Kitchen cabinet update...

[drumpriest]

Here are some images of the kitchen cabinets that are under way. The carcasses and face frames are done, this weekend I'll be starting in on the drawers and pull-outs.

The joinery is just pocket screwed butt joints with rabbeted back panels, the face frames are mortise and loose tenon and are attached to the carcasses with some biscuits (mostly for alignment).



Here's a close up of the back rabbet, since it isn't visible I didn't do stopped rabbets.



As I said, the face frames are attached with some biscuits and glue and a few clamps.



Here's a shot of the completed small cabinet for the kitchen, just waiting for some drawers. Broke out the Leigh jig and I'm looking forward to building them.



Here's my super high tech shelf pin jig. I'm using collared shelf pin inserts, I like the look a lot, perhaps a bit much for kitchen cabinets, but why not...



Thanks for looking.

[jking]

Very nice. I used different model of your shelf pin jig for a bookcase a few years ago. I bought a 2' wide piece of pegboard & figured out a way to locate it so I could drill two rows of holes at once.

How well do you like the pocket screws for holding the cabinets together? I have seen that before, but, always wondered about the amount of thread engagement into the sides of the cabinet. Are you using this method for upper cabinets & the lower cabinets? Will you use the pocket screws to assemble doors as well?

Have fun with the drawers. I wish I had a Leigh jig.

[JR]

Looks good, Keith! Can't wait to see the fronts.

What wood are you using?

JR

[jhart]

Looking good, Keith. How and with what are you going to finish them?

[Tom Miller]

Nice work! Are you doing cabinets for the whole kitchen, or just partial?

Regards,
Tom

[drumpriest]

Thanks for the replies gang, here are some answers...

-jking, Pocket screws work fine, they are really just clamps, the glue does most of the work, but the screw adds some strength. I was worried about it at first also, but I did a couple of shop cabinets this way, and one has been holding up my lathe for a few years, I'm convinced that do long as you install a good back panel, you are fine with pocket screws. At times I'll put biscuits or dominos in there as well to aid in alignment, but they are not really necessary. The hanging cabinets are also built with this construction but with additional 3/4" plates on the back to help maintain square and will be used for screwing them into the wall. The face frames are mortise and loose tenon, and add a good amount of rigidity to the cabinets. The doors will probably be cope and stick, the drawers dovetailed with false fronts.

-JR, The wood is hard maple for the frames and doors and drawer fronts, poplar for drawer bodies, birch ply for the sides and shelves, and baltic birch for backs and drawer bottoms. Tenons are made out of maple.

- jhart, the finish will be amber shellac as a sealer, then EPL, Emtech Production Lacquer, which has replaced USL (ultima spray lacquer). It's a waterborne acrylic lacquer that features burn in and quick dry and quick cure. I've been using it for a while and it's really nice, super low VOC, water clean up, sprays great without thinning out of the rockler (hf/woodcraft) cheap gun. I can spray 6-10 coats in an afternoon depending upon the weather. I have yet to decide if I'll buff out the finish, but I just ordered a gallon of the stuff and got their buffing compounds as well, so I'll do a test piece and see if the work is worth the reward, it is just a kitchen after all.

-Tom, we're doing the whole thing, but in 2 stages. I just finished the carcasses for the hot wall, and have started the drawers, I'll finish this set, then install them. Then the wet wall work begins. It was just too much chaos to do both at once. I'll post some images of the old "cabinets", which were just horrible, and have started to fail.

[chopnhack]

Awesome Keith, can't wait to see the progress photos.