# First Project: Garage Cabinets



## dtrider (Jun 5, 2008)

Thanks to all who helped me get my table saw setup. Here is a picture of the first project I did with it. About 99% was done on the table saw. There are some flaws and I still have some finishing work to do but I needed the space back so I put them up. Thanks!


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Looks good dtrider. Try to resist installing something before it is done. They tend to never get finished. Ps, where's the knobs?:laughing:
Mike Hawkins


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

dtrider You did a great job on your first project. You can do anything you put your mind to, but I have to agree with Mike. Resist the temptation of installing until you are finished. I give you 3 thumbs up.


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## dtrider (Jun 5, 2008)

Ha yep, you are SO both right.


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## mjdtexan (Dec 13, 2008)

Ah ha, that needs to be my first project as well. I really need cabinets in my garage. You did a good job. I cant wait for my tools to get here. Tomorrow is the day supposedly.


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## nblumert (Oct 15, 2008)

The cabinets look great, but a quick question. You said you did 99% on the table saw. How did you do the raised panel doors?


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## LGC KX5 TC (Dec 23, 2008)

That would be the 1% i would guess lol


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## dtrider (Jun 5, 2008)

nblumert said:


> The cabinets look great, but a quick question. You said you did 99% on the table saw. How did you do the raised panel doors?


Actually I did do those on the table saw! For the rails i made tenons by making shoulder cuts with my miter gauge. I attached a board to the gauge to basically turn it into a crosscut sled. After the shoulder cuts I nibbled away from the edge in small increments until I reached the shoulder. There was no cheek cut. My first one was a little rough but as long as i was careful during the "nibble" phase the tenons turned out smooth. So both sides of both rails got one of those for each door. 

Then I made grooves in all of the rails and stiles. I made two passes on each board to end up with an approx 1/4" groove. 

For the panels I glued up some boards with pipe clamps and when they were ready I cut them to size on the saw. 

The next part was probably the most interesting. I lowered the saw blade all the way down and put a sacrificial fence PERPENDICULAR to the blade and ON TOP of it using clamps attached to the wings. Then I turned the saw on and raised the blade a tiny bit cutting into the fence. Next I ran the panel across the blade using the fence to keep it straight along all four sides. Then I raised the blade another tiny bit and made four more passes and repeated that until the panel fit in the 1/4" in the rails and stiles. After that I hand sanded the frame where the saw had been nibbling.

Then I glued it all up and done! I have a 10" blade on the saw so that determined the radius of the raised panel. I suppose you could use a bigger or smaller blade to get a different radius. I found that applying A LOT of paste wax to the sacrificial fence made the job easier. Without that the panels were sticking to the sacrificial fence.

It really only took a couple of hours when I did them all together. I don't have a lot of clamps so I had to glue the doors up one at a time. That was a pain. 

In fairness I did one practice door that was a god aweful out of square mess while I was figuring out the method. After that I did all the pieces at once so I only had four saw setups. 

I hope that all makes sense! I can try to take pictures of the perpendicular saw trick setup if you want. Cheers!


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## nblumert (Oct 15, 2008)

Dtrider, thanks for the reply. I thought you might have made the doors on the table saw. I figured the doors were more than 1% of the project. Thanks for the step by step instructions.


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## autoBrad (May 21, 2008)

Hey,

I need to make some cabinets for my laundry room(for the wife). Did you have plans? I've never made cabinets before, anyone have any links to any plans online?? I am going to check some of my books but was just curious.

Thanks

Brad


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## dtrider (Jun 5, 2008)

autoBrad said:


> Hey,
> 
> I need to make some cabinets for my laundry room(for the wife). Did you have plans? I've never made cabinets before, anyone have any links to any plans online?? I am going to check some of my books but was just curious.
> 
> ...


Hi brad, I did not have plans but I looked through a few books for the techniques. This was my first project ever besides sanding and staining some old relics I found in the classifieds and what not. I want to do kitchen cabinets so I thought the garage would be a good practice run. Boy was it! I detailed the process for the raised panel doors above. For the boxes all you have are the face frames and the shell. To get the dimensions I just went to the big box store with my tape measure and copied those. Everything is 12" deep including the thickness of the plywood and the height was like 30-something. I think you would determine that by the height of your ceiling. 

I would make the face frames first, the boxes to fit the face frames and the doors last. You don't need plans I think you could easily make your own cut list.


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## creative novice (Jul 25, 2008)

*from another novice about the cabinets*

i recently face-lifted my kitchen and spent alot of time looking at the big boys pre-made kitchen cab web sites.....in the process i also went to the website of the pre-made kitchen cabinet maker of my cabinets....thinking i might need to order another door to match the rest of my kitchen....anyway, if u go 2 a kitchen cabinet maker site they often have in _adobe_ format their specs and i know of a couple of sites that have 3-d video of how they construct their _well built cabinets,_ to show the consumer the differences in their good, better, best lines....it could give you a better understanding of the basic construction too.... i am reluctant to state the manufacturers on this site..but if u send me a private request i can e u the sites i am thinking of. i know that if you get the construction down good, your end product will be far better than most anything you could afford to buy! ....creative novice


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## red (Sep 30, 2008)

Nice work. Our workshops/garages are the best rooms in the house. Red


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