# 1st Cabinet build



## GSXRFanIM (Jan 16, 2019)

So I am building some kitchen cabinets for my in laws and I measured a wall to put up a custom 4 door cabinet.
After thinking about it I probably should have built two 24" wide cabinets and fastened them together but I wanted these 54"

My question is.
At the center point (27") I made the faceframe 3" and everything else 1 1/2"
There will be shelves inside with shelf pins so I was thinking to double up my center divider from 3/4" to 1 1/2" so that I wouldn't have a single 3/4" piece of wood with shelf pin holes on each side.

Does that sound correct to do or should it be OK with a single 3/4" piece in the center of this 54" wide cabinet?

Or am I wasting my time laminating two 3/4" pieces of ply together for that center support?

Thanks All


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

GSXRFanIM said:


> So I am building some kitchen cabinets for my in laws and I measured a wall to put up a custom 4 door cabinet.
> After thinking about it I probably should have built two 24" wide cabinets and fastened them together but I wanted these 54"
> 
> My question is.
> ...


Trying to follow, but I think you are asking if you need a double partition in the center of a 54" long cabinet? Sounds like maybe it is a wall cabinet?

No reason to double up if it is a 54" wide wall cabinet, no reason to make the stile in the center wider either, that will look odd, IMO. You might check that 1 1/2" affords you enought space for hinges and door clearance though.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I don't like big, heavy, and wide cabinets ......*

My plan would have been to make the unit in 2 identical pieces, easier to build, move and hang. The back is typically recessed in a dado all around the perimeter, but you are wider than 48", so standard plywood is not wide enough at 53", more or less.

Probably too late at this point, but another center section would add more weight on one hand, but not really that much more strength for pin holes.
The 3" wide center strip will look "odd" in my view also. I would cut a "fake" 1/8" deep center line to divide it up visually. 

:vs_cool:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The pins are made for 3/4" material. They should only go in about 3/8" so you could have the holes go all the way through and the pins would work. 

If it were me I would have made the center stile 1 1/2" as well. 

It may look odd that everything else is 1 1/2" and the center partitions is 3". Opps, copying woodenthing again. I have a tendency of not reading other members posts.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

If he runs a grove down the middle of the 3" stile, will not that make it look like 2 cabinets with al 1/ 1/2" stiles?


George


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## GSXRFanIM (Jan 16, 2019)

GeorgeC said:


> If he runs a grove down the middle of the 3" stile, will not that make it look like 2 cabinets with al 1/ 1/2" stiles?
> 
> 
> George


Thanks George, I think I will do that to the center.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*That's what I said .......*



woodnthings said:


> ........
> 
> The 3" wide center strip will look "odd" in my view also. I would cut a "fake" 1/8" deep center line to divide it up visually.
> 
> :vs_cool:





GeorgeC said:


> If he runs a grove down the middle of the 3" stile, will not that make it look like 2 cabinets with al 1/ 1/2" stiles?
> 
> George



Yup, that's what I said. :wink:


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Sometimes great minds think alike. 😊


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

GSXRFanIM, Perhaps if you post a drawing, it might help eliminate misunderstandings.


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## unburled (Mar 10, 2019)

I'd be concerned about tear out if drilling all the way through your plywood. Drill from half way from each side. If you need more than 3/8" depth, just shift the column of holes 3/8" either way.


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## Frost (Sep 24, 2018)

When I need to drill for pins from both sides, I just stagger the holes a bit so they don't line up. Elevation is the same, but distance from FF to hole is different. Say , back 1 1/4 on one side, 1 3/4 on the other, same with the back ones. No one will know but you.

As for making one long cabinet rather than screwing together 2 smaller ones, I like one longer one. Big shops do things in increments so they need standard sizes, but smaller custom operations (me) can make any size we want, limited by plywood length somewhat. I rethink this a bit now as I'm getting old and lifting is becoming an issue, but if I can find someone to help carry it into the house, I'll make an 8' base cabinet, no seams in FF, easy install.

Good luck with your project


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