Cabinet Shop Drawings: A Detailed Guide

To provide a full picture of the cabinet, various views are helpful, with each view showing a different perspective:

• Plan views: A view from above of the cabinet showing the layout, internal components and dimensioning. These are very useful in custom kitchens for illustrating the relationship of the countertop and appliance clearance.
• Elevations: Elevations are the views that show the cabinet from various sides (front, back, sides). Elevations provide location of doors and drawers, overall dimensions and style details.
• Sections: Sections illustrate concealed construction characteristics, joinery types and thickness of interior parts to show how the cabinet is constructed and assembled correctly.
• Isometric/3D views: 3D views lets you view the completed cabinet and is very beneficial in seeing and understanding complex relationships between parts as well understanding how it all comes together in the final product.
• Detail drawings: When dimensions of selected areas need further clarification, you can use detailed drawings to see zoomed in areas of complex or complicated features. They show closeness to joinery, hardware installation or special design features.
• Notes and legends: To reduce confusion, notes and legends are included to define abbreviations, symbols, materials and any additional notes on the drawings for everyone to be on the same page when interpreting them.

CAD programs like SolidWorks is ideal for making cabinet shop drawings and showing cabinet makers several views of the components, all at once, from all directions before the actual build begins.

Dimensioning is crucial to cabinet shop drawings and errors in even the smallest dimension may cause major problems in the manufacturing and installation.

Elements you should consider for dimensioning cabinets:

• Overall dimensions: This is the overall height, width and depth of the cabinet. These dimensions help with the overall size and proportion of the cabinet.
• Component dimensions: Fully dimension the individual parts, panels, shelves, face frames, doors and drawer components to make sure your fabricating and assembly will be accurate.
• Clearances: Doors, drawer and hardware clearances are critical to the functionality and to avoid collisions. When you specify these clearances,it means doors and drawers will open/close correctly and not interfere with one another or the cabinets.
• Tolerances: Tolerances define the allowable variation in dimensions within which we can keep the design and still end up with the intended design.

To eliminate reworks after fabrication we also include detail specifications and measurements of the space of installation (in as-built dimensions). CAD tools like Cabinet Vision make this much easier as you can use it to automatically calculate the dimensions of the product and apply them to show you a perfect fit.

Choosing the right materials is key to successfully achieving the aesthetics. When you specify materials correctly in the drawings it results in improving durability and performance of the cabinetry.

Material specifications in shop drawings should include:

• Wood species: State species of wood (e.g. oak, maple, cherry) and grade, while considering material grain variations, color variations and moisture content.
• Sheet goods: Describe details on sheet good types (plywood, MDF, particle board), core material, thickness, quality of veneer, and formaldehyde emissions so the material meets the quality and environmental concerns.
• Edge banding: State edge banding type, width, and material to dress up edges and enhance the lifespan of the exposed edges.
• Countertops: State type of countertop material, color, pattern, edge profile (e.g. edge grain, radius edges) and finishes, and also any specific finishing required. For example, if countertops are made of material like stone, the specifications should be included in the details.
• Special requirements: Note any fire ratings, accessibility standards, and any environmental standards that apply to the project.

Hardware is also an important element in terms of the functionality, and form of cabinetry. Shop drawings need to include hardware lists that contains manufacturer names, part numbers, quantities, and finishes.

It is important to define what type of hinge, hinge size, hinge location, and any hinge angles required in order to achieve the desired overlay for the door. Specify if the drawer slide is telescoping or not (using the types of slides will determine how much weight or load the slides are rated to handle).

Also indicate if the slide has a closing mechanism built in. Be sure to specify the type of pulls or knobs (style, finish, mounting centres) for intended ease of use and design.

Software like SolidWorks allows the designer to specify the hardware in a cabinet shop drawing easily for more accurate placement.

Proper assembly instructions are essential to ensure an efficient installation process. To that end, you should include detailed assembly instructions in your shop drawings.

• Assembly diagrams provide sequential diagrams that show the order of assembly in a 3D exploded configuration or as a 2D stepped drawing. If there is a complex item, such as a hospital type rack or shelving with specialized mounts for equipment, use the logical method of breaking into subassemblies and developing separate drawings for those subassemblies.
• You should also include joinery details describing the type of connections you are using (dovetail, dowel, mortise and tenon), and fastener details indicating the type, size and location of the fasteners.
• Include critical assembly notes indicating any specific clamping method, alignment points, forced adjustments, etc. For example, when assembling a bathroom vanity system you may want to specify the clamping force required when assembling the countertop and sink to eliminate the possibility of cracking.
• You should include finishing notes clarifying which components should be finished prior to assembly. Indicate if the finish is touch-up only or if some assemblies will need to be assembled before final finishing.
• You may also want to include references to the industry standards so that the cabinet construction and cabinet installation instructions are compliant and referenced to establish an accurate understanding of expectations (for example, references to AWI standard).

Cabinet details should include cut lists, grain direction markers, and nesting layouts to optimize the use of material. Export drawing in CNC compatible format with the tool paths and cutting data, so that the data flows seamlessly into the shop. Such workflows are especially critical for institutional and museum casework.

Using tools like 2020 Design you can create cabinet drawings that integrate easily with manufacturing systems.

Keep in mind:

• Show accessibility features in the drawings including pull-out shelves and height adjustable counters.
• Give specs for more complex features, such as those found in kiosks and bar cabinets in restaurants, or custom inlays in retail store display cabinets.
• Consider requirements of appliances in these settings, including ventilation and clearance requirements.
• Ensure that finish details are communicated clearly, especially with bathroom cabinets, where moisture resistant finishes are essential.
• In office and corporate casework, extra care should be taken for durability standards, modularity, and wire management for technology and other components.

Well written concise notes give you clarity on construction details, emphasize critical dimensions and outline installation conditions. You must use a standardized layer naming system to help others read the drawings.

And to make sure that everyone is working from the most up to date drawings you need to establish a proper revision control system. This means monitoring revisions, documenting approvals and managing changes throughout the project completion.