Cutting piece out of veneer-covered plywood

flogen

I'm looking to make a few small changes to my kitchen cabinets to get a bit of extra life out of them, and as part of that wanted to put some glass into two of the smaller doors. I also want to cut a piece out of the side of a cabinet so I can put a small display in there.

What would be the best tool to use to get the job done as cleanly as possible? I can obviously take the doors off to make the cut but the cabinet will have to stay in place so anything that I use will ideally be relatively easy to handle vertically too.

Thanks in advance.

recipio

Sounds like a job for a router. For the doors you could cut the panel out with a saw and then use a flush bearing mounted bit to trim the edges back with a straight edge. You will probably have to rout a rebate on the back of the door to take the glass.
Same process for the cabinet side but it would be better to make a template out of MDF in the shape of the cutout and stick it to the cabinet with double sided tape. Drill a hole to get entry and use a straight router bit with the bearing on top.Take light passes until you have routed out the waste panel. You will need just two router bits which is the expensive bit .:rolleyes:

flogen

Great, thanks.

Not sure I'm 100% on the MDF template bit... Do you mean tape it onto the side I'm cutting into and then cut through it? Do you suggest that because it's easier to follow than a line drawn on the side of the cabinet?

recipio

flogen wrote: »

Great, thanks.

Not sure I'm 100% on the MDF template bit... Do you mean tape it onto the side I'm cutting into and then cut through it? Do you suggest that because it's easier to follow than a line drawn on the side of the cabinet?

Assuming you want to cut out a square or rectangle its better to actually make a template with the correct internal dimensions rather than trying to align one piece four times. If you use 40mm wide ply/mdf square/rectangle ( it can be nailed together like a picture frame )you just stick it on to the cabinet with double sided tape and use a top mounted bearing bit to rout out the opening - the router runs along the 'outside' of the template. Of course., I'm also assuming there is no obstruction to sticking the template on. Just cutting a piece out freehand will look pretty awful imo.

flogen

Great, thanks.