Visited a Craftsman today (Long)

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

I went to visit a Craftsman today. Gary lives 5 miles away a does craft shows. He hauls a 20' 5th wheel trailer 100-300 miles away 30 week-ends a year to sell mass quantities of beadboard cabinets, grapevine wreaths and barnwood birdhouses. I like his stuff and he has some really nice designs. He builds nice items and builds 'em square but has to cut a lot of corners on finishing. Mass production and cheap prices are the name of the game. His usual finish is latex paint (Williamsburg Colors), distress it with a ROS and wipe it with stain to give it that antique look.<p>
My shop storage is the reason for my visit to Gary's shop.. Please remember folks, My Lumber Rack (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=487) is the closest thing to a cabinet this creek wader has ever built. I was going to construct a built in storage cabinet (in place) as my next project, then a light went off. What I really want is a wooden locker with doors to keep the dust off the insides. I like beadboard and want to try my hand at face frames..... It dawned on me that Gary builds something like that. So I went to see Gary and run my plan by him. Sure enough, He helped a me a lot. My cabinet will be @ 3'W X 6'H X 14"deep with beadboard sides, reclaimed pine top, 3/4" plywood shelves and I planned 2 tall doors. Gary's advise:

He said do not glue the tounge and groove beadboard together. It will split.
He said do put a cleat at the top, bottom and at least 1 in the middle.
He said to glue and brad nail the shelf cleats.
Don't make 2 long doors. Too hard to keep them straight.
4 Doors are the ticket with a rail in the center.
He said to nail the face frames on as you go. No pocket screws.
That suits me for a shop cabinet. Sounds easier for a new woodworker.

Before I left, Gary unloaded half of his big trailer to show me a couple of cabinets, told me where the cheapest price is on 1"X6"beadboard and gave me a photo of a similar piece from his files.<P>
<center>Woodworkers is Nice People </Center><p>
<Center> This photo is Gary's beadboard Cabinet. I'm ready to build mine.</Center>

[Bobby Hatfield]

Hey Zack, I didn' think you had any power tools yet, you gonna hammer them doors together ? I gotta come up some Saturday when you are there and check out that new shop. I'm held up by the weather now because I had the gas meter pulled out because of the cost, even when I am not at the shop. If the winter stays much longer I'll have to get an electric heater to heat me, and not the shop.

[PeterTorresani]

A couple comment. As always take them as one man's opinions only

He said to glue and brad nail the shelf cleats. you could make the shelves adjustable buy using a line of holes, or one of the store bought fixtures. This would allow you to move the shelves for different tool sizes

4 Doors are the ticket with a rail in the center. The rail in the center works fine and adds a lot of stiffness, but if you have wide tools, it might get in the way. It kind of depends on the type of things you will be putting in the unit.

He said to nail the face frames on as you go. No pocket screws. Nails would be easy, but much more noticable. For shop storage, I would agree with this. Many people cry at the idea of putting nails into a cabinet.


That suits me for a shop cabinet. Sounds easier for a new woodworker. Keep in mind that the best way to advance as a woodworker (or anything else) is to practice. If you try a few things and they don't work perfectly it's only a shop cabinet, but when you need them to work right, you have some experience.

Good luck with it, no matter which way you decide to go.

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

The cleats are what stiffins the sides. Although I don't have to have cleats for all the shelves, I do need the center one, bottom one and top one.
The center rail is horizontal. It won't affect the width of what's put in it.
I don't plan on having a center stile like the cabinet in the above photo. I'll just clip one door under a shelf with a screen door hook and hold the other closed with a thumb screw.
I have a primitive cabinet in my Kitchen that I love. I keep china in it and the shelves are fixed. Each has a cleat. The key word here is "love". I love primitives. I love distress, bug holes, wear and tear. I even like seeing the nails. This ain't fine furniture. In fact, there's very little about fine furniture that I do like.
I even have a bucket of rusted nails that I have used judiciously around the house.
I asked and elderly Antique Dealer once:"Margaret (She was at least 85 and drank bourbon) Is it OK to collect cracked china?" Margarets reply was: "Well honey. None of your friends are perfect. Are they?" I guess she meant it's OK to like distress.
My ultimate goal is to make primitive furniture with reclaimed wood.
Adjustible shelves are convenient but hardly "primitive".
This is my very first attempt at a cabinet. My first piece of furniture.
I've seen previous threads about using pine for first projects. Some responders advised against it. I think this design will give me a good challenge and if I screw up, I will not have a lot on money invested. It's a shop piece anyway.
I have years to build more sophisticated furniture. I'm building my shop for retirement which, I hope, is still 8 1/2 years off. I plan to make a lot of things to justify what I have invested in this hobby.This is thecabinet (http://www.zackjennings.com/1/2943SelfPortrait.jpg) in my kitchen.

[Ruby in NC]

Thanks for sharing.

I want to replace my kitchen cabinet doors. They are the typical raised panel doors, done in a dark walnut finish. Rather than trying to paint these to lighten the kitchen, I've been thinking about simply replacing them with a more rustic, country, old fashioned (not sure what word to use) design.

With your post, I'm wondering if beadboard cabinet doors are what I've been looking for to replace the existing ones. Speculating, at this point, that these would be easy for a cabinet making novice to build. Anyway, it should be easy to construct one, finish, and hang as a 'sample'. However, I wouldn't distress, but would work toward a good finish.

Thanks for the idea and I appreciate the construction tips being shared.

BTW, what style drawer fronts work best with beadboard doors? Mine are currently raised panel, too. Plain boards cut to the same size as the existing fronts?

Regards,
Ruby

[Dr. Zack Jennings]

I'm still in the "Dumb and Dumber" group. My first cabinet will not have drawers. I lump drawers into inset and overlay. As far as finish, I'm planning on shellac, a brown glaze in the grooves, sand to distress, more shellac, then wipe on poly and finally wax. It will be a natural finish with dark areas in the recesses. I'm going to buy beadboard today and do some test finishes. <p>
I'm attaching a larger image of my friends beadboard door.

[Dan Bussiere]

Dr Jennings,
I agree with ya completely. Go for it. I recently built my first cabinet for my UPS man's kitchen and I also haven't made drawers yet. I truly enjoyed the cabinet making experience although I did stress a little. We learn as we go. Please share the finished product with us, ok?
Dan

[Ruby in NC]

Originally posted by Dr. Zack Jennings
I'm attaching a larger image of my friends beadboard door.

Thanks for the close up of the door. The more I see of it, the more it appears to fit in with what I have in mind to replace those raised panel doors. Planning to paint mine, white, probably. With only one small window in the kitchen, it's dark and gloomy. Especially on days, like today, with all this sleet and freezing rain. :(

I'm looking forward to seeing how your project goes, and for ideas on replacing the drawer fronts that others may share.

Thanks, again.

Regards,
Ruby