LFPDC Publications :: Fact Sheets :: # 3

Small Cabinet Shop Facts: Face-Frame vs. Frameless Cabinets

FRAMELESS CABINETS

• The frameless cabinet-making system was invented in Germany. It is generally known as System 32 or the 32-mm System.
• The cabinet box is usually made of 5/8-in. or 3/4-in. material with 1/4-in. back. The box has no face frame.
• Each vertical cabinet member has two vertical rows of holes (system or hardware holes) 32 mm (1.26 in.) apart and 5 mm (0.197 in.) in diameter.
• Cabinet boxes are most commonly assembled using wood dowels. Holes for dowels are 8 mm (0.315 in.) in diameter and are called construction holes. Other assembly methods used by small shops are wafer plate jointing, gluing or using screws.
• Since there is no face frame, front edges of the cabinet box have to be edge-banded. Many styles of hinges and other hardware are available for attaching doors and drawers directly to the side of the cabinet.
• Materials for the cabinet boxes must be flat, uniform in thickness, and stable, with little tendency to warp.
• Hardware must be designed to work with the 32-mm System.
• Saws must be capable of cutting sheet material square to very close tolerances and with no chipping.
• Edge-banders and boring machines must be able to handle intended cabinet designs.
• Sheet material is usually cheaper than solid wood, and less waste is produced (cutting square parts of uniform sizes without regard to grain direction).
• Labor cost can be reduced by as much as 50% by eliminating dado, rabbet and miter joints. This also eliminates the need for high-skilled help.
• Use of laminated panels eliminates finishing operations.
• The 32-mm System is very suitable for building "knocked-down" (KD) or "ready to assemble" (RTA) cabinets. Assembling cabinets at the point of use reduces transportation costs.

Face-Frame Cabinets:

• The main advantage of face-frame cabinets is that customers still want them.
• It is possible to give frameless cabinets a traditional appearance by using frame-and- panel doors and drawer fronts, but the effect is not exactly the same.
• Less capital investment is needed to produce frame-face cabinets.
• Base cabinets use butt joints assembled with glue and nails or staples. Heavily used cabinets use dado joints. Cabinet backs are rabbet jointed into finished ends.
• The face frame defines drawer and door openings and is the mounting surface for door hinges and some other types of hardware. It is usually visible and made of hardwood matching the rest of the cabinet. It is assembled as a unit before attaching to the rest of the cabinet.
• Face frames are jointed by different methods. The strongest is a mortise and tenon joint. Butt joints with dowels and butt joints with screws are also used. The jointing method determines equipment and skill level needed.
• Face frame cabinets are assembled and finished in the shop.

This fact sheet was compiled from various sources, including:
Ken Calhoun: Modern Cabinetmaking, Frameless and Traditional Construction
William D. Umstattd: Modern Cabinetmaking