sons kitchen updates

alan b- the stove is directly right of the dishwasher.
the original kitchen didnt have a dishwasher, and in order to make more room the sink would not have been centered under the window.
thought about getting a smaller window and smaller sink, but I have around 2 inches space, so I built a simple plywood with external frame that we will attach with some L brackets and in back, and screws into the floor. I believe that will be enough to support the counter above the dishwasher. Just going to attach a spacer piece of cherry as front.
 
I damaged one of the doors beyond sanding repair.
I had a bit of an off cut on one of the raised panels,after the panel warped very slightly, but not bad enough to scrap.(humidity here has been 100% every night this past week or so)
I had to trim a small bit off the edges, so this is a perfect job for my 3/4 inch shoulder plane.
When the plane was dull, or I should say duller, it still cut fine.
I recently sharpened it, and when I ran it up the edge of the panel, swoosh! since I dont use hand planes often, and not really at the point where Im totally confident with them, the plane went a bit inside and just sliced off a piece like butter. I didnt expect that, my planes never cut so easily.
The cut was deep, so I tried to sand it out. After spending almost one hour just trying to sand out the line, I decided to go with the door, stain it, and when I build new doors for the new cabs, Ill just remake this door. I figured let me see how it will look stained up with poly, but already the stain isnt hiding it.
Im glad its a small door, and wont cost me more than 2 bf of cherry.

It wasnt my fault I figure. The plane just fits the grip so perfectly, I didnt expect a sharp blade to really slice through wood like that. I cant imagine what a really sharp blade would do.
I just use norton stones and get what I think is a decent hone, makes a world of a difference even to someone like me who doesnt use hand tools often.
 
Last edited:
...The plane just fits the grip so perfectly, I didnt expect a sharp blade to really slice through wood like that. I cant imagine what a really sharp blade would do.
I just use norton stones and get what I think is a decent hone, makes a world of a difference even to someone like me who doesnt use hand tools often.

Welcome to the pleasurable side of working with planes. :D When you're used to sharp planes, and comfortable with using them, they're one of the most pleasurable and satisfying tools there is. A truly sharp one can/will take shavings so gossamer thin you can see through them.
 
I hope theres a few still looking, Id like some input from , well, everyone? pros, beginners, since its a visual thing.

I want to cover the 12 inch tall soffit with cherry molding and panels.

I need to see things and figure it out, since Ive never done anything like this before, so I cut down some ply and made a mock 12 inch soffit.

Just to explain what youre looking at, Its the molding Im going to make to cover it all, along with the measurements.

From the top of the cabinet frame, the soffit extends out approx 1-1 and 1/8 inch. I will cover that with 1/4 inch cherry ply, then as shown on my mock up, I will make a 1.5 inch crown.
Ill attach 1/2 thick strips of ply to build out the soffit a bit above the lower crown, and attach my rails(really stiles turned sideways, no cope cuts on them). The raised panel will be 5 inch total if I use a 3 inch crown on top as I did here.

My questions:

being that a raised panel profile will just leave a middle strip on a 5 inch raised panel, should I leave just a flat panel up there(all the cab doors are raised)?
Should I decrease the 2 and 7/16 width of the rails by an inch or so each, and make the panel 2 inches wider?

Id appreciate some input or ideas.

Im trying to keep it simple, and not having to make raised panels for up there, since there will be approx 15.5 feet to cover, will save me alot of backache and alot of time.

Making molding is not easy for me, and Id rather keep that as simple as possible.

The 3 inch top crown molding in this picture was a bad cut, but its close enough for me to use to experiment.

Since I want the top crown to just cover the top edge of the top rail, Ill make the crown molding after I make all the rails,stiles and panels, and bottom crown to size it just right. Im winging it here.

so take a look, I had my future nephew hold it up so you can see what it will look like from its real position heightwise.
I wiped on some stain so I can get a better visual for myself.

*all the pieces used here were off cuts or bad cuts, nothing was sanded, so it might look a bit rough with stain.
 

Attachments

  • kitchen reface 061 (Medium).jpg
    kitchen reface 061 (Medium).jpg
    47.2 KB · Views: 37
  • kitchen reface 064 (Medium).jpg
    kitchen reface 064 (Medium).jpg
    40.2 KB · Views: 30
What if you lose the bottom 2-7/16" piece and on the upper one push it up behind the crown some more? Maybe only show about 1-1/4" of it?
 
if I could use sketchup, gotta learn sooner or later.

dan, I want a little more depth, built out a bit more from the wall, I think a bit of contrast of depth with the top of the cab doors will be more pleasing to look at, not a focal point, just a bit more something.
 
thats a bit closer to what Im going to do. reduce the upper and lower rails, still keep the lower small crown.(actually, your sketch up is pretty darn close to what I decided to do, just the top and bottom rail will be a bit more beefy)

after staining up 2 of the doors, I see I have little track like marks on both of them.
Cant figure it out, unless I acidentally rubbed them against something.........one door Im going to resand tomorrow when the stain is dry, restain it, the other door is being scrapped eventually.
 
well, alrighty then, Ive been looking at the hammock I set up in the yard, and with the temps being 75 today, bright sunshine, light breeze, seems the kitchen loses today, Ill put a bit of satin on the insides, but then its hammock time.
retirement is tough.
 
i think the second one dano drew up for you is a good match,, i dont think you should try to get to beefy on the soffit allen show off your cabs not the soffit..if you want more extension on the soffit fur it out first to get some definition between the soffit and cab crown position. still could use 1/4" ply but get a more pronounced edge.
 
its going to be pretty close to dans picture.

My neighbor had his family over today, (nobody works anymore?), he got a boat and was working on it.
so my hammock is like 8 feet from his driveway, and I felt kinda funny laying there, like Im right underneath them, so I went into the garage and cut all the molding I needed for the soffits.

Now I have to make sanding blocks because I got alot of bit marks doing the 3 inch, 8 foot lengths.

at first, I ruined 2 pieces of the 1.5 inch width, just took so much time setting things up, had no clue why the wood kept getting stuck near the end. Checked the feather boards, etc.........whoooooshhhhh! what an idiot, sure I made sure I had 8 feet clear on the infeed side, but when it was coming off the bit, it was hitting my assembly table and it didntsink in to me to check that till I ruined the ends of 2 pieces.........its an ongoing learning experience, wish I had enough room so I didnt have to plan for these types of things.
 
update-I had to run over to my sons house today to bring the contractor over to let him price up and make a material list for a bunch of little things I want him to do.
He paid me a compliment, insisted the small flaws are nothing, checked out some of my other work in the house, I showed him the laundry room I put up, and he offered me a job.(Im just always negative so I never know if people are pulling my leg and just being nice)
Hes going to install a window, put in an attic fan, and get rid of the baseboards and leave me lines to install the toekick heater later on where cabinets will be.
There isnt anything I dont think my son and me cant do, but weve never put in a window, and when it comes to water, Ive learned if theres a way, it will find it, and between the pipes for the radiator, the window, and the dishwasher installation, Id rather someone with 30 years experience handle it. The attic fan, well, I dont want my son on a roof.
Not his high roof at least.

Im getting very frustrated. Progress is very slow. Between my back and my lack of space, and lack of know how/talent, I was getting a bit discouraged. Almost thought about forgetting the soffits, just finishing the cabs I did, and call it quits.

I dont understand kitchen design, its not something you just say, hey, Im gonna make a kitchen. Sure, I can make a cabinet, but doing the design right and understanding it all, well, I have alot of respect for all you guys who did it.

I have 50 pieces of trim, assorted frames, doors, all over the place. I just dont have enough room, or the ability to cut sheets over there so I could just make one large sheet and cut down as I need it.
I have to number or label so many little pieces....not fun.

My worst nightmare so far, was making 40 something feet of 3 inch crown, and another 20 feet 1.5 inch crown.
My son came over yesterday and after I made sanding blocks out of pink insulation board(really keen how to make a sanding block for crown, watched a video), he spent a couple of hours trying to get out what Id guess is bit chatter? marks. I sanded them again today with 120 grit, trying not to kill the high edges. Not a fun job, dont think Ill ever do it again.
Glued up the soffit panels, some in the house, some in the garage....tough working with 8 foot lengths when you dont have enough space to machine them, and then assemble things.

discouraged, but still going on.

sorry bout the real poor quality pics, thats alot of the moldings unfinished leaning against the window, I have no where left to work on it until I get the room cleaned out.
 

Attachments

  • kitchen reface 070 (Medium).jpg
    kitchen reface 070 (Medium).jpg
    61.1 KB · Views: 39
  • kitchen reface 071 (Medium).jpg
    kitchen reface 071 (Medium).jpg
    39.3 KB · Views: 36
  • kitchen reface 072 (Medium).jpg
    kitchen reface 072 (Medium).jpg
    58.1 KB · Views: 36
Im not going to apply poly to soffit panels until I install them. Let my son enjoy some of the work.
Im all set, just need to put some poly on the toe kick cherry panels and Im set to finish the two wall Im working on.
Hopefully, Ill get it all done saturday. There are a couple of pieces I need to make over, like a strip next to the stove, I want a better fit, but thats nothing.

I kept all the waste in a bucket. Id guess I used approx 100 bf so far of cherry, and approx 18-20 bf is scrapped.
Alot of the scrap was because I had a rough time making moldings.
I laid it all out on the work bench and measured it up.
So 90 dollars worth of cherry gone, but alot of that I can recut for boards, toys, small stuff in the future.(maybe not, maybe Ill just burn it)
Im at approx 1200 dollars spent so far.
Next week Ill start making new cabinets for the other 2 walls, so my expenses will go up a few hundred bucks.
and thats where Im at for any still following.
Im still not confident in my skills/ability to hang the soffit panels along with the appropiate crown moldings, as Ive never hung crown molding successfully in my life.
Its an ongoing learning experience.
hope youre all staying cool.
 
Top