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Comment by Jay Boutwell on July 8, 2013 at 7:23pm

Hi Rita, Yes that is true, I use the pocket screw joinery with the exception of a few mortise and tendon pieces.  I do however build all the cabinet boxes using the pocket hole joinery from small to large.  Some even larger than this, building some kitchen cabinets as long as 12 to 14 feet in length.  It is easier to install as there is less separate joints to fuss with. You also get more storage space in a given amount of space.  You also use less material as there is less number of cabinet sides needed.

 Of course they are not as tall as this one is.  This one is built as a one piece and that is why I built it at the customers home.  It is all pocket hole joinery except the doors. It is very heavy and awkward to move even with the rollers that I added to the bottom.  Yes it was a lot of fun moving it from the shop into the home. 

About the only thing I do not use pocket hole joinery on is the doors and drawers, as the doors are built on a router table and use a cope and stick method of joinery.  The only other door I make is the mortise and tendon and do this on usually shaker style doors.  The drawers I only use dovetail joinery.

The secret to building large cabinets is to have a nice large level assembly table with plenty of clamps. I have a system and method of building where I build all of the cabinet boxes separate using glue and pocket screws and clamps.  Most of the work in doing this is getting the joinery square and tight and this is where accurate cutting on the table saw and other machinery is critical.  When joinery is cut accurate and square it seems to just want to go together without a fight. My tolerance of error in most cuts is 1/32 of an inch and in some "absolute cuts" .  That way I do not use wood fillers to fill up errors.  When you do it this way it is hard not to have a true and square cabinet.

Once the cabinet box is complete I build the face frames and assemble them to the cabinet using again glue and pocket screws.  I try to hide as many pocket screws as possible and the ones that are still in view I will plug them using same type wood.  On occasions I will avoid the pocket screw and just bore a hole for the screw directly into the piece and then add the screw and then plug the hole with a plug that I will cut out a piece of wood that matches the grain pattern and wood color.

During the entire assembly I am not stingy about using a square and I use plenty screws and glue to assure myself that it will not fall apart when stressed.  As a guess I would say that there is better than 5  hundred  screws in this cabinet.  Another advantage is that I do not build using someone's plans.  All I need is the outside and inside measurements and a clear understanding of what the customer wants it to look like when it is done.   When you build using a plan the plan measurement are not always accurate and do not always use the best joinery for the purpose you have. 

Then too if you built by a plan that means that there could be from one to a thousand or more that look exactly the same.  I specialize in doing true custom woodwork and the building of "one of a kind."  That is just my personal method and it keeps my customers happy. I hope I have answered your questions.  If not please contact me again.

Thank you Rita for your interest.

 

Comment by Rita B. on July 8, 2013 at 6:07pm

Jay, I am in awe!   You have said that much of your work is pocket hole joinery.  When you are working with large piece like this, how do you manage to keep everything in place and square during assembly?  Jigs?

Comment by Jay Boutwell on July 8, 2013 at 3:49pm

Thanks Leslee, the hickory nut was found in another project which was the bar front of the hickory project found in my photos page.  The project pictures is named "Hickory Cabinet Rebuild"  You will two photos with the nut and has some red lettering on it.  The double raised panel is actually two separate panels that is divided by a mid rail.   In my projects page I have a long photo article explaining how to build raised panel doors using a router table.  In my hickory collection there is several large doors made of hickory that have two panels in them.

Hickory is a heavy wood but is one of the most beautiful woods of which is one of my favorites.

One of the things that I do to make the doors so attractive is to use the most rugged pieces I can find and use an exoxy resin with black dye to fill the voids.  It works on cherry wood as well making cherry wood that is trash become a very attractive cabinet wood.  The thing about being able to use the wood most pick over and discard as trash is that it is almost a give away price.

Comment by Jay Boutwell on July 8, 2013 at 3:34pm

Thank you Ken,  for the nice comment.  The pull out holds a big [TV and allows it to be rotated to allow viewing from different areas of the large room. The actual slide out that holds the TV has a pivot feature. 

Comment by Leslee on July 8, 2013 at 1:45pm

Nice looking cabinet, Jay. I like the pull out for the tv. I also like the hickory nut photo that you took. That is really neat in finding different stuff in the wood. I really like the double raised panel. Is there anyway you could explain to me how you get a double raised panel? I would like to know how it is done; I am really courious about making one in the future. Hickory is a beautiful piece of wood.

Comment by Ken Darga on July 8, 2013 at 12:50pm

Great looking build, Jay.

The pull-out tray design, is a nice feature.

Comment by Jay Boutwell on July 8, 2013 at 12:30am

david I told you wrong on where the hickory nut was located.  it is not in my projects "hickory collection" but instead in my photographs under "hickory cabinet rebuild".   You got me to wondering and I checked and found it in a different location that what I thought.  It is by far one of the best finds I have found in lumber.  I have found bullets and one time an old coin, but never a hickory nut.

Comment by Jay Boutwell on July 7, 2013 at 9:47pm

Tom, Jim, lorrie, and David.   Thank you one and all for the comments that you have made my project. I do appreciate each one.  Jim you are doing some mighty projects yourself and you are being extra nice to me.  Tom thank you for your comment.  I have seen some nice project from your post as well.  We can all learn for each other and it is one of my ambitions is teach others.  Lorrie you are also being extra good to me with your comments.  I saw the cabinets that you just made and what I said about them being fantastic was sincerely meant.  They were very nice and well built and just think you just started your woodworking.  I know I will some great projects coming from your posts.  You do have the talent and the ambition.  David, your are also one of my favorite woodworker turning out some very nice projects that are second to none.  No this us a project I did in Bend Oregon about 3 years ago.  I will retrieve the photos of the doors either from the customer taking some or I will take some the next time I am in Bend.  The panel with the hickory nut in the panel is the one in "my hickory collection" on my project page.  That cabinet is about 30 miles north of me and it is in the raised panel of the bar front.   Again thank all of you for your generous and favorable comments.  I appreciate all of you. 

Comment by David Dean on July 7, 2013 at 9:19pm

Jay is that the one with the hickory nut in the panle.

Comment by Lorrie on July 7, 2013 at 9:15pm

Hi Jay,  Very nice Cabinet!  Maybe the customer can take a picture of the cabinet and send it to you.  I'm sure that it is just beautiful!  sounds awesome!

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