The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker: Shop Drawings and Professional Methods for Designing and Constructing Every Kind of Kitchen and Built-In Cabinet (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Demonstrating how woodworkers can approach the complex job of designing and making built-in cabinets for kitchens, family rooms, and home offices, this technical handbook provides meticulously detailed shop drawings, instructions, and hundreds of professional tips for saving time, materials, unnecessary aggravation, and money. Bob Lang covers building traditional face-frame cabinets as well as constructing contemporary frameless Euro-style cabinets. Woodworkers will learn how to measure rooms and design fitting cabinetry that considers both function and aesthetics, how to develop working shop drawings and cutting lists, and how to work with materials as varied as solid wood and plastic laminate. Technical instructions for cutting and joining the basic box, as well as for fitting it to drawer stacks, sinks, corners, appliances, and islands, are also included, as are detailed steps for sanding, finishing, and installing each piece.

About the Author

Robert W. Lang is the author of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture, Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors, and More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture. He is a senior editor at Popular Woodworking magazine. He lives in Loveland, Ohio. John Kelsey is the author of Birdhouses, Field Guide to Tools, and Furniture Projects for the Deck and Lawn and is the former editor in chief of Fine Woodworking magazine. He lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189283622X
• ISBN-13: 978-1892836229
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,005 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Carpentry
  #5 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Woodworking > Projects
  #8 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Construction > Building Construction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

131 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book, April 23, 2006

By	Tim Colton "Tim" (Carrboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have years of experience in residential carpentry and furnituremaking, and I've installed dozens of kitchens, but I had never actually made a set of kitchen cabinets. We are renovating our house, and replacing our cheap cabinets is one of the items on the list. I spent hours at my local Barnes and Noble and Borders stores looking for a comprehensive book that focuses exclusively on kitchen cabinetmaking, and couldn't find one out of the dozens of books on cabinemaking that thoroughly covered both the cabinet design and production processes. Then I took a chance and ordered The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker, and found exactly what I was looking for.
Lang writes well and, just as important, is a good teacher and explainer. The book is well organized, and the abundant illustrations, both photographs and drawings, are clear and detailed. Measured drawings abound. He describes both general types of cabinet, frameless and face-framed, and lays out efficient production processes for both, indicating where potential problems lurk and the consequences of inaccuracies at crucial points.
This is head and shoulders the best book I have seen on the subject. If you are even considering building your own kitchen cabinets, or starting a small cabinet shop, this book should be your first purchase. It will be the best money you spend on the project.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, February 8, 2007

By	Jeremy Bolesky "Jerm" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book along with _The Complete Cabinet Maker's Reference_ by Jeffrey Piontkowski to build a set of nice garage cabinets. The two books are very different, and, I think, compliment each other well. This book contained information that allowed me to refine the basic cabinets in the other book. I was very pleased with the results! The project would have been much more trouble for me if I hadn't read this book first.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Cabinetry Resource!, November 7, 2007

By	M. Hulette (Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm researching the possibility of making the cabinets for our new home and have found this book to be an excellent resource of information and tips by someone who has "been there and done that". Mr. Lang uses easy to understand language and examples on drawer construction, door construction, case construction and installation. Lots of time-saving tips, too!

A very practical guide that will help anyone with just a little experience making cabinets.