Face frame for ply cabinet

[rnelson0]

I've been working on my first "real" project, a simple cabinet. I wanted to practice dado and rabbet cuts on my table saw, biscuit joints for the face frame, and making a basic door. I've got the carcass mostly assembled (no back yet) and am looking at how to make the faceframe. The carcass is entirely out of 1/2" plywood, the Sandeply at Home Depot. Yes, it's fairly junk, but this cabinet isn't really for use - it's just made of some leftovers and for me to practice on. It's too small for anything in my shop but it will probably find life somewhere in a room holding something off the ground.

Still, I'd like it to look fairly nice and I want to go through a complete process of building and finishing the project. Now I'm looking at the faceframe and wondering what I should build it out of. The Sandeply doesn't specify but it looks similar to a lot of pictures I've seen of birch plywood. I'll be using a simple poly finish. I would like something that will look good but is also easily available and cheap so that I'm not "wasting" it on this project. Preferably something I can find at Lowes, HD, 84 Lumber, etc., without driving 25 miles to pick it up. What would be an appropriate wood for the face?

I've been told that Red Oak is a good and fairly cheap wood. I'm sure that Maple would look nice too. Any others I should look for?

Thanks.

[Schleeper]

The only readily accessible hardwood that you haven't mentioned is poplar. It's available at both Lowe's and HD, and I believe it's cheaper than oak and maple. Based on the type of finish you want to put on it, however, I'd stick to the oak or maple.

[cabinetman]

For the cabinet, ½" is pretty thin, depending on size, especially in planning your joinery, and if you want to use biscuits. Substantially, for a utility cabinet that you may want more sturdy, ¾" ply would be better. For that cabinet, you could use one of many species readily available at the box stores. For example, any of their "whitewoods", or Fir, Poplar, or Maple. If you are just doing this for practice, biscuits may work, but aren't really necessary if you have a good flat edge on the face of the cabinet. Just glue and clamp, or add brad nails.

Making your faceframe square separate from the cabinet, and then add it to the face will help square the front of the cabinet. Rabbeting the back edges of the cabinet to fit in the back, would square the back. Before installing either the FF or the back, take a corner to corner measure to check for squareness.
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[rnelson0]

Thanks for the tips, guys, I'll hit HD tonight and see what they have in stock and what's cheap. Poplar's something I've seen mentioned in a few blueprints I've looked at, so that's got something going for it.

For the cabinet, ½" is pretty thin, depending on size, especially in planning your joinery,

Since it was made out of scraps, I'm okay with it only being 1/2". It's overall dimensions are based on that scrap and they won't work for my shop anyway. If anyone in VA needs a 44"Hx13"Dx19"W cabinet, I'll have one soon

If you are just doing this for practice, biscuits may work, but aren't really necessary

Definitely not necessary, but since I've never joined anything with biscuits, why not? It's all about justifying tool purchases, right?

Making your faceframe square separate from the cabinet, and then add it to the face will help square the front of the cabinet. Rabbeting the back edges of the cabinet to fit in the back, would square the back. Before installing either the FF or the back, take a corner to corner measure to check for squareness.

As I said, it's been a learning experience. I had the shelves assembled, glued, and tacked (I can't afford as many clamps as I'd like, so I had to clamp, tack, move clamps and begin again on each shelf) before I realized I didn't do a rabbet for the back. Oh well, never going to use this anyway, just for practice and this kind of learning. I'd have been real upset if I had done that with some expensive 3/4" plywood that cost $50/sheet or more! I did get it fairly square and I learned a bit of how to adjust it when it's not square, which is a huge part of it. The back fit on fine by glueing and tacking it and it's keeping it square.

The one thing I have a feeling it will take a LONG time to learn fully is how to glue up and clamp quickly before the glue dries. Both with the shelves and the back it took me forever to get the glue applied and get everything lined up, by the time I grabbed the clamps and tried to adjust the placement a bit it was almost set. Guess I've just got to learn how to be fast.

Things I've learned so far:

* My table saw's dado throat plate only works for <1/4" dados because the idiots didn't line it up with the arbor nut. I'll be making a new ZCTP soon...
* If you're cutting your shelves to be slightly shallow (i.e. 12"D instead of the full 13" of the carcass), remember that your top and bottom "shelf" need to be the full depth.
* Don't forget to cut your rabbet for the back before you remove the dado blade from the saw.
* Certainly cut it before you finish gluing everything.
* Clamps are expensive
* You can never have too many clamps
* Clamps are really expensive
* Glue dries fast. I move slow.

Thankfully I knew this one already, but for those who haven't thought it through or just need a reminder once in a while:

* After using glue, wash your hands BEFORE using the restroom!

[Black wallnut]

You might want to start using a white glue for the longer open time.

Any of your choices will work for a face frame. Since this is practice then you may want to just use what ever is the least expense. Consider paint if you use poplar.

[Rslaugh]

I've used popular from the borg for a number of projects that I've done recently. Not fine furniture grade but definitely good enough for the shop. I'm going to be making all of our lower kitchen cabinets here soon and wouldn't use it for those. it's better than the pine but not as expensive as the oak.

Biscuits are fine. I like pocket screws a lot with glue.

BTW - our home office just moved to Midlothian near the racetrack. nice area.

[rnelson0]

Yesterday I got some 1"x4"x7' S4S poplar from HD. It's got a lot of sapwood, but whatever. So here's what I learned yesterday:

* Ripping 1x4" into stocks can be scary
* It would be a lot less scary if I had completed my extended fence and featherboards first...
* S4S doesn't mean four finished sides that are usable

And the number one thing I learned....

* Just when you get all your tools out and are ready to do some "real work"....that's when your wife calls and wants you to start cooking dinner.

I'll get this thing completed by the end of the month. Maybe