CNC Cabinet making

[trooper55]

HI, First off this is such a great place to get information!

Ok so i run a 3 axis cnc router for my job and well my house needs new cabinets and i have been thinking about making my own for a bit now and i thought about it and now im going to take on the project. They are going to be painted and mostly made out of mdf and primed plywood. My question is to see if anyone has made cabinets by hand or cnc before or if there is any good plans / drawings with details that are out there. I have done quite a bit of searching on my own now but i thought it wouldn't hurt to ask too.

Any help would be awesome

[Seraph]

Hi,

The company I work for manufactures cabinetry and other furniture, mainly in MFC, Melamine Faced MDF and laminated MDF.

I could help you out with designs if you like but really the best idea is to sketch up what you want first by looking at;

1. Where the cabinets will fit
2. What you want to keep in the cabinets (will drawers work or will you need large spaces)
3. Working heights (will you be standing up next to the cabinets say in a kitchen or will you be seated like a desk)
4. Materials (this is best based on what you know you have available and can work with)

Melamine coated boards are easy to work and finish but sealing the edges is a problem since not many people have access to edgebanding machines (and painting or lacquering cut edges never looks good)

Depending on what you plan to make MDF is probably easier to work than ply since its lack of grain structure means you can drill it chop it hack it and cut it without fear of it splitting.

you will also need to look into hinges, drawer boxes and runners, shelf fixings and handles when you design.

Any questions I will try to answer them for you.

[ger21]

I build base cabinets like this. Notch the side for the toe kick, and screw the bottom, back, and rails in between the sides. Screw the back and bottom together where they meet. For adjustable shelves, I use a homebuilt jig and plunge router to drill the sides for shelf pins. Similar to this.
http://www.woodhaven.com/Category.asp?Id=270

You can also use a jig like this.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...76&filter=jigs

For wall cabinets, use a full top instead of the two rails, and eliminate the toe kick notch.

I use Blum concealed hinges. Just two holes in the cabinet side for each hinge. Jigs are available or you can easily make your own.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...Select=Details

Here's some pics of the kitchen I've been working on for a while.

Longest running project

[stoneyreef]

cabinetpartspro.com

they have a free version that will do most standard cabinets!

[trooper55]

Thanks for all the help ill go home tonight and measuer everything out and maybe try and model it in sketchup. And i have been already looking at hardware very very close i want to use some blum hardware.

[Joe Cleary]

I've been doing woodworking since the 70's. I started out a "purist" and scoffed at particle board. Well... the MDF of today is a lot better. You can buy prefinished 4x8 sheets at the big box stores which are prefinished. Run it thru your table saw with a proper blade, and you'll get a nice edge on the top and chipped edges on the bottom. The manufacturers of this style cabinet use saws with a small scoring blade below the table to eliminate the chipping, and/or CNC to route out "nested" parts. It's like sketching for the maximumization of sheet usage, and the CNC routes out the parts as drawn!
It will also drill shelf holes which are used for shelves,drawer slides and door hinges. Very efficient.
Heres the rub. If you live near an IKEA, it does not make sense to build your own cabinets! Their hardware costs less than you can buy it for and the cabinet carcases are ready to assemble. It is also customizeable.
If nothing else, buy a base and wall cabinet to see how they go together and how the 35MM system works. By the way, their drawer systems (Blum Metabox)with softclosers are about half the cost of the hardware you'll have to buy AND you'll still need to build the drawer! I just finished doing a new kitchen and am putting my own designed fronts on the cabinets. The wall hanging system is a dream to work with. It consists of a simple metal rail the cabinets bolt to.
Hope this helps.

[trooper55]

I just looked at ikea and i think its very intresting but still doesn't seem to offer what i want and i didnt find any information at there site about this 35mm system you where talking about. I sounds very intersting but i guess what im looking to do is make them the way i want not have to try and adapt. Plus i really want to try and make concreat counter tops now. Saw some info on making those too... I need to keep with one project at a time so i want to just make cabinets seeing in that i run a cnc router all day long. but if you have more information on how to better set up a kitchen with the ikea items i would love to hear about it. Im always open to new options.

Thanks
Rory

[Joe Cleary]

Hi again. There are two styles of cabinets, face frame (a "box" with 1 by stiles and rails) and just a "box" that is edge banded (known as the European 35MM system). It is not a brand. It is a method. The method has rules. Basically the rules are the holes are drilled 32MM on center. That way all european style hardware will fit the cabinetry. I erroneously said 35MM in my previous post. It is 32MM. (Why 32MM? To be able to do gang boring of a line of holes at once, 32MM on center was the tightest dimension possible due to the gearing of the mechanism!) There are custom cabinets;they fit into exact spaces. For example 19" wide. There are semi-custom. A premanufactured cabinet which requires an 18" cabinet and a 1" filler or scribe strip. Most semi-custom or premade cabinets come in three inch increments to fit a space and may require a scribe or filler strip to close the space between the cabinet and wall or, to center cabinets. This applies to the custom or premade cabinet; either style. What I like about the european (32MM) style is the installation. The wall cabinets hang on a steel rail which is fastened to the studs and the base cabinets are boxes with adjustable feet. It is an immense help in leveling. The toekick then clipe on the legs to close the space in. True european style has tall toe space and drawers are built into that space. The europeans take their cabinets when they more like furniture. Simple is better!
Make a toekick frame for all the cabinets to sit on. Install it level. Then build boxes of the dimension you desire to fit the spaces you desire. (HomeDepot sells iron on banding for half the cost of Rockler, but Rockler sells the trimmer!) Full bottom, and front and rear strips on top.(for fastening your countertop to) Wall cabinets are similar but have full top and bottom and a hanging rail (wood 1x3) at the top rear. Hopefully you have installed blocking behind your drywall to screw into. Try to keep your wall cabinets to 24" wide or less. A 24" cabinet will have two 12" doors that will not pass the front plane of your base cabinets so you're not as likely to get smacked by them!

Rather than me write a book here, check this out.
"http://www.amazon.com/Build-Kitchen-Cabinets-Popular-Woodworking/dp/1558706763/ref=pd_sim_b_2#reader"]Amazon.com: Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets (Popular Woodworking): Danny Proulx: Books

Joe

[ger21]

The New Yankee Workshop had 9 episodes on building kitchens last year. A bit pricey, but you can buy the DVD's.
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?0801-0809

[teamtexas]

Hey troop here is a tv stand I recently did for my oldest daughter for a graduation present. I used a new yankee workshop design and changed the art work a bit to suit my daughters taste. Most of the base cabinet was done following the plans but all of the detail work was done on my CNC router with designs I got off the net for free.


Ps.. My suggestion, dont make anything at an angle, it's way harder!!
Dan

[ronateah]

Joe - do you think ikea cabinets could stand up in the work shop. I am thinking i would need a heavy counter top than normal. Buttom line i am trying to find a cheap and dirty solution for my work shop.

[Joe Cleary]

Hi!
If you're using the cabinets in a workshop environment, you need to decide a few things.
One is; an open toe space or not. Cabinets are priced by units. The carcase, base components and drawer and/or drawer units. The carcase does not have a base built in. You can buy their plastic, adjustable height feet. OR stainless . They fit into the predrilled holes in the cabinet bottom. Because of the way they are installed, they can support the sides of the cabinet, and thus a heavy top. They support stone tops in a kitchen with the only concern being support for the stone so it does not flex and crack! Usually 3/4" ply is used under the stone tops. To save the cost of a set of legs for each cabinet, I'd build a one piece base for a run of cabinets. It will be easy to level and the cabinets will line up nicely. Your only other choice would be doors and/or drawers (and style of them) and possibly shelves. Drawer boxes come with 1/2" laminated bottoms and "snap", self closing hardware. (Closes within last few inches ) For a fewbucks more, you can add soft closers. What a treat! Our whole kitchen has them. All the IKEA cabinet hardware is Blum. If you opt for shelves over 18" , limit your load or make your own from plywood. Since shelf pins come with shelves, you'd have to obtain your own.
Here are two PDF's to give you a general idea of what's going on.
Go here: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/assembly_instructions.html#1[/URL] and open AKURUM BASE CABINET FRAME and then
AKURUM LEG BLK 4PK NA
Hope this is of some help[! Joe