kitchen cabinet make over project

[MR. evil]

With Randi back in school full time for the next year or two, our planned kitchen gut / renovation is on hold. But seeing how our kitchen is just plain nasty I really need to do something to spruce it up until the full blown renovation. It really sucks that I have already designed the new kitchen and every time I look at the existing kitchen I can see clear as day what it should be.

Anyway, seeing how I am a pretty handy guy with a decent selection of tools so I decided to make some new cabinet door and drawer fronts for the existing cabinets. After searching for several weeks I finally found a shaker style cabinet door cutter set for my router table. The bits arrived last weekend and I got right too it. Using some cheap scrap wood I already had I made a couple of doors to get an idea for size, proportion and finish.

The first door has clear pine for the styles and rails, and a ¾” thick MDF recessed panel. I used my table saw to cut shallow kerf cuts in the MDF to simulate bead board paneling. I then used some antique white spray paint to give it a quick finish.

The next door is solid wood, and a real pain in the ass to make. Not really hard, just very time consuming to glue up the recessed panel from individual boards. I won’t get into details, but it takes many steps to prep boards to get them flat & square so they can be edge glued / biscuited together to make a panel. I took this picture before the frame was glued up.

Randi prefers the solid wood version, only she wants it in cherry or maple. I prefer the paint grade version because it easier, cheaper and a painted finish will allow me to hide any minor mistakes. I am really anal and a stickler for details, I am worried that every other solid cherry door will get trashed because is some minor flaw on the back side of a door that only I know exists.

 

[tjf67]

I think you should do it in whatever wood you like best. If you use cherry and are not spot on in a few places it oks. My dad builds me furniture and although not perfect they are still/my coolest pieces.

 

[tjf67]

Oh and nice job. If you line up the tops perfectly and make the bottoms longer you can rip a nice clean edge with all the measuring.

 

[severine]

How long will these doors be in use? Is the plan to remodel the kitchen to your design once Randi is out of school? If that's the case, then my recommendation is to go with the cheaper and less time-consuming route--after all, you're just looking to buy time until you can do what you *really* want. If, on the other hand, these fronts may stay after the renovation, then it's probably better to go for the quality finish, even if it's more expensive and more work, overall.

Nice job, regardless!

 

[MR. evil]

I think you should do it in whatever wood you like best. If you use cherry and are not spot on in a few places it oks. My dad builds me furniture and although not perfect they are still/my coolest pieces.

I love natural wood, and all of the wood trim / doors in our house are natural. But painting the new cabinet doors will also allow me to paint the existing cabinet boxes to match. If I use stain grade doors then I will need to reface the boxes with matching 1/4" hardwood plywood. Seeing how we plan on gutting the kitchen in a couple years I am not sure I want to go through all that.

 

[MR. evil]

Spent some time tonight making a jig to aid in making the end cuts or coping cuts on the rails ( horizontal frame pieces ). I just
gave it a test run and it makes things much easier.

 

[MR. evil]

I am pretty sure I am going to make new drawers as well. Guess that means a trip to WoodCraft to get a new bit for the router table

 

[severine]

It doesn't sound like you're complaining! Enjoy the process, Tim!

 

[smitty77]

You do some really nice work. I dabble a bit in carpentry - wish I could find the time and money to get serious. I would go with the MDF version for time and money's sake because it's all coming out in a 2-3 years anyway. You need to keep the improvement level at "adequate" for this project. If you pull off a "WOW" transformation she may NOT want to rip it all out in two years for a remodel.

 

[MR. evil]

You do some really nice work. I dabble a bit in carpentry - wish I could find the time and money to get serious. I would go with the MDF version for time and money's sake because it's all coming out in a 2-3 years anyway. You need to keep the improvement level at "adequate" for this project. If you pull off a "WOW" transformation she may NOT want to rip it all out in two years for a remodel.

Thanks for your kind words. Those are the first two cabinet doors I have ever made. Already learned alot, and they will only get better. I am not too worried about making it too nice. I already designed the future kitchen and it rocks. When I get a chance I will post up some renderings and 3D models of the design.

 

[MR. evil]

We have decided to go with the painted version, though we are unsure of the bead board panel. So I am going to make a couple new doors today. We are leaning towards and old school milk paint finish. The stuff is easy to apply and durable as all hell. If it's cheap enough I may have them proffesionaly sprayed.

 

[Hergini Coop74]

I already designed the future kitchen and it rocks. When I get a chance I will post up some renderings and 3D models of the design.

Doors look great. Love to see the renderings.

 

[MR. evil]

Project underway. Picked up the materials for the doors (20 of them) yesterday afternoon, 200 linear feet of 1x3 birch for the styles and rails and 3 sheets of 4x8 mfd bead board. Spent a majority of the day cutting the stock to rough lenght and running it through the router table. I'm beat but I will post more later along with some pics.

 

[o3jeff]

Norm would of been done by now.

 

[MR. evil]

Norm would of been done by now.

Norm is OK, but I prefer David Marks. He had a show in DIY called WoodWorks. It may still be on TV bit I have not seen it I'm a while. Anyway Dona search for 'David Marks Wood Works' on YouTube or check out his web site. They guy is simply amazing! I'm not as good as Norm, but the quality of Norms work is well with in my reach. Not so much with David Marks, I will never come close to what he can do with wood. The guys work has been in Museums. But I have learned a ton watching the guy.

 

[smitty77]

Norm is OK, but I prefer David Marks.

David is good, but he puts me to sleep, more so than Norm. And Norm does stuff I can actually do. Well, I can do most of it if I invest another $3k in shop tools.

Actually all I'm really lacking is a nice, cabinet-style table saw. My $200 Craftsman has performed admirably, but it just doesn't have the accuracy. I think I could make that next step and start producing some nice stuff if I had:
a) the time to practice, I'm usually rushed during a project (which is when mistakes happen most) and the family gets annoyed when I spend hours on end in the shop.

b) the money to actually buy nice plywood and 1x stock. Hard to make chicken soup out of chicken sh!t.

Good luck on the project. Post some photos as you go.

 

[MR. evil]

I have used David's go to trick of MDF templates and flush trim router bits to make alot of stuff, works great for making multiple pieces with complex shapes.

I have a Delta 10 contractors saw with a BenchDog router table wing attached to my table saw, similar to the set up Mark's has but no where near as nice. The only thing I would really like is a nicer fence for my table saw. The stock one is pretty good, but I would really like a Bessimer fence. I have a bunch of pics, just need ringer them off my phone and post them.

 

[MR. evil]

The other tool I would like is a surface planer. I have a jointer but no planer. I ussually have my wood supplier joint and plane any wood I buy from them for a small up charge. It also saves alot of time having them do it. I don't even want to think how long it would have taken me to plane / joint 200 linear feet of 1x3 stock. I spent all day yesterday running it through the router table cutting he sticking for the doors and cutting it to lenght.

 

[Paul]

The other tool I would like is a surface planer. I have a jointer but no planer. I ussually have my wood supplier joint and plane any wood I buy from them for a small up charge. It also saves alot of time having them do it. I don't even want to think how long it would have taken me to plane / joint 200 linear feet of 1x3 stock. I spent all day yesterday running it through the router table cutting he sticking for the doors and cutting it to lenght.

Where's your supplier? I used to go to Highland Hardwoods up in Brentwood, NH. Long-haul, would like to find somewhere closer than that, other than Harris in Manchester, CT (which is pretty-good)

DeWalt 12" planer, saved a ton'o'cash.

 

[o3jeff]

Where's your supplier? I used to go to Highland Hardwoods up in Brentwood, NH. Long-haul, would like to find somewhere closer than that, other than Harris in Manchester, CT (which is pretty-good)

DeWalt 12" planer, saved a ton'o'cash.

I would stay away from Dave Harris....