Best Way To Build A Cabinet Box

This sled makes it much easier to accurately cut large pieces.

Best way to build a cabinet box.

Most traditional side mounted drawer slides require 1 2 clearance on each side of the drawer. You ll also need an end cap if you choose to build a separate base. No extended sides to form a base no toe kick cutouts. Let s stick with those since it makes sizing your drawer super easy too.

Then cut 4 pieces of 1 by 6 lumber to the same width as the bottom panel for the front back and top brace panels. Ken sets the box 1 4 in. With some woodworking skills a table saw and some basic tools you can make your own kitchen cabinets the simple way. Attach the drawer fronts photo 10 the pulls photo 11 and that s it.

From walls to allow for wavy or out of plumb walls. That means you can use large sturdy screws without worrying about ugly putty filled holes. The base is a simple edge frame assemble it with biscuits topped by two 4 wide cleats. Put your finished cabinets to work.

For cabinet box construction you will need. You can choose your wood the stain the finish and configure them to the exact size that would suit your storage needs. A simple crosscut sled. Move the cases into position where they ll be installed.

Make sure when cutting your back panels that they are square and make sure when you attach them that your cabinet is also square to this back piece. With the cabinet boxes made install the cleats that support the drawers photo 7. Second installation is faster. 1 8 plywood for the back of the cabinets note this is the common method for building cabinets.

First built in cabinet construction is simpler. Shim the bottom edges to level the cabinets and make the face frame edges parallel with each other. If you were making several cabinets to be installed side by side you d make a single long base for all of them to sit on now move on to building the drawer box. Cut purebond plywood panels to fit over the back side of your cabinet boxes.

But it s also a critical part of the process. If you cap the end cabinet with 1 4 in. Build the drawer boxes next. Plywood you don t have to hide the fasteners you used to build your boxes.

To build a cabinet start by cutting panels for the bottom and sides out of mdf plywood or another type of laminate. 1 2 thickness is also typical but i sometimes use 3 4 especially for frameless cabinets. Making wood boxes and mounting them on the walls via braces can make the installation a one man job. 1 2 or 3 4 plywood.

That being said lets first go over the basic tools for building a cabinet box. Leveling one platform is a lot easier than positioning each cabinet individually. We ll be using 1 2 cabinet grade plywood for all parts of these drawers including the bottoms. Cabinet grade birch is typical and can be found in all big box stores.

Use glue on all the joints because the nails aren t enough on their own. With the frame squared and clamped screw the cleats along the top edges. How to build a cabinet drawer choose your drawer material. The cabinets are just boxes.