Recently completed built ins

[Ben Grunow]

Here are some built ins I made for a house we recently remodeled. All made with birch veneer ply and poplar face frames (pocket screws). Shelf pin holes drilled with Norm style router jig and doors have 1/2" mdf panels glued in. Not my design though. I think the face frames are too wide at 2"- but thats what the architect wanted. All in all very nice though.

THere is a left and right of both designs. One pair in the living room and one in the adjacent sunroom.

65871

65873

Please critique if you like.

Ben

[Jim Becker]

I like, Ben! They look like they just grew there! :D (Nice work...)

[James Rowe]

Very nice! Nothing like white paint to bring out the details.

I have a similiar project coming up. I do have a question. I notice you have beading on the face frames. How did you accomplish that. Route the beading and cut 45's on the frames, or did you apply the beading seperately as strips? Any hints would be helpful.

Regards,

Jaimie

[Ben Grunow]

Beading was done prior to assembling the face frames using the router table and the classic bead bit (I think it was a Freud bit). It is harder this way as the bead must be removed from the stiles where the rails meet them but it is stronger (IMHO) than a glued on beaded strip. I like this method especially when doors are to be inset meaning hinge screws will go into the bead. Less of a chance for the door to rip off the beaded strip over time.

I use the TS and I make a jig to miter the bead off on the CMS. Mark the pieces and cut on the TS first because if you make the miter first you end up with a thin strip between the blade and fence on the TS and those suckers can fly. Make the miters and clean up with chisel/pull saw. THen pocket screw and sand. Glue and nail to attach frame to carcass on paint grade.

I also mortised the hinges into the doors and not into the face frame. THis allows the reveal around the door to be set with the router when mortising the hinges in one step instead of making 4 mortises and doubling your chances for error.

Thanks for looking.

Ben

[Grant Davis]

Very nice addition Ben. I have just the place for an additon just like this. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Jay Keller]

the glass door will bang into it probably breaking the glass.
the shelves are not adjustable.

[Brian Livingstone]

Really nice work. Question on the beading. Would it be possible to use say a laminate trimmer router, and do the bead work after the face frame is constructed ? I have some inset cabinets to build, and looking to jazz up the face frame.

Thanks.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

the glass door will bang into it probably breaking the glass.

You can't see the door stop?


the shelves are not adjustable.

Um. Yes they are.

[John Lucas]

the glass door will bang into it probably breaking the glass.
the shelves are not adjustable.

And I thought I was blind...and I am but not stupid.

[Ben Grunow]

Brian- I think you will have better luck installing a beaded strip around each opening than trying to route a bead on a face frame that is already in place- the corners would be next to impossible to get with the machine. Just glue them like crazy if there are doors to be mounted to the bead.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

the glass door will bang into it probably breaking the glass.

Except the doors open outward.

Nice job looks like it was pert of the original design.

[Per Swenson]

Very nice Ben,

as always.

Per

[Scott Thornton]

They look good Ben. Nice use of that space...

Does that whole house have the outlets in the baseboard? How is that working out for them?

[Gary Keedwell]

Looks real nice....I did my dining room with outlets in baseboard and LOML loves it.:)

Gary K.

[Richard Wolf]

Great work Ben.

Richard

[Keith Webster]

Please critique if you like.

I see no need to critique. Great work!

[Ben Grunow]

Yes Scott, the outlets in the baseboard are very popular around here and all the houses we do are specified that way and most of the older houses are that way as well.

Outlets were originally located in the base so the plasterers wold not have to work around them as far as I know. I like the look and it makes sense when you consider wall paper (not a big fan of wallpapered electrical covers) and darker paint colors as the colors available for the covers and outlets/switches is never a match with the paint. I think it is worth the trouble on the first floor where outlets are seldom used (dining room) but not worth it upstairs as most bedrooms leave little of the walls and base showing.

It is a lot more work as each piece of base needs a hole or even two or three and it gets tedious.

Not sure how they like it to answer the question finally. They moved from a 2 br apt in NYC so I am sure they are thrilled.

THanks for so many compliments.

Ben

[Jim Becker]

The outlets in the 250 year old portion of our home are also in the baseboards. One reason is that it was easier to put them in that way 'cause the walls are 18" thick limestone and mortar...

[Scott Thornton]

I like the idea of the outlets in the baseboard, thinking about raised panel wainscotting. I like the look of the larger trim, my wife likes painted trim, so the outlets kind of blend in...

Once again, nice built ins...

[Ben Grunow]

Make sure to allow 2 3/4" of flat on the base (from top of shoe or qtr round to bottom of profile or base cap) for the electical cover plate (double check this).

Not fun if you have to cut them all.