Best Way To Build A Cabinet Box

A simple crosscut sled.

Best way to build a cabinet box.

We ll be using 1 2 cabinet grade plywood for all parts of these drawers including the bottoms. From walls to allow for wavy or out of plumb walls. Shim the bottom edges to level the cabinets and make the face frame edges parallel with each other. Learn about the specialty tools that make cabinetmaking a breeze.

The cabinets are just boxes. How to build a cabinet drawer choose your drawer material. With some woodworking skills a table saw and some basic tools you can make your own kitchen cabinets the simple way. Put your finished cabinets to work.

With the frame squared and clamped screw the cleats along the top edges. Remove the doors drawers and all hardware and apply a finish. Use glue on all the joints because the nails aren t enough on their own. Adding the backs sounds pretty simple and it is.

Leveling one platform is a lot easier than positioning each cabinet individually. With the cabinet boxes made install the cleats that support the drawers photo 7. Attach the drawer fronts photo 10 the pulls photo 11 and that s it. The base is a simple edge frame assemble it with biscuits topped by two 4 wide cleats.

Making wood boxes and mounting them on the walls via braces can make the installation a one man job. For cabinet box construction you will need. Plywood you don t have to hide the fasteners you used to build your boxes. 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. But it s also a critical part of the process. That means you can use large sturdy screws without worrying about ugly putty filled holes. If you cap the end cabinet with 1 4 in.

No extended sides to form a base no toe kick cutouts. You can choose your wood the stain the finish and configure them to the exact size that would suit your storage needs. Move the cases into position where they ll be installed. To build a cabinet start by cutting panels for the bottom and sides out of mdf plywood or another type of laminate.

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. Most traditional side mounted drawer slides require 1 2 clearance on each side of the drawer. That being said lets first go over the basic tools for building a cabinet box. You ll also need an end cap if you choose to build a separate base.

This sled makes it much easier to accurately cut large pieces. Ken sets the box 1 4 in. Cut purebond plywood panels to fit over the back side of your cabinet boxes. Second installation is faster.

Cabinet grade birch is typical and can be found in all big box stores. 1 2 or 3 4 plywood. 1 2 thickness is also typical but i sometimes use 3 4 especially for frameless cabinets. 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.