The Complete Cabinetmaker's Reference (Popular Woodworking)

258 Pages·2005·121.45 MB·English

by  Jeffery Piontkowski

Inches(mIl\Imeters)
x
\;I i ~0t;; (mm) i
3/. (19) 24
plYWood
5UDprapworetrgG/'I(d4e) '8" 21 sbidoettsom ppllyywwoooodd 33//.. ((1199)) 244
( toprail ~': plywood 3/. (19) 3
0 rails plywood 3/. (19) 3
Rail D(3) EF ttoopeskuicbkrail ppllyywwoooodd 33//.. ((1199)) 41'12
G drawerglidesupports plywood 3/. (19)
H nailer plywood 'I. (6)
I 1 back plywOOd 3/. (19)
J 1 finisheddrawerIront ood 3/. (19)
/
THE COMPLETE
C I N E T
R'S
REFERENCE
JEFFREY PIONTKOWSKI
~.."
~~
POPULARWOODWORKINGBOOKS
CINCINNATI,OHIO
WWw.popularwoodworking.com
Read This Important TheCompleteCabinetmaker'sReference.Copyright©2005byJeff
Piontkowski.PrintedandboundinChina.All rightsreserved.Nopartof
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fingers awayfrom sawblades, wearsafetygog
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Allinstructions, plans andprojects should be
carefullyread, studied andunderstoodbefore VisitourWebsiteatwww.popularwoodworking.comforinformationon
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beginning construction. Insome photos, power'
toolguards have beenremoved to more clearly
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that comewithyour powertools. Due to the 09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
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terials, skilllevels, etc., neither the authornor UbraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
PopularWoodworking Books assumes anyre
Piontkowski,Jeff,1955-
sponsibilityfor anyaccidents, injuries, dam
Thecompletecabinetmaker'sreference/ JeffPiontkowski- 1sted.
ages orotherlosses incurred resultingfrom the
p. em.
materialpresentedin this book. Priceslisted Includesindex.
for suppliesand equipmentwere currentat the ISBN1-55870-757-3(hardcover:alk.paper)
time ofpublicationand are subjectto change. 1.Cabinetwork. I.Title.
Glass shelving shouldhave alledges polished TT197.P63 2005 ~
684.1'6-dc22 2005006374
andmustbe tempered. Untemperedglass
shelvesmayshatterand can cause serious bod
ACQUISITIONSEDITOR:JimStack
ilyinjury. Tempered shelves are verystrong
EDITORS:JimStack&AmyHatlersley fw
andiftheybreak willjustcrumble, minimizing TECHNICALILLUSTRATOR:JimStack
personalinjury. DESIGNER: BrianRoeth
PRODUCTIONCOORDINATOR:JenniferWagner
Acknowledgements
Iwouldlike to thank all ofmyfriends,
family andneighborsfor the support
and enthusiasmtheyhave shownme.
MonicaandFred, thank you for all the
help from the start. Don, Donna,
Nicholas and ofcourse Hannah- who
couldask for betterfriends. Sally,
thanksfor putting up withme. Jerry
and Sandy, Beth, John, Lois and Mike,
thanks for the support. And lastbut
not leastPat Craginwho helped make
this allhappen. Dad, Ithink you would
About the Author have liked this. (Mom too.)
JeffPiontkowskihas beenbuilding cab Specialthanks to SaraE. Ruth and
inets since 1975. Afterhighschoolhe Charles Smithand to Deltaand Porter
continuedhis education, taking classes Cablefor sponsoringthis book.
inheatingand air conditioning. Being JirriStack, thankyou for the help
offeredajobfor heatingand onefor and for seeing the significance ofthis
woodworking on the same day, he took book.
thejob doing cabinetwork and has
neverlookedback. He has builtand in
stalled cabinets across the United
States (includingAlaska). He is cur
rentlybuildinga loftinwhichall the
oakused inbuildingthe furniture, cabi
nets, moldingand trim comes from
trees thatgrewon the land. The trees
were felled, planked, dried andmilled
within 100yards ofwhere theygrew.
Jeffis also aunionstagehandand a
memberofIATSE local#38. He has
helpedbuildsets for motionpictures,
TVshows andplays.
Dedicated to the memory ofJim Sidick
tn 6 INTRODUCTION
I-
TIPSANDTECHNIQUES
Z 8 basic cabinetry construction
LIJ
• CHAPTERONE
I- 16 base cabinets
Z
CHAPTERTWO
28 base cabinets without drawers
0
(.) • CHAPTERTHREE
40 base cabinets with drawers
LI.
• CHAPTERFOUR
0 60 sink base cabinets
• CHAPTER FIVE
.L.L..I 70 vanity base cabinets
• CHAPTERSIX
CO 86 vanity base cabinets without drawers
ce
CHAPTERSEVEN
I- 98 vanity base cabinets with drawers
• CHAPTEREIGHT
118 vanity sink base cabinets
• CHAPTER NINE
128 blind-corner base cabinets
• CHAPTERTEN
138 blind-corner base cabinets without drawers
• CHAPTERELEVEN
146 lazy susan cabinets
CHAPTERTWELVE
152 24"- tall wall cabl ets
• CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
164 30"- tall wall cabinets
I
.I •
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
176 I wall corner cabinets
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN
24"- tall blind-corner wall cabinets
• CHAPTERSIXTEEN
188 30"- tall blind-corner wall cabinets
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
198 12"- deep pantry cabinets
• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
208 24"- deep pantry cabinets
• CHAPTER NINETEEN
218 dressers
• CHAPTERTWENTY
222 nightstands
- -4 - ---
I • CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
226 desk & file cabinets
-j-.
• CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
230 entertainment centers
• CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
236 bookcases
• CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
242 pencil drawers
• CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
246 I countertops & corbels
I
254 i SUPPLIERS
!
255 INDEX
.L .__
/
z
There are manyways to build cabinets.
The methods shownin this bookare
-o
time testedand provento work. In this
...
bookIwillshowyou step-by-step,
piece-by-piece, howto buildyour own
cabinets. Youwillget the satisfactionofhaving
built themyourselfand at afraction ofthe cost of
(.) buying them. You willlearnhowto make cabinets
for yor entirehouse, including the basementand
:::;) garage by using less expensive materials. There
are completeplansfor making cabinets for
Q kitchens andbaths includingbase cabinets, sink
bases, drawerbases, baseswithoutdrawers, wall
o
cabinets, lazysusans, pantries and cornercabi
nets. Also includedare plans for desks, file cabi
...
0= nets, pencildrawers, bookcases, entertainment
centers, dressers and nightstands. Youare shown buildcabinets without atable sawbutitis the one
different types ofdoors and drawers you can tool thatwillmake cabinetmaking quick and easy.
build. This bookalso shows youhowto builda Togo withyour table sawyou willneeda sharp
-
Z
basic countertop to finish offyournewcabinets. bladewith 40 teethand a set ofdado blades. If
Thisis abookfor anyone who isjuststarting you don'thave aset ofdado blades, arouterset
outandneeds a complete step-by-stepintroduc up inarouter table will easilycutthe dadoes. The
tion into cabinetmaking orfor the seasoned cabi otherpowertools required to build cabinets are a
netmakerwho would like to simplifythe drawing router, drill, mitersaw, belt sanderandjigsaw. A
time involvedin designing cabinets. Alllayouts compressorand anarrow-crownstaple guncanbe
are done onafullpage andshoweverypiece that helpful butare notnecessary. Youwillalso need
is necessary to build each cabinet. Justfollow the to have some basichand tools suchas a hammer,
cuttinglist. Youare shownwhere all dado cuts framing square and clamps.
need to be, the exactsizes for the drawers, doors The optimizationillustrations for laying out
and drawerfronts, which means there is nothing and cutting cabinetparts are meant to help you
to figure. Just pickthe type andwidthofcabinet visualize howmuchmaterialis requiredfor the
youwant andyou various cabinets. Ifyou are usingveneeredmate
are ready to go. It rial to constructyour cabinetsyou will need to
is said that the payattention to graindirectionand the layoutof
hardest part of the partsmayormaynot matchthe illustrations.
anyjobisgetting Also, it wasn'tpossible to showhoweachproject
started andwith wouldlayout, so use the illustrations as aguide
this book, getting when cutting different sized cabinets.
startedhas never Justlike there are severalways to cutand
been easier. dado the cabinetparts, there are manyway to as
Iknowthatnot semble the cabinets. Whenyoulook at the wayI
everyonehas a buildthe cabinetsin this bookyouwillnotice the
completewood top front railis 4"-wide and the sub rail is 3"-wide.
workingshop at This makesit possible to attach the countertopby
their disposal, so I screwingup through%"-thickmaterialbehindthe
showyou howto sub rail, the same as the back top rail or corner
buildthese cabi blocks. JJ
nets withamini The wall cabinets are made with l"-deep da
malamountof does in the sidesto accept the backpanelas well
tools and work as the hanging rails, which won'tbe seenafterthe
space. You can cabinets have beeninstalled.
6
How to use the worksheets
Name/job number Type or style of Numberofcabinets
\ cabinet needed. needed perjob
I /
Quick-reference
thumbtabs
JOB TYPEOFCABINET #OFCABINETS DATE
1812 ~ Colorofcabinet
Hardware list HARDWARENEEDED:
2 95~-openingEuropeanhinges color
shows what and t 20··fullt'xtemiondfaWl.'ls!id~
~helfsupportsfpjnsl.eithl!fSmmor1/4"holesizerequifed Type offinish on
how many are need halldlesorpull~forthedooranddlilwer
cabinet, i.e., high-
ed for each cabinet
finish ....., pressure laminate,
being made.
lacquer, paint.
Isometric exploded
illustration shows
the labeled parts of
each cabinet and ~
how the cabinet is
assembled.
Inches(millimeters)
E
g ~
(mIll) (mm) (Inm)
Calusttliinstgsahnodwmsathteeri- ,A 2 bsiodtetosm ppllyywwoooodd % \(1199)) 2244 l(o6l1O0}) 3l1511h/4 ((188955)) .crautil,',/b41a•.c%•k..pd_aadnoeel•asnfod•r3b'xo_4tt'otmoe_,kdircawkne~rost,clhop Commoo"·g,,, p"
part label as per c0 troalplsrail PPOOww"""""" '%I, ((1199)) 34 ((7160)l) 111111//44 ((2l88S5)) ticular machining
the illustration, size E topsubrail ,."""" 'I, og) 3 (76) 101/2 (267) operationsthat
ofpart, type ofma- ~ GF dtol'eawkicekrglidesupports PPO""w"""""" '%I. ((1199)) 41III {(3lO8)2l 210031//42 ((256m7) need to be done
terial and quantity IH "na'il,ef PplOywwo"o"d" ''"I. ((6\9)) 3111/4 ((7la6s)) 3100:11,111. {{118S171) forthat individual
neededfor each ,J finisheddl'aWel'"front plywood % (l9) SIre (130) 11'/4 (lSS) cabinet part.
cabinet being made. l d'1r1a0w<ersides PplOywwo"o"d" '%I, ((1199)) 4111/4 ((218052)) 22403/4 {(65!1J:98)) (U11/4ll,%dadoesfordrawerbottom,ripfrontto3'14-wide
M , drawerfrOllIandback plywood 'I, (19) 4 (101) 8 RO)) cu,1/4K%dad(J{'Sfordfawerbotlom
N drawerbottom plywood 'I, tCl 1991161<197) 8)/4 (2221
0 1 ""If plywood % (19) 221/2 (572) lO'/s (264)
20
7
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
basic cabinetry construction
Cutting Toe Kick Notches
2Toe kickcutoutscanbecutusingthe
tablesaw. Settheoutsideofthesaw
1 Toe kickcutoutsneedtobecutinpairs. Matchup cabinetsidesandmark bladeto4"andraise thebladeto itsfull
whereto cutthenotchesbeforecuttingthe dadoesfor theback. height.
4 Resetthefence tomake the othercutso 5 Thefinished cutout. Thekerfcuts will
the cutoutscrapfalls onthe outsideof behiddenwhen the outsideofthe cabi
3 Drawthe cutouton the thesawblade. netiscoveredwithlaminateorwoodveneer
panel. Make thefIrst cutto orbythe dadocutforthebottompanel.
thelineasshown.
The toe notches can be cut using other tools as shown.
JIGSAW CROSSCUT HANDSAW CIRCULAR POWER SAW
8
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Cutting Dadoes
There are manyways to cutdadoes
andrabbets. The step-by-stepphotos
inthis bookshowthembeingmade on
a table saw. Youcanalso use a router
mountedina router table. Running a
routeragainstastraightedge thathas
beenclampedto the partis anotherop
tionfor cuttingdadoes.
Specialbitsaremadeto matchdiffer
entthicknessessofplywood (whichare
usuallyless than%" thick). Youmaybe 1 Attachahardwoodguidetoyour 2 Usingarouterwithafence isan excel
abletomatcha routerbitwithit.
router's adjustablefence. lentwaytocuttherabbetsthatwillac
ceptthe toprails.
3 Thehardwoodguidewillstabilizethe 4 Usethehardwoodguideto cuttherab 5 Therabbetfor
routerasyoupushtherouterthrough betfor the cabinetback. thebackcan
thecut. becutinonepass
butthe dadoes
andrabbets that
are%"-wide shouldbe cutintwo pass
es. The first cut should be"/w"-deep.
Reset the routerto %"-deep and make
the second cut. The depth ofthe dado
is veryimportant, so using a router
witha gauge for adjusting is veryhelp
ful. Iused a routerwitha dialed knob
and itworked flawlessly everytime.
6TocutthedadoesforthedrawersI used 7 Makethefirst cut.Resetthebitdepth
aclampedstraightedge.First,drawa andmakethefinalpassattheproper
linewhereyouwanttolocatethedado. depth.
Next,determinethedistancefromtheedge
oftherouter'sbasetotherouterbit.Usethis 8 Makingaspacertokeep dadoes the
measurementanddrawanotherline. Clamp sameisagreatidea. Measurethe dis
yourstraightedgetothissecondline. tancefromthebottomofthepaneltothe
straightedge,thensubtractthewidthofthe
routerbase. Cutaboardtothisdimension
anduseitas aspacerforallsimilarlylocated
dadoes. ClarrJtJitinplaceflushwiththebot
tomofthepanelandrunyourrouter'sbase
againstittoguidetherouterasyou'remak
ingthe cut.
9
BASIC CABINETRY CONSTRUCTION