I make mine the same way. Just made 10 book cubbies for my kids with dado and rabbet backs. Goes together like LEGO set and very easy to assemble. Nice video.
Well made cabinets, made similar in my house. I used 18mm mdf with biscuits and then added the framework after being installed into my alcoves. Going to make similar base units for my workshop using plywood. Lovely well explained, great vid.
Zig...love the shepherd - is he still around. my boy is 6 now....I was thinking about MDF instead of plywood for cost saving. Can you cut dado joints and rabbets into mdf? just curious about strength etc.
I don't think I'll be able to do a video on this install. Sometimes clients don't want their house in a video, and sometimes the schedule or the circumstances just don't allow the making of a video. I will look for an opportunity in the future to do that, though.
Simply beautiful! I was also hoping for a final look after installation. I don't believe you ultimately mentioned how you intended to paint these pieces. Thank you for all your time, and sharing your expertise and video! Love it!
Yeah, I can't always videotape or photograph at the client's home so you didn't get the final shot on this one. For paint, I had intended on spraying, but the particular paint the client wanted to use needed to be rolled or brushed, so that's what I did.
Well, it must look better in the video than it really is, because this is a pet peeve of mine too! Our quality is awful even though we pay through the nose for this stuff. I sort through the whole pile of plywood to find a few usable pieces. The face veneer is either paper thin (so it can't be sanded or even bumped too hard) or they only give you one good face side. It is possible to buy a better grade of plywood, but it costs $75 a sheet instead of $50 and it requires that you purchase whole pallets of the stuff. Only cabinet manufacturers (as opposed to small cabinet makers) can afford to buy and store that. It's a real problem and many customers don't understand how much time I spend sourcing materials for their projects.
Not necessarily. Some plywood has a very thin surface veneer which tears quite easily. The sharpness of your blade can be one factor, and the number of teeth is another. In general, more teach means a smoother cut. The speed at which you rip or cross cut the plywood is another. A slower cut is a smoother cut. One trick is to put blue painters tape down the cut line, which will help prevent tearout. Cut right through the tape then pull it off.
Yes, I’ve changed blade to one with more teeth and also tried the blue tape. Both help but cuts still only nice on one side. And this isn’t HD or Lowes ply. But the veneer is only 1/32. My saw is a portable, inexpensive one so no blade speed control, so that may be contributing a lot. Also just learned some raise blade quite a bit so (presumably) angle of teeth is increased, less of a side approach into the wood and more of anndown/up approach). I can try that too. Thanks for your speedy and thoughtful response!
Actually, I wouldn't recommend raising the blade more than necessary. Then you have the side of the blade against the work piece, which can elicit more tear-out. As I said, some plywood is just more prone to this problem and all you can do is try to hide the tear out in unseen areas. I suspect you could improve your results by playing with cut speed. If you have some scrap, experiment with faster or slower push speed and see if it helps.
No, I just ran out of time to cover any more of this project. I had intended on spraying these cabinets, but the client picked a particular paint that was tough to spray so I ended up just painting by hand. As nice as my shop is, I do sometimes wish I had a separate room or building for finishing because the dust and dirt makes life difficult for finishing. Oh well, I can't really complain. :)
Sourcing plywood is a royal pain in my area. What I use depends on the particular project what's available at the time, but a lot of my clients are looking for paint grade cabinets. In that case I just look for the most plies I can get in the plywood and a smooth surface. Sometimes I can get radiata pine plywood, which has a thicker veneer and works well for paint grade work. I used to be able to get two smooth sides with that, but now all I find is one-side smooth and that limits the utility of it. Birch ply is a fall-back.
cover knots with polyurethane and it wont bleed through. you can also poly the entire piece for a smoother finish. cabinet paint by rustolium sold at home depot will speed up the painting processe as it dries quickly and ever,you may want to cover it with a water-bourne poly for a protective finish wich dries fast also. we've had great success with it :)
The old school trick for knots is to use shellac, which is alcohol based and dries in a few minutes. It is an excellent sealer for all types of problems and it's also compatible with all types of finishes, both water based and oil based. As for poly over paint, see my recent video covering the EM9300 poly made by target coatings and my video about white distressed kitchen cabinets--I agree it can work very well.
Lol not in England its always Rebate Its the correct and only spelling . Calm down anyway no need for the !!! the world will keep spinning ive subbed and said the vid was exellent !!!
Well, I get very excited about spelling, pronunciation and punctuation! VERY excited. Anyway, I remain skeptical about my UK friends and their ree-bates: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rabbet
Nothing quite like going down a rabbet trail, eh boys. Great video, I like you cutting to the chase and explaining "not having time for x,y,z" cause you are trying to make some do-re-me ...... Just got done watching Norm Abrams video, very similar approach between you two, he was going old school, versus your modern tools. Both you guys are great craftsman. Gonna try the pocket jig from harbor freight heard good things about it. Keep up the good work Bro... God Bless the USA :-)
Great project! Thanks for taking the time to make and film it. Subscribed!
I make mine the same way. Just made 10 book cubbies for my kids with dado and rabbet backs. Goes together like LEGO set and very easy to assemble. Nice video.
The best video of its type that I have seen on here, thanks for taking the trouble to post. Inspiring!
Well made cabinets, made similar in my house. I used 18mm mdf with biscuits and then added the framework after being installed into my alcoves. Going to make similar base units for my workshop using plywood. Lovely well explained, great vid.
Zig...love the shepherd - is he still around. my boy is 6 now....I was thinking about MDF instead of plywood for cost saving. Can you cut dado joints and rabbets into mdf? just curious about strength etc.
Nicely done , would like to see pictures of the installed units . A video on the install process would be cool too .
I don't think I'll be able to do a video on this install. Sometimes clients don't want their house in a video, and sometimes the schedule or the circumstances just don't allow the making of a video. I will look for an opportunity in the future to do that, though.
Simply beautiful! I was also hoping for a final look after installation. I don't believe you ultimately mentioned how you intended to paint these pieces. Thank you for all your time, and sharing your expertise and video! Love it!
Yeah, I can't always videotape or photograph at the client's home so you didn't get the final shot on this one. For paint, I had intended on spraying, but the particular paint the client wanted to use needed to be rolled or brushed, so that's what I did.
The quality of plywood available in the states is so much better than the crap we get from our Home Depot equivalent in Australia, you are lucky.
Well, it must look better in the video than it really is, because this is a pet peeve of mine too! Our quality is awful even though we pay through the nose for this stuff. I sort through the whole pile of plywood to find a few usable pieces. The face veneer is either paper thin (so it can't be sanded or even bumped too hard) or they only give you one good face side. It is possible to buy a better grade of plywood, but it costs $75 a sheet instead of $50 and it requires that you purchase whole pallets of the stuff. Only cabinet manufacturers (as opposed to small cabinet makers) can afford to buy and store that. It's a real problem and many customers don't understand how much time I spend sourcing materials for their projects.
Your problem is buying plywood at Home Depot. Find a specialty wood supplier and get some Baltic or Russian Birch.
nice job.. I might steal your design to renovate my walk-in closet. wire shelving leaves a lot to be desired
well done John
Really informative, thank you for making this video.
Good video.
It's a rabbet not to be mistaken with long ears and a fluffy tail
If I have tear out in my ply does that mean I need a new (sharp) saw blade?
Not necessarily. Some plywood has a very thin surface veneer which tears quite easily. The sharpness of your blade can be one factor, and the number of teeth is another. In general, more teach means a smoother cut. The speed at which you rip or cross cut the plywood is another. A slower cut is a smoother cut. One trick is to put blue painters tape down the cut line, which will help prevent tearout. Cut right through the tape then pull it off.
Yes, I’ve changed blade to one with more teeth and also tried the blue tape. Both help but cuts still only nice on one side. And this isn’t HD or Lowes ply. But the veneer is only 1/32. My saw is a portable, inexpensive one so no blade speed control, so that may be contributing a lot. Also just learned some raise blade quite a bit so (presumably) angle of teeth is increased, less of a side approach into the wood and more of anndown/up approach). I can try that too. Thanks for your speedy and thoughtful response!
Actually, I wouldn't recommend raising the blade more than necessary. Then you have the side of the blade against the work piece, which can elicit more tear-out. As I said, some plywood is just more prone to this problem and all you can do is try to hide the tear out in unseen areas. I suspect you could improve your results by playing with cut speed. If you have some scrap, experiment with faster or slower push speed and see if it helps.
maybe a couple of bulldogs would be the answer, and force the board on center each time.
great job...did you record the paint job?
No, I just ran out of time to cover any more of this project. I had intended on spraying these cabinets, but the client picked a particular paint that was tough to spray so I ended up just painting by hand. As nice as my shop is, I do sometimes wish I had a separate room or building for finishing because the dust and dirt makes life difficult for finishing. Oh well, I can't really complain. :)
What type of plywood do you use?
Sourcing plywood is a royal pain in my area. What I use depends on the particular project what's available at the time, but a lot of my clients are looking for paint grade cabinets. In that case I just look for the most plies I can get in the plywood and a smooth surface. Sometimes I can get radiata pine plywood, which has a thicker veneer and works well for paint grade work. I used to be able to get two smooth sides with that, but now all I find is one-side smooth and that limits the utility of it. Birch ply is a fall-back.
cover knots with polyurethane and it wont bleed through.
you can also poly the entire piece for a smoother finish.
cabinet paint by rustolium sold at home depot will speed up the painting processe as it dries quickly and ever,you may want to cover it with a water-bourne poly for a protective finish wich dries fast also. we've had great success with it :)
The old school trick for knots is to use shellac, which is alcohol based and dries in a few minutes. It is an excellent sealer for all types of problems and it's also compatible with all types of finishes, both water based and oil based. As for poly over paint, see my recent video covering the EM9300 poly made by target coatings and my video about white distressed kitchen cabinets--I agree it can work very well.
Thanks for the tip!
Right im am less than 3 minutes in and the word Rabbit is is driving me mad its pronounced( reeee - bate) silly i know excellent vid .
It is, in fact, pronounced just like the bunny version! It is sometimes spelled Rebate and sometimes spelled Rabbet, but always pronounced rab- it.
Lol not in England its always Rebate Its the correct and only spelling . Calm down anyway no need for the !!! the world will keep spinning ive subbed and said the vid was exellent !!!
Well, I get very excited about spelling, pronunciation and punctuation! VERY excited. Anyway, I remain skeptical about my UK friends and their ree-bates: en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rabbet
@@Maginnifix Back to back World War Champs! We decide how its pronounced.
Nothing quite like going down a rabbet trail, eh boys. Great video, I like you cutting to the chase and explaining "not having time for x,y,z" cause you are trying to make some do-re-me ......
Just got done watching Norm Abrams video, very similar approach between you two, he was going old school, versus your modern tools. Both you guys are great craftsman.
Gonna try the pocket jig from harbor freight heard good things about it.
Keep up the good work Bro...
God Bless the USA :-)