We recently decided to update our kitchen and we really liked the look of bamboo plywood. We went to a kitchen place and WOW do they ever want a lot of $$$ for bamboo just for cabinet fronts.

So how much is this stuff... $280 per 4x8 sheet of 3/4"

OK, now I understand why the kitchen place wanted so much, but heck I can ruin several thousand $ of 3/4" bamboo plywood and still come out ahead. If I need some new tools for this what the heck.
I usually cheap out on tools, tons of Ryobi stuff which for a home owner isn't so bad. I didn't want to lug a huge heavy EXPENSIVE 4x8 sheet onto my Ryobi table saw so I picked up a used ATF 55 which should arrive next week.

I'll be doing some simple 3/4" white MDF cabinets to match some of the ones I've already got. Then I'll do some cabinet fronts after practicing on some of the cheaper material.

Any other suggestions would be wonderfully and totally appreciated.

Mark

I think you're on the right track for a first cabinet project if I get you right - carcasses from MDF (or Melamine) and the good stuff for the fronts.

Get yourself a long rail and a sheet of 1-1/2" foam insullation to help you with the cuts on sheet goods. I lay the sheet goods on the foam on the floor. It is easier to square your rail to the stock if you have a second rail to run along one edge of the sheet stock, squaring the rails with a framing square.

I just finished a cabinet for a project I'm working on with melamine and joined it with Dominos. That carcass is bullit-proof! The melamine requires no finishing and is easy to clean.

Welcome to the slippery slope!

:sign 0016:

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Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them.

That's the plan, carcasses from 3/4" white melamine mdf (which will match what we already have). Which if I mess up will become cabinets for the garage.

A Festool dust collector instead of my shop vac would certainly be nice, hmmm, and a 1010 Router could be used to round over the edges, of course putting this up off the floor on a MFT3, ooh, and of course a sander... wait a minute this is costing as much as the cabinet guys doing the doors.

I think I'll just try using the Confirmat connecting screws and skip the Domino for now.

7 x 50mm Connecting Screw Starter Kit, Screws, Cabinet & Furniture Screws, Screws, Fasteners - McFeely's

Mark

I love this philosophy: buy building materials that are too expensive for your cheap tools, so you have to buy expensive tools to go with the material you're cutting! Brilliant. Fred would be proud of you. Slippery slope, here you come!

Good luck on the cabinets. Sounds like you're off to a good start.

And welcome! Thanks for posting!

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred

You NEED to order the assortment with the Festool Sortainer!

__________________
Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them.

This is how I square rails on the floor set-up. I always align the metal edge of the reference rail with the side I want to square to on the material. I then butt the cross rail to the reference rail and lay a framing square in the corner and it is perfect. This works on sheet stock as well as the board as illustrated.

Attached Images

SQRail.jpg (102.2 KB, 44 views)

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Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them.

If you're anywhere near an IKEA, just buy the carcases from them. I doubt you can build them for what they charge. You might want better hardware, although their stuff is OK for the price. Do your fronts, do your tops, done.

For a full kitchen, "anywhere near" could be some distance away. I once drove the length of New Jersey for the stuff.

Ned

Ned: My original idea was to use Ikea BUT it turns out that all the cabinets I currently have are a custom size! I thought, heck they are 3/4" melamine, they must be standard size but noooo.

Mark

Just a quick note on working bamboo ply:

I started working with that material about a year ago (about 5 sheets a month) and was using a delta unisaw to break up the sheets. I was never pleased with the saw cuts, didn't matter how fast or slow i was pushing that stuff through it always looked like as I had bitten it off

About 3 months ago I got myself the TS55 and OMG are the cuts ever silky smooth!!!
So get yourself a TS and you will get the best results.

About putting a round over/profile on it:

Good luck, that is all I can say... I used cheap and expensive router bits... doesn't matter what I do still looks like shi... Anyhow, my advise: leave it square and just soften the edges with 22o paper--done

So, how do they get those round edges on cutting boards?