I may be hooked...

[fiasco]

Just getting into this whole woodworking thing. The impedus was not paying a butload of money for cabinets for my newly remodeled bathroom. There is also a wall of cabinets/bookshelves (12" long) that needs done.

Figured I could get a whole garage of cool powertools, cabinets and still save money.

First job is 2 27" wide cabinets. I have the carcass for each glued up and curing. I used my spankin new table saw, jointer and planer to shape some rough cut oak and it was weird holding a piece of faced oak that wasn't propellor shaped (ala HD/Lowes style).

Routered rabit joints w/ the tablesaw router table.

Amazing how well all the pieces assembled just winging it on new tools and rough measurements

Already thinking of what I can attack next.

[gmack5]

Welcome to the Family!

Welcome aboard, Fiasco

There's a great bunch of guys here, if you have any questions, just ask and somebody will have an answer for you.

Be prepared to post lots of pictures of your projects.
That's one of the ways we learn from each other.

You might want to check out the "articles" section, there's a lot of good information there for the taking. All you need is a copy of the Adobe Reader to access all the information.

[gmack5]

Ooooooops!

[fiasco]

I guess one question is,

Are the joints from a stile/rail router bit set solid enough without additional reinforcement?

I have not decided between raised panels or a 1/4 sheet of oak for the inset of the door frames.

[gmack5]

Just a couple of Thoughts for you

It depends on the particular Rail and Stile Bit set that you're planning to use.

The idea is to substancially increase the Gluing surface to provide a strong joint. If the surface is not increased enough, approximately 3X the butt joint area, then you may have to either peg the joint, or use an open mortise, or both, to provide enough gluable surface.

Another thought is that you need to be aware that Plywood is usually NOT to the Nominal Dimension that you pay for, be sure you accurately measure the thickness of the material that you'll be using for your Panel.

If you plan on using a Solid Wood Panel, be sure you provide enough clearance for cross-grain expansion , usually about 1/8" per 12" of panel width, and only put a small 1 to 2" glue joint in the middle of the top and bottom panel grove only, let the rest of the panel float, or put a peg, centered, thru the style and panel from the back surface

Hope this helps.

[gsmittle]

Uh, oh....Run while you still can!

Seriously, welcome to the madness! A great bunch of people here, who will answer any question, even if I ask it...

g.

[fiasco]

My rail/stile bit is from MLCS. I just got them today.

[fiasco]

ps. I will not be using ply for the raised panel (unless I go with the flat recessed 1/4" oak ply) I'll be joining boards for the raised panel.

[L. D. Jeffries]

Much better choice; raised panels always make the job look $'s more expensive and you get those "Oh did you really make those yourself" from visiters. BTW; WELCOME to one of the best woodworking sites anywhere. Enjoy!

[fiasco]

Hey thanks LD.

I'll be around for awhile too I think. I really really enjoyed making my first two cabinets over the last couple days.

I don't care what anyone says, a five foot diameter 2 foot tall pile of sawdust and wood shavings is fun.

I'm having a hard time shutting it down at 10pm out of respect for the neighbors. I usually don't go to bed till 4-5am (work nights) so it's hard to defeat the "just a little bit more" mentality when it's 10pm.

Couldn't sleep last night thinkin about all the stuff I'm going to make for the house.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Sounds like you need a dust collector! Also, try doing all your cutting, jointing, routing etc before 10. After 10 you can work on glue up, sanding, finishing, etc.

Raised panels always give a better "Oh" factor in my opinion and that was a great decision. Get some Space Balls. They are great for all kinds of door panel applications. They are very small rubber balls that you stick in the slot cut by the rail bit. They hold the raised panel, plywood, glass . .. . whatever you choose to put inside your frame in place nice and snug. No rattles but it allows for any needed contraction and expansion. Woodcraft, Rockler, Amazon, etc all have them.

How wide are your rails and stiles? You stated 27" cabinets, so I would assume a 2"+ rail and stile. Those should provide plenty of strength when properly glued and clamped. gmack5 addresses surface glue area created by the stile bit. There should be no additional reinforcement required.

[fiasco]

2 1/8" stiles and rails.