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Thread: What not to do when building kitchen cabinets

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Wake Forest, NC
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    493

    What not to do when building kitchen cabinets

    Trying to remodel my kitchen, and I am following the school of hard knocks like I always do.... Things I should know better:

    Do not use dull shaper cutters....
    IMG_20170929_120445.jpgIMG_20170929_120326.jpg


    Do not stack doors on the floor where they can be stepped on....

    IMG_20171227_221611.jpg

    Don't underestimate how much wood you are going to have to glue up for panels as you really don't have as many wide boards as you thought you did.
    IMG_20171220_210950.jpg


    Don't under estimate how much waste you are going to have if you are trying to minimize sapwood.

    IMG_20171217_183346.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    N.E, Ohio
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    3,026
    Been there done that except for the shaper cutter issue since I do not have one.
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
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    9,889
    Before starting clean out the trash then do not throw away any scrap until you know you have no need of little pieces with matching grain to patch mistakes.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    Napa Valley, CA
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    Travis, I feel your pain. Learning the "hard way" is often the best way. I'll bet it will be a while before you forget those lessons!

  5. #5
    I'll add:

    Do not assume the floor where it is going is remotely level or the wall plumb.

    Do not forget to account for the thickness of the lip on the countertop. That was a long string of 4 letter words and "creative" problem solving.

    Do not assume the next batch of #1 Common cherry will be as great as the last one that you raided every good board out of.

    I don't have pictures because they are from my old house.

    For most of us, "wisdom" is mostly a matter of already having made enough stupid mistakes to have finally started to learn from some of them, or in my case, hopefully remember them ahead of time

  6. #6
    It's all part of growing up. Stuff like that used to tick me off.....................now I just remind myself that I am still learning no matter how long I've been doing this stuff!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    My current favorite that I'm living since 2003 and about to rectify...don't underestimate how much depth upper cabinets should have in a modern kitchen. I made the mistake of "duplicating" the old-school cabinets that were trashed from a sizing perspective and it's been frustrating. Once I'm done with the two commissions I am working on, I'll be building all new upper cabinets. Same footprint, but a few more inches of depth. It's time.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    My current favorite that I'm living since 2003 and about to rectify...don't underestimate how much depth upper cabinets should have in a modern kitchen. I made the mistake of "duplicating" the old-school cabinets that were trashed from a sizing perspective and it's been frustrating. Once I'm done with the two commissions I am working on, I'll be building all new upper cabinets. Same footprint, but a few more inches of depth. It's time.
    It's kinda hard to fit 12" dinner plates into a cabinet that is 12" deep overall. We always ask customer to get their finest or largest dinner plates, and measure them. It's a heck of a lot easier to adjust a drawing than rebuild a box. Many years ago, Norm addressed this on a kitchen remodel on TOH. Walls were 14" deep, and bases were 26" deep.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
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    1,408
    Here's another that I kick myself over everyday:

    Don't forget counter-to-upper height includes any molding you might apply under the upper cabs! We can't easily slide our most used appliance (Vitamix) under the uppers thanks to the molding hanging down. Have to tilt it back, slide, stand it up. Just annoying!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    NE Ohio
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    6,983
    LOL!
    You think it's been fun and games now, wait till you get to the finishing part!

    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  11. #11
    Make the draws in the base cabs 5+ inches. Stock cabs all seem to be 3 1/2.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    It's kinda hard to fit 12" dinner plates into a cabinet that is 12" deep overall. We always ask customer to get their finest or largest dinner plates, and measure them. It's a heck of a lot easier to adjust a drawing than rebuild a box. Many years ago, Norm addressed this on a kitchen remodel on TOH. Walls were 14" deep, and bases were 26" deep.
    Exactly the mistake I made "back then". The new uppers will have about 14" usable depth inside.
    -----

    One other tip...favor drawers over doors in the base cabinets. Drawers are a heck of a lot easier to use. I'm so glad I made that decision back when I renovated our kitchen.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    New fridge is deep so made the base cabinets 30" deep and the uppers 18" deep with 31" deep counters on that side of the kitchen - fridge doesn't stick out and really like the deep cabinets and counter

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    Itapevi, SP - Brazil
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    672

    Fully agree

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Engelhardt View Post
    LOL!
    You think it's been fun and games now, wait till you get to the finishing part!

    Also for me the worst part of the game is the finishing... PITA!

  15. #15
    I built the boxes a few with fixed shelves and then added face frames and doors. Hung boxes and then added face frames. Wife had preloaded cabinets before I put the face frames on. Had a row of glass jars that would not come out because of the face frame...we both laughed at that one.

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