Best way to contruct built-in casework in an alcove...

[Clisby Clark]

I have an opportunity to make some built-in pieces for a neighbor. What he wants is a base unit with a separate open bookcase on top- all paint grade. The bookcase will sit flush with the alcove, while the base unit will extend past. I read an article where the author installed everything piece by piece, shimming and scribing as he went. Is there an easier way to construct such work? My seaches so far have yielded minimal satisfactory results. As always thanks for your input!

[David Thompson 27577]

For me, it seems that the simplest method would be to build the upper cabinet box just a bit small for the opening, and do not install the face frame. Build the face frame so that it includes scribe strips. Scribe them as you install.

Since the base cabinet protrudes, it needs to be fit as closely as possible. And if you're really lucky, the alcove is not tapered back-to-front. If it is, then you'll be building that box in place, and having a terrible time with it.

[Rick Potter]

Kind of like David said.

When I built a permanent buffet in an alcove, I made it so the face frame was wider than the case by a couple inches, then trimmed it to fit the wall. I put the counter top on the bottom section after the bottom was installed, making a particle board template first. Had to...the walls were really crooked, and the opening was a good half inch narrower than the back.

If you make the face frame first to fit the opening, then build the case so it will slide easily into place you will save a lot of grief.

Hope this helps.

Rick Potter

[Walter Plummer]

Draw a level line around the alcove and measure up to the ceiling and down to the floor at the four corners at least. Add the up and down measurements to get the total height and use the shortest one to build to. Cut a cardboard template with square corners that will fit in the alcove and try it at the floor,countertop height and ceiling to get and idea of how things will fit. Check the corners with the longest straight edge you can get. What we always tried to do is build the largest "square" cabinet that would fit and add scribes and moldings to make up the rest. Another thought is to make the base not only protrude but overlap the front wall some. Good luck, Walt

[glenn bradley]

+1 on what 'David Thompson 27577' said. Build your cases the way you prefer and scribe the trim/frames.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'm a bit boggled at the idea of attaching the face frame on-site. I build all the cabinet modules in the shop, including the face frame. I hang doors and install drawers and everything, and spray it with finish. Then I take the cabinets to the site and install them. There's minimal work at the site, and no nail holes in the face frame to fasten it to the cabinet.

Where I can, I install cabinets by scribing the edges to fit the walls. But doing that in an alcove is very difficult. You can't position the cabinet beside where it will go so that you can draw the scribe line on the cabinet. So in an alcove, I give up and use molding to cover the gap between the cabinet and the wall. I apply the molding with a pin nailer, and the pin holes are invisible to most people.

[scott vroom]

I don't see where it's feasible to accurately scribe 2 sides of a faceframe for an alcove (or 3 if the top comes into play). I build an entertainment center for an alcove last year and intentionally built the faceframe 1/4" narrower than the narrowest alcove width and trimmed with pinailed 1/4" x 3/4" scribe mould. If the 2 sides of the alcove are significantly out of planar then a tapered face frame could be built and attached to the carcass in the shop and installed into the alcove using the scribe mould for final cleanup.

[Chris Fournier]

I built just this type of project this spring. The customer did not want trim around the face frame to wall junction. They wanted a very clean modern look. I told them that I can do this but it is more expensive; they said do it. I did as Jamie desribes and built the three case wide unit in my shop and the two inside face frames were set up and installed on one side in my shop. I then dealt with the floor wall scribing on site. This tool some time but I was paid for it. It is a more stressful style of doing this work but I was paid to endure the stress.

The long and short of it is that I do everything that I can in my shop where I have ulimate control and I leave as little fitment to the job-site as is possible.

[Gordon Harner]

I think that there are some other issues that need to be considered. If the bookcase is to have adjustable shelves then the box should be sthe same dimensions front to back and top to bottom. Therefore the case needs to be built to the smallest dimensions of the alcove. Since the bookcase is to be flush to the wall have you thought about casing around thefront edge to match the rest of the trim in the room? As far as the base goes rather than a face frame pilasters or applied moulding could cover the gaps especially since the base section extends out from the wall. Toe kick or base could be used to match existing. Since this is a built in I would think that the customer would want it to blend in with the trim.

[Chris Fournier]

I think that there are some other issues that need to be considered. If the bookcase is to have adjustable shelves then the box should be sthe same dimensions front to back and top to bottom. Therefore the case needs to be built to the smallest dimensions of the alcove. Since the bookcase is to be flush to the wall have you thought about casing around thefront edge to match the rest of the trim in the room? As far as the base goes rather than a face frame pilasters or applied moulding could cover the gaps especially since the base section extends out from the wall. Toe kick or base could be used to match existing. Since this is a built in I would think that the customer would want it to blend in with the trim.

You would think so wouldn't you! Often times this is not the case and we are made to jump through flaming hoops and hurdles not of our own making. This is why I dislike site work!

[John TenEyck]

There was an excellent article in a not too old FWW about how to install built-ins. The key point about how he handled faceframes scribed to the wall was to use "Norm's" method of a routed slot in the cabnet side and bisquits in the back of the faceframe. You cut the stile so that it doesn't touch the wall when the bisquit in the back is held against the inside of the cabinet side. This allows you to scribe your line. If you cut to the scribed line precisely, the stile will fit perfectly when you install it. Same thing applies for rails that have to be scribed to the ceiling, etc. I used this process on a recent project putting a built-in above a fridge, where I had to scribe both stiles and the top rail. They fit perfectly the first time. Then I pocket screwed the frame together, added glue to the bisquits, and tapped it all into place. No nails required. That article helped me a lot with this situation.

[Steve Griffin]

Loose stile method:

Build your cabinet as you normally do, except leave off a vertical stile on one side. Install cabinet and scribe in the stile.

Pin nail and glue the loose stile in place, and you are all set.

-Steve

[Kevin Stricker]

I build a template of the opening with masonite or 1/4" MDF. Scribe each side separate then attach them to each other in place. Now you can use the template to build to in your shop, or onsite to scribe oversized stiles and rails to fit the opening. The key is to make your test fits on a piece of scrap so you don't ruin your workpiece . Also use pinch sticks to get accurate measurements on the back and build your cabinets/bookcases to the smallest measurement.

[Phil Thien]

Make the face frame so it is just smaller than the opening.

Install cabinet.

Caulk the gaps.

I know this is how pros do it, because I saw them do it once.

Best part was when they stood back and admired their work.

[Timothy Juvenal]

I do as Kevin describes above.
Tack some cleats to the wall where the faceframe will go, scribe a left template & a right template from 1/4" sheet stock so that the templates overlap, then hold them in place in the opening and holtmelt glue them together.

I did this computer desk in an alcove last year for a customer:
http://www.tjwoodworking.com/kit05.jpg

Since this was installed by a sub hired by the GC as part of a larger remodel, I supplied loose stiles on this one. When others are going to install the work, especially on a large complicated job with tight schedules, I always opt to make installation as foolproof as possible. The wide stiles were requested by the customer, although I don't recall why. The corkboard door panels were also the customers idea and a good one IMO.

Timothy