Cabinet Catches & Latches

Cabinet Latch

Setting up your cabinet catches & latches can be tricky, if you don’t know what you’re doing. First you should prepare the frame and drawer pieces of your cabinet. Cut the sides, shelves, top pieces, and back panel to size, using a circular saw with a plywood cutting blade and a straightedge cutting guide. Score the plywood with a utility knife before making the cuts to avoid splintering the veneer.

Next, you’ll want to sand all the edges on your cabinet catches & latches smooth with medium-grit sandpaper and use a household iron to apply oak veneer tape to the front edges of the shelves and top panel. Using a router and a straightedge guide, cut the dado and rabbet grooves in the side panels, and cut four strips of plywood and use a router with a straightedge guide to rout a dado groove from the bottom edge of each piece.

Cabinet Door Latch

When you’re creating cabinet catches & latches, you should cut the dadoed pieces to size to make the back sides and front drawer pieces. The front and back pieces of each drawer require rabbet grooves on both short edges as well. Cut the bottom of the drawer to size and sand all pieces smooth. Next, you position the side panels of your cabinet catches & latches so the dado and rabbet grooves face each other, and so that the front edge of each panel rests on the work surface. Apply glue to the side edges of the shelf panels, and slide each panel into the dado grooves so the front edges of the shelves and sides are flush against the work surface. Temporarily clamp the cabinet frame near both dado joints to hold them in place while installing the top panel of your cabinet catches & latches.

Chrome Cabinet Latch

When you’re using cabinet catches & latches, you’ll want to install the panels to put the cabinets together. Apply glue to the side and back edges of the top panel and set the panel into the rabbet grooves on the side panels so the front edge is flush with the work surface. Remove the temporary clamps and position it in the rabbet grooves on the back of the cabinet. Make sure the bottom edges of the back and sides are flush.

You’ll next want to clamp the cabinet assembly together and drive finish nails through pilot holes in the back panel, into the sides. Make sure the edges of the back panel are flush with the sides of the cabinet.