Joining cabinets face frames together

[Tom Peterson]

I have finally finished all of the cabinets for my kitchen project. Now time to hang them up. The cabinets have inset doors and I am using Blum hinges. How would you suggest joining the face frames together. The frames are maple and will be painted. Some of the cabinets are varied in depth also, so I have aface frame meeting the plywood side of the adjacent cabinet. Thanks as always for your assistance.

[Jim Andrew]

Where your face frames butt together, use a drywall screw that penetrates about 1" into the next face frame. Where a faceframe butts
the plywood, use about a 1 and 3/4" screw. Use 3 screws for each butt.
Jim

[Steve Clardy]

I screw them together, plywood to plywood. Just inside the face frame.
I don't screw through the face frame as you have to predrill to avoid twisting the screw off. I use mainly oak, so thats my reasoning for that.

[Jim Becker]

Screws like Jim mentions, first drilling pilot holes. But I use trim-head square drive screws for this purpose. Drywall screws are for...um...drywall...and can snap off really easily. They are not designed for stressful situations.

[Steve Clardy]

Screws like Jim mentions, first drilling pilot holes. But I use trim-head square drive screws for this purpose. Drywall screws are for...um...drywall...and can snap off really easily. They are not designed for stressful situations.


um----isn't hanging 100-150# sheets of drywall stressful:confused:
They have to have sheer strength to hold it up on a wall, ceiling.
True, they are not the preferred screws for cabinet hanging in the pro circle.:)

[Larry Fox]

I actually have the same question as the OP. When you drill through the side of the Face Frame, do you plug them after or do you try and drill behind where the hinge will go?

[Steve Clardy]

I actually have the same question as the OP. When you drill through the side of the Face Frame, do you plug them after or do you try and drill behind where the hinge will go?

Behind where the hinge goes. You will need the third, fourth screw to go between the hinges, so I guess you could plug them if it would look better to you. I never did.

[Byron Trantham]

Tom, I have a question for you. If you were going to paint the cabinets, why did you use maple rather than say, poplar? Just curious.:o

[Per Swenson]

I dunno,

Here is the way I do it.

I clamp my face frames together so that they are perfectly flush,

using the finger touch method. I drill through the face frame first

with a 1/8 th bit with a stop collar at 2 inchs. I then drill a "through hole"

of 3/16 at 1 1/2 for the first frame. Followed by a 3/8 by 3/8 deep

screw and plug hole. I make my plugs from the same stock of course

and when completed you never see how the are attached.

As a side note, I also instal quite a few frameless kitchens. For these

I use panel connectors hidden behind the hinges. (available from McGeelys)

For Refrigerator panels and such I am a big fan of Fastcaps screw covers.

They are round adhesive backed veneers that match just about any finish.

In short, this is why I charge a arm and a leg and can sit home on a

tuesday and read SMC.

Per

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Dry wall screwws have no shank. The thread goes all the way up to the head of the screw. So that a drywall screw does not pull the two face frames together. Have seen people use drywall screws on subfloors to remove squeeks, the squeeks are still there until you use subfloor screws which ave a clear shank in order to pull the subfloor down.

Greg

[Mike Goetzke]

Don't want to steal the post but on the same subject:

I someday plan to make kitchen cabinets w/face frames. I have done some reading and it's been suggested to make the ff proud of the plywood sides and have always thought this would make it difficult to join two cabinets. If you fasten the cabinets at the rear you would create a gap at the front of the cabinet. What am I missing?

(I would have thought you would hang the cabinet carcasses first then attach the ff's)

Mike

[Steve Clardy]

Don't want to steal the post but on the same subject:

I someday plan to make kitchen cabinets w/face frames. I have done some reading and it's been suggested to make the ff proud of the plywood sides and have always thought this would make it difficult to join two cabinets. If you fasten the cabinets at the rear you would create a gap at the front of the cabinet. What am I missing?

(I would have thought you would hang the cabinet carcasses first then attach the ff's)

Mike

It would create a gap if you fastened cab to cab at the rear of cab.
I don't fasten at the rear, except at the top, to the studs.
No reason to fasten front AND rear sides of boxes.:)

[Per Swenson]

Yes Mike,

We build our cabinets as standard units.

Both for ease of installation and transportation.

These face frames are 1/8 th proud of the carcass.

Face frames are screwed together and then attached to the wall.

For wall cabs I install a straight ledger all the way around the kitchen

for them to rest on. (removed when all cabs are installed.

This and shims makes up for all corner and wall discrepencies.

We don't use drywall screws either.

I hope I am writing this clearly.

Per

[tod evans]

In short, this is why I charge a arm and a leg and can sit home on a

tuesday and read SMC.

Per


2- points.....

[Tom Peterson]

thanks to all for the input. I was wondering if they should be counterbored and plugged . There is only a small gap for the inset doors so they need to be at least countersunk. I will consider Steve's suggestion of plywood to plywood. The carcass material is 3/4".

Byron,
the fabricators price for paint grade maple was the same as poplar. Some of the wood is really well figured, a shame to paint it, but that is what the boss wants

[Tom Peterson]

anyone ever glue the frames together? Seems like a bad idea if I ever have to take them down, but the paint won't crack over the seam/joint.

[Steve Clardy]

I never did.

Another little installers tip on frame cabinets.
If your face frame is overhanging, where two boxes meet, take you a block plane and take off about 2/3's of the back side of the 3/4" face, at an angle.
This lets your face frames align, pull together better, no gaps.;)

[Jim Becker]

anyone ever glue the frames together? Seems like a bad idea if I ever have to take them down, but the paint won't crack over the seam/joint.
I wouldn't...they WILL move a little over time as your house moves... ;) This is my exact experience in my own kitchen renovated in 2003. Glue could make things nasty under certain circumstances while mechanical fasteners (and the wood they are in) can give just a little.