Kitchen Cabinets - Toe Kick or No Toe Kick

[SwampBug]

Like I said. . .save tradition!

-- SwampBug

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[Unisaw A100]

snippage:

Jon Endres, PE

Not sure what adaptation you're looking at Jon. Got a URL of something Shakerish that you had in mind?

I'm also not sure it's Tom (Thom Luigi) or I who the question is directed to.

UA100

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Hay, our yew making fun of the whey I tiped that? The spell chequer is supposed to be auto-matic. Ed

[Leon]

You know when you set up a new computer with Windows, part of that set up is to tell the computer that you live in such and such time zone, what type keyboard so that the letters look correct? Why is there not a preference for the spell checker? Like Texan... Or Boston, or North Dakota or..

[Wilson]

In my cabinet class, toe kicks are the standard. Even if it wasn't.....I'd vote for them.

[Unisaw A100]

Yahhhhhbut, in order to compensate, you'd need to over hang the counter anywhere from 3 1/4" to 4" and this ends up looking like somebody made the counters too deep (a mistake) or the cabinets too shallow (another mistake). In other words, one of those scenes from Weekend Warriors that always leaves me cringing.

UA100

[SwampBug]

It is like Mr.Plamann says, "it is all a matter of how bad you want to be good!"

-- SwampBug

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[Jon Endres, PE]

Either. The Shaker style as I see it is predominately flat panel inset doors and drawer fronts. No elaborate moldings or ornamentation. I would say, given the limitations of modern kitchen design, that an Arts-and-Crafts style would be somewhat similar.

I think I've solved my problem anyway. The intent will be to make the island in the center of the kitchen look like a large piece of furniture, and not a block of modular cabinets.

Jon

[Tom Watson]

Most of the islands that I've done have an overhang on the side that is most easily viewed. Something that goes well with Shakerish elements is a small base with a small bead and quirk, or possibly a chamfer, or stopped chamfer.

If there is a stovetop on the side that faces the sink, I run the base over a kickspace and usually cut it out to within about an inch of the bead and quirk/chamfer, with a curved cut on either end of the opening.

Even if there is no overhang on the sides, I usually run base there, unless there is a sink or some such, in which case I do the same as I would at the stovetop.

Thomas J. Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) (Real Email is tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet)

[Jon Endres, PE]

Arts-and-Crafts

I'm going to make the island look like a large chest of drawers with a granite top and four feet. The island will have a small sink in it, so there will be a "chase" of sorts in the center to run the piping. From any angle other than at floor level (where the cat is) you won't be able to tell it's not sitting only on four feet.

Jon

[TexasFireGuy]

The last few sets of cabinets I've built have had baking sheet drawers in place of the toe kicks. That way, you get the convenience of the toe kick along with the extra storage space of the drawers.

[TexasFireGuy]

I should mention that these are recessed so that they also serve as a toe kick.