How would you make this cut?

[mastercabman]

Scrap the router idea, any bit small enough will still leave a large gap between door/drawer fronts and frame.

Cut as much as possible with the TS75 (though you'd be slightly better off with the TS55 due to the smaller size blade)

the long cuts - take as close as you dare to the ends, I wouldn't bother with stops, you can just edge up to the end of each cut by sight.

Small cuts, even those drawer sides, I'd start with the TS55 anyway, line it up on the cut line with the center of the blade over the center of the cut line, then lower it to score the cut (you won't get all the way through, but you'll get a tidy cut in the surface)

You will then be able to finish all cuts with a jig saw, Festool has several zero set blades suitable. the long cuts just insert the blade (with saw off) move to the outside of the kerf slot (sanding the difference between kerfs will be easier on the outside edges) and continue to the corner.

To finish short cuts, place the jig saw toe-down onto the piece with the end of the blade in the slot left by the TS75 start at slow speed and gently tilt the saw to apply the blade to the bottom of the slot, move slowly forward while tilting more until you cut through, then continue to each corner.

The reason for scoring the short cuts with the TS is to give you a clean edge on those cuts. - It's a tricky job, but does a beautiful job wood with lots of character.  Even someone who knows nothing about woodworking will appreciate the job.

you don't think that 3/16" is small enought?
what about the blade on the ts 55,how thick is the blade?
on the other,i would not build an inset style cabinet like that.
i would build it ,rail and stile.
for the look you after,i would do a full overlay and cut the drawers face from the sheet so that the grain mathes.
and i would edge tape/vener all sides.

 

[woodshopdemos]

I wouldn't try any plunge cuts. Instead, I would just rip all the lengths and then all the heights...frame and drawers alike. On the frame, just push the pieces together for butt splices that probably not show the missing Kerf. Then use the drawer blanks and trim down to final size if Necessary and iron on veneer on all sides.

 

[johne]

If this is what you mean this is how i would cut it

Cut the verticals

cut the horizontals

cut the drawer fronts to size.

 

[poto]

Don't know if this is any help, but if you get the Thomas Moser catalog, look on page 57 (of the spring-summer 2008 catalog). There's a desk in the lower left-hand corner that has drawer fronts cut out the way you were envisioning. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how he did it. It's possible that it was done the way Johne suggested, but you sure can't see any saw marks on the verticals. I'll have to find a Moser store and look at the desk to try to figure it out.

The other approach might be a thin-kerf hand saw of some sort. Not sure how you'd start the cut, though.

 

[Tom Ryan]

I think what I would do is to change the design to a full-overlay (Euro-style) cabinet.  This would give a very clean look to the front, which I'd be going for if I wanted to do it all with one sheet of plywood with continuous grain all across.  Then the cutting becomes very simple, with no plunges, and you can tighten up the space between parts as much as you want.  Of course, it depends on what other cabinets these have to coexist with.

 

[Steveo48]

I can't imagine having the fronts of anything just out of plywood.  When they're pulled out you'll see all the different layers of the plywood.  Are you sure you don't want to wrap them with some solid wood or edge banding?  Or am I missing something?

I can see this done well using the TS 55 and wraping the exposed edge with veneer tape.

 

[Dane]

Great suggestions.  I think that I will take a crack a doing the plunge cut technique on a full sized mock up and if it goes well move on to the pricey stuff.  If that fails, sounds like the idea of going ahead and cutting through the rail and stile joints would be a good way to go.  You are right, it likely would not be noticeable in the final installation.  I will give it a go and post what I learn. 

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Michael Kellough]

Great suggestions.  I think that I will take a crack a doing the plunge cut technique on a full sized mock up and if it goes well move on to the pricey stuff.  If that fails, sounds like the idea of going ahead and cutting through the rail and stile joints would be a good way to go.  You are right, it likely would not be noticeable in the final installation.  I will give it a go and post what I learn. 

Thanks for all the help!

If you really want the grain to be continuous all across the whole area and want the plywood to be the face frame then I'd still go with the plunge cutting plan. But, if the figure of the wood is really distinct it might look too weird for the grain to run across either the rails or stiles instead of with their length.

I think I'd go with the suggestion to use a full overlay design and eliminate the fake face frame. It would also be 1/10th as difficult to cut out the parts.

 

[mastercabman]

dane,do you have,by any chance,a picture of what you are trying to do?
this might help us trying to help you.

 

[Cannuck]

I'm an architect, and I can't emphasize enough how important a reveal (narrow gap) is to a design - even to creating the illusion of a continuous grain.  If you look at any appliance, kitchen or piece of modern furniture coming out of Europe you will see how they artfully use the narrrow reveal (1/8" or less) to accentuate the form.

I've attached a couple of pictures, albeit not great ones, of walnut and wenge kitchens from Valcucine, a european kitchen designer.  They have oriented the grain horizontally, and the continuity is emphasized by that alone.  The reveals between the end panels, counter and each drawer are used to "pop" the drawer fronts, and in fact direct the user's eye to the drawer itself.  The key is to orient the grain consistently in the direction you want the eye to go, to maintain a consistent and reasonably small gap, and to maintain at least one continuous line at the same plane as the drawer fronts, such as a counter, or plinth.

You can see with the Wenge kitchen that they have used aluminum inlays to further accentuate the horizontality, however I'm more partial to the complete natural wood (walnut).  I have one of their kitchens in my own home, but I went with Cherry (for the warm tone), and hand-inlay.

I have a pretty discerning eye, and I can say that any gap 1/8" or under will not affect the overall effect, to the average (and above average) eye.

 

[mastercabman]

I'm an architect, and I can't emphasize enough how important a reveal (narrow gap) is to a design - even to creating the illusion of a continuous grain.  If you look at any appliance, kitchen or piece of modern furniture coming out of Europe you will see how they artfully use the narrrow reveal (1/8" or less) to accentuate the form.

I've attached a couple of pictures, albeit not great ones, of walnut and wenge kitchens from Valcucine, a european kitchen designer.  They have oriented the grain horizontally, and the continuity is emphasized by that alone.  The reveals between the end panels, counter and each drawer are used to "pop" the drawer fronts, and in fact direct the user's eye to the drawer itself.  The key is to orient the grain consistently in the direction you want the eye to go, to maintain a consistent and reasonably small gap, and to maintain at least one continuous line at the same plane as the drawer fronts, such as a counter, or plinth.

You can see with the Wenge kitchen that they have used aluminum inlays to further accentuate the horizontality, however I'm more partial to the complete natural wood (walnut).  I have one of their kitchens in my own home, but I went with Cherry (for the warm tone), and hand-inlay.

I have a pretty discerning eye, and I can say that any gap 1/8" or under will not affect the overall effect, to the average (and above average) eye.

those cabinets looks more like a framless type.full overlay.

 

[Dane]

I wish that I did have a picture.  i have seen it somewhere before and can't for the life of me remember where. 

I can see the sense in the full overlay approach that has been suggested, and I might end up there.  I think I will give the plunge cuts a try before, just to see how it goes.

 

[nickao]

Making a mock up out of cheaper ply does not hurt at all. It is the best way to do it. I have used cardboard in the past, but because you are going to try cutting techniques using actual ply will teach you a lot. Have fun and good luck!

Nickao

 

[woodshopdemos]

If this is what you mean this is how i would cut it

Cut the verticals

cut the horizontals

cut the drawer fronts to size.

yes

 

[Warrior]

Exactly, John. Only your pics are worth a million of my words. ;D