# Kitchen project for my inlaws



## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

Nothing huge but I am really happy with how this turned out.
My inlaws moved down the island into a townhouse closer to us. Within a month or so the mid-90's era Gaggineau gas cooktop started packing it in. They bought a new Fisher-Paykel unit but it was 6" shorter than the opening in the granite countertop. 
I pulled the old cooktop out for them and saw that if I cut a piece of 1/8" stainless to cover the opening I could cut a smaller hole to fit the new cooktop.
Stainless bought, and cut to outside dimensions, I went to the cooktop supplier and measured the actual dimensions for the opening.
Laid it out and fired up the plasma cutter. Blamo! Cut like butter. Also radiused the corners to match the cooktop.
Had to cut 3/8" out of the granite with a diamond blade on the angle grinder. That was no fun at all.
Very happy with the end result, as are my in-laws.


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## Brent H (Nov 20, 2021)

@David_R8 :  Blamo!!  nice job! LOL


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## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

Brent H said:


> @David_R8 :  Blamo!!  nice job! LOL


That’s the term used in my plasma cutter manual


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 20, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> Nothing huge but I am really happy with how this turned out.
> My inlaws moved down the island into a townhouse closer to us. Within a month or so the mid-90's era Gaggineau gas cooktop started packing it in. They bought a new Fisher-Paykel unit but it was 6" shorter than the opening in the granite countertop.
> I pulled the old cooktop out for them and saw that if I cut a piece of 1/8" stainless to cover the opening I could cut a smaller hole to fit the new cooktop.
> Stainless bought, and cut to outside dimensions, I went to the cooktop supplier and measured the actual dimensions for the opening.
> ...


Great job. Just imagine what that would have cost to have custom made. You saved them so much money you need to treat yourself to a new machine.


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## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> Great job. Just imagine what that would have cost to have custom made. You saved them so much money you need to treat yourself to a new machine.


At the very least finish the 24,732 projects on the list!


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## DPittman (Nov 20, 2021)

Man if you weren't already the favorite son-in-law, you will be now.  Excellent job.


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## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

DPittman said:


> Man if you weren't already the favorite son-in-law, you will be now.  Excellent job.


Thanks! I’m very happy with how it turned out. 
Next task is to glue a 16ga stainless panel to the false front below.


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## Dusty (Nov 20, 2021)

Professional job and it looks really smart, me thinks you earned many brownie points.

What type of glue would you use to fasten the stainless panel to the false front. Must be a special blend to withstand the heat?


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## John Conroy (Nov 20, 2021)

Last time I saw blamo was in a Batman cartoon.LoL


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## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

Dusty said:


> Professional job and it looks really smart, me thinks you earned many brownie points.
> 
> What type of glue would you use to fasten the stainless panel to the false front. Must be a special blend to withstand the heat?


I'm probably going to use either contact cement or silicone. It won't see any heat, it's just to cover the holes where the controls for the old cooktop were mounted.


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## David_R8 (Nov 20, 2021)

DPittman said:


> Man if you weren't already the favorite son-in-law, you will be now.  Excellent job.


Thanks, I'm first in a one-person race


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## Dusty (Nov 21, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> I'm probably going to use either contact cement or silicone. It won't see any heat, it's just to cover the holes where the controls for the old cooktop were mounted.



Contact cement sound like a plan. Check this out there's a product call liquid nails although one would want to read the fine print. Comes in a tube, I've used it before but not on stainless steel, worked fine. Good luck with this.


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## PeterT (Nov 21, 2021)

Nice work. Personally I'd go with an adhesive you have some working time vs contact cement. Get the plate in position, get all the knobs on, make sure everything lines up perfect & then just let it cure in-situ that way. If you can get it positioned with sufficient allowance then contact cement would work fine too, but you only get one shot at it. Usually on bigger projects the excess hangs over & is trimmed for that reason. And some people swear you need a roller to properly mate contact cement surfaces.


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## PeterT (Nov 21, 2021)

I cant think of any reason one would regret having the plate permanently bonded, but maybe ponder that aspect too. For example burner assembly craps out one day, source a new one, discover catalog nominal size is really just that 'nominal' & replacements are a smidge too big. Filing the plate's inside edge to make allowance would be PITA. Pulling it off from expensive countertop now that its bonded with super-goop might not be fun either. Etc Etc. 

If you are wondering why I am mentally afflicted with 'glass half empty scenario brain' as my wife claims, its because I tend to remember certain things that caused me pain & reflection in the past. Just a random example - our cabinet installers hung the boxes to a nominal dimension of the hood fan width. Yes, custom cabinet positioning was dictated by a 50$ POS hood fan because it was the only stainless model that met the aesthetic standards. Turns out the <ahem> designer changed <her> mind because the fan was noisy & every friggen available hood fan unit turned out to be 1mm too wide for the gap. Now a practical person would look at the width with a discerning +/- eye since its a sheet metal box. Maybe, I dunno, position the cabinets a big wider to begin with, make up the gap with trim. But he is now long gone leaving aforementioned PITA job to <designers> husband to figure out. I checked everywhere, even Lee Valley - curiously no 'cabinet planers' or 'cabinet expander' tools available. Ahhhh the scars have almost healed LOL.


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## David_R8 (Nov 28, 2021)

Finally finished the kitchen project today.
Glued the stainless steel panel to the false front and screwed it into place from the back. 
They are overjoyed.


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## DPittman (Nov 28, 2021)

They should be. Great job!


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## David_R8 (Nov 28, 2021)

DPittman said:


> They should be. Great job!


Thanks! I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out considering I gave it approximately 3 mins thought as a solution.


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## Mcgyver (Nov 30, 2021)

just noticed this thread - that's very professional, nice job!


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## David_R8 (Nov 30, 2021)

Mcgyver said:


> just noticed this thread - that's very professional, nice job!


Thanks, appreciate that!


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 30, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> Thanks, appreciate that!


Damn David...that's nice work.


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## David_R8 (Nov 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> Damn David...that's nice work.


Thanks! My father-in-law was was over the moon with the result.


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 30, 2021)

PeterT said:


> ...
> If you are wondering why I am mentally afflicted with 'glass half empty scenario brain' as my wife claims, its because I tend to remember certain things that caused me pain & reflection in the past....


That's because you are an experiential learner and reflect on the "why" and not just the "what." I swear that's the reason I dropped out of engineering. Everyone else just wanted the answer, the equation, or the grade. I could never finish on time because I had to pull the logic apart and always ask "why" and understand every aspect—not just produce a correct answer. Use of the word "reflection" in your post is a dead giveaway.

Pain and reflection are only great teachers to experiential learners. Ever watch someone burn the same meal in the same pan over and over again after being told that's not how you do it? Guess who ISN'T an experiential learner in that scenario?

Decades ago I stupidly afixed a granite backsplash to drywall using PL400 instead of silicone. That mistake made slow down and think through construction solutions before just jumping in. Past experience, and more importantly, the "reflection" part of the experience are what make for great solutions.

For the record, my wife thinks I am half-full empty as well.  Others times she says I am completely full. I never ask for clarity by asking "Of what?"


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## David_R8 (Nov 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> That's because you are an experiential learner and reflect on the "why" and not just the "what." I swear that's the reason I dropped out of engineering. Everyone else just wanted the answer, the equation, or the grade. I could never finish on time because I had to pull the logic apart and always ask "why" and understand every aspect—not just produce a correct answer. Use of the word "reflection" in your post is a dead giveaway.
> 
> Pain and reflection are only great teachers to experiential learners. Ever watch someone burn the same meal in the same pan over and over again after being told that's not how you do it? Guess who ISN'T an experiential learner in that scenario?
> 
> ...


I am exactly the same... it was drilled into me from an early age, "If you can understand the 'why' of something you'll be better able to figure out how to fix it or make it better."
@PeterT


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 30, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> I am exactly the same... it was drilled into me from an early age, "If you can understand the 'why' of something you'll be better able to figure out how to fix it or make it better."
> @PeterT


Sometimes I think it's a curse right?


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## David_R8 (Nov 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> Sometimes I think it's a curse right?


A curse I'm happy to have but it does cause some folks to raise eyebrows


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 30, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> For the record, my wife thinks I am half-full as well.  Others times she says I am completely full. I never ask for clarity by asking "Of what?"


* S/b "half-empty"


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## Chicken lights (Dec 3, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> That's because you are an experiential learner and reflect on the "why" and not just the "what." I swear that's the reason I dropped out of engineering. Everyone else just wanted the answer, the equation, or the grade. I could never finish on time because I had to pull the logic apart and always ask "why" and understand every aspect—not just produce a correct answer. Use of the word "reflection" in your post is a dead giveaway.
> 
> Pain and reflection are only great teachers to experiential learners. Ever watch someone burn the same meal in the same pan over and over again after being told that's not how you do it? Guess who ISN'T an experiential learner in that scenario?
> 
> ...


It’s interesting how we’re all wired differently 

But then again if we were all the same it would be boring


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## Susquatch (Dec 3, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I swear that's the reason I dropped out of engineering. Everyone else just wanted the answer, the equation, or the grade.



All of your profs should have been shot. Engineering is NOT about getting THE answer or the best grade. In the real world there are seldom problems that have THE answer, only better ones than others. Understanding WHY is the secret to almost every situation. But I understand what you are saying and I've seen it all too often. When we hired engineers, we preferred the ones who were farm boys or machinists daughters, not the ones with the highest grades. 



CalgaryPT said:


> Pain and reflection are only great teachers to experiential learners.



I always like to say that  "Experience is the best and toughest teacher of all because she gives the test before the lesson" 



David_R8 said:


> If you can understand the 'why' of something you'll be better able to figure out how to fix it or make it better."



Exactly. That's the best approach no matter what your calling is. From cooking to doctors to rocket scientists. 



Chicken lights said:


> It’s interesting how we’re all wired differently
> 
> But then again if we were all the same it would be boring



I often used to start meetings and brainstorming sessions by saying. "If everyone agrees with everyone else then we don't need any of them but one and the rest of you can all go home." (Didn't matter much where that might be, some turkey would always pipe up and ask why I was the one staying..... LOL!) 

Even when we are similar, we have differences and those differences are both important and valuable.


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