Use glue on all the joints because the nails aren t enough on their own.
Best way to build a cabinet box.
That being said lets first go over the basic tools for building a cabinet box.
To build a cabinet start by cutting panels for the bottom and sides out of mdf plywood or another type of laminate.
Cabinet grade birch is typical and can be found in all big box stores.
No extended sides to form a base no toe kick cutouts.
How to build a cabinet drawer choose your drawer material.
We ll be using 1 2 cabinet grade plywood for all parts of these drawers including the bottoms.
Put your finished cabinets to work.
For cabinet box construction you will need.
1 2 or 3 4 plywood.
With the frame squared and clamped screw the cleats along the top edges.
The cabinets are just boxes.
Making wood boxes and mounting them on the walls via braces can make the installation a one man job.
Then cut 4 pieces of 1 by 6 lumber to the same width as the bottom panel for the front back and top brace panels.
1 2 thickness is also typical but i sometimes use 3 4 especially for frameless cabinets.
The base is a simple edge frame assemble it with biscuits topped by two 4 wide cleats.
Most traditional side mounted drawer slides require 1 2 clearance on each side of the drawer.
Shim the bottom edges to level the cabinets and make the face frame edges parallel with each other.
Adding the backs sounds pretty simple and it is.
This sled makes it much easier to accurately cut large pieces.
But it s also a critical part of the process.
Cut purebond plywood panels to fit over the back side of your cabinet boxes.
With some woodworking skills a table saw and some basic tools you can make your own kitchen cabinets the simple way.
From walls to allow for wavy or out of plumb walls.
With the cabinet boxes made install the cleats that support the drawers photo 7.
Plywood you don t have to hide the fasteners you used to build your boxes.
Make sure when cutting your back panels that they are square and make sure when you attach them that your cabinet is also square to this back piece.
If you were making several cabinets to be installed side by side you d make a single long base for all of them to sit on now move on to building the drawer box.
Remove the doors drawers and all hardware and apply a finish.
First built in cabinet construction is simpler.
Leveling one platform is a lot easier than positioning each cabinet individually.
Let s stick with those since it makes sizing your drawer super easy too.
Attach the drawer fronts photo 10 the pulls photo 11 and that s it.
You ll also need an end cap if you choose to build a separate base.
A simple crosscut sled.
1 8 plywood for the back of the cabinets note this is the common method for building cabinets.
If you cap the end cabinet with 1 4 in.
Ken sets the box 1 4 in.
Second installation is faster.
That means you can use large sturdy screws without worrying about ugly putty filled holes.
You can choose your wood the stain the finish and configure them to the exact size that would suit your storage needs.