Quck answer
To shorten a kitchen cabinet, follow these steps:
1. Measure the desired height for the cabinet and mark it on the sides.
2. Use a circular saw to cut along the marked lines, ensuring a straight and clean cut.
3. Remove any shelves or drawers from the cabinet before cutting.
4. Sand down the cut edges to smooth them out and remove any roughness.
5. Reattach any shelves or drawers that were removed.
6. Install the shortened cabinet back into its original position in the kitchen.
7. Ensure that the cabinet is level and secure it in place with screws or brackets if necessary.
By following these steps, you can easily shorten a kitchen cabinet to fit your space requirements.
Changing the size of a cabinet is a common practice. It is often necessary when installing a taller refrigerator or adding a microwave or range hood. Cabinet installers frequently shorten cabinets to accommodate these changes. Cabinets are essentially plywood boxes and can be easily modified. The process involves cutting out a section and adjusting the doors to fit the smaller cabinet. This can be done using a table saw. With careful execution, the modifications will be hardly noticeable.
Modifying the Cabinet
Step 1
Using a drill/driver, unscrew and remove the screws that secure the doors to the cabinet. If the cabinet has a removable shelf, take it out.
Step 2
Using a straightedge, draw a line around the cabinet on all four sides to indicate where the cut will be made. Place masking tape over the line to prevent chipping of the veneer. Draw an identical line on the tape as a reference.
Step 3
Unscrew the screws that secure the face frame to the cabinet from the inside and remove them. Use a rubber mallet to gently tap the face frame off the cabinet.
Step 4
Set the height of the table saw blade to 3/4 inch. Place the cabinet face up on the table saw. Adjust the position of the cabinet and fence to align the blade with the marked line on the tape. Lock the fence in place.
Step 5
With the help of an assistant, push the cabinet across the blade. Turn off the saw after each pass. Rotate the cabinet a quarter turn and repeat the cutting process for each side.
Step 6
Using a hammer, tap the cut-off piece from the bottom of the cabinet. Remove the pin nails using diagonal pliers. Position the bottom piece in the shortened cabinet and secure it by shooting four 1 1/4-inch pin nails through the sides. Use 3/4-inch staples to secure the back.
Step 7
Measure the width of the horizontal piece of the face frame, also known as a rail, at the bottom of the cut-off piece. This measurement will likely be 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches. Subtract this measurement from the fence setting on the table saw. Cut the rail or bottom of the face frame at this measurement using the table saw and miter gauge.
Step 8
Unscrew the screws that secure the two small vertical pieces, known as stiles, of the cut-off piece (the 90-degree pieces) of the face frame. Remove them. If the cabinet has a center stile, remove its screws as well.
Step 9
Using a pocket-hole jig and a 3/16-inch bit, drill two angled holes through the vertical stiles at the bottom on the inside of the face frame. Apply glue to the drilled holes. Use a drill/driver to re-attach the horizontal rail to the vertical stiles using 1 3/4-inch screws.
Step 10
Place the cabinet face up across two sawhorses. Apply glue to the cut-off cabinet. Place the face frame on the cabinet and secure it with four 1 1/4-inch pin nails, one at each corner. Use clamps to hold the face frame in place until the glue is dry. If you removed the shelf, put it back in the cabinet.
Resizing the Door
Step 1
Using a table saw, cut the cabinet door in half perpendicular to its length.
Step 2
Using a drill/driver, remove the hardware from the door. Measure the length of the shortened cabinet and calculate the difference between the door length and cabinet length. Adjust the table saw to this measurement.
Step 3
Pass the bottom half of the door through the saw, ensuring that the freshly cut edge is against the fence.
Step 4
Using a pocket-hole jig, drill two evenly spaced holes through the vertical sides of the top half of the cabinet door. These holes should penetrate through the bottom of the freshly cut end.
Step 5
Insert 1 3/4-inch screws into the holes. Apply glue to the bottom piece of the door. Reattach the bottom half by driving in the screws with the drill/driver.
Step 6
Measure the hardware placement on an existing door. Use this measurement to reinstall the original hardware in order to match the existing doors. Fill the previous screw holes with a color-matched putty crayon.
Step 7
Using the screws that were removed, screw the top hinge back onto the door. Align the bottom hinge with the same spacing as the top hinge and screw it back onto the door. Attach the door back onto the cabinet. Fill the saw marks with a color-matched putty crayon. Finally, screw the door back onto the cabinet using the original screws.
