WORKSHO GP UIDE

()FMEASURING TOOLS ANDDEVICES INVENTORY

Carpenter'a equare Forcheckinq or

Chalk Iine A lenqth of twtne, covered with colored chalk duaL conLained tneide a caae: Lhe twine ie m e a e u r i n 49 0 ' an4leaeuch ae in the corner of a room; can aleo be used ae a eLrai4hted4e

9tud finder Device Lhat locaLea wall ettuda by an elecltrontc fteld or Lhe natle in a etud by a ma4netic fteld

Try aquare For checkin4or markin4 90" an4lee.Elade avatlabletn 6Lo l2-tnch len4th

onapped aqainett walle1;omark lon4, etraiqht linea

Protractor Uaefulfor ae|tinq anqlee of machine fenceeand bladee

9liding bevel AdjueLe ta mea'

Ju, v, vvrJ, ^r traha-

fer any an4le. Blade atoree in handle Combination square For checkin7or markinq 45" or 90' an4lea;deLachable blade doubleaae ruler or eLraiqhtedqe

?pirit level whena worklndicat.ee

piece ie levelor plumb by cenLertnq a -/. bubbletn a vtal

French curve For drawinq curved linee

utility knife tharpenedtip ecoree ltneo an woodmore

precieely l,han a pencil

Trammel points AtLached Lo a eltraiqhLedqe; on Poinf berve!, ab Lhe pivot and Lhe oLher acdbee a circleor an a(c around ir

Compaoo For markin4 arce and circlea

5trai4htedqe For prectetonmarktn4 of atrar4ht ltneaand checkin4flat eurfacee. Thick metal ed4eo are machtnedotraiqht,

MAKING MOLDING CROWN

A Panelraioing bit Covebit Roman ogee bit

profile router bits toform a complex Using simple molding appears elaborate it canactually be Although crown router bits. Tomake themolding, made withthree common you longer wider willneed for first cutthree boards and than layers Install a panel raising bitinyour thethree of molding. of cut, router table. Align thefence andadjust thedepth

forthef irstboard. Switch to thesecond thenrout theprofile repeating foreach andthirdbitsandboards, theprocess profile. ripeach table saw, respective Next, board onyour isthewidest sothefirstboard andthethirdthenarrowest. Glue andclamp theboards together to form themolding.

THEARTOFWOODWORKING

KITCHEN CABTNETS

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

KITCHEN CABINETS

TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA. VIRGlNIA PRESS ST.REMY MONTREAL

THE ARTOF WOODWORKINGwasproducedby ST. REMY PRESS PUBLISHER Kenneth Winchester PRESIDENT Pierre L6veill6
Pierre Home-Douglas Francine Lemieux Andrew Jones Jean-PierreBourgeois, Normand Boudreau Designers Frangois Daxhelet, )ean-Guy Doiron PictureEditor Genevidve Monette Writers John Dowling, Adam Van Sertima Contributing lllustrators Gilles Beauchemin,Michel Blais, Ronald Durepos, JacquesPerrault, Michael Stockdale, JamesThdrien Administrator Natalie Watanabe Production Manager Michelle Turbide Coordinator Dominique Gagn6 Coordinator Eric Beaulieu System Photographer Robert Chartier Proofreader Judy Yelon lndexer Christine M. Jacobs

THE CONSULTANTS
fon Eakes has been a cabinetmaker and custom renovator in Montreal for more than 20 years.He is known primarily for his teaching through books, videos, radio, and the TV show RenovationZone. Giles Miller-Mead taught advanced cabinetmaking at Montreal technical schools for more than ten years.A native of New Zealand, he has worked as a restorer of antique furniture.

Series Editor Series Art Director Editor Art Directors

Kitchen cabinets. p. cm.- (The Art of woodworking) Includes index. ISBN 0-8094-9545-7 l. Kitchen-cabinets.2. Cabinetwork. I. Time-Life Books. II. Series.

1996 TTr97.5.K57 684.1'6-dc20

9s-46501 CIP

Time-LifeBooksis a divisionof Time Life Inc., of a wholly ownedsubsidiary THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

book, For informationaboutanyTime-Life please call l-800-621-7026, or write: Reader Information Service Time-LifeCustomer P.O. BoxC-32068 Richmond, Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1996 Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. in any form or by No part of this book may be reproduced includinginformation or mechanical means, anyelectronic without prior writand retrievaldevices or systems, storage exceptthat brief passages ten permissionfrom the publisher, may be quotedfor reviews. Firstprinting.Printedin U.S.A. in Canada. Published simultaneously of TimeWarnerInc. U.S.A. TIME-LIFEis a trademark

TIME-LIFEINC.
President and CEO John M. Fahey

TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President ManagingEditor Directorof Design Directorof Editorial Operations Editor Consulting Vice-President, Book Production Manager Production ance M anager QualityAssur JohnD. Hall Roberta Conlan MichaelHentges EllenRobling JohnR. Sullivan Marjann Caldwell MarleneZack famesKing

CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION 12 14 17 19 23 LAYOUTAND DESIGN A galleryof kitchen styles Principles of layout Dimensioning Storypoles 98 100 L02 II2 115 118 I2O I22 123 I34 INSTALLING CABINETS Installation basics Installingthe lower cabinets Islands and peninsulas Installingthe upper cabinets Crown molding COTINTERTOPS A galleryof countertopsurfaces Installingcountertops Backsplashes and edgetreatments

26 CASEWORK 28 Anatomy of a kitchen cabinetcase 30 Buildingmaterials 33 Buildingthe cases and storage 38 Shelving 44 Assembling the cabinets frames 50 Face 56 DOORS 58 A galleryof cabinet door designs doors 60 Board-and-batten doors 62 Frame-and-panel 73 Mounting doors 78 80 83 87 93 DRAWERS Drawerconstruction Building drawers Drawerslides and runners False fronts and hardware

140 GTOSSARY T42 INDEX I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Tom Santarslero on

CHOOSING CABINET STYLE,S

espite the tremendous varietyof kitchencabinets, theyall comedown to two

face frame Each has basic types: andframeless. characteristics thatgreatly affect
how the heartof the modernhomewill appear and function.For the designer, how the cabinets cabinetmaker, and installer, theyalsodetermine will be created. Faceframe cabinets are the most populartype of kitchencabinetin North America. Thistime-honored methodof construction involves attaching a framework of solidlumberto the front of a carcase. Doorsand drawers canbe mountedin oneof threeways: inset,lipped, overlay. Inset, most in appearance, is or the elegant a true testof a craftsman's in installation. Tight skill construction and tolerances arerequired to accommodate woodmovement seasonal andyielda pleasing margin between frameand door.During installation, mustbe setperfectly cabinets level and plumb to maintainthat margin.My clients who choose framedcabinets are veryinterested in forginga link with thepast. Theyappreciate theclassic look of wellfitted doorsand drawers that openwith ease and close with a gentlepuff of air as theynestwithin the frame.

Frameless cabinetry was WorldWarII. It addressed bornin Europe after some of thechallenges of thetime, such astheshortage of lumber andtheneed to rebuild housing rapidly. Thesimplicity kitchen greatly of theframeless, or European, cabinet reduced material, needs, andproduction time.Doors wouldaligntightlytogether, flowing lineof casework. creating aclean, Thisreflected amodernist viewof achanged worldwhere timewas shortandproduction andefficiency reigned This supreme. method yielded construction other benefits. Drawers could bewideranddeeper because theydidn'tneed to clear a face frame. Andstorage andremoval of items along with cleaning thecabinet interior became easier andmoreefficient. Today, thelinebetween face frame has andframeless casework blurred slightly. Frameless nolonger limited cabinets are to flush-laminate doors; most of theframeless kitchens I buildfeature raised panel traditional doors, multi-part cornice moldings, andotheraccoutrements endowing each kitchen withwarmth andcomfort. For installing, maximizing building, storage, andease of use, frameless cabinets can't be you'd prefer surpassed. If, on theotherhand, a touchof timeless in your tradition yourcabinets kitchen, areonlya face frame away.

TomSantarsiero isPresident of theKtchenDesign Center in Montclair, NewJersey.

INTRODUCTION

DonaldSilvers discusses

KITCHENFORM AND FUNCTION

jugglingtwo requirements: I am continually I n *y work asa kitchendesigner, I creating spaces thatarebothwonderfulto lookat anda pleasure to workin. Form andfunctionmustwork in tandem. past, Thiswasnot always thecase. In years cabinetmakers who designed kitchens werevirtuallyunknown,sincethe homebuilder wasresponsible for creating the kitchenand its cabinets, and oftenbroughtto the kitchenthe same economy of means with which he built the restof the house. For example, a ceilingheightof quantities 8 feetandthreestuds spaced 16inches apartcreated theneed for large of plywood.The homebuilder felt it waseconomically soundto useleftoverplyvood for kitchen cabinets sothere wouldbeno waste. Thebase were22inches cabinets deep just running andthewallcabinets were11to 12inches deep. These cabinets-really shelves with doors-stubbornlyresisted anyform of change; base cabinets didn't change to a 24-inch depthuntil thedevelopment of dishwaihers madeit necessary. In the kitchenenvironment of today, designing is much and buildingkitchens morethana wayof recycling leftover homebuilding materials. To create eye-catching residential kitchens, today's designers have takena cuefrom the extraordinary work of cabinetmakers. Thedifferent woodsandfinishes that makeup thecabinetmaker's palette providethefreedom to conjure Wth histools,thecabinetmaker up anystyle. might carve cherryor oakwoods, creating French or English Countrycabinets, or shape an intimate ArtsandCrafts kitchen in beech. He couldfashion anArt Decolook in the richness of walnut, or anArt Nouveau, Victorian, look in or EarlyAmerican a variety of woods-pine, ash, maple, or mahogany, to namea few Thecabinetmaker puttingat hisdisposal mighteven work with laminates, theentirecolorspectrum. And let'snot forget thestains thatproduce an array of hues andpatinas. Therange is breathtaking. of choices The cabinetmaker hasalsomadethe cook's life a delightby incorporating the job easier, right kind of accessories that canmakethe cook's evenfun. For example, therearedrawers and roll-outswith hardware that gives the cookfingertipcontrol, pantries that areonly a foot wide yet 84 inches tall,providingenormous storage whenpulledout of a wallcabinet with ease. Moreandmore, thekitchen designer of today is drawing on thepast andthepresent to create a kitchen environment thatlooks and cooksbeautifully.

DonaldSilvers is a kitchen designer who teaches at the University of Californiaat LosAngeles. He is theauthorof TheComplete GuideTo Kitchen Design With Cooking In Mind, published by TheNewarkManagement Institute.

INTRODUCTION

Hansontalksabout Sven

ASMOOTH INSTALLATION
need installation to lookgoodandfunction well. itchen cabinets top-quality of theshop, cabinets corner Unlikefinefurniturethatcanlookgoodin adusty installed. wetendto put don'tcome to life until aftertheyhave been Unfortunately, it happens in anunfamiliar off considering theproblems of installation because needed andrequires skillsdifferent fromthose to build thecabinets. environment plan, problems, installation Toavoid startwith andstickto a detailed cirawn these you Dont betempted to change it because up wellbefore thecabinets arefinished. instead of the36-inch oneyouoriginally suddenly likea 42-inch drop-incooktop planned youto modifrtherange base, bothadjacent cabinets, for.Thiswill force to thenegotiating table andtheirdrawers. It'sfarmoreefficient to bringallparties youbuildthecabinets. andmake thatkindof decision before yourpsychological youannounce Youwill getto practice skills when to therest for a fewdays whilethenewcabinets of thehousehold thatthektchenwill beclosed goin. Tryto keep for everyone. Above all, theblockade shortandtimedconveniently just before pit of trying to have your newkitchenready do not fall into the snake "if goes investing in oneof those everything to plan" Thanksgiving or Christmas, whileconvincing them schedules. However, if youplanto getrid of yourin-laws youarethecomplete idiottheythought, success beckons. There is no rightor wrongwayto installcabinets. I liketo install andlevel the plinths for thelower theafternoon before theinstallation begins. Forsheer cabinets pointof level to thehighest exhaustion, crawling around thefloorto setallthebases frommostwoodworking chores. Thefollowing morning, I thefloor stands apart first,thenthelowercabinets. AsI screw in installtheuppercabinets thecabinets "idiot" place,I for levelness. Nothing louder always double-check says thana tilting made sinkor cooktop. Duringinstallation, adustcurtain of 4-milplastic sheeting can repel would-be while keeping most dustandsome noise contained. Tofursnackers shouldblock anyairducts andopen thekitchen window acrack therreduce dust,you Finally, I'veobserved many first-time installers whouse surprisingly fewtools. I relyon manymoreandlaythemout on a temporary workbench setat theedge isapart fromthejob site, alistof theinstalof theroom.Ifyourshop startmaking you're helps lationtools while stillconstruaing thecabinets.Visualizing theinstallation yourtools(and to fabricate a cabinet thatistruly ready to installandhelps organize mindset) to finishthejob properly. In 25years I'venever heard a single woodworker "I say, wishI hadn't wasted somuchtimepreparing for thatjobJ'

Hansonis a cabinetmaker Sven Ne'w Mexico. in Albuquerque,

,:;,!ii,

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IAOUTATDDESIGN
incecolonialdavs. for work.Thekitchenisa workthe American orovided kitchen hasbeenthoughtofas the ihop like anyother,and shouldbe laid heartof thehome.It is thefirst room a out with efficiency in mind. Youwould familyshares eachday;it is not only the not think of locating thetablesawanda place planerat opposite where meals areprepared, but also endsof a workshop; wheretheyareofteneaten. The kitchen theprimaryworkcenters of a kitchenis wherechildrenand adultsdo their in mostcases, the sink,refrigerator, and homework,and wherethey lingerfor stove/cooking area-are no different. (page Yet,although conversation. the roleof Worktriangles 17)areonewayto the kitchenhasnot changed in three minimizethe trips between the three. centuries, its appearance has.Once, Arriving at an efficientlayout for a pipes cookingwasdoneby the centralfireThesupply anddrainofa kitchen kitchenin a confinedspace canbea chalplace, andthelarder wasstored against sinkaremarked lenge. Invariably, on thewallwith theaid the sizeand location (above). precise of your kitchen wall. Today, The willhaveto be the cold,north-facing a of a carpenter\ level cabinets kitchenmust be carefullyplannedto flexible location of the will then be enough to accommodate the fixtures meetthe demands location of a busyhousehold, marked ontovertical andhorizontal site of appliances, utilities, windows, poles andto accommodate a batteryof laborstory before being transferred to the and doors. A selection ofbasiclayout poles page saving devices. Thischapter focuses on story the sink cabinet itself. options is shown on 18.Drafting for thework of today's kitchen-especialscale floor plansandelevations canhelp ly its cabinetry-introducespopulardesigns, and outlines you visualize your layout;floor plansandelevations for a typprinciples ical L-shaped kitchenareshownon page20. Onceyou have some basic that willhelp you create a kitchenthat your needs. meets you candividetheir settled on theplacement of your cabinets, A kitchendesign runsinto individualcabinets oftenstarts asa naturalextension ofthe anddrawers. Whilemostkitchen molding, architectural styleof a house. as trim, and furcabinets adhere to basic dimensional standards inheight (page Just nishings candistinguish a homeasbeingVictorian or Colonial, 19),their width and numberof doorscanbe fine tunedto cabinet doors,molding,andhardware candefine thestyleof a reach a visuallywell-balanced kitchendesign(page 22). kitchen.For example, Victorianis an opulentstylemarkedby Accuracy is crucialwhen draftingfloor plansand elevaporcelain pulls,andexposed tions.A site-referenced complex egg-and-dart molding, 24) tellsyou everystorypole(page hinges, while Shaker is model relying you need know style a of austerity, on thing to abouta kitchenwall in precise detail, recessed frame-and-panel moldincluding location simple, doors, an absence of the andsize of thecabinets. By using these ing, and the muted colorsof milk paint.A galleryof kitchen smalllengthsof wood for eachwall and cabinet, you can styles from traditional to modernis shown starting on page 14. proceed from floor plan to cuttinglist with a minimum of you Whether choose a traditional architectural style for your errors.From thereto your dreamkitchenit is only a few kitchenor a blendof severalstyles, adequate room mustbe morecareful steos.

Drawingyour kitchento scale is thebest wayto experiment with its layout.Thephotoat leftshows theJloorplan of an L-shaped kitchen, includingthelocation of cabinets, windows, appliances, and utilities.

13

A GALLERY OF KITCHEN STYLES

your reflect should \ [ f hileakitchen Y V personal culinaryneedsand not bechosen its design should tastes, withoutfirst addressing a fewimporWiil thestylecompletant questions. withtherest of thehouse mentor clash SHAKER but Manykitchens areShaker-inspired, this as to Shaker style as feware faithful architect Charles Allen house designedby With recessed Hill. their flat frame-andpanel achew ornamendoors, thecabinets elegant tation, andevoke theShalcer's yet There's even a pegboard utilitarianethic. overtherange. A Victorian kitchen architecturally? in a modern wouldlookout of place with Mission furniture. house decorated important considerBudget is another for an ation.Thelumbercosts alone kitchen with cherfuts andCrafts-swle ry cabinets doors andframe-and-panel of many. Popular, are beyond thereach lessexpensive optionsincludethe kitchen, whichuses stanEuropean-style dardized melamine cabinets, or the kitchen, in whichrustic Country-style

VICTORIAN Less opulent than its namesake, this designed byMaine architect kitchen nonetheless sevlohn Gillespie features mostnotabf eralhallmarlsof thestyle, with tongue-andtall uppercabinets groove brass doors, surface-mounted pulls. Notethe hinges, andporcelain way the Victori an motifs-cr own molding ornatecolumns and arches -are carriedinto adjoining areas of thehouse.

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

charm can be derivedfrom the minor defects ofaged,recycled wood. A kitchendesign doesnot have to be faithful to a singlestyle.As the gallery pages andthe charton page16 on these show,several styles can be combined EUROPEAN Its hardware out of sight,theEuropeanstylecabinet defines themodern kitchen. Itsclean, unadorned linesareenhanced by recessed kghting andplentyofuncluxered laminatecountertop. Subtle touches by Maine designer suchasthe JohnScholtz, porcelain trim and friezeand bacl<splash theladderback Shaker chairs, lenda warm toneto theimmaculate decor.

with a careful a unique of therightmaterials canalso eyeto create unifr a Blending your contrasting kitchen withthesurrounddesign. styles canmake for examdesignmore flexible:Shaker-style ing house. Cherry cabinets, kitchens well-adapted to themodu- ple,canprovide are a graceful transition larconstruction of European-style cab- between a European-style kitchen and inetry(page26). Thediscerning choice a Colonial farmhouse.

c0t0NtAt
Thisisan ecleaic stylethat canbeevoked asmuchby decoration asby actualcabinetry.Framedby exposed timbers,the kitchen at left,designed by Steven Foote of Boston,is a pleasingly modernupdate on thestyle. Thebrick,pineplankfloors, and leaded glazingintheupper wallcabinets all contribute to a colonial ambiance. A moreexplicitreference to thestylecan be in the doors found frame-and-panel with oversized knobs.

l5

LAYOUT ANI) DESIGN

()FPERI()D STYLES DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

C()UNTRY STYLE

Kaieed frameand-panel door

I
-,* i l;

tl)
V
Wrought iron hingeoand pullo Woodenpull Eutterfly hinge
Pierced tin panel

SHAKER

Keceseed panel door with pinned mortise and tenon jointe

ARTS AND CRAFTS

-;-_A=_ --_

I,tl+

Leaded glazed window

VICT()RIAN

9urfacemounted braee door hingea

Porcelainpull

Egg-and-dart molding

PRINCIPLES OF LAYOUT
kitchen depends on A successful A threethings:sufficient space to work, adequate lighting overthe sink andcooking areas, andcabinets arranged so that everything from the cutleryto thebreadbox is at hand.Sometimes the area destined for thekitchen is woefully inadequate in the first of these three planneeds, Still,with a little creative ning,a functional kitchen canbi laid out in thetightest ofspaces. Thecornerstone layoutis of kitchen positioning the stove, refrigerator, and sinksotheyform a triangle(below).The smaller the triangle, the moreefficient theuseof space. As theillustrations on page18 show,thereareseveral layout optionsfor a kitchen. The mostpopular of these, the U- and L-shaped designs, allowfor efficient work triangles. A largekitchencanbenefitfrom theadditionof an island, whichtightens the work trianglewhile freeingup counter space. Conversely, a single wall or corridor-style layoutmakes thebest useof a smallspace. All appliances andfixtures comewith dimensional requirements of theirown thatshould betaken into consideration beforetheir positions are fixed.For example, a sink shouldhavecounter space ofabout 30 inches on each side for washing dishes; a stove should have 20 to 24 inches ofspace on both sides for uncluttered andsafecooking. The doorsof refrigerators, dishwashers, and ovens create furtherdemand for space; these appliances should be positioned fully open.

WORK TRIANGLES

U-ahaped

Laying outanetficient kitchen Thethree diagrams shown above demonstrate how to apply the principle of thework triangle forthree different kitchen layouts. For maximum efficiency, theperimeter of thetriangle should notexceed your 25 feet; Iess than20 feetis ideal. Plan layout your byfirstdrawing kitchen to scale, then sketch in theappli-

youcome ances in different arrangements until upwithanefficient and satisfactory use of space. lf possible, lay outthekitchen sothework triangles areclear of household traffic. For further ease of movement, make sure there isat least 36 inches of clearance around anypeninsula or island.

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

(lFKITCHEN LAYOUT OPTI(INS A SELECTION

SINGLEWALL Oood for a amall apartment with emallappliancee

U.5HAPED Themoat efficient

and veraatilekitchen layout; two blind cornere can be a diaad' vantaqeae they take up valuableopace

CORRIDOR More efficient than einqlewall layout; through traffic can be a problem

L.qHAPED More efficient than either corridor or layout; ein4le-wall worktrtanqlecan be kept emalland coun' tera continuoua

L.5HAPED WITHI?LAND )ffere more efficient work trianqle than eimpleL-ohaped layouL;createe oeparate cooktn1area

DIMENSIONING
measurements for kitchen Q tandard r.J cabinets from human arederived anatomy. For example, countertops are for most users whenthey comfortable arewaist-high-typically,threefeetoff the floor. Subtracting four-and-a-half inches for a kickolate and one-and-ahalf inches for thi countertoD leaves a 30-inch-high cabinet. areusually Uppercabinets shallower for easier thanbottomones access to the countertop. A general rule of thumb for uppercabinets is to positionthebottom of thelowest cabinet height. at shoulder This will fluctuateto allow for a range hood overthe stoveor for mountine appliances that usedto crowdthe counl tertop,suchasmicrowaves. Youcanalso leave a few inches beneath the cabinets to accommodate lighting.Allow for an inch or two at the top of the ceilingto addmolding. youhave Once determined theheight and depthof cabinets, you can start dividingtherunson your floor planand elevations into individual cases with face frames, doors,and drawers(page 22). Startby positioningthe sink and any othermajorappliances in therun, then dividetheremainder of therun into cabinets. Depending on yourkitchenneeds, these cabinets canbelarge or small, with oneor two doors; theycouldalsoconsist ofa bankofdrawers. Forvisual balance andease of production, try to make the proportional, cabinets sothewidth of a large, two-doorcabinet is twicethat of a smaller, one-doorcabineu 30-38inchesis a good width to work with for a Iargecabinet. Also takecareto match the upperand lowerruns.For sample floorplans andelevations ofan L-shaped kitchen, pages see 20-21.

STANDARD KITCHEN CABINET PR()P(!RTI(|NS AND DIMENSIONS

cabinet

Varies with heiqhtof kitchen ceilin4

30-40
inchea

)pace for liqht

15 inchea minimum Counterbop

24-26 inchee

Eackaplaah

32-33
incheo

Lower cabinet

LAYOUTAND DESIGN

KITCHEN'S SH(]RT WAIL VIEW OFANI-SHAPED FAGE-ON

WALL FACE-ON VIEW OTIONGER

LAYOUTAND DESIGN

LAYOUTAND DESIGN

DIVIDING A RUN

2-inah sPaae

The illuatration below showahowto dividea lower and upperrun of cabinete. ln the lowerrun, the diahwasher and ainkare then the reat poeiLioned,

of the run ia divided into equalcaaee.Next, the caeee are divided into draweraand doors. ln thie example,the upper cabinet run ia also divided

to match the lowerrun. For different matchtng effecte, aeeLhe illuatration at the bottom of the paqe.

I
24 inahea

00 0

0I

4-8 inchea wider :,Double eaee ',13-19 than aink I,inchea wide "

;,)ingle i,Double qase i c a e e1 O "1 3 ' 1 9 i :,inohes i,incheo,',1ide iwide

MATCHING AND TOWER UPPER CABINETS

Matahing top run to bottom

Matahing bottom run to top

Staggered run

zz

POLES STORY
area method of measurQ tory poles rJ ingkitchen accurately for a cabinets master cuttinglist withoutrelying on a have tapemeasure or ruler.Carpenters beenlayingout entirehomeson these long, narrowsticksof wood for centuries,and this tried-and-true method advantages offersseveral overstandard measuring Forone,all meatechniques. surements aremarked out full-size, making an error-free cuttinglist easier to thanfrom scale calculate drawings. alsoallowyouto visualize Storypoles By construction detailsmore easilv. marking for each themeasurements cabineton thesticks youhave picanexact tureof each cabinet; lengths, widths,and positions ofjointscanallbemarked later on the stockdirectly, without a tape measure introducing error.For ease of handling, makeyour storypolesfrom wood t/+ inchto 3/+ inchthickandabout 1r/:inches wide.Tosee theoencil marks wood. better, use light-colored Whenlaying out a kitchen, sitestory polesarefirst completed for eachwall 24).On the horiof the kitchen(pnge zontalstorypole,thelocation ofeverything alongthat wall is marked: the in the run, appliances and cabinets doors,windows,and anyelectrical or plumbingfixtures suchasoutlets or sink photo,page13).The vertical pipes(see storypoleshows theheightof thekickplate, lowercabinet, countertop, backsplash,upper cabinet, and ceiling molding,aswell asany windowsand plumbing electricalor fixtures. A depth storypoleprovides the depthof kickplate, cabinet, andcountertop overhang. Oncethe kitchenhasbeenlaid out individualstory poles on story poles, for each 25). arecreated cabinet(page For maximumaccuracy, eachcabinet shouldhavethreesmaller storypoles: height,width, and depth,each ieferenced to the respective sitestorypole. These shorter storypoles willtellyou (right) the dimensions of your cabinets whenit comes time to compile themaster cutting list (page 32).

CABINET STORY POLES

Depthatory pole lndicatea depthof cabinet,kickplate, counterLop overhan1, and nailinq raile

Width at'ory pole lndicateawidth of cabinet,Iocationof drawera and doora, and any intermediate face frame attles. Aloo may indicate cutouta for electrical or plumbinq eervicee

Height etory pole lndicatea heiqhLof cabinet, kickplate,countertop, and any drawer frame raila.Alao may indicaLe cutouts for electricalor plumbina eervicea

ZJ

LAYOUTAND DESIGN

WITHSTORY POLES LAYING OUT A KITCHEN

I Usrng c h a l ks , ketch a f u l l - s i zo eu t l i n e o f y o u rk i t c h e n layo u t o n t h e s i t ef l o o r .M a r kb o t ht h e u p p e r andlower cabinet r u n s ,i n d i c a t i nw g h i c hc a s e s w i l l b e c a b i n e ta s n dw h i c hw i l l T.h e nc r e a t e beappliances a horizonta s li t es t o r yp o l ef o r nf all e a c hw a l l i n t h e k i t c h e nO . nt h e p o l e ,m a r kt h e l o c a t i o o lf the cabinets in both runs(above) and anydoors or windows. y o uc a nj o i nt w o s t i c k s kitchen w a l l i s u n u s u a l lly ong, together
+^ ^^^^ LU 5lidil +h^ l;^+^^^^ LilC UtSLdILC,

horizontal sitepoles 1l Making -

/ , /
t

r, /

\ /

/-

Making vertical sitepoles

Floors , o y o un e e d to a n dc e i l i n g a s r eo f t e nn o tf l a t o r l e v e ls k n o wt h e m i n i m u m distance b e t w e et n h e t w ot o p l a nt h e h e i g h t l e f e r e n cl e i n eo n t h e w a l l s o f y o u rc a b i n e t s S .trike a l e v er around t h e k i t c h e nT . h e nf i n d t h e h i g hp o i n to f t h e f l o o ra n d h o l dt h e p l u m bt o t h e r e f e r e n c e v e r t i c as l i t e s t o r yp o l ea t t h i s p o i n t , l i n e .S e ta c o m p a sts o t h e h e i g ho t f the kickplate andmark . s et h e c o m p a s s t h i s p o i n to n t h e s t o r yp o l e( r i g h t ) U to make m a r kt o r e c o r d t h e h e i g ho t f a n ym o l d i n g at thetop a similar oftheupper r abo f t h e p o l e .N o wm a r kt h e h e i g h t a n dl o w ec inets l ole, nf a n yw i n o n t h e v e r t i c ap a s w e l la st h e l o c a t i oo , reate dows o n t h a t w a l l .L a s t l yc a d e p t hs t o r yp o l ef o r t h e w a l l i n d i c a t i nt g f e a t u r eo sn h e d e p t ho f t h e c a b i n e t s a n da n yo t h e r t h e w a l la d i a c e ntto t h e r u n .

1 A L.+

LAYOUTAND DESIGN

Locating electrical and plumbing services

U s ea c a r p e n t e r 'ls evel t o d r a wp l u m b lines f r o mt h e l o c a t i oo nf a n yp l u m b i n g or electrical services to the levelreference line (right). Transfer theselocations to the for horizontal and vertical site storypoles t h e r un .

<'1 ,^ -,c-R b t-' {^\Q, $\

poles Creating cabinet story
M a k eh o r i z o n t a , r t i c a la vl e , n dd e p t h
z /'\

/ / :

a-\

\z--J

/'1

Horizontal

t QRb t

cabineL I

r-

erort'Pote

{-\F ' $sJ

\_/r

B3 DRAWERS

B5 DRAWERS

poles story foreach cabinet, thenreference each to itsrespective sitepole fortherun t h ec a b i n e is t i n . I n t h ee x a m p s le hown pole at left,thehorizontal story fora bank of drawers is being referenced to its horizontal Mark sitepole. outthedetails of thecabinetin thiscase, theface frame rails and s t i l e sw i t h i n t h ec a b i n e wti d t h . pole, 0n thevertical story mark theheight of thekickplate, countertop, backsplash, upper cabinet, and ceiling molding, aswell asanywindows andelectrical or plumbingservices. Mark thedepth of kickplate, cabinet, andcountertop overhang onthe pole. depth Besure to label all poles caref ully to avoid conf usion later.

25

rt

-'t

CASEWORK
arerelaandotherhardware canthenbeadded to uilt-in kitchencabinets create an appropriate style. tivelyrecentarrivalsin domestic I kitchens. Traditionally, kitchencupWhile the wide availability of materialssuchasmediumdensity fiberboard boardswere freestanding units with frame-and-panel andface hassimplifiedcasework, sheetgoods construction in heel:their edges frames, muchlike the chinacabinet still havean Achilles' theparlor. Yetby theturn ofthe centuareunattractive and needto be hidden. ry, the switchto built-ins had already Laminate boardcanbeedged with hardduring the postwoodstrips(page 48)orlaminate edge begun.It accelerated when banding(page a9).Thetraditionalface WW II housing boomin Europe, frame(page 50), frameconthe construction of millions of new a solid-wood An appliance bayis a tidy way to keep sisting ofrailsandstiles thatis attached homespromptedthe development of Blenders, isanothnew wood products, tools,and techa countertop to thefront of thefinished case, freeof clutter. niquesthat saved laborand materials. cffie makers, toasters, andother small er wayto hidethe edges of man-made No room in the house from appliances canbekeptout of sight boards. Moreimportantly, theface frame benefitted morethan the kitchen. but readilyaccessible. Whilethe can impart a traditional,handcrafted these advances partiThedevelopment of pll.rvood, appliance bayshownabove feelto the kitchen. features fiberboard, louvered doors, and storage cleboard, andothermanuspace canbesaved Shelving arekeyconsid(page40). goods madeassemblyJine in casework For factured sheet by usingtambourdoors erations construction. productionof largeand rigid cabinets example, a bankof graduated drawerspossible. The European32-millimetersystem-so called theidealsolutionforcutleryandkitchenutensils-shouldnot allthe holes for drawer slides, dowels, shelf supports, be an afterthought if you areusingface frames on your cabibecause andhinges arespaced 32 millimeters apart-was revolution- nets.(For moreon drawers, seechapter three.)Adjustable (page predrilled Itsmodular, melamine cabinets offered shelves 38)canaddflexibilityto your cabinets, enabling aryin design. flexibility. It made modern kitchen affordyou to store goods and adapt unparalleled also the oversized bulk to changing culihomecouldnowbeoutfittedwith naryneeds. Theyarealsosimpleto installif you drill the supable:Even themostmodest kitchencabinets. port holes Anothermodernstorage a full complement of sleek before assembling thecases. (page lazy 42), gooduseof a perennial Building these cases is mainlya matterof cuttingthestock idea, the Susan makes joining to sizeand then it usingoneof the techniques shown weakspotin thekitchen: thelowercornercupboard. An applipiece 33 to 37;thecharton page 3I will helpyou choose ance bay(photo above andpage 40)is a separate on pages of casefrom available materials. Face frames. doors,drawerfronts, work in its own rieht.

l.-,,*rT:
ih

M{
-ffi

Accurately cutting sheetgoods to size can be a tricky task. In the photo at left, a panel-cutting circular saw attachment is being usedto rip a sheetof melamine modelshownfeatures a T-square-type for a kitchen cabinet. The Exqct-T-Guide guide that rides in a U-shapedchannelscrewedto the edgeof a plywood base.

27

ANATOMYOF A KITCHENCABINETCASE
as cabinets should bekept f1 itchen goods possible. as Using sheet A. basic joinery (page techniques 31) andsimple of buildwill keep thetimeandexpense worthof ing andinstalling a kitchen's Although their to a minimum. cabinets it isimportant issimple, construction Drawers, bewell-built. thatthecases will allbeeasier doors, andcountertops is strong, straight, to fit if thecasework a littleextra time andsquare. Spending will save muchfrusin thebuilding stage during installation. tration
The anatomies belowand on the facingpageshowbasiccabinetconfrom Usethe measurements struction. 25) to your cabinetstory poles(page cut the stockfor eachcabinetto size. The sides ofthe bottom cabinetcan extend right down to the floor,or you 44) that can install levelerlegs (page kickplate. At this will hold a clip-on time, it is a good ideato cut all the grooves for the back panels, and to shelving boreholesfor anyadjustable (page 38). Ifyou areaftera traditionallook, solid-woodfaceframescanbe added arebuilt. If you do not afterthe cabinets faceframes, the exposed edge of choose mustbecovered with some theolr.r,vood laminate or solid either sorfo?banding, aremany ways to join wood.Whiiethere efficiency favors certainmethboards, lock miter,tongue-andods.Biscuit, jointsandready-to-assemble--or groove canall be usedto proRTA-fasteners, joints that combine ease of instalduce lationwith accuracy andstrength.

UPPER CASES

Holea for adjuotable shelving

CASEWORK

LOWER CASES

Counteftop nailer

Face frame (paqe 50)

RTAfastener

Eiaauit joint

Loak miter joint

BUILDINGMME,RIALS
f were all cabinets built raditionally, wood. But close I entirelv oisolid examination of anticuefurniturecan Yesterday's offeran instructive suiprise. woodworkers oftenusedless attractive woodslike poplarandpinefor hidden partssuchasdrawersides and cabinet walwasno pointin putting backs;there nut andcherry where it wouldnever be Today, cabinetmakers stillsave the seen. fronts, cherryandwalnutfor thedrawer goods they rely on man-made sheet but Not onlydo for theinsides of thecabinets. resources, theysave moneyandconserve wood goods also outperform but sheet in termsof dimensional stability. Thechartbelowoffers anoverview of materials in making kitchen different used to cabinets, from melamine to plyr,vood has its solidwood.Each own strengths is to The challenee and weaknesses. thebest product for eachiompochoose nentandfor the style ofyour cabinets.

to theexpensive, Fromtheeconomical goods is available a uast arrayof sheet Thephotoat left for usein casework. goods, of sheet includshows e selection partiingsamples of melamine-coated density cleboard, medium fiberboard, and veneered olvwood.

MATERIATS CASEWORK
MATERIAL RELATIVE C()ST CHARACTERISTICS

PLYWOOD GABINET-GRADE (softwood veneer core) Moderate Rotary cut hardwood veneer Hieh Plainsawn veneer WOOD SOLID Cheny Moderate

face veneer notasattractive very strong anddimensionally stable; Easy to work, withsolid wood; needs little sanding. variety. Edges must befaced asplainsawn veneer resembles edge-joined boards. asabove butface Same

ash Oak, Maple, birch Walnut poplar, Pine, alder C()MPOSITE Medium density (MDF) fiberboard

color darkens withage; cabinet woods. Reddish-brown One of thefinest natural finishes well.Moderately difficultto work; f inegrained texture accepts resins in thewood canleave burn marks. grain; accepts natural finishes well. hardwoods withprominent, open Moderate to low Strong, stable finish. Density can hardwoods thatprovide a smooth Moderate to low Straight-grained, stable in particular woods to work; maple canblunt tools. make these difficult worked withall hand wood withrich color andgrain; easily Moderate to high Choice cabinet finishes well. tools; accepts natural andpower yetjustasstable. woods, Easy to work butalso easily Much ihanabove LOW softer figure; finished withpaint. Very little typically damaged. Moderate orgroove; stable; edges easy to rout, shape, Strong anddimensionally veneers. or painted withlittle withplywood face Canbefinished available fumes when sawn; useof Some varieties canemittoxic or nosanding. tools is recommended. carbidetipped poorly. holds fasteners More difficult less strong andstable thanMDF; Slightly withplywood face veneers. andfinish; available to work plastic witha hard or particle board surfaced Common termfor plywood in a variety of colors. Tough andlong-lasting; onlyasstrong laminate; comes asitssubstrate.

Particleboard Melamine

Low Moderate

30

CASEWORK

TYPES OF PLYWOOD

Types ofplywood prle y w o oh do l d s is thesame: covered o r m e d i u m d e n s i tfy i b e r b o a rL du . mber-co Thebasic design of all plywood a core p r e f e r a b l e se s t a n di s where additional on bothsides by layers of crossbanding anda faceveneer. n a i l s a n ds c r e wb "Cabinet-quality" plywoods plywoods strength All softwood andflatness arerequired. Themost common typehasa veneer core. face veneers forvisible surwarp-resistant, and withsuoerior arerecommended aremade thisway, andtheyarestable, plywoods faces. There aretwobroad catinexpensive. Hardwood canalso be made withsolid faces such asdoors anddrawer plywood: plyof lumber-coreegories rotary sawn andplainsawn. lumber Themiddle of cabinet-quality or particleboard cores. pn lywoo plywood le narrow wood-usu- W h i l e e q u ailn s t r e n g t p hl ,a i n s a w cd a nr e s e m ba consists of several strips of solid g l u e d u p p a n e l , poplar, venee is r easily solid wood while r o t a rs ya w n allymahogany, or basswood-edge-glued together. plywood iedasplywood. Particleboard-core hasa solid core of particleboardidentif

PLYWOOD FACE VENEER GRADES

HARDWOOD PTYWOOD Premium Face veneer withwell-matched seams andsmooth surface; made of specific hardwood, such aswalnut or mahogany. Even color andgrain Face veneer Good similar to premium, butnotaswellmatched. Free of in color andgrain sharp contrasts Sound Face veneer smooth, butnotmatched forcolor orgrain; defects onlyon back veneer. Generally intended forpainting grain Veneers have rough andmay knotholes have upto %inch, aswellas some discoloration, staining, andslight forcolor splits, Notmatched orgrain Mayhave larger defects thanutility panel grade, butnone thatimpair strength. Notmatched forcolor orgrain PTYW()OD S()FTWOOD Sanded smooth; cantake finish; face veneer matched for a clear grain freeof open defects andcolor, Sanded smooth; cantakea natural painted finish, butis more often mayhave Smooth andsanded; minor splits grain, Smooth; may have some broken sanding defects andknotholes upto % inch Sanded; similar to C grade, butknotholes andsolits aresmaller plies mainly forinner Used andback veneer; mayhave knotholes upto 2%inches

c
C Plugged D

Utility

Back

Specialty Made to order to meet specific panels requirements, such asseparate grain patterns withmatching

3l

CASEWORK

CASE

22%"

I I
I I
I
i

Nailer:4@ 2B%"X 4" X%" Baak panel: 3U/''X 29',1" X',/" 1ide:2@ X 22" X'/o" 51t/r" Stile:2@ X 2" X'/o" 31'/"" Median rail: 271" X 2" X%" Rail:2@ 26',/;'X 2" X%"

FRAME FACE

31%"

list Making a cutting listfora kitchen cutting Making a master l i k ea d a u n t i n g seem f u l l o f c a b i n e tm s ay yetif youhave about been scrupulous task, poles cabiforallyour marking accurate story a cutting listis relatively nets, then deducing list Write a separate cutting straightforward. (lefil.f,Aake card cabinet onan index foreach a andjot down of thecabinet a rough sketch takandmaterials, listof allthecomponents from thecabinet's ingtheirmeasurements (page poles laier confusion 2fl Toavoid story thesame as sure to label thecard on,make your listcanthen Themaster cutting cabinet. listbased ontherequirements becalculated upat the Tospeed things edonallthecards. youmay separate wish to create lumberyard, forsolid stock andsheet stock. master lists

FEET BOARD ESTIMATING FEET BOARD CATCULATING

foot 0rdering lumber bytheboard used to foot"isa unitof measurement The"board lt of stock. of a given amount thevolume calculate lumber. Asshown withhardwood iscommonly used board footis thestandard at righi, in the illustration thick, 12 inches thatis I inch equivalent to a piece Tocalculate thenumber long. wide, and12 inches itsthree multiply feetin a piece of wood, of board result by144 Then, divide the together. dimensions arein inches, orby12 if justone if thedrmensrons isinfeet. dimension board: fora standard Theformula = + I44 I 1"x 12"xI2" (or 1 "x 1 2 " x 1 ' + 1 2= 1 ) plank you thick thatis 1 inch had a 6{oot-long So,if you the board wide, would calculate and4 inches feet). feetasfollows: 1" x 4" x 6' + 12= 2 (or2 board in the illustration. are shown Other examoles feetarecalculated onthe Remember thatboard actual dimensions rather than basis ofthenominal feetcontainec consequently, theboard of thestock; ll|-by-3/zinches measures in a2-by-4 thatactually dimensions. using thelarger would becalculated
1"x 12"x 12"= 1 aLandardboard foot

Rt

2-by-6=Bboardfeet 2-by-4 = 5% board feet 1-W12=Bboardfeet 1-W-6=4boardfeet 1-W-3=2boardfeet

32

BUILDINGTHE CASES
a master A fter you havecalculated f\ cuttinglistfor your cabiners, you arefinally readyto startbuilding them, Asyou cut the materials to size, carefully markeach piece to indicate whichcabinet it belongs to. Thencut thegrooves for the backpanels and borethe holes for anyadjustable shelving(page38). With thisgroundwork done,assembly is largely a matterof choosing ajoinerymethod.If you arecomfortable with your table saw, tongue-and-groove j5) areagoodchoice. joints(page Those jointermay well-versed in usinga plate want to join their cases with biscuits (below), a joint equal in strength to the tongue-and-groove. Ifyou have a shaper or a verysolidroutertableanda hearyduty router, lockmiterjoints (page 36) aresolid,durable, and easy to cut. If space in your workshop is at a premium or if you needto disassemble and Cutting sheetgoodssuch as melamine on the table saw often resultsin rough moveyour cabinets, ready-to-assemble edges, chipping and tearout. Installed on a table saw'sarbor, the Modulus scor-or RTA-fasteners(page 37) maybe ing saw attachmentshownabove featuresa smallerblqdethat cleanlyscores the bestchoice. the sheetbeforethe main bladecuts it, resultingin a professional, smooth cut.

JOINING CASES WITHBISCUITS

theslotlocations 1 Marking I For each cabinet, identify theoutside face of all fourpanels withanX,then mark location lines forthebiscuit slots on (Onlower each of thefourcorners. cabrnets, which typically donothave a top panel, mark thelocation lines between thecountertop nailers panand theside place panel els.) Tostart, one side outside-face down ona work surface and hold thetoppanel at a 90" angle to it. Use a pencil to mark lines ontheadjoiningpanels about2 inches in fromeach (lefil.Mark corner additional lines about every 4 to 6 inches. Repeat to mark slot locations ontheother three corners of the case. Addreference letters to help vou identify thecorners.

33

CASEWORK

Faceplate Toppanel

)upport board )ide panel

r') Cutting theslots youto cuttheslots for willallow above shown L m" setup Place without moving thepanels. corner of thecase onemating surface, down on a work outside-face of thecase a sidepanel thetop up ontop.Offset outside-face thensetthetop panel panel bythestock thickness of thesidepanel fromtheedge place; panels mating slotlocamake sure the in clamp the and perfectly preces Set aligned. stock are two of marks on the tion joiner plate manuproper following the of cut on the depth the

butt in thetop panel, Tocuttheslots instructions. facturer's aligning theendof thetop panel, faceplate against thetool's mark and witha slotlocation onthefaceplate theguideline asthe thesame thickness board resting thetoolon a support (above, lefil.fo cutthemating mark Cuta slotat each stock. plate panel, the base against buttthejoiner's in theside slots guideline witha slot ontheplate andalign thecenter toppanel right). location mark(above,

fora partition slots Q Cutting partitions or fixedshelves rJ Vertical with bejoined sides canalso between case to lay out square biscuits. Usea framing of the partition onthematthethickness partition panels, atop one ing thenlaythe panels withits lower edge aligned of the t h ea s s e m Clamp w i t ht h e l a y o ulti n e . in the surface. Cuttheslots blyto a work panel 2 above. as in step andpartition end theslots at theother Reoeat to make mating andthe second of the partition joiners (righil. plate panel cut Since some keep the same slightly off center, slots for both cuts. face-up of thepartition side

Layout linea

Eottom panel

34

CASEWORK

JOINING CASES WITH TONGUE-AND-GROOVE J()INTS

saw Setting upthetable I Use head a dado o na t a b l e saw to panels cutgrooves in theside andtongues i n t h et o oa n db o t t o m oanels C . u tt h e grooves first.Install a dadohead setto halfthethickness of thestock, andattach w fence th te a na u x i l i a r yo o d tosuppor w o r k p i ed ce u r i n tg h ec u t .B u i t i n a gs i d e panel against thefence asshown, slide the riofence toward the blade untiltheoutside face of theworkpiece is in linewith of the sawblade(right). LasIly, the edge h e i g he t q u atl o h a l ft h e s e tt h e b l a d e thickness of thestock. 'l

9ide panel

Cutting thegroove
L a vt h e s i d e o a n e li n s i d e - f a cd eo w n

o n t h es a wt a b l e a n db u t ti t s t o oe n d against theauxiliary wood fence. Use the gauge miter equipped withanextension (left), to feedthe panel intothe blades pressing theworkpiece against thefence your throughout thecut.Keep hands well away from theblades. Repeat thecutfor thebottom endof theoanel.

35

CASEWORK

thetongues Q Cutting in thetopandbottom r.J Tocuttongues panels a n da d da f i,r s tu n p l u t g h es a w head. Lower theblades spacer to thedado the surface andmove below thetable the fence so it overlaps auxiliary wood andraise Turn onthesaw cutters slightly. in theauxilthedado head to cuta notch t f t h ed a d o iary f e n c eS . e tt h eh e i g ho head a n di t sw i d t h o f c u te q u atlo h a l f With thetoppanel thickness. thestock butt up on thetable saw, outside-face Feed thepanthefence. one side against (right), slight applying el intothe cutters pressure the throughout toward thefence fortheother sideof operation. Repeat panel. andthebottom thetoppanel

MITER JOINT WITHA LOCK JOINING CASES

Making thecuts piece extension, a g a i n stth e f e n c e a n dt h e m i t e rg a u g e of scrap m i t eb r i tt ny o u r o u t ea r n dm o u ntth et o o li n a I n s t aa lllock (above, left).fo cut the matingpiece,clamp fence andscrew anextension feed it into IhebiI auxiliary table. Attach a notched . h e nf e e dt h e b o a r d gauge. t o i t t o r i d ea t o pt h e f e n c e T cutter a g u i d eb l o c k Setthebit height sotheuppermost to themiter it f lushagainst the on end into Ihe bit bbove,right),keeping withthepanel flatonthe is centered ontheendof theoanel i t a n dt h e g u i d eb l o c k forw i t h o n eh a n dw h i l ep u s h i n g thestock f e n c e fence sothebitwillmiter table. Position theauxiliary of the . e s tt h e f i t a n da d j u s t h e p o s i t i o n of ply- w a r dw i t ht h e o t h e r T it. Next, make testcutsin twopieces without shortening panels making t h e c u t s i n t h e c a s ep a n e l s . ry efore B. u t t i n o gn e fence as necessab as sy o u r t h es a m e thicknes wood scrap

36

CASEWORK

USI NGREADY-TO-ASSEMBLE FASTENERS

Preparing theholes I Tojoina case withready-to-assemble or RTA fasteners, firstdryassemble thefinished case andsecure it squarely with (page position clamps 47).Tohelp thefasteners, draw lines on thesides ofthecase indicating thecenter of thetopandbot(lntheexample tompanels. shown, thebottom of thecase is s e t4 i n c h efs rom t h ef l o o r . ) W h is le pecia slt e p p ed dr i l lb i t s a r ea v a i l a btlo eb o r e t h ep i l o t holea s n dc o u n t e r s itn hk e mi n a single s t e pa , simple a l t e r n a t i ivse to use t w od i f f e r e n t -

'l

sized bits. Start witha bitslightly wider than thebase of the fastener; wrap a length of tapearound the bit to mark the desired depth-slightly more ihanthelength of thefastener b a s eD . r i la l s e r i eo sf c o u n t e r s ih no kl e t so t h ea p p r o p r i a t e depth, spacing theholes about 5 inches apart. Then install a bitslightly smaller than thefastener shank to drillthepilot h o l e sM . ark t h ea p p r o p r i a ep t h dte w i t hm a s k i n tg a p et,h e n bore the holes hbovd.

Instal Iingthefasteners your lf youwish to move cabinets (orif your from onekitchen to another cabinets arelarge andyouintend to disassemble them before transporting them t o t h ei n s t a l l a t is oin t e )s , i m p ld yrive a (lefil.fhe predrilled fastener in each hole fasteners canberemoved later andthe cabinets knocked down foreasy transport. your lf youwant to install cabinets permanently, thenremove theclamps glue andapply to themating edges of the before driving thefasteners. loints

37

STORAGE SHELVINGAND
complain abouthav/l ooksseldom space in their U ingtoo muchstorige pots,cans, kitchens. Appliances, spice racks, anddishes all seem to cookbooks, conspire to fill every nookandcranny of Efficientshelving available space. and storage devices cancreate a surprising amount of spacesimply by keeping things organized.For example,the (below) heightof adjustable shelves can be changed to accommodate differentsized dry goods or dishes. Cornercabiproneto wasting netsareparticularly valuable space; itemsat theverybackof A lazy such cabinets tendto beforgotten. is an elegant Swan(page42) solutionto this problem: Its two round shelves rotatearounda central makingall shaft, readilyaccessible. the contents Appliance clutteris another common kitchencomplaint. Certainappliances frequent that see use,suchastoasters, makers, coffee andblenders, oftencrowd the countertop. An appliance baywith a slidingtambour door (page40)providesa tidy placeto keepthese kitchen plugged conveniences in andout ofsight, vet easilv accessible.

garbage Fromtowelracks to slide-out storbins,there aremanycommercial to agedevices on themarketdesigned rummaging in lower reduce timespent Thephotoat leftshows cabinets. slideout shelving mounted on drawer slides.

ADJUSTABTE SUPPORTS INSTATTING SHELF

holes forthesleeves 1 Drilling requires twoparallel rows of holes to be I Adjustable shelving jig panels Thecommercial drilled in theside of thecabinet case. youto bore holes intervals and shown above allows at 1-inch willbeperfectly ensures thatcorresponding holes aligned. Seta panel side inside{ace upon a work surface andclamp thejig to fromthe of thepanel; theholes canbeanydistance theedges panel edges, butabout 2 inches in would bebest forthepanels Fityour drillwitha bitthesame diameter asthesleeves shown.

andinstall a stop collar to mark thedrilling depth equal to the place sleeve lengh. Starting at either endof one of thejig'srails, theappropriate bushing in thefirsthole of thebushing carrier. (The keeps bushing thebit perfectly square to theworkpiece.) Holding bore Drill thedrillandcarrier, thehole. a series of evenly holes rails. Remove spaced along both thejig andrepeat forthe panel positioning other side of thecase, carefully thejigsothe panel. holes willbealigned with in thefirst those

38

CASEWORK

ill] ljlr llll lltl llll llll llll rll1 lllt llll illl llll lll1 |llr fil] rll1 llli illl
5HO?TI?
A ohop-made shelf drillinqjiq IheT-ehaped jiq ohown aN riqhlwill allow you Noborea row opaced of evenly ae holee ae accurately jig. Make a commercial jiq from 1-by-3 stock, Nhe beinqcarefullo screwIhe fenceand arm togeLher aNa perfect90" angle. Marka linedown lhe centerof the arm and boreholes wilh the alonqit at 2-inchinNervale samebiLyou wouldusefor thread' uset.he clampiLto a ed sleeves.To 1iq,

r) Mounting thesleeves and supports Z. To install thethreaded sleeves withthem, use a sleeve-setting outdamaging Place a sleeve ontheendofthe ounch. punch thesleeve firmly into andpush (above). in a sidepanel oneof theholes youhave into hole Insert a sleeve each into drilled, then screw shelf supports at each desired shelf locatron. thesleeves

with lhe fencebuLtedagainel,.: oidepanel e i t h e re n d o l t h e o a n e la n d t h e m a r k e d Y

2 inchesin from ite edge. centerline yourdrillbil with a otoVcollar, bore Nhe FiN jiq for eachnewrow. holee, repooition Nhe and,

39

CASEWORK

BUILDING ANAPPLIANCE BAY

tambour slats 1 Milling make I Start bycutting thetambour stock to size; the length of thestock equal to thewidth of thetambour door plus plane Then thestock to a thickness equal to % inch. %to I inch. Mill thedesired width of theslats; typically (right). jornt in three First, theedges of the theslats steps rounding over bit to shape stock(,4). Next, usea Yo-inch table(B). thetwolongedges of the stock on yourrouter fromeach edge to Finally, ripa /oto %-inch-thick strip (C); your make usea push stick to keep thefirsttwoslats fromtheblade. Joint thestock again, then fingers away enough slats to repeat the lasttwosteps untilyouhave Thecombined height of theslats make thetambour door. more of thedoor should total2 or3 inches thantheheight opening. Trim alltheslats to length.

r') Gluing theslats to a backing fortheslats. Z tlr" lightweight canvas as backing Stretch over a piece of melamine andpullit taut,smooththecanvas T.o i n go u ta l l t h ew r i n k l e s S.e c u r i e t in place w i t hs t a p l e s helpalignthe slats, screw threeboards to the plywood to j id g .T h ed e v i c e f o r ma U - s h a p e should b e a sw i d ea st h e p ly quare S.l i d e a l l t h es l a t s into slats a r el o n g a n d e r f e c ts

place a fourth board thetop of thejig. thenscrew to close glue Remov te h es l a t s a n da p p l y a ne v e n coat ofwhite to place in thecanvas. Glue theslats back hbovd,thenweight themdown to geta goodbond.Letthe assembly dryovern i g h tU . n s c r etw h ej i g a n dt r i mt h ee x c e sc sa n v aw s i t ha sharo k ni f e .

40

CASEWORK

-) Routins track thetambour < of the panel, r.,l Starting at the bottom shape of thetambour door draw thedesired s i d e sF . ashion track o no n e o f t h ec a s e l i n eo f a t e m o l a tte h a tc o o i ets h ei n s i d e thistrack. Place thetemplate atop thecase s i d ea , l i g n i ni g t w i t ht h et r a c k 'is nside line. I n s t aa l lt o p - p i l o t f e lu dsh trimming router; thediameter of thebit bit in your greate r an inch th t h et h i c k s h o u lb d e% u r nt h e ness o f t h ed o o r S . e tt h er o u t eo template andadjust thecutting depth to ge ro pove make a /a-inch-de u;s e shims under the pattern if necessary. Rout the pressed track(right), keeping thebearing agains th t ep a t t e rtn h r o u g h otu htec u t . Torout track in theoooosite thetambour over andrepeat. case side, turnthepattern

Template

Shim

-=t

Installing thedoor youcan areprepared Once thesides

a s s e m b lte h e c a s ef o r t h e a p p l i a n c e bay. Make t h e w i d t ho f t h e c a s e equat l o the length o f t h e s l a t sp l u st h e t h i c k n e so sf l e s st h e c o m b i n e d e p t ho f thesides, (A . lso t h eg r o o v e s a d d X ui n c ht o g i v et h e ) ote door a b i to f p l a y .N t h a tt h e a p p l i a n c e b a yh a sn o t o p o r b o t t o m ; it is designed to fit between t h e c o u n t e r t oa pn d u p p e r panel c a b i n e ta , n dt h e l a c ko f a b o t t o m makes i t e a s i etro s l i d e t h e a p p l i a n c ie n a n do u t .T o i n s t a ltlh e t a m b o ud r oort ,ilt t h ec a s e o n t oi t s b a c k t , h e ns i m p l y slide the doorfromthe bottom(/eft). The bottom o f t h e d o o rw i l l r e s to n t h e c o u n t e a r nd i t sw e i g hw t i l l h o l di t u p w h e no p e n e d , t h e r e f o rn eo s t o p s or latches a r er e q u i r e d .

4I

CASEWORK

INSTALTING A LAZY SUSAN

point thepivot 1 Finding rotate a I A lazy Susan's trays around post central screwed to thetopandbottomof a corner cabinet. To locate the pivot point place of theshaft, oneof the and trays on the floorof the cabinet it soitscircumference clears the adjust panels 1 inch. twoback byabout Slide a pencil in thetray's shafthole andtrace (The mayprovide a circle. manufacturer a positioning template to make thisstep Then usea framing square to easier.) locate thatis the the pointin thecircle distance fromeachbackpanel same point. Transfer hbovd.Thisis thepivot measurements these to thetoppanelif thecabinet hasnotop. or the nailer

r') Centering thepivot brackets pivotbracket I Center the lower onthe pivot point(right),then screwthe hardware in place. Turn thecabinet upside down to install the upper bracket. andrepeat

42

CASEWORK

5HO7Tt?
5lide-out shelves thelveethat elideoul of a aabinet not onlyreduceback eNrain andlime soenN rummaqin4 thr ou4h Iower cabinern, thay aleoincrea* To usable atoraqe epace. keeplhe aonlente of lhe shelves from elidinqoff,qlue edqinqotripa cut from 5/+inch hardwood etockto Nhe shelfsides and ende.lneLall bottom-mounted shelf slidesa6 you wouldfor a drawer (paAeO7).

r') Installing thepost and trays I For themodel of lazy Susan shown, the postconsists of twotelescoping rods thatareextended to fit thecabinet once thetrays areslidin place. Slide the lower trayonto the post(rnset), followed bythecollet andupper tray. Place the postin the bottom pivotbracket, then extend therodupward soitstopfitsinthe pivot upper Tighten bracket. thelocking Next,position screw. the upper trayat height the desired andmark its location onthepost. Liftthetrayandalign thetop of thecollet withthemark. Tighten the (above), colletin place thenlower the upper tray intoposition.

43

THE CABINETS ASSEMBLING

cut thecomponenents of { l.you have .l-yourcabinets assembling accurately, task. them will be a straishtforward Whilethe procedurishown 0n pages 46-47 is based on biscuitjoints,gluing for mostothandclamping is identical methods. er ioinerv Ifyour cabinets do not have sides that you extend belowtheir bottompanels, willneed to support them. to installlegs leveler legs (below)are Commercial quickly bolted in place andallowyouto installa levelrun of cabinets on an floor. They also accommodate uneveu for a clip-onkickplate. a bracket

orplyHidingtheedges of nelantirte woodcabinets isessettial for crclean, professional look. Heren lantinote trintmercttssolidwood edging flush Forntore with thesides of a cabinet. pages see 48-49. on edge treatntents,

ADJUSTABLE LEGS INSTALLING

D r i l l i nh go l e s f o rt h el e gb o l t s 1 I Positiot nh e l e s so n t h e c a b i n e b t otw h e n t h e k i c k p l a t i e s c l i p ped t o m ss ot h a t f r o n t l e g s 1 0 4 ) , i t w i l l be o n t ot h e @age f r o m f r o n t e d g e b y inset thecabinet's T h e l e g s a l s o b e about 4 inches. should b y t h e s e t i n f r o mt h e s i d e s o f t h ec a b i n e t j i g a m o u n tT . h es i m p l e lipped shown same for theholes a t r i g h tw i l l h e l py o u b o r e p l thesame ace t h e l e g b o l t si n e x a c t l y T t h e j i g ,s c r e w onallcabinets .o m a k e tock to one two oieces o f l - i n c h - s o u a rs e . a r ka l i n e M c o r n eo r f a piece of plywood p l u st h e t h i c k n e so 4 inches sf t h e k r c k plate f r o mt h e i n s i d e e d g eo f e a c hl i p , d here the t h e nd r i l la h o l ei n t h e p l y w o ow f o rt h e l e g s l i n e si n t e r s e c M t. ake theholes nn dd r i l l i n g gh ej i g i n p o s i t i oa b yh o l d i nt a h o l ei n e a c hc o r n e o r f t h e c a b i n eb t ottom panel (right).

44

CASEWORK

r) Attaching thelegbases panel face-down L tav the bottom on a work surface. lnsert a boltwitha washer y o ud r i l l e d t h r o u go hn eo f t h e h o l e s in andthread oneof the theprevious step, legbases onto Holding thebolt. thebase faces sothatits round surface thefront (right), of the cabinet tighten the bolt Then install legbases. snugly. theother

Inserting thelegs The f inal isto insert step thelegs in the bases. Thetype of leveler leg grooves shown at lefthasmatching and place ridges. Simply thelegin thebase a n dp u s h down l i g h t lw y hile turning place. until it snaps into Thelegheight canthenbeadjusted when thecabinet is installed 104). @age

45

CASEWORK

THECABINETS AND CLAMPING GTUING

-\\.--.t-.---

'l Assembling thefirstcorner face-up sides I Lay one of thecabinet glue insert in each bissurface, ona work be is da n da d dt h ec o r r e c t - s i z c u i ts l o t , glue biscuits, Apply to theexposed cuits. fit thecabinet bottom onto theside then p a n em l, atchin th geb i s c u i ta sn ds l o t s .

r) Adding thenailers panel in place with L non thebottom h o r a c o m b i n a t io ofn a n d a 9 0 "c l a m p in asshown thenext screws andclamps g l u e f o rt h er e a r i n t h es l o t s s t e pA . pply place nailers and thebisandcountertop glue Apply tothenailers cuits intheslots.
end cpi thpm in nlarp lnqpri 2 qn2apr

a gap the rearnailers to create between y o b e t w e et n h e t w o t h a t w i l l a l l o w ut o slidethe backinto place(step4). Clamp togelher(rrght). the assembly

CASEWORK

thesecond side Q Installing glue r-,, Apply to theexposed edges of panel thebottom andthenailers. Insert t h eb i s c u i t t sh , e ns e tt h es e c o ns di d e (/eft). panel atop theassembly

Clamping thecabinet
W i t ht h e c a b i n es t t i l lo n i t s s i d e , s l i d ei t s ot h a to n ee d g e e x t e n do s f ft h e w o r ks u r f a c eR . e m o vt e he90" clamp holding thebottom l bar a n d i n s t a la c l a m pa c r o s t sh e f r o n to f t h e c a b i n e t , panelR . epeat a l i g n i nr g tw r t h thebottom t h i s n r o c e d r rtro e s e c r r rte h e r e s to f t h e c a s eY . o uw i l ln e e d f r v eb a rc l a m p st:w o for the casebottom and oneeachfor the t w o c o u n t e r t on pa i l e r s a n du p p e r rear n a i l e rP r o t e c tt h e s i d en a n e l s w i t hw o o d p a d sp ; lace a l - i n c hw o o d c h i pu n d e r t h e b o t t o mp a d st o f o c u ss o m eo f t h e pressure midway between the edges of . ake the panelM sure a l le d g e s a r ef l u s h a n dc h e c k t h e c a b i n efto rs q u a r e before t i g h t e n i ntg h e c l a m p sF . inally s,e tt h e a s s e m b lo yn t h e f l o o ra n ds l i d e theback panel into post|on(righil.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

47

CASEWORK

EDGING W(IOD SOLID

the edging 1 Making it edging byripping s o l i dw o o d I Make p i e c e t h i c k e r t h a n of stock slightly f r o ma y o u a n e l s ; y o u rc a b i n e p w t l l a l l o w this t a n l.a n e t o t r i m i t f l u s ha f t e ri n s t a l l a t i oP m a p l e a s dt o c k such length o f h a r d w o os S e t t h e thickness. o r o a kt o t h e d e s i r e d r i p f e n c eo n y o u rt a b l es a wt o c u t a % nto t h e w o r k p i e cie s t r i p .F e e d inch{hick (left), pressure light keeptng the blade t h e c u t w i t ha tt h e f e n c ef;i n i s h agains s f edging for p u s hb l o c k R . i pf o u rp i e c e o longer t h e ms l i g h t l y each c a b i n e tc ,u t t i n g t h a nt h ec a b i n e t .

Installing the edging al a 45'angleon each L Vttt",the strips t o f i t a sy o ui n s t a lilt . e n d .T r i mt h e e d g i n g

F i r c t e r r t tL h o o fnr the lonsest sides I rb ' 'p v vvd 6rsin

r)

. pread h e i g ho t f t h e c a b i n e tS to theexact surfaces, o f g l u eo n t h e m a t i n g a thinbead t o t h e c a b i n ew t ith t h ee d g i n g a n df a s t e n r nails a n da n a i lg u n ( r i g h t ) o a finishing d, r i l l a hammer l. f y o ua r eu s i n g hammer p i l o th o l e s splitting to avoid f o rt h e n a i l s pieces . u tt h e t o p a n d b o t t o m t h ew o o d C l o n g etrh a nt h e w i d t ho f t h e c a b i slightly n e t ,t h e nt r i m t h e m u n t i lt h e yf i t . G l u e . inally tr , i mt h e a n dn a i lt h e mi n p l a c e F u s i n ga f l u s hw i t h t h e c a b i n e t edging rouler (photo,page 44).

4B

CASEWORK

EDGE BANDING C()MMERCIAT

edge banding commercial 1 Applying is another I Commercial edge banding method of hiding theedges of melamine; your a color thatmatches simply choose Thecommercial edge-banding cabinets. at right works byfeeding the unitshown panel heater an adjustable along a fence; justbefore it adhesive melts thebanding's Practice contacts theedge of the panel. youfinda temscrap stock until onsome well. thatworks oerature andfeedrate butmore time-consuming An inexpensive is to install commercial edge alternative uss i n g a ni r o n b a n d i no gny o u r cabinet youdo not making sure seton highheat, letthe ironrestin oneplace.

r') Trimming theedges ofthebanding push around Z nttne ends, thebanding thecorner withthef latsideof a chisel to break it cleanly th , e nc u t i t o f f w i t h a d o w n w as rd lice o f t h ec h i s e lU . se an edge trimmer to trimtheedges. Themodel features twospring-mounted razor shown between %e cutters andcanfit anypanel eh et r i m m eo rn a n d1 i n c h thickP . lact l t o n ee n da n d t h ee d g e o f t h e p a n ea squeeze thetwoedges together, thenpullit (left). andsmoothly along the edge slowly You canalso use a wide, very sharp chisel forthejob.Hold thetoolflatto thepanel, 4 5 " t o t h ee d g ea , n dm o v e along in a for each side of the single stroke-one panel. witheither or a Finish sandpaper flush smooth filefora perfectly edge.

49

FACEFRAMES
frameis a solidwoodfronting I face Face Aapplied to kitchencabinets. in facttheyare frames arenot essential; absenton European-style noticeably microwhose concealed, cabinets, to hingesmakeit possible adjustable coverthe install doorsthat seamlessly entire cabinet front. However,face frames canadd a traditionallook to a kitchen. European frame,rememWhenlayingout a face ber to add an extra Yrinchto any stile positioned nextto a wall;thiswill allow you to scribeand trim the stileif the has wall is out-of-plumb.If the cabinet you will alsorequiredividers drawers, feature them. If your cabinets between cockdoorsand drawers, fully recessed dec53)canadda subtle, beading(page orativetouch.

pockincluding Face framescanbejoined in a numberof ways, pocket hole Here, a commercial and dowels. et holes, biscuits, holes canalsobe a holein a faceframe rail. Pocket cutterbores to cut be sure to the cabinet; the usedto attach faceframe assembling them. rails before case sides and theholes in the

A FACE FRAME ANATOMY OF

Drawer rail

Ineide stile

50

CASEWORK

WITHDOWELS FACE FRAMES JOINING

'l Drilling holes j ig gt o d r i l lh o l e f so r d I Use a owelin The frame members. in face dowels the the aligns at rightnotonly model shown holds but also rails and stiles, holes in both perpendicular to thewood thebitexactly instrucmanufacturer's Follow the surface. jig of for the thickness tions to setupthe jig to adjust the frame stock, then theface 1/,inchin from either about drilltwo holes thebushing Insert of thestiles. endofone into the diameter thedowel thatmatches a t t a c h a r f t h e1 i g a b u s h i nc ga r r i eo , nd it to bore collet to thedrillbitandadlust thanhalfthelength Xutnch deeper a hole (Allow of forthethickness of ihedowels. meamaking this when theligandbushing inyour workbench a stile Clamp surement.) t , l i g n i nig t h ej i g o nt h es t i l ea a n dp l a c e Setthe withoneendof theworkpiece. hole in in theappropriate carrier bushing j ig g .H o l d i ntg h el i g s t e a d y , t h ed o w e l i n t h es e c o n d . epea to t drill drill t h eh o l eR at theopposite theholes hole, thenbore o f a l lr a i l s ends e n do f t h es t i l e i,n b o t h (right), thatalso stiles andin anyinside holes. require dowel

r") Insefting thedowels rails and in thedrawer L lnsert dowels intheouter stiles. first, then inside stiles theappropriate clamp Toinsert thedowels, glue spread member to your bench, frame tapit home then onone endofthedowel, (/efil. Assemble theframe witha mallet (page53).

5l

CASEWORK

STAND PLATE J(IINER timeneeded To reduce thesetup face for biscuit-jointed to cut slots joiner your plate in a mount frames, like theoneshown shop-made stand at left. Buildthe jig from3/q-inch plywood, supexcept forthebarrel port, wood. besolid which should forsuggestRefer to the illustration eddimensions. to the Screw thehandle support brackthenattach thehandle base, tool. them to fit your ets,spacing joiner resting upside With theplate support, butt down onthehandle against themotor thebarrel support of the housing andtrace theoutline a barrel on the stock. Cutor bore thesuphole forthebarrel, thensaw portin twoacross itswidth, through Screw the thecenter of the hole. part andfit the bottom to thebase holes for halfon top.Bore other hanger bolts through thetoponeach drive the of theopening, then side the bolts into the bottom of hanger quick For installation and support. removal of thetool,usewingnuts together. to hold thetwohalves to the Screw theauxiliary table joiner. (lt fixed-angle fence of the holes in may to drill benecessary to accept thescrews.) thefence secure thejoiner Touse thestand, to a work in it, thenclamp thebase at thecorrect surface. Setthefence clamp stop height and, forrepeat cuts, to center totheauxiliary table blocks wheel. To onthecutter theworkoiece f lat cut a slot,puttheworkpiece against the on thetable andbutted joiner's thenturnonthe faceplate, andthetable toolandpush thestock toward the culter(\eft,belowl

52

CASEWORK

THE FACE FRAME ASSEMBTING

Clampin u g pt h ef r a m e f r o mt h e A s s e m b lte h e f r a m ew o r k i n g middle o u t w a r dg , l u i n gu p a n yd r a w e r f i r s t .I n t h e f r a m e rails a n di n s i d e stiles a t r i g h t ,s t a r tb y g l u i n g the inside shown r a i l s .A p p l y s t i l et o t h e t w of a c ef r a m e g l u et o t h e e x p o s e d o w e l s t h e np u s h . ighten theassemt h e r a i l si n t op l a c eT spread some b l yw i t h a b a rc l a m p .N e x t , g l u eo n t h ed o w e l isn t h e r a i l s a n di n s t a l l t h e mi n p l a c e with t h eo t h e r s t i l e st;i g h t e n b a rc l a m p sC . heck t h ea s s e m b l y t w om o r e thetwo forsquare b y m e a s u r i na gc r o s s (right).Ihey beequal. should diagonals l f n o t ,p l a c e a b a rc l a m pa c r o s t sh e l o n g e r i t u n t i l t h ef r a m e diagona al n dt i g h t e n issquare.

INSTATLING C()CKBEADING
Making cockbeading I Make cockbeading asyoumade solid (page 48), ripping Y,inchwood edging f r o ma p i e c e of hardwood t h i c ks t r i p s thethickness stock %inch thicker than of theface frame. Toround over theoutinstall a /,side edge of thecockbeading, inch canoe bead bit in a router andinstall tf . a i st eh eh e i g ho t h et o o li n a t a b l eR onthestock, and thebitsoit is centered nf t h ef e n c e tojust a d j u stth ep o s i t i oo Attach behind thecutter. a featherboard to thetable to hold thestock against the featherboards fence, andclamp twomore o n e i t h es ride o f t h e b i tt o t o t h ef e n c e prevent fromlifting up.(lnthe thestock featherboard has illustration, thefront With been removed forclarity.) theworkpiece lying f latonthetable, feed it into t h e b i t ( / e f f )f,i n i s h i ntg h ec u t w i t ha push stick. Ripthecockbeading to width m a n dt h e nc u t i t t o l e n g t h , i t e r i ntg he at 45". ends 'l

|/ /-,L,

53

CASEWORK

Installing thecockbeading pare Dry fit thecockbeading strips;

ornts a n yi l l - f r t t i nj g w i t ha c h i s e lL . a yt h e f r a m eo n a f l a t s u r f a c eS . pread some g l u eo n t h e o u t s i d e f a c eo f a s t r i po f cockbeadin ag n dp o s i t i o n i t o n t h ef r a m e , a l i g n i nt g h e b a c ke d g e s o f t h e t w o .D r i v e i n f i n i s h i nn ga i l s w i t ha h a m m eo r ra na i r nailer (lefil.

INSTALLING THE FACE FRAME

Attaching thefaceframe to thecasework g l u et o t h e e d g e s Apply some o f t h ec a b i n e t .P l a c e t h e f a c ef r a m ei n o o s i t i o a nn d a l i g ni t w i t ht h e t o p , b o t t o ma , n ds i d e s of t h e c a b i n e tI.n t h e i l l u s t r a t i o an t right, the r i g h ts i d eo f t h e f r a m e overhang th se c a b i n e t ;t h i s i s t o a l l o w t h e s t i l eo f t h e f a c e frame to be trimmed to fit the profile of the wall (page104). Fasten the faceframe in place w i t ha f i n i s h i n n g a i le v e r y 4-6 inches.

54

CASEWORK

andwoodplugs Using screws l f y o ua r ei n s t a l l i ny go u rf a c ef r a m e s w i t h s c r e w sc ,ounterbor te hefasteners a n dc o v e r t h e i rh e a d s w i t h w o o dp l u g s . P o s i t i otn h e f r a m ei n p l a c e a sy o uw o u l d for face-nail i g ( p a g e5 4 ) . d r i l l a n d n h o l e st,h e nd r i v e counterbos re crew the
)urcvY) rr

;^ ^r^^^ T^ -^ko tho nlrroc ru ilrd..Prduc.

r.{rrll ffi dr trr il r}.xrili r$ ffi r$ rrr L*

$ $ U *

1HO?TI?
Making ! woodplugo time making Save woodpluge by usinqa
n i e r ^ . en f f A n e f . n r e . a n v e

N h e mf r o m t h e i r h o l e e ,U e e a pl,,tg c u L t e r o n L h e d r i l l p r e o ot o

you borea rowof Vluqe trothe depLh the rowwith a oLripof require. Cover m a s k i nN q ape,Iher ni p t h e p l u g e Lo lenqLh on r,hebandeaw.)imply peeloff Lo remove Lhet,aVe Lhe rowof pl,tge.

i n s t a la l n l u pc r r t t etrh e s a m e drameter i n y o u rd r i l l a st h e c o u n t e r b o r h eo dles p r e s sC . h o o s i ns go m e wood thatmatche st h e f r a m e stock f o rg r a i n a n dc o l o r , b o r ea s m a n yp l u g s a s y o u n e e di n t h e left).Prythe plugsfree slock (above, w i t h a s c r e w d r i vo er n a r r o w c h i s e l( .See T i p a t l e f tf o r a n a l t e r n a t p theShop er o , pply glue nstallthp e l u g sa c e d u r e . ) Ti o i n t h e h o l et , h e nt a pt h e p l u gi n p l a c e . T r i mt h ee x c e sw s i t ha c h i s e lH . olding t h ec h i s e l bevel-sid u e p o n t h ef r a m e , remove in f ineshavings the waste bbove, r i g h t )u n t i l t h e p l u g i s p e r f e c t l y flush. e m u c hc l e a n esru r T h i sw i l l p r o d u c a f a c et h a n i f t h e p l u gw e r e sanded flush.

55

\3

Q.

"4
t 1 A

DOORS
doors are arguably themost not Considerations of style should f abinet single decorative feature cloudtheneed for durability. Kitchen \-r important Theyarethefirst itemto of a kitchen. doorswork hardand.since woodis proneto swelling greet theeye and, because theyareusuandwarping, solid allysonumerous, canalso bethemost doors such asboard-and-batten doors impressive. Thestyle, finish,andconshould onlybeinstalled on small cabistruction deserve careful attention. nets. Frame-and-panel, veneered-panel, Once. cabinetmakers were concerned andglass doors are better able to accomprimarilywith building simple, sturdy modate wood movement caused bvflucup to thepunin heatandhumidity.'Also, doors thatwouldstand tuations ishment meted outto themin dailyuse. A braddriversecures a strip of molding different doors require different degrees Formcertainly followed function by a to theframeof a kitchen cabinet door of precision whenbuildingthem.A paneof glass wide margin;kitchen cabinets, andespesandwiching a central flush-mounted door, forexample, iscut ciallytheirdoors, were themostutilibetvveen themoldingand a rabbet cut to close tolerances; anerrorasslight as tarian of furniture. Butgone are thedays into theinside inchcansooilthelookof anotheredge of theframe.For Zu page69. of one-style-fits-all kitchens. Today, moreon buildingglass doors, wisefinelyeiecuted see cabinet. Overlay homeowners carefirlly consider theperihand, doors, ontheother donotrequire precision odandsryle of theirdwellings before determining thedecor of thesame astheyexceed thesize of theiropenings. in thelayout Advances particutheirkitchens. Some of thepossibilities are shown in themanufacturing of doorhardware, (page AndDesign 16). greatly chapter larlyhinges, have improved boththeappearance of cabOnce thebasic choice ismade, doorstyle can bearrived at. inetdoors andtheease of mounting them(page 73). Classic or Perhaps it is a basic door (page maystillbehungfromsuch board-and-batten 60)for a antique-sryle doors decorative and country cottage. Anfuts andCrafts bungalow mightdemand attractive fasteners assurface-mounted hinges thatcome in panes finerwork, withdoors featuring glass in glazing iron or brass finishes. set bars polished Otherhingeoptions include (page (page prefer Mosthomeowners will probably 70). traditional thesimple butefficient butthinge 76)forflush-mount(page frame-and-panel Buteven here doors 62). there are vari- ed doors, andthe pianohingefor corner cabinet doors. (page (page European-style (page panel ations, such asarched 67),veneered.panel cuphinges virtuallybecome 7a)have (page panel 68),andglass doors 69).Thischapter introduces thestandard hardware for melamine kitchen cabinets. Not pro- onlyarethese fivedoorstyles andthesteps to building each, soyoucan versatile hinges fully concealed; theyarealso duce doors thatwill lendcharacter to yourkitchen. simple to install andeasily adjustable.

Theversatile European cuphingecanbeused to hanga variIn thephotoat left,afull overlay etyofkitchencabinet doors. door is beingmounted on a faceframe frame-and-panel cabinet. Thedoor canbeadiusted or removed with ease.

57

A GALLERY OF CABINETDOORDESIGNS
shown below 1rl f thefourdoortypes following page, all but \-/ andon the door are built the board-and-batten The frame-and-panel techniques. using (page door 60)is a board-and-batten a series of solidpaneldoor featuring planks with rabbeted edges heldtogeththebackof screwed across erby battens aneldoors(page the door.Frame-and-p 62) fearvea panelthat floatswithin a of rails and stiles frame composed or assembled with mortise-and-tenon joints. panThefloating cope-and-stick el in thecenter ofthe doorcanberaised Therails for decorative effect. or shaoed molding and stileshavean integrated embellishment cut into them;foradded you canalsocut an archor curveinto railandpanel. theupper 68) feaVeneered-panel doors(page sheet turea panelmadefrom veneered stockthat is gluedto the frame.To the conceal the platejoints between paneland the frame,rabbets arecut into the insideedges of the frameat Glass-panel doors(page69) the back. door a frame-and-panel areessentially pane glass replacing a floatwith a of The pieceof glass sitsin ing panel. edges of the rabbets cut alongthe in place by strips of frame.It is held panel the glass molding. A variation of glazing barsthat hold door features (page70).Iorned panes in place smaller the glazingbars by miteredhalf-laps, have rabbets cut alongtheirbackedges the glass and glassto accommodate stopmolding. madeto fit Althougha door is always not always have to be its cabinet, it does exactly to fit its opening, asshown sized page. in theillustration on theopposite and full-recess doors Flush-mounted to construct canbe time-consuming required because ofthe fine tolerances Theyare to fit andhangthemproperly. for board-andparticularly unsuitable doorstend to battendoors,as these

DOORS

expand and contract with changes in humidity.Full-overlay or lip-rabbeted doorsareeasier to make. A full-overlay doorcovers theentirewidth of thecabinet,whilea lip-rabbeted doorhasrabbetscut aroundits outside edges at the backsothat only a part of its thickness is exposed. Oneof themostcommonly used doors is the onetypically usedfor Europeanstyle cabinets-apiece of laminated particleboard suchasmelamine simolvcut to size. Whileinexoensive andeisierto maintain, melamine doorsneededge banding(pages 48-49) to conceal their non-laminated edses.

DOOR MOUNTING METH()DS

BOARD.AND-BATTEND OORS
colonial counterparts, T iketheirearly L moderncabinetmakers a seeking "country" look oftenturn to rusticor These simple doors. board-and-batten of rabbeted but sturdydoorsconsist planksheld together by stripsor battheirbacks. across tensofwood fastened features batThemostcommonof these tensscrewed to thebackof the door in conbatten theformof aZ;thediagonal at nectingthe two horizontalbattens the too and bottom actsasa braceto sagging. thedoorandprevent strenghen doors and Because theyaresolidpanel in will swelland shrink with changes doorsare humidity,board-and-batten as oftenmountedon smallercabinets In cases, the battens doors. some overlay One with interiorshelving. caninterfere in dadoes is to recess the battens solution Another cut into thebackof thedoors. a method of bracing more elaborate is rout a sliddoor to board-and-batten ing dovetail across thebackoftheboards. slidein thebatdovetail Routa matching place in with a sinandsecure them tens, door. glescrew in thecenter ofthe

,s
t

rustic strength andcharm, Combining doors areideal board-and-batten for kitchen. in a country smallcupboards

e*t b

DOORS INBOARD.AND.BATTEN JOINTS USED

thiplap

Chamfered ahiplap

Beaded ahiplap

Double-beadedahiplap

60

DOORS

MAKING A BOARD-AND-BATTEN D()()R

Cutting therabbets I I n s t a la l d a d oh e a dh a l fa s w i d ea s t h e s t o c kt h i c k n e so s n y o u rt a b l es a w . A t t a c ha n a u x i l i a rw y o o df e n c ea n d r a i s e t h eb l a d et so c u t a n o t c h i n i t , t h e ns e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t - a g a i n o n e - h a ltfh e t h i c k n e s so f t h e b o a r d sT . osecure theworkpiece, c l a m pt w o f e a t h e r b o a r d as n da support board t o t h e t a b l ea s s h o w n . U s i n ga p u s hs t i c k ,f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t o t h e b l a d e st,h e nf l i p t h e b o a r d over and repeat the cut along the otheredge(left). T o a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e n t c,r e a t e a s l i g h te x p a n s i og na p b e t w e e n the boards a t t h e b a c ko f t h e d o o rb y r u n n i n g one edge o f e a c hb o a r d acrost sh e j o i n t e r . 'l

r) Assembling thedool L C l a n pt h e d o o rt o g e t h ea r n d p l a c ei t i n s i d e - f a cu ep o n a w o r ks u r f a c eT . h e nc u t t w o b a t t e n s slightly s h o r t et rh a nt h e w i d t ho f t h e d o o ra n d n a r r o w e r a nt h e d o o rb o a r d sP th . osition the two pieces of woodacross the top and bottom of the assemb l ya s s h o w nT . hen f i t a n e l e c t r id crillwith a combinatio bn it a n d c o u n t e r b o rh eo l e s forscrews a n dw o o dp l u g s at 2-inch i n t e r v a la sl o n g t h e b a t t e n sa , l t e r n a t i nb ge t w e e t nh e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f e a c hb o a r d . M a k ec l e a r a n ch eo l e s exceot in the

places where t h es c r e w w i l l j o i nt h e b a t t e n to anoutside door b o a r dT . h e n ,h o l d i n g thebatten square t o t h e e d g eo f t h e d o o r , drivein eachscrew(above, left).Cuta third batten to fit diago n a l l yb e t w e e t nh e t w o a l r e a d y in place i t i n t op o s i a n ds c r e w t i o n .T o c o n c e atlh e s c r e w s a ,p p l y a d a bo f g l u et o t h e i rh e a d s , t h e ni n s e r n t lrrcs i n t h e h o l e sT . a nt h e n l r r s s in olace w i t ha wooden mallelhbove,right), then usea chiselto trim the prostubs f l u s hw i t ht h e d o o rs u r f a c e . lecting

6l

DOORS FRAME-AND-PANEL
to theeyeandstructurally p leasing dooris .L sound, theframe-and-panel popular of all and the mostenduring panel Because its door designs. cabinet floats in a rigid frameof railsandstiles, the doorwithstands a frame-and-panel of woodbrought swelling andshrinking in humiditybetterthan on by changes door.Theflexianyothersolid-wood for a widevariallows bility of its design asveneered options, such etyofattractive (page 69), panels 68),glassdoors(page top rail bars(page 70).The andglazing to softbearched of theframecaneven lines and ofthedoors entherectangular (pnge 67). adda touchofelegance its considerable The framederives used fromthejoinerymethods strength Thissection covers in its construction. doorusing buildinga frame-and-panel joinerywith intemortise-and-tenon grated molding (page 63)andcope-and66).Before starting to stickjoints (page door,however, builda frame-and-panel properly. Make to size thestock takecare of thedoor thestiles equaltotheheight the railsshould be aslongas opening; thewidthof thedoorplusthetrvotenons at either end-typicallyaboutZ inchminusthewidth of thestiles.

oppearance Depending on thedesirecl door, thepanof afrane-and-panel can be ntolded toJit el'sinside edges grooves the or beveled in the of f'arne "raise" thecertter to onfour sides panel. photo at left,a Irrthe of the panelis being raised with an ogee panel-raisirtgbit on a routertable.

RAISED PANET STYTES

62

DOORS

MAKING A FRAME.AND-PANEL DOOR

thetenon cheeks 1 Cutting I Install a dado head slightly wider than thetenon length onyour table saw. Attach andnotch anauxiliary fence, then setthe width o f c u te q u atlo t h el e n g t h ofthe tenon to saw thetenon cheeks; adjust the cutting height to about one-third thethickness of thestock. Butting therailagainst gauge, thefence andthemiter feed the stock face down into theblades. Turn the railover andrepeat thecutontheother side of thetenon. Then repeat theprocess at the opposite endof the rail (left)and wtth thesecond rail. r) Gutting thetenon shoulders L to cutthetenon shoulders, setthe height of thedado head at about %inch. Standin tg h er a i lo n e d g e flush against g a u g ef,e e dt h e t h ef e n c e a n dm i t e r workpiece intotheblades. Turn therail over andrepeat on the other sideof the t e n o nC . u tt h et e n o n s h o u l d ea rs tt h e o p p o s i te en do f t h e r a i lt h es a m e way (right). Repeat the process withthesecondrail. Toaddintegrated molding, f it a r o u t ew r i t ht h ea p p r o p r i a t ie b t ,m o u n t t h et o o li n a r o u t etra b l e a n dc u t a l o n g theinside edges of therails andstiles.

Tenon ehoulder

Preparing therails forglue up

R e m o vte h e a u x i l i a rfy ence a n dd a d o

h e a dI.n s t a a l l c o m b i n a t ib oln ade and adjust itsangle to 45".Tosetthewidth of cut,mark a line onthemolded edge of a railthesame distance from thetenon s h o u l da es rt h em o l d i n gi d t hA w . lign the mark withtheblade where it exits thetable opening, thenbuttthefence against the rail. Adjust theblade height until one tooth justbeyond protrudes thetenon shoulder. Tomake thecuts, butttherailagainst the fence andhold it flush against themiter gauge to feed it molded-edge down into the blade. Repeat to cuttheother endof the rail(left) andboth ends of thesecond rail.

63

DOORS

thestiles Preparing
of edge M a r ka l i n eo n t h e m o l d e d

from of a railaway stile thewidth each With thetable saw theendof theboard. t h ec u t t i n g blade a n g l ea dt 4 5 ' , a l i g n themoldwiththemark andcut into edge sothe height adjust thecutting ededge; where themoldat thepoint cutf inishes of thestile begins. andtheface ingends between of molding Next, slice offthestrip with the45' cutandtheendof thestile a bandsaw?iehil.

thecut edge f, Smoothing r , f O nt h e t a b l es a w ,a d j u s t h e r i p f e n c e lines u p w i t ht h e b e g i n n i n g s ot h e b l a d e o f t h e c u t y o u m a d ei n s t e p1 w h e nt h e H o l dt h e s t i l ei s b u t t e d a g a i n stth e f e n c e . . lide s t i l ef l u s ha g a i n stth e m i t e rg a u g eS themiter t h e s t o c kb a c ka n df o r t ha l o n g gaugeto smooththe cut edge(lefil.

themortises trl Cutting ona drill in thestiles L.f Cutthemortises press attachmortising using a commercial andmark stile Align a railwitheach ment. Install a morofthemortises. theoutline drillpress and onyour attachment tising centering the to thefence, clamp thestile andbit. under thechisel mortise outline deeper than depth slightly thedrilling Set a cutat each thenmake length, thetenon outthe before boring endof the mortise (right). waste in belween

64

DOORS

Three-wing alottinq cutter

grooves forthepanel I Cutting / Assemble therails andstiles. Then, protecting pads, thestock withwood use twobarclamps to hold theframe together securely. Fita router witha %-inch threewing slotting cutter andmount thetoolin a router table. Remove thefence andset theframe onthetable. Adjust thecutter height to place thegroove midway between the bottom of theframe andtheedge of t h em o l d i n g G.r i p p l n g eb a rc l a m p s th f irmly, butttheinside edge of theframe agains t eb i t n e a o th r n ec o r n e r t, hen rotate it against thedirection of bit rotationto cutthegroove along therails and (/eff,). stiles Keep theframe f lat on the table asyoufeedit intothe bit. Raise a (photo, panel page to f it theframe 62), then disassemble theframe.

Gluing upthedoor Glue upa panel from %-inch{hick solid stock andcutit to s i z ea ; dding %i n c h toeach side toallow t h ep a n etlo f i t t h e groove in theframe. Then routtheedges of the panel to produce the raised center, asshown in the photo on page 62. passes Make successive untiltheedge of thepanel fits intothe groove in theframe. To reduce tearout, rout thetopandbottom glueintothe edges routing before thesides. Squeeze some mortises in thestiles andonthetenon cheeks andshoulders at theends of therails; also apply some adhesive onthecontactingsurfaces of themiter cutsin therails andstiles. Donotadd

glue grooves. any to thepanel Then, assemble thedoor andset ontwobarclamps ona work surface, aligning therails withthe bars prop of theclamps. Tokeep theclamps from falling over, each one on a notched wood block. Protecting theframe with justenough pads, wood tighten theclamps to fullyclose the joints (abovd, thenusea square to check whether thecorners o f t h ed o o a r r ea t r i g h a t ngles F.i n i s t h ightenin gec l a m p s th until theglue squeezes outof thejoints, checking occasionally thatthecorners remain square. 0nce theglue has dried, use a cabinet scraper to remove anyremaining adhesive.

65

DOORS

JOINERY C()PE.AND-STICK
in therails tongues 1 Cutting jointprovides a I Thecope-and-stick in frameandrails method of joining stiles in Tn o.n g u e st h e a n d - p a nc eo l nstructio in thestiles; the rails mesh withgrooves forthe bit thatcutsthegrooves router panel in molding a decorative also carves Tocutthe edges of theframe. theinside bit-the a piloted coping tongues, install r o u t ea r n dm o u n t r a i lc u t t e r - i ny o u r . u t tt h ee n do f a t h et o o li n a t a b l e B th r a i la g a i n s t eb i ta n da d j u stth ed e p t h of cut sothatthetopof the uppermost eh ew o r k p i e c e . c u t t e irs s l i g h t la yb o v t to themiter Position thefence oarallel gauge of thebit slotin linewiththeedge g a u gw e i t ha n e x t e n p i l o tF . i tt h em i t e r face of thestock sion andlaytheoutside o ft h e ; eep t h ee n d s f l a to nt h et a b l ek butted against andextension workpiece cut (left), each the fence throughout

,,/

\ /y

-/

r') Cutting thegrooves the andreplace L Unpluc the router s t i c k i nb gi t b i t w i t ha p i l o t e d coping . os e tt h e known a sa s t i l ec u t t e rT also butttheendof a completcuiting depth, adjust the thestile cutter; ed railagainst is of itscutters one height of thebit until (inset). Align the level withtherailtongue bearing. of thepilot fence withtheedge theworkto secure twofeatherboards Use piece to the one during thecut:Clamp oooosite thebitandsecure router table side of thefence. ontheinfeed theother outside-face cutwiththestock Make each pressing edge of theworktheinside down, (rtght). piece Use a push thefence against Repeat onthe thepass. stick to complete andstiles. inside edees of allrails

66

DOORS

RAISING AN ARCHED PANEL

thearch 1 Raising I B a n d s atw h ep a n etlo s i z ea , dding %inch oneach side to allow theoanel to fit thegroove in theframe. Install a panelraising bit in your router andmount ihe toolin a table, setting it fora shallow cut. Clamp a free-standing bit guard to the t a b l ea , n da g u i d e extendin fr go mt h e infeed endof thetable to thebit'soilot (Donotusea fence bearing. forthisoperation, asyouwillneed to pivot thepanel beyond thebit.)Using theguide asa pivot point(right), pivotoneend of the arch i n t ot h e b i t a n ds t a r t r o u t i nt gh ea r c h , k e e p i ntg h e p a n efll u s h w i t ht h e p i l o t bearing throughout thecut.Make several passes onthearch, raising thebit %inch at a timeuntil thepanel f itsthegroove in theframe.

Raising thesides T or a i s e t h es i d e s a n de n do f t h e panel, use thesame setup or remove the guide andbitguard andinstall a fence on your router table. Lower thebitto a shallow c u t t i nd g e p t hT . h e nh , o l d i ntg h ep a n e l f latonthetable, feedit intothe bit with your righthand andpress it flatagainst withyourlefl (left). theguide Repeat for theother side andtheendof theoanel. passes Make as many as necessary for thepanel to f it in thegrooves in theframe, raising thebit %inch at a timeandtestpasses. glueup the ingbetween Then door asyouwould a regular frame-and(page panel assembly 65, step8).

DOORS

VEENERED-PANEL D()()R
pieces Preparing theframe p i e c et so w r d t ht,h e nc r o s s c u th t e ms l i g h t l y I R r pt h ef o u rf r a m e r i t ha d e c o r a t i v e l o n g etrh a nt h e i rf i n i s h e d l e n g t hF . i t a r o u t ew molding a n d r o u tt h e o u t b i t , i n s t a ltlh e t o o li n a r o u t e tra b l e , s i d ee d g eo f e a c hf r a m ep i e c e .N e x t ,c u t a r a b b e ti n t h e b a c k . e tt h e c u t t i n g h e i g ht o e q u at lhe f a c eo f e a c ho f f r a m ep i e c e S b eo n e - h at lh f es t o c k t h i c k n e so sf t h e p a n e lt;h e w i d t hs h o u l d featherboard to st h e s a wt a b l et o s u p p o rtth e thickness C . lamp rd nd workpiece In . sera t s h i mb e t w e e n t h e v e r t i c afle a t h e r b o a a pressure part rabbeted of the stock. fence to keep the off the the Feedthe workpiece face up intothe dadoheadtight). CUIthe f r a m ep i e c e s s i z e. making 4 5 " m i t e rc u t sa t e a c he n d .D r y to f r a m e t , h e n c u t t h e p a n etl o f i t i t . M a r k thepanel a s s e m b lte he p i e c e s y o u m a t i n g f r a m e t o h e l p c o r r e c t la ys s e m edges a n dt h e i r g l u e o f u p . b l et h e d o o r a t t h et i m e 'l

r) Cutting intheframes biscuit slots

l o s i z ea n d m a r ka l i n ea c r o s t l nd C - C u tt h e p a n e t sh e p a n e a p i e c ea s b o u4 f r o me a c he d g ea n d a t 6 - i n c h frame t inches i n t e r v a lis n between D . isassemb th le e d o o ra n dc l a m po n e w i t hw o o d f r a m ep i e c e t o a w o r ks u r f a c ep , r o t e c t i ntg hestock
n:dc Qpi tho nrnnor don+L ^{ ^ ^ '+ ^- ^ ^l^+^ ;^incr ihon qpi V u u J , r u L L r r uV r u p u r u u p L I l U l d L U L U l l d p l d L Uj u l , . - , . . . , - , , - - . . a ^

Assembling thedoor
Once a l l t h e s l o t sh a v e been c u t , g l u eu p t h e d o o r . S e tt h e f r a m eo i e c e s a n dt h e o a n e f l a c e - d o wo nn a c l e a n w o r ks u r f a c e gi s c u i ta s sy o ug o . a n ds q u e e zg el u ei n t oe a c hs l o t ,i n s e r t i nb To preven tt h e b i s c u i tf sr o me x p a n d i nb ge f o r e v e r y t h i n is gp u t f i,t t i n gt h e together a,s s e m b lte h ed o o r s a sq u i c k l y aspossible (above), pieces frame to the panel Setthe door on two barclamps W o n a w o r ks u r f a c e . i t hw o o dp a d sp r o t e c t i ntg h ef r a m e , tightj u s te n o u g t o ore e n t h ec l a m p s ho c l o s e t h ej o i n t sI.n s t a l l t w m placing c l a m p sa , crost sh e t o p o f t h e d o o r , t h e mp e r p e n d i c u l a r t o t h e f i r s tt w o .F i n i s h t i g h t e n i nu gn t i l g l u e s q u e e z eo su t o f . n c et h e a d h e s i vh thejoints0 ea sd r i e d , remove a n ye x c e s s w i t h a c a b i n es t craoer.

o f t h e r a b b e itn t h e f r a m e t h e t o o l ' sb a s ep l a t eo n t h e b o t t o m pieceS . e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h s t ot h e s l o t s w i l l b e m a d ei n t h e middle dortion o f t h e f r a m ea , ss h o w n b yt h e of therabbetep r e dd o t t e dl i n e i n t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n W . i t ha s u p p o rb t oard under en t h e t o o l , lign t h e g u i d e l i no t h ej o i n e r t o k e e pl t l e v e l a n a r k .H o l d i n g w i t ha s l o t l o c a t i o m t h el o i n e w r i t h b o t hh a n d s , for the otherframe cut a groove at eachmark(abovd.Repeat n i p c p q i h p n r ^ r r i.h in o, . co l n t c ,i n t h p n : n p l t.h . . :.t* .. way. .p . -m ,p , -s a m e

6B

DOORS

GLASS-PANEL D()()R
I inside ofa door frame Make andglueup a frame as youwould for a frame-and-panel door(page 63). Using a woodpadfor protection, clampthe frame t o a w o r ks u r f a c eT . h e ni n s t a l l a %-inch r a b b e t i nb gi t i n a r o u t e a r n ds e tt h ed e p t h o f c u t t o t h e c o m b i n e d e p t ho f t h e m o l d in :" n- d " ' bo " thp nano nf ol:cc vnrr intond in

Cuttins a rabbet around the 1 l -

i n s t a l il n t h e f r a m e . H o l dt h e t o o lf i r m l y w r t hb o t hh a n d s w h i l er e s t i n g thebasep l a t eo n t h e f r a m en e a ro n ec o r n e rt,h e n t u r no n t h e r o u t ea r n dg u i d e t h eb i t i n t o the inside edge of the door.Move the router clockwise along the edges ?ight)untilthe cut iscomoleted .o u a r e S t h e c o r n e rw s ith a wooden mallet anda woodchiselbelow). Make t h e c u t sa g a i n stth e g r a i nf i r s tt o avoid s p l i t t i n tg h ef r a m e .

theglass O Fitting to hold I t h eg l a s s i n t h ef r a m e m . ake glass-sto po l d i n g m byrouting a decorative

pdoe in pithpr sidp nf : l n n o n i p ep n f c n l .

i d s t o c kR . i pt h e m o l d i n t go w i d t h t ,h e n miter forrn r r e c ets n f i t i h e f r a m eS e tt h e frame andtheglass on a worksurface, then place t h em o l d i n g in position B.o r e a pilot hole every 2 inches using a n e l e c t r id cr i l l fitted w i t ha s m a l f l i n i s h i nn ga i lw i t ht h e head snipped o f f .D r i v e thebrads in place using either r r a b r a dd r i v e r a h a m m eo (photo, page57). Whenusinga hammer, h o l dt h e m o l d i n g f l u s ha g a i n stth e f r a m e o f t h ed o o rs ; lide t h e h a m m ea rlong the s r r r f a co ef a n i e c e o f c a r d b o a rtd o avoid breaking the glass(/eff).

69

DOORS

oi\{r_.

Ifyou prefer the look ofsntallerpanesofglassrather pane in yotn'dooryotr can choose thatr one largersingle to makeglnzingbars.The moldedstripsarejoined with miteredhalf-laps.Rabbets are cut along the backedges of panesof glass and glass-stop the barsto acconmtodate molding. The endsof the barscan bejoined to the outer joints. rnilsend stiles with dowels or cope-and-stick

Q'-\.

,\t"n-

\'t'a

MAKING A GLAZING BAR D()OR

M o l d i nt g bars h eg l a z i n g : t a r tb y c u t t i n g t h e p r o p - t i o nw i t ht h r e e featherboard C sl : amp o n et o t h e t a b l eo p p o s i t e I T h ej o i n t r s m a d ei n t h r e es t a g e sS (ln the o n e a c hs i d eo f t h e c u t t e r . er profile in theglazing bars, a ss h o w n a b o v en ; ext, c u t r a b - t h e b i t a n dt w ot o t h e f e n c e a n d i l l u s t r a t i ot n h , e f e a t h e r b o ao rd ntheoutfeed s i d eo f t h e f e n c e b e t si n t ot h e o p p o s i t s ei d e s of thebars t o h o l dt h e g l a s s h a l f - l a p h a sb e e nr e m o v efd o r c l a r i t y )F . eed t h e b a ri n t ot h e b i t u n t i l molding s t r i p s( s t e p2 ) ; I i n a l l y ,p r o d u c e the mitered (sfeps roundover a p p r o a cth , h e n u s et h e n e x tp i e c e a sa 3 to 5). Forthe first stage,install a piloted bit y o u rf i n g e r s h ec u t t e rt p u s hs t i c ko r m o v e with t o t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e t a b l ea n d p u l lt h e i n a r o u t e rm , o u n t h et o o li n a t a b l e , a n da l i g n t h ef e n c e ontheother T . h es t o c k should b e w i d ee n o u g h s o t h a t w o r k p i e cte hrough t h e c u t . R e p e atth e p a s s side t h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n g ) . r e p a ra making o ne a c h s i d eo f t h e b a rw i l l l e a v e a % - i n c h - w i d e o f t h e b a r( a b o v e P en e x t r a b a rt o h e l ps e t u p t h e c u t a pass l i p b e t w e et eu r i n g t h e o p e r a - i n s t e p3 . n h e c u t s .S u p p o rtth e w o r k p i e cd

'l

DOORS

r) Cutting panes rabbets fortheglass I lnstall a dado head onyour table saw slightly wider thanthe desired rabbets. Thetongue remaining after therabbets arecut shoulm d easu% r ei n c h w i d eI .n s t aa l l w o o d ea nu x i l i a f re yn c e andmark therabbet depth on it-the combined thickness of theglass and themolding strip. Position theauxiliary fence over head thedado andraise the blades to notch thefence to the height of themarked line. Turn offthesaw andmark thewidth of therabbets ontheleading endof theglazing Buttone bar. o f t h em a r k a sgains t eo u t e b th r lade o f t h ed a d o h e a dt,h e n position thefence flush against thebar.Use three featherboards to support thepiece as in step1, adding a support board to provide pressure extra to thefeatherboard clamped to thetable. (Again in thisillustration, thefeatherboard ontheoutfeed side of thetable hasbeen removed forclarity.) Feed thebars byhand (left) unlilyour fingers approach thefeatherboards, thenuse the pass. next workpiece finish to the Complete thecutonthefinal workpiece bypulling it from theoutfeed side of thetable.

themiter cuts Q Making r-,1 Remove thedado head andinstall a crosscut blade. Adjust gauge theblade angle to 45" andattach a miter extension. To g l a z i nb ga ro nt h es a w s e tt h eb l a d e height h ,o l d t h ee x t r a youcut in step table sothetongue 2 isflush against theextenThetopof theblade sion. should be level withthe lower side of the lip (inset). Then mark themiter cutson both sides of t h eb a r sa ; ttheir w i d e sp t oints t, h eV ss h o u l d b et h es a m e width asthestock. To make thecut,hold thetongue of the

b a rf l a ta g a i n s th t em i t e r extensio an n da l i g n o n eo f t h e marks withtheblade. Butta stopblock against theendof thestock andclamp it to theextension forsubsequent cuts. Clamp theworkpiece to theextension andfeed the glazing . otate b a ri n t ot h eb l a d e while h o l d i n ig t firmly i n p l a c eR thepiece andmake thesame cutontheother side of theV. Repeat theprocess to cuttheV ontheopposite side of the bar (above).

7r

DOORS

Cleaning theV-cuts Once a l lt h e m i t e r c u t sh a v e been made, usea narrow chisel to pare away t h ew a s t e T . h ew i d t h o f t h ec h a n n e alt o f t h eV s h o u l d e o u atlh e t h eb o t t o m width of thelip.Holding thechisel bevel(right) away thewaste until sideup, pare andf lat. the bottom of theV is smooth Work carefullv to avoid tearout.

thehalf-laps f, Cutting r.,l Reinsta tl h l ed a d o head inyour table saw a n da d j u sitt t o t h ew i d t h o f t h eb a r ' s l i p .S e tt h ec u t t i n g depth to oneou h a l ft h es t o c k t h i c k n e sY s, w i l ln e e d t o s a wa h a l f - l a ip n glazing thebottom of one bar, thenmake an identical cut in p i e c eS . e tu p t h ec u t b ya l i g n i ntg t h et o po f t h em a t i n g he m i d d lo e f t h eV - c uw t i t ht h ed a d o h e a dw , hile h o l d i ntg he

g a u g e x t e n s i oK b a rf l u s h agains th t em i t e r ne . ep t h ew o r k piece f l a to n t h es a wt a b l e a n df l u s ha g a i n s tt h ee x t e n s i o n (above). asyoucut the half-laps Usedowels or coping cuts (page 66) to secure the glazing bars to a frame-and-panel p a n ea s sy o uw o u l d d o o rt,h e ni n s t a lg llass f o ra g l a s s - p a n e l (page door 69).

72

MOUNTINGDOORS
theappropriate hinges for fr hoosing *-L yourkitchen cabinet doorsdepends primarilyuponthestyle of cabinets you arebuilding.Surface-mounted hinges, thoughlimitedin termsof weight capacity andease of adjustment, areidealfor Butthinges antique or rusticcabinets. (page in iron or brass, 76),available are commonlyused on flush-mounted doorsandsit in shallow mortises cut into the door and case. Long,narrow pianohinges for cabinets oftenrequire andproper weight strengh distribution. Tilt-out hinges(pnge 77) arepractical for turningfalse fiontsinto small, drawer handystorage units. \Ahenstyle is not an issue, andease of installation andadjustability aremore important,European-type cup hinges, (pnge hinges, or 32-millimeter 74) are Fullyconcealed, an idealchoice. strong, andsimple to adjust oncein place, cup hinges have become widespread in the homebuilding industry. Available for andface framecabbothEuropean-style inets, with a variety cuphinges come of mounting plates thatallowtheinstaller to controltheamountof overlay. Before installing anyhinge, readthe manufacturer's instructions regarding placement. If youareworking with fine, delicate woods, for machine tapthestock screws afterdrillingpilot holes to reduce thechance of splitting. A spotof gluein theholewill improve theholding ability of thefastener.

Locating doorknobs need not involve tedious measurement door to door. front jig showrt Thesimple in thephotoat right,made ofplywood and front a piece twolipscutfrom solidstock, Iocates knobs in exnctly thesarne spotot'teach door.

()F A SETECTI()N DO()R HINGES

0 e
0
Piano hinge

DOORS

MOUNTING ANOVERLAY D()()R

Drillinh goles f o rh i n g e s I Drilt l h eh o l e s f o rE u r o p e a cn u ph i n g e s i g a n dg u i d eo ,r w i t ha c o m m e r c id arli l l i n jg y o u ro w nj i g b y i n s t a l l i na make gp l y w o o d fence a n db a c k u p board o n y o u rd r i l lp r e s s . F i tt h ed r i l lw i t ha 3 5 - m i l l i m e t F eo r rstner b r t ,a n ds c r e w t h ef e n c e a n db a c k u p board mant o g e t h ea r s s h o w nF . ollow the hinge rs e g a rid ngrecomu f a c t u r e r 'i n sstruction mended boring d e p t ha n dd i s t a n c e from
ihp pdsp nf ihp dnnr' rrqo : nionp nf snr:n

'l

yo s i t i o tn wood t o p r o p e r lp h e j i g .C l a m p t h e1 i g t o t h e d r r l lp r e s s table, a n dm a r k t h e c e n t e r l i no ef t h e h o l eo n t h e f e n c e . N e x t ,m a r kt h e l o c a t i o n of the hinges on t h e d o o r sd ; e p e n d i no gn t h e s i z eo f t h e d o o ry o ua r ew o r k i n g w i t h .h i n g e s c a nb e installea d n y w h e rfe r o m3 t o 6 i n c h e s f r o me i t h e r e n do f t h e d o o r ; m a r ka s i m i l a r c e n t e r l i no en t h e f e n c e . L a yt h e d o o rf a c e d o w no n t h e d r i l lp r e s s t a b l ea n d b u t t i t , l i g n i na agains th t e f e n c ea ghinge mark w i t ht h e c e n t e r l i n e H . o l dt h e d o o rs t e a d y . l i d et h e d o o r a n d d r i l lt h e h o l e( / e f f ) S a l o n gl,i n eu p t h es e c o n h dinge mark with t h ec e n t e r l i n a en , dd r i l lt h e s e c o n d hole.

Installing the hinges lace L t o w o r kc o m f o r t a b l p y, thedoor f a c ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c eW . r t ht h e plate mounting a t t a c h et d o thehinge arm, you fit thebody of thehinge in thehole drilled i n s t e p1 . T h e n ,m a k i n g s u r et h a t ye r p e n d i c u l a r thehinge a r m i s p e r f e c t lp
tn ihp odop nf ihp dnnr f:qtpn ihc hinop

r)

provided in place w i t ht h e s c r e w s b yt h e manulaclurer(risht).

DOORS

plate Installing themounting plate With themounting stillattached to thehinge, align thedoor with thecabinet asshown, and extend thehinge arms to plate buttthe mounting against thepanel. Making sure that Hanging thedoor plate plate theadjustment screws onthemounting arein mid-position, Slide thehinge arms onto themounting until they (above), plate position mark a reference line, unscrew themounting from into the click thenscrew them together. Close the (above). hinge arms, andfasten it to thecabinet side This need door andcheck itsposition. Adjust theheight, depth, or lateral precise; position notbeoverly the hinge caneasily beadjusted after of thedoor byloosening ortightening theappropriate (step plate. installation 4). adjustment screws onthehinge arms andmounting

INSTATTING EUR()PEAN-STYIE FACE FRAME HINGES

Installing thehinge European-style hinges arealso available forface frame cabinets, thepredominant cabinet style in North American kitchens. Install thehinges to thedoors in thesame youwould manner an overlay door, but plate fasten the mounting to the inside (left). edge of thefaceframe

75

DOORS

INSTALLING A FLUSH.MOUNTED DOOR

Routing hinge moftises I Torout forbutthinges themortises on a f lush-mounted door, firstmake a hinge jie (inset). mortising Draw a centerline across thewidthof a piece of %-inch plywood andcenter a hrnge leafonthe board's Trace edge. the profile of the hardware Next, install onthetemplate. a straight-cutting bit in a router andrest the bitontheleftedge of thehinge outline. Make a mark at theIeftside of therouter plate. base Repeat theprocedure at the right andinside edges oftheoutline. Use profile a square to complete thetemplate position Now andcut it outona band saw. thehinge onthecabinet side andmeasure thedistance from thebottom of thecabinetto themidpoint of thehinge. Measure thesame distance fromthecenterline of thetemplate to either endof thejig a n dt r i m i t t o l e n g t hF .inally c,u tt w o forlios small blocks andnail them to the frontof your template. To usethejig, olace thecabinet on itsside on a work surface, thensettherouter's depth of cut to thethickness of the hinge leaf. Butt thetemplate against the bottom of the cabinet in place. andclamp both Using routthe morthetemplate asa guide, right).BuIt the template Iise (above, against thetopof thecabinet andrepeat thecut.Use a chisel to square thecorners. 'l

r) Hanging thedoor L to cut mating mortises in theedge of in thedoor, secure theworkpiece edge-up Mark a vise. thehinge outlines ontheedge from of thedoor transferring theirlocation pin thecabinet side; make sure thehinge projects guide over theedge. Clamp anedge to thefaceof thedoor to orovide a wider bearing surface fortherouter, thenrout the mortises. Next, shrm thedoor witha piece of wood sothedoor is level withthecabinet.Setthehinge leaves in themortises cut inthecabinet sides, and screw thehardware in placetighil.

76

DOORS

INSTALLING A TILT-OUT SINK TRAY

thehinges 1 Attaching I A tilt-out sink trayisa handy spacesaving fixture forstoring soap, scouring pads, yetclose andsponges outof sight at hand. To install thetray, f irstremove thefalse drawer front from thecabinet andplace it ona work surface. Follow themanufacturer's instructions to trace t h eo p e n i no gf t h et r a y o nt h e i n s i d e of thedrawer front. Next, lineupa hinge withtheedge of theoutline andcenter (When it onthedrawer front, thehinge i sc l o s e d i t,w i l lb ei n t h em i d d l o eft h e drawer face.) Hold thehinge to theoutl i n ea n ds c r e w i t t o t h ed r a w e fr o n t . Repeat theprocess fortheother hinge. r) Re-attaching thedrawer front L Xtacn thetwoscrews thatholdthe tray in place before installation. Then, makingsure to spring themechanism of the h i n gf e i r s tl,i n e u pt h eh i n g i e n t h em i d d l e of thedrawer frame andscrew theentire unitin place. Attach theother hinge, and hang thetray from thetwoscrews,

77

fttu

D
proportioned roperly andwell-built 83).Otheroptions, likethelockmiter I drawers partof (page are anindispensable (page 37),dado 35), andthedouanykitchen. Likecabinet welldoors, bledado aresuitable alternatives. styleddrawerfrontscan contribute Kitchen place drawers tough demands handsomely to the overall look of a onthemounting method used to secure kitchen. Yettheirappealing faces hide themto thecasework. Side-mounted firll thekitchen's most abused elements: the (page extension sltdes 89) are designed to drawers themselves. Theirorganization withstand very rigorous use, andare the and construction are ofparamount imporbestchoice if your budgetpermits. tance, for avisually striking kitchen can (page Bottom-mounted slides 87)are beafrustrating place to workif itsdrawnotquite asstrong, butare less expensive ersarehaphazardly located or jamevery andeasier to install. timetheyareopened. When it comes to theappearance of Kitchen drawers mustbebuilt to last. akitchen, thefrontisthemost important yanked They are open andslammed shut part of a drawer. Thedesign of your countless times aday. Worse, drawers in Drawers caninJluence lookandfeelof a drawer fronts will helpsetthetonefor thekitchen are often weighed down with kitchen. With their molded edges and thekitchen's style. Howwellthedrawers appliances andcrammed full of cutlery roundpulls,thebankof overlay drawers areinstalled prove will also to bea lastandutensils, soanyshortcut made in in thekitchen shown above speaks of a ing testimonial to yourcraftsmanship. theirconstruction will eventually com- verytraditional,almostVictorian, style. It can beatime-consuming task to hang promise theirstrength andutility. perfectly adrawer soit rests straight and Thischapter details thetechniques involved in building level, let alone several banks of drawers in a cabinet run. strong, attractive, smoothly functioning (page drawers. Thecon- Applytng a false frontto thedrawer 93) canreduce the struction guides onpages 80and81offeranoverview ofyour timespent fussing withlevels anddrawer slides. Wth minimal joinery, options for drawer faces, mounting, andmaterials. experience, youcanquickly andaccurately install false fronts Youreventual choice will depend on yourexperience, shop onbothinset andoverlay drawers. Even if themounted drawsetup, andtimetable. Whenit comes to joinery, there is little ers themselves are slightly uneven, will appear they to behung joint isthethrough (page with theprecise question thatthestrongest dovetail eye of a master cabinetmaker. 'p

A bankof insetdrawers in aframeless cabinet like theone shownat left allowslittle roomfor error.By installing need not behungperfectly; thefalse fakefronts,thedrawers positioned can then be straight and level to the case. fronts

79

DRAWER CONSTRUCTION
DRAWER INSET DRAWER OVERLAY

-q

Alsohnwn as a llush-f'ont drawer,an ilset To hide within itscabinet. dra;er fits entirely s raltbetcan the ud grain of the drawer sides, be ctff irtto the bttck Jaceof the drawerf'ont as shownabove,or a falseJi'otttcan be ndcled.

Arr overlaydrawerfenttn"es n sepnrote .fhlsa to the drawer.fi'ortt. A false.fitrtt fi'ont screwed is typicallylorgerthart its drawerc0tulterpart tlrcfaceJi'nrrte of tlrc cobitrct. so thnt it overlays

DRAWER J()INTS

Throughdovetail Veryotron4, decorativejotnt eutLable for any drawercor' ner; end qrain of drawer aideecan be concealed wtth falae front. Ueedonly with eolid wood.

Front/back

Lock miter joint Commonly ueedLojoin drawer for solid backeLo eidee;autLable wood.plywood. or melamirte.
AIao known aa a drawer lockjoint; cut wtLh a epectal ehaper cul,Ler

or rouLerbtt. )uttable for aolid wood,plywood, and melamine.

Front/back

Doubledado Canbe uaed for all cornera of a drawer; conceal6 ena gratn of etdee. Suitableonly for eolid wood.

DRAWERS

DRAWER HANGING METHODS Wooden runners thop-made otripe of wood acrewed to ordepanelaof cabineteiL in groovee cut in drawer etdee;drawer can be exLended to about.% of ita length.

Eottom-mounted alidee Commercial meLalahdee; runnero screwed to the lowercorneraof the drawermate with tracke faetened Lo cabinet eidee:drawer can be extendedabout% of ita len7f,h.

Commercial metal alidee;runnero aLtach Lo drawer eideand mate wiLh track mountedon cabinet atdee;extension mechaniam tn eomemodeleallows drawer to be fully exLended.

MATERIALS FOR DRAWERS

MATERIAT Solid wood plywood Cabinet-grade USES Sides, backs, fronts, false fronts Sides, backs, fronts, false fronts, drawer bottoms Sides, backs, fronts, false fronts, bottoms S i d e sb , a c k sf,r o n t s , false fronts COMMENTS U s ep i n e o ro t h e r i n e x p e n s iw vo eo d f o rd r a w ec ra r case; save more attractive species forfalse fronts Useplainsawn veneer forfalse fronts; trimedges of false fronts andtopedges of drawer sides withsolid wood (page banding 48);use%"panels fordrawer bottoms (page Trimall edges withlaminate edge banding 49); use%"panels fordrawer bottoms yetfairlyheavy Easy to work, for drawer construction; mustbe painted orveneered

Melamine Medium density fiberboard

B1

DRAWERS

BANKS OFDRAWERS PLANNING

t--;---l
l

t-;-l t--:---l
Graduated drawera Two middle drawers of equal height,

r-:---l t t
Three upper draweraof equalheight
Three lower drawera of equal height

Laying outa bank ofdrawers generally forplanning rule of thumb There isonly one accepted than should never besmaller heights: a lower drawer drawer order in proportion; Thehuman eye appreciates theoneabove. placing look makes a cabinet larger drawers atop smaller ones of taste. Experiment drawers area matter top-heavy. Otherwise, fromother above ortakemeasurements withthedesigns shown

youhave youlike. mark the Once decided ona layout, kitchens (page pole lf 25). on the cabinet's story location of thedrawers your to calcuhave face frames, use the chart below cabinets pieces. of a For example, thewidth late thesize of thedrawer be with bottom-mounted runners should drawer side to beused opening, less than theheight of thedrawer %inch

DRAWER DIMENSIONS CALCULATING

depth. dimensions orcabinet amounts from theopening Subtract these ()FDRAWERS PTANNING BANKS mounted runners Side front With flush front With overlapping Bottom mounted runners front With flush front Withoverlapping Wooden runners flush front With With front overlapping HEIGHT
'/ou

WIDTH
1u

DEPTH of false front %"+ thickness

Y4'

I 1 1
YB' Ya'

%' %'

% ' + thickness of falsefront %'

You YAu

of false front % ' + thickness

%'

82

BUILDINGDRAWERS
tendto take a lot of abuse, ]l rawers Ll sostrength isof utmost importance when A drawer building them. thathas been stapled together maylookfine,and will even workwell-for awhile.Butin a fewyears it will startto loosen, sag, andeventually fallapart. Whendesigning for strengh, nothjoint.Many ingtops thethrough dovetail woodworkers remain intimidated bythe degree ofprecision needed to execute yetcommercial thisjoint properly, router jigshave placed thisonce-exacting task within reach of every cabinetmaker. If you do not have a router, thedoubledado, a joint almost asstrong asthe through dovetail, canbecut on your table saw. Unfortunately, neither of these joints works wellin plywood, oneof the mostcommon kitchen cabinet materials. Forplywood, alockmiter(page 37) jointcan or dado beused.

A lockmiterjoint is an easy wayto turn out perfectly drawer fining parts by thedozen. Thejoint features identical cutsin theendof one boardand thefaceof themating board.Thesteps for makinga lock miterjoint areshown onpage 37.

CUTTING THROUGH DOVETAITS

joints Routing through dovetail joining When a drawer withdovetailjoints, cutthepinsin the frontandback of the drawer, andthetailsin the sides. To jig shown cut thedovetails withthecommercial above, screw thepin-andtail-board templates to backup boards, thensecure oneof thedrawer sides endup in a bench vise. Protecting the pad, witha wood stock clamp thetailtemplate to theworkpiece sotheunderside of thetemplate is butted against the endof the board. Also clamp a stopblock against oneedge of the drawer sidesothetailsat the other endwill match. Install a top-piloted dovetail bit in the router andsetthe

depth to slightly more thanthethickness of thedrawer front. Cutthetailsbyfeeding thetoolalong thetopof thetemplate andmoving the bit in andoutof thejig'sslols(above, left). Keep thebit pilotpressed against thesides of theslot.Repeat to rout thetailsat theother endof theboard andin theother drawer side. Then use thecompleted tails to outline the oins onthedrawer front andback. Secure either onein thevise, re d m p l a tte clamp t h ep i n - b o a t o t h eb o a r d w i t ht h es l o t s aligned over theoutline, andsecure thestopblock in place. Rout the pinswitha top-piloted straight bit (above, righil.

83

DRAWERS

DADO DOUBLE JOINTS

dadoes in thedrawer front 1 Cuttins I Mark o n ee n do f t h ed r a w efr o n t , t st h i c k n e s in d i v i d i nig s t ot h i r d sT . hen, i n s t a la l dado head o nv o u r table saw. itswidth to one{hird thethickadjusting front. ness of thedrawer Setthecutting height equal to thethickness of thedrawer i g ;t h e l t e n o n i nj g s i d e sN . e x t i,n s t a la i n t h em i t e r slot. m o d es l hown slides pad, w i t ha w o o d Protectin th ge s t o c k clamp t h ed r a w e f r o n t o t h ej i g ;m a r k ace w i t ha nX . M o v e t h el i g t h eo u t s i dfe theblade withthemidsideways to align T .u r n o nt h es a w d l et h i r d o f t h eb o a r d t h em i t e r slot o a n ds l i d e t h ej i g a l o n g Turn frontover cut thedado. thedrawer a n dc l a m p i t t o t h ej i g t o c u tt h ed a d o at the otherend(right).

r) Trimming thetongues fence Mark L lnstall a wood auxiliary on the rip fence. a cutting l i n eo nt h ee d g e o f t h ed r a w e f r o n t h a td i v i d ets he facein half. With thestock flush against tongue on its inside gauge, inside-face align themark withtheblade. themiter down, Buttthefence against thestock andraise the blades to cut notch in thefence. height a relief Setthecutting to trimthe front f irmly halftongue. Holding thedrawer against thegauge, (above). feedit intothecutters Turn the board around and reoeat theorocedure attheother end.

in thedrawer sides Cutting matching dadoes Q r . J T o j o i nt h e d r a w es r ides t o t h e f r o n t ,c u t a d a d on e a rt h e f r o n te n d o f e a c hs i d e .T h ed a d om u s tm a t ew i t h t h e h a l f h e i g ht o t h e l e n g t h tongue o n t h e f r o n t .S e tt h e c u t t i n g of the half-tongu a e n ds c r e w a wooden e x t e n s i ob no a r d to the miter g a u g eT . o s e tt h e w i d t ho f c u t , b u t t t h e d r a w e s r i d ea g a i n s t t h e f r o n ta n d u s ea p e n c itl o o u t l i n e thehalf-tongu oe nthe d r a w es r i d e .H o l dt h e s i d ea g a i n stth e e x t e n s i oa nn da l i g nt h e marks w i t ht h e d a d oh e a d C . lamp a s t o pb l o c k f l u s ha g a i n s t andfeedthe board the endof the stock to cut the dadohbovd. R e p e atth e c u t o n t h e o t h e rs i d e .

B4

DRAWERS

PREPARING THE DRAWER F()R A B()TT()M PANEL

panel Cutting thegroove forthebottom Dry-assemble thedrawer andmark any spots where thejoints bind; use a chisel to pare small amounts of wood to achieve a good your fit. Next, use table saw to cut a groove in thedrawer front andsides to panel. accommodate thebottom Install a dado h e a da , djustin tg h ew i d t h tothe panel thickness of thebottom stock. Set thecutting height to halfthestock thickness andadjust theriptence to leave a %-inch border between the bottom of thegroove andtheboard edge. Feed the drawer front across thetable using a push (Caution: slick(right). Inthisillustration the guard blade hasbeen removed for clarit y . )R e p e a th t ec u to n t h ed r a w e sri d e s . Finallr ya , i st e heigh h eb l a d e at b i th i g h e r t h a nt h es t o c k thicknes as n dr i pt h e drawe b ra c k . his t o w i d t hT w i l la l l o w the panel bottom to slrde intoposition when thedrawer is assembled,

ASSEMBLING THEDRAWER
thedrawer 1 Clamping I A web clamp withcorner brackets is ideal forgluing updrawers. The webdispressure tributes evenly among allfour corners, while thebrackets help to spread joint. thepressure along thelengh of each glue Touse theweb clamps shown, apply t o t h ec o n t a c t i n sg urface asn da s s e m blethedrawer on a work surface. Next, f it thecorner brackets in olace. Wrao the straps around t h ed r a w ec r a r c a sa en d tighten t h e mw i t ht h e b u c k l eb se f o r e (left). locking themin place When the adhesiv he as c u r e dr,e m o vte h ec l a m p s andapply edge banding to thetopedges of thedrawer.

85

DRAWERS

thebottom O lnstalling L f rimthe bottom oanel'/,e inchnarbetween thetwo rower thanthesoace grooves. intoplace from Slide thepanel the back(above). Donotapply anyglue. This willallow thedrawer sides to expand orcontrac w t i t hc h a n g e is n humidity; particular from i fl y t h es i d e s a r em a d e solid wood. Secure the bottom witha nails in thedrawer back. couole of finish

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Eliminating drawer rattle DrawerbolNome alwayofia t tad looeely to allowfor woodmovement, thio Unfor1unately, lead can somelimeo lo an annoytnq raNlle.An eaoy fix for this io to jam little wedqee the bottom belween paneland the drawer sides.Cut four lo six wedaes ge eure for eachoffendina drawer. Lo cut,lhemeo the grainie oriented aNa riqhL anqle Nothe taper.Thiowillmakeit eaoy to breakoff. Toinetall eachwedqe, NapiNin place. Finallybreakoff lhe exceesby liflinq the wedqe.

DRAWER SLIDES AND RUNNERS

ommercial slides have simplifed the f of drawers to thepoint U installation where that theyhave virtuallysupplanted all otherdrawer-hanging hardware, andfor goodreason. Theslides aresimple to installand canbe secured with only threeor four screws. Somecommercialslides evenallowfor fine tunins and canbe adjusted verticallyafterthi have screws beeninstalled. For the kitchenuser,commercial drawer slidesalso offer unmatched durability. Goodqualityside-mounted slides(page89) arerigorouslytested; theymust openand close flawlessly at Ieast 100,000 timesand supporta load of 150poundswhen fully extended. (below) Bottom-mounted slides cannot bearnearly much as weight, but areconsiderably less expensive. Wooden slides (page 91)still havea place. Inexpensive to make,they areperfectlysuitable for Somebottom-mounteddrawer slidescan extend light-dutysituations. a drawer itsfull length to display the contentsinside.

INSTATTING BOTTOM.MOUNTED STIDES

therunner to thedrawer 1 Attaching I Bottom-mounted slides consist of two parts: a runner thatattaches to the bottomof thedrawer slide anda track that is secured to the cabinet sides. Before place installing thefirst drawer, it in front parts o f t h ec a s e a n dl a yo u tt h es l i d e y o uu n d e r s t a n d beside it. Make sure piece goes where each anditsorientation. p o s i t i o n To t h er u n n e r s,e tt h ed r a w e r o n i t ss i d e a n db u t tt h er u n n ea r gainst the bottom of thedrawer sideasshown. Inset thehardware %e inchback from the drawer f rontso it will notinterfere with the falsefronl(page 93).fhe runner canbesecured frombelow or fromthe lf youareusing side. solid wood or plywood, attach it fromtheside. lf youhave chosen melamine, attach therunner from (/eff). below In both cases, drillpilotholes f irst to avoid splitting thematerial.

87

DRAWERS

Positioning thetracks pole(page y o uh a v e height fromthecabinet story 25) thenmove gf t h ed r a w e r s drawer Once determine th des p a c i no (page position on the the square and track together to align the bottom of thetrack 82), thetracks for bottom-mounted slides using a with this distance Given the combined thickness of the sides of thecabinet. Place a track onthecabinet side, hbovd. front. runner and track, this means the bottom of the drawer sides framing square to holdit at a right angle to thecabinet pole. place withthe w i l lb ea c t u a l l a yb o u% t z-inc hh i g h et r h a no nt h es t o r y face frame thetrack almost flush For cabinets, This bit of extra clearance over the drawer below wrll not be front forframeless cabinets liketheone edge of thecabinet; g a p . f a l s e f r o n t w s i l l c o v e t r h e F i n a lly, inset bythethickness of thefalse noticeab slie nce the shown above, thedrawer holes rn onto the cabinet inch. Measure outtheappropriate mark theoredrilled thetrack side. front stock;typically about%

thetracks Q Fastening r-,f Drill a oilot hole at each of themarks youmade in step1, wrapping a piece of hat tape a r o u ntd h ed r i l lb i tt o e n s u rte theside thescrews do notpass through f a s t et nh et r a c k in o f t h ec a b i n eT t .h e n place in eachholetighil. witha screw lf youhave more thanonedrawer to install at a certain height, cut a plywood spacer to fit between thetrack andthecabinet You canuse thisto place allthe bottom. at exactly thesame height without tracks Repeat 1 and2 forthe measuring. steps in thecabinet. other drawers

88

DRAWERS

INSTALLING SIDE.MOUNTED SLIDES

'l Attaching runners thedrawer I Unlike bottom-mounted slides, the runners of a side-mounted drawer slide canbeattached to thesideof a drawer at anyheight. To make installation easier, always offset therunner thesame distance fromthe bottom edge of thedrawer side. Therunner in theillustration wasolaced 3%inches fromtheedge, measuring to t h ec e n t eo r f t h er u n n e r M . ake a simole jig to position all therunners at exactly thesame spot on each drawer. Fasten some one-inch-square stock asa lipto a 12-inch length of plywood, then trimthe jigto width to hold therunner at theright position asshown. Toattach each runner, firstseparate therunner from thetrack. Then clamp thejigto thedrawer side and hold therunner against it, making sure it is f lush withthedrawer front. Secure the runner with screws tight).

jiq Poaitioninq

r) Fastening thetracks Z- Position thetracks onthesides of the cabinet according to thedesired spacing (page 82) Forthe lowest track, simply measure theoffset of thedrawer runner (above) fromthecabinet bottom, adding Yo inch forclearance. Draw a lineat this height. Hold thetrack against thecabinet srde andcenter thepredrilled screw holes o v et r h e l i n e .F o r face frame cabinets, position thetrack soit is nearly f lush with t h ef r o n to f t h ec a b i n e t f; o rf r a m e l e s s cabinets, inset thetrack bythethickness of thefalse frontstock. Fasten thetrack (left). withscrews f he higher tracks canbe positioned byadding thedrawer pole height specified onthecabinet story 25)totherunner offset. Remember @age t o m e a s u rt e o t h e c e n t eo r f t h et r a c k . Repeat steps I and2 fortheother drawers.

89

DRAWERS

thedrawer Q Installing you lf have caref ullypositioned and vl i n s t a l l etd h e r u n n e ra sn dt r a c k st ,h e drawers canbehung bysimply slipping runners into mounted on their theslides To remove drawer, thecabinet sides. the it fully releases extend then tripthelever on both slrdes kbove).

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7uildingup faaeframe cabineto drawer )ince mosl commercial slidesare desianedto beecrewed to the eidee of a cabinel, direcbly lhey cannol be ueedon face framecabineNe withoutcerlain adjuetmenNe. Manuf acturer e makeepecialbrackeLe thie qap buI a Nobridqe muchelurdier, ehoemade alternaNive ie NobuildupNhe cabineNeidee,Rio eome 1'/z-inch-Nhick

eolidetock equalin widLh lo Nhe dietancebelween Nhe edgeof the face frameandthe eidee of Nhe cabinet,.You willneedthree upriqhL pieceo IhaN eNreNch the bothom and lop of Nhe Drillpilot, holes in Nhe between cabineN. fourto sixiiches.Locaile upriqhLo every eachoi Lheupriqh\e eo then f astenthe it io oppooit e a pre-drilled suew holein the olide, o?acero trothe cabinet sidewith woodscrews. NowNhe slidecan beoecurely inslalled in linewiththe inside edqeof Ihe f aceframe.

90

DRAWERS

Longbefore theadvent of commercial drawerslides, cabinetmakers weremakingsimple yet fficient drawerrunners from wood.The drawerin thefaceframe cabinet shownat right hasdadoes cut into its sides that slideoverwooden runners mounted to theinside of thecabinet. Four notched blocks scretued to theface frame and cabinetbacksupport each runner.To installwooden runners in aframeless cabinet, see thesteps below.

HANGING DRAWERS WITHSHOP-MADE RUNNERS

grooves in thedrawer sides 1 Cutting I Before assembling thedrawer, cut a groove forthe runner in theoutside face of each drawer side. Tomake installation groove easier, offset each thesame disfromthe bottom tance edge of the drawer side. There arenorigid rules forthewidth of thegroove, butit should accommodate slides thatarethickenough to support thedrawer. Onyour tablesawinstall a dadohead thesame widthasthe groove. Draw cutting lines forthegroove in the middle of the leading endof onedrawer side. Also mark thedepth of thegroove; it should b en o m o r e t h a no n e - h atlh fe stock thickness. Buttthe lines forthe groove against thedado head, thencrank theblades upto thedepth line. Buttthe ripfence flush against thestock andmake thecut.Repeat foreach drawer side.

91

DRAWERS

r) Installing theslides L ltull theslide stock so itsthickness andwidthareabout hzinchless thanthe n t h ed r a w e r d i m e n s i oo nfs t h eg r o o vie Trim a fewinches shorter sides. theslides t h a nt h ec a b i n e sti d e st,h e nd r i l lt h r e e he oles ineach. c o u n t e r b o rce le da r a n c Position thewooden slides asyouwould commercial side-mounted slides 89. @age Hold a slide so it is inset f romthefront o f t h ec a b i n eb t yt h et h i c k n e s s edge front it in of thefalse stock, thenscrew (righil. place Test-f it the drawer. lf it is t o ol o o s e a , d ds h i m s u n d etrh es l i d e s ; i f t o ot i g h t , r e m o vie t a n dp l a n e o rs a n d i t s l i g h tt ly hi nn e r .

fit drawer Q Fine-tuning remove r-,1Slide thedrawer onto itsrunners. lf thesides bind, areas onthesides-high spots thedrawer andmark any shiny plane. Tosecure thedrawer thatcanbeshaved offwitha hand forplaning, board to a workbench withoneedge clamp a wide Remove of the extending over theside asshown. the bottom drawer andhang thedrawer ontheboard sothe binding side

i sf a c i n g u p .T h e n clamp anothe b ro a r d t o t h ew o r k b e n c h , butting it against thedrawer; use a bench dog to keep thesecwithbothhands, ondboard frommoving. Gripping theplane (above). shave off the marked spots withsmooth, even strokes Test-fit thedrawer andrepeat untilit slides smoothly. Replace
ihp hnfinm nanpl

92

FALSE FRONTS AND HARDWARE

f, alsefrontssolvethe problemof I hanging drawers sotheyare perfectly straight andlevel. Wth thefalse front system, all thedrawers in a cabinet are mounted asclose to level aspossible, thenthefrontsarepositioned individuallysotheyareplumbandlevel with thecase or face frame. Shims areused to fine-tune thefit. Thelocation of the false fronts are marked withnailtiosset in the drawers, thenthe draweri are removed andthefalse fronts are fastened in place. False frontscanbeused with either frameless or face frame cabinets. Theformer always uses insetdrawers(below), while the lattercanhaveeitherinsetor (page80). overlay drawers Installing knobs or pulls is not tricky, but takethe time to do it right. The key is to centerthe hardware on the drawer front. Techniquesfor installing the two different types of hardwareare shownon page97.

Oneof thefinal touches in makinga draweris addingtheappropriate handleor knob.Herea drawerknobis attached to aframe-and-panel false front.

()NINSET INSTALLING FALSE FRONTS DRAWERS

Preparing thedrawer I 0ncethe drawer slides have been (pages properly mounted 87-92),setthe drawer face-up ona work surface anddrive twobrads intothedrawer front, leaving protruding. theirhead Make sure thebrads arenotlocated pullwill where thedrawer beinstalled. Then snip offtheheads, leavingabout %inch exposed. 'l

=--l - l=

93

DRAWERS

fronts Attaching thefalse of thedrawer. Posiof glue to thefront Apply a thinlayer osu front i n p l a c el,i n i n g u pt h ei n d e n t a t i oyn t i o nt h ef a l s e front in tips. Clamt ph ef a l s e made i ns t e p 2 w i t ht h eb r a d t ole place , en from n e ae r ach corne t h ei n s i d e drill a piloh th re p t h o nt h eb i t w i t hs o m e t h ep r o p ed o f t h ed r a w e m r; ark . i n a l lfy asten h r o u gth h ef r o n tF maskin ta gp e t o a v o i d r i l l i ntg thetotal thickfront withscrews %inch shorter than thefalse Iront(above). ness of thedrawer r) Marking fronts thedrawer Z lnstall allthedrawers ontheir slides. posiwiththe bottom drawer, Starting p l fg alse front in ace. t i o ni t sm a t c h i n hims to level rd Use o a o eo r r c a r d b o as gap front andcreate aneven thefalse it andthecab%inchbetween of about Pull outthedrawer above inetbottom. false thebottom to ensure thatit clears When front; trimthefrontif necessary. youaresatisf iedwiththef it, push the driving the false frontintothedrawer, Apply laminate thewood. brad tipsinto (page 4& to theedges of edge banding 3 to front, thenproceed to step thefalse fronts of thefalse install it. Mark therest each one against way, shimming thesame it bbove). drawer benealh thef inished

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them and realiqn the Remove acro;ethe eNicks. you lenquh of the stickswillgive marke.Ihe combined for Ihe lenathof the faleefronN. meaouremenN Nhecorrect,

94

DRAWERS

INSTALTING FALSE FRONTS ONOVERTAY DRAWERS

thefalse fronts 1 Chamfering I False f ronts on overlay drawers typically have some sortof edge treatment, (shown such asrounding over, chamfering here), or more involved shaping. First size thefalse fronts to match thedrawer carplus case front, thedesired overlap. To chamfer theedges ofthefalse front, install a piloted 45" chamfering bit in a router and mount thetoolin a table. Align thefence withthebit'spilot bearing andadjust the height of thebitto cutall but%u inch of thefront's edges andends. Clamp two featherboards to thefence, oneon either side of thebit,to hold thestock against t h et a b l e ( . l n t h ei l l u s t r a t i o nef r o n t th featherboard hasbeen removed forclarity.)Toreduce tearout, chamfer theends befort eh es i d e sF . eed t h ew o r k o i e c e across thetable witha push stick, using your lefthand to press thestock against the f ence(righil.

r) Marking thefalse front L Ltlarnfalse fronts foranoverlay drawer (page asyouwould foran inset drawer 93). Theexample at leftshows twoside-byside drawers over a pair of doors. A support block is clamped beneath thedrawer positio tohelp tn h ef a l s e fr o n t inplace. prepare First thefront of thedrawers by inserting andcutting off a pair of brads (page 93).To place thesupport block, draw a lineonthedrawer railwhere the part lowest of thefalse front willbe.Clamp theblock in place, then setthefalse front ontopof rt.Finetune position theblock's b yt a p p i n ig t l i g h t lw y i t ha m a l l eu t ntil thefalse front sitslevel andat exactly the rrght height. Then move thefront right or leftto center it horizontally. Finally, hold thefront in position andpush thedrawer intothefrontto mark it (lef).fhe front (page canbescrewed to thedrawer 94) (page orglued in place 96).

95

DRAWERS

fronts onfalse Q Gluing a andspread r.,l Remove thedrawer ontheback of thefalse of glue thrnlayer withthe in position, front. Place thefront Hold the in theirimpressions. twobrads quick-action bar using assembly together, and theedge of thefront clamps along C clamps along thebottom deep-throated pads protect withwood edge; thestock Tighten theclamps where necessary. arenogaps between untilthere evenly frontandthedrawer thefalse bbovd.

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1eauringfalse lronts with double-facedtape Double-f acedtape ie a quickand eaey / wayto Vooition S._ and holdfalee lronNein place inotallinq while Slick a eNriV Nhem. LaVe of double-faced to the fronl of the Forface frame cabi' drawercarcage. (ehown here), holdthe f alsefront neNo in placewith a 6u??ortboard.For shimLhefront, framelees cabinets. shime.Then with paperor card,board, so the drawer oushthe fronN aaaineL ineLall iaVe,Finally, it uticketo Nhe Ihe faleefront with ocrewe.

fri

DRAWERS

HANDTES AND PULTS

Installing knobs I Drawers with sinele knobs should have t h ek n o b c e n t e r ei d n t h em i d d l e ofthe drawer front. Tofindthe center, draw d i a g o n ac ls onnectin og p p o s i tce orners, justnear marking themiddle ofthedrawer (right); do notmake the lines toodark or they w i l lb ed i f f icult oerase l a t e rD . rill a clearanc he ole f o rt h e k n o bt;h eh o l e should bejusta shade larger than thebolt sotheknob base willhave something to bear against. lnstall theknob after applyinga finish to thefront. 'l

r') Installing pulls drawer L me holes pulls fordrawer area little more time-consuming to mark. Most fronts a r el a i d o u ts ot h ep u l li s l e v ea l n dc e n tered both horizontally andvertically; some pulls taller drawers placed may have a bit below thehalfway mark. For a single cenpull, tered begin b yd r a w i na gl i n e that divides thefrontin halflengthwise. Use a framing square to layouttheline, then d o u b lc eh e c k w i t ha r u l e t ro m a k e sure thatit is even at both ends. Measure out theexact midpoint of thislineandmake a mark. Measure thedistance fromcenter to center of thetwoends of thepulland divide thisnumber in two.Mark outthis d i s t a n co en t h ec e n t e r l i nm e ,e a s u r i n g f r o mb o t h sides o f t h em i d p o i n D t.rill clearance holes through thefront at these twopoints. Install thepullafter applying a finish to thefront.

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NSTALLNG CABINETS
kitchen cabinets can Pinpointingirregularities in f nstalling I bethebest of times. andthe kitchensurfaces is covered on worst. Best, because it marks the page102.Lowercabinet runs completion of an arduous task; (page fia) areusually installed worst. because installation of first,followed bytheuppercabperfect cabinets in an imperfect inets(page 115). Some cabinetkitchen is sure to put yourcabmakers,however, install the inetmaking skillsto the test. upper cabinets first,arguing that Until now,you have worked on it is easier to dothistaskwith the paper andin therelative calmof lowercabinets out of theway. yourworkshop, carefully craftA transfer scribe accurately the contours While either option will work, follows ing your cabinets oneby one. of a wall and drawsa matchinglineontoa scribe stand-alone peninsulas kitchen Buta kitchen is not a workshop. rail. Oncetherail isplanedor sanded (pages to thisline, andislands 112-114) are Whenyoubringyour cabinets thecabinet will fit seamlessly whenit is installed. best installed last, astheycancreon siteandstartinstalling them, atetrafficjamsduringinstallayou mayfind yourself dealing with problems you hadnot tion, no matterhow well theyareexpected to work in the anticipated, oftenworking against theclock. finishedkitchen. Forexample, no matter howpainstakinglyyou have exePlaced plinths, on levelers, or theirownintegral bases, the yourstorypoles cuted andbuilt yourcabinets (page to theirspec- lower cabinets 104) arcshimmed frombehind sotheir ifications, there will undoubtedlybe gaps between thecarcases faces areplumbandaligned flushwith each other, thenthe andthewalls, floors, andceilings. Thisisbecause thewalls of cases are fastened to thewallstuds. Utilityhookups such ashot a room,unlike yourcabinets, arerarely straight. Fortunately, andcoldwater supplies, drainpipes, andelectrical outlets out-of-plumb walls caneasily bestraightened (page by adding addi- require planning special 108). Before installing cabinets (page tionalrailsto theendcabinets 104) andscribing them around such hookups, check withaprofessional plumber and (photo, above). Thescribe rail canthenbeplaned or sanded electrician to ensure thatthepipes aresound andthewiringis to conform to thewall. in goodcondition. Upper cabinets aremounted using nailer Thechapter thatfollows guides you through thesteps rails, European-style supports, or beveled wooden support rails andtechniques necessary to install yourkitchen cabinets (page 115).As in thelower cabinets, variations in thelength of andmakesuretheyareplumbandlevel. A general review acabinet runmaycall forfillersnips to bridge gaps between cab(pages of installation techniques 100-101) outlines several inets. Thefinaltouch (page isdecorative crown molding 118), options for installing bothloweranduppercabinet runs. which dresses thejointbetr,veen thecabinets andtheceiling.

Positioning and installingtheuppercabinets of a kitchen is moredfficult than installinglowercabinets. Simple jigssuchasshop-made jacks(left) and tempocabinet rary supportraik (pagell5) makethejob mucheasier.

99

BASICS INSTALLATION
yourkitchen cabiheninstalling youchoose to nets, thetechnique
on your keepthem levelwill depend If your lower methodof construction. toekick,you feature an integral cabinets 44) or shims can uselevelerlegs(page (page level, 106) to positionthecabinets with one another plumb,and square If to the studs. beforenailingthe cases leveler your cabinets aresimple carcases, areboth suitable. legs or a plinth base (page 112) can Whiletheplinth base it is parwith anyIowercabinet, be used ticularly well-suitedto islandsand Thisisbecause bothof these oeninsulas. to aredifficult to secure iabinet tvDes The thefloor whilehidingthefasteners. first with shimsor olinth is leveled in then fastened idjustablelevelers, screwed to with a fewL-brackets olace ihe floor and insideof the plinth. The onto is thenscrewed islandor peninsula theolinth, caneitherbescrewed Uppercabinets to the wall studsthroughnailerrails (page hard116),specialized commercial wooden supware, or hungon beveled to both the cabinet oort railsscrewed both ind the wall studs(opposite).In shims areused upperandlowercabinets, and makethemall to levelthe cabinets to be a singleunit seamlessly appear joinedto the kitchen. railsand Scribe fillerstrips should takecare ofanygaps.

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INSTALLING CABINETS

(Page UPPER CABINETS 115)

5ide view

ISTAND (Page 112)

Adjuetable leveler

INSTALLINGTHE LOWERCABINETS
rla hewalls are andfloors of a kitchen I typicallyfar from plumb,level, irregustraight, andsquare. Common larities suchasbowsin thewallor a problems warped floorcan create when it comes timeto install cabinets thatare perfectly In olderhomes, the square. in thewalls mayalso at studs beplaced intervals 16-inch other thanthestandard planned spacing used today. Thebest kitchen will pose installation challenges thatcannot betackled until thecabinets for assembly However, areready on-site. youneed irregularities to identify these A chalkline simplifies marking out longlevel lines, such asindicating run of cabinets. thetopof a lower youbegin putting thecabinets before in place. Yourfirsttaskis to drawlevel horizontal lines where thecabonthewalls If thekitchen floor inets will go(below). youcanadjust isnotlevel, theheight of thecabinets later with shims or various you types of commercial levelers. Next, need to locate thewallstuds. whichare in place. crucial to securing thecabinets Thisis easily with an electronic done device knownasa studfinder,which detects differences in thethickness ofa wallby means of a magnetic field. Lastly, thesquareness of corners will affecta close fit (opposite). Scribe rails, gaps, must used to cover bewideenough to span anyvoids between cabinet sides andtheadjoining wall.

PREPARING FOR INSTALLATION

layout lines 1 Drawing I Use a long carpenter's level to draw a lineonthewallat the height of the lower this linefrom cabinets tighil. Measure pointof the f loorwhere it the highest 24). lt youhave meets the wall (page adjoining cabinet runs, startmarking fromthe highest floorpointof the respectivewalls. This ensures thatyouwillonly need bottoms to level to shimthecabinet (lf youstarted thetopsof thecabinets. point froma lower onthef loor, cabinet would require scribing-a more bottoms Thelines laborious approach.) canalso line(phobeeasily laidoutwitha chalk to,above). Repeat the procedure to mark of the upper cabinets. thebottom

r02

INSTALLING CABINETS

r) Checking thecorners forsquare L tlsea carpenter's square to determine (left). if a corner is square lf not,measure thegap, anduse thisfigure to make scribe rails(page 104).Usea plumbbobto see if thewallleans inward. lf it does, meapoint. sure thegapat itswidest

wallstuds Q Locating r.,f Usean electronic studf inder to locate thecenters of thestuds in the w a l l sF . ollowin gem a n u f a c t u r e r ' s th instructions, calibrate thesensor and place thedevice against thewall. Press theoperating button andslide thesensorsideways across the wall(below); theredlight willcome onasthedevice passes over a stud. Determine theedges of each studandmark itscenter. You canalso snap a chalk lineupthecenter of each studto locate it for bothuooer andlower cabinets.

103

INSTALLINGCABINETS

RUN A LOWER CABINET INSTALLING

'l Adding scribe rails I lnstall a corner cabinet first. Cuta to span thegap scribe railwide enough andthe between theedge of thecabinet wall. Thescribe railshould bethesame fa , n dm a d e lengta h st h ec a b i n e t c ea from thesame material. Glue therailin place soitsface isf lush withthecabinet. (left)and railin place Clamp thescribe glue letthe cure.

r) Shimming temporarily thecabinets it n place with Z- Positio tn h ec a b i n e Slip r a i lt o u c h i ntg h ew a l l . t h es c r i b e utn t i t l h et o p shims b e n e a t h ec a b i n e (righil. Forcabiis level of thecabinet nets w i t hl e v e l e le r g sa , d j u stth e h e i g h t slevel t h ec a b i n ei t o f t h el e g s until (page 110).

INSTALLING CABINETS

therail Q Scribing r-t Seta transfer scribe slightly larger thanthegapyoudetermined forthe scribe rail(page 103). Place thesteel p o i na t gains t ew a l la n dl a yt h ep e n th t n t h es c r i b e c i l p o i no r a i l .K e e p the twopoints level asyouslide thetransfer scribe down thewall(above), marking thecontour of thewallontherail.

Planing thescribe rails Sand or plane theedge of thescribe you raildown to theline scribed in step 2. Tilt thetoola bit toward the rear o f t h ec a b i n e atsy o up l a n e t h es c r i b e (/eff). rail,creating a slight bevel This pronounced, bevel need notbevery but willensure a snug f it when thecabinet is installed.

t0s

INSTALLING CABINETS

0 0 0 0 0

thecabinet f, Installing r-,1Reposition in place with thecabinet t h es c r i b e r a i lt o u c h i ntg h ew a l l . Shim the bottom andsides of thecabinet so i t i s l e v ea l n di t st o pi s a l i g n ew d i t ht h e referenc l ie n eo n t h ew a l l .F a s t etn he c a b i n ei tn p l a c e b ys c r e w i n tg hrough t h es h i m s a n dr e a r n a i l e ris nto t h ew a l l fromthe studs(/eff). Trimthe excess witha sharp knife. Align thenext shims it tothe c a b i n ei tn t h er u na n ds c r e w (below), Repeat firstcabinet to install t h er e m a i n do efrt h er u n .

RUNS INSTALLING ADJACENT

adjacent cabinets 1 Aligning I Toinstall runs of cabinets onadjacent withthecorner cabinet. Level walls, start l lh ec a s e a sy o ud i d i n s t e p 5 a n di n s t a t (above), cabinet. Place thenalign thenext sothecabiandadjust shims as needed . lamt n e tf a c e s a r ef l u s h a n dI e v e lC ph e (rghf). in position cabinets together

106

INSTALLINGCABINETS

ji]trllillll lrrlllll ilil lilrlillill illi itil {illtlil ilt{iil1 rlJl iill ul lllI ur iii lu ili i.u uJ ilJ iti t$ {lJ di ul i.ri ru u ui ut

5HO?TI?
Makingthiak shims lf you muet ehima wideqap,add a sufficienbly thick piece of plywood Lo a ef,andard cedarshim.Thie eliminatee the need for eeveral ahime, which may ehifLand complicate Ihe levelinq ?roceoo. Uoinq a piece of plywood of uniform thicknees also enauree that,the shimwillnoLinlroduce additionalirregularities, as may happen when placinq manyohimo nexf,loeachother. JoinIhe ehimIo the plywood with a shorLscrewimakesureLhe headof the lasteneris e u n kb e l o w the sur/ ..,"', f ace of the ehim. G) ,/ . a ' - '
,at' .a/

r) Fastening thecabinets y o uh a v e L Once a l i g n etd h ec a b i nets, fasten them together withscrews. D r i lt lhree c o u n t e r s uo nik holea st lot t h ef r o n t a n dt h eb a c k o f o n ec a b i n e t side. lf you areusing %-inchthick stock foryour cabinets, make these holes 1% i n c h ed s e e pT . hen drive t h ef a s t e n e r s (above). in place

d*.

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'x.t I '\ti y'''

r07

INSTALLING CABINETS

filler strips Q Installing r-J Minor of thewalls andcabiaberrations in themeasurement youwitha gapbetween to be nets the lastcabinets canleave rails cannot beeliminated byadding scribe installed. lf thespace thelength width endof therun, cuta filler strip of equal at either face andwide enough to bridge thegapbetween of thecabinet

from material asthe Cutthepiece thesame thetwocabinets. installed. Screw screw it to thecabinet already cabinets, then along thetopedge of thecabinet an addiiional strip bbovd,as filler strip andaslong asthedepth of thecabrwide asthefront it asin step 2. in place, andinstall nets. Slide thenext cabinet

H()()KUPS FITTING CABINETS AROUND UTITITY

utility cutouts 1 Locating poles forthe I Using thecabinet story (page 24),transfer cabinet appropriate forplumbing andelecthemeasurements of the trical outlets onto theback oanel the position and cabinet tighD.lndicate size of each utility cutout.

Location ,-/ofdrain

r08

INSTALLING CABINETS

r) Gutting holes L Cutthe holes usins a drillf itted witha hole saw thesairesrze asthe (abovel. cutout Make the holes slightly larger thanthe pipe. A keyhole saw canbeused for larger holes.

shut-off valves Q Attaching \, Fitdecorative flanges over thepipes, thenfasten shut-off valves to the pipe e n d sT . hese t a p su s u a l lrye q u i ro en l y (left)to wrenches fasten themin place. A f l e x i b ls eu p p l t yu b et h e nf e e d s the water to thetaos.

109

INSTALLINGCABINETS

KICKPLATES INSTALLING
thecabinet 1l Levelins integrated have toe I lf your cabinets to step2. For 100),proceed kicks(page legs, a level to withleveler use cabinets (right). youadjust guide youwhile thelegs from thefront to theside Shift thelevel until thecabinet andrepeat asnecessary h ec a b i n e t i s l e v eo l na l ls i d e sS . e c u rte fasteners through the bydriving in place into nailers thewallstuds.

thekickplate Scribing
p Tof it the kickplate , l a c ei t o n t h e

Use f loor in frontof thecabinet below). to scribe thekickplate a transfer scribe 105). rail (page asyoudid the scribe should be The topedge of thekickplate if necessary. Plane the level; use shims kickplate to theline.

110

INSTALLINGCABINETS

)rrtrr$a'r

Fitting theretaining clips Draw a centerline down theleneth ofthekickplate's insrde face. lndicate thelocatron of each leveler legon thekickplate. Screw therectangular plates mounting points, at each of these then slide theclips onto themounting (above). plates

Attaching thekickplate
L i n eu p t h e c l i p sw i t h t h e l e g s( l e f t )

then . lide snap t h ek i c k p l a itn ep l a c e S t h ec l i p s s l i g h t la yl o n t gh em o u n t i n g plates, if necessary, sothey lineupwith their respective legs when thekickplate positioned. is properly

111

ISLANDSANDPENINSULAS
the is large enough, I f yourkitchen island can I addition of a freestanding reduce kitchen tightenwork triangles, clutter. countertop traffic,andeliminate andaddia sinkor range Incorporating space into the islandcan tionalstorage of your improvethe overallefficiency more. kitchen even a Installinga kitchenislandrequires for thantheoneused different approach kitchencabinets, asthe islandhasno is from thewalls. Onesolution support to setthe islandon a plinth. This is a slightly woodenframewith a perimeter The plinth is than the cabinet. smaller with splined miterjoints,Ievassembled andfastened to thefloor;theisland eled, isthenscrewed to theplinth.The cabinet plinth canbe madefrom plywoodor solidwood.Theformeris recommendkickseparate ed ifthe floor is uneven; later, andadded canbe scribed olates

With its large tiled countertop,sink, and ample storagebelow,the kitchen island abovedoesdouble duty as a dishwashingand food preparation qrea. Instead of restingon a plinth, the island is set on a molded base frame.

ISLAND A KITCHEN INSTALLING

pieces theframe 1 Preparing I Assemble theolinth fromveneered plywood using or solidstock %-inch joints First, at thecorners. miter splined pieces to width-typiripthefourframe pieces to 4 inches. Tocuttheframe cally, to45" s a wb l a d e length t, i l t t h et a b l e assembled, t h ee n d s w ; hen a n dm i t e r from beinset 3 inches theolinth should Next, make cabinet. allsides of theisland plywood; they from%-inch splines some ofthe b ea s l o n g a st h e w i d t h should Tocutthe and%inchwide. f ramepieces pieces grooves forthesplines, in theframe a dado andinstall remove thesawblade of thesplines. head setto thethickness soit of thesawblade Adjust theheight into endofthe a 45" dado themitered cuts (right);lhe pieces depth of thedado frame of thesplines. behalf thewidth should

t12

INSTALLING CABINETS

r) Assembling theplinth glue L npply to theends of theframe pieces, spreading you it in thedadoes cut in step1. Spread adhesive on the s p l i n ea sn dt a pt h e mi n t ot h ed a d o e s . A s s e m ba le n dc l a m p t h ep l i n t h using a large webclamp(above); the model shown features special corners thatdisre tribute t h ec l a m p i np gr e s s u e venly joints. along themiter

Leveling theplinth
Screw a n a d j u s t a b l le e v e l ea r t each

corner of theplinth, installing thefirstone at thehighest floor elevation of thefour corners. Setthisleveler aslowaspossible. thenraise or lower theothers asneeded (/eft). untilthetopof plinth is level

113

INSTALLINGCABINE,TS

Shimming theplinth
y,o uw i l l u n d o u b t e de n du p w i t h ly l f t h e f l o o ri s u n e v e n g a p sb e t w e e n t h e b o t t o mo f t h e p l i n t ha n d t h e f l o o ro n c et h e p l i n t hh a sb e e nl e v e l e d w i t hs h i m s p , ositioning F . i l lt h e g a p s t h e p l i n t ha r e a( a b o v e ) . e a c ho n e s o i t s w i d ee n d i s o u t s i d e , n du s e A d d a d r o po f g l u et o e a c hs h i mt o h o l di t i n p l a c e a t h a ty o ud o n o ts h i f tt h e p l i n t h a c a r p e n t e rl'e s v e tl o e n s u r e slh i m s . t dditiona a s v o ui n s e r a to thefloot theplinth F Fastening p l r n t h brackL - s h a p ea dn g l e r - , 1F a s t e n the t o t h e f l o o ru s i n g i n side e t s S e tt h e b r a c k e tis n olace t o t h e a n ds c r e w them p e r p l i n t h ; T h e n s c r e w the u s et w o b r a c k e t s s i d e . f a c eo f t h e ( a b o v e ) . p l i n t h f ash a s b e e n O n c et h e h a r d w a rte o the floor p l a c e , f a c e o f f l u s hw i t ht h e o u t s i d e c u tt h e s h i m s t e n e di n t h ep l i n t h .

cabinel lnstalling theisland

c a b i n eo t nthe C e n t etrh e i s l a n d nf t h e p l i n t h ,a n d m a r ko u tt h e p o s i t i oo plinth the . crew o n t h e c a b i n eb t o t t o mS driving thefasi n p l a c e( r i g h i l , cabinet into the cabineb t ottom teners through . fter t h e c a b i n eits i n p l a c e , t h ep l i n t hA page ll0) l i c k p l a l e(s scribe a n d i n s t a lk oftheplinth. o n t h eo u t s i d f ea c e s

tr4

INSTALLING THE UPPE,R CABINETS

canbe fastened to T f pp.r.cabinets in oneof three LJ thewalls ways. The easiest method issimplyto screw thecabinetsto the wall studsthrouehnailers (below).lf you wanta less pErmanent solution, youcanhangthecabinets from shop-made interlocking rails(page 116). Onerailisscrewed to thebackof thecabinet,theotherto thewall.Cabinets can alsobehungusingcommercially available adjustable railsandcabinet supports (photo, right).Whatever methodyou choose, the cabinets needto be leveled before finalinstallation.

The European-style cabinetsLtpport shown in the cutawaycabinet nt right providesstronger supportfor mounting uppercabinets than screws driven into the wall. Screwed to the insidecornerof a cabinet, the hardware a metalhook that protrudesthroughthe backand features clips onto a rnil fastenedto the wall behind the cabinet.Adjustment screws allow the cabinetto be leveledand tightenedagainstthe rail.

INSTALLING UPPER CABINETS

Installing a temporary support rail I Attaching a temporary youhold support railwill help theupper cabinets in position asyouinstallthem. piece Screw a straight of 1-by-2 stock to the wall(abovd, aligning itstopwiththe layout lineindicating thebottom of theupper cabinet run.Make sure to drive thefasteners into thewall studs.

'l

INSTALLING CABINETS

thefirstcabinet O Installing in theupper Z- Position thef irstcabinet it onthesupport runin itscorner, setting rail (page rail.lf necessary, adda scribe and the cabinet 105), thenreposition withtwoscrews it to thewallstuds screw the back of thecabinet driven through all thefasteners near thetop.Donotdrive leave slack soyoucanshim theway; some a l e v etlo t h es i d e t h ec a b i n e C t.lamp b e h i ntd he atn ds l i ps h i m s o f t h ec a b i n e (left), thentighten case untilit is plumb pairof screws Drive a second thescrews. the back of intothewallstuds through thecabrnet at thebottom.

cabinets Installing additional in therun Position thesecond cabinet themtogether next to thefirstandclamp Drive in areflush. twoscrews sothefaces (right), leauing them cabinet the second thecabinet asin soyoucanshim slack thesecond cabistep. Shim theprevious it to the thenscrew netuntilit is level, joining Tighten thescrews f irstcabinet. Screw the cabinet to thewall. thesecond the Repeat to install cabinets together. in therun other cabinets

116

INSTALLINGCABINETS

USING BEVELED NAILERS

ffillti lllllllllllt llfl tllj tlll tll} IlIt lllt lllllllifltt lIIlllllllt llli
1HO?TI?
Shop-made cabinet jacke jacke eerveas an extra pair of Cabinet hands, holdinq you a c a 6 ei n p l a c e while i n s t a l li t . Y o uc a n e a o i l y y o u ro w n make jacke.7imply ehop-built screw trhree piecee of Vlywood or melamine Noqelher inboNhe l-ohape shownaNriqhL Vakethe piecee ae lonqas the dielancebelween the upper cabinetrs and the counterlop.The cenNer e h o u l db e w i d ee n o u 4 h to ouVporN Viece a cabinelunif.

Hanging thecabinets lf you areusing beveled nailers to install your cabinets, firstscrew a length of 1-by-6 to theback of an upper cabinet. Position thecase onthewall sothebottomof thecase is aligned withtheline onthewallindicating thebottom of the upper cabinets, thenmark thelocation of the 1-by-6 onthewall. Remove the strip of wood andcuta 45" bevel down its middle. Crosscut the oieces to the desired length. Screw oneof thestrips to thewallstuds asa batten, its bevel p o i n t i nu gpa n df a c i n g t h ew a l l S . crew piece theother to theback of thecabinetasshown. Attach a second railan equal distance fromthebottom of the cabine t a c ta sa s h i m S to . crew a filler strip t o t h eb a c k o f t h ec a b i n e ft lush withthebottom, thenhang thecase in place(top,left).

CROVTNMOLDING
8rown molding addsa nicefinish- width is aboutright for an average f foot-high ins to a set of kitchen cabiceiling. \-i touch Whilecuttingmitered corners at the hideuneven ceilings and nets. Itian also run requires care, the with the end of a cabinet visually integrate the cabinets moldreal challenge in installing crown room'sarchitecture. Simpleone-piece in a variety ing is attaching it firmly andinvisiblyto of crownmoldingis available particularly whenthereis kitchen the cabinets, profiles to matchthesryle ofyour space between thecabinet cut andinstalled. onlyenough cabinets, andis easily your the ceiling for the molding make ownwith a table- tops and Youcanalso (see itself. Attaching a nailer to the molding of bits mountedrouteranda couple (below) it fastened to the \tVhen crown allows to be backendpaper). choosing procabinet from underneatn. molding,makesureit is properly portioned for thekitchen;molding that Crown molding doesnot haveto In the all the wayto the ceiling. is too widewill have the effect of lowerextend high ceilings, there Molding3 or 4 inches in case ofexceptionally ing theceiling. maybe a gapof asmuchasa foot.This the cabinet canbe hiddenspace above fluoresused to goodeffect; by placing crownmoldingisavailable Custom patterns centlightson top ofthe cabinets, the carved with elaborate resulting indirectlightingcanadd soin a widerange of andscrollwork, (left). phistication to your kitchen. styles modern and antique

MOLDING INSTALLING CROWN

thenailer 1 Attaching forthefasteners I Toorovide ananchor molding, a when installrng crown attach first. Rip %-by-IY,nailer to themolding a piece inch of stock equal in lengh to the youareinstalling piece onthe of molding p a i n t i no gr f i n i s h i n g , T cabinet . oe a s e t h es a m e t h en a i l es rhould b ec u tf r o m P .r o t e c t i n th ge materia alst h e m o l d i n g pads, glue theedge of stock withwood flush edge of the thenailer to thebottom witha molding; support thetwopieces (right). themtogether shimasyouclamp pieces fortheother of molding. Repeat

INSTALLINGCABINETS

Cutting themolding to lengh

M a r kt h e l e n g t h o f t h e t o p o f t h e c a b i n er t u no n t h e u p p e r

face o f t h en a i l e r . e ty o u r S m i t es r aw t o c u ta 4 5 ' a n g l e and p o s i t i otn h em o l d i nr gi g h t - s i d ue p o nt h es a w s ot h em a r k is

e ith a l i g n ew dr t h t h eb l a d e . e c u rte S h em o l d i nig nplacw the piece saw's vise knob; use a scrap of wood if necessary. Make (abovd. your thecut,keeping hand well clear of theblade

Installing themolding
P o s i t i otn h ec r o w n molding ontopof t h ec a b i n ertu n ,a l i g n i ntg h eh e e l ofthe m i t e ry o uc u t i n s t e p2 w i t ht h e c o r n e o rf t h e c a b i n e tT . h en a i l e r should extend out o v e rt h e e x t e r i oo r f the cabinet f r o n tb y t h e t h i c k n e so sf t h e d o o r s l.f t h e r ei s s u f ficient s p a c es , crew t h ec r o w n molding to t h et o po f t h ec a b i n e tts hrough thenailers, spacing t h e f a s t e n e re sv e r y 6 to 8 inches. Otherwise, drivethe fasteners fromunderneath. M i t e rt h e p i e c e of crown molding f o r t h e e n do f t h e c a b i n e tt,h e ns c r e w it in place(left).

119

{L-t,'l ' .
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COLINTERTOPS
ease ofapplication(page 126). The originalfitting neednot is to theshop, thecountertop be painstakingly exact;once bears thebruntof thekitchen's the laminate is gluedin place, workload. In addition to suDit can be trimmed perfectly porting thepreparation and flushwith the substrate usinga cooking of meals, thecounter laminatetrimmer. This cusisalso anall-purpose worksurtom-fittingabilityis particuface used for scores of other larly usefulwhen meldingthe dailyhousehold from tasks, top sheetof laminatewith a brewing coffee to writingletcontrastingedge treatment (page ters, fromfixingappliances to 1j7). Plastic laminate is sundryarts and crafts activities. thematerial usedto makeinexItmustbe solidenough tostand pensive, popularpre-molded on,easily cleaned withadamp A tile baclcsplash canelevate an ordinarykitchen into a counter tops (page 132).These cloth,anddurable enough to workof art. In thekitchen shown above, a baclesplash of countertops have thetop,edge lookasgoodafter10years as decorative ceramic tilesis carriedoverinto an elaborate treatment, and backsplash thedayit was installed. providinga tramural in theopenspace above therange, combined in oneunit, andtake Fortunately, the technical ditionalcontrast to theclean, modern linesof thecabinets. much of the work out of innovations that transformed installinga countertop. Solid(page kitchencabinetmaking in thepost-war madethiskind erahave surface countertops 129) aremoredifficult to installbut of performance commonplace. In particular, theperfection of the results arerewarding. The ability to mold edges and exeplasticlaminatehasput attractiveand resilientcountertops cuteinvisible joints and repairs hasmadesolid-surface counwithin thereach of even thetightest of homebuilding budgets. tertopssecond only to plasticlaminatein popularity,despite Solid-surface materials soldundersuch brandnames asCorian their highercost. andAvoniteoffereven betterperformance-but at a price.And Gettingall the details right is the mark of true craftsmanthere still is a placein the kitchenfor natural materialslike (pages ship,andinstalling a backsplash 134-1j6)is an excellent wood and stone. Theguideon page122will helpyou choose wayto addan individualtouchto your kitchen.Since a backthe bestcountersurface for your kitchen; thepages that follow not bearasmuchabuse splash does asa countertop, you have outlinethe procedures andtechnioues necessarv to installit. considerably moreleewaywhen choosing the material. Wood While initallation methods differ somewhat amongcounandtile,which canbeproblematic ascountertop surfaces, are tertop materials, therearemanysimilarities. The procedure excellent for backsplashes. choices Selecting the perfectpiece for installinga sink in a countertop with a plasticlaminate of hardwoodor usingceramic tileswith an antiquehand(page125), surface for example, canbe easily paintedpatternasa backsplash adapted to othcould be the difference that er countertops. One of the appeals of plastic laminate is its makes your kitchenunique. kitchen asa workbench

s indispensable to the

joint-cuxingandshaping Solid-surface countertop materials offersuperior abilities. Thekitchen at leftfeatures countertops popular made Corian, a solid-surface from material.Notethemolded corners and seamless transition to sink. from countertop

t21

SURFACES A GALLERY OF COUNTERTOP

tl- h. idealcountertop is not only laminate has since become thestandard, andcounters millions of tables I attractive. durable, heat-resistant covering theworld. to form, around and waterproolbut easy Madeof castacrylicandpolyester, andinexpensive. install,andrepair, were invented yetto beinvented. solid-surface countertops Alas, thiswonder has products, in thelate1960s, andare theclosest to an Fortunately, there areseveral but for their and natural,that idealcountersurface, both man-made permits, youcan expense. Ifyourbudget come close. such as ofstone, Plastic laminate isthemost common opt for theopulence Woodcanbea very or marble. facing material. Firstcreated granite countertop people counter, butmany shy isformed bybond- attractive in 1913, thismaterial it near thesinkwhere phenolic fromusing ingpaper, resins, andmelamine away wet. plastic Plastic it will become under heat andpressure. kitchens Some of thebest-designed matemake use of several contrasting rials, taking advantage oftheirdifferForexample, entstrengths. a counter might be mostlywood or tile but steel around the switch to stainless plastic Another option is a lamsink. with inate or solid-surface countertop inset wood. Lastly, an cutting board of possibildo not forget thedecorative ities of thebaclsplash, where theuse of woodor tilescanadda handeither touch. crafted

Plasticlaminate is tough, inexpensive, and relativelyeasyto apply.Because it cannotbe it ispaperthin, however, shaped and is very dfficult to repair.

Solid-surface material, suchasCorian or Avonite,is expensive, but can be workedmuchlike wood,sincethepatthroughits ternand coloris consistent It canalsobejoined entirethickness. results. or repaired with invisible

Granite is the mostprestigious-and expensive-material for countertops: extremely hard,smooth, and idealfor rollingpastrydough. It is alsoheavy and difficultto install.

but is and Marble is veryexpensive Tile is heat-and water-resistant colors, not astoughasgranite.And like available in a varietyofpatterns, granite,it needs Thegroutbetween thetiles to becut and andfinishes. unless p olished profes sio nalf . canbecome stained and mildewed groutis used. ahigh-qualityepoxy

arewarm and Woodencountertops -style pleasant-well suited for country kitchens, but theleast durable of thelot. part Theyarebest used of a counter, for suchasa chopping blockinsert.

INSTALLING COUNTERTOPS
Wooden and plasticlaminatecountertopsare installedby simply screwing them to the supportingcabinets. In the photo at left, a woodencountertop with mitered solid wood edging is beingsecured to a cornercabinet that featuresa lazy Susan;thefastenersare driven through the cabinet's countertopnailers into stretchers attached to the undersideofthe top.

COUNTER BUITDING UPTHE

Attaching stretching and cleats material as stretchers andcleats of thesame o f % - i n cm h e d i u m - d e n -of 4-inch-wide sr u b s t r a ta er seu s u a l lm y ade Counte of the Screw thestretchers along theedges for itsdimensional stability. Todouble thesubstrate. chosen sityf iberboard, di c k n e s cleats between thestretchers, spacing ap n di n c r e a s it e s substrate, thenattach th os f t h ec o u n t e r t o t h ep e r c e i v e of 1Bto 20 inches. lf youarejoining twosheets b ,u i l d u p t h es u b s t r a w t ei t hs t r e t c h ea rn s dc l e a t s . themevery strength (above), countertop make sure to substrate intoan L-shaped , a k i ns gu r e t o i n c l u dte he F i r sc t u tt h es u b s t r a t o es i z em prepare a cleat ontheioint. % inch. Then a number secure amount of overhang; typically

t23

COUNTERTOPS

FOR THESINK CUTTING A HOLE

thesubstrate 1 Marking new witha template I Most sinks come y o up o s i t i o n that w i l lh e l p a n dm a r k the o p e n i no gnt h es u b s t r a tle fy . o ud o n o t youcanmake have one from a template, Place thesink face down on cardboard. itsoutline. Next thecardboard andtrace line%inchinside thefirst draw a second one then cutoutthetemplate along this inner line. Draw a pair of lines dividing the in halfboth vertically andhoritemplate onthesubstrate zontally. Center thesink itslower marking intersectatop cabinet, Place theteminglines onthesubstrate. plate of in position andalign thetwopairs (/efil. lines. Trace theoutline witha pencil

r) Cutting theopening youhave L Once marked outtheposi, heck t h a tt h el i n e does t i o no f t h es i n k c holding the notcross anyof thescrews Next, drillaY,-inch stretchers andcleats. just access hole through the substrate inside t h ep e r i m e t e Ir n.s t a la l combinationblade in a saber sawandlower the h eh o l eH . o l d i ntg h et o o l blade t h r o u gth f i r m l yt,u r ni t o na n ds t a rc t u t t i na gl o n g the linetighil. f ry to cut asclose to the Thisneed notbeexact, lineas possible. a st h ee d g e w i l lb e h i d d e n b yt h el i p o f piece To keep from thesink. thewaste breaking off asyounear theendof the hand. cut,support it withyour free Solids u r f a cte o o ss h o u l d n e v eb r e c u tw i t h saw; instead, use a router witha a saber bitanda plywood template. straight

t24

COUNTERTOPS

INSTALLING A TAMINATE COUNTERTOP

I A sheeo t f plastic laminate c a nb e r i p p e d t o w i d t ho n y o u r t a b l es a w ,b u t i t i s e a s i etro c r o s s c ui t w i t ht h e j i g s h o w n here. T o s e t u p t h e j i g , f i r s tj o i n t t w o b o a r d s s o t h e ye a c hh a v eo n e s t r a i g he t d g eW . i t ha f r a m i n g s q u a r ed , r a wa l i n ea c r o s t sh e l a m i n a ta et t h e d e s i r e d l e n g t hN . exts , a n d w i cth helaminate betweet nh e b o a r d s a s s h o w nA . l i g nt h e l i n ew i t h t h e e d g e s of theboards a n dc l a m pt h e w h o l e a s s e m b lty o t h e w o r ks u r f a c e . I n s t a la l flush-trimmin bg i t i n y o u rr o u t e a r n ds e t t h e c u t t i n g d e p t hs o t h e p i l o tb e a r i n w g i l l r u b a g a i n stth e j i g . P l a c e the r o u t ef rl a t o n t h e j i g a n de a s e t h e b i t i n t ot h e l a m i n a t e m , aking s u r et h e b e a r i n g r u b sa g a i n stth e j i g t h r o u g h o u t e cut(left). th lf a sheet i s d a m a g ea d t b o t he n d s , f i r s tt r i m o n ee n dt o g e ta clean e d g et , h e nm a r ko f f t h e d e s i r e d length a n dt r i m t h e o t h e r e n d .C u tt h e l a m i n a t a et l e a s a t n i n c hl o n g ea r n dw i d e r than n e c e s s a riv t :c a n b e t r i m m e d f l u s hl a t e r .

Trimmins laminate 1 t -

Flueh-trimminq bit

r) Trimming pieces matched Z- Whenever twopieces of plastic laminate meet it is important o v e r l a p p itn hg e mb y4 t o 5 i n c h e s a,n dc l a m p t h ea s s e m b l y perfectly. gaps that they match . os u p p o r Any willbevery noticeable and i n p l a c eT th t eo u t e s r h e e tc ,l a m p i t t o t h et a b l e rn jig about unattractive. Trimming thetwosheets before installation in the a second 6 inches fromthefvst(inseil. Totrimthe jigshown here however willresult in precisely matched edges sheets, settherouter onthejig withthepilot bearrng against every time. Theprocedure (above). issimilar to trimming a single sheet theedge, thenpullit through thesheets Keep a slight both 6tep1).Tosetupthejig,secure sheets between theboards, pressure against thejigthroughout thecut.

t25

COUNTERTOPS

Positioning thelaminate sheet to thesubAttach thelaminate withcontact cement. First f inish strate (page138); the edges of the substrate w ei l l o f t h el a m i n a t otherwit sh eee d g e size, Trim thesheet to approximate show. (sfep 2).fhe anymating edges andjoint at leftis for an L-shaped sheet shown corner canbetrimmed counter; theinside gluing. Apply an even coat of conafter andlet it tactcement to thesubstrate surapply a thincoat to both dry.Then Asconfaces andletdryuntilit istacky. instantly, set%-inch tactcement bonds about 12 inches dowels onthesubstrate e h e eo t nt h e a p a r tL . ay t h e l a m i n a ts letting it touch thesubdowels without strale(lefil.

down thelaminate / Gluing 'tSlide over thedowthelaminate sheet thesheet it properly; since elsto position youhave some maris slightly oversized, ginforerror. Starting at oneend,remove andoress the laminate thef irstdowel Work toward the against thesubstrate. removing dowels andpressing other end, asyougo (right). Press the laminate down thesubstrate thelaminate sheet against . y o ua r ed e a l i n g lf w i t ha r o l l e ( ri n s e t ) gh e e t s d,r a w a line w i t ht w om a t c h i ns where thetwosheets across thesubstrate i n s t a l l i ntg h ef i r s t a r et o m e e t W . hen bylaying down theedge startsheet, begin . oi n s t a t l lh es e c o n d i n ga t t h i sl i n e T butting itsedge sheet, begin bycarefully against thefirstpiece.

r26

COUNTERTOPS

Trimming theedges f, r-,1 U s ea r o u t eo r r l a m i n a tte rimmer mounted with a flushtrimming bittotrim theedges of thelaminate. First, remove glue any squeeze-out from thejoint. Then s e tt h ec u t t i n g depth s ot h eb e a r i n w gi l l r u bt h em i d d l e o f t h es u b s t r a tT eo .t r i m theedges, hold thetrimmer f latonthe c o u n t ea r n de a s e i t i n t ot h e l a m i n a t e . Continu m e o v i ntg h et r i m m ea rl o n g the (right), edge working against thedirection pressure of bit rotation andkeeping slight aga instthesubstrate.

Cutting outthesinkopening Thelaminate covering thesink openingcanbecutoutusing thesame method youused to trimtheedges. Starting the cut,however, is a bit more tricky. You c a ne i t h ed rrill a hole t h r o u gth h el a m i nate andusea regular bottom-mounted f l u s h - t r i m mb in i tg o r y o uc a ne q u i p a plungr eo u t ew pla n ep l ilot r i t ha s p e c i a b i t .T h i s b i th a s a p o i n t etd i p t h a tc a n penetrate the laminate: theshaft of the bitthenacts asa pilot to guide thetrimmer. Since thisbitdoes nothave a pilot bearing it may burn theedge, butthiswill b eh i d d eu nn d etr h es i n k

r27

COUNTERTOPS

tothecabinet thecounter I Screwing / Position thecounter onthecabinet withwood screws, andanchor thecounter (right). Secure driving themin frombelow thecabinet's couneach screw through n a i l e ra s n di n t ot h e s t r e t c h e r s tertop of thecounattached to the underside fasteners of your tertop. Select the size pierce a screw could care u fl l y ; t o ol o n g thelaminate.

Counf,ertop nailer

Counter etretcher

THE SINK INSTALLING

thefit 1 Testing to check thefit hbovd. I lnsert thesinkintothecounter Mark theholes onthe if necessary. Trim thecounter opening saw. fo counterto prt h et a p sa n dc u tt h e mo u tw i t ha h o l e plumber's putty of thesinkrim.(Some Apply to theunderside foam tape thatserves witha special closed-cell sinks come (above) purpose.) andadjust Lower thesinkintoplace thesame of thecounter. it soit rests square to theedge

l') Securing thecountel in place withspecial clamps thatpullit L me sinkis held each clamp, insert its against thecounter top.Toinstall down t (above) i n t ot h em a t c h i nc g l i po nt h es i n k T . i g h t e in hook endtouches thesubstrate. 0nceall the untiltheserrated begin to secure thesink asevenly asposclamps arein place, l li y eg ach clamp a little a t a t i m eu n t i l s i b l eg ,raduat ghtenin withthecountertop; avoid overtightening. therimisf lush

COUNTERTOPS

INSTATTING A SOTID.SURFACE COUNTERT()P

funing strips 1 Attaching particleboa dl,i d I Unlike sro surface materia elx p a n da sn dc o n t r a c t w si t h changes in temperature, so it cannot be a t t a c h etd o a f u l ls u b s t r a t e . stead, In attach it directly to the cabinets or to furring strips. Furring strips addheight to thecountertop andallow a built-up edge to beadded later. Cuta number of ,/o-by4-inch boards to match thedeoth of the countertop. Attach thestrips to cabinet modules withwood screws, spacing them about 18 inches apart. Addan extra furringstripwherever twosheets areto be joined and3 inches fromeither side of anopening fora sink orcooktop.

r) Adding silicone sealer I to allow forexpansion, thecounter m u s tb e f a s t e n etd o t h ef u r r i n g strips withsilicone sealer about every 8 inches. Position the counter in place and adjust it soit issquare to thecabrnets. lf theend of thecountertop meets a wall,leave an gapto allow }{-inch forexpansion. lf you a r ej o i n i n g t w om a t c h i ns gh e e t s f i,r s t stick a length ofaluminum conductive tape(commercial ducttapeistooporous) to thefurring stripwhere theywill meet (see step3), thenapply thesilicone on topof thetape.

r29

COUNTERTOPS

thesheets Joining
of solid-surface L a yt h e f i r s ts h e e t strips, in o n t h ef u r r i n g materia l place . ay i t t o k e e pi t f r o m m o v i n gL clamping p l a c e , tg t r n a r r a n g i n s h e e t thesecond gap inch between of /, is an even so there quickly W t; h es i l i c o n e . ork t h et w os h e e t s m aking the 2 0 m i n u t e s , w i t h i n w i l ls e t dam m o v e . M a k e a d r f f r c u l t o countertop g a p t h i t o v e r h a n g se w h e r e under the c o n d ucw i t h s o m e a l u m i n u m cabinets (/eft). tivetape

joint adhesive Applying

a n dp a t t e r n S e l e c t i ntg h e r i g h tc o l o r p,r e p a r a e tube thecountertop to match a d h e s i v a e c c ording o f s o l i d - s u r f al c e oint T usually .his t o m a n u f a c t u r ed ri' r se c t i o n(s in n l e c t i na g t u b eo f c a t a l y s t to i n v o l v ei s the ae n dm i x i n g a l a r g etru b eo f a d h e s r v t h em i x t u r e , F i l lt h eg a ph a l f u l l w r t h two.) f r o m b a c kt o f r o n t .B e s u r et o working . u s ht h e s h e e t s k e e pt h e t u b ev e r t i c a lP tnoerhe rr o sclree/e o u rt h e e x c e s a sdhe s i t ha t o o t h p t c k siveP . o pa n ya i r b u b b l ew where o areas a n d a d d e x t r aa d h e s i v te of the i e sb e l o w thesurface t h e a d h e s i vle theexcess; D countertop .onotremove d o w nl a t e r . i t w i l l b es a n d e d

130

COI-INTERTOPS

thesheets together f, Clamping r,f Attach a stripof wood to the countertop on either sideof thegapwithbeads of glue. hot-melt Clamp a pairof handscrews to thestrips to pullthetwosheets snugly together. Donotclamp themtootightly since thiscansqueeze outall theadhesive. Letthegluecure foronehour, thenloosen theclamps andtapoffthewood strips. Usea puttyknifewithrounded edges to remove anyleftover hotglue.

surface fi Smoothingthe \,f Remove the excess adhesive and plane. level thejointwitha block Make sure theblade is very sharp andthecorners areslightly rounded. A beltsander paper with 120-grit will also workbut it produces muchmore dustandruns theriskof gouging thecounter. Smooth thejointfurther witha random orbit (above). sander using 18O-grit sandpaper To keep the dustdown, moisten the counter. Finally, bufftheentire surface polishing pad. witha synthetic Again, keep thesurface moist. Thef inaljoint should beperfectly invisible.

Since their colorandpattern run throughtheir entirethickness, solidsurface countertops offerunmatched shaping andjoinery abilities. In the photoat left,a solid-surface countertop is bonded seamlessly with a sink of thesame material.Thebuilt-in drain boardto theright of thesink wasmadeby routinggrooves in the countertop with a carbide-tipped bit.

131

COUNTERTOPS

COUNTERTOP A PRE-M()LDED INSTALLING

end thecountertop 1 Laminating plastic l a m i n a tte o t h e v i s i b l e n do f a p r e - m o l d e d I Apply w , hen . o re x a m p l e d d g e sF c o u n t et ro h i d ea n yg a p so r e x p o s e e p u s h e d w ide w i l l b e a w a l l t h e r e a g a i n s t t h e i s thecounter g a po n t h e e x p o s e e a h n dt h e w a l l . the backsplas dndbetween r h e e n d ,u s ea b l o c kT . oc o v et F i l l t h i sg a pw i t h a w o o d e n pre-forme d l a m i n a t e slightly oversize, r e c t a n g l o e f o r c u t a strip r) loining pre-molded countertops n lengths up y v a i l a b lie as r et y p i c a l l a L Pre-molde cd ountertop j o i n e d i n a c a b i n et h a v e t o b e r a r e l y s ot h e y t o 1 2 f e e tl o n g , j o i n t s , p r e m o l d ed C u t t i n g a h o w e v e a r , r e c o m m o n . r u n .C o r n e r p e r f e c t i s a i s t h o u g h a , n d 4 5 " a n g l e t r i c k y , c o u n t e r t oa pt a 1ob a il t h a l a r g e radial-arm s a w .J o i n i n g b e s tl e f tt o a p r o f e s s i o nw afterward is somewhat connectors with counter the countertoos w o r k surface and f a c e d o w o n n a e a s i e rP . lace t h et w os e c t i o n s p l a c e T o t h e cont o g e t h e r . edges of the.loint b u t tt h e m a t i n g j o i n t i n c h e s f r o m e i t h er 6 the n e c t o r sm , a k ea m a r ka c r o s s r e c e s o s n , r i l la 3 5 m m - d i a m e t e r to g t h e m a r k sd e n d .R e f e r r r n j o i n t , F o f r o m t h e s e t b a c k1 %i n c h e s either s i d eo f t h e 1oint. rm b y m a k i ng t w oc u t s fs o rt h e b o l t n herecesse a c h a n n eb l e t w e et w a s t e w i t h a chisel. t h e nc l e a n i n o g u tt h e w i t ha d o v e t a s i la w , j o i n i n s e r t c o n nectors, he s l,i g nt h e m , To t h e t w o c o u n t e r t o pa s n u g? i g h i l . untilthey a r eb o t h a n dt i g h t e n t h e mw i t h a w r e n c h p e r f e c t l y f l u then aligned and sh, as re t h a tt h e c o u n t e r t o p Check f i n i s ht r g h t e n i ntg heconnectors.

cement. Install a bottomwithcontact it to thecounter then affix rimmer ti n a r o u t eo rrlaminate l u s h - t r i m m ib nrg m o u n t efd i n c hT . ot r i mt h ee n d , depth toabout/, a n ds e tt h ec u t t i n g t h eb i t a l l a r o u n d eh , e nm o v e ease t h eb i t i n t ot h el a m i n a t t (abovd. theend of thetoolflatagainst Keep thebase itsedges a smooth cut. to ensure

r32

COUNTERTOPS

Scribing thebacksplash
y,o u Since w a l l sa r es e l d o m straight ye e d w i l l p r o b a b ln to scribe t o f i t t h ew a l l , t h e ns a n dd o w n t h e h i g hs p o t s P . ositron t h e c o u n t e r t oip n place a n ds e t a t r a n s f e r scribe slightly w i d e rt h a nt h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e etn h e w a l la n dt h e l i p . H o l dt h e t o o la s s h o w n a t l e f tt h e np u l l i t a l o n g the w a l lt o m a r kt h e b a c k s p l a s R h. e p e afto r t h eo t h e r wall.

Sanding backsplash
A st h e l i p o f t h e b a c k s p l a s is ho n l y a b o u tI i n c ht h i c k ,i t i s f a i r l y easy to s a n di n t os h a p eW . i t ha v e r yl i g h tt o u c h s a n dd o w nt o t h e s c r i b e d l i n ew i t h a ( b e l o w )H . o l dt h e s a n d e r b e l ts a n d e r a g a i n stth e e d g ea t a n a n g l e soit will remove slightly m o r em a t e r i aflr o m thebottom edge t h a nt h e t o p .T h i sw i l l ensure a very close f i t a t t h ew a l l .R e p e a t f o rt h eo t h e r wall.

133

AND EDGETREATME,NTS BACKSPLASHES

MAKING A TILEBACKSPLASH
egluing I T o p r o v i da s u r f a ca e n dt o a d d depthto a tile backsplash, screw a /:tnchs u b s t r a tte o t h e w a l lf i r s t . t h i c kp l y w o o d
D p t p r m i n i n o t h p r - n r r e r ^ltp n s t h n f t h c s r r h e v l v i i i i i i , i i b

Attachins thesubstrate 1 t -

c io ry Ue on rl h Uo L il rl il n u ln y J tLr IaO L Cn

;l^. ar^ ^{ l aL aL 1O " .U ^>E + U LllC) Olq Ul

f i x e dw i d t ha n dt h e e n do f t h e b a c k s p l a s h u s u a l lw y i l l n o tf a l la t t h e c o u n t e r e 's nd. is T h ee n do f t h e b a c k s p l a s hu s u a l ls yl i g h t l y s e t b a c k( s e ep a g e 1 3 6 ) .I o f i n d t h e c o r r e cl te n p t hl a vo r r t a l t h et i l e s o nt h e c o u n t ew r i t h a n I i n c hs p a c e between thern a n dc u t t h es u b s t r a t e o t h i sl e n g t h :

r i n i f o n r r : l i n i h o n o r o h tn { i h o t i l p c .n l r r s

nf t t h es t u d s I i n c h .M a r k t h ep l a c e m eo d ith o n t h e w a l l ,t h e ns e c u r e t h e p l y w o ow in eachstud (/eft).lf necestwo screws o f p l y w o otd rimned saryu . s et w o p e c e s

cn thpv inin :t : ctrrd

r) Applying mastic
(^-t w i t ha s l g h t l y C'ean the plywooc d a m p e n ec dl o t ht o p , c ku p a n yd u s t . P r o t e ctth e c o u n t e r t ow pith nasking t a n p a n d : n n l v a s t r n p r o Jc S o a to f m a s t as t i c w i r ha s e r r a t etd r o w e ls , m o o t h , nig y o ug o t o c r e a t e l r k ea f r e s h l y a surface
nlnrarpd f i p l r l D n n n t t r v l n r ^ n v o rt n n l a r o p
^,

s e t si n a b o u t a n a r e aa t f i r s t ;t h e m a s t i c 30 minutes.

134

COUNTERTOPS

Mounting thetiles Cut%-inch-thick spacers to separate thetiles. Make sure thetiles areall clean place anddust free. in one Starting corner, twospacers onthecounter in frontof the w a l lw h e r e t h ef i r s t i l ew i l lg o .S e t h e tileonthespacers andpivot it intoplace, separating it fromthewallcorner with another spacer. Press thetileagainst the giving substrate, it a slight twist to ensure a tightfit. Theninstall the restof the (lghf). tiles, separating them withspacers

Attaching molding Addmolding to thetopof thebacksplash after thetilemastic hascured. The width of themolding should beequal to thecombined thickness of thesubstrate andthetiles. Miter theendof themolding,thentrimit to length. Apply a bead of glue to theplywood substrate thenplace themolding in position. Fasten it to the substrate witha finishing nailevery 5 to 6 inches. Remove themasking tape and s e atl h et i l e sb yf i l l i n g a l lt h eg a p s with , n da p p l y i n e p o xg y r o u ta a gj o i n t ofsilicone between thetilesandcountertoo.

t3s

COUNTE,RTOPS

BACKSPLASH INSTALLING A W()()DEN

wh ,th I T om a k e a wooden backsplas nolded t o pa n ds i d ee d g e s . ' r s l aal l s q u a r e - e d gb eo da r dt,h e na d da m o l d i n g ( p a g e1 3 5 ) orshape t h ee d g e of a wider board w i t ha r o u t e o r r s h a p ea r nd nstall in ho n ep i e c eI.n e i t h e c r ase, t h eb a c k s p l a s sclecr a 'pr-pth o f a t t r a c t i vh ea r d w o ofc or y o u rb a c k s p l a s it to a thickah n dp l a n e ness o f / t a / , i n c h .C u ti t t o s i z e m , akrng r t s l r g h t ls yh o ' t e t rl ^ a n t h e c o u r t e " t o tp o a s e t b a ca k t t r e e n d .l V i t etrn ee r d s create h ep l a c e m e n ot feach a s s h o w nl.n d i c a t te o n t h ew a l l , then s t u dw i t ha l i g h tm a r k nailthe boardin place(left).

Attachins thebacksnlash 1 I -

r) Installing a return P en r o s . m a v .a L W fr " " t h eb a c n s p l a s f r o ms o m e scrap leftover return molding so f r o mt h e b a c k s p l a s M h .i t e r thereturn it frlls ie backsplash t h eg a pb e t w e etn forming a s q u a r e n da n d a n dt h e w a l l , p r o f i l eS . ince th s c o n t i n u i nt g hemolded piece w i l l n o t b e s u b j e c t etd o a l o to f t c a nb e s , m p l g s t r e s is y l u e d ' np l a c e ga p e a n dt h e nh e l dw i t h s o m em a s k i n t until t h eg l u ec u r e s .

136

COUNTERTOPS

A chamfering bit revealsa walnut divider between plastic laminate top and edgesurfaces.This effect was createdby applying a solid wood edgeto the countersubstrate,then adding laminate to the top and edge. Not only is this an auractive way to ease the counter front but it alsodisguisesthe dark edges of the laminate.

INSTATTING A DECORATIVE EDGING

(N

'l Applying wooden edging I Apply solid wood edging to thecountertop youglue before (page (Ihiswillensure down theplastic laminatelop 126). there arenocracks between theupper laminate and theedging.) Mill theedge stock to a thickness of %inch andthedesired width.

Spread a filmof glueonthewood, thenfasten the piece in place w i t hf i n i s h i nn ga i l s e v e r4 y to6 inches l f. t h ee d g e will (step bechamfered thenails 9, place at least %inchbelow the topedge; thiswillprotect therouter bitfrombeing damaged.

r37

COUNTERTOPS

r) Applying laminate a bit laminate of plastic I trtma length os f t h ec o u n t e r . w i d etrh a n t h et h i c k n e s edge withcontact Fasten it to thecounter (left)and press it down f irmly cement has cured, When theadhesive witha roller. rr fe lush w i t ha r o u t eo t r i mt h el a m i n a t a chisel to square Use laminate trimmer. en y eo r n e rt sh , e nr e m o va u p a n yi n s i d c witha scraper. cement contact excess laminato et h e t h i si s d o n ea , pply 0nce I 25-1 27). countertop @ages

theedge Q Chamfering th sf t h e r - J B yc h a m f e r i n gec o r n e ro youwillexpose thewood edging, built-up youadded lnstall a in thefirststep. edge piloted router and bit in your chamfering to % inch.Holding depth setthecutting f latonthecounterthetoolwithits base the until thelaminate ease thebitinto top, Move edge. thecounter touches bearing t h ec o u n t e w r , o r k i nig d t h et o o la r o u n t Thebtt of bit rotation. thedirectron against of an inside into theapex cutright cannot la g m b ' tso n g u e b,u tt h er e s u l t i n corner pattern effect. is anattractive

138

COUNTERTOPS

MOLDING A WO()DEN EDGE

profile R o u t i na gn o g e e N a i l a s o l i dw o o ds t r i pt o t h e e d g eo f t h e c o u n t e r (page 137) gluing before the plastic laminate d o w no n t h e c o u n t e r t o p . S i n c ey o u w i l l b e s h a p i n g t h e e d g ew i t h a r o u t e r m , a k es u r e to place t h e f a s t e n e rw s e l lb e l o w t h e b i t ' sd e p t ho f c u t ( a b o v e ) . N e x t ,a t t a c ht h e l a m i n a t e t o p a n dt r i m i t f l u s h ( p a g e s J261 2 7 ) .T o s h a p e t h e e d g e ,i n s t a l a l piloted ogee o r o t h e re d g e -

forming b i t i n y o u r o u t e rS . e tt h et o o lo n t h ec o u n r e arn c a d l u stth ec u t t i n g depth s ot h eb e a r i nw g i l lr i d e agains te th lower edge of thecounter. Toshape theedge, setthe router f l a to nt h ec o u n t e r t o pe ,n th ease t h eb i t i n t o t h ew o o dM . ove therouter around thecounter, working against thebit'sdirect i o no f r o t a t i o n .

R()UTING A DRIP EDGE IN A S()LID-SURFACE C()UNTER

S h a p i na g d r i pe d g e A d r i pe d g ei s a s l i g h t l y raised edge that p r e v e n tm s inor spills f r o mr u n n i n g offthe countertop A. p p l ya s t r i po f m a t c h i n g s o l i d - s u r f am ce ateria l t h ee d g e to of the countertop c,r e a t i n g a raised e d g e .A f f i x t h ee d g i n g w i t h a d h e s i vd ee s i g n ee ds p e c i a l l yf o r t h e m a t e r i a( lpages 130-131). p i l o t e d r i pe d g e Installa b i t i n y o u rr o u t e r a n da d j u s t h e c u t t i n g d e p t hs o t h e t o p of thecurve i s e v e nw i t ht h e r o u t e r base; t h e i n s e ts h o w s h o wt h e b t t s h o u l d meet t h ec o u n t e r T.o s h a p e t h ec o u n t e r h,o l dt h e router base against the edge, then lower it u n t i lt h e p i l o tb e a r i ntg o u c h ets h ec o u n tertopsurface. Keeping the routerpressed f l a t a g a i n stth e e d g e , move t h e t o o la l o n g (/eit). the counter

139

GLOSSARY
A-B-C.D Anycommercial leveller: Adjustable
to lowerkitchen foot or leg attached and supportthem. to level cabinets Auxiliary fence:A woodenattachment to attach to a tool's rip fencethat serves and preventaccidental accessories to the fence. damage A continuation of the Backsplash: countertopalongthe backwall; canbe part of the countertopitselfor made from tile orwood. Biscuit: A thin oval wafer of compressed wood that fits into a semicircular slot cut by a platejoiner. Blank A pieceof solid or glued-up a furniture part. wood usedto create Board-and-battendoor: A door together madeof boardsfastened with lap joints and held together batten. by a diagonal Board foot A unit of wood volume equivalentto a pieceof measurement long, wood one inch thick, 12inches wide. and 12inches Caul: In veneeringor gluing uP a a board placedbetween carcase, to disand theworkpiece the clamps tribute clampingpressure. Chalk line: A length of twine loaded with chalkdustusedto mark longlines that arenormally eitherlevelor plumb. bevelcut along Chamfer:A decorative the edgeof a workpiece. Cheek The faceof the projecting joint. tenonin a mortise-and-tenon A narrow decorative Cockbeading: molding appliedto the insideedges of a faceframeor draweropening. joint: A methodof Cope-and-stick joining stilesand rails in frame-andin the Tongues panelconstruction. in the stiles; railsmeshwith grooves molding is cut alongthe a decorative of the frame. insideedge Counterbore:To drill a hole that perto sit below mits the headof a screw andbe concealed the wood surface with a wood plug. Countersink:To drill a hole that perto lie flush mits the headof a screw with or slightlybelowa wood surface. channelcut Dado: A rectangular in a workpiece. Dado head:A combinationof blades and and cuttersusedto form dadoes is in wood. The assembly grooves mounted on a tablesawwith two by oneto five cutters separated blades the right width. to achieve profileat the edge A raised Drip edge: spills' of a countertopthat prevents E-F-G-H-I-l Edgebanding:Stripsof materialused of plywood and to coverthe edges canbe solidwood boards; composite or plasticlaminate. and End grain: The arrangement directionof the wood fibersrunning the the endsof a board. across wooden Faceframe: A decorative framefixedaroundthe front of a providingextrarigidity to cabinet, the cabinet. front A pieceof wood installed False overa drawerfront, usuallyto conceal or to create the end grain of the sides a lippedfront. of woodwith A piece Featherboard: "feathers" alongoneend or thin fingers the against securely to hold a workpiece fence or tableof a powertool. guideusedto Fence: An adjustable a setdisof a workpiece keepthe edge tancefrom the cutting edgeof a tool. Filler strip: A thin strip of either material wood or laminate-covered cabinets. gaps between usedto conceal Furring strip: A narrow length atop a lower cabiof wood installed net to supportthe counterand raiseits height. strips molding: Decorative Glass-stop in of glass to hold panes of woodused a cabinetdoor. Glazingbars:Molded stripsof wood joined by half-lapsto hold several door. cabinet in a single panes ofglass Inset drawer:A drawerthat fits flush cabinet. within a frameless cabinetor Island:A freestanding from the walls cabinetrun isolated of a kitchen. fig A devicefor guiding a tool in position. or holdingworkpiece K-L-M-N-O-P-Q Kickback The tendencyof a workpieceto be thrown back in the directionofthe operatorofa machine. woodworking the Kickplate:The boardthat covers toe kick of a lowerkitchencabinetor faces of a plinth. the exposed Laminatetrimmer: A lightweight laminate routerusedto trim plastic and solid wood edgingflush with its substrate.

t40

Lockmiter joinfiA joint cut with a specialrouter bit that produces an interlocking connectionwith a miteredoutsidecorner. Melamine A popularbrand of plastic laminatemadefrom bonded plastic, paper, and phenolicresin; available in sheets or bondedto plywood or particleboard. Miter gauge: A device that slides in a slot on a sawor routertable,providing support for the stockasit moves past the bladeor bit; canbe adjusted to different anglesfor miter cuts. Mortise-and-tenonjoint A joinery technique in which a projectingtenon cut in one board fits into a matching hole,or mortise,in another. Mortise:A holecut into a pieceof wood to receive a tenon. Nailer rails: Woodenrails attached to the backsof cabinets that support the cabinets when screwed to the wall studs. Overlaydrawer: A drawerthat partially or fully overlays the frame of a faceframe cabinet. Panelsaw:A track-mounted circular sawusedfor accurate cutsoflarge sheetgoodssuchasplywood. Plainsawnveneer:Veneer that hasbeencut from the log in a flat sheet; hardwoodplywoodwith plainsawn face veneer closely resemblessolid wood. Plinth: A mitered woodenframe that actsasa basefor lower cabinets or islands.

Pushblock or stick A device usedto feeda workpiece into a bladeor cutter to protectthe operator's fingers. R-S Rabbeh A step-like cut in the edge or end of a board;usuallyforms part of a joint. Rail: The horizontalmemberof a frame-and-panel assembly, See stile. (RTA)fastener: Ready-to-assemble A type of threaded fastener with a stout shaftand a narrowhead;used for fastassembly of cabinets. Scribing:Marking a line with a compass or scribingtool to copythe irregularity of a wall onto a cabinetor counterwhereit butts againsta wall. Oncethe wood is planedor sanded to this line,the cabinet or counter will fit seamlessly against the wall. Shim:A thin, wedge-shaped pieceof materialusedto levelcabinets and fill minor irregularities. Shoulder:In a mortise-and-tenon joint, the part of the tenonthat is perpendicular to the cheek. Solid-surface materiaLA composite boardmadeof castacrylicandpolyesterusedfor kitchencountertops; sold under suchnames asCorian and Avonite. Stile:The verticalmemberof a frameand-panel assembly. See rail. Storypole A long,thin piece of wood with the measurements for a proiect indicatedon its length. Stud finder: A devicethat electronicalIy pinpointsthe locationof wall studs.

T.U-V.W-X.Y-Z Thmbourdoor: A type of door made from narrowslats attached to a flexible canvas backingthat slides in tracks routedin the sides of the carcase. Tearout:The tendency of a bladeor cutterto tearwood fibers. TemplateA patternusedto guidea tool in reproducing identical copies oI a plece. Tenon:A protrusionfrom the end of a workpiece that fits into a mortise. Three-wingslotting cutter:A piloted, groove-cutting routerbit. Toekick The recess running along the bottom of a lower cabinetthat allowsspace for the feetof a person standing beforethe cabinet. jointA joint in Tongue-and-groove which a tonguecut in the edge or end of onepiecefits into a groovein the matingpiece. Tiansferscribe:A compass-like device that transfers theprofileof onesurface onto another. Utilityhookup: The point whereutilitiessuchaswater, sewage, and electricity areconnected. Wood movement:The shrinking or swelling of wood in reactionto changes in relativehumidity. Worktriangle:An ergonomicprinciplemeasuring the efficiency of a workspace that connects the three most common places of work in that space; in a kitchen,typicallythe refrigerator, stove, and sink.

I4I

INDEX
A-B.C
Adjustableshelving i8-i9 Shelfsupports, shelfdrilling jigs Shop-made (Shop Tip),39 Appliancebays,27, 38,40-4I Arts and craftsstyle,16 Backsplashes 135 134TiL;,121, Wooden,136 Biscuitjoints,29,33-34,46-47 joiner stands, 52 Plate doors,58,60-61 Board-and-batten Board.feet,32 Build It Yourself Plateioiner stands,52 gS Cabinetjacks, Cabinets 19,20-22 Dimensions, Doors; See alsoCasework; Hardware;Layout;Lower Upper cabinets cabinets; Casework,27,28 Gluing :up,46-47 Lower cases,29 Uppercases,28 Sie alsoJoinery;Lower cabinets; Upper cabinets 53-54 Cockbeading, Colonial style,I5 121 Countertops, Backsplashes tile,121,134-135 wooden,136 1371i9 edgings, Decorative Installation,123 plasticlaminatecountertoPs, 125-128,137-139 pre-molded countertops, 133 132I24, 127,128 sinks, countertoPs, solid surface 129-131,139 l2l, 122, laminate, Plastic 125-128,132-133 l37-139 edgings, 120,l2l, 122, Solid-surface, 131 129139 drip edges, Wooden,122,123 Countrystyle,16 Crownmolding,16, 118-119 Makingcrownmolding, backendpaper Cutting lists,32 Mounting,79,87 slides, bottom-mounted 81.87-88 building up faceframe cabinets (ShopTip), 90 90 81, 89slides, side-mounted woodenrunners,81,91-92 79,80,95-96 Overlay, 38,8l Drawerslides, 139 Drip edges, Edgetreatments,44 49 banding, eommercialedge Countertops 137-139 edgings, decorative -139 drip edges, Solidwood,44,48 56,74-75 European cup hinges, style,15 European 55 28, 50-51,53frames, Face Building up faceframe cabinets for mounting drawers (ShopTip), 90 Makingwood plugs(ShopTip), 55 Fasteners Concealment making wood plugs (Shop Tip),55 Knockdownfasteners, front endpaper (RIA), 32 Ready-to-assemble Floorpians,12 drawers. Flush-front Inset drawers See doors,58,62-65 Frame-and-panel Arched panels,67 joints,66 Cope-and-stick Raisedpanels,62 G-H-I paneldoors, 57,58,59,69 Glass bars,70-72 Glazing bars,70-72 Glazing 16 Handles, Drawers,93,97 10-ll Sven, Hansen, Hardware Doors,57 38 Drawerslides, slides, bottom-mounted 81.87-88 90 slides, 81,89side-mounted

D-E-F
Dadoioints,80 Doubledadojoints,8Q 84 Design,13 Arts and craftsstyle,16 Colonial style,I5 Countrystyle,i6 style,15 European 14,16 style, Shaker Victorian style,14,16 Doors,57 atten,58, 60-6l Board-and-b anel,58, 62-65 Frame-and-p archedpanels,67 joints,66 cope-and-stick 62 raisedpanels, panel,57,58,59,69 Glass glazingbars,70-72 Hinges,73-76 59,73 Mounting techniques, flush-mounteddoors,76 overlaydoors,74-75 58,59,68 Veneered-panel, Doubledadojoints,80,84 T9 Drawers. Assembly,85-86 Bottom panels,85,86 Dimensions,82 Eliminating drawerrattle (ShopTip), 86 False fronts, 78,79, 93-96 securingfalsefronts with tape double-faced (Shop Tip), 96 sizingfalsefronts (Shop Tip), 94 Inset,78, 80,93-94 ]oinery,80 doubledadojoints, 84 84 lock miter joints, 84 83 through dovetailjoints, 80,83 Knobsandpulls,9j,97 Layout,82 Materials,Sl

r42

Knobsandpulls,16,93,97 Shelfsupports, 38-39 See alsoHinges Hinges,16,73 European cup hinges, 56,74-75 Europeanfaceframe hinges,75 Insetdrawers, 78, 80,93-94

I.K-L
IigS Cabinet 117 iacks,98, Circular'saws panel-cutting attachments, 26 scoringsawattachments, 33 Drills shop-made shelfdrilling jigs (ShopTip), 39 joiners Plate platejoiner stands, 52 Temporary supportrails,115 loinery,29 Biscuitjoints,33-34, 46-47 platejoiner stands, 52 Board-and-batten doors,60 joints,66 Cope-and-stick Dadojoints,80 Doubledadojoints,8Q 84 Lock miter joints, 29,36, 80,83 joints, 8Q 83 Through do-setail joints,35-36 Tongue-and-groove Kickplates, 1 10111 Kitchenislands. 112 Plinths,100,101, I 12-114 Knobs,l6 Drawers,93,97 Layout,13,-18 Drawers,82 Proportions and dimensions, 19,20-22 Work triangles,17 LazySusans, 38,42-43 Legs Levelerlegs,44-45, 100 Levellingtechniques, 100,102 Lock miter j oints,29, 36,80,83 Lower cabinets Casework,29 Installation, 99, 100, 104-106 adjacentwalls,106-I 08 levelling techniques, 100, 102103

making thick shims (Shop Tip), 107 utility hookups,108109 wall studs,103 Kickplates, 110-I I I Layout, 19,20-22,24-25 Lumber Boardfeet,32 Cutting lists,32 Drawers, 81 Plywood,30, 31,81 M-N-O-P-Q-R-S Moldings,l6 See a[so Crown molding Overlaydrawers, 79, 80,95-96 Panels Arched panels,67 Raisedpanels,62 Peninsulas. See Kitchenislands Plastic laminate countertops, t2l, 122, I 25-129, 132-133 Edgings, l37-139 Plate ioinerstands,52 joints.See Plate Biscuitjoints Plumbing,13 Sinks, 124,127,128 Utility hookups,108109 Plywood, 30,31,81 Santarsiero, Tom,6-7 Shakerstyle,14,16 Sheet goods, 30 Plywood, 30,31,81 Reducing tearout,33 See alsoPlasticlaminate countertoDs Shelfsupports, SA-SS Shelves Adjustable shelvingsupports, 38-39 Slide-outshelves (ShopTip), 43 Shims Making thick shims (Shop Tip), 107 ShopTips Cabinet installation, 107,117 Casework, 39,43,55 Drawers, 86,90,94,96 Silvers, Don, 8-9 Sinks,124, 127,128 Sink trays,77

Solid-surface countertops, 120,127, 122, 129-131 Drip edges, 139 Storypoles,13,23-25

T-U*V
Tambourslats.40-41 joints,8Q 83 Throughdovetail Tiles Backsplashes, 121,134-I 35 Countertops, I22 Tilt-out sinktrays,TT joints,29, 35Tongue-and-groove 36 Tools Circular saws panel-cutting attachments, 26 scoring sawattachments, 33 Drills shop-made shelfdrilling jigs (Shop Tip), 39 Laminate trimmers,44 Measuringtools,backendpaper joiner stands, Plate 52 Routers bits, backendpaper Tablesaws blades, front endpaper Tiansfer scribes. 99 Uppercabinets Casework,28 Installation, 98,99, 1 0 0t,} t , 1 1 5 - 1 1 6 beveled nailers, 117 commercial cabinet supports, 115 crownmolding, I18-119 makingthick shims (Shop Tip), l0Z jacks shop-made cabinet (Shop Tip),llZ Layout, 19,20-22,24-25 Utility hookups,108109 Veneered-panel doors,58, 59,68 Victorian sIyle,14,16

W-X-Y-Z
Wood.30 See also Lumber;Sheet goods Woodplugs(ShopTip), 55 Work triangles, 17

r43

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
wishto thank thefollowing Theeditors LAYOUTAND DESIGN works, Tools,Divisionof the Stanley LeeValley ' Tools,Ltd.,ottawa,ont.; Stanley St-Lambert, New Britain,CT; TritechIndustries, Que. CASEWORK Inc.,CambridgeOnt.; IL; AmericanClanryinq(Canada) ClampCo.,Chicago, Adjustable Toronto,Ont.; Industries, MD; Bradbury PowerTools,Towson, 6lack& Decker/Elu Inc., Montreal,Que.;cMT Tools,Oldsmar,FL; canadianIndustrialDistributors, Tools,Ltd., Ont.; FreudWestmore Guelph, DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, GA; Ltd'' Norcross, ToolsU'S.A. Ont.i HitachiPower Mississausa, NC; LeeValleyTools,Ltd.,ottawa, on-t.;Modulus, St-Hubert,Que.; JuliusBlum Inc., Stanley] IL; and Co.' Chicago, Roebuck Montreal,Que.;Sears, Loeven-Morcel, LesRealisations A'G. Inc., Cincinnati,OH; Steiner-Lamello Products, Senco MA; Tool TrendLtd', Concord,Ont' SawCo.,Kingston, Switzerland/Colonial DOORS FL; Tool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; CMT Tools,Oldsmar, IL; American ClampCo.,Chicago, Adiustable Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. lnc. (BuckBros. Guelph, DeliaInternationilMachineryTPort.r-Cable, IL; Chicago, an$_Cg., Roebuck Sears, Division), Millbury, VA; JuliusBlum Inc., Stanley,.NC; Ont. SawCo.,kingston,MA; Tool TrendLtd.,Concord, A.G.Switzerland/Colonial Steiner-Lamello DRAWERS Guelph'Ont.; Machinery/Porter-Cable, IL; DeltaInternational ClampCo.,Chicago, Adiustable and co., chicago,lL; Roebuck NC; Sears, cA; iulius BIum Inc.,stanley, David Keller,Petaluma, A.G. New Brilain,CT; Steiner-Lamello Divisionof the StanleyWorks, StanleyTools, SawCo., Kingston,MA; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,On1 Switlerland/Colonial INSTALLING CABINETS Guelph,Ont.; Machinery/Porter-Cable, IL; DeltaInternational ClampCo.,Chicago, Adiustable ' NC; Blum Inc',Stanley, GA;Julius Ltd.,Norcross, Hitachii'owerTooliU.S.A. Point, NC; Sears, LeeValleyTools,Ltd.,Ottawa,Ont.; OrnamentalMouldings,.High New Britain'CT; Tools,Divisionof the Stanley-Works, IL; Stanley Roebuckand Co., Chicago, St-Lambert, MA; TritechIndustries, Que' SawCo.,Kingston, A.G. Switzerlind/Colonial Steiner-Lamello COI.]NTERTOPS PowerTools, CA; Black&_Decker/Elu IL; Avonite,Inc.,Sylmar,. ClampCo.,Chicago, Adjustable Guelph,Ont'; Machinery/Porter-Cable, TowJon, ' MD; CMt Tools,Oldimar, FL;Deltalnternational IL; and Co.,Chicago, Roebuck Ont.; Sears, LeeValleyTools,Ltd.,Ottawa, OH Inc.,Cincinnati, Products, Senco ofthis book: in thepreparation alsoassisted Thefollowingpersons ScottYetman LorraineDor6,Kerry& VictoriaMcCluggage'

PICTURECREDITS
CoverRobertChartier 6,7 CarolynJones 8,9GaryMoss 10,11 MichaelTincher Brian VandenBrink 14,15,27,38,79 87 Courtesyfulius BIum, Inc. 112BrianVandenBrink Mouldings Ornamental I l8 Courtesy l20,l2l BrianVandenBrink Inc. Avonite, l3l Courtesy

t44

WORKSHO GP UIDE

TABLE SAWBLADES F()R KITCHEN CABINETS

Combination blade All-purpoee eaw blade; can rip and crogocut lumber Melamine blade 9pecialieed blade ueed for cutLtnq lamtnatee ,UCn aA melAmtnec overe ti pa rLtc leboa rd Plywood blade Hae many emall teel,h tthaL make a cmooth, aplinterfree cut tn plywood

Dado blade Two blades are fitted ort eirhe" eide of chipper bladea, which are added a9 nece'sary T.ovary the widLh of Lhe cut