Plan for Progress  

Kitchen cabinets add value to a house along with providing a lot of functional storage space however, they can be really pricey. Nevertheless if you have previous skill with woodworking you can build kitchen cabinets on your own and get rid of the cost of hiring a professional; here’s how.

How To Build Kitchen Cabinets

Required Tools

Table Saw/circular saw

A doweling jig or a horizontal boring tool

Mallet

Drill

Router

Clamps for gluing

Sandpaper

Required Materials

Cabinet grade plywood for carcass (frame)

Plywood for door, false front insert and kick plate face

1″ x 6″ oak for face frame

Dowels

Hinges

Knobs

Glue

Finishing nails (6d)

Self drilling screws

Drawer materials and slides (if needed)

Counter top materials

Instructions

The base for the cabinets ought to be 3¼ inches high and the size ought to be that of the bottom of the cabinets minus the sides, front and back of the cabinets. Use the table saw or a circular saw to cut the plywood to the necessary length and nail it all together.

Use the cabinet grade plywood to create the floor of the cabinet and use a bit of glue and some finishing nails to secure it to the base. Next glue and nail the sides of the cabinet to the base, using the clamps to hold them in place while you drive the nails. Make sure that the carcass is accurately squared. You can now add whatever shelving you intend to include.

When the carcass is completed proceed to the face frame; cut the oak wood to the desired length and then decide where the dowel holes will go and set out the face frame and the stiles (vertical pieces) to make sure that everything fits properly. Use the doweling jig or horizontal boring tool to drill the necessary holes for the dowels you are using. Put wood glue on the stiles, dowels and in the dowel holes and then place the dowels into their designated holes using the mallet to secure them properly. Use the clamps to keep the assembly together until the glue dries and everything is locked in position.

Drill holes along the top, middle, bottom and sides of the face frame to hold it to the carcass. Apply glue to the edges of the plywood (the carcass) and the face frame and use clamps to keep the face frame in place. Make sure that the face frame is accurately lined up before tightening the clamps. Next nail 6d finishing nails into the pre-drilled holes to keep the face frame in position.

You can opt to purchase pre-made doors or you can build them too. Just like the face frame use dowels, clamps and glue to put the doors together, but for the doors you need to use the router to make a space for the door insert. Glue, clamp and nail the drawers together as well and install the slides for the drawers and doors.

Put in the door inserts and sand down all the sections of the cabinet and then install the doors and drawers. Fill in any nail holes with wood putty and apply whatever finishing touch you desire like stain, varnish and polyurethane.

Put in the drawers, doors, knobs, handles, hinges and set the cabinet in position. Use a drill and the self drilling screws to hold the cabinets to the wall and finally, put in the top of the cabinet and you are done.

Tips and Warnings

Use a clamp to lock a ruler or other straight item onto the plywood when cutting to work as a guide.

Whatever height or width the counters are to be, make the frame about ¾ of an inch lower and narrower so that the cabinets are the designated size when the doors and counter tops are attached.