32mm Cabinetmaking

The 32mm system is a method of designing/building cabinets using 32mm increments to

size and index cabinet components. The 32mm system aspect of any cabinetmaking
system (framed or frameless) is anything (holes, components, etc.) that is consistently
sized in 32mm increments and/or located some multiple of 32mm apart.

Using 32mm increments is a constraint, the more you incorporate it into your
cabinetmaking system, the less flexible (certain aspects) and more efficient your system
will be. The goal of this site is to provide options, to present all the possible ways that
the 32mm system can used to build cabinets. While any use of 32mm increments needs
to be consistent to be efficient, using the 32mm system is not an all or nothing
proposition.

Parent Categories:
Basics - system basics
Drawers - drawer registration
Panels - panel basics
Styles - cabinet design
Systems - 32mm systems
Tools - cutting boring and banding

What all modular 32mm systems have in common

 System holes are 32mm apart and 5mm in diameter (hardware for 3mm system
holes is limited).
 There are at least two vertical rows (full or partial) of system holes that are some
multiple of 32mm apart.
 The front system row is 37mm from the front of the panel (overlay faces).
 All system hardware, e.g. drawer slides and hinge mounting plates, is mounted to
system holes.
 Door and drawer faces are some multiple of 32mm (32m) tall minus the desired
gap (g) between the faces.
 Face edges (plus 1/2 gap) center on (system registration), or between (shifted
registration), system holes.
 The system provides a consistent relationship between the faces and cabinet sides
via the hardware:
 Hinge cups are all an equal distance from the top and bottom of the door (32m +/-
16 - 1/2 gap).
 Drawer face mounting hardware is all an equal distance from the bottom (32m -
'1/2g+BO') and/or top of the drawer faces.
What happens outside of the top and bottom centerlines, or behind the back system row,
doesn't really matter. I have used the word "modular" to differentiate the above from
systems that do not provide a consistent relationship between faces and system
Basics
32mm System Basics
The 32mm system is a method of indexing cabinet components. All cabinet componets
are sized in 32mm increments and located some multiple of 32mm apart. This article
covers the basics - System Holes, Indexing, Construction Holes, Boxes and Shared
Panels and Cabinet Styles... more
[ page | comments (4) - Tuesday, 14-Jan-2020 | top ]

32mm Increments
All 32mm system components are located multiples of 32mm apart and sized in
increments of 32mm. More often than not, increments are a multiple of 32mm plus or
minus a constant (32m +/-). The constant provides needed/desired clearances between
components.

Following are a number of example increment tables and formulas. Inch equivalents are
rounded to the closest 1/16". Divisibles (/d) are handy when you want to divide a space
equally.... more
[ page | top ]

System Row Start Holes

Side panel system row start hole distances determine how door and drawer faces register
to the side panels and how much reveal is at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The
table lists the minimum (practical) start hole distances, actual start hole distances can be
increased to the minimum needed to mount the hardware being used (+32m). Fully
balanced systems have balanced start holes (most are based on panel thickness - PT)
and equal top/bottom/side reveals. The table reveals are based on a 3mm gap between
door and drawer faces.

Fully Balanced Modular

Styles PT sys reg starts shift reg starts all reveals

full overlay any 32 16 1.5

half overlay 19 (16) 9.5 (8) 25.5 (24) 11 (9.5)

railed inset 19 (16) 9.5 (8) 25.5 (24) 22 (20.5)

full inset 19 (16) 20.5 (19) 4.5 (3) 22 (20.5)

Balanced Start Holes

Overlay sys reg starts shift reg starts reveal t / b reveal side
 KISS II 35 (19) 4.5 1.5

Unbalanced Start Holes

Full Overlay sys reg t / b shift reg t / b reveal t / b reveal side

modular 33.5 / 30.5 17.5 / 14.5 3/0 1.5

Process 32 (8.5) / (30.5) 24.5 / 14.5 10 / 0 1.5

[ comment | link | top ]

True32 Ten Commandments

The True32.com system is a design specific application of the 32mm system. True32
cabinets have full overlay faces and the boxes are designed to be stackable. Because of
this, their basic rules (ten commandments) are a bit more specific. Following are my
comments on how those rules relate to 32mm basics... more
[ page | comments (7) - Friday, 08-Jan-2016 | top ]

European vs. Face-frame

I had tossed this because its not original and I have no experience with traditional face-
frame cabinet construction. Since there were folks looking for the page (via Google) the
day after I tossed it, I've decided to leave it... more

European vs. Face-frame

I had tossed this because its not original and I have no experience with traditional face-
frame cabinet construction. Since there were folks looking for the page (via Google) the
day after I tossed it, I've decided to leave it.

The information on this page is quoted from the 1996 Hettich Corporation catalog. I have
added my thoughts at the bottom.

General
Why should I change my method of making cabinets which has been around for
years ?

A systemized approach to cabinet making will reduce your dependence on skilled

labor, reduce your total labor to at least half of what it is now and allow you to
make a consistently better product. and a higher profit margin.

My customers expect certain designs from me. What will I do if they don't
accept European cabinets ?
European style cabinets have no front frame. That is the only difference. In Europe
they sell lots of wood cabinets, none have a face frame. You can still offer all types
of cabinetry.
How is this ? I thought European cabinets all have that clinical contemporary
look.
This is simply not true. The customer only looks at the cabinet front. Behind the
front is always a rectangular box. The front may be what the customer wants, that
is any style.

I can therefor create a traditional looking cabinet by attaching the appropriate

drawer front, door front or moulding ?
Yes, this is so and you have the advantage to use a standard cabinet and simply
vary the fronts.

Changes to your production method.

What do I need to change to this new production method ?

A. You need the ability to cut particle board panels which become your cabinet
components accurately and splinter free.
B. You need drilling equipment so that you can drill the system 32 hole pattern
and also your construction holes.

These are very close tolerances for woodworking, what happens when I am
off ?
Remember you are working with 5/8" or 3/4" particle board or MDF. This material
can be accurately cut with modern panel saws. If you are off in your cutting sizes
your cabinet becomes shoddy and there comes a point where it will not go
together.

How accurate do I need to be ?

You need to cut your cabinets components to a tolerance of ±1/64".

What do you mean exactly ?

European cabinets are doweled together. Alternatively I can use a KD fitting or a
combination of both. Since your location of holes for the above is indexed on the
edge of the material cut, your holes will not line up if your cutting sizes are off.

Why should I then use the above connection methods rather than dado
construction ?
Dowel and KD construction is far superior in strength, and will therefore give a
sturdy cabinet. Less material is used ' since top and bottom shelves are only as
long as the internal width. The treatment of the edge is far simpler, since all
components are butt joints. And finally, which is most important in its
consequence. I have a completely finished cabinet component, which I can
assemble only once it is ready for delivery or even ship knocked down and
assembled at a point which is closer to the job site or point of sale.
This method of construction means a lots of changes for me and my staff.
Where can I get more information ?
There are of course proven methods which should be employed. Methods which
deal with the correct use of drilling equipment and also appropriate drilling pattern
for each and every specific cabinet line.

My two cents worth

I dropped the last question about obtaining more information as this is what I hope to
provide in my pages. If you are a shop you can call Hettich for more information on their
products and services (in the US 770-887-3733).

One thing I find contradictory here is that accuracy (± 1/64") is required yet it "will
reduce your dependence on skilled labor". Accuracy is especially important in a system
where there is a large chain of cuts/boring that could easily compound into trouble. The
most common is the relationship between the side panel system holes and the drawer
front. I think accuracy and skilled labor are a must, in any 32mm system, unless you are
a large shop using things like CNC point to point machines.
Drawers
Drawer layout is dependent on panel design. Panel top and bottom reveals, slide offset,
minimum slide clearances and face indexing all affect layout.

Drawer faces are always a multiple of 32mm tall, less gap/reveal. Drawer faces can
be indexed with their top and bottom edges (before reveal is subtracted) centered on
("System"), or between ("Shifted"), system holes.

Face Registration

Drawer front registration is very

similar to door registration. Like door hinges and mounting plates, drawer front adjusters
and mounting screws/holes can be some multiple of 32mm apart, an equal distance from
the top/bottom/edges of the (sub)face, and can be adjusted up/down and side to side.

Accurate drawer face registration can be accomplished with adjustable metal drawer slide
mounting brackets, adjustable drawer front mounts (20mm press fit, kolbe korner,
oversized hole/screw head, etc.), or adjustable drawer slides (no subface or mount
adjustment required).

Consistent drawer face registration requires that the drawer slides be located some
multiple of 32mm apart and that the drawer faces are some multiple of 32mm tall, less
the desired gap between faces. Drawer box sides also need to be sized in 32mm
increments if you need/want to use the top of the drawer face/box as a reference point
(e.g. Plus 32).

The example (center indexed half overlay) uses 20mm press fit adjusters that default to
center, but allow the face to be moved 2mm in any direction (side pressure bends/breaks
the centering pins). Making cabinets in 32mm increment widths allows all adjuster holes
to be drilled a multiple of 32mm apart and the same distance from the edges of all
faces/sub-faces (e.g. 62.5/33.5). All drawers need a common drawer face reveal (FR,
e.g. 24) to allow drilling the holes an equal distance from the top and/or bottom of the
drawer (e.g. 78.5/54.5).
[ comment | link | top ]

Indexing Wood Drawer Boxes

Balanced drawer boxes, like balanced panels, keep things simple. The following is a
simplified version of the old How Wood Drawers Utilize System Holes article. Note: While
the basic principles apply to all drawers, this is a fairly half-overlay/inset-flush centric
article... more
[ page | comments (4) - Friday, 17-Aug-2012 | top ]

Half Overlay Center Indexed

Half-overlay and flush-inset drawers work quite well with true center
registration. All drawers have the same top and bottom drawer box face reveal. The one
potential issue is that undermount (37 BC ... and Tandembox, 33 BC) drawer layouts
work much better with shifted system holes and bottom mount (typ. < 22 BC) layouts
work much better when face edges fall on system holes. Note that center indexing
bottom mount boxes only works with applied bottom drawer boxes. Side mount slides
work either way.

The only difference between the half-overlay and railed inset flush layouts
are that the system rows are moved back the thickness of the faces and the drawer faces
are 22mm shorter (and narrower, -11 all edges).

All system registered half-overlay/railed inset cabinets have slide bottom clearances of
32mm - 1/2 panel thickness (e.g. 32 - 9.5 = 22.5 BC). For shifted registration its 48mm
(32+16) - 1/2 panel thickness (e.g. 48 - 9.5 = 38.5 BC).
[ page | comments (4) - Thursday, 20-Aug-2020 | top ]

Bottom Clearance
Cabinet bottom clearance is the distance from the system hole that a slide will mount to,
to the top of a horizontal cabinet member. Drawer slide bottom clearance is the distance
from a slide system mounting hole, to the bottom of the slide (lowest point). The
required drawer slide bottom clearance cannot exceed the available cabinet bottom
clearance.

Working with 19mm material and 3mm gaps, all drawer faces overlay all drawer
rails/stretchers 8mm and the bottom clearance is 22.5 for system registered faces and
38.5 when using shifted face registration. With all shared panel cabinets, the bottom of
the cabinet has a reveal of at least 11 (i.e. <= 8mm overlay) and the rail BC numbers
work well - 22.5 for bottom mount/Metabox/Zargon (typ. 16-19 BC) and 38.5 for Blum
style undermounts (typ. 37 BC) - for all drawers. The problem with full-overlay is that
the bottom drawer face has significantly less reveal/more overlay on the cabinet bottom
(VS at the rails). What compounds the issue is that the available BC is not close to
standard slide BC's. This is why there is a full page covering full-overlay bottom
clearance

The table uses a 19mm panel thickness (PT) and a 3mm gap (g). Bottom Clearance (BC)
= start hole (+/-32) - PT.

reveal overlay sys start sys BC shift start shift BC type

32 - 1/2 g + start - 48 - 1/2 g + start -

r PT - r
r PT r PT

22 -3 52.5 33.5 68.5 49.5 full inset

ALL rails, half-overlay/System32, (railed-

11 (22) 8 (-3) 41.5 22.5 57.5 38.5
inset)

9.5 9.5 40 21 56 37 custom

4.5 14.5 35 16 51 32 KISS

3 16 33.5 14.5 49.5 30.5 custom

1.5 17.5 32 13 48 29 modular, Proulx

0 19 30.5 11.5 46.5 27.5 modular/True32, Process32

[ comment | link | top ]

Full Overlay Bottom Clearance

With half-overlay and inset cabinets, all horizontal carcase components (top, bottom and
stretchers/rails) center on, or between, system holes and all drawer openings are the
same size (when drawer rails are used). Bottom clearance (BC), the distance from the
drawer slide mounting holes to any horizontal component, is the same for all openings.

The only way to get a full overlay on the bottom of the cabinet is to move the bottom of
the cabinet up (any other option breaks the system, e,g, unbalanced hinge cup boring).
Moving the cabinet bottom up reduces the size of the bottom drawer opening and the
distance from the drawer slide mounting hole to the bottom of the cabinet. Because the
drawer slides are mounted some multiple of 32mm apart, the reduced bottom drawer
clearance results in wasted space under the rest of the drawers. The following covers
ways to minimize wasted space, but the bottom line is that you either use the 32mm
system and waste some space, or trade some of the consistency that the system
provides for more usable space... more
[ page | top ]

Full Overlay Undermount

6-24-18: Updated drawings with drawer boxes sized to provide consistent top drawer
face reveals (24) and clearance (6.5). Drawer box increments match face increments
(5,9,10). System/shifted registration examples are aligned/comparable. Examples are
balanced 3g/1.5r 19mm panels. For 3/0r, shift the system rows down 1.5 or decrease
top face reveals by 1.5 (and use hinge plate adjustment to move doors down 1.5). Blue
is good, red is potentially bad.

Shifted registration layouts (48mm starts). The first is straight 32mm

system and requires that the slides be mounted using the lower (by 12mm) row of
mounting holes (not all undermounts have them). The second layout uses 32mm smaller
bottom drawer boxes and standard/top mounting holes to improve the usable space for
all but the bottom drawers. The third layout has 12mm smaller bottom drawer boxes
mounted 12mm higher. It requires slides with two rows of mounting holes and a second
set of incremental drawer boxes (32m - 73 bottom, 32m - 51 everywhere else). The
forth layout requires drilling special mounting holes for the bottom drawer to allow center
(only) registration using 32mm smaller bottom drawer boxes.

System registration layouts (32mm starts). The straight 32mm system

layout works with all undermount slides and can use top or bottom (32mm increment
boxes not required) registration. The minus 32 bottom box layout requires a lower row of
mounting holes and off system rails (if used), the shifted registration version requires
neither. The minus 20 bottom box layout is the system registration version of the minus
12 bottom box with the addition of off system rails. The only difference between the two
center registration layouts is that this one requires additional mounting holes for all but
the bottom drawer (VS bottom only).

The 32mm system layouts have consistent top and bottom drawer face reveals, the
minus 32/12/20 layouts have consistent top reveals. The 32mm system, minus 32 and
center registration layouts have 32mm increment drawer boxes, minus 12/20 bottom
drawer boxes are 12/20mm smaller (not the same increments as the rest of the boxes).
The top row mounted 32mm system and minus 32mm methods work with all drawer
slide types, the 12/20 method only works with 2 row slides. The tradeoffs are
consistency VS usable space. The center only (true HO/RI center indexing has equal t/b
reveals) indexing options are usefull when drilling centered adjuster and pull holes at the
same time. Note that all but the 32mm system layouts have one less drawer box size.
The same is true for any layout with a bottom drawer box that is one increment larger
than the one above, e.g. 5,6,6,7.
[ comment | link | top ]

Drawer Terms and Acronyms

I've used so many acronyms in

my drawings that I'm starting to confuse myself. Hopefully the following will help me to
standardize them and help you to decipher my drawings. The image is a modified
specification drawing for Blum 554H undermount slides. There is also an image showing
how specs change when using the bottom mounting holes. Not all dimensions were on
the original drawing and the drawings are not to scale.

Slide Bottom Clearance (BC/SBC) - the distance from the system hole that a slide will
mount to, to the top of a horizontal cabinet member. Minimum required BC is the
distance from a slide system mounting hole, to the bottom of the slide (lowest point).
Used for determining slide to cabinet box bottom, and/or rail/stretcher, clearance. Will
the slide work with the layout, will it be reasonably close to horizontal cabinet members.
While slide specifications are usually fairly similar, some manufacturers slides won't work
with some layouts. One example is Salice under-mounts which require a minimum BC of
42.5/30.5 (top/bottom mounting holes) VS the more standard 37/25 (e.g. Blum)... Note:
At least one drawing uses SBO (slide bottom offset) instead of BC (bottom clearance).

Top Clearance (TC) - how much space is needed to install/remove the drawer box.
While most slides specify at least a bit of top clearance, this is most important when
designing bottom mount drawer layouts - because 3/4 extension bottom mount slides
need a relatively large amount of TC.

Bottom mount specifications for top clearance typically assume the drawer box depth is
roughly the same as drawer slide length and that the drawer will be pulled straight out.
Slide specifications less ~3.5mm will work but require tipping the drawer downward so
that the back of the box can clear the carcase when the drawer box wheels go over the
carcase wheels. Reducing box top clearance more requires making the drawer boxes
shallower than the slides or using full extension slides, i.e. have it so that the back of the
drawer box comes past the front edge of the counter-top before the box is removed.

Slide Offset (SO) - the distance from the slide system mounting hole, to the ledge that
the drawer box side or bottom sits on. Applies to all bottom and under mount slides. This
is a primary variable when designing a drawer layout, or in determining whether or not a
manufacturers slide will work with a given layout.

Box Offset (BO) - the distance from the slide system mounting hole, to the bottom of
the drawer box (lowest point, typically the sides). Applies to all slides. With under-
mounts, this is slide offset (SO) + lip (how much the drawer sides overhang the bottom
of the box). With bottom mounts, box offset (BO) is the same as slide offset (SO). Since
side mounts have no slide offset (SO), this is the number that matters when designing
side mount drawer layouts.

Some drawings only show BO to allow for slight variations in specifications, e.g. '9.5 SO /
13 lip' and '10 SO / 12.5 lip' both have a 22.5 BO. There's also no harm in reducing the
'(10 SO /) 13 lip' to 12.5. Note: Inset drawer bottom thickness doesn't matter, only the
location of the bottom side of the slot/dado.

Face Offset (FO) - the distance from the slide system mounting hole, to the bottom of
the drawer face. Used for calculating face reveal/registration (below).

Overlay and Full Inset Faces

   System: 32 (x n) - 1/2 face gap (typ. 30.5)
   Shifted: its 32 (x n) + 16 - 1/2 gap (typ. 46.5)

Railed Inset Faces

   System: 32 (x n) - (1/2 PT + gap)
   Shifted: its 32 (x n) + 16 - (1/2 PT + gap)

Face Registration/Reveal (FR/B2FR) - the distance between the drawer box

top/bottom and drawer face top/bottom. To be able to consistently register drawer boxes
to faces, the top and/or bottom box to face reveal (B2FR, TFR or BFR) needs to be the
same for every drawer in every drawer stack. While it is possible to center register faces
(CFR) without having consistent top or bottom face reveals, true center registered faces
have equal top and bottom reveals. Reveals for registration can be calculated as follows:

   Bottom FR = face offset - box offset

   Top FR = face height - box height - bottom FR

Box Side (BS) - the height of the box sides. Typically presented as some multiple of
32mm (plus a constant). While box side height is often the same as box height, box
bottoms can run long with the front and back of the box sitting on the top of the box
bottom.
Glossary
New Nov '13. It's long overdue an could take some time to be useful... sorry, long
forgotten and not a priority at the moment ('18).

Topics [ new ]

Panel
Posted by Dave on Sunday, 01-Dec-2013

Cabinet box components are often called panels - side/end and top/dust (full panels
between drawers)/bottom panels. Some other names for side panels are bulkheads,
standards, jambs and gables. Top/bottom panels are also known as the deck and floor of
the cabinet.

Structural panels at the ends of a run of cabinet boxes are called end panels. They are
called finished end panels (FEP or FE) if they get finished to match the door and drawer
faces. If the finished end panels (sheet goods, 5 piece panels, etc.) are separate from the
cabinet (scribed and mounted during install), they are called applied finished end panels
(AFEP or applied ends/AE).
[ comment | link | top ] 

Cross Member
Posted by Dave on Sunday, 01-Dec-2013

Any structural element that crosses the cabinet from side panel to side panel - typically
the top/bottom panels and stretchers
[ comment | link | top ] 

Stretcher
Posted by Dave on Thursday, 28-Nov-2013

Any partial depth/height horizontal construction element that ties the box sides together.
The most common use is between/behind the top drawer and a door (or drawer). A
stretcher at the back of the cabinet, used for mounting it to the wall, is a nailer. A
vertical stretcher at the front of the cabinet, e.g. in front of a sink, is an apron. The
top/deck of the cabinet can be a panel or two stretchers
[ page | comments (2) - Saturday, 20-Apr-2019 | top ] 

Drawer Slide Offset (DSO, SO)

Posted by Dave on Thursday, 28-Nov-2013

The distance from the slide system mounting hole, to the ledge that the drawer box side
or bottom sits on. Applies to all bottom and under mount slides. This is a primary
variable when designing a drawer layout, or in determining whether or not a
manufacturers slide will work with a given layout.
Hardware
There can be a lot of hardware involved in 32mm Cabinetmaking. This area is for
technical and application specific hardware information. Sometimes you have to use what
you have and sometimes you find ways to use hardware that never occurred to the
designer.

NOTE: This category needs a lot of work, it currently contains just a few random entries.

Subcategories:   Connectors   Shelves

Knock-in Leveler

I've tried every leg/toe-kick method these knock-in levelers are my

current preference for notched panels.

Notes: The bottom mounting hole and the box bottom adjusting hole (both 10mm) can
both be bored 17mm from the edge. If your box assembly involves fasteners in line with
system rows, shifting the mounting holes back 16mm works well.

Connectors
Minifix double-ended bolt

I usually use 24mm bolts. The only 24mm panel joining bolt Hafele has is
a jointed double-ended one. While I could get one shorter than the 84mm one shown,
this one works out well (48.25, on my boring machine scale, for both end and face
boring). These fit pretty snug in a 7mm hole.

Application example: Joining trim

Hafele catalog entry
[ comment | link | top ]

Rafix
 My introduction to 32mm cabinetmaking was closets assembled with Rafix
connectors. I used to build all my cabinetry with these. No end boring required. Plastic or
die-cast housing (e.g. Nickel and Bronze)

Shelves
Recessed Shelf Clips

They're not very practical if you don't have a boring machine, but I like
the Hafele recessed clips. They provide a cleaner look and are stronger because they
distribute the load better. Shelves cannot slide out of place and any 'rocking' is buffered.
[ page | comments (5) - Sunday, 18-Nov-2012 | top ]

Die-cast Shelf Support

Nice looking, stay put, shelf supports.

Hafele catalog entry
[ comment | link | top ]

Plastic Shelf Supports

Inexpensive light duty supports.

Hafele catalog entry
[ comment | link | top ]

Shelf Pins
 Sold as shelf supports, very handy as locating pins. They come in a few
lengths, these are 45mm long.
Hafele catalog entry
Panels
Panel design is the heart of 32mm cabinetmaking. Panels - with their system and
construction holes - determine the size of the cabinet, how it gets assembled and
where/how everything - drawer slides, doors, feet, etc. - gets attached. Panel design has
two primary considerations, construction method and cabinet style. When working with
the 32mm system, there are two types of cabinet construction and three basic cabinet
styles.

The two basic types of cabinet construction are, separate boxes screwed together to
make a run of cabinets and a run of cabinets built as a single box utilizing shared panels.
The most common way to build frameless cabinets is to build separate boxes. While
building a run of boxes as a single cabinet is typically associated with face-frame
cabinets, it is also a very efficient way to make frameless cabinets.

The three basic cabinet styles are, inset and full or half overlay. While there are

numerous ways to achieve a particular look, construction method and cabinet style are,
for the most part, inseparable. Inset and half-overlay cabinets are typically built
using shared panels and full-overlay cabinets are typically built as separate boxes.

Specific panel designs are in the Styles category. This category is for general panel
topics. Current topics are Balanced, End and Shared panels.

Balanced Panels
The 32mm system default is balanced start holes, the first holes of the system rows are
an equal distance from the top and bottom of the panels. Because the system doesn't
care what happens above or below the top and bottom system holes / door and drawer
faces, balanced start holes are not a requirement. The only purpose of unbalanced start
holes is to increase/decrease the top/bottom cabinet reveals. The most common
applications are increased countertop reveal and decreased (0mm/flush) bottom reveal.

In most applications the 32mm system does not care what happens behind the back
system row. While some find balanced system rows more efficient, having system rows
an equal distance (typ 37mm) from the front and back of the panels is not a
requirement. If the machinery/methods are available, matching the rear system row to
the rear drawer slide hole (multiple of 32mm) may be the most efficient route.

A fully balanced panel has balanced start holes and system rows. The following article
was written a long time ago and touches on countertop considerations, fully balanced
integral toe kick panels and more... more

Balanced Panels
The 32mm system default is balanced start holes, the first holes of the system rows are
an equal distance from the top and bottom of the panels. Because the system doesn't
care what happens above or below the top and bottom system holes / door and drawer
faces, balanced start holes are not a requirement. The only purpose of unbalanced start
holes is to increase/decrease the top/bottom cabinet reveals. The most common
applications are increased countertop reveal and decreased (0mm/flush) bottom reveal.

In most applications the 32mm system does not care what happens behind the back
system row. While some find balanced system rows more efficient, having system rows
an equal distance (typ 37mm) from the front and back of the panels is not a
requirement. If the machinery/methods are available, matching the rear system row to
the rear drawer slide hole (multiple of 32mm) may be the most efficient route.

A fully balanced panel has balanced start holes and system rows. The following article
was written a long time ago and touches on countertop considerations, fully balanced
integral toe kick panels and more.

In the introduction we start to get an idea of how important panels are. Panels index
most, if not all, other aspects of a cabinet. On this page I will be working with balanced
panels. The system holes are the same distance from the front and back and the system
rows start and finish the same distance from each end. This is not always practical and
can have some drawbacks as will be apparent in other pages.

In the small shop with simple boring methods it is much easier to set up once to drill all
holes and this usually outweighs the drawbacks of unbalanced panels. There is also the
point that you don't have to worry about or keep track of top and bottom, and front and
back.

For an example of a balanced panel see kbipanel.gif (railed inset, intregal toe). You can
also look at princ1.gif to see how one company (Hettich's System 32) uses a balanced
panel and the top left connector in example.gif.
Connectors will be covered in depth later but I want to mention that it is possible to use
the same setup you use to bore your 5mm line holes to bore for the top left connector
seen in example.gif above. As a balanced panel is easier to linebore it is also easier to
bore for connectors.

In the introduction we covered front and back setbacks. The front to back dimension of
our panel is some multiple of 32mm + 37mm front and back. Next we need to decide
where our system rows start and finish. This is determined by what we use for the top of
our cabinet.

A typical European box is just that a box with feet attached to the bottom. Using system
holes to assemble the box requires that the top and bottom hole on the panel need to fall
in the middle (thickness) of the cross member. Using 3/4 (19mm) material this means
the top and bottom hole in the panel needs to be 9.5mm (3/8) from the top and bottom
edge of the panel. This works for closets, some styles of freestanding cabinets and
kitchen cabinet uppers. My kitchen base cabinets and freestanding cabinets sometimes
take a different form and require a different location for the top (and bottom to balance
the panel) hole. Two factors are involved, cabinet style and how we deal with the
top/countertop.

European kitchens generally use a 1"+ countertop that sits on top of the cabinet box
while the US generally uses a 3/4" top with a build down on the front edge to make the
counter appear 1 1/2" thick. Since this causes a problem with drawers and doors we, in
the US, may need to build up the traditional European box by adding 3/4" strips to the
top of the box (see cntrtop.gif).

The European way works with any style of cabinet. In the US we can make adjustments
to avoid having to nail on 3/4" strips. How we do this is affected by style, the thickness
of our top/countertop and if our top/countertop sits on top or is built down. For some
examples of tops/countertops for the inset style of cabinets see cntr_eg.gif
While I would like to standardize my top and bottom hole at 9.5mm, this is not possible.
What I can do is decide that, like our front numbers (37mm + door thickness if inset) the
top/bottom numbers will be the same relative to style and how we treat the
top/countertop. I now have what is called a balanced panel. As always there are
exceptions, but they are rare. I should note that this doesn't mean that the tops and
bottoms of boxes need to be in the same position relative to the panel top/bottom (e.g.
integral toe kicks).

We now have limited our possible panel sizes to a finite number. What we need to do is
decide how we are going to make our tops/countertops for each style of cabinet we
make. If we are making freestanding and kitchen cabinets we need to settle on one or
two kinds of panels. It is possible that we can use the same top/bottom hole setback for
both freestanding and kitchen cabinets. It is also possible that we can use the same
top/bottom hole setback for two and even all three styles of cabinets. I will be covering
some of the possibilities on another page. We now have from one to six panel designs.
The size of these panels is two times the distance to our first holes (f/b and t/b) plus any
increment of 32mm. We can create a chart or database of these possibilities.

We still have a whole lot of options. To arrive at a more limited number we need to
consider the kinds of cabinets we make. Most cabinets have standard sizes, e.g. kitchen
base cabinets are 36" high (including the countertop) and 24" deep. If there are not
industry standards we need to come up with our own. We need to sit down and list all
the sizes of panels we make. It may be that we can have some panel sizes that will serve
multiple applications. The goal is to come up with a limited number of panels requiring as
few setups as possible. Balanced panels will not work in all applications and sometimes I
go through hoops to make them work. Future pages will cover some of the possibilities of
balanced panels including kitchens.

One other consideration in arriving at some stock panel sizes will be what we use to bore
our holes. We may use a jig (and drill one hole at a time) or have a machine that drills a
number of holes at the same time. For every method/tool there is a perfect panel, a
panel that is easier to make because of what we use to bore holes.There will be
situations where one of our panel sizes could be adjusted to make it a perfect panel, or
at least make it easier based on what we use to bore our holes. The odds are it will
seldom match a standard size and sometimes manual boring a few holes is a better
solution. There are many other considerations that effect panel size. Examples include
drawer sizes, how drawer slides match system holes, having a fixed center shelf,
balanced doors, hardware, and cross members. These and others will be discussed on
future pages.

We have been working mostly on panels and how they can be sized (height and depth) in
increments of 32mm. We have worked on the idea of coming up with a limited number of
"stock" panels. What we haven't looked at is the width of our cabinets. The same
dimensions that apply to cabinet height can be applied to cabinet width, e.g. full overlay
boxes that are a multiple of 32mm high and wide or half overlay cabinets that are a
multiple of 32mm plus panel thickness tall and wide. When using the 32mm system,
using 32mm increment widths is by far the most efficient way to go.
End
Applied Ends
Applied ends are separate panels that get applied to the ends of cabinet boxes. With
applied ends the box material doesn't need to mach the exterior because the
door/drawer faces and applied ends completely enclose the box. Applied ends are cut a
bit oversize and scribed to the wall (/floor). The applied end can match the cabinet faces
(e.g. be a frame and panel 'door') or be made from, readily available, 2x veneer PBC or
ply. An applied end flushes out with the drawer/door faces and presents a cleaner
balanced look as it hides the end of the doors/drawers. When using applied ends the wall
scribes (fillers) are made to match. The wall scribes flush out with the drawer/door faces
and present a face similar in size to the applied end. Applied ends can be used with full
overlay and hybrid style cabinets. I don't make full overlay cabinets and use applied ends
on half overlay cabinets to make hybrid cabinets.

I do a lot of built-ins with bookcases on top. I had been using the panel +
overlay applied end (top-left) with my half-overlay cabinets. A customer who wanted a
heavier look got me to try the bottom-middle design. While I really like the clean 1-1/2"
edge (bottom row), the 1/2 overlay (top row) is easier and more forgiving. The applied-
end buildup is glued on with spring clamps 
(...now using a glue-up fence) and the end-panel provides a stop. The middle-top image
is easiest because the applied-end is mounted to the end-panel with the Mod-eez
(system hole registration) and glue squeeze-out isn't an issue. I use edge-banding on
wood and prep MDF with OneTime.
The bottom row can be tricky. The first time I did this I used the middle version (with
19x19 on both sides for the scribe) and it worked OK. With a 1/16" radius on the seam
edges, any slight variation in thickness is hidden. I'm currently trying the left version.
The idea was to set it up for 1" masking tape so that paint wouldn't put the panel and
applied end on slightly different planes (I'm anal about paint, all surfaces get some level
of coating). The 1/4" void removes potential issues with cupped panels and makes the
use of hidden fasteners (Mod-eez) easy. In mock-up, the scribe (bottom right) wasn't
rigid enough and I ended up with a more complicated solution. This is one case where
through-boring all panels came in handy (glue-up registration using 45mm shelf pins), its
easier but doesn't seem 'right'.
[ comment | link | top ]

Finished Ends
When the end of a cabinet box is finished its called a finished end. While the box end
may extend past the back of the cabinet and may be scribed to the wall, the use of an
applied molding - called scribe mold - is most common. Scribe mold can be used with
any style of cabinet.

When using finished ends we have 3 options:

1. End panels have a material/color on the outside that matches the drawers/doors.
If you are using white melamine for your boxes and oak doors you probably want
 your end panel to match. To avoid having different materials on the inside of your
box you will need an end panel with melamine on one side and oak on the other
(not a concern for something like a dresser). There is a very limited selection of
stock panels that have melamine on one side and wood veneer on the other.
2. All panels are a different material/color for visual effect. There are a lot of
possibilities here. One that I like is black boxes and cherry faces.

3. All panels have face material to match drawer/door faces. This is probably the
nicest way to do it but material and labor costs will be a lot higher. PBC Oak
panels will cost a lot more than white melamine and we have to put a finish on all
that material.

In all three cases we need separate scribe mold, whether solid wood or edge-tape. A
typical scribe mold is 3/4" x 1/8" solid stock with one eased edge. The scribe is pushed
tight to the wall and pinned in place. Another option is to use prefinished edge-tape
or matching PVC mounted with two-sided tape.
While fairly common, scribe mold isn't suitable for high-end applications. Having all wood
faced boxes and then using scribe mold doesn't make much sense (high-end interior,
low-end exterior).

Shared
Half-overlay and inset boxes are distinct from full overlay in that intermediate panels are
shared and panel thickness (instead of panel reveal) determines box height (and width).
With half-overlay and inset cabinets, panel reveal is fixed at either panel thickness plus
face reveal (inset) or half the panel thickness plus face reveal (half-overlay). With 19mm
(3/4") material, all system row start holes are 9.5mm.

Shared Panel Height (SAC)

 Like full overlay panels, all shared panel drawer and door edges are an
equal distance from a system hole. Unlike full-overlay boxes, shared panel box reveals
are always balanced and panel thickness determines the box-to-face reveal. With half-
overly and railed-inset panels, system holes can be used as construction holes (SAC).
All horizontal panels can be indexed to system holes.

Half-overlay and railed-inset panel heights are always a multiple of 32mm plus panel
thickness (e.g. +19mm constant). Being a balanced panel, half the panel thickness
added to the top and bottom of the panel (e.g. 9.5 + 32xn + 9.5, AKA 9.5/9.5 starts).
Shared panel box top and bottom reveals are always the same as the box side reveals...
This panel design appears to have been first used by Hettich's System 32 over 40 years
ago.

Half-overlay box reveals are always half the panel thickness plus the half the gap
between door/drawer faces, e.g. 11mm for 19mm panels (19/2 + 3/2). Inset box reveals
are always the panel thickness plus the gap, e.g. 22mm for 19mm panels (19 + 3).

Half-overlay (and no-rail-inset) faces are the same heights as full overlay faces (32xn -
reveal). Railed-inset faces are always some increment of 32mm minus panel thickness
and 2x gap (e.g. 32xn - 19 - 6).

Only half-overlay and inset panel designs can use system holes as construction holes

(SAC). With SAC panels, all faces edges center on system holes.