The last 3 yrs I worked for a condo builder(I know I know it’s a long ways away from the custom remodeling and building I have done for the rest of my 16 yr career but it pays the bills ya know?) and we had a cabinet option consisting of 2 7′ pantries enclosing 4 36″ wall cabs. The 2 on the floor you made a faux toekick for and the upper 2 ganged inside the pantries. The problem: starting with the first pantry in a corner and insuring plumb and level, you then gang the 1st W36 to it (I use 3 6″ jorgensen clamps to mate it “perfectly” to the pantry and pre-drill and gang faceframes before fixing to framing in the wall. (I would leave a tight clamp at the top of the face frame before moving on to the next W36) Almost 100% of the time a good tight joint at the top of the face frame would be pulled apart by the time I was finished installing the 2nd pantry; what gives? Junk cabinets? Rookie/hack carpenter? (I did notice that sometimes my clamps would break the stile joints on the cabinets)
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
A standardized approach, quick-to-install hardware, and a simplified design make building custom casework cost-effective.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Combination of bad cabs ( maybe) and poor preshimming prior to setting the final location. Sounds like you are racking them to hard.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
poor pre shimming? cabs are "perfect"prior to setting stud screws
Are props in order?
Oh and separating doesn't happen until clamps are taken off and final gang to the other pantry is complete
It still sounds like something is out of square or racked, if you have to force them together, and the clamps come off, it racks back..and POOF! something gives.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
He should hang out with Calvin or some other BT'er in Ohio, and install cabs for a day.
He should hang out with...........
What's it like working with someone?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Hi Calvin,Nothin' like bein' volunteered for duty. I didn't know where to start with advice on this one...seems like a day with an experienced hand might be the ticket. So many details in a good cabinet install, so I just punted.Bass
Yeah man, I don't know where this fellow lives but if in fact it's in or around the glass city............
there's not enough boon to be helping the competition too much.
Across the state-sure.
In the back yard? Tough question.
As an aside. Kraftmade and I are having a quality control issue. Been building over several years. Got a call from the "apologetic" rep. Pleading that I don't nix Kraftmade from my list of possibilities. Money talks, bull #### walks pal.
One more try if it comes up. This order goes across his desk. Had him asssure me (yeah right) that come pack up time-he'll take a trip down to the area and "inspect".
How can human beings put this #### in a box w/o seeing obvious defects?
AND, this will tell the tale-asked him to put me in good seats in a ballgame in Cleveland. We'll see. More than likely he's a displaced bogus Texan-all hat-no cattle.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
My experience with KraftMaid was good unless something was wrong...they often took several tries to fix something. I hated the loose ends and delays on some of those jobs.Also seemed like they took "drop-shipped" literally--damaged goods.
exactly. You bid or charge the job out according to "problems" with the site-not cab. goof ups or 4 tries to deliver one door that had a ding.
or leaving out the mirror door hardware on a vanity cabinet.....
or missing one cabinet on the delivery...........
or...........A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
They usually did fine on a simple kitchen...as soon as anything was out of the ordinary...watch out.Color consistency on glazed products was trouble too.
Very typical of face frame cabinetry.
As you slide down the $ scale it gets worse but it is not the only cause.
That's why custom would do a single or just two carcases.
[email protected]
Oh, and how are you joining them?
[email protected]
2" dw screws after pre-drilling with a tapered bit(with beeswax for lube)
Ok for the front of the cabs (although drywall screws are a technical foul)
How are you securing the backs of the sides together? You screwed the stiles to one another and then........?[email protected]
2" piffin screws?
How wide are the stiles? 2" may not have enough thread to hold.
stiles are 1 1/2 and like I said I break about every 3rd stile joint I clamp
I must be a rookie ..... piffin screws?
Drywall screws are fro drywall, NOT for cabinets. You have your choice of wood screws, structural screws, deck screws, or cabinet screws, but drywall screws are too brittle to be used for cabinets. They can and will snap off in hardwood.Liek the others, I think your main problem sounds typical of low end cabinets that were never built perfectly square and true to begin with
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
DW screws being the tech foul needs some explanation but if needed 1 5/8" connecting the backs of the carcasses prior to wall screws
You shimming in there?
Piffin screws.............oh where to begin?
Drywall scews are.........just that! Drywall screws. There are better alternatives. GRK for one. Google it.
Ralph, who else makes screws for cabs. Fastcap?[email protected]
Drywall screws scream "dumbass." you are installing cabinets not drywall. I use 2 1/2" GRK trim screws w/reverse thread in the face frame and 1/2" (this is a give or take number) blocking between the boxes in the back. make sure you have a true plane at your face frame. then shim and screw the boxes to your wall making sure not to over tighten. use a cabinet screw either provided by the cabinet manufacture or GRK makes one also. A work to the wise. Drywall screws have no sheer value. cabinet screws do. The Jorgies are a great place to start. I do commend you on that choice. additionally, you may need to invest in additional clamps and not take the clamps off until you are finished with your install of that wall.
McFeeley's is another source of cabinet screws. I use the #10x3" to
attach to the wall. (I did use the GRK trim head screws to fasten the
cabinets together at the face frames, however.)
<!---->
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/1030-PSA/Almond-Cabinet-Hanger-Screws
<!---->
I have a pair of the "Cabinet Claw Clamps" and they worked very well.
<!---->
View Image
<!---->
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/JCC-8500/Jorgensen-Pony-Cabinet-Claws<!----><!----><!----><!---->
Check the walls for flat and square. Sounds like a racking problem to me.
If your first tall cabinet isn't set square to the back wall then as you move down the line and fasten the other units to the wall you will be fighting the out of squareness of things.
Just a thought.