10 Essential Cabinet Making Tools
If you are a DIY fiend and fancy the idea of building your own cabinets, or you are keen to pursue cabinet making as a new career path, you are going to need to grow your collection of tools.
In this article we are going to look at the 10 essential tools for making cabinets. Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list and there are certainly plenty of tools out there that you can add to this list in order to perfect your craft and improve the quality of your finish. However, if you are looking for a great starting point then this is the article for you.
Without further adieu, lets begin!
1 - Jigsaw
Using the right blade, you can cut intricate shapes with a jigsaw, making compound and bevel cuts in boards and other materials. A jigsaw is also helpful when needing to remove some of the depth from finished cabinets or cutting decorative profiles in the base of the cabinet once assembled. Simply put, a quality jigsaw will give you all the flexibility you’ll need.
DeWALT Cordless Jigsaws
Bosch Cordless Jigsaws
2 - Router
Routers are used to cut, shape, and make the square, straight edges that you will need in order to join boards when assembling cabinets. These tools are perfect for cutting grooves on your panel doors, and to profile various rails and stiles.
In addition to that, a quality router can be used to rail or stile a joint, create raised panels, and joint edges. This will give you the versatility required to create almost every component for your new cabinets.
DeWALT Cordless Routers
Makita Cordless Routers
3 - Random Orbital Sander
The best way to finish a cabinet with the smoothest surfaces is with a random orbital sander. These handy tools are essential for removing imperfections in the wood and completing all manner of finishing methods.
Another great benefit to using a random orbital sander is being able to sand faster and more safely with a vacuum and hose fitted to collect the excess dust.
4 - Boring Jig
A boring jig is powered by your standard electric drill and can be used to locate cup and screw holes for 35mm cup hinges. You can avoid having to us any expensive production line machine tools, or a jigged drill press. Instead, you can handle these tasks yourself with a convenient hand-held power tool. Another beautiful bonus is the fact that it will fit inside your toolbox!
5 - A biscuit jointer
Using a jointer allows for extremely fast joining methods and being able to utilise special fittings that create strong joints at all manner of angles.
A quality biscuit jointer allows you to produce high-quality furniture, exceptionally quickly. If you genuinely want to make the finest cabinets without having to sink too much of your time into the process, this tool is a must!
6 - Scraper plane
Using a scrape plane with open sides and a full-width blade lets you scrape flush into corners and along adjacent surfaces. You can also use a scraper plan to make flush or angled surfaces smoother. This is the perfect tool for clearing glue away from assembled pieces without causing any damage or leaving residue behind. It is a must-have tool for cabinet makers who wish to produce a flawless finish every time.
7 - Chisel
No cabinet makers toolkit is complete without a chisel. It is almost as though chisels were made and designed with cabinet making in mind. They are perfect for accurate cabinet making as they have great strength and stability. You can cut out mortices and any imperfections in the wood quite easily with a solid chisel and you should be able to go for a while in between sharpening.
8 - Self-centring drill bits
The benefit of using self-centring drill bits is being able to create precise pilot holes in door hinges and butts. The great thing about these drill bits is that it is virtually impossible to drill anywhere other than the exact centre of the conical spring-loaded nose piece. They are ideal if you are not entirely adept with a drill and are afraid of your accuracy being off and spoiling the entire project with one small mistake.
9 - Cabinet hinge installation jig and bit
For installing cabinet hinges with zero measuring mistakes, you need a cabinet hinge installation jig and bit. This is ideal even if you need to replace a few cabinet doors, so it is handy to have in your toolbox in any case. It is also ideal for marking out your setting, drilling, and then mounting with precise alignment, allowing for a perfect finish.
In addition to that, this tool can save you precious time. Fitting hinges can be a fiddly nightmare without the correct gear, but this purpose-designed tool makes it an absolute breeze.
10 - Professional coping sled
Coping sleds allow you to work with optimal control and the utmost precision when you are making cuts, as it safely secures your workpiece. Not only does this help to absorb impact, but it keeps the piece that you are working on perfectly still, so that you can work with the utmost accuracy. The coping sled slides perfectly across your router bit, making sure that the workpiece remains square on your mitre slot. If you are working on cabinet doors on a router, you will be able to do so effortlessly with this piece of kit.
