Is there a "Bible" on Built-ins

Danny · May 10, 2015

Wondering if anyone could suggest a great book on built-ins "how to". Not so much looking for a designer books for built-ins ideas but really looking for a book about the tricks of the trade when doing built-ins.

Thanks
Danny

Zacharytanner · May 10, 2015

If there is Honeydo Craig might know

benwheeler · May 11, 2015

Subscribed! This is extremely relevant to my current needs.

Locks14 · May 11, 2015

I'd also be very interested in this. I will be making a built in wardrobe and bookcase in the not to distant future. Whilst I have a fairly good idea of the basics, some clever hints and tips would certainly be great if there is some form of book out there on the subject.

Tinker · May 11, 2015

I just Googled "Built-in cabinets/DIY. The list is long.

I don't know how good any of the books/directions are. I'm not a carpenter or cabinet maker.

I have found, however, while watching TV DIY shows and reading some internet and book DIY sources about masonry projects, there are/is a lot of misinformation out there created by would be "experts." You just need to be choosey about your sources. If a source looks phony, it probably is.
Tinker

rvieceli · May 11, 2015

Taunton - the Fine homebuilding folks have a couple:

http://www.amazon.com/Built-Ins-Tauntons-Build-Like-Pro/dp/1561588733/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Trim-Carpentry-Built-Ins-Tauntons-Expert/dp/1561584789/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_z

My local Barnes and Noble usually has these and some others on hand. You might want to pop in a take a peek at a few.

rnt80 · May 11, 2015

Danny, I would say that if you're looking for a great resource, especially one that will give you some insight into the inner workings of this line of work, you should simply start asking questions. There is a wealth of information on this forum regarding the construction of built ins and there are quite a few people that post on a regular basis that would be willing to answer any questions you have. There is more than one way to skin a cat and I can tell you that the way I do built ins is a combination of things I've learned over the years from asking questions, working in a shop, seeing how others do things, making mistakes, etc.

Danny · May 11, 2015

The Build Like a Pro Built-ins book is the one I have been eyeing. Just wanted to see is someone could refer a specific book that was a known "must have" on built-ins. Finding a book on built-ins (or on any other topic for that matter) is not hard (just google), but finding a good one is not always obvious.

Thanks for the recommendations. Feel free to suggest any other book you may find particularly handy to have on build-ins.

Sparktrician · May 11, 2015

Another one I like is in the Build Like A Pro series from Taunton Press, "Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins" by Clayton DeKorne.

Linbro · May 11, 2015

If you have the time, read through this thread (it's long) - http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=breaktime_3&nav=messages&msg=1695.1&prettyurl=%2Fbreaktime%5F3%2Fmessages%2F%3Fmsg%3D1695%2E1&gid=2020459319

Lots of tips & tricks from a very experienced cabinet maker/joiner. Somewhere in there, there are some really nice hand drawn sketches showing cabinet construction. The photos and descriptions are fantastic, and it's well worth spending the time scrolling through it.
Lincoln.

benwheeler · May 11, 2015

Danny said:
The Build Like a Pro Built-ins book is the one I have been eyeing.

In going to buy this one tonight - only US$10 for a PDF download. I'll let you know what I think!

The consensus on Amazon reviews seems to be that it's good for techniques, and short on plans if that's what you're after.

gilhop · May 11, 2015

Zacharytanner said:
If there is Honeydo Craig might know

Craig used to teach a one day class on building built-ins. I attended one in Atlanta a few years ago. It was very informative & helpful.

Danny · May 12, 2015

Sparktrician said:
Another one I like is in the Build Like A Pro series from Taunton Press, "Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins" by Clayton DeKorne.

Thanks for the great reference A quick search on Taunton Store's website showed a few nice results for books and magazines on built-ins. Definitely looks like the right place for the information I'm looking for. Now I just have to decide which one(s) to buy!

Sparktrician · May 12, 2015

Danny said:
Sparktrician said:

Another one I like is in the Build Like A Pro series from Taunton Press, "Trim Carpentry and Built-Ins" by Clayton DeKorne.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the great reference A quick search on Taunton Store's website showed a few nice results for books and magazines on built-ins. Definitely looks like the right place for the information I'm looking for. Now I just have to decide which one(s) to buy!

The two books from Taunton complement each other, so you might want to spring for both.

Grasshopper · May 12, 2015

I will be following this thread closely. I too have been trying to see if there was a tutorial of sorts for the "Festool way" to build built ins. I own several of the taunton books, which seem to shed some light, but I'd still rather see ways seasoned Festool craftsmen use the "Festool System" to approach built-ins.

Along this vein, I owe Eric (Erock) a huge thank you for his cabinet build series. Watching the entire Festool System at work building kitchen cabinets start to finish was a game-changer for me.

Danny, I hope to see your questions as you approach this, and am hopeful to see shared best practices for built-ins

Russell, I have to say, I have been blown away by your built ins on your posts and your website. Seriously, top notch work. I hope to model this style in my personal built-ins this year.

rnt80 said:
Danny, I would say that if you're looking for a great resource, especially one that will give you some insight into the inner workings of this line of work, you simply start asking questions. There is a wealth of information on this forum regarding the construction of built ins and there are quite a few people that post on a regular basis that would be willing to answer any questions you have. There is more than one way to skin a cat and I can tell you that the way I do built ins is a combination of things I've learned over the years from asking questions, working in a shop, seeing how others do things, making mistakes, etc.

BPCFinishing · May 12, 2015

Personally for me, Eric's youtube series on cabinet making was a big help (search youtube under bigerock). It's not exactly built ins, but if you are new to the game, there are a ton of good tips that will apply. If you can do cabinets, you can do built ins. [cool]

benwheeler · May 13, 2015

I bought the "Build Like A Pro Built Ins" ebook. I've only skimmed it so far.. It does have a ton of useful information, but I would say that it mostly pertains to cabinets and shelves in general, rather than having much content specific to built-ins.

There are a few good articles on the Fine Woodworking website if you happen to be a member there.

However, I've also found a number of good PDF articles just by Googling. I'm looking for info about built-in bookshelves, so I've searched for "built-in bookshelf plans" and "built-in bookshelves PDF". There's a surprising amount of gold from publishers such as Popular Mechanics, Readers Digest etc.

jaguar36 · May 13, 2015

rvieceli said:
http://www.amazon.com/Built-Ins-Tauntons-Build-Like-Pro/dp/1561588733/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y

I'm starting a big Built-in project this summer so I figured I'd grab this book. Got it yesterday and flipped through it briefly. Its got alot of extremely basic stuff in it. Stuff like what plywood is, and what pocket screws are. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone who's got a bit of experience. It seems like Taunton just pulled in sections from alot of there prior publications. There is one chapter at the back that does seem to have some decent stuff on construction methods specifically for built-ins, but alot of the info is very generic, or even worse aimed at doing regular kitchen cabinets (which to be fair aren't that much different).

sancho57 · May 14, 2015

Paul Levine has a book on built ins. It was Paul's orgininal book on cabinet making that got me interested in frameless cabinets back in the 80s.

That book is unavailable now. I think you can still get his book on built ins.

Though I haven't read his book on built ins, His book on Caninet making was very well written and easy to follow with a extensive section on installation which I felt was very easy to understand and covered about any issue one while encounter while installing cabinets. It was written for the home owner who worked out of a home shop and was very complete.
So with that being said, if this book is the same quality of his last one, I would highly recommend it.

Yup here it is

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Levine-Cabinets-Built-Ins-Professional/dp/B002FTDQM8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431582947&sr=1-2&keywords=Paul+Levine+built+ins

rnt80 · May 15, 2015

Grasshopper said:
I will be following this thread closely. I too have been trying to see if there was a tutorial of sorts for the "Festool way" to build built ins. I own several of the taunton books, which seem to shed some light, but I'd still rather see ways seasoned Festool craftsmen use the "Festool System" to approach built-ins.

Along this vein, I owe Eric (Erock) a huge thank you for his cabinet build series. Watching the entire Festool System at work building kitchen cabinets start to finish was a game-changer for me.

Danny, I hope to see your questions as you approach this, and am hopeful to see shared best practices for built-ins

Russell, I have to say, I have been blown away by your built ins on your posts and your website. Seriously, top notch work. I hope to model this style in my personal built-ins this year.

rnt80 said:

Danny, I would say that if you're looking for a great resource, especially one that will give you some insight into the inner workings of this line of work, you simply start asking questions. There is a wealth of information on this forum regarding the construction of built ins and there are quite a few people that post on a regular basis that would be willing to answer any questions you have. There is more than one way to skin a cat and I can tell you that the way I do built ins is a combination of things I've learned over the years from asking questions, working in a shop, seeing how others do things, making mistakes, etc.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words. In my experience the Taunton books are typically a compilation of articles from their various publications, it's not new material. I would do some research online about different ways to do this kind of work. Find out what works best for you in terms of your set up, materials you'll be using, etc. and then start firing away questions on this forum or others that you belong to.

Is there a "Bible" on Built-ins

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