Planning the cabinets

OK, a short entry tonight. Tomorrow we’ll look at installing the cabinets, but for tonight let’s take a closer look at what these Kraftmaid cabinets offer as far as cabinet construction.

People have asked me why I didn’t just build my own cabinets….I mean, I have a full shop, the tools and the know-how, right?

The truth is that by the time I factored in the cost of materials and my time, it was actually a better deal to have Kraftmaid build the cabinets for me. The clincher? They build cabinets pretty much the way I would.

First off, the cabinets come fully assembled….no “flat pack” stuff here. The cabinets came individually boxed and well packaged. There is a bunch of space between the cabinets and the box sides, and the boxes are clearly marked as to which is the ace of the cabinet (to avoid damaging when stacking or opening the boxes)

The cabinets themselves: The fronts are solid cherry. They are obviously pretty selective of their stock as there were no knots, and very very few pitch pockets to speak of. The rest of the cabinets were constructed of mostly ¾” veneered ply (there is minimal particleboard, and it’s only in non-stressed areas). Another nice touch was that every joint is rabbeted, including the ply to solids connections:

The hanging strips are probably the most important part of a cabinet, and these ones are solid wood, and attached through joinery, glue, AND mechanical fasteners. They aren’t letting go

Even the drawers are solid maple with what appears to be Baltic birch bottoms…. and they’re even dovetailed. (Sure, the dovetails are machine cut…but that’s probably what I’d do as well.)

Solids and quality ply, careful lumber selection, solid construction and joinery and a flawless finish….really, what’s not to like?

I’ll go into more detail on the cabinets as the install progresses, but I wanted to give at least an idea of what I’m working with before I get too heavy into the actual install. Besides….I’m bushed. Time for bed!

More tomorrow,

Ryan