Photo Club Cabinet – #6 Doors, Toe Kick, Hardware & Adjustable Shelves

The doors are next.  First is to change saw blade back to the plywood one and rip the doors to width.  Next is to cut to length.  In order to reduce splintering to a minimum I ran a strip of masking tape along where the cut will be then using the sled cut the doors to length.

Door Taped to Reduce Crosscut Splintering

To cover the raw plywood edges I will wrap the door edges with the same ¼” thick oak edging I used on the bottom fixed shelf except that these corners are mitered.  This photo shows the end oak piece rough cut to length.  Once the piece is trimmed to an exact fit it is glued and nailed on.

Fitting Oak Door Trim

After the glue dries I plane and scrape the edging down to the plywood surface then route a 1/8” radius on the edge.  This is the finished door edge.

Installed Oak Door Trim

I had one piece of solid oak left to do and that was the toe kick.  Because the toe kick cutout in the side was done with a jig saw I could not be sure that it was a true straight line.  To assure that I have a straight clean edge I set the sub frame piece back about 1/16” from the face which left the jig sawn edge a little proud of the sub frame.  Using a stack of dado blades a matching shallow cut in the to kick piece allows the jig sawn edge to float within the dado giving me my straight joint.

Dado Blade Stack & Cut in Toekick

Last step for this is to route a 1/8” radius on the four end edges.  To keep from blowing a chunk of wood out when the router bit exiting the cut I backed it up with a scrap.  Here I have un-clamped the scrap and pulled it away from the toe kick piece.

Radiused Edge on Toekick

Next up is putting on all the hardware; hinges, locks and handles.  This requires some decisions on spacing and once those are made a whole lot of measuring to make sure the hardware is a mirror image between the doors.  Note how the grain in the doors is almost a duplicate – planning and a little luck J.

Hardware Installed

Ever wonder how to get the pilot holes for hinges and the like perfectly centered?  I can’t remember how much time I wasted using an awl and eyeballing the center point of hinge mounting holes not to mention my less the stellar results.  The tool to get is a self-centering drill bit.  It’s chamfered nose centers in the hinge hole and produces a dead on centered pilot hole. 

Self Centering Drill Bit

There are 6 melamine faced adjustable shelves that are a part of the cabinet.  Except for the 100-pound sheet weight they are not very difficult to cut.  Fortunately, I had some help moving it and breaking it down to 2’x4’ pieces.  From there they are all cut out on the table saw.  Same process as the plywood case pieces.  I will be facing the exposed edge with a ¼” thick oak strip similar to the fixed plywood shelf.  One quirk is that the unfinished blank length and width dimensions are only 1/16” different.  To keep them straight I put a piece of tape on the front edge.  Once I clipped the corners (for AV cabling) it was easy to tell which edge gets the oak strip.

Melamine Shelf Blanks

I already had the oak strips to the correct ¼” thickness and the ¾” width.  Now that I had the shelves cut to the correct width I could match the strips length to it.  I will be staining and lacquering the strips before putting them on the shelves.  This is different than what I did for the plywood shelf for two reasons.  First, is that the thickness is much more consistent with this melamine shelving material than the plywood so I don’t have to worry about the edges not lining up.  Second, can you imagine trying to stain and spray lacquer on the strips after they are glued to the shelves without making a total mess?  

Rearranging the sequence means that I have to route a radius on the edges before I attach them to the shelves.  In working with narrow, thin pieces I change the method of routing.  Instead of running a hand router on the piece I will use the router table and run the piece by the bit.  Also, I want to keep my fingers away from that bit spinning at about 12,000 rpm’s.  The way to do this is to set the router table fence up so a minimum of the bit is exposed and use a push block to feed the piece.

Routing Long Edges of Oak Trim

Lastly, I routed a radius on the ends of the strips backing up the piece with a block to prevent any blowout of material as the bit exits the cut.

Routing End Grain

To make adjustable shelves adjustable you need holes, lots of holes for the shelf pins to go in.  Once again I had some help with the project in the form of a photo club member willing to drill the 88 holes for the shelves.  I use to lay out the spacing by hand using a ruler or divider then using an awl to punch the center point and finally drill the holes using a piece of tape on the drill as my depth gauge.  Drill too deep and you go through the side of the cabinet, which can ruin your day.  Finally, I broke down and got a template.  I also bought a bit similar in construction to the self-centering drill bit.  It has an outer sleeve the same diameter as the template hole plus a built-in depth stop so I don’t drill through the cabinet side.  Both the items were money well spent.

With the holes drilled the woodworking part of the project is pretty much finished up.

Next Up – Staining, Spraying Lacquer & Assembly

Photo Club Cabinet – #5 Test Finish, Back & Face Frame

At this point I decided to take a break from construction and do a test of the stain and lacquer finish I plan on using.   I took a scrap of the plywood and solid oak, sanded them both to 220 grit and wiped on a coat of stain.  The piece on the left is oak plywood and the one on the right is solid oak.  The stain is in the middle.

Cabinet Material Stained

After letting the stain dry overnight, I pulled out the air-brush equipment and gave the two pieces a coat of satin lacquer. 

Airbrush Setup

I let that dry, wet sanded it with 1,500 grit and gave it a second lacquer coat.  When it dried I wet sanded again with 6,000 grit just to remove any dust nibs or other slight imperfections.

Completed Test Finish

The next step is to cut and install the back.  Because the back is only 3/16” thick a 4’x8’ sheet is not too heavy.  It is a little wobbly and somewhat fragile so I had to be careful and support it so it would not break.  The process is nearly the same as with the plywood panels.  The main difference is that I do not rough cut to length but carefully set up my straightedge and finish cut to length.

Because the edges of the back are hidden by the sides and shelves I could skip the re-cutting on the table saw.  

For the width cut I wanted the holes centered between the sides so that meant I had to measure and cut each side edges on the table saw.  One interesting thing is that the holes in the pegboard are not square with the factory edges.  Not a lot off but enough to confuse me when I first started checking my measurements.  Also, because the pegboard is not very ridged I had to put together a Rube Goldberg set up to support the sheet while cutting.

With the back cut I could set it in place and screw it to the sides, top, bottom, center divider and fixed shelves.   The back will act to help keep the cabinet square so I took advantage of every available point to screw it down.  How many screws you ask, about 60.

Case with Back

Now that I had the bulk of the case work done I turned my attention to the solid oak pieces.  I pulled the out the rough cut pieces and checked them to see if there had been any movement.  Sure enough, there was one piece that had cupped a little.  Not enough to be a big problem because it was for the toe kick space and thickness is not critical so I could just flatten it out using the thickness sander. 

Cupped Board

I will run all the face frame pieces through the thickness sander for a couple of reasons.  First, is to get them all to exactly the same thickness and second to remove the planer marks from the mill.  If I left these planer scallops, then when the stain is applied the surface would emphasize them and look terrible.  The pencil lines are for reference when they are gone the board is flat.

Planer Scallops

To build the face frame I ripped all the pieces to their final width then used the chop saw with a stop block for consistent lengths cut the needed parts.  After that it’s on to the pocket hole jig to drill another bunch of holes.

Pocket Hole Jig Setup

For assembly I use two clamps to hold the pieces in alignment and to keep them from slipping during assembly.  One is a long bar clamp and the other is a locking set of pliers that hold the faces in the same plane.  This is where making sure the parts are all the same thickness pays off.  If they are not you can’t get flush joints between the two pieces.  Clamped up like this assembly is simply driving two screws in place.

Assembling Face Frame

Sometimes the assembly is not done laying down flat.

After completing the face frame assembly, I used the small handheld router to route a 1/8” radius on all the exposed edges to soften them.  Because of the diameter of the router bit and it’s pilot bearing the corners come out somewhat rounded as in the left photo below.  I don’t like that look and wanted the radius to go all the way into the corner.  To get that look I used a rasp and some sand paper to hand shape the joint the way I wanted it to look.  Not to hard but each one takes some time and there are 24 of these rascals to do.  The devil is in the details after all.

Before and After Corner Shaping

With the face frame done I carefully measured to get it in place then clamped it there.  To install I used the previously drilled pocket holes in the sides and screwed it in place.  

Attaching the Face Frame

Once all the screws are in place I could remove the clamps and here is what the cabinet looks like with the back and face frame in place.

Next was to remove the back so I could clamp the face frame to the center divider and fixed shelves then install the pocket screws.

Attaching Center Divider to Face Frame

One thing I noticed when assembling the face frame was that one of the joints did not fit together quite as well as it should have.  Investigating I found that somehow my chop saw had gotten out of square for vertical cuts.  So, before continuing I needed to do some maintenance on the saw.  While you can use a square to check and set the saw that can lead to inaccurate results.  I only have room to use a 4” long square for the vertical cut.  If I am off just a little or if the square is not perfect, then when I cut a piece that’s 4’ or 6’ long the error gets magnified 10 or 15 times.  There is a better way.

Take two pieces of material a couple of feet long and 3” or so wide then rip them to make sure the long edges are parallel.  With that done mark one corner on each board stacking them on top of each other with the marks in line make a cut.  In my case since I was checking for the vertical cut I set the pieces vertical for cutting.

Initial Cut to Check if Blade is Square

Test Cut Showing Correction Needed

After cutting take both pieces to a flat surface, stand them on the edge you just cut and slide both pieces together, side by side.  If the long edges are parallel top to bottom spin one piece on the flat surface 180 degrees.  If they are still parallel, then your cut is square.  If not, it’s time to adjust the saw.  Mine was clearly not cutting square. 

Square Cut After Adjustment

Adjust as needed, in my case I had to take more off the edge opposite the mark I had made.  Continue to make cuts, adjust and re-cut until the long edges are parallel and aligned top to bottom.  

When they are your cut is square and you are ready to go.  I will say it did take me probably half a dozen cut-adjust-check loops to get the saw cutting square again.

Next Up – Doors, Toe Kick, Hardware & Adjustable Shelves

Photo Club Cabinet – #4 Finish Top, Bottom, Fixed Shelves & Case Assembly

Cutting the top, bottom and fixed shelves to their final length and width is pretty easy I take the factory edge then make a trim cut to clean up any splintering on the rough cut then flip and cut off the factory edge to my final size.  While that edge is straight it’s generally chewed up a little bit in shipping so a recut gives me a clean straight edge.

Cross Cutting Shelf to Width

Now that these pieces are cut to size I can drill the pocket holes on the front and both sides.  Note the chalk notes to myself about drilling the packet holes on this side.  There is also a note on the opposite side, "Pocket other side".  

Drilling Pocket Holes in Shelf

In order to allow for power and communication cables to run between the spaces the back corners of the two fixed shelves have a cutout.  Three easy steps.  First, put some tape where the cut will be made and using a circle template mark the cutout.

Masking Tape with Layout for Cable Cutout

Second with the jigsaw cut close to the line.  The cutout is a little jagged as the radius of the arc is too small for the jig saw to make in one continuous cut.

Rough Cut Cable Cutout

Third, sand the arc smooth with an oscillating drum sander.  Because the shelf is so long there is a blue support stand that you can just barely see in the lower right corner to help keep it level.

Smoothing Cable Cutout

Result is a nice clean smooth cutout big enough for power cords and all sorts of cables.

Completed Cable Cutout

With all the cutting, shaping and drilling done I take a moment to check for any dents that might have happened.  Sure enough I found one in the center of a piece.  A dent, if it’s not too big is a generally where wood fibers are just crushed.  Frequently, by using a wet cloth and a hot iron to steam the spot the wood fibers will swell up cut causing the dent to disappear or at least get a lot smaller.  The dent I was working with also had some cut fibers which are a lot harder to do anything with.  In this case a couple of applications of steam while not completely removing the dent sure made it a lot smaller.

(Left) Original Dent - (Right) Steamed Dent Results

Now with all the major case pieces done I could start the assembly.  On this piece I started at the top.  Note all the chalk marks on the pieces.  I am in the habit of putting notes on the pieces as to what they are which face goes up, which is the front, which side I need to drill holes on and any other items like the cutouts on the back corners.  That way the chance of putting something in backwards, upside down or forgetting to do a woodworking operation is greatly reduced.  Been there, done that and it’s no fun to go back and try to fix after the piece is assembled.  I clamped the top and bottom roughly in place then carefully squared up the top and drove in the 8 screws holding the top to the sides.

Starting Assembly

After the top was in place I worked my way down installing the fixed shelves.

Fixed Shelves in Place

With the bottom shelf in next was the vertical divider.  I needed to get it in place before installing the cabinet bottom because if that were in place it would be a lot harder to drive screws up into the divider through the bottom shelf.

Center Vertical Divider in Place

To make sure the divider is exactly centered I could carefully measure and mark but even a slight slip or error could cause a problem with the adjustable shelves not being interchangeable between the left and right sides.  In this case to make sure it was centered I cut some equal length spacers to snugly fit between the divider and the sides. 

Spacers for Divider Alignment

With that done I put in the bottom and the sub-frame reinforcement around the toe kick space.  Last I measured the diagonals to check for square and the whole case was really close – less than 1/16” out of square over the 6’ height.  A little nudge and with that solved I added a diagonal brace to make sure it stayed square.

Cabinet Braced to Maintain Squarness

Where I did not use the pocket screws such as when I screwed up from the bottom side of the bottom shelf into the vertical divider I need to use a series of drills in order to prepare the pilot hole for the screw.  You can buy ready-made bits to do this and I have a couple of sets but they only work if your situation fits how the bit is configured.  In this case the ones I have did not match up with what I was doing so I had to use a different bit for each of the three steps. 

1. A small bit where the threads in the screw will bite into the divider wood.
2. A counter-sink bit so the head of the screw will be slightly recessed into the shelf.
3. A bit that will provide clearance where the screw goes through the shelf.  The tape is my depth gauge to keep from drilling hole too deep.  I do not want the screw threads biting into the shelf.  The need to turn freely so as the screw gets driven into the divider it pulls it up tight to the shelf.

Bits Needed to Drill Pilot Hole & Drive Screws

Fortunately, all the bits fit in a hexagon quick change attachment that goes in my drill.  It really speeds up the bit swapping.  The fourth bit is the square drive that I actually use to install the screws.

Next Up – Test Finish, Back & Face Frame

Photo Club Cabinet – #3 Sides, Top, Bottom & Fixed Shelves

My next step is to take the rough cut oak plywood and cut it to finished size plus do any other machining needed.  To start I take the rip blade off the saw and replace it with the blade I use for cutting plywood to size.  The surface layer of oak hardwood veneer on this plywood is very thin, less than 4 thousandths of an inch thick.  Being this thin it is very susceptible to splintering when being cross cut.  A good blade designed for the task helps reduce the problem.

Rip and Plywood Blades

My first set of pieces to work on is the sides cutting them to width.  I set the fence slightly wider than the finished side is wide so I can flip the piece and recut the factory edge.  That edge is generally straight and square but you can count on it being chewed up a little bit in shipping so a recut gives me a clean straight edge.

Ripping Sides

After ripping both sides to width I changed the blade to two 1/8” thick dado blades so I could cut a rabbit in each side to house the back.  Because the back of the cabinet is only 3/16” thick I needed to bury 1/16” of the blades width in the fence.

Setup for Cutting Rabbit in Side

Running the side through this setup gave me the recess needed for the back.

Finished Rabbit for Back in Side

Next is to cut the pieces to length.  Because of the size of the side (21” wide & 6’ long) it’s too wide for the chop saw and too long to use the table saw fence.  For cases like this I built a cutting sled that accurately holds the piece in place and slides across the table saw making a square clean cut.

Using Sled to Crosscut Side to Length

The last bit of cutting is for the toe kick.  I used a jig saw for this cut.  Process is to put down some masking tape to prevent splintering of the oak veneer, layout the cut and carefully saw.   There are a couple of considerations for a clean cut.  First, is to install a non-scuff plastic base on the saw and second is to use a good blade.

Layout for Toe Kick and  Jigsaw Pieces for Cut

The blade makes a huge difference.  Here I used one designed for clean cuts in wood.  What makes it different is that the blade and teeth are ground versus being stamped.

Jig Saw Blade for a Minimal Splinter Cut

The end result is a splinter free clean cut.

Completed Toe Kick Cutout

The last operation on the sides is to drill a series of pocket holes.  These are angled holes drilled with a jig for with screws will hold the cabinet together.   The ones here in the sides will hold the face frame on.

Drilling Pocket Holes in Side - Lots of Holes to Go

Oak Edging Strips Being Sanded to Thickness

With the sides done I started on the top, bottom, and fixed shelves.  They are all the same size so it makes sense to do one setup on the table saw and cut them one after another.  However, there is one shelf that while the same size has a little bit different construction.  It’s front raw plywood edge will be exposed so I needed to cover it with a ¼” solid oak strip.  The others will have their plywood edge covered with an oak face frame so they do not need the facing.

To start I ran the slightly oversize ¼” thick strips through the thickness sander to get them all to a consistent ¼” thickness then turned them 90 degrees and brought the width down to ¾”.

With that done I took one of the strips cut it slightly longer than the shelf then glued and nailed it to the shelf edge.

Setup to Attach Oak Edging Strip to Fixed Shelf

To nail the strip on I use a pneumatic pin nail gun that shoots very thin pins.  They are 23 gauge which works out to less the three hundredths of an inch thick.  Being that thin they are just about invisible in this application.

Pin Nails and Penny

I start the strip about 1/32” back from the edge of the plywood so when I make the first cut slightly oversize for length there won’t be a conflict with the fence.  The piece is then flipped and the opposite end is cut to get the final width. In this picture there is one of the pin nails about an inch back from the end.

Applied Oak Strip

The oak strips are ¾” wide and the ¾” plywood is really “about” 1/32” thinner.  I say about because the thickness varies.  The result is that I have a little lip where the strip overhangs the plywood.  I don’t want that lip, I want a flush surface.  My method to achieve this is to use a small hand plane to get really close then finish off with a hand scraper.  

Tools used to Make Strip  Flush with Plywood

Once I am finished the edging blends in with the plywood very well.

Strip Milled Flush with Plywood

Hand Router & Edged Oak Strip

The last step on this shelf before cutting to final size is to round over the oak facing strip.  I don’t want a hard sharp edge here so to soften will route a 1/8” radius on it using a small handheld router.  

With this done I am ready to cut the top, bottom and fixed shelves to their final length and width.

Next Up – Finish Top, Bottom, Fixed Shelves & Start Case Assembly