Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Building a set of kitchen cabinets is a project that requires woodworking skills. Building kitchen cabinets is the ultimate test of a finish carpenter's skill. The cabinet builder should be well versed in taking and relaying accurate measurements, in the operation of shop tools, such as the table saw
, router and using a circular saw, both freehand and with a guide.

The design of kitchen cabinets depend on the hinges used. The old style kitchen cabinets, with a face frame, used the classic Amerock hinges mounted on the face frame. Some hinges inset into the cabinet door
giving a 3/8" thick overlap, others allowed the full thickness of the kitchen cabinet doors to overlap the frame. The concealed pin hinges were popular for awhile, making the cabinet doors flush with the frame. The doors were held shut with spring and roller catches. Finally, the magnetic catch emerged. Hinge design further evolved into a self-closing style, including artistic shapes and colors that forced everyone to re-do their kitchen cabinets. Our globe got smaller and European hinges came onto the marketplace. The design of these hinges revolutionized the kitchen cabinet industry. Frameless European kitchen cabinets were born. Cabinet doors could be easily adjusted three ways, drawers rolled easily on steel drawer slides, and there was no face frame to contend with.

The kitchen cabinet style today relies on the design and shape of the cabinet doors themselves rather than the framing of the doors and fancy hinges. Most doors were rather plain, one piece, made from solid core plywood instead of the veneer and multicore ply we have today. Their hinges were visible adding to the decor and ambiance. Today we see no hinges from the outside, no face frame, just the kitchen cabinet doors overlapping the sides of the modules they come in. Mass production has come to the kitchen cabinet industry. You can buy a set of kitchen cabinets in a box and assemble them yourself. In the old days carpenters used to come into a home and build the kitchen cabinets in place. Now a millwork shop will send out an estimator, measure your kitchen and design the cabinets to fit. They are still in modules, but fit your particular space, taste and budget.