DIY kitchen cabinets?

[Hmbre97]

Ok, so I took shop class in high school and have built some speakers boxes among other small things but am I crazy for wanting to attempt this? Having jew blood in me somewhere down the line, I can't stand the thought of paying someone to do something that I might be able to do. I'm wanting to put some euro style frameless cabinets in and it doesn't look like it'd be all that hard to do. I have access to a cabinet table saw.

I think I may try to cut my teeth building a new tv stand with some doors and drawers first.

[JimD]

Whatever floats your boat, but IMO, buying the prebuilt ones from lowes or HD and install, and finish would be much quicker and just as cheap.

[JP135]

Good luck with that. Once you've tried to make a cabinet, you'll see why there are people who get paid to do it.

X2 on JimD's suggestion.

[slow84lx]

Getting all of the details right is the difficult part of building cabinets. Before experimenting in your kitchen, you should practice building out a garage full of cabinets. You will still spend quite a bit money if you purchase good materials.

[ceyko]

Whatever floats your boat, but IMO, buying the prebuilt ones from lowes or HD and install, and finish would be much quicker and just as cheap.

I'd take this advice to heart.

When I price out DIY work, if it is 0-15% more expensive to have something made/installed/fixed...etc by a pro, I have them do it. Well worth the time savings, warranties...etc.

[samuel642000]

good luck man, my dad owns his own cabniet shop but doesnt do residential jobs or i would give you his contact info, lets just say i used to work there wheni was in school and it's crazy all the steps/work involved in it. i would buy the premade ones and assemble them. faster and easier.

[miketyler]

Yup - I thought the same way. I wanted to build a kitchen island. I thought, WTF is there to it? A few floor cabinets screwed together and Voila! Kitchen island on the cheap!

Well two floor cabinets ($125), ~40 hrs of labor and close to $600 additional in materials and tools and I am nearly done.

It is painstaking work to build nice stuff and the devil is in the details. Setup time for the tooling, cutting, fitting, assembly, then finishing.....it takes more time than you think and it adds up fast.

I was considering tooling up and building new doors to reface my cabinets with and now am second thinking that project.

[miketyler]

Pics - and as you can see I still havent built the doors for this yet. I should have the granite countertop on it this week though. :tired:

[5.0_CJ]

I suggest you have a table saw, drill press, and router before you begin. If you have these then you can give it a shot. Measure 3 times, cut once. Remember to pre-fit. Dovetailing jigs are a good thing also if you plan on doing cabinets.

[Thehead]

Pics - and as you can see I still havent built the doors for this yet. I should have the granite countertop on it this week though. :tired:

that looks pretty good man. When we get the new cabinets in our kitchen we are going to build an Island with a butcherblock top and put locking casters on it.

[miketyler]

Pic of near-finished product, still need to build doors and toe-kicks on the end cabs.

BTW, found a great granite fabricator. Everyone else was talking $1100-$1200 and these guys did it for about 1/2 of the going rate. The edges they did are SUPERIOR compared to the edging of the blanks I bought. I will use these guys again. Check these guys out for pricing when you are getting quotes. Ask for Levi and tell him Mike Tyler sent you

www.metroplexgranite.com

[Sgt Beavis]

I've been into carpentry (as a hobbiest) since I was 5 years old. You're NOT saving any money building your own cabinets. Wood is friggin expensive these days. You'll never get a payoff in the sweat equity. You'll also need quite a few tools that you probably don't have right now.

You need:
Biscuit jointer
Pocket screw jig (preferably a Kreg)
Lots of GOOD clamps (like Bessies)
Good quality cabinet scrapers
a GOOD table saw, not a cheap ass bench top saw.
other specialized tools...

I too would follow JimD's suggestion. I would buy prebuilt units from Home Depot. I would then go a step further and customize those cabinets. You can either build new face frames for them or better yet, just get high grade wood laminates from Woodcraft or Rockler and use that to reface them. You'll end up with some really kick ass cabinets and it won't cost you as much as a custom job...

[5.0_CJ]

I've been into carpentry (as a hobbiest) since I was 5 years old. You're NOT saving any money building your own cabinets. Wood is friggin expensive these days. You'll never get a payoff in the sweat equity. You'll also need quite a few tools that you probably don't have right now.

You need:
Biscuit jointer
Pocket screw jig (preferably a Kreg)
Lots of GOOD clamps (like Bessies)
Good quality cabinet scrapers
a GOOD table saw, not a cheap ass bench top saw.
other specialized tools...

I too would follow JimD's suggestion. I would buy prebuilt units from Home Depot. I would then go a step further and customize those cabinets. You can either build new face frames for them or better yet, just get high grade wood laminates from Woodcraft or Rockler and use that to reface them. You'll end up with some really kick ass cabinets and it won't cost you as much as a custom job...

wood is at a 30 year low, but hardwoods are elastic, and not coming down as quickly as 2x4's, etc. But yes, there is a shitload of work and effort involved if you're not a thoroughly battle hardened cabinet maker. To me, it's worth the time and effort to save a few bucks and to know I made that.

Kreg jig, definately. Biscuit jointer is definately easier than a dove tail, and a good table saw all excellent suggestions.

[miketyler]

The time factor has to be considered as well. I thought I could slap this together really quick but each cabinet that I built on to the pair of prebuilt floor cabs took SEVERAL hours.

Not to venture too far off the subject.....

If I wanted to build doors for the island and was after some simple flat-faced oak frames, how best to do that? Buy a tongue and groove router bit set and proceed as that? If this works out ok for me and doesn't take an absorbent amount of time I may take on refacing all my kitchen cabinets.

[5.0_CJ]

The time factor has to be considered as well. I thought I could slap this together really quick but each cabinet that I built on to the pair of prebuilt floor cabs took SEVERAL hours.

Not to venture too far off the subject.....

If I wanted to build doors for the island and was after some simple flat-faced oak frames, how best to do that? Buy a tongue and groove router bit set and proceed as that? If this works out ok for me and doesn't take an absorbent amount of time I may take on refacing all my kitchen cabinets.

It depends on the type of cabinet doors you're trying to make. You can router the edges, or you can leave the face flush.

[miketyler]

The face would be flush and outside edges would have a slight chamfer to them. Very simple concept. What I was asking about was the method by which the frames are constructed? How best to design the corner assemblies? Using tongue and groove router bit or ? This appears to be how my existing cabinet doors are made.

http://feihonghsu.com/mchenry/photos/2pc-tg-50-3d.jpg

[Hmbre97]

To me, it's worth the time and effort to save a few bucks and to know I made that.

This right here sums it up why I want to do it. Having the proper equipment won't be an issue as my wife's B-I-L is into carpentry as a hobby and he's got this ultimate set of tools . Seriously though, he's been building shit for years and has a pretty nice setup at his shop.

This is about what I'm after.

http://www.stevetull.com/images%20choban/kitchen700.jpg

[miketyler]

sweet - thats the style VERY similar to what I am after as well.

My logic has been that if time, expertise, and trouble weren't a consideration, then it made sense to do it on my own. I'm a tool guy and enjoy working with my hands. If I needed a tool to get the job done that I didnt have, I will go out and buy it (with a few exceptions)

To me, when its a low risk project (like cabinets) the money I would pay a contractor pays for the tools and my time. Then again, if I were paying me to do a job I would probably lose my ass most of the time. :bigeyes2:

[thrshr68]

I just recently finished the carcasses and hanging doors, I have yet to do the drawers, BUT when I look back at the whole experience, I would NOT buy pre made ones. If you need to borrow a sprayer I have two, it was so much fun I may help you. I am not a cabinet pro but mine turned out great, dont worry pics to come real soon.