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 )

A staple in any cabinet shop, this cabinetmaker’s  table saw is the most indispensable piece of equipment you could have. The accuracy, reliability, and ease of use are critical to cutting parts for cabinets. The 10″ Delta

UNISAW with a 3hp motor and the Beisemeyer fence system is a high

Delta 10" UNISAW model 36-L352 with a 52" Biesemeyer fence

caliber machine. As a cabinetmaker for many years, I have relied on Delta table saws and believe that they are very dependable, keep their accuracy over long periods of time, and are easy to maintain.

Here are some features of this cabinetmakers saw:

Single-Cast Trunnion System results in incredible vibration control providing continuous smooth operation and dependable accuracy

Dual Front Cranks make adjusting blade height and blade bevel easy, accurate, and repeatable in all your operations

The Bevel Dial allows fine tuning of the blade bevel with ease and provides accuracy you can trust to within 1/4 degree

The Cabinet Construction consists of a large cast-iron base providing stability and solid footing

True American Marathon Motor provides added power and is available in both 3 and 5 HP

Improved Table-Top Geometry provides more surface area to stabilize the product and offers outstanding smoothness and superior ease

The Largest Blade Opening in class makes fine tuning your riving knife and blade changes easier than ever without scraping up your skin

The Push Button Arbor Lock makes the blade changing process simple and more natural with the use of only 1 wrench, without busting your knuckles

Large, Easy to Access ON/OFF switch is multi-directional and can be activated from any angle. Its mounting bracket is more solid and sturdy for those times when turning it off with a knee or a foot is necessary

Smart Storage provides simple and accessible storage for 5 saw blades, 2 riving knives, an arbor nut flange, and the entire rise-and-fall split guard assembly. There is also adequate room for a push stick, arbor wrench with extra-long handle, and standard throat plate

Bi-Level Dust Extraction uses only 1 collector hose coupled with a sloping bottom cabinet used to navigate dust, and the new closed bevel gauge provides a sealed interior. This combination results in much higher level of dust collection

Tool-Free Split Guard design allows a true rise-and fall riving knife by using a lever on the front of the saw or inside the throat plate. You can then add the anti-kickback paws and guard to the riving knife without tools

BIESEMEYER Fence System provides hairline pointer and built-in tape allowing you to make precision set-ups, cut after cut. 9-ply fence faces have improved tolerances like no other as well as an improved cam front lock lever for an overlock with a curved edge

Specifications:

Motor: 3 HP, 230V, 1 Phase, 60 Hz

Arbor Size: 5/8 ”

Blade Diameter: 10 ”

Blade Speed: 4,000 RPM

Max Rip To Right Of Blade: 52 ”

Max Rip To Left Of Blade: 11-1/2 ”

Depth Of Cut At 45°: 2-1/8 ”

Depth Of Cut At 90°: 3-1/8 ”

Distance, front of table to center of blade: 18-1/2 ”

Table in Front of Saw at Max. Depth of Cut: 13-1/2 ”

Max Width Of Dado: 1 ”

Miter Gauge Groove: 3/8″ x 3/4″

Chip Exhaust Opening: 4″ & 5″ ”

Table Height: 35 ”

Table Size: 31″ x 42 ”

Length: NA ”

Width: NA ”

Height: 35 ”

Weight: 456 lbs

In summary, I would suggest that for those who may be considering their first cabinet grade saw for their shop that they look at this saw and compare its capabilities with others in the same class. I think you’ll agree with me that this is a great table saw and would be money well spent!

In our shop we’ve built a portable rack on wheels. Having the ability

to bring you clamps close to the work being done is much more efficient and saves time. Bigger and much longer clamps like 3/4″ pipe or bar clamps can even be mounted on the rack. Bessey “K” body clamps are the most popular clamp for door assembly and glue-up. Because their jaws remain square to the face when you tighten them up the pressure applied is even across the surface of your material.

If you have a shop and build any type of cabinetry you know how

REVO K Body

important clamps are. There never seems to be enough, and you can always use more. When thinking about tools for cabinetmaking, clamps are at the top of the list to get and I recommend Bessey