new to forum can you help

[diyselfbuild]

hi my name is Alex my OH has asked if i would build her a new kitchen as she can not find anything she like anywhere. we where quoted 18,000 for a local chipy to build her what she wants. she want the door and cabinets to match the timber she has chosen in pear for the door panels and oak for around the these panels. i have never tackled a project on this size before so my question is where do i start?
i know what sizes of cabinets and the layout of the kitchen

hope you can help!

[artme]

G'day Alex and welcome to the shed.

I am surprised that there would be a chippy within cooee of Lout!


I think your fstarting point should be to look ay your tools and machinery, incase you have to make some purchases.

Don't forget also that whatever tmber you use will have to acclimatised to your conditions.as Louth is much drier than where you will get your timber from.


PS Has the floodwater reached you yet?

[diyselfbuild]

we,re quite lucky as the floods don't reach as far as our house just the snow this year. the snow made our roof cave in.

[artme]

Well keep an eye out for that bloody great ice berg making its way south!!!

[bab600]

Just for my interest and of course if it comes up in a trivia question where is Louth?
I,m assuming Qld some where?

Thanks Brian

[springwater]

Just for my interest and of course if it comes up in a trivia question where is Louth?
I,m assuming Qld some where?

Thanks Brian

I think it's in Thoutheast Athia

[ian]

Just for my interest and of course if it comes up in a trivia question where is Louth?
I,m assuming Qld some where?

Thanks Brian

The Louth I know of ois on teh Darling River about halfway between Willcannia (where I spent an enjoyable fortnight 30 years ago) and Bourke, which so far I have not visited -- though I have been to more remote places in NSW.

[ian]

hi my name is Alex my OH has asked if i would build her a new kitchen as she can not find anything she like anywhere. we where quoted 18,000 for a local chipy to build her what she wants. she want the door and cabinets to match the timber she has chosen in pear for the door panels and oak for around the these panels. i have never tackled a project on this size before so my question is where do i start?
i know what sizes of cabinets and the layout of the kitchen

hope you can help!

the first question is -- what tools do you have? and what is your tool acquisition budget?

the second question is -- have you ever looked really really closely at a kitchen?
a modern kitchen is basicly a series of MDF or chipboard boxes, held together with screws, veneered in plastic or wood (plastic is easier to keep clean), with nice looking doors, and a work surface. After the profit margin, most of the cost of a kitchen is in the fittings that go inside the boxes -- the drawer runners, shelving units, handles, etc -- the stuff that holds the boxes together and keeps the whole lot level, and the doors and scribing pieces -- which go between the last box and the wall.

There are companies in each of the major capital cities which specialise in making the MDF or Chipboard boxes which you can screw together yourself -- make sure you order boxes made of moisture resistant material. Last time I enquired, these suppliers could deliver the boxes to my door for less that it would cost me to but the raw material.

you may need to make some jigs to keep each box square as you screw it together.

depending on what the box maker supplies, the hard part will be fitting the drawer runners and other stuff and making the doors.

if the doors are to be pear with oak frames, you will need to face the cabinets with oak strips -- apply the stips over width and trim to exact size with a router and chisel plane (for the corners)
what profile does the OH want on the doors? idealy you'll use pear veneered ply or MDF -- sorry can't help with a supplier -- in morticed and tenon frames.
Do do this you need the tools to make acturately dimensioned rails and styles, plus a means of making the mortices and tenons.

don't forget to locate all plumbing and electrical before installing the boxes

[diyselfbuild]

Just for my interest and of course if it comes up in a trivia question where is Louth?
I,m assuming Qld some where?

Thanks Brian

The Louth where I live is an hour form Lincoln in Lincolnshire in the UK

to also answer the question about the tools i have
1x 225mm (10") table saw
1x piller Drill
set chisels
65mm (2 1/2") circular saw
1 rater
and a few hand tool
I'm quite happy to spend what ever is needed to buy all the tools required to do the job as i have to build 4 lots of built-in wardrobes beds and a dinning table as well. if anyone can let me know what sort of tool willbe required to do the job i would be greatful.

the reason i want to build the whole kitchen is due to the face the MDF and chipboard Cabinet tend to fall apart very quickly i want to build a kitchen that will last a lifetime.

[ian]

If you want you could spend nearly 18,000 GBP tooling up to make the kitchen, wardrobes, beds and dining table.

but to be serious, moisture resistant MDF and chipboard shouldn't fall apart "quickly" and you should be able to get the basic boxes as flat packs ready for you to assemble and face with the timbers the OH favours

However, if you're determined on solid timber, I think you have two basic choices
1) stick with the standard box construction -- which has disadvantages in terms of controlling cupping and the like and the need to get components absolutely square, but can be built off site and assembled very quickly
or
2) adopt a ladder frame design within which you'll place "Blum" type pre-made drawers -- which probably means you have to build the kitchen on site.

The doors and drawer fronts will be problematic either way and it might be best to pay to have them made. Alternatively invest in a Festool Domino and have fun


BTW what's a "rater"