Newbie needs advice on building a cabinet for a double wall oven

[JOHN WEATHERFORD]

First off, new to the site and must say there is a wealth of info on here. I can sit here for hours browsing threads. I love it

I did a search for my problem and the only thing I could locate was dealing with melamine cabinets, which is unfortunately not the type of material I am using.

Now to my question. I am building my own kitchen cabinets and I'm using The New Yankee Workshop Dream Kitchen series of videos as a guide. I have built a good majority of my base cabinets but would like some advice on the oven cabinet.

The specs for the 30" double oven I have states that the cabinets and wall covering must be able to withstand 194 degrees and the base platform must be able to support 325lbs. I'm using 3/4" birch plywood for the cabinets with poplar face frames and the cabinets will be painted and glazed. Do I have to treat this wood with something for the heat generated by the oven?

And I would like to have a drawer under the oven, but not sure how to do this since the base has to be able to support 325lbs. The base of all my other cabinets are done with dabo cuts, glue, and screws. No way will that be enough to support that oven, even if the back is constructed with 3/4" plywood, correct?

How can I get that support while also having enough room to have a drawer that will match the width of my oven?

I hope my post makes since. I'm a wood working novice and any help, advice, tips, or directions is GREATLY welcomed.

Thanks

[fRED mCnEILL]

I don't know about the temp although I suspect plywood is OK. It was with mine. As for the base supporting 325 pounds, insert 3/4 plywood "spacers" around the edge of the drawer to add additional support for the floor of the oven compartment. You will lose 1 1/2 inches in width and length but you should be able to work around that.

Fred

[Matt Newton]

I made my cabinet using prefinished cherry plywood with pocket screws and biscuits. As you can see in the pics, the bottom drawer is full width. I also put supports in behind the drawer to add strength. No problems with the heat issue. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, just send me a PM.

[Lex Boegen]

Leave the interior-facing side of the plywood unfinished. The wood will withstand those temperatures OK, but paint or other surface treatment (plastic laminate, etc.) wouldn't. Wood combusts at 451 degrees Farenheit (any Ray Bradbury fan would know that ;)). For supporting the oven base above the drawer, I would put a second piece of ply on each side, the full dimension of the distance from the cabinet base to the bottom of the oven base. This would act like a stud in a wall (with the cabinet base being like the toe plate and the oven base being like the top plate) and transfer the weight of the oven to the base of the cabinet. The only downside is that you've reduced your drawer opening by 1 1/2 inches. If you're really concerned about the weight, you could add a third one as a center divider and make two smaller drawers instead of one full-width drawer. The center support will dramatically increase the ability of the oven base to support the weight.

[Chris Friesen]

If you're really concerned about the weight, you could add a third one as a center divider and make two smaller drawers instead of one full-width drawer. The center support will dramatically increase the ability of the oven base to support the weight.

This is only true if the weight is distributed evenly. I suspect that most of the weight of the oven will actually contact the "shelf" along the sides. Add to that the fact that the oven has a more-or-less rigid frame, and the center support is very likely pointless.