Ben’s Open Cabinet

Find a need, and fill it!

Kitchens are busy places these days. Trying to maximize storage and functionality in the limited amount of available space can make it feel like the walls are closing in on you. The answer for many homeowners is to rearrange.

But what happens when you put a dishwasher where a fridge used to be? A unique opportunity arises to expand and customize your storage options.

Now is the time to reach out to a custom woodworker to create a design that solves your problems and makes you life just a bit easier.

The first problem to solve is, “What would we like the new space to do?”. In this case, a location for those clumsy cookie sheets, pizza pans, and other large thin kitchen items was the most pressing need.

Next, “How will we be able to match the current cabinetry?”. For this, you really can’t beat custom work from a small shop. Asking a large shop to produce to your specifications would be like pulling wisdom teeth sized nuggets of gold from your wallet. And would be as much fun as a root canal.

Small shops like Wisp Woods also take the time to build the right way. Construction details that make this a solid unit include:

Stub Tenon Joints: The face frames are jointed with time honored Mortise and Tenon construction, which means the joints will not loosen due to seasonal changes in humidity, as a screwed joint would.

Dado Jointed and Pinned Shelves: All three shelves (top, divider, and floor) are fully dadoed into the sided, and pinned with nails. This construction detail can be found on many examples of classic cabinetry.

Solid Back Rabbeted into Sides: The cabinet becomes much stronger when the a solid multi-core ply back is rabbeted into the sides. It not only keeps the unit square, but also provides a sturdy attachment method for screwing the cabinet to the wall.

Although this was a quick build, I am very proud of the results. I thank my friends for requesting this piece to be built. It has given me a chance to promote and advance Wisp Woods in the marketplace. I just know that it will provide years of extremely useful service in their home.

David J. Ulschmid

~Wisp Woods~

Arlington, SD 572121

email ~ wispwoods@gmail.com