Whether you’re building a dresser, a kitchen cabinet or bathroom vanity; basic cabinet construction is the same. A cabinet consists of a case with two sides, bottom and top, and a back and front.
The front may contain drawers, doors or shelves; or a combination of all three. The simplest case construction is a box made of plywood. The case can be painted or stained and varnished. Solid wood can be used as a more decorative material for the small facer pieces. If a side is to be concealed against a wall, that side can be made out of a more economical plywood. However, all exposed sides should be cut from a good hardwood or smooth softwood surfaced plywood.
You can construct a customized kitchen cabinet to fit any space or you can make them smaller units and join them in the same fashion. Shown are the typical dimensions of a kitchen cabinet base with applied facers. The upper cabinet is built in a very similar fashion. Shown is the typical construction of an upper kitchen cabinet with applied facers.
The first step is to cut out pieces to size. Cut a one quarter inch by one quarter inch rabbet in the inside back edge of each side piece for the cabinet back. Then, assemble the basic box with glue and screws or nails. Cut the side facers and apply glue to the case edge. Align the facer flush with the case edge and then fasten in place with finishing nails. Set the nail head slightly below the wood surface with a punch. Then, measure the upper facer to fit precisely between the two side facers.
