Good sources for cabinet parts?

[Jon Nuckles]

Hi all,

Short Question:
There's a lot of background in the following paragraphs if you want to read it. If not, here's my short question: Where would you buy kitchen cabinet boxes and/or drawer boxes online, if you planned to do the door and drawer fronts yourself?

Background, if you want to read it:
We are doing some remodeling, including a gut rehab of our kitchen, and are hoping to save some money. I am a furniture maker with a well-equipped shop and I am inclined to make the cabinets. I am trying to figure out which parts to do myself and which ones are better to outsource. We have designed a door and drawer profile that is not available elsewhere, so I am making the fronts and will make the face frame if we don't go frameless. We want those painted and I think it makes sense to find someone local to do a spray finish.

I am undecided on the cabinet boxes and drawer boxes, and that's where I could use some help. I can make the cabinet boxes, but prefinished 3/4 ply is $80/sheet (from the first supplier I checked in my area) and I recognize that there are economies of scale and advantages in precision for a well-tooled factory turning out thousands of boxes. I'd like to get a sense of pricing to help me decide whether to buy or build the boxes myself. Unfortunately, few ready-to-assemble online sources seem to offer cabinet boxes without fronts.

Barker Door suggested my best option would be to buy the complete setup from them and just not install their fronts!
Cabinet Parts, Inc. does sell boxes separately, but they sell only to professionals. I could probably have our remodeling contractor or architect buy from them for me, but I can't even get a sense of pricing from them without certifying that I am a pro.
Ikea sells cabinet boxes separately and the prices are great, but the boxes are melamine coated particle board, and I was leaning toward prefinished maple plywood. I also don't know how difficult it would be to adapt their frameless boxes made for overlay doors to my tentative plan of a face frame with inset doors/drawers.
Any suggestions of other places to try?


I have found some sources for drawer boxes: Western Dovetail & Barker Door both sell finished, dovetailed maple drawers that have been notched and drilled for Blum slides. Any other or better sources to check? I gave away my Leigh dovetail jig when I learned to cut dovetails by hand, but a whole kitchen full of drawers might take me a while by hand! I could use the DowelMax for the drawers, or could borrow a friend's Leigh jig, but I'd like to know the lowest price for good dovetail drawers to help me decide.

Thanks for any sources you can suggest!

[Martin Wasner]

Talk to a local cabinet maker. If somebody wanted just boxes I'd do that in a heartbeat. In and out, done. The box work is the easy part. They could either make drawer boxes or would know who to buy them from as well in your area.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First, these cabinets aren't going to be museum items, so build them for what they are - boxes with pretty fronts. I know you don't care for melamine, but it makes a great box. No finishing, dead flat, and no grain direction to follow, which makes for an economy of materials. Add an end panel and bottom filler, and from the outside they look just like any other cabinet box. Plus when wife opens them up, they are bright on the inside. Check out Danny Proulix's book "Making Your Own Kitchen Cabinets." He butt joints sides and backs, and attaches face frames with pocket holes. Advice hard learned, cut all your sides, tops and bottoms to width at one time. Because only one side of sheet stock will ever be seen, don't spend a fortune on a special blade. A moderately priced blade will do.

[Jamie Buxton]

Western Dovetail does a good job. I've bought drawer boxes from them when I get too backed up. I'm local for them, so they deliver for a minimal cost. Dunno how they'd get drawers to Illinois.

[Bill Neely]

Just another perspective, to me, making the drawer fronts and doors and all the stock dimensioning that goes along with it is the most heartburn associated with building cabinets. I ordered the drawer fronts and doors for my most recent project and the prices was reasonable. I can also get finished cabinet ends from the same people. (just like a door)

I'm not in love with dovetailed drawers for kitchens, I've used both the Metabox system or Baltic birch with drawer lock corners. Either one is a nice clean look that will last a long time.


For plywood boxes I'm lucky to live about an hours drive from the hardwood dealer that gets all the shop grade plywood from States Industries (makers of Appleply). Recently they had finished one side 3/4 maple, 49x97" panels for $45.00 ea. Usually there aren't that many exposed ends so using a show end panel and unfinished ply on the outside makes a lot of sense.

Ultimately you'll probably need to do in house what you are best setup to do. I sold my jointer and planer after I decided to outsource my doors and drawer fronts.


Good luck!

[fred woltersdorf]

This place
http://www.valendrawers.com/

[dan nelson]

Walz craft is in Wisconsin for doors and drawers or innovative doors in Eagle Wi. that's who I use. wish you were closer id crank out the cab boxes in a heartbeat. we cut for quite a few local guys

[Robert Engel]

You've got the shop, you're making the hardest parts yourself (fronts), so why not do it all? There is a ton of savings in building the boxes and drawers yourself. Once you get the sheet good cut to size they go together quickly, but that depends on how you build them. If you're going frameless, I highly recommend Danny Proulx's book.

I will echo what Bruce said regarding materials. After a lot of consideration, I ended up going with melamine for the boxes (frameless wouldn't do it any other way) and also for the drawers. It was mostly an economic decision but realized if I went with wood I would have painted it white anyway. Definitely a matter of personal preference some people consider melamine cheap or a ww'er only uses wood, but in the end, opening the cab and having a nice white interior is something my wife really likes. Some of the nicest kitchens I've seen are painted white.

Some will disagree but I don't view cabinetry as fine furniture. It's utilitarian so I don't think it matters much whether you see dovetail drawers or not. The drawer construction I used followed Danny Proulx's book and is simply melamine boxes screwed together with cap covers. Sounds horrible but they look fine and clean up very nice. I struggled with this and was going to go poplar/paint. There are many alternatives do dovetails such as a drawer lock joint but IME use solid wood not plywood for the drawer sides.

I think the premade drawers like Metaboxes are too expensive.

[Jon Nuckles]

Thank you to everyone for their advice. I will check out all of the suggestions. I have read Robert Lang's book on cabinets and I have Tolpin's and Proulx's (all from the local library). If I can save by doing it all myself, I probably will. When all is complete, I'll post a picture or three.

[Martin Wasner]

I think the premade drawers like Metaboxes are too expensive.

The parts are really expensive, but there's almost no labor. Cut a couple of parts, and press it together. It's pretty comparable to using their undermounts and doing a dovetail drawer box.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Try http://scherrs.com/. I've used them a lot. Pretty much get whatever you want
I've also ordered from cabparts. It's not so much they only want to sell to pro's, they just don't want to handhold amateurs. Act like a pro, name your company and design your cabinets yourself and no problem.