Going to Build

I am custom making a set of 6 storage cabinets, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to show some basics of cabinet making, my way. 4 of the 6 cabinets are identical and are 84" high, with 4 shelves each. The other two cabinets are smaller to fit under a window.

After picking up the materials, Ive started cutting the side case work for the tall cabinets. After cutting to depth and height, I am going to make all dado and rabbit cuts before assembling.

If you make your own cabinets, a good rule of thumb on taller cabinets is to always make one of the shelves stationary. This will help tie in and stabilize the unit itself. Ive determined the location of the stationary shelf and have made the appropriate dado cut, and have also dadoed for the bottom shelf. In addition, Ive cut out for the toe kick areas, and have also put a rabbit groove on the backside to accommodate the back panel.

Tip: Whenever you have several of the same cuts (in this case, I have 16 of the same dado cuts to make), always try to use a jig, or some similar setup to make these cuts. Doing so results in level shelves, squared casing, and more! Even the easiest jig can make repetitive work go quicker, and having like-results will be well worth the setup time. Below are some examples of how I use jigs or repetition setups to make all the same cuts go smoothly and quickly. In (roughly) one day, I have all the side casings cut, dadoed, rabbited, and ready to go, including the rails and main shelves for each unit! If you take the time, the results will be well worth it!

Setting up guides for the router, so I can easily make the dados.

Use positive stops to cut all rails to the same lengths.