Replies

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 30, 2009 06:30pm | #1

   You make the cabinet, take it to the install site, scribe and hang:

   When you make the cab, run the side panels long (past the back) enough to take up the error in the wall (or the face frame, if that's what is against the side wall, e.g.), temporarily hold the cab in place plumb & level by whatever means are appropriate (jack stands, temporary screws with shims, or . . . ) and scribe with a compass carefully held level, point sliding along the wall, pencil marking the cab. I've also used a washer with the pencil on the inside and the outside riding the wall & that works well, but it's not particularly adjustable. (You need to adjust the cab instead of the marking tool.)

   You start your scribe line by placing the compass at the spot where you don't want to take anything off, set the pencil to the very edge of the cab side, and go from there. Where wall comes "out", the pencil will go "in" on the cab side marking your cut line. Hard to describe how you figure the start spot, but it's the place where the wall is farthest "in" (where you will remove nothing from the cab) from the place that's farthest "out" (where you will remove the most from the cab).

   Depending on how much you need to take off, you can use a saber saw, plane, or even a belt sander.

   Not sure if that answers the Q, but hope it helps. If so, send me some of your FL weather as a token of your gratitude! ;-)

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   JiminFla | Jan 30, 2009 07:22pm | #2

   Thanks, Mike, that answers the question.  Temperature here is 75 and it's sunny.  We're supposed to have a cold front coming through tonight and it's going to drop into the mid-40's.  That's down parka weather here.

   Jim

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 30, 2009 08:02pm | #3

   You didn't have to rub it in! I was just heading out to lunch and a took one look at my snow- & ice-encrusted car and decided I needed to lose some weight anyway. ;-)

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

2. 
   SantaFeTom | Jan 30, 2009 09:56pm | #4

   To make it a little easier, while building the cabinet, leave the piece needing scribed thinner. For example, if the piece that is left long to be scribed is 3/4" thick, cut a rabbit in the inside of the piece so that there is only 1/4" thickness to the outside. That makes planeing to the scribe line a lot easier.

2. 
   Eef | Jan 30, 2009 11:45pm | #5

   hey jim,

   what mike is telling you sounds good.  i'll wager he's installed his share.  it's quite the good feeling to see a cabinet sucked-up tight after a good scribing-huh mike?

    

   eef

   ps

   what austin's expounding works good.  one can also 45 the extra 1/2" of wood down the scribe stile.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 1/30/2009 4:16 pm ET by Eef

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 31, 2009 04:09pm | #6

   " it's quite the good feeling to see a cabinet sucked-up tight after a good scribing-huh mike?"

   Heck, most of the cabs I've installed (restoration), the walls are so wavey, once they're scribed, you almost don't need screws! They just kinda dovetail in. ;-)

   As for thinning the to-be scribed part, that works well if you're scribing solid stock, but I prefer not to do so if the part is ply. (Doesn't come up often, but it does come up.) Also, I neglected to mention that if you have an end cover panel, you don't really need to scribe the cab. Just shim the cab and scribe the end panel.

   One other tip: As mentioned above, a lot of what I've done over the years has been restoration. Restoration means you're dealing with walls that are seriously out of plumb and nowhere near straight. (Sometimes you can fix that, but not always.) I usually get out the plumb bob and figure how much I'll need to scribe before I build the cabs. I've had cabs where I needed as much as an extra inch, and some where I needed almost nothing. Note that for installations where you need a lot of clearance, you may run into issues when hanging them, since the back may be well away from the wall. In those cases, you may need to take steps to beef up the mounting, either with French cleats or spacer blocks between the back and the wall.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   Eef | Feb 01, 2009 05:01am | #8

   mike,
   good advice dude. dealt with similar out'o plumb and wavey in my day. can't say i miss it much. installations were always somewhat stressful, as i'm sure you know.
   eef

1. 
   JiminFla | Feb 02, 2009 05:18pm | #9

   Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies.  I will measure the wall first to determine how much extra I'll need to add to the cabinet to accommodate the waviness.  Sounds like a pretty straightforward procedure to trim it to fit.

   Jim

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Feb 02, 2009 07:36pm | #10

   One other thing -- HOLD THE COMPASS AT THE SAME ANGLE throughout the scribing. If you let the points wander even a little, the scribing will be off. Purpose-made scribing tools are just large compasses with levels attached to help keep everything straight.Joe

2. 
   JiminFla | Feb 02, 2009 07:44pm | #11

   Thanks, Joe.

3. 
   dmdnk | Feb 01, 2009 03:07am | #7

   I use the method described by Mike.  The scribe (compass) is set equal to the widest gap between the cabinet and the wall.  I use a cheap metal compass available at most hardware stores for about $2.  Before scribing, wrap the point with a small piece of masking tape - it often leaves a gray line on the wall.  When removing 1/8" or more from the cabinet, use a jigsaw and cut to the line.  Take along a strip of thin material to set on the finished cabinet side to protect it from the jigsaw.  When cutting, hold the saw at a slight angle to create a back-bevel.  Make any needed adjustments to the cut with a block plane, also held to provide a back-bevel.  Practice it a few times on a wall in your shop or home a few times and you'll be amazed at simple it is and how good it looks!

   david