my own kitchen

[Ajcoholic]

I think I forgot to post something about this earlier...

I started working on a replacement kitchen for my own home last summer. I actually started making the cabinets and did some framing last July & August (a year ago) but work was so busy, and after hours shop time almost non-existant, I had to put it off and just do a bit here and there.

A few months ago I made a push to get this done. I had everything pretty much done except for the doors and finishing panels (we have an Island - which I turned into a peninsula that needed the backs of the cabinets finished).

With summer work being too busy to lose too much more time, I opted to make all my doors, drawer fronts and panels from 3/4" MDF, and just run a 90 degree V bit around to simulate a RP door.

SImple, but the sample I did for my wife passed the test.

Here are the finished cabinets - I opted for inset doors in a face framed cabinet for a classic style that wont get "old" so to speak. Our home is far from modern, and the Benjamin Moore "cloud white" I got the post cat lacquer mixed to should offer a very good service life over the years. I used a high solids white primer on the MDF which seals the edges and routered portions quickly.

I told my wife back in 2007 (when we just got married) I wanted to do the kitchen. We had a low end white melamine/white thermoformed door kitchen the previous owners put in. It was really low end - tape peeling, doors delaminating, etc. No pull outs. It only took me 7 years to get to it, but after living with the new kitchen for almost two months now its great.

Good thing Im not a shoe maker. Or my son would be running around bare foot...

I ended up spending 1/2 day to cut out all the panels, do the files in Aspire and V groove everything on the Buddy. Saved me about 3 days over going with a 5 pc door. And I used 2 full 5x10 sheets of mdf (my cost under $100) VS 3X that for a hard maple door, which is what I typically use for paint grade.

[scottp55]

Glad it's your house Andrew Take me about 10 minutes to put wheelchair scratches and bootmarks on the bottom foot of those and Tung oil fingerprints from 2 to 5 feet!
If woodworkers were their own customers, we would fire ourselves over delivery dates

[POPS 64]

Very nice work Andrew , they look great . I really like the idea of the one piece doors . We bought our retirement house a year ago this week and theres only a couple of indoor things to do. And kitchen cabinet doors is the biggest one on the list. the guy that built our place built the cabinets in place and luckily the wife love's the cabinets and the layout and they did a good job. I think with your pictures you just saved me a lot of money and work. Throw in a couple accent carvings really make her think she's getting the works. Great job. Jeff

[chiloquinruss]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - can you folks not use the words KITCHEN or HOUSE, or . . in your descriptors! My wife see's those and then looks at your great looking projects and I'm back in the dog house once again! Great job as always, looks very nice. Russ

[Ajcoholic]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - can you folks not use the words KITCHEN or HOUSE, or . . in your descriptors! My wife see's those and then looks at your great looking projects and I'm back in the dog house once again! Great job as always, looks very nice. Russ

Um, tell her they are parts for my train?

I actually bought another insert carbide V bit with a shallower angle (I believe 120 degree) but havent yet had the chance to try and cut some sample doors. I think the shallow V will have a great look also. And, I want to eventually try some faux RP doors with a different angle on the outer and interior bevels (to more realistically simulate a true 5 pc raised panel door.

I think a nicely lacquered MDF door is a better door than most of the vinyl/thermo form doors on the market. They all look, well, plastic like to me. A lacquered door looks warmer and feels better. Plus, you can do these for much less (assuming your set up for spraying finishes).

[Simops]

Hi Andrew......your usual excellent standard....wouldn't expect anything less

You know what...I haven't seen face frames used in kitchen / bathroom cabinets since we went from imperial to metric measurement in this country. Maybe face frames is a Northern American thing?

So I met up with a cabinet maker friend today over a cold one at the pub and showed him the pics above on my iPad. He was gobsmacked.....he said he hadn't seen face frames used in kitchens since his apprentice days back in the seventies!

Maybe on high-end (expensive) kitchens but all I have ever seen is frameless with euro hardware.....face frames I think would be to expensive for the general market here! I suppose?

Cheers