Building Cabinet Doors & Drawers

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Summary: All the stuff that really matters. Buy this one first.
Review: Danny Proulx created a book that has all the ingredients that really matter. He covers all the different types of doors and drawers, and the essential techniques required to build them. Combining this book with experience at woodworking basics, and you are on your way to making first class custom cabinets and doors. I like his tips, notes, and safety notes. Gleaning from 30 years of experience, he mentions the common pitfalls in many of the applications.
I had bought some router bits from a gentleman in Canada, who was very helpful. He referred me to someone he knew, who really knew what they were talking about. He referred me to Danny Proulx the author.I coincidentally had bought his book the week before, and was then recommended to him. So I wrote to him about some questions I had. He was kind enough to get back to me with specific answers. I was impressed that a renowned author with many publications to his name, would take the time out to respond to my questions. The nice thing about the author is that he really cares.
This book is a keeper. One to keep at the ready to refer to again and again when developing your next project, or for reviewing the specifics of one. It's an easy read. Engineered to simplicity. All in all I give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Building Cabinet Doors & Drawers
Review: Danny Proulx did a great job. This is an excellant book full of tried and true methodes of installing most any kind of Doors & Drawers,including a lot of detailed explainations of new hardware on the market for them. All concepts are explained in pretty much non tech. language. I have read many books by woodworking tech. types. Many of them are mostly written by woodworkers who know there stuff, but conveying it to the non Norm Abrams type is a shot that makes most woodworking books sound like they were translated from an Alien language.
Danny Proulx showes he not only is hot [stuff] in the shop but knows how to teach it to anyone.

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Summary: Fun just to read and dream!
Review: I am a beginning cabinetmaking student, and this semester my course work covers basic case construction. Because I hope to design a built-in arrangement that will house a small closet, a chest of drawers and a computer desk in what is currently a large closet space in a small room, I will need to know how to do both drawers and doors as part of it. I purchased Building Cabinet Doors & Drawers by Danny Proulx as a resource both for design and for methods of construction. It is a very satisfying book. I've spent several hours just enjoying the planning of my project and estimating the plywood and hardwood requirements for it. I expect to do both my bathroom and kitchen cabinets over the next two years as well, so the book should get a good work-out.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book after reading the 5 star reviews by other readers. I do not know where to begin to express my dissapointment with the book's contents. I guess I am a more advanced woodworker than I previosly thought. I am starting my own business specializing in custom made, solid wood, raised panel doors. Obviously, I already know how to make them (one would hope !). Since this is what the book's title is all about, I figured I could pick up some good tips. Well, this book is obviously for beginners only. With this in mind, I feel bad for any beginner trying to make sense out of some of Mr. Proulx's "formulas". I got to the chapter where he shows a picture of drawing an arc for an arched panel door. I thought, "Hmm, at least I can see if he as an easy formula I can adapt (there are many !) to draw an elipse/arch based on the door width". Nope, he states the radius of the arc once, with no explanation of why, how, where he arrived at this figure. To add insult, in later pages/chapters involving similar cuts to be made, he says "Refer to chapter #, or page so and so where this procedure or formula was explained/illustrated". Aggravating to say the least. Also, all door types made are with a router and router bits (no mention of shapers in here). Nothing wrong with this, but while I have always gotten by making raised panel doors on a table router all these years, I would think that a pro/author of such a book would mention that a shaper is the way to go, especially when rasing a panel !. He also mentions 3 possible thicknesses of panels to be used in conjunction with frame (rail & stile) thickness. He completely omits my favorite: a 3/4 thick panel that is "back-cut" to make the panel flush on front and back side of the door. There's a lot more, but I'll stop here. If you already know how to make a cabinet door and drawer don't waste your money on this book. If you don't already know how, you can pick up some decent general basics. However, if you're a beginning woodworker, don't even try to understand the section on european hinges (drawings and explanations). These belong in a more advanced edition.

Rating:
Summary: A "must" for turning out professional quality cabinetry.
Review: The fundamental key to successful design and utility for any piece of finely crafted cabinetry are its doors and drawers. They are also the bane of amateur and professional cabinet makers. In Building Cabinet Doors & Drawers, Danny Proulx draws upon his more than thirty years of professional woodworking to provide authoritative, detailed, "how to" information on the construction and installation of a wide variety of doors and drawers including the calculating of drawer size; melamine, inset, and cabinet-grade plywood drawers, slab, frame, flat-panel, multi-panel, stick, tambour, pocket, and glass doors. Profusely illustrated throughout, this highly recommended manual will substantially assist any novice in turning out professional quality cabinetry.