Constructing Frameless Kitchen Cabinets (Part II)

Constructing Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Constructing Frameless Kitchen Cabinets is a popular carpentry process for creating practical products for the interior. These products have modern, functional, and European style designs that can improve the house’s aesthetics and interior decoration. However, their design’s main functionality is for the kitchen. Manufacturers and carpenters produce these modern works with various wood materials, including MDF panels and Plywood.

Constructing frameless kitchen cabinets requires years of practice and experience. However, many people want to create their kitchen cabinets with MDF of other wood materials without hiring professionals. Thus, we decided to provide the required information for constructing frameless kitchen cabinets for such people. In part 1 of producing frameless kitchen cabinets, we discussed the basics of the carcass of the cabinets and the base options that the product can have. Thus, this part will provide more information about the process, including the frameless kitchen cabinets back options, tools for making them, and precise steps to complete the production of these functional materials.

Kitchen Cabinets Back Options

When constructing frameless kitchen cabinets, the cabinetmaker has some practical options for creating the back section of the product. Each method and option have exceptional stability and functionality.

  • Full Back: Carpenter can choose to make a full back with the same MDF panels or Plywood used for the kitchen cabinet. This configuration will provide an enclosed product with excellent strength, which is essential when installing heavy countertops or supporting heavy appliances. However, this method can be costly, but the carpenter can lower the expenditure by precisely planning the cutting method with a CNC router.
  • Nailed Back: Some people don’t mind if their cabinets have a back part or not. The nailed back option is the best for saving more MDF panels and other materials. Instead of having a full back, this method features creating two nailing strips out of the MDF panels for the top and bottom of the back, so there is a point to affix the kitchen cabinet to the wall and provide strength and rigidity to the product.
  • Economic Nailed Back: In some cases, people prefer to have an enclosed back system, but they also want to save money. Thus, it is better to use nailery as the previous method and utilize a piece of MDF panel on the back of the kitchen cabinet to provide a finished look. In addition to the lower cost of this method, it also provides a lighter product.

Tools and Materials Needed for Constructing Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Like producing any other products, some essential tools and materials should be available for constructing frameless kitchen cabinets.

Tools: There are various tools available for making a cabinet that carpenters should have. However, the essential ones are table saw or circular saw while having a guide for making accurate cuts in the material. Other tools that can be practical are jig types and combination squares.

Materials: Experts always recommend using MDF panels or Plywood materials for both interior doors and kitchen cabinets. These materials come with different appearance grades and can accept various finishes. When using MDF panels, it is better to glue the joints and utilize appropriate pocket screws.

Steps of Constructing Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Constructing frameless kitchen cabinets for different trendy layouts requires some essential steps. These steps will help cabinetmakers to achieve the best results for their kitchen cabinets.

  1. Calculating Kitchen Cabinet and Component Dimensions: The dimension that the cabinet maker needs for creating kitchen cabinets is the height, depth, width, component dimensions, bottom dimensions, shelf size, back and back dimensions, stretchers and sub toe kick measurements. The application determines the product’s height, and the depth has standard numbers, including the kitchen cabinets door. The cabinet depth is also equivalent to the preferences. The other dimensions are all depending on the first measurements. However, it is better to consult with professional cabinetmakers for better measures.
  2. Attaching Side To Back: This step starts with applying edge banding to the front of both kitchen cabinets sides. Then drilling pocket holes around the top and sides of the product’s back is necessary to attach it to one side.
  3. Attaching Bottom: Next step involves applying edge banding to the front of the bottom section and drilling pocket screw holes for connecting the bottom to the side and back section of the cabinet. Using a square is essential to make sure the alignments are appropriate.
  4. Fixing Other Side: Now it is time to settle and attach the other side to the cabinet assembly utilizing the previously drilled pocket holes.
  5. Stretchers Attachment: Attach the edge banding precisely to the front section of the two stretchers and then drill pockets holes for attaching them to the cabinet. For the first drawer, the bottom stretcher on the front is utilized.
  6. Installing Sub Toe Kick: The sub toe kick helps support the kitchen cabinet and adds rigidity to the finished kickboard after the installation process.
  7. Drilling Shelf Pin Holes: The last step is to drill holes with a jig in the back and front of each side of the kitchen cabinet for shelf pins. After drilling, install the shelf by applying edge banding to the front of the frame and inserting its hooks in the appropriate locations.

Tools Needed for Making a Cabinet (Part II)

Making a Cabinet part 2

Making a cabinet is a process for creating aesthetic and functional products for different residence portions, such as kitchens, chambers, and bathrooms, which requires some essential tools. Experts and experienced carpenters do the job in the fastest and most precise way possible by utilizing these tools. However, making a cabinet with these types of equipment is also possible for individuals who tend to go for the DIY process. In the Tools Needed for Making a Cabinet (Part I) article, we discussed two must-have tools for creating these practical products. In this section, we will introduce other beneficial tools that can be handy for the purpose.

Miter Saw for Making a Cabinet

Miter Saw is a must-have cabinetmaking tool for cutting different wood materials such as MDF. The table saw sits rigidly in its appropriate place while needing feeding woodwork in the blade. It brings the edge down to the working material for the process. However, this tool design is not for ripping the fabric, but they bring the cutting tool down onto the fixed piece, and they help the process. The word miter refers to making cuts with angles for specific joints on trim or frame material. This tool is available in various models, including Standard, Compound, and Sliding Miter Saw. The first model features a fixed swing arm that can be adjusted from 0 to 45 degrees. This type is a simple tool, but most carpenters opt for its more complicated systems for making a cabinet. Compound type can also create 45- and 90-degrees angle cut. However, by utilizing this tool, the cabinetmaker can cross-angle the working piece for creating more aesthetic kitchen cabinets. The sliding miter saw feature arms that allow it to cut much wider stock than the other types

Having High-Quality Saw Blades is Essential

Having sharp and precise saw blades make a substantial difference in making cleaner cuts without frays. Crosscut saw edges are perfect for cutting engineered woods and are suitable for across-the-grain fabrication on trim. On the other hand, for ripping with wood grain, the most practical tool is the Rip Saw Blade. They work at a fast pace and provide safety and efficiency. However, it is possible to get the best of both ripping and crosscut by utilizing combination blades.

Use Drilling Jig for Making a Cabinet

Drilling jigs are designed to help the carpenter make accurate, reliable and repeatable holes in the working piece. Some artisans prefer to construct their unique tool. The particular advantage of the drilling jig is that it can serve as both guides and clamps for creating holes in an exact location with a suitable angle. Most of the drilling jigs are adjustable for achieving customized spots equivalent to the needs. This tool is available in various materials such as wood, plastic and metal.

Scribe Tools

This tool is a piece of must-have equipment for making a cabinet that allows carpenter mark wood or other materials for having a clear pattern of cutting, drilling and other operations. It is perfect for transferring a pre-defined way to a surface destined to bond with it. Experts regularly utilize this tool to trace and transfer irregular shapes to a new cabinet design and counter joints. Most scribes are made from metal materials, and they feature a sharp point to inscribe pattern into a new surface.

High-Speed Hinge Placement Tool

Hing placement on the kitchen cabinet doors must be precise for excellent finish and fit. Shop-made jigs or commercial scribes can slow down the process of making a cabinet. Thus, it is essential to have a tool for fast and accurate hinge placement. The high-speed hinge placement tool works well with various hinges. Some of them feature three spring-loaded punches for transferring drill points at a higher pace.

Self-Centering Bits are Beneficial for Making a Cabinet

Another tool that is practical for both making cabinets and various interior doors is the self-centering bit. It is prepared to many extents and quality standards and comes from different sources. The best bits are often made from hard carbon steel guide barrels while having a tungsten or carbide internal section. The guide barrels align the bit with a fastener or hinge and then line the bit to make a perfectly centered hole. Another essential advantage of these tools is that there will be no bit slippage across a tight grain or error in hinge creep when the carpenter makes self-centering bits.

Dado Set with a Thin Kerf

Making a cabinet requires much more delicate cuts than other typical construction work. For building a high-quality kitchen cabinet, even the most diminutive dimensions make a considerable difference. This is especially true when cabinet making process needs dados and precise cut kerfs. Kerfs are the channels created by a saw blade that is not set to sever the wood material severely. Thus, using a dado blade can help the cabinetmaker adjust the kerf widths. There are unique dado blades that are designed to allow experts to create thin kerfs.

Everything You Need to Know About Wooden Slabs door

Wooden Slabs door

Wood slabs, also known as Live Edge Wood Slabs, have not been in the wood industry for a long time but which have recently become very popular and are considered as luxury items. They can be used in addition to beauty in decoration. In homes, offices, as a conference table, used honeycomb tables as a dining table and Rustic wooden clocks, wooden shelves and floors, and beautiful modern mirrors.

In the following, we will talk about slab wood and its types and guide you in choosing the right design for a beautiful entrance door slab table.

What is a wooden slab?

They are called” Live Edge Wood Slabs”, as the edges of these woods are not cut. When the tree stump is completely cut vertically or horizontally, longitudinal cuts are generally called wooden slabs.

The trunk sides are not cut, and since it does not have an irregular shape, it distinguishes slab woods, and it will be complicated to choose between slab woods. Slabs come in a variety of sizes and colors, each of which has a unique beauty. In other words, slab pieces are so unique that they can not be duplicated, nor can they be the same.

Types of wooden slabs

In the following section of this article about wooden Slabs, we will talk about different types them. These types range from Berry to Elm and Pine.

Berry

The mulberry tree exists in different dimensions in terms of width, and the most common type of mulberry is yellow, which of course, changes color over time and in the presence of air and will darken—used to make shelves and tables less than one meter wide.

Willow

Willow color ranges from pale yellow to pale reddish-brown. Willow wood has high flexibility and is very resistant to climate change and temperature. Willow sticks have extraordinary beauty and can be used as a half coat, counter, or a small table.

Beech 

Beeches are large trees that may be more than 2 meters wide. They can then be used as dining and conference tabletops. Available in cream to yellow to red and light brown. They have very high strength and are used for furniture or wooden doors and have a long life.

Elm

Elm is one of the trees with a small width and a lot of twists. The elm tree is light in weight and has high endurance and is one of the trees that has a beautiful natural design. Elm tree grows brown with dark veins. This kind of tree is used as a honeycomb table, shelf, counter, and river tables due to its twist and suitable width.

Walnut

Walnut wood is trendy and is one of the heavy woods that has very high durability. The round tree is generally dark or light walnut or white and black. In terms of beauty, black walnut is known as one of the most beautiful woods. Colors in black walnuts range from yellow to orange, purple to hazelnut, and chocolate brown. The dark color of walnut, along with the appropriate width of its slabs, has made it the right choice for wide tables.

Oak

There are different oak trees, which makes oak one of the most prolific, cost-effective, and durable types of wood and works well for any purpose. Most of the oak trees are red is with a light brown with a shade of red in hue.

Pine

The color of pine ranges from pale yellow to light reddish-brown. The pliability of pinewood is remarkable. Pine Wood Slabs can be suitable for any table, bench, or counter-top.

As we mentioned, the slabs are unique in terms of the tree trunk material and each piece’s design. No doubt you are the only one who will  have a table like yours, and it will be unique. For example, if you combine a black walnut slab plate with a metal base, you will have an excellent dining table or conference table.

Slabs are usually prefabricated doors with a frame and hinges and are very easy to install. It will be used for its reconstruction. As long as the door is frameless or hinged, the door will be a Slab.

A Slab door’s benefit is its wide range of designs, especially if you need to add an antique door with different strategies to your home even.

Notes on slabs

  • When buying, pay special attention to the width, length, and thickness of the table you need, as these are essential points that should be considered.
  • Depending on the natural structure and the way the slabs are prepared, they are usually custom-designed. For your desired design, you must decide carefully and consider using the required slabs and the type of wood in your selection. For example, you may feel a walnut slab table for your office, and you should also pay attention to the color of your environment decoration.
  • The smoothness of the slab is the first condition for its use.
  • Usually, the larger the width of the tree trunk and the larger the slab, the less available it is, and therefore the prices will be much higher.
  • Holes, cracks, fractures, and any roughness on the slabs’ wooden surface are an advantage and show its naturalness.
  • When buying slabs, pay attention to the dryness of the wood. The moisture of the wood can be the right place for fungi and insects. They can cause rot and, as a result, the destruction of the internal texture of the wood. It will eventually annihilate the wood. To have a quality slab, make sure that the surface and the inside are dehydrated.

MDF, Letron and chipboard differences and how to distinguish them! (Part 1)

MDF, Letron and chipboard

In order to be able to distinguish between wood products, we need to have basic information about each of them. Before explaining practical ways to detect wood products such as MDF, Letron and chipboard we will briefly explore these materials. Testing the quality and performance of these products is time consuming, but the fastest way to compare products such as MDF and chipboard is to look at their appearance and compare their appearance.

Introduction to wooden products materials

What is MDF?

MDF or medium density fibreboard is a medium density wood plank that is between LDF and HDF in terms of strength and strength, which are light and heavy wood planks, respectively. These wood chips, as the name implies, are made of wood chips and are not integrated into the tree trunk. In fact, wood chips are used in various forms in the production of wood products, one of which is MDF. So, when we face MDF texture and its cross-section, we do not expect to see wood knots and the main wood texture.

A press machine is used to better put these pieces of wood together and make a strong wooden board. In this way, the wood chips that are to be converted to MDF are pressed by a press and heat machine to stick together to form a single board. Medium density corrugated board is used for heavier applications that require high strength and weight bearing.

But in addition to heat and pressure, a material with an adhesive nature such as resin helps to stick wood chips together in MDF. The resin provides a substrate for the wood chips to be placed between them to form a homogeneous composition. MDF from very fine wood chips; Which is made almost of the nature of wood powder. The combination of resin and wood powder creates a homogeneous appearance and a single color, and a completely flat wooden board.

What is a chipboard?

One of the first wood boards invented was a chipboard. Chipboard is made of wood chips that are placed under a press and heat machine to form a flat plank of wood with a specific size and diameter.

Chipboard was originally one of the best alternatives produced to natural wood, and its invention showed that it would have a fruitful future. As the following types of laminated and composite wood boards were made.

Two options of chipboard and MDF together

Both MDF and chipboard are green products made from recycled wood; In such a way that intact natural wood is not damaged to make them, and all the materials produced are woods that have been used before and have a waste amount to be used to make chipboard.

But in the meantime, the qualities of these products are also different from each other. The method of construction and the shape and type of materials used affect the quality of chipboard and MDF. Each of these chipboards and MDF products is used for a specific purpose, and the qualities contained in these materials are suitable for a limited range of tools and equipment. It makes sense to go for MDF for high product quality and use chipboard for lighter and less important tasks. That is why before buying these products, we should know them and be aware of the differences between them.

What is Letron?

Letron, also known as Paper Foil or Finish Foil, is a paper cover that is used as a coating on chipboard. This means that to improve the final appearance of the chipboard, veneers are placed on it so that the chipboard has a varied and desirable appearance and covers the not so high quality inside.

Letron is produced in rolls in different sizes and designs, and then a part or plate cut from the same thin paper roll is glued to the chipboard surface with glue and a pressing machine.

In the second part of this article we will explain some practical ways to detect these materials here …