I just purchased a new home and I'm excited to dive into some DIY projects. In my pole barn, I found a truckload of poplar wood that's been rough sawn and seasoned for about five years, and it's free for me to use! I'm considering making kitchen cabinets with this poplar instead of the usual plywood approach. The wood boards I have are quite sizeable—ranging from 4 to 11 inches wide and 6 to 10 feet long, with a thickness of 5/4. I've also got some handy tools at my disposal like a 15-inch planer, an 8-inch jointer, a Shapeoko XXL3 CNC router, a 14-inch bandsaw, a shaper, and a 52-inch table saw. I'm aware that my material costs will be low, just covering glue, screws, and hardware. I'm wondering if this is a realistic project for me, considering that I haven't done much woodworking since high school and I'm in my early 40s. Am I biting off more than I can chew, or can this be a successful endeavor?
3 Answers
You can definitely do it, but just be prepared for the time commitment it will require. If you're up for it and willing to put in the effort, it might turn out really well!
Yeah, it's possible, but keep in mind that you'll need to glue up quite a bit of wood to get those cabinet boxes done. Personally, I wouldn't take that route because it's a lot of milling and assembly work, which can get quite tedious. The poplar would be fantastic for the cabinet doors and fronts, but constructing the boxes can be a real hassle.
Poplar wood is actually quite good for making cabinet doors, drawers, and fronts, and it's ideal for face frames too. But when it comes to the cabinet boxes, plywood is definitely the better option. Gluing up large panels could be a lot more work than you'd expect. I'd recommend using the poplar for all the visible parts and going with plywood for the inner boxes. Also, let's be real—nobody really pays attention to what the insides look like. If you have exposed sides, you could use a nice poplar panel to cover the plywood and make it look great!
Totally agree! Plus, this way you save yourself a ton of extra work while still having those nice poplar features on the outside.