Faceframes - flush or fancy?

[Jonathan Jung]

What are clean looking and easy options for faceframe widths - making them flush to the cabinet panels, or step them out 2+mm?

I'm talking about where the faceframe installs to an exposed cabinet side, with a visible joint. Normally these are the vertical outside corners.

I see there's three options. Make them flush and hope for a good joint. Make them flush and use a V bit along the joint (terrible IMO unless being painted). Make them proud.

I've long had the dilemma in that I want to make my cabinets look as good as possible, but without heaps of extra install work when it comes to crown and base. I really like the look of making the FFs 2mm proud of exposed cabinet sides, with a 1/16" roundover on that back edge. It makes the faceframe going to the floor look like a furniture leg. But this step creates a problem with scribe, base and crown because now I have to either rebate the end of the trim, or notch the end of the faceframe (the latter looks the best, as I've done in the images).

Is there something I'm missing?

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This is part of my next project. If I use scribe base trim (to account for HO installed tile), then I have to notch anytime the base intersects the faceframe.

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detail. the 2mm step on the backside of the FF gets the 1/16" roundover and the front of the FF gets a 1/8". FF is therefore wider than two sheets of 3/4" ply.

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[Jonathan Jung]

Having a proud FF also gives a nice shadow line. But in order to make it flush with the cabinet wall, just where it meets scribe or crown, I've been using a router with a straight bit to trim it back down 2mm flush with the plywood, trimming it up/down as far as is the height of the scribe/base, so the base can be easily mitred around the corners.

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[Jonathan Jung]

Flush - making faceframes flush with exposed panels is difficult, as the plywood edge doesn't always create an invisible joint to the faceframe. Sometimes it works like this cabinet I did, but I've found it requires clamps.

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[Cameron Wood]

AFAS crown and base, you can also pack out the trim with a thin strip. Often (for crown), it's a short return on a wall cabinet.

These days of nano-thin face veneers, making things flush is risky

[Richard Coers]

I haven't made a face frame cabinet since around 1990.

[Jared Sankovich]

I always miter(lock or standard) end panels, but they are integral to the faceframe, as in the frame wraps around the corner with a center panel.

[Jim Becker]

I've done both wrap-around for end panels that have rails/stiles and a tiny vee-groove at end panels when the end panel is flat.

[John Pendery]

In my past as a trim carpenter purposeful reveals were always the rule of thumb. Butting two separate surfaces together flush with a good looking end result is asking a lot. With paint grade cabinets I’ve done the v groove trick once or twice to achieve a specific look. I think all of this depends on the style one wants to achieve. Broadly speaking I feel stepped reveals lend themselves to traditional looks, while flush clean surfaces belong in a more modern setting. In the latter case frameless construction is my go to. Like Jared I pretty much only build frameless cabinets now.

[Bob Cooper]

I just let the FF run proud 1/8 or so on the exposed end and then usually 1/4 on the side that needs to be scribed along a wall