Understanding 32mm cabinet construction

The 32mm cabinet system, also often referred to (somewhat inaccurately) as "Euro style" cabinetry, has been with us for over 20 years now. Even so, there still seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of 32mm cabinet construction.

I have recently been involved in several discussions about this type of cabinet construction. I could not possibly cover a subject like this in a blog post. But here are a few basics and some good links to Internet sites that contain a wealth of information.

To begin with, 32mm is a complete "system" of cutting, edge banding, and assembly that is designed to a) produce a large amount of casework quickly and without the need for a lot of skilled craftsmen; and b) create modular cabinetry that can be easily disassembled and moved from one location to another. In most of Europe, cabinets are treated like furniture in that when people move, they take their cabinets with them. While this construction method is often called "Euro style,” that is misleading because it is not a "style" and cabinets built using the 32mm system can look as "traditional" as any built using the more familiar face frame method of construction.

A “true” 32mm shop will have, at least, the follow machinery:

Here are a few links to some really good information on utilizing the 32mm system:

http://32mm.dalrun.com/System
http://32mm.dalrun.com/System/168.html
http://www.cabsystems.com/KISSII/KIIrivDe-mail.pdf

D.D.