Cabinetry Basics Part 1 [video 435]

I get a lot of questions about cabinet and carcass construction and in this series I aim to answer them all, starting here with the most asked question of all; on a wall-hung cabinet, should the top and base sit within or above, the sides?

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Mentioned in this video:-

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Other useful gear…

[bombdatacenters]

Showing how hard it was to pull the wall off made it crystal clear. Thanks a lot

[ernielacorte]

Very helpful and informative. I am a retired accountant and into DIY cabinetry/bookshelves/etc just as a new hobby.

[idoReadme]

I think it's important to determine whether the cabinet is compressed or tensioned to decide on the wanted assembly configuration. For a floor standing cabinet you'd be better off with the sides inside the top and bottom. The way loads are normally applied on standing cabinets causes compression to the cabinet instead of tension. In this scenario it would be like your first experiment, but with pushing the vertical piece down toward the workbench instead of pulling up like you did. That's far stronger because you don't rely on your fasteners to take the load at all. For wall hung cabinets it is indeed better to have the top and bottom inside just like you explained. for the aesthetics it also depends on the case, and for ease of production I absolutely agree with you. Great video.

[Mikej]

watched for the info, subscribed because you kept the part where that track fell on your head, multiple times from multiple angles, so very relatable I love it. This makes so much sense and answered this question I often wondered about why things were the way they were. Also, that fact that wen you have shelves having them the same length as the top and bottom just has a better look about it as well. So it makes the sides look better and even the symmetry of the front looks better as well.

[Phartan]

Peter is a consummate professional. Great explanations with equally great demonstrations to illustrate the point. I loved how he took the time to square up his work piece as he was nailing it together while knowing he was going to pull it apart immediately. It's that attention to details (even ones that don't matter in this case) that leads to such fine craftsmanship. Very well done video.

[DryBonz]

This was a big confidence booster. I have no experience with making cabinets, but I've seen it done, and it never struck me as being too complicated. At some point, I heard someone say cabinets were "the most technically complicated part of any building, " and that gave me a lasting fear of trying. I see now that they are far more approachable than I ever realized.

[Maghanashi]

Leaving the cut of the bench moving and the track clattering you on the head was a great little touch.

[alexandrapacheco]

This is one of the best “how to” videos I’ve come across. Thank you for making it so clear and easy. 👍🏼 This is exactly what I’m looking for.

[jrrtt]

I clicked on the video for information, now I’m falling asleep because his voice is ASMR gold. 😴

[meirabass]

In a company I've worked for 9 years we usually worked with 45º cuts. Depending on the size of the furniture, we used some wooden "biscuits" joints (with carpenter glue) to mount it afterwards.
It always worked pretty well

[Metal-wood]

Nice video!!! I think that both metods have diferents advantages, in case of a kitchen cabinet with plastic legs and a huge piece of marble on the top "the above metod" i think that can suport this weight in a better way because is sitting on the sides and in your case the weight is on the screws or whatever you use in this join. In terms of aesthetics sometimes this cabinets goes under a final panels of with a clean finish (melamine, ...) and so the screws are no longer visible. Anyhow good point on your explanation too. Keed your great work!!!

[HowlinWilf]

The only exception to this is with base units (floor level) where the lower corners should have the sides sitting on the base. Ideally, the cabinet feet should also be positioned as close as possible to the cabinet sides to provided support for all the weight that will be bearing on those sides (crockery, pots and pans, granite worktops, large Belfast sinks etc).

To cover any unsightly joints, you can incorporate end panels into your design.

[wernerxldata]

Nothing better than proof, no discussions needed about this after watching this movie. Great job !

[giftculture]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and expertise with all of us, the wealth and quality of information is frankly priceless, and very much appreciated!

[msensenbaugh]

I haven’t watched a lot of cabinet making videos. I loved how straight forward, concise, reasonable this video is. You earned a new subscriber!

[Steve_Wardley_GJEF]

This is such valuable information, new people are entering the craft all the time and these tips need telling frequently, cheers Peter.

[trinitron_]

I love your mechanism for your track, such a simple idea but something I have never seen before on YouTube.

Edit: I see now that it is a festool product, I will have to try my hand at making something similar for my workshop

[Dave-dm]

I made a tool cabinet that rolls on castors. I used full size base and top to give maximum vertical compression strength. The finished job is faced with commercial banner material. To date it has worked well. It was more hassle to fit shelves but I believe worth the effort.

[julielowe]

Loved this video Peter, I am an experienced woodworker, and I understand load distribution and mechanical strength, peel and shear, etc, but you covered this so beautifully for anyone to understand, the Slapstick was a bonus, I particularly loved the way you looked at your Guide track after it hit you on the head, as if you were mentally willing it not to happen again, and then it Did 😂, if I had a pound for every time something like that happened to me in the last thirty years, I would be well off, but at least in my case such minor incidents happened in the private, not on camera for all to appreciate 😊 - Keep up the good work- Julie

[nvaphenix]

Thought this would be one of those “oh it’s obviously x” videos, but actually learned a lot as to why I was wrong! Great information on the rationale!