Cut Out Drawer Pull Template
As obsessed as we are with hardware, one of our favorite types of cabinet pull isn't technically a pull at all—rather, it's an open hole or handle cut out of a flat-front cabinet door. To get the details on the technique, we turned to Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory members Medium Plenty of Oakland, California. Here's what principals Ian Read and Gretchen Krebs had to say.
Above: A showroom kitchen by UK furniture brand deVOL has cabinet doors of rough-sawn beechwood with circular cutout cabinet holes lined in copper. (See the rest in Kitchen of the Week: Sebastian Cox for deVOL in the UK.)
What are cutout cabinet pulls?
A cutout cabinet pull is a simple hole or notch in the cabinet face that functions as a cabinet pull and is most often part of a fully custom cabinet design. On budget installations, Read of Medium Plenty gets a woodworker to cut a pull out of an off-the-shelf or otherwise preexisting door.
The two most common shapes of cutout cabinet pulls are circular cutouts (or "mouse holes"), and U-shape (or "extended U-shape") handles. When deciding on style, size, and technique, Read works closely with the cabinetmaker: "Each cabinetmaker has a slightly different way of doing it," he says. "So we work with them to get the best solution."
Above: In a Melbourne kitchen by architect and stylist Sarah Trotter, black-stained birch ply cabinets open via circle cutout pulls. (See more in Kitchen of the Week: A Seventies Overhaul by Hearth Studio.) Photograph by Christo Crocker, courtesy of Hearth Studio.
What are the ideal dimensions of cutout pulls?
As a rule of thumb, Read recommends a 1 1/4-inch diameter for a circular cutout pull. "That would be big enough to use, but not so large that you'll have a view of the inside your cabinet," he said. For U-shape cutouts, three to six inches is right.
"The ergonomics matter," said Read—you should be able to open cabinet doors easily and intuitively, especially in the kitchen. "Avoid any design you can't easily access with two fingers."
Above: In the London kitchen of Brit culinary star Anna Jones, plywood cabinets have U-shape cutout pulls that join to form ovals. "I love the cutout handles," said Jones. "They're such a simple and clean little design tweak." (See more in Kitchen of the Week: Cookbook Author Anna Jones at Home in London.) Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista.
Are there any cost savings associated with cutout pulls?
Unless you're eyeing especially pricey cabinet hardware, cutout pulls will be more expensive than hardware. Whether making something entirely custom or modifying an existing cabinet door, the extra labor required to cut and finish the cutouts will usually exceed what you'd spend on hardware pulls.
Above: U-shape cutouts combine to create vertically oriented ovals in this oak kitchen by Danish company KBH Københavns Møbelsnedkeri.
What are the best materials for cutout cabinet pulls?
This technique works best on MDF, says Read. Since it's solid core, once the pull is cut, sanded, and sealed, the door looks like one solid surface. Plywood doors require edge treatment and are more susceptible to warping. One exception: In a Berkeley, California, houseboat remodel, Medium Plenty cut circular pulls out of 1 1/2-inch red oak plywood. Though the interior of the ply was visible, the owner liked the look. (See more in More Boat for the Buck: A Cost-Conscious California Houseboat Remodel by Medium Plenty.)
Source: https://www.remodelista.com/posts/remodeling-101-cutout-cabinet-pulls/
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