kitchen upper cabinet: double doors - … version of the cabinet has two 3/4" overlay doors....

Our Home from Scratch LLC CabinetsfromScratch.com

Kitchen Upper Cabinet:

Double Doors

by

Cabinets from Scratch


Disclaimer Our Home from Scratch LLC and its legal owners cannot be held responsible for

any loss, damage, disappointment, injury or death resulting from following the

procedures or techniques described in these plans. Our Home from Scratch LLC

and its legal owners assume no risk and cannot be held responsible for any misuse

of these plans either directly or indirectly. They make no statements as to the

weight or strength capacity of the item described in these plans.

These plans may contain errors and Our Home from Scratch LLC and its legal

owners cannot be held responsible for any error. No guarantee is made as to the

quality of any product that is described herein.

Always use appropriate Personal Protection Equipment when working with tools

and exercise caution if taking any action associated with these plans.

Attempt at your own risk. Some woodworking skills are required. Sorry if that’s a

bummer.

This procedure contains affiliate links.

Distribution Policy By downloading these plans you consent to this distribution policy. These plans

are not to be distributed in anyway without the express consent of Our Home

from Scratch LLC or its legal owners. The individual pictures or procedures

contained herein are also not to be copied or shared.


Introduction

These plans for an upper kitchen cabinet are nearly identical to the kitchen

cabinets I built from scratch in my first home in Philadelphia. They design has

been updated to include better joinery methods and the door is overlay instead of

inset, which makes the project easier for entry level woodworkers.

The cabinet box is made from 3/4” thick plywood and includes a 3/4" thick

back board. While this thicker back board makes the cabinet heavier and slightly

more expensive, it also adds strength, rigidity and reduces the different types of

plywood you’ll need to purchase and manage. It’s the same approach I took in

my kitchen cabinets.

Feel free to add additional fasteners to this project if the sides of the

cabinet will be between other cabinets or walls.

If you get stuck on any particular part of these woodworking plans, feel free

to email me at [email protected] with any questions. For full

cabinet building training, visit CabinetsfromScratch.com for more information on

our comprehensive video training course.

I hope you enjoy the challenge of building this project.

R,

John Gerard

mailto:[email protected]

cabinetsfromscratch.com


Getting Started These woodworking plans will take you step by step through the build of a

kitchen upper cabinet with double doors. The first thing you should do is read

through these procedures to familiarize yourself with the materials, tools and skill

requirements necessary to complete them.

Tools The tools and miscellaneous supplies I used for this project include the

following, some of which are optional:

1. Table Saw with 60 tooth saw blade

2. Miter Saw (also with 60 tooth saw blade)

3. Pneumatic Brad Nail Gun with Pancake Compressor

4. Pocket Screws

5. Dado Blade Set

6. Router with 23/32” cutting bit

7. Cordless Drill

8. Wood Glue

9. 3/4" Long Brad Nails

10. K-Body Clamps

Dimensions This cabinet is designed to the following dimensions:

1. Width: 33”

2. Height: 42”

3. Depth: 12”

This version of the cabinet has two 3/4" overlay doors. Feel free to modify

the plans to meet your needs. A customizable version of these plans in MS Excel

is available to Cabinets from Scratch subscribers.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5S5CW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000S5S5CW&linkCode=as2&tag=ourhomfroscr-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WQ30/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008WQ30&linkCode=as2&tag=ourhomfroscr-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AIX5OO/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001AIX5OO&linkCode=as2&tag=ourhomfroscr-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NR3R6K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009NR3R6K&linkCode=as2&tag=ourhomfroscr-20

http://amzn.to/2rozSp2

http://amzn.to/2tIER4p

cabinetsfromscratch.com


Material: Listed below in Table 1 is a list of all the lumber you’ll need to build one

cabinet. All of this lumber should be available at your local large hardware store

(Lowe’s, Home Depot, True Value, etc.). Avoid softwoods like pine for this

project. Use oak or maple for stain-grade projects. Choose poplar lumber with

birch plywood for paint-grade cabinets.

TABLE 1: LUMBER PURCHASE LIST

Item Description Width Length (in) Qty

1 3/4" Thick Birch or Oak Plywood 48” 96” 1


3 3/4” Thick Poplar or Oak Hardwood 2 ½” 96” 5


Hardware:

You’ll also need to purchase the following material to complete your

cabinet build.

1. Shelf Pins

2. Door Pulls (you pick)

3. 3/4" Overlay Hinges

Preparation:

To begin this project, you’ll need to take your purchased lumber and cut

out all of the parts listed in Table 2. Plywood parts should be cut to their final size

using a combination of a table saw and a circular saw. Refer to the plywood cut

sheets at the end of these plans

Hardwood components however, should be cut to their final lengths, but

not their final widths. All hardwood boards should be cut slightly wider than their

final width on the table saw then brought down to their final width using a jointer

or thickness planer. If you skip this process and simply cut your hardwood boards

http://amzn.to/2tiDANm


down to their final widths using the table saw you’ll end up with boards that have

a very rough-cut and uneven edge. It won’t look as clean or professional.

TABLE 2: CABINET PARTS LIST

Hardwood Cabinet Parts

Item Name Length (in.) Width (in.) Thk (in.) Qty. Material

1 Stiles 42 2 3/4 2 Oak or Poplar

2 Top Rail 29 2 3/4 1 Oak or Poplar

3 Bottom Rail 29 2 3/4 1 Oak or Poplar

4 Vertical Divider 38 2 3/4 1 Oak or Poplar

5 Shelf Front 30-3/4 1 3/4 3 Oak or Poplar

Hardwood Door Parts


6 Door Stiles 39-1/2 2 3/4 4 Oak or Poplar

7 Door Rails 12-1/2 2 3/4 4 Oak or Poplar

Cabinet Plywood Parts


8 Sides 42 11-1/2 3/4 2 Matching Ply

9 Bottom 31-3/4 10-5/8 3/4 1 Matching Ply

10 Top 31-3/4 10-5/8 3/4 1 Matching Ply

11 Back 42 31-3/4 3/4 1 Matching Ply

12 Shelves 30-3/4 10 3/4 3 Matching Ply

Plywood Door Parts


13 Door Panels 36 11-1/2 1/2 2 Matching Ply


Machining:

With all of your lumber cut to their final dimensions, we can begin

machining the lumber to add grooves and pocket screw holes, which will allow us

to assemble the cabinet.

Face Frame

Let’s start with the face frame. Lay out all of your face frame boards down

on a workbench. Evaluate each board to determine which side looks best. Using

a pencil, lightly mark the better side so you know what side is which. Flip all of

the boards over. Drill two pocket screw holes on both ends of the backsides of

the Top Rail and the Bottom Rail. Next, drill two pocket screw holes on both ends

of the vertical divider as well. Refer to Figure 1 for an illustration of pocket screw

hole locations.

The stiles then get a 1/4” deep by 23/32” wide groove down the length of

the back. These grooves will allow the cabinet box to recess and attach to the

face frame during assembly. This groove needs to be located 1/4” in from the

outside edge of the stiles.

Figure 1 illustrates what the back of the face frame will look like once

assembled. You don’t need to assemble it at this point.


Figure 1: Face Frame Back with Pocket Screw Holes and Stile Grooves

Doors

Moving onto the doors, you’ll need to expose a 3/4” long tongue (or tenon)

at the ends of each door rail. For a clear instruction on how to accomplish this

using a table saw, watch this YouTube video from my channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTwRxyHVHFg

Once the tongues are exposed on the door rails, you can cut a 1/4” wide by

1/4” deep groove down the middle of each door part. Next, raise the table saw

blade to 3/4” high and make a 2-1/2” long groove on the ends of the door stiles.

This will allow the tongues on the rails to plug into the stiles. Test for fit.

For another example of this technique, you can watch this YouTube video

from my channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyWnPv8DGx0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTwRxyHVHFg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyWnPv8DGx0


At this point, you can cut a 1/4” deep by 1/4” wide rabbit all along the edge

of the door center panels. You should be able to assemble doors dry without any

glue to test its fit up. Make adjustments where necessary.

Plywood Boxes

Machining the plywood box will require adding 23/32” grooves in a few

places. First, we’ll add a groove in one of the side boards for the back board.

Using a router table with a 23/32” cutting bit or a 23/32" dado blade stack on

your table saw, make a groove 3/8” deep down the length of the side board and

locate it so it leaves a 1/4" space between the groove edge and the back edge of

the sideboard. Refer to Figure 2 for reference.

Next, you’ll need to add grooves in one of the side boards to receive the

top and bottom boards. Locate these 3/8” deep grooves so they leave a 3/4"

space between the groove edge and the top and bottom of the side boards

respectively. Refer to Figure 2 for reference.

You’ll need to repeat these cuts on the other side board, but make sure

they are a mirror opposite of the first side board. Figure 2 illustrates that

mirrored reference.


Figure 2: Box Side Boards – Left and Right Side


The back board will need one 23/32" wide by 3/8” deep groove 3/4” up

from the bottom edge and a second groove 3/4" down from the top edge. See

Figure 3 for that image.

The bottom and top boards won’t need any modifications.

Figure 3: Back Board (Not to Scale)


Assembly:

Using wood glue and 1-1/4” long pocket screws, assemble the face frame as

per Figure 1.

For the box assembly, dry fit the box components together first before

gluing the assembly together. The sides can be stood upright, while the back is

inserted into the grooves in each side. You can then insert the bottom and top

boards into the grooves in the sides. The bottom and top boards should fully seat

into the grooves in the back board and will be 1/4" recessed from the front edges

of the sides. Use clamps to help you keep the assembly together during dry fit. If

everything fits together well without glue, you can disassemble it and glue it

together.

Liberally apply a bead of wood glue into each groove before you re-

assemble. You can shoot in a 3/4" long brad nail at an angle into the joints to

keep the assembly together while you are clamping it up. Make sure to clamp the

assembly in multiple spots as you proceed.

At this point, you can also glue the face frame to the box assembly and

clamp both units together by applying a liberal bead of glue in the face fame

groove. Check to ensure the top of the face frame and the top of the box

assembly are flush. It might help to position the cabinet upside down on a

workbench to ensure they remain flush. Measure the cabinet from diagonal to

diagonal at the top of the cabinet to verify the cabinet is square. If it’s out of

square, use a long clamp over the longer corners and tighten it down until it

comes into square. Keep the cabinet clamped together overnight to make sure

the glue cures properly.

The doors will go together similarly. Only apply glue to the tongues. You

don’t need to glue the center panels in, but you can if you want to since it’s made


from plywood. Make sure the stiles ends are flush to the rails and clamp together

overnight.

The shelf front board can be attached to the plywood shelf board using glue

and brad nails.

For the door hinges, it’s best to simply follow the manufacturer’s

instructions provided with the hinges you purchase as they vary from

manufacturer to manufacturer. The door should be installed temporarily to

ensure fit and functionality then removed for finishing.

Finishing:

Before painting or staining, sand every surface lightly using 120-grit

sandpaper. Sand every surface again using 220-grit sandpaper and then wipe

clean with a clean rag. You can use a tack cloth and a rag with denatured alcohol

as well.

If you want to paint your cabinet, you should apply two coats of a primer

followed by two coats of your finish paint. It’s best to spray both applications

using an HVLP gun. You can use a shellac-based primer like BIN and a satin

lacquer for the final coat. If spraying your paint is not an option, you can use a

brush to apply your paint. Read more here about best practices and products for

painting cabinets:

http://www.ourhomefromscratch.com/2014/09/cabinet-painting-101/

If you plan to stain your cabinet, apply a pre-stain conditioner first to avoid

blotches. Follow that with your stain and then either a clear coat lacquer as a

topcoat or satin polyurethane. You should generally avoid anything glossier than

satin or eggshell.

After the finishing process is complete, you can re-assemble your cabinet

permanently by re-installing the door.

http://www.ourhomefromscratch.com/2014/09/cabinet-painting-101/


Resources

That’s it. If you find any errors, have any suggestions for improvement or

any questions, drop me a line at [email protected]

Thanks and good luck!!

mailto:[email protected]

Produced by Online Panel Cutter from Optimalon Software Ltd.

10 Jul 2017 21:52Upper Cabinet 3/4 Ply

Project SummaryNumber of cutting layouts: 2

Panels utilization rate: 62.31%Number of used panels: 2

Total panels area: 5760 inch²Total cut length: 409 5/16"

Number of cut parts from all panels: 7Number of parts have not been cut: 0

Number of produced waste parts (cut-offs): 7

Saw Kerf: 1/8"

List of used panels# Panel ID Panel Length Panel Width Count

1 2x4 3/4 Birch 48" 24" 1

2 4x8 3/4 Birch 96" 48" 1

Page 1 of 4



List of used parts# Part ID Part Length Part Width Count

1 Shelf 30 3/4" 10" 2

2 Bottom 31 3/4" 10 5/8" 1

3 Top 31 3/4" 10 5/8" 1

4 Sides 42" 11 1/2" 2

5 Back 42" 31 3/4" 1

Page 2 of 4



Layout: 1. Parts with indices

1 of 2x4 3/4 BirchLength Width Count Utilization

48" 24" 1 85.03%

11 1/2"

42"

1

11 1/2"

42"

2

3/4"

42"

24"

5 7/

8"

Page 3 of 4



Layout: 2. Parts with indices

1 of 4x8 3/4 BirchLength Width Count Utilization

96" 48" 1 57.74%

31 3/4"

42"

1

10 5/8"

31 3

/4"

2

10 5/8"

31 3

/4"

3

10"

30 3

/4"

4

10"

30 3

/4"

5

5 3/8"

31 3

/4"

16 1/8"

10 1

/8"

17"

31 3

/4"

20 1/8"

7/8"

48"

22"

Page 4 of 4

kitchen upper cabinet: double doors - … version of the cabinet has two 3/4" overlay doors....

Documents