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Below is a CAD drawing that I made in 2000 from a model of a 12 Inch wide
wall cabinet that I built. The drawing shows all of the pieces required to
build a 12 Inch Wide Wall Cabinet. I modeled the height at a "standard" of
30 inches, though there really isn't any established standard. The wall
cabinet shown below is a framed cabinet. Although frameless cabinets are
also readily available, the framed cabinet is the overwhelming cabinet of
choice.
Any stock cabinet that has been well
designed has the following parts:
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Face Frame - At least two verticals and two
horizontals 3/4" thick hardwood typically 1 1/2" in width
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Top & Bottom (mirrored) - typically 1/2"
thick cabinet grade plywood
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Sides - Right and Left (mirrored) -
typically 1/2" thick
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Nailers - Upper & Lower (mirrored) 3/4" X 3"
high hardwood
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Back - minimum 1/4" cabinet grade plywood
for appearance
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Shelf, Adjustable - 1/2" hardwood or cabinet
grade plywood banded with hardwood
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Twelve parts total, more than half of which
are identical parts. For instance, the nailers (upper and lower) are
identical. When installed one is rotated 180 degrees.
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Both horizontal face frames are identical
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Both vertical face frames are identical
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The top and bottom are identical
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The sides are almost identical, they are
mirror images of each other and both can be cut using the same saw setup.
What makes my cabinet design stronger than
anything currently on the market? The joining of the parts. The top,
bottom, nailers, back, and sides all interlock with one another assuring
that the cabinet will be square and strong. No checking is needed provided
that the parts are cut precisely each time.
Whenever I am assembling any cabinet though
I use jigs and various fixtures so that I will be assured that every
cabinet I build will be exactly like the one I did 10 years before or ten
years later. Even in a small woodworking shop, repeatability, quality
control, and manufacturing processes are the same as in a high production
assembly line shop.
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