I m going to run up some kitchen cabs, face frame
melamine. Am I better off with the 5/8 or 3/4
thickness?
I m going to run up some kitchen cabs, face frame
melamine. Am I better off with the 5/8 or 3/4
thickness?
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Replies
Whats with the vagueries around here lately?
The melamine is for the boxes? Or the faceframes themselves?
While I wouldn't use melamine for either, 5/8" would suffice for the boxes....but I'd probably go with 3/4" for the faceframes. (Although I can't imagine when I'd make faceframes out of melamine.)
Oh how they pound, raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale, telling their tale,
Gaily they ring while people sing
songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
Sorry. Boxes. I cannot think when Id use melamine for
the faces. I d like to use the 5/8th as it is lighter
and was wondering if their was any real advantage
in the thicker 3/4 stuff.
5/8" should do the trick.....you might want to consider a solid ply box for the sink base and any others that might see moisture.
Good luck!
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
Have you built many melamine boxes?
"Many" is a relative term. I've built a "fair" (much more precise, no?) number when trying to match existing.
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
I've done thousands and would not use 5/8". It makes for much more flimsy cabinets. I suppose if I were manufacturing them by the truckload and shipping them interstate I might think differently. 3/4" makes a much better product.
I won't argue with you....you've certainly done more than I. I prefer solid plywood as it is. Perhaps that preference wouldn't be so great were I to use 3/4" melamine more often.
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
5/8" gables are either cheek to cheek or covered with a facing panel at the ends. Thats minimum 1 1/4" vertical thickness. I use 1/2" for backs and do without hanger rails. Shelves over 18" or so are 3/4". Solid tops under the counter and bottom support from a seperate kick platform. They are literally strong enough to dance on and a bit lighter than 3/4" boxes.
Not disagreeing with any of your points, but I doubt I could have sold 5/8" to any of the contractors that were my customers. By the same token I don't use 7/16" for roof decking although code would allow it.
I do custom residential and very occasional commercial jobs and have the luxury of building as I see fit. I don't see any strength or durability advantages to using 3/4", particularly on uppers, so avoid using it.My back appreciates that at the end of the day.
There has always been a rule of thumb that residential cabinets are 5/8, commercial are 3/4 (because they are always specced that way if using the AWMAC/AWI quality standards....only 3/4 allowed for commercial), but a lot of shops, if they do both, will use 3/4 for both so they don't have to change setups on machines, or stock two thicknesses of materials. In the very small shop where production isn't the main driver, you could use either. 5/8 is plenty meaty enough for residential cabinets, and if you're low-tech, a solid 1/2" back is worth thinking about if you can cut square pieces, especially if you use 1/2" melamine drawer boxes (which fewer pepole are doing now).Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
3/4" and order em from Cab parts...Can't build em for what they get..
Bud
Well, 3/4" weighs around 100lbs and 5/8" weighs about 83lbs. Not really that much difference once the full sheets are cut in half. the difference in sheet cost is about $1-$2
3/4" is alot easier to screw and nail through than 5/8". I'd vote for 3/4" and only buy double sided. You will get better yield because all the off cuts from sides and top/bottoms can be used for shelves and drawers
Another place for out sourcing is Cabinets Quick! in Orange, Calif. They ship, too. Get them bored for slides, shelves and drawers and you kiss the face frame time/material goodbye
Onder,
Used to build a lot of these. I prefer 3/4" because there's just more meat to fasten through. Especially through dado grooves. I would use 1/4" melamine for the backs, and this is where the 3/4" comes in handy. I'd also use a solid pine or oak hanging cleat, finished clear. You can choose whatever you want, of course. Are these frameless, or face frame cabinets?
Chris M