removing a face frame from a cabinet - what to use?

[Mike Gager]

i have a cabinet that i plan on removing the current face frame and replacing it with a new one with a different drawer/door setup

it appears the face frame is glued, nailed and stapled to the cabinet. what would you guys use to cut the face frame off?

[Rick Potter]

I will bet if you give a few firm taps with a big hammer from inside, that would start you out. Use a wooden block too.

Rick Potter

[Chip Lindley]

DITTO! But, don't overdo it! Rap the wood block starting at an inside corner of the FF and see if it doesn't pop loose quickly. Commercial FFs aren't overly attached!

The worst you can do is split off part of the rabbet tongue of the case side, if such is used to mate in a groove on the back of the FF. If this is the case, just hand-plane the remaining rabbet flush with the case front.

[keith ouellette]

use a utility knife or or box cutter with a sharp blade and try to cut through some of the glue first.

If they glued it together like I did on mine it will have a strong glue bond. Run the blade along the seam between the face and the carcass with gentle strokes.

[Jim Becker]

The glue is going to be the "make or break" (literally) of this operation. Mechanical fasteners are easy, but glue joints don't tend to give up easily if they were properly done. Take care so you don't rip chunks of the carcass away...

[Mike Gager]

i had not even thought of using a hammer i will definetly give that a try first! thanks guys!

[Michael Pyron]

use a 5 in 1 tool...place its edge on the seam between the box and the face frame and use your hammer to drive it in....do this slowly and move across the seam by small increments and this will help prevent any massive blowouts caused by a good glue joint...of course you can use a putty knife, but it will most likely be unusable for putty after it gets its edge nicked by nails and such..

[David G Baker]

First I make sure that there isn't anything that needs to be cut with a utility knife that may be holding the frame to the cabinet like painted molding sometimes does, then I start with a very thin bladed putty knife that is very sharp. Once I get that started or not, I switch to the 5 in one tool and light taps with a hammer. This will give me an idea of how well the face frame is fastened to the cabinet. If I get movement I continue with the 5 in one tool or a very small pry bar. I have found that if I want to save things I have to treat it like I was doing surgery.
If the prying does not work switch to the hammer and block of wood method but like Jim B wrote the risk of damaging the cabinet is very real. DAMHIK and ask SWMBO about her new kitchen cabinets.

[David DeCristoforo]

If it's a "store bought" cabinet, just pick it up by the face frame and give it a good shake. The box should fall right off.;)

If you can see any glue on the backside of the frame, poke at it a bit. if it's kind of soft, it's probably hot melt and you can use a heat gun to soften it. If the face frame is actually glued to the box with "real" glue, the tapping with a hammer bit will tell you a lot about how well it's attached. If the box is made of that compressed saw dust stuff (I think it's called C-SDS) it just might break away with the face frame (as Jim suggested) immediately transforming the entire thing into dumpster food (DSF). Also, if it's dadoed as Sonny suggested, and glued with "real" glue and made of C-SDS, it might be better to plan on whacking together a new box.

[Scott Rollins]

I have a sacrificial 1" chisel I bought at the borg I use to separate tops from pieces I restore for some antique stores. As others have said go slowly it is like surgury finding the weak points and slowly separating them. Anywhere you find resistance is were the razor blades and flush cut saws go.

[Jason White]

Circ saw with a straight edge, then clean it up with a router and straight cutting bit.

Jason


i have a cabinet that i plan on removing the current face frame and replacing it with a new one with a different drawer/door setup

it appears the face frame is glued, nailed and stapled to the cabinet. what would you guys use to cut the face frame off?

[Mike Gager]

Circ saw with a straight edge, then clean it up with a router and straight cutting bit.

Jason


this was actually my first idea but i was worried the metal would mess up the blade and bits

[John Lucas]

If all of the above fai, try a Sawzall.

[Mike Gager]

hey guys i finally got a chance to work on the cabinet today and a couple whacks with a hammer is all it took

the glue was only a thin 1/8" bead so it came right off

[Larry Edgerton]

Sledge hammer......