Materials and Hardware
Materials and Hardware
This domain tests sheet goods, solid stock, and the hardware that makes a cabinet function. Expect questions on plywood, MDF, particleboard, melamine, veneer, hinge types, drawer slides, shelf supports, and fastener selection.
Sheet goods and solid wood
- Plywood has alternating veneers; it holds screws better than particleboard and resists warping. Sanded pine plywood is common for paint-grade cases; hardwood plywood for stain-grade.
- MDF machines cleanly and takes paint well but swells when wet and sags under long spans. Particleboard is economical and heavy; melamine adds a durable surface but chips at cuts.
- Solid wood moves with humidity. Design frames and panels to allow movement; do not glue a wide solid panel fully into a groove.
- Hardware must match the cabinet style: full-overlay, half-overlay, and inset hinges need different door reveals and mounting plates. Drawer slides have specific side clearance and rear-mount requirements.
Worked example
A 4 ft by 8 ft sheet has 32 sq ft. A base cabinet needs two sides at 24 x 34.5 in. (11.5 sq ft), one bottom at 28.5 x 24 in. (4.75 sq ft), one shelf at 28 x 23 in. (4.47 sq ft), and two stretchers at 28.5 x 4 in. (1.58 sq ft). Total = 22.3 sq ft. At 32 sq ft per sheet, one sheet yields the parts on paper, but grain direction, saw kerf, and defects may force a second sheet. The reasoning: convert all parts to square feet, add, then compare with usable yield, not nominal sheet area.
Traps
- Specifying a hinge without checking overlay and door thickness.
- Assuming all 5 mm shelf pins fit all 5 mm holes; bore diameter and depth matter.
- Using particleboard screws in MDF edges without pilot holes.
- Ignoring grain direction when nesting parts.