Just read an old FWW article by Steve Latta saying why face frame first is best.  Then today this shows up.

 

Q:

I'm planning to build new cabinets for my kitchen, and a buddy said I should make the face frames first and then the carcases. That seems backwards to me. Is there an advantage to this method?
—Tom Casey, Columbia, South Carolina

A:

Although it may sound counterintuitive, Tom, there's a good argument for making face frames first. When multiple cabinets have to line up next to each other in a row, small errors of even 1⁄32 " multiply quickly across that span. To eliminate these errors, first make the frame for each cabinet to exact width. Then mill grooves on the back side to accept rabbeted cabinet sides, allowing the face frames to overhang the case sides by 1⁄16 ". (The wider the overhang, the more "wasted" space you'll have between cabinets.)

For cabinets that mount against an adjacent wall, increase the face-frame overhang that contacts that wall by 1⁄2 " or so (or as much as needed to prevent gaps). This provides room to scribe that stile to match the wall's contour and cut it to fit, avoiding any gaps.

With the face frames done, dry-fit the sides in place and use the exact distance between them to determine the width of the carcase top (if it needs one), bottom, and back for that specific cabinet; each cabinet could be slightly different. Not only does this reduce measuring errors, but it also eliminates any discrepancies caused by nominal-thickness plywood.

Seems reasonable 

That might be the best way to perfection, but it strikes me as making the process quite a bit more difficult. that said, I've never built a kitchen full of cabinets, so it's mostly a guess on my part.

I have built one full set of kitchen cabinets.  The reason I chose to build the frames first is because the frames take-up less space in the shop than the carcasses.  

Either the frames have to wait for the carcasses or the carcasses have to wait for the frames.  There are many ways and opinions on making cabinets.  

Danl

It’s all built at the same time. Shops work with software. Without software I create my own cut lists on paper. 
 

Now that being said and the the fact  I ran a cabinet shop in my two car garage for two years

 

How it enters and leaves is  most important . It enters the right, circles the back and out the  left. This way nothing conflicts with other operations.,

 

Your first priorities in the shop is doors. They take the best of the wood and should be made first., frames second the kitchen doors are generally bigger than the bath, so start there. 
 

 

More to come..

Just added a sliding shelf above my refrigerator.  Made the trim first as it had to look good with the existing cabinets.  Then added the bottom, sides, and back that the trim wrapped.   When I make free-standing shelves or cabinets, I leave the trimming out until I have the rest built and working as intended. 

I believe we call that stick building..

 

 

I’ll put it this way. We don’t build that way, but everyone can build the way they feel comfortable..

Tails or pins first! 

Sounding like that old age discussion. 

 

I've done it both ways, depending what I'm building as far as cabinets go. I did a little YouTube search on commercial cabinet builders and it looks like it's done either way. 

 

Pre-industrial builders did it face frame first. The Chippendale builders, building high boys etc. 

On 3/24/2025 at 3:38 PM, John Morris said:

Tails or pins first! 

Sounding like that old age discussion. 

 

I've done it both ways, depending what I'm building as far as cabinets go. I did a little YouTube search on commercial cabinet builders and it looks like it's done either way. 

 

Pre-industrial builders did it face frame first. The Chippendale builders, building high boys etc. 

I don't think I've ever done it where I've grooved the stiles and rabbeted the sides.  I think of the 50 or so cabinets I've built, I've used glue with nails or biscuits to attach the face frames.

32 minutes ago, kmealy said:

grooved the stiles and rabbeted the sides.

Neither have I

Perhaps dial up The New Yankee Workshop on Youtube....and watch Norm Abram build a modern kitchen cabinet set....

 

I prefer to build the box first, THEN add the face frame to fit, both the box and where the case will be going...

 

But, then again, I always do Pins first when doing dovetails.....

Just finished building a case today...tomorrow will start on a door...as the case will not have a "Face Frame"....YMMV, of course...

 

BTW:  Installed many a set of cabinets  while doing construction work as a Carpenter.....offices, Break rooms, Bathrooms...we were the ones that had to install that stuff, ON SITE....did  not matter where the customer ordered it from,,,we did the installs....oh, and we also trimmed out the Meeting rooms, installed all the doors...( something like 40 doors in 2 days, by myself, with all the hardware, including adjusting any and all closures)

 

BTDT...

I quit watching Norm when he did a half-blind dovetail (because he had a jig, no doubt) on the base molding of a cabinet.  That and his useless and repeated safety guideline instead of actually saying something like, "when you are using this tool to do this job, do this for safety."  Excellent carpenter, woodworker???

He did exactly what he was suppose to do. He inspired a lot of people to get into woodworking. 
 

Because he used a jig? I bought it…