Types of Cabinets

Needless to say it’s been a while since I posted. Today’s discussion in going to be on types of cabinets. There are two main types of cabinets you can build; face-frame and Eurpean (frameless).


Before you start cutting parts you will need to decide which one you want because the materials you will need and the dimensions for your parts will be largely determined by the type of cabinet you are building.

Face-frame cabinets are made up of a box, usually made of melamine or some other particle or plywood sheet good, with a frame (typically ¾” thick hardwood) that covers the face; hence the name face-frame. The frame gives the box strength and covers the particle board or plywood edge you would otherwise see on the box. The easiest way to make face-frames is with pocket-holes and screws on the back side of the frame and a common width for the stiles and rails is 1 ½”, but when you’re building your own you can customize to fit your needs and preferences. The doors are mounted to the frames and typically leaves a 1” reveal on the sides and bottom. The top reveal can vary depending on if it is a base or wall cabinet and again based on preference. There are as many different ways to build this type of cabinet as there are cabinetmakers.

European, or frameless cabinets, are likewise made up of boxes constructed of sheet goods, but have no frame. Instead, the particle board part of the melamine is covered with a thin tape called edge banding. Edge banding is usually between ½ millimeter and 2 millimeters thick and comes wider than ¾” so it can be trimmed to just cover the edge of ¾” thick sheet goods. The doors cover the boxes leaving an 1/8” reveal on the sides and top with no reveal on the bottom (unless there is a trim of some sort).

There you have it. Two styles of cabinets that give you endless possibilities. Which one is better? I’ll weigh in on that in the next article.

Essential Tools for Cabinetmaking

Notice in the side bar of my blog there is a box that is labelled "Cabinetmaking Tools". This is a list of tools, most of them absolutely necessary, for making cabinets. Today I'm going to highlight four of them.

Tape measure: I've gone over how to use it. Notice the tape measure I recommend is a specific brand. You don't need a specific brand, but I do happen to like these tape measures for their special features. It has a white writing tablet on the side which is very nice. It has a built in pencil sharpener (for standard #2 pencils. Don't use the big carpenter pencils.) It also has a spring in the clip that you use to put it on your pocket which makes it so much easier. Small features that help.

Drill: You might already have a drill. If you don't you will need one to build cabinets. I do recommend the Makita, but I personally own a Hitachi and a Ryobi which both work well. The brand is mostly a preference. The Lithiom-ion batteries are nice to have because the batteries hold a charge longer and are much lighter.

Miter Saw: Any kind of chop saw will work. You could even use a miter box and a hand saw, but for practicallity you can't beat the compound miter saw. It will cut your hardwood boards square at whatever length you need. It can also cut on an angle both ways (more on this later). There are several kinds though and there are limitations to the 10" non-sliding. It can only cut all the way through about a 6" board. Anything wider than that you would have to flip the board over and cut it again. Sliders can usually cut through at least 12" which is very nice when cutting the parts for the upper cabinets.

Table Saw: I have been trying to come up with an alternative to the table saw and I have come to the conclusion that there is not one really practical, safe alternative. I have come up with some alternatives that would make it so you don't need one to complete a cabinet project, but that involves other tools and/or other expenses (we'll get to that). The table saw is perhaps the most versatile tool in the cabinetmaker's shop. For a do-it-yourselfer is perhaps the most expensive. The one I have listed is a cabinet saw (named because it's top is mounted on a cabinet), and is listed solely because it is the table saw I would buy if I had the money. For a cabinet project you can get by with some contractor's saws, but I recommend a hybrid. You will at least need a ripping capcity of 24" to the right of the blade, but really you should have more like 36". If you don't get that you might as well not buy a table saw for cabinets.

So there you go. This is a start to the tools you need. Check out the complete list in the side bar. There may be other tools that make it more convenient. Let me know if you think I've left something out.

Tape Measure

Whenever I hear or think the words "tape measure", I remember when my nephew, Porter, would say it in his one-year-old voice. "Tape Meaaasure".

To begin, you have to know how to use and read a tape measure. If you already know how, then you can read this post just to make sure I know how.

As you can see in the picture there are several tick marks between each inch mark. Each one is a sixteenth. Notice there are some longer tick marks. Those are there to help you know when you are dealing with a fraction that has a common factor (4th grade math). The longest one in the middle is the 8/16" tick mark, or divide out the common factor "8" and you have 1/2". Then the second longest ones are 1/4" and 3/4" marks. Finally you have the 1/8", 3/8", 5/8", and 7/8" marks that are just longer than the marks that are strickly measured in 16th inch measurements (that means the numerator and the denomenator do not have a common factor).

When building cabinets it is usually sufficient to measure to the nearest 1/16". It is simple, but absolutely critical that you know how to use this tool.

One thing that I always wondered before I learned to use one was, 'Why does this clip at the end, move'. There is a simple explanation. When you are measuring from the outside corner you hang the clip on the corner and mearsure to your desired destination. When you measure from an inside corner you simply push the clip to the corner and measure. The movement compensates for the thickness of the clip.

There you have it. If you still can't figure it out, shoot me an e-mail and I'll be glad to help you out.

Building Cabinets For Your Home

My goal for this website is to help those who need a little guidance in their woodworking journey. I think a good place to start is in teaching the basics of cabinetry. It’s simpler to learn to build a cabinet box than to try to put together a complicated piece of furniture, and you’ll learn some important skills in the process.

I’ve seen a lot of books for sale online about how to build cabinets from start to finish. Here you’re going to get the same story from my method. As you know there is a million ways to skin a cat and although that sounds fun, I’m going to talk about a few ways (not to skin a cat, but to build cabinets).

I learned the trade from my father-in-law, Dale Porter, a cabinet maker with over 30 years experience. In fact, I literally learned how to read the tick marks on a tape measure in his shop when I was 22 years old (so don’t feel like you’re too old to learn even the basics). Kind of ironic considering I had been to his shop to build a pinewood derby car when I was 8 or 9 years old.

Join me as I start from the very beginning.