Finally completed!

[RayintheUK]

At last, I've finished the kitchen I've been making in five phases. The last phase was the base cabinets and a four-drawer unit. The base cabinets were 1000mm wide by 570mm deep and went into the corners. The left-hand unit has a tray space (including a telescopic towel rail) attached to it. The drawer unit was 600mm wide, as was the sink base unit (water-resistant MDF for that, the drawer fronts and the kick-plates).

The sink was a really heavy ceramic model. I ignored the supplied template, as the underside was not perfectly parallel (poured castings sometimes aren't), so I dead-measured and then nibbled away until it slid into the inset. I'm happier with a smaller gap around the sink underside. The template would have meant that it would have dropped straight in, but there'd be a bit of slop. As the sink is supported by its own weight (no clips), the least slop the better, otherwise there's strain on both the supply plumbing and the waste pipework.

The drawer unit uses Accuride(TM) stainless steel 35Kg full extension self-closing, two-part runners - fabulous hardware! The drawer boxes were Isoloc jointed, fronts screwed on from the inside and the handle screwed right through, so the pull is on the drawer box, not the front.

The corner units are fitted with one shelf at half height, with a recess removed the width of the opening and 100mm deep. This makes reaching into the far corners easier without losing too much shelf space. The sink base unit has a full size shelf which rides on adjustable pins and skims the bottom of the waste trap.







The client did all the finishing herself (cracking job, too!) and is delighted with the result as every inch of available space is utilised.

Thanks for looking!

Ray.

[JR]

It looks great, Ray! I particularly like the way you squeezed those drawers in there. Just the right offset so they open, but still as much drawer as you could get in that space.

Well done.

JR

[Popeye]

As usual a super job Ray. Now I have to ask....is that a diswasher under the left part of the sink or a clothes washer? Pardon my ignorance but the only machines I've seen over here that look like that are clothes washers. Pat

[gerti]

Talk about compact! Nice work!

[mschrank]

As usual a super job Ray. Now I have to ask....is that a diswasher under the left part of the sink or a clothes washer? Pardon my ignorance but the only machines I've seen over here that look like that are clothes washers. Pat

I was going to make a wisecrack about that funny looking dishwasher...

I think it's common in Europe to put clothes washers in the kitchen....am I right, Ray? I'm curious, I've seen a combination washer/dryer unit advertised...is that one of them, or do the clothes get dried "manually?"

By the way, nice job on the whole thing, Ray! Very ambitious project and executed to perfection!

[drumpriest]

Congratulations Ray, I know you've been working away on that project for quite a while. It looks great. Now you have to decide what to do next.

[mater]

Very nice work Ray. I can see why your client was delighted.

[cabinetman]

Ray

Great looking job. I like the patterned panels in the doors. BTW, she's gonna love those drawer slides. What kind of wood did you use for the doors and drawer fronts and what material for the countertop?



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[John Hunter]

Very nice.

[Wood_workur]

nice, but what is a "mm"?

[RayintheUK]

....is that a diswasher under the left part of the sink or a clothes washer?

Yes, it's a clothes washing machine, Pat - utility rooms in small houses are rare.

I think it's common in Europe to put clothes washers in the kitchen....am I right, Ray? I'm curious, I've seen a combination washer/dryer unit advertised...is that one of them, or do the clothes get dried "manually?"

Traditionally, kitchens always contained the "copper," or boiler for heating the washing water. As machines came along, they were installed in the kitchens also. Built-ins (with matching false doors) make for a less obtrusive appearance, but you lose appliance volume and plinth heights can be a problem - especially the case with refrigerators and upright freezers.

It's not a washer/drier - they can be a real pain in the nether regions, but that's another story. Client has a tumble drier in the single car garage.

I like the patterned panels in the doors. BTW, she's gonna love those drawer slides. What kind of wood did you use for the doors and drawer fronts and what material for the countertop?

The panels were made from 6mm MDF, with shallow grooves milled with a small coving bit in a table. Generally, 45mm on center, but with custom-width doors a little tweaking can make the pattern look better and the overall proportions more pleasing.

Right from the onset, my advice was never to skimp on kitchen hardware. We've used best-quality Hafele hardware throughout, all European hinges are sprung clip-ons, so the doors can be removed in an instant. Might not sound like a big deal, but for decorating and spring-cleaning, it's a real bonus. Given this policy, the Accurides were a no-brainer!

The entire project was made from MDF, because that was the client's wish (painted finish, stability, etc.). Carcasses are all 18mm, as are the door rails and stiles. Construction was via the usual R & S coping router bit set, with the panels rebated on the inside to fit the channels. The panels in the upper cabinet double-action cantilever doors were beefed up as a precaution. Medite (water-resistant MDF) was used for the drawer fronts, the sink base unit and the kick-plates (plinths) as stated above. Aside from often going to drawers with wet hands, the real reason for using Medite for the drawer fronts was that it takes a real crisp profile. The drawer boxes were constructed using Isoloc(TM) joinery and had 12mm ply bottoms.

The worktops (countertops) are 600mm post-formed (rolled leading edge) laminated chipboard. Looks like wood, but ain't! I've fitted real wood beech tops and these copies are MUCH easier - simple mason's miter joint, three butterfly bolts, a couple of biscuits and job done. Letting the sink in, however, needs more care, because it leaves just two narrow connecting strips along the front and back. Thus, if you need to move the top after cutting, you're in danger of breaking it at the weakened section, so planning is key.

Hope those answers helped and thanks for the kind comments!

Ray.

[cabinetman]

Ray

You could have built another kitchen in the time it took to explain everything. I've got to comment on the hinges. I was building kitchens long before the euro hinges came out and it changed everything. Bye bye face frames. Then when the clip ons came out, they made it simple for on-off doors. I got used to hanging doors when I would do set-ups in the shop. Would do the adjustment, and that's it. Every time there after, no real need to adjust, maybe slightly. Then when installing, the same procedure, doors came off to install, shelves go in, clean insides, and clip doors back on. Voila!

As far as the drawer slides, I always allowed the plus 1/32, and then used shims for final fitting. Works out better that way.

Your kitchen came out great, a lot of details to work out.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[charliex]

Great job Ray. Looks like you invested a lot thought and concentrated effort, (hard work) and it shows in the finished product.

[Pappy]

Fantastic job, Ray!

[bigsteel15]

nice, but what is a "mm"?

As a member of the commonwealth of metric, I can answer that.
1 mm = 1/10 cm = 1/1000 m = 1/1,000,000 km or 1/25.4 inches

Sorry, had to.
millimeter x 1000 = 1 meter = ~39 inches