Anyone have any experience with a Ryoba japanese saw?

[Demit]

I ordered a wall cabinet along with my Ultracraft vanity for my impending bathroom reno. It's the standard 12" deep (13" with door). I plan to recess it between studs in the wall behind the toilet. What I'd like to do is reduce the depth of the cabinet to 7" so that it will only jut out from the wall 3" (well, 4" with door). It's 15x30, and constructed of 5/8" melamine-on-particleboard.

The way I envision this being done is: take off the door and, without taking the box apart, slice the box lengthwise into two parts, toward the back. Then cut again, cutting off 5" from the larger half. Clean up the cuts with my palm sander then glue the two sections back together. The join would only be visible from the inside of the cabinet, if at all, which wouldn't bother me.

Is this something I can do with a Ryoba japanese handsaw? I've read that it makes very clean cuts and the action is easier to do. Is it something I could do myself? I'm not a carpenter. I'm a graphic designer with pretty good hand control and hand-eye coordination. If a carpenter (who is not a cabinetmaker) did it, what would he use?

Is there a better way to approach what I want to do? I would take the back off and just make one cut, then put the back back on, but I can't see how it is joined. The website says the cabinet box is "dowel-and-glue joinery with machine-fitted back panel."

Even if I end up not doing this, for fear of ruining the cabinet altogether, could someone with more experience tell me how they might approach it?

[Warpy]

1. I would suggest removing the back of the cabinet

before cutting and then cutting the cabinet down. Melamine has a nasty habit of chipping and splitting at the saw line, and you don't want more of that to show than absolutely necessary.

After the cabinet is cut down, you can replace the back and then mount it into the wall.

Any cut in the middle of the cabinet is going to be uneven enough to show, also. If it's at the back, you can disguise it with caulk.

[Demit]

2. Thanks, Warpy. Do you think this is doable?

I'm pretty sure the back is dadoed & glued into the carcass sides. I was told there might be a chance of melting the adhesive, but... it sounds like something I myself don't have enough experience to try.

Yes, I was planning to have the cut be in the back of the cabinet—it would end up inside the wall, so only visible from the inside. Won't a blade with fine teeth make a clean cut? Would tape on the surface before cutting help minimize chipping?

Would a carpenter be able to make the cut on a table saw, do you think? Would that be better than a circular saw?

I could have ordered the cabinet already reduced-depth, only it would have doubled the cost, which seemed excessive at the time. I assumed it wouldn't be a big deal, that surely other people would have done the same thing, get it cut down later. Now I'm not so sure. :(

Do you think this is something a carpenter is going to shrink from in horror, so I shouldn't even ask? Is it doable?

[Warpy]

3. I think any carpenter worth the name

would insist on making the whole thing from the ground up, maybe using the doors you have but making his own stock lumber cabinet and just painting it white.

Table saws make it easier to control the cut, so that you'd likely have an edge that would be far evener, but the melamine would still chip no matter what you do. A router has to be used to cut the stuff with minimal chipping.

Since this thing is going over a toilet, what's the problem with having it stick out that extra 5 inches? It's not as though it's going to be in the way above a toilet tank.

[Demit]

4. True, the last resort is to just have the thing mounted uncut.

I did a mockup in cardboard and it's hanging there, so I can get used to the idea if I have to. The thing was, I had seen a photo of a cabinet recessed like this and it looked so sleek. This kind of looms, visually. Not that you bump into it or anything, but it's visually imposing. I didn't need the full depth, and I liked the idea of it matching the vanity.

Yes, I can understand a pro preferring to start from scratch rather than doing something jerry-built. And I was going to have to cover the outside with the honey maple 'skin' from the manufacturer anyway. The only prob then would be finishing the interior, and the front would have to be edge-banded to match... I dunno, sounds like six of one, half dozen of the other. In terms of effort, AND costwise.

If I had known then what I know now, I might've just sucked up the doubled cost getting it done at the factory. I was trying to watch costs, knowing that the bottom line always gets bigger no matter what you do. LOL! You should've seen my wish list, all the stuff I crossed out, congratulating myself for being so adult & realistic.

Oh well. Live and learn.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

5. You can

Or you can look for another wall mount that will match at a price you can agree with.

Buy a ply wood blade for your saw. A good blade $15.00 ,You want as many teeth on that blade as you can get. Ask for assistance . You will need a lay out table. clamp the box down to the table at bottom. Measure and draw your guide lines. You will need a straight edge,a saw guide. To reduce the jagged edge of the laminate material, you put masking tape across center of guide line,transfer your line to the masking tape. Use three or four inch masking tape. Clamp your saw guide to the area you are going to cut. Than cut one side at a time until you have reduced the depth.

When rotating the cabinet it gets a little tricky. And it may come apart. Use liquid nail ,a Dap product to put it back together should it come apart. You can drill pilot holes in the sides and use wood screws or dry wall screws to refasten it. If it;s in wall mount ,nobody will see the screws.

It can be done ,I do that and you can do that. It's no big deal.

People find what they want like that all the time, they just assume I got ways of making it work!

You might just return your wall mount and go shopping for another that match's close enough ,most of those are 4 or five inches in depth pre fab, right off the old shelf! The only part that sticks out is the door, unless of course your framing is 2xs 6 inch,is it? or is it 2xs 4? In construction, new construction 2x,s 6 inch farming studs are code.

Home Depot you must go! The old mix and match~! It,s difficult to imagine why you would reduce a cabinet down to a bath vanity dimension ,when you can just buy a bath vanity at far less in cost.
You pay in dimension for the object in special order.

And warpy doesn't understand the time equals money factor, It cost's more for me to build the cabinet ,the shop has all the lay out tables and the rail saw for cutting down dimensional ply and various wood such as oak etc. Most carpenters worth the name don't have their own garages set up to accommodate the consumer! We buy threw our suppliers! If I were to build you one,it would cost you more.

[Warpy]

6. I understand it perfectly

but I also know how fast a cabinet box can be knocked together by somebody with decent tools---I've done it.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

8. There you are talking!

A air compressor and a brad nail gun makes even faster!Buy the door and hinges at home Depot for a perfect finish effect! However there is some precession involved! Remember though ,you can buy it in a box for fifty bucks, or as much more as you want to pay. but one you make is made out of what ever material you choose! Like real wood!

[Demit]

7. I doubt I can return the cabinet, it's a semi-custom that I ordered to match my vanity.

To clarify: I'm not looking for a medicine cabinet. I didn't get this to be a medicine cabinet. I wanted it deeper than that. The toilet is off by itself, in a space that used to be a closet, and for years I've stared at the space and thought it was wasted space, and wouldn't it be nice to use it. The cabinet would hold shampoo bottles, washcloths, rolls of TP, whatever. And being in the style of the vanity—honey maple Euro-front, sleek low profile in keeping with the midcentury look—well, it was a nice touch. When the kitchen/bath showroom guy told me the price of ordering it reduced-depth (though another manufacturer whose cabinets I looked at offered that option at no extra cost) I got the impression that 'cut down onsite' was no biggie. That's what he wrote on the job order. I got the sense that it was done all the time. Well, now I know better.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, though, that it can be done! I understand the risks of chipped laminate and so forth. Thanks for walking me through the process. Maybe I'll take a flier on it, if the carpenter will. Just to see what happens.

BTW, it's 2x4 framing. 80 year old rowhouse in Philadelphia, 6x8 hall bath that hasn't been redone in 25 years. That was a DIY job, a lot of it by me, before I came to grips with my limitations. I never did master the smooth mud job that I see pros do so effortlessly, no matter how many joints I taped over the years! I have every respect for the skills of others.

I take your point about not all carpenters having their own setup. I might check with a cabinetmaker I know of to see what he would charge to make this cut. Couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose. Thanks for your interest! I'll post again to let you know what I ended up doing.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

9. Hold on there just a bit

Anybody that can run a saw ,can do that cut,and it is no big deal. It's all about the blade in the saw. A good blade,the best with lots of teeth. Your cabinet commands the cost of the blade. I was referring to cabinet making. As in building cabinets. Those kinds of carpenters are called cabinet makers, they work in or own shops! On a remodel a client will ask me ,where do I think they should buy their new cabinets. I have three shops I deal with. In those options is every range and price there is in cabinetry.

A good handyman per say can do it for you at a cost you can agree with.
The name of the saw is skill saw. Doing the cut ,applying some skill. That and a good blade! I think you can,but if you are not sure ,I am sure it's just a simple phone call away.
And one more thing, I have done a lot of work on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays because a number of my clients just love to get involved,and save a little money by it! If they are willing to watch listen and learn ,I'll be glad to take them threw it! I have worked with a number of their dads and father in laws too, because they just love to help. The thing about the learning process is that it is continuous,I learn something new every day!
Knowledge sharing works it's way around.
And of course it is always nice to have a place to call when I have a question!
And good luck with your project.