Sprayed Edge Banding for Cabinets
Spraying self-adhesive edge banding on the bench and sticking it to cabinet-box edges instead of masking the whole kitchen.
Line Up Every Drawer Pull With a $25 Hardware Template
A cabinet hardware template sets the pull height once — typically 2 to 3 inches from the drawer top — and its adjustable spacers match your pull's screw spread, so you punch identical hole marks on every drawer instead of measuring each one.
crooked cabinet handles, drawer pull hole spacing, handle drilling jig, matching knob height, install cabinet hardware straight
The Problem
Marking drawer pulls by measuring each drawer face individually means every small error is visible across the whole kitchen — one handle 1/8" high reads as crooked from across the room. The marks have to be identical on every drawer: same height, same spread, centered the same way.
The Technique
- Buy a cabinet hardware template — $25 to $50.
- Set the template's height stop for your pull height. Typical is 2 to 3 inches down from the top of the drawer face.
- Set the two sliding spacers to match your pull's screw spacing (a 3" center-to-center pull gets the spacers at 3").
- Hold the template against the drawer face and mark each hole through the template's guide holes with a center punch. The punched dimple keeps the drill bit from wandering when you drill.
- Repeat on every drawer — the settings don't change, so every set of holes lands in the same spot.
Pro tip: This is a case where a
professional crew switched from shop-made jigs to the bought template
because it was faster. If you're only doing one bank of drawers, the
template still pays for itself the first time you don't re-drill a
misplaced hole through a finished drawer face.
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