Beginner questions about face frames

[jc2684]

Hi everyone,

I'm a furniture-making beginner. I have had success making frameless cabinets using ply with dado joints (reinforced with screws), but I'd like to move on to face frames as I'm making a traditional built-in bookcase with base cabinets. I have a few questions about face frames:

— I believe they are traditionally made with solid hardwood, but I'd like to avoid this if possible as I don't have a thickness planer or any other fancy workshop equipment, just a fold-away table saw and a router. My experience with bog-standard ply bought from the DIY store is that the cut edges are unavoidably scruffy because the individual layers are somewhat intermittent/holey – and obviously the edges will show on the face frame. Elsewhere on this project I plan to use veneered ply from a proper timber merchant: will this be better quality in the edge regard, and could I therefore use it for the face frame too? (I plan to paint the outside of the cabinet and oil the interior; and the only place I was planning to use veneer edge-banding was on internal shelves.)

— The guidebooks I've read tell me to cut dados in the face frame and fit all the sides etc into that, but elsewhere on the internet I've seen people essentially make a frameless cabinet and then glue/nail a face frame on afterwards. Presumably the potential problem with the latter option is that you can't use the face frame to help make the cabinet square? And presumably it's not as strong in the long run?

— The guidebook I'm referring to only has a plan for a wall-mounted cabinet. To make a base cabinet, do I simply make the face/sides/back a bit longer to extend past the cabinet "bottom" by however-many inches? Or do I need to add an additional plinth made of cheap wood to sit within the sides/front/back at the bottom, for extra support?

— I'm not experienced enough to make cabinet doors, so I plan to buy them mail-order. Does anyone have any recommendations? A supplier that also makes dovetail drawers would also be good, as it's the kitchen cabinets next!

Phew, that's a lot of questions for one post so I think I'll stop there. For any answers you can offer I would be grateful!

Jon

[jc2684]

Scrap question #3 – just figured out you build a normal cabinet, stick it on a plinth, then add a thin ply skin over the sides and kick.