Commercial Cabinetry at WOODWEB's Knowledge Base

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Melamine Carcasses

Can melamine interiors be considered high end? April 18, 2004

Frameless carcass construction

A detailed discussion of the quality of frameless cabinets. July 24, 2001

Methods of 32 mm system layout

Different interpretations on the 32mm system. (Cabinetmaking Forum) March 23, 2003

Confirmat screw assembly

Troubleshooting problems with Confirmat screws. June 24, 2002

Case construction methods

Discussion of the strongest, most efficient methods of joinery. July 29, 2003

Five-piece doors on CNC

Doing raised-panel work on a CNC router. November 26, 2001

Confirmat screws -- getting started

A discussion on drilling holes for confirmat screws dives deeper into screw and dowel construction. July 3, 2001

Certifcation for solid surface

What does it take to become certified to install by the manufacturer? July 9, 2003

Chip-free dovetailing in plywood

Building dovetailed plywood drawers without chipping; European and American approaches. April 24, 2002

Choosing a Verical Panel Saw or Slider

A question about choosing a panel saw slips into familiar territory: would a slider be better? That all depends, of course; cabinetmakers here share experiences they've had with both. November 23, 2012

AWI certification

Is membership or certfication with AWI worth your while?July 29, 2003

Eliminating Wood Problems -- An Industry Review: 10 Ways of Eliminating Wood Problems

Gene Wengert explains why eliminating wood problems begins and ends with monitoring and controlling the moisture content (MC) in wood -March 18, 2000

Cabinet construction joinery

Different joinery and construction methods. November 24, 2002

Recessed or flush cabinet backs

Which method cabinetmakers find preferable, plus materials and methods used. December 17, 2003

Going from handcrafted to CNC

Discussion of P2Ps, dedicated boring, edgebanders and other equipment, software and processes. August 29, 2001

Panel and Door Balancing with 32mm Systems

A closet contractor struggles to make his standardized shop system compatible with specs for a commercial job. September 30, 2010

Building Separate Kicks

Different methods of building and installing toekicks. August 7, 2004

Bidding a Commercial Cabinet Job

Residential cabinetmaker gets advice on pricing a commercial unit. May 4, 2005

Low-tech panel squaring

Methods and machines for squaring that don't involve CNC equipment. April 9, 2003

Drawer runner holes in 32mm system

Placement, mounting and more. (From WOODWEB's Cabinetmaking Forum) February 12, 2003

Upper cabinet install jig

A sampling of shop-built setups used by the pros. October 16, 2003

Melamine Wall Cabinet Design

Sturdy construction with an unfamiliar material. July 20, 2004

Scribe Rails -- Why Not?

Why are custom shops not including scribe material on backs? August 26, 2004

Kick boxes

Building separate kicks for efficient installation. September 20, 2003

Components--Not Cabinets

A longtime adherent of the system process of cabinet manufacturing makes his case for componentizing. 1998.

Best material for bent lamination

Searching for the most suitable wood product to use with bent lamination. July 22, 2003

Attaching Bookcases to Countertops

Efficient methods from professional cabinetmakers. February 10, 2004

Designing for Large Pocket Doors

Choosing quality hardware for TV entertainment center. March 14, 2004

Scribing in Difficult Situations

Techniques and tactics for problematic scribing. September 9, 2004

To dado or not to dado?

The pros and cons of dadoing melamine cabinet boxes. November 22, 2003

Dowel, screw, staple, confirmat construction

Efficiency and assembly with different fastening methods. March 5, 2003

- What makes a cabinet "custom"?

Is there a specific standard that qualifies a cabinet as custom? June 24, 2002

Face frame assembly

Fastening face frame members that are assembled and sanded before being applied to a cabinet. April 17, 2002

Fastening dado joints

Fast techniques for assembling dadoed cabinet boxes. June 24, 2002

Drying racks for cabinet doors

Purchased and shop built varieties - the designs that work the best. Illustrated. (Finishing Forum) March 23, 2003

How to attach a drawer front

Fine-tuning the attachment of applied drawer fronts. September 25, 2002

Melamine carcass construction

Methods for the small shop. October 30, 2002

Drawer Slide Choices for Pull-Out Shelving

Thoughts on whether to use high-end drawer slides to mount pull-out shelves, and on what the installation process would entail. February 26, 2007

Finished Outside But Not Inside

How to handle things when specs call for finished face frames but unfinished interiors. February 8, 2005

Concealing Cleats in Cabinets

Constructing cases to hide cleats. November 3, 2004

Door Panel Tolerances

Sloppy fit : Is the supplier at fault? August 7, 2004

Biscuits Or Butt Joints

High-quality, high-speed cabinet joinery techniques. October 20, 2004

Solid Surface as a Shelf Nosing

An architect's query sets off a spirited discussion of using solid surface material for shelf nosings. Appropriate adhesives, durability, and movement rates are issues (and yes, it has been done before). June 10, 2006

Volume Pricing for Store Fixtures

How can a woodworking shop bid low enough to get high-volume orders and still make money on the work? March 12, 2009

Beaded Face Frame Fabrication

There's more than one way to bead a frame, as this discussion proves. January 24, 2005

Face Frame Assembly Table

Developing a bench for fast and accurate assembly. March 14, 2004

Alignment of Face Frames

The decision on making face frames flush versus leaving a reveal. February 10, 2004

Tenoners

Basic descriptions of various types of tenoning machinery and their capabilities. November 13, 2008

Gluing face frames

Is glue alone enough to attach face frames to 3/4-inch plywood cabinets? July 29, 2003

Wire Management in a Moving Cabinet

Products and a shop-built solution for enabling wiring for lights to follow a cabinet that extends and retracts in use.February 16, 2014

Separate Toe Bases for Commercial Cabinetry

For convenience and efficiency, these cabinetmakers build the toe kick and the main cabinet as separate pieces. September 8, 2008

Integrated fillers in cabinets

Using fillers, integrated or loose. April 3, 2002

Where Doors and Panels Meet

How various cabinetmakers deal with the relationsihp between overlay doors and the adjacent edges of finished end panels. January 24, 2005

Accurately Squaring Cabinet Boxes

Methods foraccurately squaring frameless cabinet carcasses. October 16, 2003

Wainscot with toe kick

Notching and other ideas for integrating a toe kick with wainscot. January 3, 2003

Attaching Face Frames to Cabs

Preferred methods of joinery. January 28, 2004

Router Bits for Raised Panels

Horizontal versus vertical bits for cutting raised panels. January 28, 2004

Cutting dadoes and spraying

Finding the best order to assemble, finish and dado. (Cabinetmaking Forum) May 1, 2003

Shop-Built Cabinet Lift Photos

Detailed images of a jack designed to help with cabinet installation. December 21, 2008

Crown on face-frame cabinets

An alternative to notching stiles when applying crown moulding. May 15, 2002

Coping beaded face frames

Efficient methods, plus hinge suggestions for face-frame cabinetry. January 3, 2003

Installing Separate Toekicks

Methods of attaching separate kicks. January 6, 2005

Splitting stiles with pocket screws

Suggestions are offered on how to overcome the problem. July 24, 2002

Joining cabinets - at a 45 degree angle

Cabinetmakers offer illustrated tips on joining a line of cabinetry which incorporates a 45-degree-angled unit. April 3, 2002

Flat Panel Door Material

for the job? February 25, 2005

How many confirmats?

Determining how many fasteners to use per joint in frameless cabinetry. April 2, 2002

Fastening countertops

How to fasten a laminated particleboard countertop to cabinets. March 28, 2001

Sheet Materials for a Cat Condo

What do you use to construct temporary accomodations for cats? April 21, 2011

Face Frame Efficiency

Avoiding bottlenecks in face frame construction. September 20, 2004

Cabinet Backs and Slide Installation

What other shops are using for back material and it works with back-mounted drawer slides. February 8, 2005

Decorative Epoxy Inlay Tips

Advice on choosing a pourable or flowable material for decorative inlay work. March 13, 2014

Frameless Cabinet Fastening

Attaching lower cabinet sides to deck. August 7, 2004

Convenience Store Cabinet Materials

Advice about durable materials for a cabinet in a convenience store. June 4, 2012

Sloppy-Fitting Biscuits

A primer on what's too loose, too tight, and just right. February 25, 2005

Inset-door cabinets

A cabinetmaker goes from frameless to face frame and seeks advice. September 19, 2001

Finishing a Wood Cabinet in a Shower Area

A commercial job in a wet area calls for extra-special care. December 6, 2011

Melamine/Laminate Panels

A discussion of practical ways of building cabinets with melamine exteriors and laminate interiors. October 13, 2010

Building Arched Toekicks

Descriptions and images of tested techniques. September 9, 2004

Square-trimming face frame stock

Woodworkers share their secrets for getting dead-square cuts on the ends of face frame members.

Tooling up for Euro-style cabinets

When considering a switch to the 32mm system, there are two choices: Get your feet wet, or dive right in. 1998.

In Praise of Old-School Bench Vises

Some simple but clever old iron that still works after many decades. Gotta love it.December 2, 2011

Jigs for shelf pin holes

Speeding up the drilling process. March 23, 2002

Crown Molding With Staggered Cabinets

Making a smooth transition from cabinet to cabinet. July 20, 2004

Frequently Asked Questions about Widebelt Sanders

A general list of guidelines when using widebelt sanders - 1998

Building a Bowed Service Counter Front

Tips and techniques for creating the curved plywood front for a long bank counter.

Painting wood cabinets

Suggested paint-grade materials for cabinets. October 15, 2001

Cabinet warranty period

What is a reasonable warranty period for a custom cabinet installation? July 24, 2001

Building a Curved Countertop Reception Desk

Advice on structure and finish for a curved-front desk. March 26, 2010

Dowels: Best for frameless construction?

The case is made (no pun intended) for doweling in frameless cabinet construction. 1998.

Bar Height and Stool Height

Thoughts on a comfortable height for a wall bar counter. June 5, 2006

Hard maple versus soft Maple

Aesthetic and functional differences between hard and soft maple

Line-boring for adjustable shelves

The full range of options for getting shelf holes in place is reviewed. 1998.

Pocket-screwed face frames

A time-saving method for frame assembly compared to dowels. 1998.

Shop-Made Frame Assembly Table

Details on construction, including images. March 14, 2004

Warping and cracking in glued-up pine

To find clues for cracked and warped pine panels, a measure of moisture content is needed before the splitting occurs. 1998.

Attaching End Panels

Methods used by the pros. January 28, 2004

Door/drawer gaps in Euro-style cabinets

Americans need to apply the looser European standards to door and drawer gaps to avoid frustration when ordering these parts from other manufacturers. October 18, 2000

Finished Ends With Separate Kickers

Preferred methods of construction. August 7, 2004

Edgeband failure

Searching for causes of edgeband failure. September 26, 2000

Blum's Process 32™ Manual (PDF)

October 15, 2003

Dovetailing for a hand-cut look

Advice on getting a hand-cut look when dovetailing by machine, and reasons not to do it. June 13, 2001

Leg levelers vs. notches and plinths

Leg levelers are the way to go, if you're going Euro. 1998.

Rating drawer slides

What does a drawer slide weight rating mean, exactly? February 12, 2001

ITEMIZER - From R & R Drummond, Inc.

Use your computer to generate efficient layouts for cutting sheet material into desired sizes (a link to a demo download is provided)1998

Hardboard Drawer Bottoms

Woodworkers report that hardboard drawer bottoms seem to perform well in service. October 27, 2011

Cabinets for a Bank

A cabinetmaker gets advice on creating specs and drawings for cabinetry for a bank, including teller work-stations. December 27, 2008

Dowel drilling and use guidelines

A quick guide to dowel clearances and practices, including drilling depth, diameter-to-edge ratios, and dowel selection. 1998.

Line Boring Attachment, or Dedicated Machine?

A separate machine for line boring makes more practical sense than buying an attachment for another machine. April 20, 2008

Edgebanding and Butt Joints

Rounded-over edgebanding creates an issue of a "soft" joint where edges butt to one another. Here, cabinetmakers discuss whether that's a problem in commercial work. April 20, 2007

Counter, Range Hood, and Cabinet Clearances

Cabinet clearances around ranges and hoods can get tricky when under-cabinet lighting enters the picture. December 27, 2008

Hinge-mounting machines

Hinge insertion machines are available for European as well as traditional cabinet hinges. 1998.

Joinery for a Melamine Box with No Doors

Advice on how to connect the top and sides of a pass-through mailbox made of melamine. June 17, 2012

Restaurant Bar Dimensions

Advice on the proper height and depth for a commercial bar. May 4, 2005

Curing 32mm hole alignment problems

Improving results achieved with a single-hole line borer. January 24, 2001

Attaching crown moulding

Methods of attaching crown moulding to frameless cabinets. March 28, 2001

Alternatives to dado cabinet construction

John Elvrum offers a practical approach to identifying viable, mechanical alternatives to traditional dado joinery of cabinet boxes. 1998.

Whether to Finish Toe Kicks in Commercial Work

If resilient base will be applied by others after cabinets are installed, don't finish the kicks. December 27, 2008

Restaurant Booth Specifications

Basic information on appropriate dimensions for restaurant booth seating and tables. November 10, 2006

Face frame versus frameless

December 28, 2002

How To Charge For Design

Getting paid for design work's not easy, but some markets will bear it. April 10, 2005

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