When installing the upper sections of kitchen cabinets, you need to hold the cabinets at just the right elevation until they are attached. The setup shown here is both effective and simple. Plus, the height is variable. Screw the 1/2-in. plywood platform to a 2×4 stiffener. Drill a hole halfway through the underside of the stiffener the same diameter as the threaded shaft on the jack.

Cut another 2×4, about 5 in. long, for the clamp. Drill a hole through the center of the clamp the same size as described earlier. Cut the clamp in half (to remove one sawkerf of material) and verify that the two pieces, when placed around the shaft and screwed back together, will grip the shaft tightly. Screw one half of the clamp to the stiffener and then, with the clamp on the jack’s shaft, screw the second half to the first and then to the stiffener.

To use, simply set the fixture on the lower cabinet top, set the cabinet on the fixture, jack to the correct height, and screw the cabinet to the wall. As you operate the jack with one hand, use your other hand to keep the cabinet from tipping.

Drawing by Jim Richey.

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