School me on cabinet building

[TAftw]

I'm thinking of making some cabinets for the garage out of some scrap pieces of lumber from the local sawmill. I've never made much without using 2x4's, so this is pretty new to me.

I have a chop saw, circular saw, jig saw, scroll saw, and drill press. I also have access to a table saw and router.

How would I go about joining the corners of the cabinets? I have heard about dove tailing and box jointing, but have never done either before. Is there a standby "cabinet design" that never fails to build?

I'm thinking I'll build 1 set of cabinets to start with, and if those go well I'll build some more to hang above my work bench.

Where do I get hinges and the things to let the shelves sit on? Are there any reputable sites to order from?

 

[fitz11]

Best bet it to get a cabinet making book at the library and check out rockler.com for parts. Check if you have a woodcraft store nearby they have beginner classes in lots of topics.

 

[Mike F]

What type of cabinets are you trying to build? Stand alone, wall mount, use for storage and/or tabletop? Those factors will influence sizing, bracing, dividers, etc. Basic carcass joinery is done with dadoes and rabbet joints. For shop use I would use glue and screws, and 3/4" ply. Finger joints are very strong, and not used much for basic cabinetry. Also without a jig and with little experience in making them I would not attempt it. **** joints with the proper corner bracing or triangulation could also fit your requirements quite well depending on your anticipated use. That would be very easy to put together given the tools you have mentioned.

 

[TAftw]

They're going to hang above my work bench and be used for storage. I won't be putting paint cans in there, but they will need to hold some weight.

I've thought about plywood but it looks kinda ****** to be honest, and I've never done any woodworking so I might as well give it a shot.

 

[Old Salt]

Check out this site. This guy self published his book. I think it is very good.
http://www.tomclarkbooks.com/tomclarkbooks.com/Practical_Shop_Cabinets.html
Carl

 

[lacewood]

Where abouts in Ma are you, I have a shop in Hyde Park...if you supply the material and a six pack, we can throw the sheets up on the cnc and cut, blind dado and drill in no time. Or I can get the material from my supplier, may save you a few bucks

 

[TAftw]

Lacewood, thanks for the offer but I live in West-middle-of-nowhere western Mass .

 

[bigdav160]

Two words:

Pocket Screws

 

[buening]

Do a search on Youtube, there are tons of videos on how to build your own cabinets and the basics of joinery.

 

[bmcdowell40]

Get yourself a cabinet making book, check out some woodworking magazines and other cabinet related threads on here. Read up and be prepared to spend a little money on some tools. If you choose to just glue and screw and dont care about seeing fasteners, get yourself a pilot/countersink drill bit. If you dont want to see fasteners, get yourself a Kreg jig. Either way, you'll need some type of clamp to hold the pieces together while you screw it together; I would reccommend a 90 degree clamp and/or a pocket hole clamp from Rockler.

If you want adjustable shelves, you'll want to get a small piece of peg board to use as a drilling template for shelf pegs, which are available at Lowe's, HD, Rockler and elsewhere online. They simply push into a 1/4" hole and the shelf sits on them.

Regarding hinges, they are available anywhere. You'll need to first decide whether or not your cabinets will have face frames, which type of doors and if applicable how much overlay. This will all be explained in detail in any good cabinet book. The book should explain the different types of hinges available.

 

[z28snksknr]

Two words:

Pocket Screws

THIS.

Kregg sells cheap kits for the home user. I made a set of large cabinets for my family room using them. Check it out here (i never posted the completed pics because I'm lazy): A Beginner Builds Cabinets

 

[Kevin54]

Two words:

Pocket Screws

THIS.

Kregg sells cheap kits for the home user. I made a set of large cabinets for my family room using them. Check it out here (i never posted the completed pics because I'm lazy): A Beginner Builds Cabinets

Yep....Go get a Kregs Drill Jig. With the jig and pocket screws you can't go wrong. You can go to Kregs site and they have some very informative info. http://kregjig.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_invite_net Once you use a Kregs, you won't be gluing and nailing like you used to do.

I went back and looked at Z28's thread and he's got it on making cabinets.

Just remember, a cabinet is nothing other than a wood box. The top and bottom goes inside of the sides. Then add you 1x2 or 1x3 rails and stiles to the face of the box and you are set.

Also along with the Kregs Jig, if you decide to get one, they come with two CD's and a download code for a basic cabinetmaking booklet that you download to your computer.

 

[csp]

These were built with plywood and pocket screws, including the drawers. The sides were rabetted to accept the back. Other than that there are no other machined surfaces. Sides, back, top, and bottom are 3/4" plywood. Faceframe fronts and door frames made out of ripped to width 1by pine.

Make sure that all cuts are exactly 90°.

 

[porphyre]

If you want adjustable shelves, you'll want to get a small piece of peg board to use as a drilling template for shelf pegs,

*FACEPALM*

You are a GENIUS! I'm in the design stage of a bookshelf build and have been thinking about adjustable shelving. However, I couldn't think of a method to drill the holes that I considered "good enough". Now I can finalize my design and get to building!

Virtual beer for you!