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ToolGuy · 11-29-2007, 02:54 AM

Hey Folks, just wanna let you know I'm starting a new woodworking project. I will be building a 10' wide built-in hutch. It will be wall-to-wall in a 10' wide space. The two center doors of the upper cabinets will be glass with lighting inside. Also, it will be painted a satin finish oil enamel.

Question: Should I use maple or birch?

**inspectorD** · 11-29-2007, 08:18 AM

Whatever plywood is less expensive. If you are doing paint grade, either will come out just fine.

glennjanie · 11-29-2007, 09:17 AM

Hello Tool Guy:
To the untrained eye there is no difference between the two. I know cabinet men who use birch plywood and native maple for the dimension parts of their cabinets. No one can see the difference.
Glenn

ToolGuy · 11-29-2007, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glennjanie

Hello Tool Guy:
To the untrained eye there is no difference between the two. I know cabinet men who use birch plywood and native maple for the dimension parts of their cabinets. No one can see the difference.
Glenn

Yep, I think that's the way to go. There will be adjustable shelves in the lower cabinets, which I think maple would be somewhat stiffer. Also, the top of the bottom shelves (customer doesn't like calling it a counter top) will be solid wood, so glued-up maple for that. Door rails and styles, face boards, hmm... I guess it's birch plywood for the insides of the cabinets and the door panels, probably for the crown molding as well. Otherwise it will be all maple.

The back panel of the space between the uppers and lowers will also have to be built-up maple, as it's over 8' and I can't have any seams.

Just thinking aloud.

**inspectorD** · 11-29-2007, 08:10 PM

Waiting for pictures.......

ToolGuy · 11-30-2007, 04:32 PM

Then pictures there shall be. Well.. you didn't say "of the hutch".

This is the space where the the hutch will be built. I'm meeting the clients tonight to go over numbers and such. The project will commence Monday.

Of course, I promise photos of the project from start to finish. Keep Watchin'!

ToolGuy · 12-05-2007, 06:56 PM

I constructed a simple router jig for making rabbets and dados. By placing some pieces of plywood shoved against the wall I can use my hip to hold the jig tight on the work piece while I make the cut. Underside of the jig I tacked a ledger strip to hold it the right distance from the edge for repeat cuts, such as the bottom of the lower cabinets. I hope that makes sense. I'm better at doing this stuff than explaining it.

And heres one of running the router through the jig. To the left of the router base you see I added some 1/8" thin strips. I made the jig to cut 3/4" wide dados for the plywood joints, but in this photo I'm cutting them 5/8" wide for the shelf-tab tracks. The strips are held in place with a couple of tiny dabs of glue, so I can remove them to get back to 3/4" widths.

ToolGuy · 12-05-2007, 07:13 PM

The Assembly Line

With all my pieces cut to size and the dados cut, I lay them out for assembly. Here you see the back of the cabinet in the middle, the left and right sides with rabbets cut for the shelf-tab tracks (to be installed later) on either side, and the cabinet bottom leaning against the assembly table, which fits into the horizontal dado. Well, they're all horizontal right now, but I think you know what I mean.

I didn't do rabbets for the sides. I probably should have, but with the glue, plenty of cement 2" coated finish nails, and the fact that these cabinets will never be moved, I think it will be plenty solid.

And here you see the raw carcases of the cabinets stacked where they will end up, except the upper cabinets will go against the ceiling.

**inspectorD** · 12-06-2007, 05:58 AM

I think you explained that just fine. Looks good, what are you doing about that hole you put in the ceiling.....explaination here___________________________________.

The pictures are great,makes me want to go build something.

ToolGuy · 12-06-2007, 06:55 AM

That's the heat vent and actually, there's two of them. I have the round grills in my van. They have about 20 coats of paint peeling off of them, so I'm going to strip and repaint them.