Fxture for holding cabinet uppers
saranda
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
Hello,
Where can I find plans for an adjustable shop-built fixture to facilitate the setting of cabinet uppers?
Thank you for your kind reply,
Saranda
Replies
Saranda,
The last issue of Fine Woodworking, page 16, (August issue) shows such a fixture using an automotive jack. Gary
Hi saranda,
I know a lot of installers like to set the upper cabinets first. What I like to do ( if I can't find any competent installers and have to do it myself ) is to set my base cabinets first. Then build 2 simple plywood boxes that fit under the uppers and sit on a temporary plywood top. The height of the box would, of course, depend on the finished spacing with the finished counter top and upper recess, if any, taken into account. They are so simple I just make new ones for every job.
Paul
Fast Cap sells a cabinet jack that is used in pairs so you can easily dial in the heigth and level the cabinet. They work very good and cost less than 20$ if I remember correct. I doubt that you can buy the materials to build a shop made jig for less, not to mention the time used to make it.Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Hi Mike,
Ya. I've seen those advertised in one of my hardware suppliers fliers. They didn't look particularly stable to me but I've never used them. Those support boxes I make only take 10 minutes or less using scrap material that I like to use up any way I can. Besides, if I bought those I'd have to use them :) Not the direction I want to go at this stage of my career. Hey Mike, I got an idea. You're young. Want to come to Oregon and set cabinets? Just kidding. Have a great rest of the day
Paul
LOL. Heck No. I have quit installing anything more than a simple built in.
You are right the jacks are unstable. the way they are used is to place then under and all the way to the front of the cabinet. That way the cabinet is leaning against the wall. The advantage of the jacks is that they allow for the inconsistancies on every job site. You can level and adjust for heigth each cabinet to match the previous. The solid bench option requires shims or another person to get it perfect before the cabinet is screwed into the wall. Also most high end kitchens now have varying cabinet heigths and depths and the jacks are quickly adjustable for that.Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
I do the same as Paul. Make some simple benches a little wider than the cabinets are deep. This will allow you to slide in a shim or two if needed and the benches won't get trapped under the face frame overhang. I use the same benches over and over. Most cabinets are 84" to the top so they don't change except in special applications. I remove doors and shelves to lighten things up and have access for attachments. Normally, I'll attach a run of cabinets together, even putting on crowns before lifting the whole bunch as a unit. Shorter cabinets, like the ones over a range, don't really need any support other than clamping to the adjoining cabinets. Trying to prop up cabinets on a jack takes more than two arms and things are pretty rickety until a screw goes in. Having a cabinet slip off a small jack, fall on the floor, hitting a base unit on the way down is an experience you can live without.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
http://www.fastcap.com/prod2.asp?page=littlehand
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled