cabinet builds

[Michael Cole]

My new shop is almost finished. I need to do the epoxy on the floor, then I can start building cabinets for the rear wall. The wall is between 9 and 10 feet long. I will need to take exact measurements. I would like lower base cabinets across the bottom with a sturdy countertop to also act as a work bench. I have been googling, but also would appreciate any links or info you can provide in building base cabinets. Thanks

[Steve Kinnaird]

I don't know of a site, but I have 2 of Danny Proulx books on building cabinets.

Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets - Second Edition came with a great DVD

Highly recommend his books.

Best of luck and be sure to take a lot of pictures to share

[Justin Ludwig]

Top right corner of the forum is a search box. There's so much information on this site regarding box construction you could read for days. After perusing, if you still have questions regarding construction methodologies, ask away.

Not trying to sound like a jerk. Just being direct.

[Robert Engel]

+1 on Danny Proulx and the frameless method.

To me its the only way to go.

Make sure you leave a couple inches for a filler strip if theres a wall so you can open the doors all the way.

I would simply make a measurement, figure out how many 30" wide cabs you can fit in there and go for it.

The last cabs I build came up about 14" short and I just put a little open bookshelf unit in there.

[Erik Christensen]

frameless for sure in a shop - use good ply - assembly methods driven by the tools you own (biscuit jointer, domino, rabbit's/dado's, pocket screws) - I am a huge fan of the euro adjustable legs vs fixed toe kicks - gets cabs off the floor (water happens - pop off front toe kick - wet vac & dry - good to go) and makes leveling a long run a matter of adjusting the legs - even an idiot like me can do that.

[Kent Adams]

My new shop is almost finished. I need to do the epoxy on the floor, then I can start building cabinets for the rear wall. The wall is between 9 and 10 feet long. I will need to take exact measurements. I would like lower base cabinets across the bottom with a sturdy countertop to also act as a work bench. I have been googling, but also would appreciate any links or info you can provide in building base cabinets. Thanks

Greg Paolini has a very good cabinet book and comes with a DVD. If you PM me, I'll send you a cabinet calculator or you can search for the one from highlandwoodworking.com. It was put together by The down to earth woodworker.

[Michael Cole]

Thanks for the ideas so far. Here is some more information about my shop and tools. The shop is 9+ (but less than 10) feet wide and about 30 feet long. I have these tools that I have been using: table saw, miter saw, router table, drill press, pocket hole jig, cordless circular saw, hammer drill and jig saw. I have these tools that I have picked up, used or new, but have not used yet: band saw, planer, joiner, dovetail jig.
This set of cabinets and counter will be along the back wall and no tools will be mounted to it. The tools are all going to be movable. This counter will be just a work space. I am also planning on building an assembly table with a Rockler t track table top and maybe a little extra space on it for an outfeed table.
I am going to try to prep the floor for the epoxy coating today.
I was thinking of making the cabinet carcasses and counter top and then making the doors for the cabinets later. I don't know if that is a workable solution, but it would get me started and let me figure out how to do doors. I think I can make the carcasses but need to figure out how to make doors.
Let me know what you think.

[Michael Cole]

frameless for sure in a shop - use good ply - assembly methods driven by the tools you own (biscuit jointer, domino, rabbit's/dado's, pocket screws) - I am a huge fan of the euro adjustable legs vs fixed toe kicks - gets cabs off the floor (water happens - pop off front toe kick - wet vac & dry - good to go) and makes leveling a long run a matter of adjusting the legs - even an idiot like me can do that.
Would these be strong enough to use the counter top as a work top? Would these work: http://www.rockler.com/adjustable-leveler-leg

[Jim Becker]

I will tell you one thing that I do relative to base cabinet design that I wouldn't give up ...I build the base/toe-kick separate from the cabinet carcasses. Placing and leveling that separate base is much, much easier than shimming full cabinets!

[David Hawxhurst]

for cabinets i would consider using drawers instead of doors. yes it more material but also a lot more useful storage. all my lower cabinets are done with drawers and full extension slides.
another could reference would be tom clarks book on building shop cabinets.

[Jim Dwight]

I have built only one cabinet for my 14x24 shop so far and it is a base cabinet 2 feet wide and 8 feet long. It is supported by a pressure treated base made of 2x4s cut down to 3 inches tall (which also allowed straightening them). It is built shorter than normal because it supports my RAS and CMS. Hardwood storage is above the tools on the wall (where upper cabinets would otherwise be. It has all drawers. The carcase and the drawers are mainly 3/4 (really 18mm) BC plywood - relatively cheap plywood. Carcase is just a top and bottom and uprights, all solid pieces 24 inches wide, screwed and glued together with drywall screws. Interior is all drawers, no doors, and the drawers are supported by 1 inch wide pieces of plywood scrap screwed to the uprights. There is a hanger strip that also provides some bracing across the back made of an old 1x6 from the house (recycled) and held into the openings with pocket screws. Drawers are pocket screwed together with solid wood bottoms of 7/16 waferboard. This whole cabinet is all function, nothing pretty or elegant. I will add a 7 inch tall Paulk style top where the tools don't set, after adding a 4 foot additional cabinet.

I have some drawers in my shop, made in my former shop, that are dovetail construction and have hardwood faces. But these days I have very little time due to an old house that needs attention. So I built something I can use quickly and cheaply.


I mainly used my track saw to make this but you could easily do it with the tools you describe.

[Gregory King]

Michael: frameless for sure. I'm building some right now for our cottage. Using 3/4" birch ply c/w glued and clamped solid birch edging, block planed, sanded, with 1/8 "round over. Easy to construct. Use European- half or full clip-on overlay hinges. A far cry from the old rabbeted door days . I'll post some pictures tonite. I plan to install this week-end. Greg

[Jim Becker]

for cabinets i would consider using drawers instead of doors. yes it more material but also a lot more useful storage. all my lower cabinets are done with drawers and full extension slides.
another could reference would be tom clarks book on building shop cabinets.

I agree with this...it's what I did in our kitchen as shown below and what I would absolutely do in the shop if I ever put cabinets in there. (not going to do that due to space, but clearly it would be my preference)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/IMG_5548_zpsedlkdzbq.jpg

[Rick Potter]

Guess I am going to disagree with most. In workshop conditions (at least mine), where you may be beating on something on top of the cabinets, I would use a face frame for extra strength.

I do agree on using drawers rather than doors, much more useable. If you decide on doors, at least put in sliding shelves, or you will have trouble getting to the stuff that ends up in the back.

Look on line for Sommerfelds cabinet making videos on You Tube. Make popcorn, you could be there a while.

[Michael Cole]

Went and bought 4 sheets of cabinet grade plywood today to start the cabinets. I was convinced to go frameless until I read Rick Potter's post. Now I have to think about it. I am thinking about building 4 cabinet carcasses without doors or drawers to start so I can get a counter top on to work on. I am now leaning to drawers, so will need to research how to build drawers. I am thinking a set of 2 cabinets approximately 24" (have to decide on final size) mounted on 2x4 treated frame, then a space and then 2 more with the counter top across the entire set of 4. In the open space I was thinking of mounting a sliding shelf to come out to use for a desk for the times I need to write something or draw. I got the floor epoxied today. Spent most of the day yesterday prepping the floor. Glad I didn't have grease to clean up or cracks to fill. Compared to the prep, the actual painting was a breeze. Also bought wood for the door and window trim. I am going to be busy.

[scott vroom]

I think this is a good system for a beginner.....Sommerfeld sells the router bit set, and it's an easy process to learn. The video is well worth the ten bucks if you're just starting out.

http://sommerfeldtools.com/woodworking-made-easy/how-to-dvds-woodworking-made-easy/cabinetmaking-made-easy

[Robert Engel]

An applied face frame is not going to add strength, so I wouldn't go that route.

What are you concerned with? How heavy can a counter top be?
I promise you won't have a problem with strength. The vertical sides of the boxes are what hold up the top. Remember the sides are doubled except for the ends. and even a 36" wide unit will be fine the top is stiff enough. Your top should be stiff enough not to require more than two or three points of support anyway.

Even if you use the adjustable legs, it will still hold it up just fine. If you're worried about that build a solid base.

When I build shop drawers I use 1/2" ply & go with rabbets in the front and dados in the back with an applied front of either solid wood or edge banded 3/4 ply. I always put the dado about 1" in. Glue them and attach with anything you want: screws, nails, dowels it doesn't matter.

Oh, don't go through the trouble of applying solid wood edging, just get the iron on wood banding it works great and is very fast.

The first pic is the kitchen I build using frameless method with granite installed.
DS 3/4 melamine with leg levelers.
The second is some shop cabs. Good luck!

317124317125

[William C Rogers]

I'm with Rick. Frameless are strong enough, but FF are stronger IMOP. I also hate putting the banding on the edges. The Somerfield method of build is about as strong as you can get and is somewhat easy to do. You can build any size you want with that method.

[glenn bradley]

I will tell you one thing that I do relative to base cabinet design that I wouldn't give up ...I build the base/toe-kick separate from the cabinet carcasses. Placing and leveling that separate base is much, much easier than shimming full cabinets!

+1 on this.


for cabinets i would consider using drawers instead of doors. yes it more material but also a lot more useful storage. all my lower cabinets are done with drawers and full extension slides.

All my cabinets except for a couple tall metal pre-fabs have been cycled out in exchange for drawered units. A metal doored cabinet is good to have around for finishes and such. Other than that, doored cabinets, and especially deep ones like lowers, are just gateways to the twilight zone for items I wish I could find. I used to tell myself that stooping and reaching was good exercise and kept me nimble. Then I got honest with myself; it just ticked me off :).

Pulling out a full (or over) extension drawer beats the heck out of stooping down and looking back into a dark cabinet cavern any day. For some bulky items I used to have pullouts behind doors to allow me to make use of all the space in the back. These too were eventually replaced by drawers designed to the task and I've never looked back.

We all certainly have bulky items that do better on shelves or in cabinets but, these should be at a comfortably usable height. I should mention that my viewpoint stems from the fact that my shop is not a storage area. I do not waste shop space on cabinets to store items that I only use once or twice a year. Basic rules of organization for me are:



Things I use daily should be less than a few steps away (if not right at hand at the station where they are used) and should be in a "reach out and grab it" location.
Things I use weekly should not be cluttering my work area but, should be "just across the room".
Things I use every couple months can be in cabinets, stored overhead or in some other fashion that requires me to plan a little to get my hands on it.

This can include special clamps, cutters, hand tools, hand held power tools, maintenance items, etc.


Things I use less than this go out in the shed although I have a file that tells me what is where so I don't waste time looking in the shed if the item is right over my head in the rafters.


Planning and building out a new shop space is a very exciting time. Plan well (but don't get caught in 'paralysis of analysis') and enjoy the ride.

[Michael Cole]

An applied face frame is not going to add strength, so I wouldn't go that route.

What are you concerned with? How heavy can a counter top be?
I promise you won't have a problem with strength. The vertical sides of the boxes are what hold up the top. Remember the sides are doubled except for the ends. and even a 36" wide unit will be fine the top is stiff enough. Your top should be stiff enough not to require more than two or three points of support anyway.

Even if you use the adjustable legs, it will still hold it up just fine. If you're worried about that build a solid base.

When I build shop drawers I use 1/2" ply & go with rabbets in the front and dados in the back with an applied front of either solid wood or edge banded 3/4 ply. I always put the dado about 1" in. Glue them and attach with anything you want: screws, nails, dowels it doesn't matter.

Oh, don't go through the trouble of applying solid wood edging, just get the iron on wood banding it works great and is very fast.

The first pic is the kitchen I build using frameless method with granite installed.
DS 3/4 melamine with leg levelers.
The second is some shop cabs. Good luck!

317124317125
Very nice!

[scott vroom]

On the question of frameless or face frame, either method if properly constructed will be strong enough to support your bench top. It really comes down to a style preference. Whichever you choose I'd recommend 3/4" plywood for the boxes for maximum strength.

When I first started making cabinets I bought most of the books mentioned above, and one that for some reason doesn't get mentioned as often: The Complete Kitchen Cabinet Maker by Bob Lang. It covers both frameless and face frame, and has excellent shop drawings throughout, and a strong focus on process. http://www.amazon.com/Drawings-Professional-Designing-Constructing-Built-In/dp/1565238036/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

When I first began making kitchen and bath cabinets I invested in Sommerfeld's 3-pc tongue & groove cabinet making router bit set. He demonstrates how to use it in the instructional video I posted above. 6 years on I'm still using the same process with some modifications I've made over time. The beauty of a system like this is that you first build a squared up face frame, which is not difficult to do, and then assemble the carcass around the frame. The tongue and groove method makes alignment simple and accurate and is a great choice for beginners. You need a router table for this method.

Good luck and have fun designing and building your shop!

[Michael Cole]

Thanks for all the help. It is greatly appreciated. The cabinets that I am considering building use stretchers (I think that is what they are called) instead of a full top for the top. Is this the route I should take? I will be putting 2 layers of mdf on the top and then 3/4" maple on top of that for the bench top.

[glenn bradley]

That is a valid construction method. I will mention that the only top I built (since replaced) that I didn't like was one where I made it flush to the cabinet sides/front. Having learned my lesson I now leave about 3" of overhang on any edge where I think I might want to clamp something.

[scott vroom]

Thanks for all the help. It is greatly appreciated. The cabinets that I am considering building use stretchers (I think that is what they are called) instead of a full top for the top. Is this the route I should take? I will be putting 2 layers of mdf on the top and then 3/4" maple on top of that for the bench top.

Stretchers are common on the top of base cabinets, one each in the front and rear. They serve a dual purpose: 1) bracing to keep the boxes square and 2) nailers for counter substrates. I typically use top/bottom stretchers on the backs of base cabinets as well, both as bracing and nailers (top stretcher).

[Warren Lake]

guess it depends on your space I dont like floor cabinets plus its space where a machine can be. Wall cabinets give me more space, no doors, adjustable shelves so they can change anytime, and when you go to get what you want its all at eye level more or less.

[scott vroom]

guess it depends on your space I dont like floor cabinets plus its space where a machine can be. Wall cabinets give me more space, no doors, adjustable shelves so they can change anytime, and when you go to get what you want its all at eye level more or less.

The OP said: "I would like lower base cabinets across the bottom with a sturdy countertop to also act as a work bench."