If you don’t mind a slight shadow line where the face frame of your cabinet butts a wall, try this system instead of the traditional method of scribing a pencil line on the face frame and cutting it to fit the contour of the wall.
I use a permanent wooden scribe housed in a slot in the outside edge of the face frame to fit my cabinets to the wall. Since this wooden scribe is located in the center of the frame, it produces a slight indentation (or reveal) from the face of the frame. In plan, this system looks like half a spline joint. I cut the slot the full height of the frame 3/4 in. deep and 1/8 in. wide. I cut the wooden scribe the same dimensions for a friction fit. Screw holes and screws are then added from the inside edge of the frame on center with the slot.
To use the scribe, place the cabinet in. from its wall, and drive the screws. This forces the scribe out of its slot and against the wall. Grind the ends of the screws flat so they don’t enter the scribe.
This system copes with out-of-square conditions, and small contours as well because of the flexibility of the scribe. Spring steel clips can be used instead of screws to hold the scribe to the wall.
Michael Lynch, San Francisco, CA
