Cabinet Carcass and Face Frame Construction
American-style face-frame cabinets have a solid wood frame (the face frame) glued and fastened to the front of a plywood or particleboard carcass. The face frame provides a finished hardwood surface at the cabinet opening, hides the raw plywood edges, and adds rigidity to the carcass. Face-frame construction contrast with frameless (European or '32mm system') cabinets, which have no face frame — hardware mounts directly to the carcass sides and doors overlay the carcass front, providing maximum interior access but leaving plywood edges visible (covered by veneer tape or doors). Carcass construction: the sides, top, bottom, and back are cut from sheet goods (3/4" plywood for sides and top/bottom, 1/4" plywood back). Dadoes and rabbets locate the shelves and back: a 1/4" × 1/4" rabbet in the rear of the carcass sides captures the back panel; dadoes for fixed shelves are cut 3/8" deep at the appropriate height. Face frame layout: measure the exact carcass opening and cut face frame parts to match. The stiles (vertical face frame members) run the full height of the cabinet; the rails (horizontal members) fit between the stiles. Layout rule: stiles first, then rails are sized to fit the openings between stiles. Face frame joints use pocket screws (Kreg system), loose tenons (Festool Domino), or traditional mortise-and-tenon. Pocket screw face frames are fast and very strong in the glue-up direction — the screws pull parts together while glue cures. Apply glue to the carcass front edges and clamp the face frame in place; use a pneumatic pin nailer to hold the frame while clamps are applied. Check for square during clamping — a racked cabinet face frame causes door alignment problems that cannot be corrected after the glue sets.