This easy and attractive way to hang cabinets involves a wooden cleat above and below the cabinet against the wall. These cleats are picked to complement the grain of the cabinet and shaped accordingly. They need not be thick or wide. I make three pieces, usually about 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. by 1-1/4 in. and as long as looks good. One piece is the template. Holes 1/8 in. in diameter are drilled through the template about 2 in. in from the ends to accommodate 1/8-in. brass rods.
Next I mark the top and bottom pieces and the template with a triangle for reference, then bore the two cleats about 3/4-in. deep. Next the template is clamped to the cabinet top and bottom and holes bored there. Make sure the template is in the exact position you want your cleats.
At this point cut your pins and try on the cleats. They should fit like a glove. For most of my small cabinets I use one #10 or #12 roundhead brass screw in the center of each cleat. I like this technique for drywall mounting because you can set the cabinet where you like and mark the screw holes. If there is no stud (is there ever?), you can use those little plastic screw shields that work incredibly well and come in all sizes. On large cabinets, more pins and screws will make it easier for you to sleep at night.
These cleats can be clean and straight and functional, or fun and frivolous. They can be shaped and sculpted to look like a natural extension of the cabinet top and bottom or can have other roles such as little shelves. Experiment.
Alan Miller, Brush, CO
If you recess the rear (back) of cabinet ¾ in, a 1x4 sawn in half at a 45 degree angle, one on the back of cabinet and the other on the wall, works much better and probably is stronger. This too is an old trick.
Have you heard of a biscuit joiner? Easier to find these days than a brass screw... And no template needed.
Thanks for the tip. I'm glad Fine Homebuilding has dedicated a portion of their efforts to keeping the craft alive and that some of these older tips are passed on to a younger generation of craftspeople. It was refreshing to see an idea from the past brought back. I may not use it, but it's fun to see.
marleyjune, I know we did a lot of things like the ancient Egyptians back then in the middle of the last century, but we had to make some kind of clever eye catchers to keep them from looking at all of that pink and green tile.
I like the description of the "...little plastic screw shields...", oh and by the way they, "... come in all sizes."
I hate to be negative but I must agree with marleyjune. More modern tips for younger woodworkers would seem to be more appropriate.
You can tell just how ridiculously ancient and outdated this "tip" is by noting not just the primitive 1960s line drawing illustration, but the use of a SLOTTED SCREW as a component. Time for FH to scrap these old, endlessly regurgitated "tips" for fresh material.