Building Upper Face Frame Cabinets

One of the easiest cabinet carcasses to build is an upper cabinet and to make it even easier there s no face frame.

Building upper face frame cabinets.

On the outside edge. In this 9 part video tutorial series festool trainer brent shively teaches how to build two types of cabinets. This makes room for adjustments when installing them next to one another. The 3 4 plywood case eliminates panel jointing planing and glue ups.

Learn how to make simple face frame upper and lower cabinets including doors and drawers. This style is referred to as frameless or european style cabinet. For the upper kitchen cabinet drawings and materials list in pdf format click here. Frameless and face frame cabinets tools used.

I definitely recommend face frame cabinets over frameless or euro style and the good news is face frames are pretty easy to build. Individual face frame members fasten to the foundation boxes one piece at a time held in place with glue and clamps or glue and metal pins or brads. Wood magazine s kevin boyle shows you this foolproof method expla. E joints between stiles and rails get rein forced with 20 biscuits or dowels plunged into the assembled joints from the top.

Begin with the right cabinet dimensions. Well since the face frame is 1 4 bigger on the ends you can simply use 1 4 plywood in matching veneer or painted as we did to finish out those ends. Overlaps on the sides let you fine tune the cabinet width during installation. Above the bottom shelf of the cabinet.

The plans show how 3 4 thick solid wood 21 4 to 21 2 wide is used for most face frame members. While the lack of face frame does allow for the possibility of racking face coming out of square during installation it does allow for a more efficient use of cabinet space. Face frames on sides of kitchen cabinets should overlap 1 4 in. You assemble the boxes then make the face frames to fit them.

Then follow up by making the doors and drawers. Face frames cover plywood edges. With frameless construction you make all the parts before assembling anything.