Mr Wadsworth I would like to thank both you, and Nate for all the effort that has gone into your channel over the years. I began watching your channel in high school while taking a carpentry class and used it as an after work school of sorts when I got my first job framing. From the bottom of my heart thank you both so much. May good fortune and great weather follow the Wadsworth family for all of their days.
I love building cabinets. Nice to see all the gables are plywood and not pressboard. I always talked clients into custom because all the major producers here use pressboard, and 10-20% of the cabinets end up with edges and corners blown out of them before they're even delivered.
My buddy is a individual one man custom cabinet maker and everything he does is 3/4 oak,ash top grade materials. He recently moved back to his old stomping grounds where he and his father built and installed their cabinets and he’s gone back to folks that their cabinets were installed 20 years ago and he says they look like new. He takes allot of pride in his work! Have a fantastic day
The only place I've found MDF to be a reasonable replacement for solid/plywood in cabinet making is in the raised panel for a paint-grade cabinet door. It's not ideal IMO but can help with more budget-oriented projects. With most lowers being drawer bases these days the amount of wear and tear, water, etc on the panels is reduced. Though I still suggest using a solid panel for the sink bases.
In all building, once you have an understanding of the steps, from concrete to cabinets, you realize the importance of attention to detail in the beginning affects the difficulty/ easiness of the next step. If the Framers cared about installing the trim, the trim work would be easier and better.
I'm a cabinet maker and installer of 16+ years. I usually install the uppers first but will admit that cabinet jack is genius and will probably build one myself. I'm surprised to see plywood drawer boxes and side mount guides. No dovetails? no soft close? This is pretty standard in my area (eastern oregon). In all great work by these guys! Its always interesting to see how others do it. Thanks for all the great video!! I've been watching since episode #1
As a lifelong cabinet man, I find there is still new stuff to be discovered and learned. Just when you think you have seen it all, something new comes along. Like that jacking system which is stackable. Great idea. I hope they get a patent on that. Everybody will have their favorite way to work and I always installed my base cabinets first. Then cover them with cardboard or blankets to protect them. I like having a ready made work bench. But everybody will have a different opinion and that's OK. Variety is the spice of life. Whatever works best for you is the best way to go.
of all the things I've built, installed and rehabbed in my life, installing kitchen cabinets and trimming out a kitchen is right up there with being the most fun and challenging.
I love how EC uses sponsorships to make this whole endeavor profitable for him, but also uses his army of local contractors to put it all together. Much respect, love the series.
When you said if you don't make mistakes you don't get much done do you. That really struck home for me. As an equipment operator, I've been told if you never break down or break a part, you aren't working hard enough.
In 40 years of carpentry, probably several hundred kitchens, I’ve never installed base cabinets first. For a couple reasons, 1) way too easy to damage the base cabinets while working above them either by tool belts, belt buckles, dropping a drill or driver or level ( because you’re working above and gravity does happen), 2) it’s hard on the back to be leaning over and pushing up on a larger unit. Layout isn’t anymore difficult, but the chance of the problems described above is way less imho
I've been installing kitchens for a shorter time than you but I do uppers first as well. I find it faster and it's much easier on the body and the products.
I’ve been a cabinet installer for 16 years; both factory and custom. I have installed them both ways. If I’m by myself, I install the bases first. It saves my back. You need half sheet of plywood for your temporary countertop. If you forget the plywood then set the tops first. I do like his upper jack box he has.
They sound exactly like the cabinet company I worked for here in florida. It was such a privilege working there for the few years I did and learn the things I learned. I’m third generation door specialist but have had many different jobs along my path to figuring out I wanted to go into the family trade. I’ve done loads of new construction and retro work which gives you knowledge from both ends and has helped me TONS doing doors and even in my every day life. I’ve watched so many of your videos and love every minute of all of them. Knowledge really is power and goodness do you have an abundance of raw construction knowledge, some of which has helped me since watching your videos. Thank you for sharing
I remember dad's mate would churn out his own cabinetry in his garage at night after building the houses during the day. That guy (now long gone) did everything himself and did it well. The jack is better than me holding the cabinet in place while dad fixes them.
The jack is a pretty neat idea. I wish I was thinking about it when I installed our 4x above-our-car's-hood-reaching garage cabinets. They were around 100 pounds each. I installed a temporary 2x4 under them (and ended up with holes later to be filled), but even lifting them onto the 2x4 was a quite challenge.
My dad used to tell me "If you don't make any mistakes it means you're not doing anything." Of course by that criterion there are days when I'm exceedingly busy, lol.
Remind me of my favorite Proverbs in chapter 14 when working: "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox." and "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty."
I like your narration that states that sometimes you can get both production and good work. I've always told people that we do Good Work, Fast Work and Cheap Work - pick any two that you like.
its always satisfying to watch these videos, i myself am a journeyman carpenter with local 431 in Pennsylvania and i have some commercial cabinetry installation experience but these guys really know everything from a to z ,great job gentlemen, JOB WELL DONE!!
Loved this one. Takes me back to my cabinet installing days! Great little tool, that "upper jack". Nicely done, fellas! Beautiful kitchen. And a plumb-bob off the light to center?! Come on, excellent attention to details!
Great video, I use to do this work in my early 20s, brings back alot on memories. I left the field as a journeyman level, sometimes I wish I was still doing it.
Offsite in this day and age is the best solution. Fella comes in, takes a LiDar "sketch" of the room, and later shows up with cabinetry/furniture that fits down to the mm. Doesn't get better than this.
You could actually make a 18 x 16 box 4' long that just sits across the leveled lower cabinets and keeps everything parallel with the leveled lowers, no jacking required no secondary leveling required. If you make a leveling base you don't even need to level individual cabinets... Just something to think about... IKEA has a steel bar that you level that connects all the cabinets to it is another idea.
Thanks for posting this today, in the middle of my first custom cab job out of my garage shop. This was just what I needed to watch for some morning motivation!
@@micarnxl purchase bessy cabinet clamps. Those clamps are so fast and easy to attach the face frame together. Also tripcheck your measurements and remember the face of the cabinet is wider then the back so don't forget to take that into account when doing math also don't forget about required minimal height if you have a microwave range hood combo
Thank you for this beautiful video, just what I needed right now. Loved the jack box and installation of lower cabinets first creating the lower work surface. Also the tool for installation of pulls. Please make a video about how you use these two tools. I love all your videos and I learn so much each time.
As I have taken on more advanced DIY work around my homes and rentals, I have come to appreciate the skills, knowledge and “soup-to-nuts” understanding of how both the art of design and the science of building must holistically integrate, within the scope of a complex wood-working project. Thank you for the process overview and insightful and wisdom-filled commentary.
As a cabinet guy I was hoping for a crown molding or top trim to be place on the tops of the uppers. It may have been to in the weeds but I would've also loved an explanation on faceframe vs frameless boxes, inset vs full overlay vs partial overlay, and some details on the drawer box construction, and hardware options.
I thourhly enjoyed this video. As a leather smith precision is very important. Thanx so much for sharing. Blessings on you all and keep on keeping on. As ever just Tom 🤠
It depends on the hinge. Soft close on doors isn't super useful (though I do like them better than not), but on drawers, they're super useful because drawers tend to be pretty heavy loaded down with silverware and what-not.
Excellent video as always. I'd just like to suggest to anyone learning from this video that you should get a small piece of hardwood when you are drilling out the door handles to hold behind the door. It'll really help any potential blowout. I know many hardware handles will cover it but many don't.
We have been using the hardware jig for about a year now. It has easily paid for itself in accuracy and time saving. Going to have to make one of those jack in the box. I do believe your guys would benefit from a laser to install.
9:13 - If I may? That corner cabinet door handle's back screw head should be inset into the door to make the wood surface smooth (without the screw head protruding). My cabinets have a gouge in them from hundreds of times that round screw head has been dragged across the adjacent drawer face (before I bought the house and inset the screw head).
Love the hardwares jig! Few years ago actually started using one. Before made a jig for every install, not a big deal but eventually had a huge collection of them and hardly ever used them twice.
I bought the full jig and will never look back and say it was a bad alignment tool to buy. Because when I drill now I am fast/accurate. End results are perfect every time.
Ohh gosh this is amazing....we just bought our first home.. it's a fixer upper... come do our cabinets lol 3 bathrooms and a full kitchen..lol we're going to be awhile doing them as newbies lol thanks for the videos
Such a great channel. Always something to learn here. You ever notice it’s the little tricks and tips you you learn here? Those ones when you say, “well duh, that would’ve made my job alot easier!” 🤣
The work that was done is exactly the way it should be and it was done with an economy of motion that's one of the things that can happen when the people on the ground have an intention to be productive and to do good work you don't have to pick one of the other sometimes you can get both. Well said, You can do both
Cabinetmaking and installing was my only experience in the home building trade, started sweeping floors in a scrappy small 5 man shop, mostly building kitchens and bookcases for high end residences in downtown Chicago. Eventually they lost their install contractors who they had been working with, I got roped into doing installs, which I didn;t like, fighting traffic, parking, dealing with the security of high rise buildings, homeowners etc. A combination of not being properly trained for installs and not even being paid enough to buy my own personal tools I was not happy, then the economic turn down of 2006 happened and I was laid off for about a year and I found a job as apprentice Moldmaker/Toolmaker and its been good to me.
I worked as a real estate agent for a while, and in my neck of the woods there are a lot of flippers. And the number one way to tell if the flipper did a good job is to look at the kitchen cabinets. If the doors on the cabinets are hung well, with consistent reveals, and plumb and level, then 9 1/2 times out of 10, the whole project will have been done well. But if the kitchen cabinets look terrible, everything else in the house will have been done as quickly and cheaply as possible.
This is the real home of the drill driver, I personally like the little bosch chuckless drivers for this, they are even better than the makita 7.6v drivers I used to use. I hate large tools for inside cabinet work.
Nice installation. I'm in Eugene. I've seen a couple of the places you've done. Great Work. I install bases first too and jack the uppers off a temp deck on the bases. I use Fastcap's short jacks "Little Hand" 3rd hand jacks. They work awesome. Two of them and you can place an upper PERFECTLY. I also use my PLS 4 laser with a level line to set bases instead of levels. My bases come out within a 16th around the whole room, front to back this way, just use your tape or a story stick with the laser line. Thanks for the great videos.
I make 2 or 3 big mistakes everyday, and at least a dozen little ones; what will set you apart is being willing and able to address these issues as they pop up.
When putting on the cabinet knobs, I would spin them on just shy of making contact, then tighten them up from the inside. Spinning tight by hand cuts into the finish on the face.
Not gonna lie, that heavy duty plumb-bob we saw hanging over the island about 7 minutes in makes me want to ask for an EC video about exactly vertical lines and the tools that accomplish them!
