rebuilt cabinets question

[Bret Champoux]

Hi all. I've got a question I'm hoping someone can help me with.

I've dismantled an existing island/bar in my kitchen and building a new island. I'm hoping to re-use as much of the existing drawers and doors as possible. The existing cabinets are white 5/8 particle board melamine, frameless. The doors and drawers are oak raised panels.

The problem I'm having is that I can't find any 5/8 oak plywood, only 3/4. I can get 5/8" particle with oak veneer, but its a real hassle and I'd like to avoid it.

So, if I use 3/4, I will have to make the new cabinets with the same outside dimension as the existing ones (in order for the outside dimensions of the drawers and doors to fit), which means the inside will be 1/8 smaller on each side. Can I just dado the full extension drawer slides 1/8" into each 3/4" side panel in order for the drawers to fit? Will the hinges on the doors adjust enough to account for the reduced inside dimensions of the cabinet? Will they look ok?

I hope I've explained this clearly enough. Feel free to give any other ideas anyone has.

Thanks in advance
Bret.

[Matt Lentzner]

I don't think there is such a thing as 5/8 plywood. I looked and couldn't find anything. I was doing the same thing as you - rebuilding cabinets - and wanted to replace the 5/8 particle board with something higher quality.

I ended up using 5/8 MDF.

Matt

[Gilbert Vega]

You could use 1/2" Oak plywood and just skin the outside with 1/8" oak plywood. This should end up at 5/8". If you're concerned with costs, you could use 1/2" Birch and Oak 1/8" on the visible portion. Keep in mid that the edges would have to be edge banded.

[Michael Schwartz]

I think 5/8 cabinet grade plywood might just come down to local availability or something because I know for one I have worked with it, and two I have seen it in commercial cabinets

[Jim Becker]

Stuff like 5/8" plywood is unlikely at the "retail" level, but can likely be sourced through a plywood/sheet goods supplier. Check with your local cabinet shops to find out where they buy and/or if they can get you some material for your project.

[luc gendron]

Hello,

Could you not plane or sand 1/16'' from each side of the drawers? Or, instead of dadoing the slides in the cabinet side, I would cut a 1/16'' groove in the drawer sides to compensate from the 1/8''. What kind of slide are you using? Give www.hardwareattic.ca (http://www.hardwareattic.ca) your question, they can usually recommend a solution.

[Mark Rakestraw]

Brett,

I've dadoed drawer slides into the side of drawers before with good results. Somehow, while building the drawers, the built-in dresser they were for shrunk!! Go figure. Stuff like that seems to happen to me a lot. At any rate, to make the drawer fit I put a 1/4 dado in each 9/16" drawer side for the slides to fit into. Had to find itty-bitty screws so they didn't come through on the insides. They are big drawers and are still plenty strong. I kind of like the look. If I still used side mount drawer slides I think I'd do it that way on purpose.

Mark

[Joe Jensen]

I'm in Arizona and though I've never used cabinet grade 5/8" ply, I've seen it in oak and other common veneers at the commercial sources..