> On 4/16/2012 1:13 PM, John Shear wrote in email:
> When you started designing face frame style cabinets, how did decide
> the width of rails and stiles as well as door frames? Did you just
> copy what manufactured cabinets had, or did you have a better way? I
> like designing things, but I don't know how to choose proper
> proportions.
~ First a bit of philosophy: The holy grail of cabinet making is "SQUARE".
Making a
_perfectly square_ cabinet insures that all doors and drawer
fronts will fit and be easy to install, and that the cabinets
themselves, even when hung on a wall that is not plumb, will be easier
to shim to that wall, and that those doors and drawers will always work
because the cabinets will remain square even if the wall moves, which
all walls will do.
The easiest way to achieve "square" in your cabinet making is to
_batch
cut_ all the component parts.
IOW, set the table saw fence ONE TIME ONLY, and cut ALL the component
pieces that are going to be 1 1/2" wide at that time BEFORE moving the
table saw fence to another setting; Set the table saw fence to 30", and
cut ALL the component parts for ALL cabinets that are going to be 30"
long, BEFORE you move the table saw fence to another setting.
Repeat as often as necessary to batch cut all your cabinet parts, rails,
stiles, end panels, floors (which includes the top in industry parlance
since they are the same size), and backs.
As to your question about widths.
I base the face frame's rail and stile widths on the thickness of the
plywood you are going to use for the casework, as well the size of the
dadoes I will route into the face frame to accept that plywood. *More
about why below.
I almost always use the following dimensions for rails and stiles:
Base cabinet stiles: 1 1/2" wide
Base cabinet rails: 1 1/2" wide
Drawer rails: 1 1/2" wide
Wall cabinet stiles: 1 1/2" wide
Wall cabinet top rail: 2 1/2" wide (to take the crown)
Wall cabinet bottom rail: 1 1/2" wide
Wall cabinet Intermediate stiles: 3" wide
That is more or less an industry standard but you can certainly vary the
above for any reason, including your preference with regard to
appearance. But! ... be sure to take into account any hardware like
drawer slides and door hinges when making that rail and stile with
determination. (AAMOF, buy those items, or insure they are available,
BEFORE you cast your design in stone and start building).
~ Philosophy again: The idea is to take the time to make the face frames
FIRST, with meticulous attention to making the face frames as perfectly
square as possible (easily achieved with
_batch cut parts_ ), AND then
assemble the casework on top of that square face frame, basically
insuring a square cabinet.
Route the necessary dadoes into the backside of the face frame to accept
the ends of the casework.
Route the necessary dadoes/groove into the
_end panels_ of the cabinet case.
Assemble the face frames using pocket hole screw joinery.
Once your face frames are completely assembled, with due attention to
them being square:
Lay the face frame, dadoes up, on a flat surface and assemble, and glue
and/or nail the previously dadoed case work plywood component ON TOP OF
THE ALREADY ASSEMBLED, SQUARE FACE FRAME.
Doing it this way, and only this way, absolutely insures that you have
the squarest possible cabinets; cabinets that will not only attach to
each other easily for a cabinet "run", but cabinets in which the doors
and drawers will always work until the house is torn down ... something
that can only be achieved, with any assurance, with properly made,
_shop
built_ cabinetry!
*More about the face frame stile and rail widths:
With a cabinet case made of 3/4" plywood, and using a 3/4" dadoe in the
back of 1 1/2" wide stiles to accept the 3/4" plywood, leaves 1/2" on
inside of the stile facing into the cabinet so that you can use a 1/2"
plywood spacer for mounting your drawer slides; and 1/4" on the outside
that you can use as a
_scribe strip_ should you need to scribe to a wall
at the end of a run ... the latter, when trimmed out with 1/4" thick
material at the top and bottom of the cabinet, also makes a nice
finished appearance to a cabinet side that is going to be visible:
http://e-woodshop.net/images/3930-Kitchen13.JPG
Let me know if you have any questions.
--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
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