Looking to save some money on your next tool purchase? Consider reconditioned or re-manufactured. These tools, for whatever reason, were returned to the manufacturer for repair, with some type of defect or missing part(s) or maybe it didn’t perform like the customer expected. They can not be resold as new.  These tools differ from those being sold as used because they have been checked over, fixed and brought  back to manufacturers standards. Used tools are just that, used. You really don’t know what your getting when you buy used. You’ll be taking a much greater risk that it will not perform as expected or it won’t last. Also, used tools typically don’t include any type of warranty. However, if you’re at a yard sale some Sunday afternoon and you see a power tool that looks in pretty good condition, try it out right there if you can. Never pass up a good deal!  Especially if the price is dirt cheap. You may also be tempted to buy tools at your local pawn shop. Don’t! Most of those tools have been abused. I would never recommend buying from pawn shops.

Refurbished,re-manufactured or reconditioned tools can be bought at substantial savings through reputable companies like CPO Tools, Tool King, or even on Amazon. When deciding on your tool, find out as much about it as you can. Best thing to do is read reviews and customers comments of those who have purchased the tool in question. Next, get a first hand look and feel by going to your local big box store or hardware outlet. Take note of the price and then compare the same item on one of the above companies website. If you find the same item, at reasonable discount ( 20%-40% less then retail ) then it would be a good choice to go with the refurbished/remanufactured source. Don’t forget to include all shipping and handling charges as well!

I think that you will find buying reconditioned, re-manufactured, or refurbished tools will allow you to get a better, higher quality grade of tool for a much lower price then if you bought it new. As a professional cabinet maker, I know that the tools I buy and use for cabinet making must be built to withstand daily use, be of high quality, and perform as expected.

Here’s one example comparison for the Bostitch U/CPACK300 3-Tool and Compressor Combo Kit.

Bostich CPACK300 3-Tool Combo Kit

Shapers, molders, planers and routers are the tools used in cabinet making for taking raw lumber and turning it into cabinet grade hardwood face frames, trim moldings and solid wood components. A common stationary tool used for making moldings and profiling is the shaper. The shaper is a costly piece of equipment and I think it’s over rated. I have a 3 hp shaper in my shop and for the most part it sits idol. The reason, I have a 3 hp variable speed router mounted under a large table with a quality fence system that I use to do most jobs. It’s more versatile, easier to set up for long runs, and the bits are much cheaper. The BenchDog ProMaxRT Router is a good example of a router table system that will perform most shaping duties and replace the more expensive shaper. In m shop the router is by far the most used and important piece of equipment that we have. In cabinet shops it is very common to have several with varying horse power to do specific jobs.

A planer or a combination planer/molder is a must addition to your tool inventory. It’s essential that your hardwood materials be of consistent thickness because you will be joining parts together and variations in thickness will give you nothing but trouble. A portable, 13″ planer, which usually costs less than $400 dollars, will usually handle your surfacing requirements. It should be mounted on a stationary stand for stability and you should have in and out feed roller stands for supporting longer material lengths. However, for the best  results a larger stationary 20″ planer would be preferred for continued high use and dependability. Keep in mind these machines are several thousand dollars so be sure your volume of work justifies the expense.

When it comes to profiling moldings and making trim here’s what we do in our shop. We use the William and Hussey molder. We custom make all types of moldings, in a variety of species. We make radius trim for arch’s and all manor of curved trim. The shop Fox W1812 , around $1,300 bucks ) is a less expensive equivalent to the W&H.  I would not recommend buying this machine if your just starting out, unless you expect to be making lots of moldings and trim. They are well worth the cost, however, if your shop is growing and expanding into custom moldings as part of your cabinetry designs.

In general, I’d say, start with a good portable planer for surfacing and get a 1 hp, or better, router for general purpose use. Also decide if you want to spend the money on a shaper or whether a router table system is more in your budget ( I would highly recommend the later ). As far as making detailed moldings in a small shop goes, there’s no better way, in my view, then using the W&H or ShopFox for this.

That’s my opinion. Take it for what its worth. I’ll discuss assembly and more tools for cabinet making in part 3 of this series.

I asked that question to myself about 40 years ago and I realized then, as I do now,  it’s not a question with a simple answer. Practically all woodworking tools can be used in cabinetmaking to one degree or another. The problem lies in choosing the right tools that will help you produce a well built cabinet easier and as accurately as possible. To that end, I have comprised a short list of categories that I believe you need to look at before you consider buying any tool for the purposes of cabinet making. You will need several tools from each to even begin to feel capable of doing quality cabinetmaking.

All the tools listed in the categories below are what I consider essential for producing custom cabinets. But, the question is: “What type of cabinets do you plan to make?” Are you building as a hobby or do you plan on making it a living? Are you just looking to buy a gift or just want to add to your tool inventory? If your going to get serious about it make sure you plan on spending lots of time, have the space to build in, and of course, “Deep Pockets!”

Cutting/Sizing: The mainstay of any cabinet shop has to be table saw. A good quality table saw will allow you to cut and size your cabinet parts accurately. If you plan on building kitchen style cabinets you’ll be working with large sheet good material. A sturdy, heavy duty cabinet saw with at least 2+ horsepower, 10 inch blade,  and a good rip fence is a must. Finally,add an out feed table to support longer runs plus some quality rip, cross-cut, and plywood carbide blades. Add a 10″ or 12″ compound miter saw for cutting your smaller pieces, face-frame materials, and moldings. Put the miter saw on a bench or fixed stand and add out-wings or roller stands to support longer pieces.

Back to the table saw for just a moment. Now, some cabinet makers may disagree with me here, but I believe the table saw is taking a back seat to automated machinery. Not the smaller ones, but the midsized shops. With the development of Computer Numerically Controlled ( CNC ) machines it has become much more efficient and cost effective to phase out the manual cutting of cabinet parts and convert to using automated machining. When you start designing cabinets using CAD/Cam software and generating code to these machines which then calculates the best usage of your material. There is no longer the need to manually develop cut-lists and try to figure out the best way to cut your sheet goods. Having  CAD/CAM software will enable the CNC to cut all cabinet parts, drill shelf holes, dado, and rabbit, giving you the best yield out of you material. You must train yourself on design software and it’s a big learning curve, but, this is the future of cabinetmaking for companies expecting to grow and be competitive in today’s market. Obviously, these statements are geared to those  planning on developing  a cabinet making business.

My suggestion for someone starting out would be to get a  Delta Cabinet Saw

Delta Cabinet Saw

with a Beismeyer 50″ fence system, cost around $1400-$1800  dollars or so. If that’s to high try a Jet, Grizzly, Craftsman, or similar stationary type. Remember though, “you get what you pay for!” Don’t skimp on your saw or you will surely regret it! For a miter box I’d suggest a good quality 10″ or 12″ compound like those made by Dewalt or Makita. Bosch and Hatachi are also good machines as well. $200-$500 dollar range. Look for sales at the big box stores.

To complete your cutting  list you should have a good Sabre Saw for cutting curves, cutouts, and off cuts. Also a Circular Saw for general rough cutting and for use in field installations. A Band Saw or Scroll Saw are  “nice to have” stationary saws for scroll type work or re-sawing.

I hope these suggestions, and my comments,  will be helpful in allowing  you to make a good decision when  selection tools to acquire for cabinetmaking. Your comments and question are welcome!

Future posts will cover the following topics:

Shaping, Profiling, and Assembling ( Part 2 )

Finishing and Installation ( Part 3 )

The ProMaxRT Router Table with base

One of the Tools For Cabinetmaking you should consider is a well made, accurate, and reliable router table. A good router table with a solid cast-iron table and sturdy base can be a a great asset in your cabinet making tools inventory. The ProMaxRT Router Table with base is an affordable substitute for the more expensive shapers available today. Mounting a variable speed 3hp router and attaching a standalone dust collector will give you the capability of performing a multitude of wood routing operations.

This is a top-of-the-line system featuring a 8 1/4″ x 11 3/4″ ProPlate router plate, with Bench Dog’s 32″ Pro-Fence and ProCabinet Baltic birch base. The cast-iron top is over 5 square-feet, no seams, and machined T-slot and miter

slot. At almost 100 lbs it’s actually bigger than most shaper tables. The ProPlate excepts up to 3 hp routers and the ProLift adjustment system. The Bench Dog dual-track with standard miter slot and universal T-track will accept featherboards, stops or other accessories with 5/16″ bolts, 1/4″ bolts, or 1/4″ hex bolts.

The ProCabinet base is made from Baltic birch.  Built with strong bolt-and-cross-dowel construction it has two pullout trays, two shelves, four casters, and a dust port. Weighs in at a hefty 97 lbs.

Other types of table tops are available  like HPL (high pressure laminate) the lowest priced version with a steel base(around $300 bucks), and a mid priced phenolic top with aluminum router plate and steel base for around $500 dollars.

High quality cabinet making tools are essential in any shop, small or large. Weather you chose the high-end table model or one of the less expensive ones the router table, with a good selection of  bits,  will provide you with a versatile routing center to help make your finished products look professional and save hours of frustrating and time consuming hand routing.