# Building my kitchen cabinets with a table saw and planer



## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Hi everyone!!
After a whole summer of digging, pouring and framing. The kitchen is ready to flow into a room we enlarged. But before I gut the kitchen I want to have the cabinets built. I took a look at the local big box store and found the quality in our price range was junk. A custom builder estimated $13K!! Were not pulling any loans so I have to do what I can afford. Which means building it all with a table saw and planer. Here's some pics of the project and the first protoype door I made.

I used 4/4 oak that I planed down to 3/4. Were a young couple (29&25) so the classic look of oak is not quite right for us. The final products will be made out of saw cut and kiln dried 4/4 hard maple which I'll plane down to 3/4. The center panel is a (proud) coved raised panel. The Stiles and rails are 2'' with the outside corner cut of @ 45 and a 45 strip added to the inside after assembly. I know a router would save time, but the $1,000 set up I want is not in our budget.

Enjoy:thumbsup:
More to come as I build it!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

Your addition is looking good. Kitchen will look good considering how good the door looks. Nicely done. Keep us posted on the progress.












 









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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*you got nuthin' to worry about*

That door looks just fine! and I've never seen better looking concrete forms. Great job.:thumbsup:
As far as a $1000 router set up, yeah, you're right if you go top shelf, but there are ways in between that won't cost you much at all. You should get a router with top down height adjustment like a Milwaukee 5625-20 $270. Amazon. Amazon.com: Milwaukee 5625-20 15 Amp 3-1/2-Horsepower Fixed Base Variable Speed Router with T-Handle Height Adjustment Wrench: Home Improvement
It says 2 HP but it's 3 1/2 .
Just mount it in a Formica top, a pivoting fence with one fixed point and you have everything you need. A router plate with inserts is under $60. Bits of course are extra, but you only get what you need. The 3 bit slotting/dado set from HF works for grooves, under $10.00. Saves a bunch of cuts on the TS!
http://www.harborfreight.com/three-wing-slotting-cutters-3-pack-42133.html

Your choice of maple may through you for a loop, when it comes to finishing or staining. Your best bet is to plan the type of finish right off the bat, so there are no surprises at the end...blotching...light /dark matching etc. make a bunch of sample boards to test on. 

Don't forget some type of dust collection when you are working inside. You will be doing a lot of planing from what I can tell. It may be better to have it surfaced at the mill, usually pennies per lineal ft extra.

Sanding is another issue...makes more dust. Use the sander and the grit you think will work and then test your finish.


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

Master Tinker said:


> Hi everyone!!



Man, you dug that whole footing with a hand spade ?!? Now that's dedication !!:yes: 

Nice looking addition and cabinet faces! :thumbsup:


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## sketel (Sep 15, 2010)

Wow, that door looks great. I think that will give it a more contemporary look with a straight bevel rather than an ogee profile on the frame, especially with maple.


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## Mr Mac (May 31, 2010)

That's a well built door for using just the TS and a planer! Nicely done!


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Just a TS and planer? That door looks like you have a fully set up shop. I applaud your ingenuity and skills in making a great looking door with your available equipment.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Nice forms.

Ya'll aren't gonna be 29 & 25 forever......be thinking 5-10 years from now.Stay away from trendy......go with classic,traditional designs.They're "timeless" by nature and tend to improve with age.BW


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

OMG that is impressive footing work. What a dig!!! I think the door looks just fine especially with just using the TS. I am not sure how tough that was to do but the raised panel bit set I bought some years ago wasn't too expensive. I have quite the collection of routers and I think I justified one more because I needed a 1/2" shank for those bits. Anyway, I don't think you would be looking at a whole lot of cash to get a router/bits and do your raised panels that way. BTW: The choice of Maple for your cabs sounds good to me and I don't think it is trendy at all. I have planned on building Maple kitchen cabinets for several years and I am still in favor of it. If you are not building arch top raised panels it will be possible with the TS.....look a little less traditional....but still be in fashion for years to come I think. Well done Good luck to you. One word of advise......if you use the raised panel bits when you cut your raised panels.....take off a little material at a time or you will be in for quite the shutter. Mine takes three passes to keep my blood pressure down and my sanity intact. (helps to keep wood from being torn like mad too)


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

http://www.ashcreekimages.com/files/home_and_garden/maple_cabinets_floor_black_granite_600.jpg

Something like that. Not sure about the black but granite is pretty timeless too.

http://www.shomemoreauctions.com/common/showphoto.php?i=30651

Little diff look with darker stain. I like it.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Finally! Some time to reply.
Thank You all for the kind words. Really helps keep me motivated. I've been forgetting to take my camera home so I have no update photos, but progress has been made!!!

I think we'll be very with maple for a very long time. Especially if it turns out as nice as the upper photo links. 

Yes, I shovled the entire hole for that addition, took 2 weeks to get down to 5 feet deep and 2 feet wide. I'm still burning the wood from the form in my wood stove heater!!

One question though.
Does the slower tip speed of a 6 inch dado cause more tear out than an 8 inch dado would? The reason I ask is because I'm making mostley drawer bottom cabinets, and am getting a bit of tearing on the back side of drawer sides in the box joints. I'm using a birch veneer plywood (because I bought 20 4x8 sheets for $300!!) So its extremely cheap to build a drawer. But the veneer is so fragile. I built a jig and yes the piece getting cut is clamped tight to the jig, but still tears out just a bit. It's not horrible, and after some sanding it'll be decent, but just not too happy with hit. 

We will eventually (when we can afford it) build new drawer boxes out of maple and stain to look beutiful, but for now $20 to build 8 drawers is pretty nice.

Again, Thank You all for the kind motivating words:yes:


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## Mkbug (Jan 2, 2011)

With the tearing out, are you using a zero clearance plate on the tablesaw?


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

No I am not, my plate has a about an inch wide hole for the blade, and I am making 1/2'' wide tounges and grooves.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

G'day everyone. Here's a little update on the first cabinet. Starting the drawer faces tonight. Birch veneered plywood box, hard maple face frames.


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## Devon7234 (Jan 6, 2011)

Nice work. I too am in the process of helping a kitchen cabinet refit. Got quoted approximately the same price, 13.5K. Cabinets were junk. Your design is very similar, raised panel type. Are you slotting the stiles on your cabinets and using space beads or something? Is panel expansion something to worry about with that design? Check craigslist for a router?


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Devon7234 said:


> Nice work. I too am in the process of helping a kitchen cabinet refit. Got quoted approximately the same price, 13.5K. Cabinets were junk. Your design is very similar, raised panel type. Are you slotting the stiles on your cabinets and using space beads or something? Is panel expansion something to worry about with that design? Check craigslist for a router?


 
Amazing what $13k gets nowa days huh?
The stiles all the way around are slotted to accept to center panel. I leave a 1/4'' space for the rubber balls. I've been told expansion will happen, so I stain the hidden part of the center panel before I assemble, just in case it would move or shrink and expose a raw wood line. I'm on craigslist quite often, most of the time they want 95% of what a new one costs. If it is a good deal its always gone before I get it.


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## Devon7234 (Jan 6, 2011)

Yeah sometimes craigslist is a little silly. The construction of your cabinets sounds similar to what I've read. As for a router maybe you can borrow one for the drawer faces?


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

Just curious... How did you do your drawer dovetailing on the table saw..lot's of passes?


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Devon7234 said:


> Yeah sometimes craigslist is a little silly. The construction of your cabinets sounds similar to what I've read. As for a router maybe you can borrow one for the drawer faces?


I've actually come up with a decent way to make the faces on the ts. I'll update with pics in a day or two.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

ccrow said:


> Just curious... How did you do your drawer dovetailing on the table saw..lot's of passes?


 
I wish they were dovetails, but they are just box joints. I set up a jig on my Incra miter, a 1/2'' tooth 1/2'' away from the blade. I cut the first grove then move over on to the tooth and so on. Every groove is one pass. I did all 8 drawers in about 10 minutes. Just takes a little time to setup the spacing away from the blade for the desired pressure on the fingers.


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## 240sxguy (Sep 13, 2010)

Looks fantastic!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Thank You! Hope it all works the way I think it will.


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Nice work. For working with only a table saw you did a really good job on the drawer joinery. If you are concerned that the slower tip speed of the 6 inch dado is causing tearout you could try putting a slightly smaller pulley on the arbor shaft, or a slightly bigger pulley on the motor shaft, to bring the RPM of the blade up a bit. The other possibility is that the dado blades need a sharpening.
Keep in mind that getting a truly clean cut in plywood is often a problem.
Keep the pictures coming. Very enjoyable watching creativity at work.

Gerry


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> Nice work. For working with only a table saw you did a really good job on the drawer joinery. If you are concerned that the slower tip speed of the 6 inch dado is causing tearout you could try putting a slightly smaller pulley on the arbor shaft, or a slightly bigger pulley on the motor shaft, to bring the RPM of the blade up a bit. The other possibility is that the dado blades need a sharpening.
> Keep in mind that getting a truly clean cut in plywood is often a problem.
> Keep the pictures coming. Very enjoyable watching creativity at work.
> 
> Gerry


Thank You!!
I was thinking of bringing the RPM of the blade up to 4000. But at 1 3/4hp I don't think the saw will pull it. I am running it on 220 though. The saw is a brand new Craftsman 21833. The dado is brand new. I'll probly get the 8'' freud tomorrow and a cross cut blade. I think we all have the buy get one half off coupon from rockler.:thumbsup:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Tearout?*

Crosscutting a dado in plywood will almost always result in some tear out. A strip of painters tape...the green stuff from automotive paint supply will minimze that.:thumbsup: Also use a back up board on your miter guide, assuming you box jig already has one.
I have a feeling you won't be able to change the blade RPM easily if the belt is a multi groove, the pulleys are not universally available except on order. Personally I wouldn't worry about that nor would I recommend it. Your 10" saw blades won't like spinnin' that fast. and the blade and saw MFR won't like it either....:no: bill


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

woodnthings said:


> Crosscutting a dado in plywood will almost always result in some tear out. A strip of painters tape...the green stuff from automotive paint supply will minimze that.:thumbsup: Also use a back up board on your miter guide, assuming you box jig already has one.
> I have a feeling you won't be able to changer the blade RPM easily if the belt is a multi groove, the pulleys are not universally available except on order. Personally I wouldn't worry about that nor recommend it. Your 10" saw blades won't
> like spinnin' that fast. and the MFGR won't like it either....:no: bill


I made a jig for the box cuts, the piece getting cut gets clamped to another, it's fully supported from the rear. I've gotten used to it, just a little shocking at first when it rips out like that. 

It is a multi groove belt. I'll try the tape on the next set. 
Thank You,
Ben


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

Ben,
Excellent work:thumbsup:. I just had a sister in law ask for a dresser. I've never made drawers, finger joints aren't so hard but with boards that long how do you keep them stable on the TS?
How long have you been woodworking?


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Rick C. said:


> Ben,
> Excellent work:thumbsup:. I just had a sister in law ask for a dresser. I've never made drawers, finger joints aren't so hard but with boards that long how do you keep them stable on the TS?
> How long have you been woodworking?


Hi and Thank You,
The jig for the joints is about 4" tall and mounted to an incra miter gauge (1000se), the end of the drawer box side rests against the jig and flat on the table saw. As I slide them over the blade for the cut, they actually squeek while sliding on the cast iron top. 

This is my first real wood project of this size. I build and fly radio control airplanes, they"re all wood and pretty big. My last build was an extra 300 with a 11ft wingspan and powered by a 170cc twin cylinder 19.5 hp motor. It's all balsa and lite ply but still weighs 39 lbs. I bought the table saw, miter gauge, blades and planer in the last two months. I'm learning ALOT!!! and having a great time with all these new tools!! Should have some good picks up tomorrow or Monday.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

PLUS!!!! All the good people out here really make this alotta fun!!!!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Here's yesterdays progress and the jig for box cutting. Tonight will be finishing the drawer faces by cutting and adding beveled edges. Sorry for the poor quality pictures, I took them with an i-phone.
HAPPY MONDAY!


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

I am curious as to how you are making your raised panels.
They look pretty good, even in I phone pics.

Gerry


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> I am curious as to how you are making your raised panels.
> They look pretty good, even in I phone pics.
> 
> Gerry


Hi Gerry,
I cut the panel to size, dado off 3/8'' all the way around the edge, then with a guide clamped to the table and offset 45 degrees to the blade I run all four edges acrross the blade. The radius of the cove is the radius of the table saw blade. I'll throw up some pics tomorrow.


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## sketel (Sep 15, 2010)

You probably already know this but if you want a smaller radius cove, you just lessen the angle of your guide.


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

Amazing work!!! Did you think all this out on your own or was a master wood worker spend a weekend with you. I couldn't come up with ways to do such fine work on my own.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

sketel said:


> You probably already know this but if you want a smaller radius cove, you just lessen the angle of your guide.


Yes sir,
I tried 6"& 8" blades at different angles and ended up with a 10"er at 45 degrees. I was thinking of making the coves on the smaller faces a bit tighter, but I decided to keep all coves the same so they match, and save me a ton of setup time between the two.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Rick C. said:


> Amazing work!!! Did you think all this out on your own or was a master wood worker spend a weekend with you. I couldn't come up with ways to do such fine work on my own.


Thank You!!
After several attempts at several different ideas, and some coaching from my father in law, I was able to come up with the current method. Trust me, this was not a bulb that just lit up!! The setups were adjusted and fine tuned to what they are now. I'd say the biggest part is setting up everything to near perfect. Anybody can achieve anything, just gotta put your mind to it:thumbsup:


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Master Tinker said:


> Thank You!!
> . Anybody can achieve anything, just gotta put your mind to it:thumbsup:


My sentiments exactly. Perseverence pays. You are doing very well with the limited tooling you have.:thumbsup:

Gerry


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

A couple pics of the raised maker!!

















What all the panels should look like.









And the main source of heat!! Keeps me at 85 all winter long!!


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## bofa (Jul 17, 2010)

Unbelievable... you make it look/sound easy. I haven't ventured into attempting cabinets or panels yet but I may have to see how far I can get on a few test pieces.


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## ndekens (Jan 12, 2011)

Master Tinker said:


> A couple pics of the raised maker!!
> 
> What all the panels should look like.
> 
> And the main source of heat!! Keeps me at 85 all winter long!!


Nice looking panels! I'm curious though how did you get the 45 degree bevel on the inside of the rails and stiles on The raised panel side? I can't seem to think of a simple but elegant way to do this without a router bit.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

bofa said:


> Unbelievable... you make it look/sound easy. I haven't ventured into attempting cabinets or panels yet but I may have to see how far I can get on a few test pieces.


Thank You!
I did exactley that. Try and try. The first 3 practice panels made excellent heat!!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

ndekens said:


> Nice looking panels! I'm curious though how did you get the 45 degree bevel on the inside of the rails and stiles on The raised panel side? I can't seem to think of a simple but elegant way to do this without a router bit.


Thank You,
Those 45's are added after assembly. I cut a 2 1/2"x1/4" strip about 5 feet long. I then 45 one side of it, then I cut it off right at the edge of the bevel and am left with a 1/4" traingle trim piece, 5 feet long. Then fit four pieces to the panels. Because they fit corner to corner, after a touch of sandpaper its almost impossible to tell that there are two pieces there. I pull as many strips as I can out of the 2 1/2" strip


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## 240sxguy (Sep 13, 2010)

Just needed to stop in and say "I'm impressed" again........


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

It's coming along quite well for ya! Thanks for the updates.

Hey, on your heat reclaimer for your woodstove...... do you like it? Worth the money? I was thinking about running regular single wall pipe and getting some extra heat gain that way. Wondering what you think about the reclaimer?


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

240sxguy said:


> Just needed to stop in and say "I'm impressed" again........


Thanks man!!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Firewalker said:


> It's coming along quite well for ya! Thanks for the updates.
> 
> Hey, on your heat reclaimer for your woodstove...... do you like it? Worth the money? I was thinking about running regular single wall pipe and getting some extra heat gain that way. Wondering what you think about the reclaimer?


A few of my friends have these wood burners without the reclaimers and told me to get one. So I did, but the reclaimer was on sale that same day, so I grabbed one of those too. I lit the first fire and within about 3 minutes the reclaimer turned on and :blink::blink:WOW!!!:blink::blink:
We all say it produces more heat than the stove itself, also it comes on within minutes of lighting the fire. The stove is still cold when the reclaimer is putting out a hot wind. I can leave the vent on the burner at about half and have the reclaimer run all the time, anything below that and it turns itself off for a minute or two, until enough heat builds up in the tubes for the thermostat to kick back on. (on= 150, off= 120) You will get more than twice the heat that you have now.

A simple sign of how much heat you loose through the pipe is the face on the reclaimer. It's turning blue from the heat.


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

Master Tinker said:


> A few of my friends have these wood burners without the reclaimers and told me to get one. So I did, but the reclaimer was on sale that same day, so I grabbed one of those too. I lit the first fire and within about 3 minutes the reclaimer turned on and :blink::blink:WOW!!!:blink::blink:
> We all say it produces more heat than the stove itself, also it comes on within minutes of lighting the fire. The stove is still cold when the reclaimer is putting out a hot wind. I can leave the vent on the burner at about half and have the reclaimer run all the time, anything below that and it turns itself off for a minute or two, until enough heat builds up in the tubes for the thermostat to kick back on. (on= 150, off= 120) You will get more than twice the heat that you have now.
> 
> A simple sign of how much heat you loose through the pipe is the face on the reclaimer. It's turning blue from the heat.


Thanks a lot for that info! I have bought some things in the past that left me scratching my head wondering "did that help or not" It sounds like I need one of these. I have yet to get the stove out there but some day soon. Sorry to jack the thread. Thanks for the reply.

Scott


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## ScottyB (Mar 1, 2009)

Master Tinker said:


> And the main source of heat!! Keeps me at 85 all winter long!!


I'd be careful using that Magic Heat thing on your stove pipe. I had my stove in my house condemned for that when I had it inspected (after I bought the house). The reason I was given is that the stack robber cools your exhaust gasses too quickly and so creosote builds up in your chimney and lead to chimney fires. I was told that something like that is fine for gas or oil stoves but not wood.

I may be wrong in your case but after what we went through I felt I had to say my piece.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Yeah, I've read about that. No actual cases of chimney fires but that's not to say it ain't gonna happen to someone somewhere. I built a fireplace in the living room. That trained me to inspect and clean the chimney accordingly.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

No I didn't give up! Just had to battle a broken furnace!:furious:

So here is a dry fit, and as far as I'll go before final sanding and stain. I'll also make a maple toe kick face to get rid of the screw holes.:thumbsup:

Time to move onto the next one. Which will be half drawers and one door. A door to access into the corner.


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## no1hustler (Nov 17, 2010)

Looks great!


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Nice job. I can't let the wife see this, she'll want the same :^)


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Thank You guys,
I've got a good thing with my wife, or more like a mutual understanding. She just points me at a project and shoots!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

This weekends progress. This is the cabinet to go into the corner. The one next to this one will be an all drawer so I closed off that side. Should be a nice storage area for larger items all the way into the corner with access through the door.


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

Moving right along


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## MattS (Feb 17, 2010)

Tremendous work sir - I really love seeing such smart and intuitive use of a table saw. Most of my personal investments have been into saws and blades, so I'll be trying to make the best use of the cash I've spent. Thanks for the motivational posts and pictures!


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## Master Tinker (Dec 29, 2010)

MattS said:


> Tremendous work sir - I really love seeing such smart and intuitive use of a table saw. Most of my personal investments have been into saws and blades, so I'll be trying to make the best use of the cash I've spent. Thanks for the motivational posts and pictures!


Thank you for the kind words. It's these bumps in motivation that keep my eye on the prize. Nothing beats the satisfaction of getting out of the norm and comming back with something decent.


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## chsdiyer (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey Master T, how'd the kitchen turn out? I enjoyed this thread seeing the good work you were doing. I'm about to start a similar venture and was wondering how long it took you to get the kitchen cabinets turned out and if you had any leasons learned or advice to give?


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