Kitchen Renovation and Cabinet build

[Vindingo]

This renovation project has been keeping me busy for the last few weeks and I finally got to cut some wood for cabinets today. 

My parents moved into this house two years ago. I painted the tired looking cabinets from the 50's, added new pulls and hinges, and threw some tile down on the pepto pink laminate countertop.  It was a temporary fix with the intentions of doing this remodel now.  They wanted new windows, and to cathedral the ceiling in the family room, but the 2x4 truss roof made that impossible.

Family room: Rip off the roof, raise plate height, build new roof with dormer, new collar ties, install bigger windows and sliding door. 

Kitchen and breakfast nook, Rip off everything out, build new roof over old roof, rip off old roof from inside, cathedral ceiling, install windows, sliding doors, build new cabinets and concrete countertops

Family room:
Plate height on this side stayed the same, dormer with 3 windows added

Raised plate height to allow for transoms over windows and sliding door.  Staining poplar timber collar ties

   

Kitchen before:

breakfast nook area

The old roof leaked and had structural issues.  New Roof, high ceiling

windows where the sink used to live

sliding doors in breakfast nook

space for built in pantry and cabinets

 

[Vindingo]

On to the cabinets....

My shop- lovingly known as "the barn"  built in the 1780's

no table saw!

the parallel guides really do work.  They were set to the depth of my boxes

I cut rabbets on each 8' panel.  I was able to get the top, bottom and both sides out of each 8' piece ensuring they were exactly the same depth.  
The dust from the router was horrible, I think I may have been spoiled by my other Festools

nothing duct tape can't fix... this is from my Bosch router and it actually worked!

Cross cuts with makeshift boomarm

tight

square crazy?

Ripping thin strips of 1/8" solid edge banding (notice the stickers to raise up thin materials)

By far the most stressful part of the day- figuring out how I'm going to stain/finish the doors.  They are rift cut white oak.  
Behlens solar lux jet black, General Finishes Ebony, Blick India ink,  General Finishes Satin Enduro-Var
I'm not sure which I am happy with...

 

[kfitzsimons]

Wow. Great project. Nice simple shop set up. Shows the work can be done without a table saw. Curse of router dust is terrible.

 

[benwhaley80]

Very nice !

 

[greenMonster]

How well do you like that "boom arm" setup? I may steal it

What's the reason the dust port on the ts55 swivels all around anyhow, I always find it pointing down ONTO the track which I find extremely annoying.
*scratches head, I guess it's good for when you're not using a DC...hahaha (just comes to the realization as I'm in the midst of writing this)

 

[BarBuilder]

Nice work so far though I still don't see how a lot of you guys live without a tablesaw unless you do nothing other than frameless cabs with slab doors.
FWIW I vote for the dark ebony finish on the left side of the second pic up from the bottom.

 

[Vindingo]

How well do you like that "boom arm" setup? I may steal it

What's the reason the dust port on the ts55 swivels all around anyhow, I always find it pointing down ONTO the track which I find extremely annoying.
*scratches head, I guess it's good for when you're not using a DC...hahaha (just comes to the realization as I'm in the midst of writing this)

The set up works well considering it consists of scrap wood and 6"off the top of a broom stick.  It is 100X better than the rail deflector.  The real boom arm doesn't fit on the mini unfortunately, so I have to deal with the hose and cord when not cutting on the MFT.  

Nice work so far though I still don't see how a lot of you guys live without a tablesaw unless you do nothing other than frameless cabs with slab doors.
FWIW I vote for the dark ebony finish on the left side of the second pic up from the bottom.

Thanks.  I would still use a table saw if I had the space, and could cough up the dough for a Sawstop.  You can do almost anything a table saw can do, albeit a good amount slower.  So far, this set up has done everything I have needed it to.  

I ended up going with that finish (left side second pic up), which happens to be Blick India ink.  The other stains had too much of a purple hue that I didn't really like.  

The door/drawer pulls came in today.  Inset in the solid edgebanding:

 

[BarBuilder]

Super sleek hardware choice!!! Very nice complement to the Black India ink finish. I like it a lot and look forward to seeing the end product installed - keep the pictures coming.

 

[alfa]

Vindingo -
Did you veneer the plywood yourself? If so, how?
For the cabinet faces, what was your finish schedule?
Thanks!

Alfa

 

[kelauben]

I'm really liking the choice for the stain as well. Did I see it correctly that this is being applied to white oak?  I'm trying to do something like this on red oak.

How are you applying it it?  Looks like it might be wiped on.

I am trying an acetone mixture that I wipe on but keep getting small pools of material on the surface that required constant wiping for about 30 minutes else they dried and produced a polka dot pattern on the surfaces. This appears to be happening when the material is being pushed up from the pores in the wood as its drying. 

I've been told I may have to shoot the material so that it dries quicker.

Any advice on what you did to get such a consistent black look would be great.

Thx

Karl

 

[Vindingo]

Vindingo -
Did you veneer the plywood yourself? If so, how?
For the cabinet faces, what was your finish schedule?
Thanks!

Alfa

I did not veneer the plywood.  I am using prefinished maple for the boxes and purchased the rift cut oak on MDF for the doors.  It ended up being cheaper to purchase it already veneered.  I have made plywood (MDF core) with a vacuum kit from http://www.joewoodworker.com/  and veneers from his materials website.  He goes into pretty good detail on how to go about it, but would be happy to get into more detail if you wish.  It wasn't cost or time effective for this project.

Finish - 180, wet, 220, india ink, 3-4 coats satin enduro-var.  For the edge banding on the boxes 180, wet, 180, india ink, paste wax  

I'm really liking the choice for the stain as well. Did I see it correctly that this is being applied to white oak?  I'm trying to do something like this on red oak.

How are you applying it it?  Looks like it might be wiped on.

Karl

Hi Karl,

It is white oak, and this is the exact product being used:

I first wiped (with paper towel) across the grain to fill the pores, then with the grain.  I used a paper towel because it was the closest thing to me.  I had no problems with pooling at all.  Did you raise the grain before applying the dye?  If you raise the grain, or lightly dampen the surface, the wood might take the stain more evenly.  

Edit: I just remembered finishing a red oak countertop with Waterlox.  I would wipe it down and when I came back 30 min later there were all these little pools coming out of the grain.  I think it has to do with the grain structure of red oak.  I don't know if grain raising or dampening pre-dye will work.  I think white oak is a different animal when it comes to stuff like that. 

 

[Vindingo]

I always forget how long things take... edge banding, subsequent frog taping, and dying is taking way to long. 

My drunken nosy neighbor came over this evening.  He let me know that the black on white oak is ugly and I that should use "Minwax golden oak". 

He was also surprised that I could build cabinets with such "bull$it tools"...   

"excuse me?  I guess you don't know what that is?" (MFT, parallel guides &TS55)

"yea, its a circular saw"

"yup...I'm trying to make due with what I've got"

I didn't even waste my time showing them how they work, for fear that he would want to borrow them! 

 

[gkeas]

I always forget how long things take... edge banding, subsequent frog taping, and dying is taking way to long. 

My drunken nosy neighbor came over this evening.  He let me know that the black on white oak is ugly and I that should use "Minwax golden oak". 

He was also surprised that I could build cabinets with such "bull$it tools"...   

"excuse me?  I guess you don't know what that is?" (MFT, parallel guides &TS55)

"yea, its a circular saw"

"yup...I'm trying to make due with what I've got"

I didn't even waste my time showing them how they work, for fear that he would want to borrow them! 

That is FUNNY!

 

[BarBuilder]

Your neighbor sounds like my brother in law. He thinks I'm an idiot for spending money on these "overpriced" and "overhyped" german tools. He really has an issue with me buying a $500 shop-vac (those are his words for the CT26). Keep in mind he's a "pro" contractor and does this stuff every day for a living!!! Some people just don't get it. He's never tried the tools but is passing judgement anyways. Believe me I am not listening to him either as I've seen his work and if you ask me it is a bit hackish. Just ignore your dumba$$ neighbor - I'll bet his Minwax golden oak cabinets looked great back in 1983.

 

[sancho57]

I always forget how long things take... edge banding, subsequent frog taping, and dying is taking way to long. 

My drunken nosy neighbor came over this evening.  He let me know that the black on white oak is ugly and I that should use "Minwax golden oak". 

He was also surprised that I could build cabinets with such "bull$it tools"...   

"excuse me?  I guess you don't know what that is?" (MFT, parallel guides &TS55)

"yea, its a circular saw"

"yup...I'm trying to make due with what I've got"

I didn't even waste my time showing them how they work, for fear that he would want to borrow them! 

That is FUNNY!

Your a man after my own heart.

 

[Erik63]

I love the high ceilings you have in that room now with the collar ties. How is the stone fireplace going to be finished?

Looks like a great project.

 

[Vindingo]

I love the high ceilings you have in that room now with the collar ties. How is the stone fireplace going to be finished?

Looks like a great project.

Thanks, it has been getting a bit stressful with Christmas fast approaching...

For the fireplace I am going to try to pull off this look

I'm not 100% sure on "how to" yet, but I have been doing a bunch of research.  Any advice is welcome...

 

[Vindingo]

It has been a busy week, not much progress on the cabinets because there are 1000 other things to tie up.

lots of sheetrock, spackle, and a bit of trim

Thin trim

Cedar soffit material, windows from outside

Kitchen floor was poured yesterday.  It should be polished by the end of the week and I can start installing boxes

boxes piling up in the shop

For Christmas I would like 3 more hands and no need for sleep. 

 

[Wonderwino]

Looks great so far Vin!  Your drunken neighbor cracks me up.  Sounds like a clone of Norm on Cheers. 

 

[Steve R]

Looks great so far Vin!  Your drunken neighbor cracks me up.  Sounds like a clone of Norm on Cheers. 

Hey that is insult to Norm.... he was not the dumb.  [big grin]

Cheers,
Steve