it is not a so big number, one dozen of them actually) and most of the videos in YT I watch, it looks frameless is an anathema in the US!
On the other hand, all homes I visited in any other countries, cabinets were frameless.
Of course, due to the size of my sample, it could be an imperfect one.
All the best.
Osvaldo.
In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s we were doing whole house projects millwork, doors and casework. Did some inset face frame construction and finally went to a hybrid euro system. I consider inset face frame the highest quality from a craftsman view but in our area frameless with flush fillers, end panels and moulding is quite acceptable and from a business standpoint more profitable. You have to remember that building kitchen cabinets is not Brian Holcombe furniture! Most kitchens will probably only survive 20 to 40 years before a remodel. In my market I’ve noticed sometimes less unfortunately.
My construction method was 3/4” prefinished ply with 1/4” solid wood banding. Never liked the thin bandings put on with a auto edge Bander that can be knocked off easily. We had a Marunaka solid wood Bander at the time and did dowel construction with a SCM horizontal-vertical drill. Was set to buy a case clamp but at that time most shops figured out that was inefficient if using applied ends. Biskets and screws is what we settled on. I think plenty strong enough.
So 20 years after not touching a kitchen I find myself building one for our guest apartment. Thought about doing inset face frame but it’s small and like the functionality of the Euro system. A little rusty starting out but getting into the swing of it now!
FAB522F9-F040-4EE6-9B05-F748CBF398E8.jpg
974205EA-6E6B-4C73-95A6-F306B4C406E6.jpg
F6C02928-2769-49C5-82A5-12FC860E1207.jpg
Kevin,
the through tenons were some work and only did that for my satisfaction! Back in the day we did cope with dowel construction. I always put a lot of effort into grain matching of the doors and drawer fronts.
the groove is for the 1/4” backs with hangers. I can see advantage to 3/4” backs but like to keep the weight down.
8682920F-4DFC-4A0B-BBFA-14DA65CDA041.jpg
4667F00F-EBBE-4D25-B3BB-4C3A2DA8B9AB.jpg
Rich Engelhardt: thanks for posting the link to Sommerfield "System." So far, I watched the first two and the methods utilized are very interesting.
Again, thanks.
Ray - you're welcome!
Also take note of what Brad says here:
This is an extremely good point since a whole lot of trial and error &wasted time setting and adjusting are reduced to almost nothing because of this.I would add that one of the main high value benefits of the Sommerfeld designed/spec'd CMT manufactured bit's (if in fact CMT is still who is making them today) is the fact that the bit shaft lengths are standardized such that once one bit in a set is seated (on an o-ring in the collet) and adjusted to the proper depth, other bits in a set (eg. rail & style) can be swapped (or replaced with new) without doing any further adjustment. It's been a real time saver over the years for me...
Last edited by Brad Schmid; 02-01-2022 at 12:12 PM.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon