Build a wall of cabinets: three cabinets, one cutting diagram

Transcript

The spoken text of the video, per chapter.

Why three cabinets, not one0:00

You do not build a wall of cabinets as one big cabinet. You build it as three cabinets standing side by side that share the same settings. That is easier to cut, easier to lift, and it fits through your door.

The first cabinet0:14

We start with one cabinet: thirty six wide, eight feet tall, sixteen deep. This becomes the left cabinet of the wall.

Cabinet next to it0:24

At the top is the Cabinet next to it button. You only give the width; the height, the depth and all your settings are taken over from the previous cabinet, and the new one goes on its right. That keeps the wall consistent by itself.

The row miniature0:41

From two cabinets on you get the row miniature: a block per cabinet, to scale, with the letter and the width in it. Tap a block and you are editing that cabinet. The title always says which cabinet you have in hand.

Gap between cabinets0:54

Gap between cabinets says how much room sits between two cabinets. Zero means the side panels touch, which is what you want if the wall should read as one piece. An eighth of an inch gives you room to play against a wall that is not straight.

The whole wall in 3D1:10

In 3D you see the whole wall. The cabinet you are editing is in colour, the neighbours are dimmed. Tap a neighbour to switch to it. That way you see straight away whether the door layout works across the whole wall.

Apply settings to all cabinets1:25

If you changed something on one cabinet, here a plinth underneath, then Apply settings to all cabinets pushes it across the whole row in one go. That covers the material, the thickness, the construction and the finish, and a message tells you how many cabinets it went to.

Shelf between cabinets1:42

And then something that only exists in a row: a shelf between two cabinets. Make the middle cabinet lower, for a desk or a TV say, and a shelf fits over it from side panel to side panel. You choose the pair of cabinets and the height from the floor. Cutlistlab watches the range: if the shelf would run through a cabinet or stick out above an end cabinet, it tells you which heights do work.

One cutting diagram2:09

Over to the cutting diagram. All parts of all three cabinets are in it together, so you cut them from the same sheets in one go. That saves waste, because the offcut from cabinet A fills part of cabinet C by itself.

One order2:25

What do I need counts across the whole row too: the number of sheets, the feet of edge banding, the hinges and the shelf supports for all three cabinets together. That is your order, in one list.

Tip: start at the highest point2:39

A tip that saves a lot of grief: a floor is never level. Find the highest point along the wall and set the first cabinet there, with adjustable feet or shims under the others. Start at the lowest point and you will be cutting later.

Next video: cabinet under a sloping roof2:55

Three cabinets, the same settings, one cutting diagram and one order. In the next video we build a cabinet under a sloping roof. Open cutlistlab.com, pick Cabinet designer and click Cabinet next to it.