Terminology

Bases

<h1>Townhouse Style</h1><div>If you had to build a row of houses, all side by side, would you build ten houses and stack them next to each other? &nbsp;Or would they share walls like townhouses do? &nbsp;And foundations? &nbsp;</div><div><br></div>Having a base allows you to fully support the cabinets, and enables you to easily build multiple cabinets in one. Let's say you have a row of cabinets, with no appliance interruptions. You could build just one long cabinet, with dividers, and place on the same base.<div><br></div><div>Reason why you can't just build two ends with a toekick notched out, and divide up? &nbsp;there's no support in the center. &nbsp;Sorry, we don't build saggy cabinets. &nbsp;Keep the cabinets less than 36" between dividers to minimize sagging.<br><div><br></div><div>Saves time, saves materials.

Note of caution - if you are using full overlay doors, you'll need to do some figuring on how the doors overlay face frames, most likely using 1 1/4" overlay hinges on ends and 1/2" overlay hinges on center cabinets.</div></div>

<h1>Plywood Cutting
</h1><div>We've really given a ton of thought on how to easily and precisely cut your plywood pieces. &nbsp;You will want to rip your plywood into strips 22 3/4" wide for face frames with 1/4" backs. &nbsp;This way, your plywood grain is always in the right direction and the widths are always the same. &nbsp;Save the center scrap piece to use for supports. &nbsp;It's not waste.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, using this method, you can rent a tablesaw and make all your cuts in just a few hours. &nbsp;Or even ask the home improvement store to make cuts if you can trust their track saw.</div>

<h1>Cutting Bottoms
</h1><div>Bottoms are cut from the 22 3/4" wide strips as well. &nbsp;Bottoms should be 2" less in width than your overall cabinet width. &nbsp;1 1/2" for the sides, and then another 1/2" for your face frame to overextend your carcass. &nbsp;We'll talk more about the face frame/carcass sizing in a bit.</div>

<h1>Box Construction</h1><div>Once your pieces are cut for the box, you drill 3/4" pocket holes along inside front edges of sides, and on bottom, front and side edges. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Alternatively, you can nail the face frames on, but you will have to hide nail holes. &nbsp;This is up to you.</div>

<h1>Face Frames</h1><div>Face frames are just simple 1x2 frames, built with 3/4" pocket holes and attached to the face. &nbsp;BUT there is a catch ... the face frames are the full width of the cabinet, and over extend the box by 1/4" on each side.</div><div><br></div><div>This is done for four main reasons.</div><div><br></div><div>1. &nbsp;<b>Crooked Walls </b>- if your walls are crooked, the space between the cabinets allows you to "fudge" a little with the cabinets, resulting in the face frames lining up perfectly, even if the boxes are a little off.</div><div><br></div><div>2. &nbsp;<b>Imperfect Boxes</b> - Let's say your plywood bulges out just a tiny bit in the centers. &nbsp;When you go to line cabinets up, you will have trouble pulling the cabinets together so your face frames are completely seamless. &nbsp;With the gap in the center, you have some room to account for wood being less than perfect.</div><div><br></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;Finishing Ends</b> - And finally, on the ends, you can cover up the 2x4 bases by cutting 1/4" plywood and gluing over the end. &nbsp;It will be hidden behind the face frame, so no edges exposed, and you'll be left with a beautiful finished end! &nbsp;NOTE: You may wish to extend your face frame a tiny bit more on ends to allow a little more room for the 1/4" plywood.</div><div><br></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;Appliances Abuse</b> - It's a good thing to have a little space between your cabinets and say, your oven. &nbsp;Having the extra space will also allow a little wiggle room when installing your dishwasher too.</div><div><br></div><div>So remember, your face frames are the&nbsp;cabinet's&nbsp;true width, and your boxes are 1/2" less in width.</div><div><br></div>

<h1>Supports</h1><div>Use up your plywood scraps to save money for the supports. </div>

<h1>Results</h1><div>Once the plywood is cut, each cabinet takes about half an hour to make. &nbsp;We were able to make both 24" wide drawer bases that flank the range from a single sheet of plywood. &nbsp;Add some boards for a face frame, a 2x4 for the base, and 1/4" plywood for the back, and we are into each base for about $50. &nbsp;The drawers of course are going to double that number, if not more depending on the slide quality, but comparing apples to apples, 3/4" plywood cabinets glued together and fully assembled with a hardwood face frame, I'm saying building your own&nbsp;cabinets&nbsp;is the way to go!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

<h1>Special Thanks to PureBond
</h1>
Special thanks to <a href="http://cfpwood.com/ana-white/&quot; title="" target="_blank">PureBond </a>for providing the Formaldehyde Free Plywood for these cabinets. Not only is Mom getting&nbsp;beautiful&nbsp;cabinets, but also healthy green ones! For the month of January 2012, PureBond is giving away a $100 Home Depot gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of the workweek to help you get started on your projects! &nbsp;It's easy to enter -<a href="http://ana-white.com/2012/01/huge-giveaway-purebond-plywood&quot; title="" target=""> all the details are here</a>.