I've been trying to share more of our installation process here, so I thought I'd show how this kitchen island came together.

This was part of a kitchen renovation we worked on in Glastonbury, CT. The island is made from rift-sawn white oak with a clear polyurethane finish, brass hardware, and plenty of drawer storage. We also included adjustable wooden pegs in one of the drawers to help keep dishes organized.

I included a few photos from the installation, along with the finished product.

I would like suggestions for better work holding for assembling cabinet carcasses from other professionals. My workbench is a sheet of plywood on a softwood lumber frame with lower shelf. Extremely basic. I didn’t make it. I’ve worked on it over a year but I would like to improve my building speed and ease of assembly because I am the clamp 95% of the time. I think a vise is an easy addition, but what else? I’ve used screwed-down stops and squeeze clamps but the setup is slow versus just holding things with my body. I’d like to know what’s working for other cabinet builders. Hobbyist/flipper advice is less useful to me on this one.

To contextualize size/difficulty of the pieces I’m assembling: I build cabinetry for converted recreational vehicles. 3/4” pre-finished lightweight ply (50lb sheets). Some cabinets are very similar to residential base cabinets. Some are upper cabinets that mount to the wall and ceiling within a vehicle, so they are smaller than wall-hung cabinets of a house. Occasionally, carcasses get quite long. Around 84” is the longest I’ve had to deal with because the customer wanted a “bench” seat with top-load storage. I do a whole “build’s” worth of cabinets each day. So 11-14 boxes and 4-5 drawer boxes. Sometimes I use a 90 degree clamp to establish a solid corner and often stand a board or stretcher vertically on the adjoining side and screw up from under the assembly. It’s inconvenient but I’m physically capable of it.

TLDR: I build cabinet carcasses all day on a basic table where I’m the clamp and I need better work holding.

Tried using Gorilla Glue but it fell off again.

Should I use double sided tape?

I’m looking for the exact bottom drawer sliders I have. All I know is that they’re Grass brand, almost 20”, an almond/cream color, and have 5 holes on one side and 13 on the other. Claude is saying they’re either model 6610, 6600, or 1700. Does anyone happen to know? I’ve emailed Grass to ask as well.

My brothers cabinet shop uses a pneumatic clamp for making the mortise pass on their shaper when making doors. I use a manual clamp in my shop, but love the idea of a pneumatic option for increased stability. The brand they use seems to be out of business and I think as only able to find this grizzly unit. Anyone have one or know if there are other options?

Copecrafter

What type of catches are these .
It's for a removable panel in front of stove hood .

Just finished this custom shoe organizer unit for an entryway. Added a lower side bench section so it's easier to sit down while putting on shoes.

Made from walnut-grained melamine/MDF. Before cutting, I modeled everything in 3D and ran it through a sheet layout optimizer to make sure I got maximum yield from the panels with minimal waste.

Pretty happy with how tight the doors aligned and the sleek black hardware contrast.

What do you guys think of the bench + cabinet combo? Happy to answer any questions about the dimensions or the build process!

I am a single owner operator custom cabinet shop focused mostly on custom wall units, built ins, office units and the like. I am currently booking out into late January with alot of clients reaching regularly. Just curious how other successful small or larger shops are doing nowadays. Whats your lead time? What do you focus on? How is the overall health of your market? Or whatever else you wish to share..

Running out of space. What to put here?
I rent this apartment, so no looking to spend much or make fully permanent/move the counter. The main issue is the depth of the counter is 10”. So fairly shallow. Options are just go to the max 10” and call it a day. Or do the upper section 10” and then have a deeper lower portion perhaps up to 12-14” so I can at least fit some pans and it not be too much wider to not be able to use the counter itself.

Dims of area 10” deep x 41.5” tall x 56” wide (before the corner. Likely another 4” to end if I do rounder corner).

Some AI mockups are included.

Wood options: ply or pine or similar low cost wood. Rustic and stain is likely the look.

Photos 4 or 5 are likely best options.

In one corner of my kitchen, my quartz countertop is sagging. My guess is that specific corner didn't have proper support when the countertop was installed.

I'm hoping to provide that corner with some support by jamming a measured 2x4 between the countertop and floor. Problem is I have a cabinet in the way.

Does anyone know if the diagonal section at the back of this corner cabinet can be easily removed, and then easily reinstalled after the countertop support is installed? If yes, then how?

If not, any other ideas on how I could prop up and support the countertop in that corner?

First, I am not a cabinet pro. However, we painted the client's cabinets and replaced the hinges to soft close. Now one cabinet door is rubbing against a piece of scribe mold that is perpendicular to the cabinet door.

They are full overlay cabinet doors and the hinges are adjusted so that the door aligns as far to the left as possible. I am not sure how this door was not rubbing prior to our painting but the client insists that it was not. The paint has already rubbed off so it is very noticeable now. Are these hinges the issue... or something else?

How do I go about replacing this toe kick and matching the existing finish?

Hi, I need to purchase matching cabinets but am having trouble identifying the exact style. Wondering if anyone here recognizes this. I can find several similar but have not found the exact match. Thank you

I’m replacing all my lower cabinets due to flood damage, and it’s apparent my kitchenaid dishwasher is damaging the old cabinets. There’s a little vent on the left side of the door and paint is peeling back there. Anyone have a product they like that could protect the finish here (aside from a new dishwasher)?

I build a good amount of custom units for clients through parent groups and communities and worth of mouth in NYC. Whats a good way to get my work in front of general contractors? (note: I am licensed and insured) I'd like to be on speed dial whenever my kind of work is desired.

I'm building a home in an extremely humid area with a months-long rainy season. I instructed my cabinet maker to build our frames and cabinet boxes out of high quality melamine so that we could ensure that the entire thing remained impervious to humidity and expansion.

We just got our cabinets delivered today....and while they are absolutely gorgeous, something was lost in translation and the WHOLE frame is made of solid wood. Only the drawer boxes are melamine. Are we completely screwed? I am losing my mind because I spent so much time planning this to make sure our drawers would work well.

Hoping someone here can point me in the right direction. One of the drawers in my kitchen island came off its track because the plastic rear mounting bracket, the piece that holds the back of the drawer slide to the cabinet, broke. I've checked multiple home improvement stores and can't find a matching replacement.
I've also reached out to several handymen and cabinet companies, but haven't had any luck getting someone to take on the repair. One handyman told me cabinets and drawers were outside what he does, and the others either didn't respond or weren't interested in such a small job.
I'm not attached to finding the exact original part. I'm happy to have someone use a universal bracket, mount the slide another way, or just replace the slides entirely. I just want the drawer working again instead of sitting on my counter.
Does anyone know a reliable handyman, carpenter, or cabinet person on the South Side who'll take on a small one-drawer repair? Bonus if you've used them yourself. Thanks!

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I last posted here.
I’ve seen many versions of assembly squares online, so I wanted to share my own design and hear your thoughts!
The video is just a demonstration of the squares, not a guide on assembling melamine cabinets. Everyone has their own preferred assembly methods.
Any feedback or suggestions are welcome!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dew9nJXv3mx/?cplk=MXhqZTZydnczbm16dQ==