"Patrick Bitton" wrote in message
Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of designing my own kitchen cabinets using Udo
Schmidts'
technique. One thing that has me stumped it that when building the face
frame...It has to be the exact measurement of the cabinet itself (36" x
24"
x 3/4"). That's fine. What I noticed on page 44 of his book "Building
Kitchen Cabinets". He mentions that, "At each side of the cabinet, the
face
frame extends 1/4" beyond the outside face of the side." Also, when I look
at the cut list he made(page 87), the floor panel is 23" x 34" x 3/4".
Basically, why do you need the 1/4" on each side? Doesn't that leave a
1/2"
gap when I butt up the cabinets together? Should I just disregard the 1/4"
and make the floor panel 34 1/2" wide? Or is there a purpose to this 1/4"
extension?

Ditto _everything_ Leon said ... the 1/4" lip's main purpose is for
scribing to the unsquareness of three dimensional space in the real world.
It can also be used as a departure point for creative decoration on end
panels that show.

My suggestion, having built, and more germane, installed, more than a few
kitchen cabinets, is to incorporate it into your design as the author
suggests, you will be glad you did.

FWIW, a line of component FF kitchen cabinets are _always_ screwed to
adjoining cabinets through the face frame. Don't fail to do this, regardless
of any advice to the contrary.

Although you do not often need a spacer between cabinets when installing
wall cabinets, when installing two or more cabinets of the FF style in a
freestanding position, a la for an island, you can use a piece of scrap 1/2"
plywood as a spacer (1/4" lip + 1/4" lip) between the adjoining cabinets if
you find it necessary. This spacer will also give you a good spot to add a
fastener for better joining the two, or more, cabinets.

So, as you see, that 1/4" lip can come in quite handy in more than one
situation.

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Last update: 11/06/04