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.

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.