# Built-In Project: Build Thread



## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

*Built-In Project: Build Thread Updated pics 2/19*

We put an addition on our house. Broke ground in 2008. To save money I've done all of the finish carpentry myself. I am a financial planner so this is not my day job. It's been slow but I've enjoyed it.

Among the last projects left is built-in bookcases to put on either side of the fireplace. My wife and I did the stone veneer and the beam mantle was pulled out of the orignal house during demo for the additon. I live in a pretty high end neigborhood so I feel a fair amount of stress to do a professional looking job. It's important to me and important to the homes value.

It will be a lower double door cabinet with inset flat panel doors. I also hope to add a bead detail around the opening. Uppers will be bookcases. For the cabinets I am using prefinished 3/4 birch plywood. For the bookcases i'm using unfinsihed 3/4 birch plywood. Doors will been poplar rails/styles with MDF panels.

Pic 1: This is where it's all going. Been staring at these blank corners for 4 years. Time to fill them up.

Pic 2: First step was to get some plywood ripped down. My shop is small so I bring the plywood down into my basement from the garage and rough cut it with a circular saw before cutting to final sizes on my TS. Blizzard was coming so I got moved what I thought I'd need. You can see it snowing to beat the band out the window!

Pic 3: First Job was to build the bases. Made from unfinished 3/4 Birch Plywood. Pocket screwed and glued.

Pic 4: Next up was cutting side panels for each base cabinet out of prefinished 3/4 birch. Never used this before but it's nice stuff and should save me a ton of time finishing. Also held up well while being slid around my shop. Only some minor scratches.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

*Next up: Base Cabinets*

Next up was assembling the base cabinet boxes. I got the sides and bottoms cut. We lost power for 2 days so I was dead in the water and boared out of my mind.

I used my router table extension on my TS and a 1/2 rabbit bit to rabbit the sides and back of the panels. The giant flat table of the TS and router extension along with my outfeed table were great for working these panels.

Pic 1: I predrilled the top stretchers and the bottom panels for pocket screws.

Pic 2&3: Then I assembled the cabinets. (sitting on their backs) I used 18g brads and glue to hold it together as I assembled then screwed it together with pocket screws. 

I did my best to keep everything square. One base is perfect. The other is out a little. In hind sight I would have brought the 1/2 plywood down and had it cut and ready to go into the base backs. It would have squared up the boxes. But the 1/2" ply is in my garage and there was no way to get it down into the basement with the weather. I think the cabinet will square up with the back in place. If not, there's always the face frames!


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Looking good Learn. One thing I did learn while doing mine, don't count on any of the walls being square or flat. I also learned, after I starting building mine, that there is an equation to figuring out the actual space to account for the out of square and non-flat walls. It is in a magazine at the house; but I'll post it when I get home.


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## ctwiggs1 (Mar 30, 2011)

liquid6 said:


> Looking good Learn. One thing I did learn while doing mine, don't count on any of the walls being square or flat. I also learned, after I starting building mine, that there is an equation to figuring out the actual space to account for the out of square and non-flat walls. It is in a magazine at the house; but I'll post it when I get home.


+1. Probably not a huge issue since this section of the house was recently built, but still worth looking into.

Our house had some MAJOR angles we had to work around (100 year old loggers home)


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Thanks Gents, I will be building some extra scribe width into the face frame. I also double checked the walls and fireplace. Thankfully they are plumb and pretty square. But I would be interested in any reference to this situation. I just thought it would be nice to build them in the shop. It minimizes the mess and disruption in the house. We spend all our time in this room and once I get to installing I'll have to disconnect the cable box, etc. Want to keep family down time to a minimum. Also figured that this is how a professional cabinet shop would do it and I like the challege.


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## Larrylii (May 28, 2012)

Challenges can be a good thing. It's a learning experience. Some day I'll make some built in cabinets for my finished basement.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

This is straight out of Wood Magazine Issue 217, March 2013. This arrived a week after I finished all of my cabinet boxes. It would have been nice to know this. 

1. Measure the opening and subtract 2" fro an installation flanked by two walls or 1" for an installation that abuts a wall on only one side.
2. Divide the dimensions by the number of cabinets you plan to install in the opening. This is the final width of each cabinet (I did get this part when I was building my boxes). 
3 Multiply the thickness of the side material by two and subtract this from the step 2 result. This will be the length of the base cabinet bottoms and stretchers, as well as the upper cabinet top and bottom.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

liquid6 said:


> This is straight out of Wood Magazine Issue 217, March 2013. This arrived a week after I finished all of my cabinet boxes. It would have been nice to know this.
> 
> 1. Measure the opening and subtract 2" fro an installation flanked by two walls or 1" for an installation that abuts a wall on only one side.
> 2. Divide the dimensions by the number of cabinets you plan to install in the opening. This is the final width of each cabinet (I did get this part when I was building my boxes).
> 3 Multiply the thickness of the side material by two and subtract this from the step 2 result. This will be the length of the base cabinet bottoms and stretchers, as well as the upper cabinet top and bottom.


Thanks six. I actually got this but the hard way pencil, paper, and grade school fractions. Also, I rabbitted the side panels to accept top and bottom pieces so I had to take into account the depth of the rabbits. But wanted a little cleaner joint.

My boxes are about 1.5" narrower than the opening. Centered, in the opening that leaves .75" that will be taken up by the face frames. I'll leave the face frames a little wide to give me some scribbing room. At least... that's the plan!


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

LearnByDoing said:


> Thanks six. I actually got this but the hard way pencil, paper, and grade school fractions. Also, I rabbitted the side panels to accept top and bottom pieces so I had to take into account the depth of the rabbits. But wanted a little cleaner joint.
> 
> My boxes are about 1.5" narrower than the opening. Centered, in the opening that leaves .75" that will be taken up by the face frames. I'll leave the face frames a little wide to give me some scribbing room. At least... that's the plan!


Yep, I did mine with the old gray matter too. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about the scribing and cutting of the face frames and I cheated to cover the gaps with more trim :yes:


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Made some more progress on the built-ins this weekend...

Pic 1.. Drilled for shelf pin holes in lower cabinets
Pic 2.. Built the face frames 1x2 and pocket screwed together
Pic 3.. Attached face frames to lower cabinet boxes with more pocket screws.
Pic 4. Added a bead detail to face frame. Quite a trick to get router and table saw set up to route and cut the bead. But once I got it it went pretty quick. Install was easy with some glue and 18G brads.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Next up was some other details.

Pic 1.. I'll be adding a foot detail to the toe kick so I glued up some 2" thick blocks of poplar

Pic 2... I finally decided on a top to my lower cabinets. I useing some old pine sheething that was salvaged from the side of our house during our renovation. Stuff is pretty rough so first step was pulling nails. Old square nails. My house is 183 years old!

Pic 3.. Then I rough cut the boards to length/width and ran them through my planner

Pic 4.. Then I glued up the first top. One more top to go. Once the lowers are installed I'll template the space and cut the tops to size.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Onward... I really put the 3 day weekend to good use.

Pic 1.. Foot detail cut out of the blanks I made. I gave them to my wife to paint before install

Pic 2.. The backs of my upper bookcases will be beadboard to match the wainscoat I installed in our adjacent mudroom. I wanted a perfect match and that beadboard was 5" wide strips that come in 10ft lenghts. So I decided to just apply that to a backer of 1/4 MDF with some construction adhesive.

Pic 3... Here is the first bookcase. Back installed and flush cut with router. No face frames yet. That's the next project.

Pic 4.. Test fit of first lower cabinet into it's space. It's a little big as planned and needs to get scribbed in. I won't try that until all my rough pieces are toghther. Want to keep the install mess and disruption to a minimum.


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## Larrylii (May 28, 2012)

It's looking good so far, you've made a lot of progress over the weekend. Good job!


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

This build thread is awesome. It is great to follow someone as they are trying to figure out things for themselves. You have a fantastic start for your project, and keep at it. Who cares if it takes you 4 months to build it (besides your significant other). No one will look at it and wonder how long it took you.... They will just admire the fine craftsmanship.

Keep up the great work. It looks really good.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Another update, finished first upper bookcase. I think the arched top and beadboard back really came out nice...


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## thomask (Apr 6, 2011)

*Looking Real Good!*

Hey LBD:

No worries, time is just one way of keeping everything from happening at once!:laughing:

Nice project you have there. I also like using beadboard and your project shows how nice it is for backing a cabinet. I have done a stereo cabinet and a wine glass cabinet and they looked good. We also faced our kitchen island with it to tie things together. Plans are in the works for using it in our bath remodel also.

BTW I built our house in 1987 and am still working on her.

Please keep us posted on your progress.:thumbsup:


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Making slow but steady progress.

Thanks to suggestions and directions in another thread, I decided I could add the bead detail from the base cabinet to the upper bookcases. It was a bit of a challenge finding the angle and length for the curved section. But it was worth the effort. I think it came out great. I have one more upper to build.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Also installed the base units.

First step was to level the base boxes. Then I applied the oak kick plate and the tapered feet I had made. I just glued and clamped. Then I shot a screw thru the back side into each foot. I started a post on how to handle the issue of baseboard coming in on one side. Turned out I got a ton of suggestions and opinions.

I mocked it up a bunch of different ways but the only thing that looked right to me was to forgo baseboard on the fireplace side and schooch the left leg over enough to accomodate the base sliding in next to it. Turns out that since the base cab is so wide (40") that the eye really doesn't notice the fact one leg is moved in a hair more than the other. But puting a stubby piece of base on the fireplace side just looked weird. 

Next I had to trim my stiles. I considered templating the opening but since it was pretty plumb and flush on both sides I just test fit it and ripped the split difference off of each side. I used my circular saw and a saw guide I made from some MDF.

I used a belt sander (really need a block plane) to do the final tweaks. But the fit is pretty tight. I'm pretty happy with the look. And more importantly the wife likes it. I installed the bases on both sides of the fireplace but didn't take pictures of the right side. I'll get some later and put them up.


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## Steven W. (Dec 27, 2012)

Subscribed since I am starting a VERY similar project right now. Design will be a little different, but the concept is exactly the same.


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## Sawdustguy (Dec 30, 2008)

Looking good. I agree with leaving the base off the fireplace side.


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## thomask (Apr 6, 2011)

Just one quick question. I see your TV mounted to a stone fireplace. Just how did you get a good secure fit there? We have a ledge rock fireplace too.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

thomask said:


> Just one quick question. I see your TV mounted to a stone fireplace. Just how did you get a good secure fit there? We have a ledge rock fireplace too.


Honestly I don't know the whole answer because I had an a/v installer handle it along with the whole house audio system and didn't actually watch.

The fireplace is really a wood buring zero clearance and the stone is a veneer over cement board. I did ask him if he needed me to have any blocking behind it for the TV and he said no. 

They shimmed the mount using washers to accomodate the uneven surface and it's rock solid. I assume they went off of the power jack behind it to find the studs and drilled right into them thru the veneer.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Made a little more progress this weekend. I built the second upper bookcase. Looks exactly like the first so no pictures of that. Also glued up the second cab top out of some reclaimed pine that used to be sheething on our house. Templated the tops and cut them to size.

Got the tops installed, then finished with 3 coats of oil based gloss poly. Wet sanded to 400 and buffed out a bit with 4-O steel wool. Gives it a nice rustic look that goes with the beam on the mantle.

All in all, pretty pleased with how it's coming out. Hopefully next weekend I can install both the uppers. Then on to making shelves and doors. Still plenty of work to do.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Looking good. I wanted to put a top like that on my cabinets...but the wife said "all white".


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## spark0506 (Nov 8, 2010)

I like the look of the wood top with the white base. I also like the way the bottom toe kick and false legs turned out. Nice job.


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## Rashed (Oct 15, 2012)

That is really a neat work.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

liquid6 said:


> Looking good. I wanted to put a top like that on my cabinets...but the wife said "all white".


That made me chuckle. I switched top ideas about 5 times. Thought about concrete, cherry, all white. Had told wife I decided I was doing concrete.

Then I announced "I've made a unilateral decision to change the top to reclaimed pine". She looked at me like I was nuts. Not so much that she didn't like the idea. Just didn't like the term "unilateral".

But I will say one nice thing about building stuff myself is I pretty much get to decide how it's getting done. Unless she has a strong objection I pretty much get my way.

I think we could do a whole thread on "the role wives play in woodworking project decisions".


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## thomask (Apr 6, 2011)

*Wires unlimited*

LBD: 

Hey top looks real good. Nice match and great use of recycled wood and perfect match to the mantle and fireplace. "Classic Rustic"

I see lots of wire there in the stereo cabinet. What are your plans?


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

thomask said:


> LBD:
> 
> Hey top looks real good. Nice match and great use of recycled wood and perfect match to the mantle and fireplace. "Classic Rustic"
> 
> I see lots of wire there in the stereo cabinet. What are your plans?


When the addition was done it was wired for surround sound speakers in the ceiling and a whole house audio system. It was all temporarily hooked up in a crappy cabinet you can see sitting there in earlier pictures. So I labled all the wires and removed the equipment. I rehooked the cable box and DVD player after I put the lower cab in since my family can't survive more than 6 hours without TV.

Once I get the uppers in and the shelves made I'll rehook everything. I think it probably looks worse than it is but I'm glad everything is labled.

I used to like to "see" all of my home audio stuff. Now I just want to hide it. So with the doors closed it will look nice and clean. I'll put an IR blaster inside the cab with a small receiver up above so the remote will work.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

*Another Update*

Tried to put the weekend to good use despite Easter Sunday being a no work day..

I have come to the conclusion that building these was WAY easier than installing them. So let me say Kudos to those professionals who do this on a daily basis....

I got the last of my upper book cases installed. It was a very difficult challenge since the opening was narrower than the width of the space at the final depth of the upper. And there was NO wiggle room to angle them in sideways. I was given advice in another thread of leaving one of the sides of the face frame off until after it was fit in. But I was TOO SMART for that (sarcasam). After trial and error and lots of measuring I came up with a fancier way (more sarcasam).....

I cut off about a quarter inch of the face frame on one side, enought to slide the bookcase in. Then I replaced the piece by applying glue and shimming it tight to the side. The small gap that is left will be closed with latex caulk and painted. It will look fine once finished but if this were stained cabinetry this would have been a disaster.

Also, despite taping down cardboard to my carefully finished top, I managed to scratch the hell out of it. It will now need to be sanded and refinished. Live and learn...

Last pic is of the glue up of shelves. I am using scrap pieces of 3/4 and 1/2 plywood laminated together and faced with poplar with a champfer on the front...


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

*Close to done*

Here are some pics of the final product. All in all I am pretty happy with it. I think once the final touch-ups and paint are done, It will look great. I was going for a rustic hutch look and I think it worked.

I still need to make 2 more shelves. I also need to make doors and apply crown which will also circle the room. That will be a major learing experience. Not sure when I'll get to that. As the warmer weather gets here, my projects tend to move outside. Depending on weather, doors and crown might not get made until the fall. No harm, it's taken me 5 years to get here. But I'll keep you posted


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## thomask (Apr 6, 2011)

*Doors?*

Are you planning some lights in the uppers? 

Our oldest son (A Real Lic Contractor) uses hidden rope lights in his built in cabinets and they really pop out at night. Just right for watching TV. 

On the bottom doors what are your plans on design? 

Really nice looking beadboard as I said before...

Hey I have a collection of Movie Candy for flick night, Goobers, Milk Duds, Gummy Bears, Boston Bake Beans, from the dollar store! :smile:


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

thomask said:


> Are you planning some lights in the uppers?
> 
> Our oldest son (A Real Lic Contractor) uses hidden rope lights in his built in cabinets and they really pop out at night. Just right for watching TV.
> 
> ...


I am going to do a flat panel from MDF and cope and stick door frames on the router table. Have not ordered my bead profile yet. Doors will be inset.

As for lights, I am just going to put a recessed light in the top of each. But I'll do some hidden (rope or led) behind the crown to back light the ceiling. The crown will run all the way around the room which has a tray ceiling to back light the whole ceiling. Should look great for movie night.


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## thomask (Apr 6, 2011)

LearnByDoing said:


> I am going to do a flat panel from MDF and cope and stick door frames on the router table. Have not ordered my bead profile yet. Doors will be inset.
> 
> As for lights, I am just going to put a recessed light in the top of each. But I'll do some hidden (rope or led) behind the crown to back light the ceiling. The crown will run all the way around the room which has a tray ceiling to back light the whole ceiling. Should look great for movie night.


 
LBD:

That is going to make a neat media room for sure. Don't forget popcorn for those movie fans! :yes:


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## rrbell (Oct 22, 2012)

Looks great! Good job!


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