Sympathy for the old cabinetmaker

[Eric Schmid]

Recently made some new doors for this old cabinet. The cabinets in this house were site built, likely in 1955. It’s got a new top and fresh paint on the inside. The paint on the carcass and drawer fronts was removed, cabinet sanded and a wipe on varnish applied. The doors have yet to be varnished.

Installing these doors with the cabinet in place is less than fun. The openings have up to 1/8” difference from top to bottom. The hinges adjust the old fashioned way, plug and reset. There is enough play in some of the hinges that getting the vertical lines right is like playing the wind on a lofted golf shot. So I feel for those who spent day in, day out putting together site built cabinets and taking on the additional challenge of inset doors.

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[Richard Coers]

Those old built-in-place were hardly ever touched by a cabinetmaker. Mostly carpenter made. Our "new" house on the farm was built in 1959. They were made in the cabinet shop at the lumber yard that built the house. All birch, birch plywood doors with the much used 3/8 overlap Amerock hinges. They sold those hinges by the train car load out of Rockford IL.

[Dave Sabo]

1. They just don't make em like they used to. - thank goodness

2. Paint an caulk will hide a lot of sins.

[Bruce Wrenn]

1. They just don't make em like they used to. - thank goodness

2. Paint an caulk will hide a lot of sins.Caulk, putty and paint makes a carpenter what he aint.