A good circular saw and a simple jig is all you need to make cuts suitable for glue ups.
Start with a piece of 1/4 ply, say 12 x 48.
Glue on a piece of 1/2 ply, say 4 x 48 that is centered on the 1/4 ply.
Now run you saw down one side of the of the 1/2 using the narrow side of the plate, then run saw down the other side of the 1/2 using the wide side of the plate.
Add a couple of 3" C-Clamps and you now have a cutting jig that will give dead nuts results.
Have fun.
Lew
Now, that right there is a MUCH better design than the setup I was planning. Easier to clamp and more flexible, too. Thanks!
Luke
The homemade router table is almost ready now, and I think I know where I can get my hands on a decent plane. At least, I think it's in good shape, but I'm not knowledgeable on planes (yet).
As for having a diversity of skills, I couldn't agree more! My main problem is that the skills I've developed "on the side" aren't necessarily great money makers. I'm a pretty decent potter, for instance, but unless you live in a tourist mecca, that's a ticket to the poorhouse. Same for my bladesmithing abilities.
On the other hand, the broad range of skills and knowledge comes in handy in almost everything I try to do, so I'm far from depressed over these "unused" skills.
Thanks for your kind words!
Luke
Thank Tom Silva of This Old House fame.
His idea, not mine.
Lew
If I was going to paint them, I would buy MDF or thermofoil doors. Get them finished if possible.
It will be faster,cheaper,easier.
It's not what you asked but it is good advice.
You build the boxes and hang the doors on them.
Here is several examples:
James L Kilpatrick wrote:
That last point just might be the best one I've seen so far in this thread!
I thought seriously about going the "store bought" route on the doors, but I'm going to at least give it a try before make that decision. I just got back home with the materials and most of the tools needed for a vanity, and that's going to be the test piece. I'll be able to try some different methods for the drawer faces and doors, and get a feel for the overall work.
Although I'm not really in a time squeeze, I can't drag this out forever, either. I'll know by the end of the week whether this project is a go or not, although I'd really be surprised if I hit anything insurmountable.
Thanks for the input! Being able to get feeback from a number of more experienced folks is a really big help. I'll post back later with some of my results and conclusions.
Have Fun!
Luke
James L Kilpatrick wrote in news:vy3Hh.124269$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net:
OK. That's the spirit! We've got him at the top pf the slope. A little nudge, and down he goes! ;-)
Here's the thing you may not have considered: When doing drawers or doors, or anything else in multiples, it takes a bunch of clamps to get the glueups through to sufficiently cured. I don't want to think of how much cash I dropped on the pile of clamps hiding in the garage shop. And I used maybe 24 of them on just one cabinet's worth of drawers Saturday.
Plan your work so that you can do this a little each evening, and maybe some early in the morning, before you leave. Or raid a friend's shop for a week.
Patriarch
Yep, I came in tonight with an armload of clamps, and SWMBO couldn't believe it when I told her that I expected to need at LEAST three times that many once I got started in earnest. I had to explain that I couldn't just do one drawer at a time if I wanted to get the job done in a reasonable time frame. Clamps are definitely going to be the biggest single tool cost for these cabinets.
Luke
I forgot to mention...
There are many folks who sell knock down drawers to the cabinet crowd also.
Speed,speed,speed is everything when the "little woman" gets to talking about cooking Christmas dinner in her new kitchen and you are still doing glue-ups on the panels to make 50 cabinet doors. (no pressure there)
We won't talk about just where you are gonna put all those doors to be finished.
Where are you storing all the base cabinets and wall cabinets after they get put together ?
James L Kilpatrick wrote:
A tangent
Mark
I recall hearing a news item about a woman who actually shot her husband over a unfinished kitchen. He did not want to press charges.
Markem wrote:
Pat Barber wrote in news:SGjHh.40292 $ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
I have a good friend who took somewhat over 8 years to finish the kitchen upgrade & remodel. His wife is one of the more patient people I know. ;)
Patriarch
Those women are incredibly rare, but a few of them are out there. One of my closest friends has been building their house for over ten years. It still isn't complete. When they "moved in" it was one room with a commode, sink, and range. That's now the laundry room, and the place is 1,800' sq. and counting!
Luke
I'd love to have someone else do the doors, the drawers, and the bases for that matter! :) I really don't look forward to the next couple of weeks, since I'm essentially working three jobs. The problem I have is that I can't put a nice markup on these cabinets and sell them. I couldn't even afford to buy them from someone who did.
If you took the real buying power of my income and translated it into
1984 dollars, (the year I graduated high school), I'd be below the poverty line. It's only because of SWMBO that I can even come close to affording my own home. OUR own home, I should say. I thank God for her!I'm not doing this as a hobby, or as a business. I'm just trying to keep my head above water. It helps a lot to have good folks like everyone here to bounce ideas off of, and occasionally to vent some steam. In the limited spare time I have right now, this group is one of the highlights!
Thanks!
Luke
Being lower on the income scale can be a real incentive. Been there, done that, built two houses by myself.
There has probably been a billion set of cabinets built from birch plywood with very basic tools.
I would consider at least buying a used contractor saw with a decent fence.
I would also c If you took the real buying power of my income and translated it into 1984 dollars, (the year I graduated high school), I'd be below the poverty line.
It's only because of SWMBO that I can even come close to affording my own home. OUR own home, I should say. I thank God for her!
Pat Barber wrote in news:uTBHh.42842 $ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
For what you save in the 'number of clamps needed', by using the simple Kreg jig, you can buy a decent used contractor saw. And probably save yourself two weeks of nights, building drawers.
And making face frames for the cabinets becomes much easier with the table saw, too.
You can do this affordably. We're counting on it.
Patriarch
I had considered going with pocket holes, but talked myself out of it. The biggest reason is simply that I don't know enough about where to use them, and where not to. I guess if I'm going to either buy lots more clamps or a Kreg jig in the next week, I need to spend some time studying how they're used in the custom cabinets I can get access to.
The face frames I'd planned to build from standard width poplar stock from the local Lowe's. I think I failed to mention that I have a good compound miter saw. A fresh blade on that and I should be able to cut cleanly to exact lengths.
Please don't laugh, but for joining the face frames, I plan to use a homemade doweling jig and 1/4" dowels. I'd thought about a lap joint, but given the amount of hopping from job to job I'll be doing, I figured I'd get more consistent results with a jig and dowels. I know it's time consuming, but it fits into my comfort zone as a technique. Would pocket holes be a candidate for joining face frames?
I keep saying thanks to you guys, but I promise, I really do mean it.
Thanks!
Luke
James L Kilpatrick wrote in news:niKHh.10183$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:
A couple of years ago, Kreg had a video in woodworking stores that showed how to use their jig. Sometimes it was a freebie with a jig purchase, and sometimes $10 or so. Often, it was playing on the video in the corner, and you could watch it for 20 minutes, and figure out almost anything you needed from that session. It's dead simple, particularly for someone who makes his living framing. The video might be on the Kreg website.
A note on the face frames: The table saw makes ripping the stock to width much easier. Then you can buy from a wood dealer or lumber yard, s2s or s3s stock, at a much more reasonable price. Some of the nation's most expensive lumber is hiding in that row at the BORG.
Your miter saw will get plenty of work, and is an optimum tool for the cross cuts.
The dowels and jig will work. So will the pocket jig, which might be faster. Strength isn't really an issue here, because both will work. I use the pocket hole jig, because I have one (not a fancy Kreg, BTW). And dowels still need clamping for longer than it takes to drive the screws. At least until the glue cures up some - an hour maybe.
You may want to poke around a website
About the help: Who do you think we learned this stuff from, anyway? Somebody showed us, told us, or pointed us in the right direction. No big deal. Enjoy your project!
Patriarch
Using the Kreg jig is a dead simple operation.
For a "basic" box and face frames, it can not be beat for speed and accuracy.
The "only" tool you need is a 3/8" drill.
You don't have to have a battery drill but that does speed things up a little. The screws can be set by a basic screw driver will a long bit.
Go here for the story...
James L Kilpatrick wrote:
I had considered going with pocket holes, but talked myself out of it. The biggest reason is simply that I don't know enough about where to use them, and where not to.
I keep saying thanks to you guys, but I promise, I really do mean it.
I just saw this much later after my last post about Kreg... Read up...
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