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Frequently Asked Questions

I have read your book and got a lot out of it. I can't find a US supplier of those Euro adjustable legs anywhere. Any suggestions?

A number of on line hardware stores sell the legs such as Lee Valley Tools or Rockler Hardware. I also sell them and send to the US every day. Please see my hardware page off my main site for prices.

What would the hinge type be called that has a round hole about 1 1/4". I suppose, to receive the portion attached to the cabinet, and the other portion attached to the back of the door. This hinge is not seen at all when the door is closed. I'm trying to find where I could buy some of these for a home shop project I'm working on. Any thoughts?

The hinges are called European hidden hinges and are available at any home store. Look at the hardware sales page on my site for an example and price. They are a very standard hinge with many features that will adapt to your project. The standard hinge is called a 100 (to 110) degree full overlay hinge.

I just finished your book, Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets, it was very interesting and helpful. One question I have is; if I use glue and screws to assemble the carcass, should I use yellow carpenters glue? Is this added safeguard even necessary? I'm planning to build my parents kitchen cabinets in the near future. Thank you for all of your help.

Glue doesn't work well with melamine particleboard. And, it isn't necessary if you use particleboard screws to fasten the parts. The joint is very strong using the screws only. Good luck with your project.

I recently bought your cabinet making book at Rockler Hardware. In the book you say the rails are 2 inches shorter than cabinet width, however it appears to me the stiles are flush with the cabinet sides in order to accommodate the euro hinges. I am confused, other than that, your book looks terrific. I am looking forward to building my kitchen cabinets with the guidelines outlined in your book.

Thanks for buying my book. The rails are 2" narrower than the cabinet width because the cabinets are built with 1" wide stiles. A 24" wide cabinet has two 1" stiles and the inside face of each stile is flush with the inside face of the cabinet sides so Euro hidden hinges can be used. If you subtract the width if each stile (1" plus 1") from a 24" wide cabinet the rails will be 22". If they are 22" then the inside stile faces are aligned with the inside cabinet side faces. Check the drawings again and look how the cabinets are detailed. The standard stiles are wider than the cabinet carcase by 3/8" on each side.

I am getting ready to start on cabinets for the garage. I am not sure what the equivalent is to PB. Is it similar to mdf or particle board? I plan on using 5/8" thermo melamine from a specialty lumber rather than Home Depot or Lowes. I have a few questions before I order the hardware from you.

1. You mention 120 degree hinges but list 107 degree in hour price list. Could you please tell me the hinge and plate number for design listed in your book.
2. Is the attaching screw included with the adjustable legs?
3. Are the shelf support pins 1/4" ?
4. Have you tried Titebond's Melamine glue? They said it is meant to glue Melamine to mdf and particle board.

PB is particleboard and normally cabinets are built using melamine coated particleboards or MDF sheet material. Either is acceptable. I was using Grass 120 degree hinges when I wrote the book but have since switched to Blum as I think their product is first class. The difference between a 120 and 107 is very small so consider the 107 Blum as the standard hinge. It's the one I use for all my cabinets. The 5/8" long screws for the legs are sold by the box of 1000. But, those screws are used to attach hinges and drawer glides so they have many uses. The shaft on the shelf support pins is 3/16" diameter.

I have heard of a number of polyurethane based glues that will work with melamine coated boards but glue isn't necessary. The joinery system using 2" particleboard screws is first class and very strong so glue isn't needed.

I am renovating my kitchen and would like to know what kind of construction is best for kitchen drawers. Are dovetails the best? Should I ask for solid wood? What are my options for the best kind of construction?

There's no "best" construction method. Most cabinetmakers have their own construction technique and a lot depends on their quality of work. If you're having the kitchen work done, ask for references and follow up on the names supplied. It's not so much the joint type as it is the talent of the cabinetmaker.

I am building some kitchen cabinets as shown in your book BUILD YOUR OWN KITCHEN CABINETS. I am trying to locate the 2 inch spiral finishing nails as specified. I would appreciate it if you could tell me where I can order them from.

After writing the book, and using spiral nails here for years, I discovered that they are a regional nail. Apparently they are only made in this area and not sold elsewhere. I don't know why that's so unless the demand isn't great in other places. However, any 2" finishing nail will work. They only hold the face frame in place until the glue cures.

I'm "trying" to use your Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets book. I like the ideas in the book. I am trying to build a prototype cabinet because I want 42 inch high uppers to go all the way to the ceiling. I need the space in my little galley style kitchen. I found sources for good lumber and melamine. BUT - the screws are another matter. All I get is dumb looks when I ask for PB screw or screws to use in melamine. Can I get some more specifics on what you use - maybe a brand name or something?

Particleboard screws are reasonably common. Stores such as Home Depot carry these screws, at least they do in my area. Most woodworking stores also have a selection of PB screws. I also sell these screws on my web site but most large centers have them. Check out my web site for price comparisons.

Can you please tell me how many pages there are in the "Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets" and are there illustrations? I am a beginner with the equipment you listed and would like to eventually redo our kitchen.

The book Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets has about 120 pages and illustrations for cabinet building. It starts at the basics and goes through cutting sheet material, assembly, and installation.

Fig. 3-4 in your first edition kitchen cabinet book shows the adjustable legs being attached with a bolt in the center of the leg. Is this still available or are they attached only with screws?

We did use a bolt at one time but in the last few years most cabinetmakers are using four 5/8" long screws to secure the legs. The manufacturer now provides four screw holes in the leg.

Hope to get your book soon. In the meantime, I'm making my first raised panel oak doors. The stiles and rails have been cut with the router and all matches up nicely. My question is this: Is it best to glue the stiles and rails to the panel and then router the outside edges of the door with a ogee or round over bit, or should the outside cuts be made before gluing the rails and stiles to the door?

Assemble the door fist, then make the outside profile cuts. However, inside panels are never glued to the stiles and rails.

I love reading your stuff. I have a question, what is meant by flush overlay?

I think you mean full overlay. That is a term for a hinge style, mainly Euro hidden hinges, where the door fully overlays (almost) the cabinet side edge. It's about 1/2" overlay or covering the front cabinet side edges.

I have just finished reading your book on kitchen cabinets. I am trying to understand the difference between PB versus MDF. Everything I see at Home Depot is MDF but looks like the PB in your book. How do I tell them apart?

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is a compressed product that is light brown in color and very smooth. It can be bought with a melamine coating and is often used in kitchen cabinet building by some shops. Particleboard (PB) is a wood chip and glue mixture that is also available covered in melamine. There are a wide range of thicknesses available in both products.

You can use either MDF or PB to build the cabinets in my book. If you can't find the 5/8" material in your area, use 3/4" and adjust the measurements. The only difference between using 5/8" and 3/4" is that you'll need a wider back board and drawer fronts and backs will be narrower by 1/4". Both MDF and PB are man made materials and both are used to build kitchen cabinets.

I was searching the internet for instructions on how to apply wood edging to my 12" square granite countertop when I came across the following:

"Other countertop styles, such as the wood edged top that's in my book, can be installed. For those that are planning to install a new countertop and want something different, let me know and I'll include a detailed explanation in my next newsletter."

I would love for you to expand on the above topic. Please also include the location of your newsletter as I stumbled upon your response through a link.

I haven't published the newsletter for over a year because of the high administration costs involved maintaining a current list. The wood edge I was referring to is installed on a wood substrate with high pressure laminate as a cover. You can see some examples on my site.

We just bought 2 Formica slabs at the Lowes Home Improvement store. Now we are faced with cutting holes in both of them...1 cut out for the sink and 1 cut out for the stove. Then we have to install...any ideas on the easiest way to do this...

Both cut outs can be done with a jig saw and drill. You should have templates with each appliance. If they are an existing sink and stove create a pattern from the old counter top.

I recently purchased your book. Seems simple and straight to the point. My question is the PB. I live in a small town in Arkansas and the closet thing to a large store for supplies is Lowe's. I visited the store today and they had 3/4" PB however, they couldn't answer any of the grade specifications you've written about. They told me they could order 5/8"; but even the other person on the phone couldn't answer my question. Is PB coded similar to lumber? Another question is will the PB last as long as plywood? The PB seems like it would be a lot nicer to keep clean than plywood. The cabinets will be used solely for our home.

You can use either 3/4" melamine particleboard or the 5/8" thickness. Both are fine and only the back board widths and drawer fronts and back boards have to be changed slightly for the thicker material. You want a cabinet grade material in melamine PB. Some companies use a 100 to 180 grade system and you're looking for a 120 grade of melamine PB. Other companies have their own grade system but you should use "cabinet grade" melamine particleboard. Look in the phone book for a lumber store that sells only lumber and call them. You can also go on the Panolam or Uniboard sites and look at their dealer list for your area.

I have your book Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets. I see that the base cabinets sides are 31" plus the 4 1/4" legs equals 35 1/4". I think that the cabinets in the U.S.A. are 34 1/2"- is this right? if so, if you put a stove or dishwasher in the middle of the cabinets will it make a difference?

The cabinet standard in North America is a 36" high base cabinet including the counter top. A base with a height of 35 1/4" plus 3/4" for the counter top material equals 36". The same standard applies in the US and Canada. Standard dishwashers will fit under the 36" base.

I bought your book and thought I definitely got my monies worth out of it but it still left me with a question. I guess the main one is I want to make my cabinets out of plywood, and am not sure that the same cabinet construction is appropriate?

Any sheet material can be used to build the cabinets and the same procedures can be followed. If the sheets are thicker than 5/8" you'll have to increase the back width slightly as well as reduce the width of the drawer front and back boards.

I would like to have further information about your Edge trimmer 9300 and the Blum Minifix drawer glide jig.

The edge trimmer is a double sided trimmer used to cut both sides of melamine edge tape on a board. The drawer glide jig is used to mount drawer slides made by Blum in the cabinet.

I am just starting to build my cabinets and starting in the worst place. The wall, which my furnace chimney is against, is out of plum about 1/2". I am not sure how to run this cabinet up to the ceiling and keep it in plum and 90 degrees to the adjacent wall .I have taken the drywall off this supporting wall and I'm thinking of straightening out this wall. Any suggestions?

The cabinets have to be plumb as you've stated.The best situation is to have a decent wall to mount the cabinets on but sometimes that's difficult. Fixing the wall is the preferred way to go as it will save a great deal of work installing the cabinets. When the wall is bad you have no choice but to shim the cabinets plumb. That means using shims behind the cabinet to get it straight. Then you have a problem hiding the shims. So, if at all possible, fix the wall first.

I bought your book "Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets". It's a great book and now I am finishing up my planning. I have a question about front framing. Using 5/8" melamine for the carcass and 3/4" wide wood framing leaves about 1/8" lip on either side of the frame. Will a European hinge fastened to the vertical carcass be able to "bridge" over the 1/8" lip to allow the cabinet door to hang properly?

The book illustrates a face frame cabinet that uses 1" wide stiles (vertical members of the face frame). The rails (horizontal members) are the same width as the cabinet bottom board in bases and the same width as the top and bottom boards in upper cabinets. That means the inside face or edge of the stile will be flush with the inside face of the cabinet side board (gable). Since the stile edge and cabinet side are flush on the inside, hidden hinges will work. You can use 3/4" wide stiles if you wish but the same rules apply. The rails are the same width as the bottom and top cabinet boards and the stiles are 3/4" longer than the cabinet side board. The industry has also changed in the last couple of years so there's no extra charge for non-standard cabinet doors. All doors are priced by the square foot at most door shops. To find out the door size needed for any cabinet using full overlay hidden hinges, measure the inside cabinet width and add 1" - that's your door size. If that single door is too wide simply divide by two. For example, a 24" wide face frame cabinet has an inside dimension of 22" using my cabinet making style in the book. I'll need one 23" wide door, which is too wide, so I'll divide by two and install two 11 1/2" wide doors.

I have just obtained your book "Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets" and am interested in building the pull-out shelves you described using the PVC railing system. I will be using these shelves in my pots-n-pans base cabinet and am wondering if this system is appropriate for this use. Will the PVC rails stand up to frequent use in pulling out heavy items such as pots-n-pans or should I go with wooden/PB sides. Could I just use the butt joint method you use for building drawers and build a shallow height drawer using the 5/8 melamine-coated PB for all the sides and bottom? I am a novice at woodworking so I hope my questions don't seem too vague or simplistic. Thank you for your time and any information you can provide.

I think you'll be better off building a shallow drawer with the melamine particleboard for pots and pans. Build them the same as regular drawers and they'll work fine. Remember, when putting pull outs or drawers behind doors a spacer cleat is required so they will clear the drawers. I discuss that in my book.

I have most of my cabinets built and am having trouble with the corner base cabinet hinges, can you tell me how far from the edge of the face framedo the clips go? I used the example you gave in the book, 1/8th opening with the door in the open position, but it doesn't work on this one.

The 1/8" spacer trick doesn't work with the large opening hinges. Use a standard 100 to 120 degree hinge to mount the door, then replace the standard hinges with the wide opening hinges. Leave the mounting plates in place on the cabinet side where you mounted them with the standard hinge as that's the correct position for the wide hinges. For your information the hinge plates are mounted 37mm back from the cabinet's front edge.

I have the "Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets" book you wrote and I am wondering if you built the doors with the wheat that are pictured on the front of the book or if you ordered them from somewhere. I am building a house and am interested in those cabinet doors. If you ordered them could you tell me which supplier you ordered them from. Thank you.

I ordered those doors for the kitchen on the front cover. I don't deal with the company any longer but their name is Caron Industries and they are located in Quebec, Canada. They have a toll free line at 1-800-463-7060. I believe they'll ship doors anywhere.

I also enjoy reading your articles in Cabinetmaker magazine. I am currently building some cabinets for my shop (your method) out of pine but will be using hardwoods in the future. The drill bit/countersink combination that I am using to drill through the stiles and fasten the rails is fine for pine, but when I try using it on oak it doesn't drill very well. I was wondering what type and brand bit I should buy and where to get it? Also, I've been using drywall screws to fasten my boxes together and they seem to work just fine. Are the deep threaded screws really that much better?

Thanks for the nice comments about my books and writing. I use a carbide tipped countersink and drill bit. You can probably see it in some of the shots in the book. I sell the bits and others who handle the Dimar bits will sell it. Drywall screws are low root (thin shaft) and have a course thread like particleboard screws. But, you have to be careful not to apply a lot of pressure because they're very hard and can break. Particleboard screws can take a lot of twist pressure without breaking.

I just purchased your cabinet making book and was curious if there was a weight limit on Cabinet Legs 45010-90? I am currently making three 36 inch cabinets with pullout drawers for my workshop in my garage out of ac plywood 3/4 inch. I wasn't sure if these plastic legs could handle weight.

The adjustable legs are load rated at 650 pounds per leg. They are very strong and should be able to handle your application.

Does your book include drawers and doors?

The kitchen cabinet book does include drawer building. Doors are discussed but because the subject requires more than a few pages I wrote Building Cabinet Doors and Drawers to be used with the kitchen book for those making their own doors.

I noticed your book on the internet and I have a few questions. Does this book have different kitchen layouts that I can choose from ? If this book does, does it give me the specifications that I need to actually build the cabinets, like a "blue print" ?

The book deals a little with design but it's more a construction book. It contains the details and steps to build base, upper, corner, microwave, and pantry cabinets. There is some layout information but not a lot.

I would like to have 42 inch upper cabinets. How much do I need to add to the dimensions in your book?

The backs, sides, and stiles of the cabinets for a 42" upper need to be 11" higher, as well as the doors. Remember that the stiles are 3/4" longer than the cabinet sides so any cabinet height can be calculated by keeping that dimension in mind.

When installing European hinges on a cabinet door, W-12' x H 35', where is the average hinge placement on the door?

The hinges are normally set at 4" from each end of the door.

I'm about to make my first kitchen and so read your book (Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets) this afternoon. I have a couple of question about the method. Your idea of a full back attaching directly to the wall is great. But one of the reasons of putting in hanging strips is to make sure the cabinets are plumb, by shimming the strips out from the wall. How do you deal with non-plumb walls? Do you shim the entire cabinet out from the wall? Why do you install the lowers first? I've never done a install, but would think that putting the uppers in first would mean you wouldn't be climbing over the lowers and so avoid damaging them. Thanks. I liked your book. It is very business like - just what I needed.

Thanks for the nice comments. The full back cabinet is the one I've decided to use after working with a number of styles. Each one has its pros and cons, which is normal in any system. The hanging rail is a good system but it doesn't eliminate the possibility of a cabinet having to be shimmed from the wall to plumb the cabinet. If the wall is out of plumb, you'll hopefully only have to shim the bottom. If the cabinet has to be shimmed at the top (hanging rail) then you are forced to shim the hanging cleat. There's no avoiding shimming out from a wall for plumb in any system. So, all things considered, I've chosen a full back style for strength. I start with the base cabinets and install the counter top. That allows me to use a platform on the counter top to install the uppers. I can level and plumb the cabinet with it sitting on a support box that I make from 2 by 6's. I find it's a lot easier on my back as I don't have to fight to support a wall cabinet. The counter tops are 25 1/2" deep so it isn't much of a stretch to install the tops. And I like the safety aspect of the cabinet being supported on a stand, the ability to accurately set the counter top to upper distance, and not having to bull a cabinet above my shoulders while trying to level, plumb, and screw it into the wall. I've installed uppers first and last over the years and have chosen the "uppers last" method. But, it's a personal choice and either way is fine.

I've recently purchased your "Build Your Own" and "Cabinet Doors" books from Amazon (I hope you get a decent cut!) and I'm very pleased with the straightforward approach and good illustrations. The style of cabinet I'm attempting to build has very little reveal (less than 1/4") between doors on adjacent cabinets. Is this something I can do using your method, or will I need to go with a European style?

Thanks for buying my books and I appreciate you sending a review for both to Amazon. You can use my style and get a smaller reveal between adjacent cabinet doors by using a 5/8" wide or 3/4" wide face frame. It should equal the cabinet material thickness. Or, leave the face frame off and edge tape the cabinet edges making sure to adjust dimensions where necessary. My face frame system is simply a Euro frameless with a face frame applied. All the hardware applications will work whichever method you use.

I really enjoy your articles and tips. Real quick question. I am making a euro style cabinets for my shop (just learning then I'll try the kitchen) and I have to join melamine. I have cut biscuit slots and plan on using glue as well as screws. Will regular Titebond yellow wood glue adhere melamine to melamine? If not what? I was hoping to avoid sanding or polyurethane glue.

Regular glue won't bind with melamine coatings, but use glue in the biscuit slots. The biscuits with glue will never come apart. I use this type of joint for many cabinets when building with coated sheet material.

I am reading and using your book "Build Your Own kitchen Cabinets" to assemble a new kitchen. Just one question though. When drilling the holes for the hinges, how do you line up the door part of the hinge and the holes on the interior?

If you're building face frame cabinets you probably wouldn't use the shelf pin holes to mount the hinges. They are attached with 5/8" long screws. There's an easy way to mount doors. First, mount the hinges and the hinge plates on the door in their 35mm holes. To get the proper door to cabinet spacing I place a 1/8" strip of wood between the door and the cabinet face frame (while I'm holding the door in its normal "open" position). Then, I hold the door in place (in it's fully opened position relative to the cabinet) and put two screws in each hinge plate into the cabinet side. I then remove the door and hinges from the hinge plates and finish screwing the plates to the cabinet side. Depending on the hinge style, you may have to increase or decrease the spacer. And, as you know, the European hinge can be adjusted in three directions so you can fine tune the installation after fitting the door. The only exception are the wide opening hinges such as the 170 degree hinges. In that instance I use a 100 to120 degree hinge to mount the doors and locate the hinge plates. When the plates are mounted I exchange the normal hinges for the 170's as the plate position is identical for both. I hope that answers your question. If you want to mount the hinges using 5mm Euro screws, the holes in the cabinet have to be positioned correctly. And, they must be drilled 32mm apart. The screw method is easy and probably the one you want to use. The 1" plus rule applies to every door that will be mounted with a European hidden full overlay hinge. Only specialty cabinets like upper and lower corner cabinets with special hinges have different rules. The majority of doors however follow the 1" plus rule.

You state that in order to get the proper door size, add 1" to the inside opening dimension. I'm building a utility cabinet, and I'm using 3/4 birch ply (it's supporting the weight of a bookshelf and other stuff up above). Does your rule of thumb still apply?

The cabinets shown are a hybrid face frame style and the system was designed to use all the European or frameless hardware. The inside edge of the stiles are flush with the inside face of the side boards in my design. Because of that, hidden Euro hinges can be used. The door widths are calculated by measuring the inside width of the cabinet and adding 1". If there are two doors required, divide that number by two. A 24" wide face frame cabinet in my book uses 1" wide stiles. The inside dimension of the cabinet, either side to side or stile edge to stile edge, is 22" because I use 1" wide stiles. I will need two 11 1/2" wide doors for that cabinet mounted on full overlay European hidden hinges. The hinges work because the inside edge of the stiles are flush with the cabinet's inside face of the side board. As far as the hinge goes, the cabinet is frameless because of the stile position design.

I loved the book Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets. I am preparing my garage to start the project once winter breaks. My question is about the use of hinges. The cabinets you illustrate are face frame, yet the hinges are for frameless. As described in the book, the doors allow about 1/2" overlay on each side. Which hinge do you use? If you use a full overlay hinge, doesn't that give you a 5/8" or 3/4" overlay depending on whether you use 5/8" or 3/4" melamine. ( I have only 3/4" available in my area) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hinge overlay reveal is based on 16mm (5/8") material. Normally, the overlay is about 12 to 13mm or a little better than 1/2". If you are using thicker 3/4" material (19mm) you can increase the overlay by drilling the hinge holes in farther on the door. I usually leave a 3mm (1/8") gap between the hinge hole and door edge but that can be increased to a maximum of 6mm (1/4"). That should give you about 16mm to 17 mm overlay. However, the door width formula will change and I would estimate that you will have to add 1 1/4" to the inside cabinet dimension, instead of the 1" in the book, to calculate door width. That should work to reduce the overlay but I would strongly suggest you do a test with a couple of scrap doors using the 1 1/4" plus formula and 1/4" distance from hole to door edge.

Hi, I am using your book "Building Frameless Kitchen Cabinets" as a guide. I have never made any cabinets before, so this will be my first attempt. I will be aiming for a standard 36" high countertop, but if I follow the dimensions in your book I seem to come up with a 37" height.On page 81: you state that cabinet sides are typically 31 1/2" high.Now if a countertop is 1 1/2" thick and the toe kick space (asstated on page 18) is 4" ,that would give a total of 37" high. You also list the height of the doors to be 30 1/4"which would leave a 1 1/4" gap between the top of the door and the countertop.Should the height of the sides actuallybe 30 1/2" ? Or am I just missing something?

Countertops are 3/4" thick. The front edge is built up and is 1 1/2" at the front lip. They hang 3/4" over the front edge. The base height is 31 1/2" and the toe kick space is 3 3/4" (a 1 by 4 is dressed to 3 1/2") for a total height without the counter top of 35 1/4". Add a 3/4" thick counter top and the total is 36". The door height is 30 1/4" leaving a 1 1/4" space at the top of the base cabinet. However, 3/4" of that space is covered by a standard counter top overhang.

I have just recently purchase and read your book "Building Frameless Kitchen Cabinets". This is my first attempt at building cabinets and have a few questions.

1) Do you recommend using 3/4 or 5/8 sheet goods. Does one stand up longer, more rigid etc. Is it worth using 5/8 for the box construction and use 3/4 for the shelves to help reduce sagging? Do you ever put any shelf supports in the middle of the shelf?

Either thickness is fine. I use 5/8" all the time. Some cabinetmakers use 3/4" for the shelves as its a little stronger and that's fine.

2) Regarding your 1" rule for door width, does it apply if you are using 3/4" sheets or would you increase it to 1 1/4" rule?

The 1" rule applies no matter what carcass thickness material you are using.

3) At the end of a run of cabinets where the end is exposed, would you normally have a kick plate on the end as well as the front?

Would the corner leg have two clips connected to it then? Use two clips on one leg at the corner and inset the end kick to match the front.

4) On upper 45 deg. corner cabinets is it an option to use a 170 deg hinge (with no stile) in place of the 45 deg hinge? Do you still need filler strips at each end? Is the easiest method to use your method with the stiles? Does this method require any filler strips or the door have enough clearance without them?

The stile method eliminates a filler/spacer on both sides. If you use the 45 hinge and no stile then you need a minimum 5/8" thick filler on each cabinet side for door clearance.

5) I have a few hundred 170 deg hinges I picked up at a garage sale, Do you see any problems using that hinge for all the doors?

No, that's fine as long as doors don't bang into each other at the corner.

6) Looking at the construction of the base cabinets the sides are 31 ½, the doors are 30 1/4, the top rail is 2". If my math is correct this leaves 1 1/4" of the rail exposed when the door is closed. Less the over hanging counter of 3/4" leave a ½" space. Most cabinets I've looked at have a 1/4" or less space between the top of the drawer/door and the counter top. Is there a reason for this larger space? visual preference?

It's set that way so the upper doors match the bottom doors on a balanced upper panel of 768mm. Doors can then be used top and bottom (same size) and it is divisible by 32.

7) I have seen some cabinets that put a stile down the middle of the cabinet. As a result when you look in the cracks you see white and not what is in the cabinet. What do you think of that production idea? Do high end cabinets do that?

The Euro hinge eliminates the stile and if they are adjusted correctly you won't see inside the cabinet. The goal is to eliminate the center stile. Frameless cabinets with Euro hinges built correctly don't have a center stile.

8) Door bumpers usually come in several sizes, are yours the larger or smaller ones?

Smaller

9) When you drill you pilot holes do you use a straight or tapered bit? 13/4 vs 2" long screws, is one better?

The 2" screws are used for PB and 1 1/2" long screws for MDF. Those are the best recommended lengths for the stated materials. The bit is a 1/8" straight bit.

10) Does the Blum drawer jig work with other brands? Is this jig worth buying?

I can't guarantee it will work with any other glides than Blum. Door Width Notes...... I'm not sure which book you have, Building Cabinet Doors and Drawers or one of my kitchen cabinet books (Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets or Building Frameless Kitchen Cabinets). However, no matter which book you have, one rule is constant. The door width is 1" greater than the cabinet's inside width. If two doors are required, divide the inside width plus 1" by 2 for the width of each door. Drawer face width is the same, except on a single drawer face over two doors where I add 1/16" to account for the gap between doors. The door width is based on inside cabinet width - never on out side width. The Euro hinge was designed to overlay a cabinet edge by a fixed amount, 12 to 13mm or about 1/2". The mechanics of the hinge, and the fact that the standard was based on 16mm (5/8") material remain constant no matter what thickness is used for the cabinet carcase. The overlay is fixed and based on the cabinet's inside width. That's the reason the door width changes as the cabinet material changes (5/8" or 3/4") because of the change in inside width not material thickness.

I have to place the fridge on the end wall of a U shaped kitchen, This wall is only 10 feet long! By the time I place two corner cabinets at 36 inches and one fridge at 33 inches (total 105 inches), I only have 15 inches or 7.5 on either side of the fridge left over (fridge centered). I am considering building the corner cabinets 36 by 43, this would give a nice wide opening into the corner cabinet (no lazy Susan here). Do you foresee problems? I would brace across the top of the opening with a piece of 2x2 for counter support.

There shouldn't be a problem as long as the top is well supported. You'll have to alter the standard cabinet dimensions.

For questions and information please email Luc@cabinetmaking.com

last update 02/10/2006