This is the fifth post in a series documenting my method of construction for an entire set of custom kitchen cabinets. This series is not intended to be a full how-to tutorial, but rather to show the sequence of steps using photos and commentary. You can find all the posts in the series here. Please comment below or send follow-up questions to jonathan@jmoncton.com.
At this point I am ready to start gluing on the solid wood edge banding on the tops and bottom panels of the cabinets while I do some more work on the sides.
This is my setup for gluing on the banding. It is important to have access underneath the clamping board, so sawhorses are ideal. The clamping board is held securely with a handscrew clamp that is in turn clamped to the sawhorse.
I apply the Titebond 3 wood glue with a small acid brush on both the banding and the panel edge, covering each surface entirely. The banding rests on a clamping board of scrap plywood.
The panel edge is then placed on the banding and I apply several pipe clamps. The plywood clamping board both distributes the pressure evenly along the length of the panel and protects the banding from the clamp.
When the clamps are set, I move the whole assembly out of the way, orienting the glue line vertically so the glue fills any gaps and doesn’t run onto the panel.
On a warm day, the glue will be dry enough to remove the clamps in about 30 minutes. In the meantime I leave the acid brush in a cup of water so it can be reused. These cheap little brushes can last for many uses if the glue is not allowed to dry in the bristles.
Thanks for reading. Up next I will cut create the cabinet joinery by cutting a shoulder on the side panels.