Tools For Cabinetmaking

What makes a great gift for a cabinet maker? You would think that any quality woodworking tool makes a good gift, but how do you choose from all the thousands of products available?  Here’s two of my top picks for a perfect gift to give.

Clamps

There is no more important piece of equipment in a cabinet shop then clamps! It’s a safe bet that the cabinetmaker your buying a gift for has clamps. The thing here is it’s never enough! Cabinetmakers never have enough clamps and can always use more, always! The best and most common sizes that are used routinely are the 6″, 12″, and 24″. The Bessey company produces a top quality clamp in a variety of sizes, styles, and functionality. This is the only brand I use or recommend. Watch video or read my post on these clamps.

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

Kreg Jig Master System

This may seem redundant because I’ve already posted on the Kreg Jig but I believe this tool should be a gift to consider. Not that expensive, it will add many more options to the cabinetmaker when considering assembly of cabinets. It allows face frame joinery without the use of bar clamps. Also, this type of construction can be applied to many situations and help the cabinetmaker in a variety of areas. See video and more comments in my post on the Kreg Jig.

Read my posts on other tools for cabinetmaking. Any one of them would make a great gift for the cabinet maker in your life.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

If you don’t already know, one of the best methods to assemble face frames is by using pocket hole joinery. In my cabinet shop we build mostly traditional style cabinetry having hardwood face frames. We have several Kreg pocket hole jigs as well as a pneumatic pocket hole machine. Before we purchased our first Kreg system we used biscuit joinery and lots of pipe clamps. This method was not very efficient, required lots of clamps, and we had to wait for the glue to setup. When we switched to pocket hole joinery it was immediately recognized how much faster it was to complete our face frames. It no longer required any pipe clamps, no waiting for glue to dry, joints where stronger, and the frames could be applied to the casework right away. I highly recommend this system of construction.
More Uses then You Can Imagine
We’ve increased the use of pocket hole joinery much further then cabinet face frames. The products our shop produces include (continue reading…)