I'm diving into woodworking and planning to build my own cabinets. I consider myself somewhat handy, and I believe that if I take my time, I can manage it. My plan is to create a straight box for the sink area and two smaller ones next to the stove. I'm saving the upper cabinets for later. Please share any advice or tips you have for a newbie like me!
5 Answers
I built some bathroom cabinets a while back and skipped the hassle of making doors by ordering pre-made ones online. It saved me a ton of time! For my cabinets, I used cabinet-grade plywood and pocket screws for assembly, with face frames made from poplar. Just a heads up—my local big box store doesn't sell great cabinet-grade plywood anymore, so I'd suggest checking out a real lumber yard if you want quality without the headaches. Those voids in cheaper stuff can be a real pain!
I did my first cabinet build about 40 years ago! I used birch plywood from Home Depot for the boxes and made poplar face frames. It turned out great after some elbow grease. Nowadays, I'd definitely recommend pocket hole screws—they make things way easier than when I did it. Also, invest in some soft-close hardware if you can. Tools-wise, a table saw, drill, and random orbit sander are essentials, and a planer will help if you're using rough lumber. Just remember to take your time—you'll enjoy the process much more that way!
Start from your vision: do you want face frames? Overlay or inset drawers? Think ahead about how you plan to install everything, including the drawer slides. Dry assemble everything first to ensure it's square before fastening. I highly recommend getting Blum drawer slides installed before you assemble the boxes—it makes a world of difference! And definitely use a table saw for efficient cuts; it'll save you a lot of hassle!
Building cabinets should be fun! You might find it easier to skip face frames and just use simple plywood for your doors and drawers. Get some Euro cup hinges and full extension drawer slides—it really simplifies things. I recommend using prefinished plywood for the boxes to save some extra hassle. With just a table saw, a drill/driver, and a few jigs, you can get great results without diving too deep into complex techniques. If you're interested in face frames or fancy drawers later, just know there's a steeper learning curve and some equipment you'll need to invest in. Don't forget to check out some instructional books—they can really help you along the way!
One thing you might consider is just buying some Ikea cabinet boxes—they're pretty good quality, affordable, and will save you tons of time! You'll still have the fun of building the rest of the setup yourself while ensuring the key components are solid. Also, don’t forget to use 1/2" plywood for drawer bottoms; they feel so much sturdier! And take the opportunity to build a practice cabinet first; you’ll likely mess up the first one, but that's part of learning!