Cabinet Making

Cabinet making is the fine art of creating cabinets from various woods and other materials using appropriate tools. It is a trade that has to be learned from expert furniture makers; good training coupled with innate creativity can mould an ordinary carpenter into a master craftsman. Cabinets are made for a wide variety of uses; but the main purpose is storage. Cabinets can be either fitted or movable and are placed in almost all rooms in a house: kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, etc.; they are also built in offices, hospitals, schools and colleges, bars, and other types of buildings where storage is a matter of concern. Cabinets are used for storing kitchen and bathroom supplies, books, medicines, jewellery, files, curios, TV and computer, alcoholic beverages, clothes, crockery and silverware, medals and trophies, and so on. The requirements in design and features vary for each type of cabinet depending on its purpose.

Cabinet making is taught in all woodworking schools and colleges along with other woodworking courses; there are even exclusive short term classes in cabinet making for the advanced level carpenters and hobbyists who would like to explore the possibilities of cabinetry. The professional programmes are aimed at equipping students with an in-depth knowledge of the trade for employment in custom woodworking environments. Do-it-yourself cabinet making guides and kits are available for amateur cabinet makers who look upon it as a spare time activity.

The basic components of a cabinet are base, adjustable feet, compartments, cabinet insert hardware, and top. Though traditionally cabinets are made out of wood, the modern day cabinets come in a variety of materials and combination of materials; there are cabinets made from man-made materials, such as plywood, clipboards, MDF, etc. A cabinet maker has to create suitable joints, dados, bevels, chamfers, and shelving systems using several tools like routers. Cabinet making supplies include tools, wood, hardware, laminates, panels, fittings, etc. Cabinet makers’ tools can consist of several different types of items. For example, a cabinet maker uses a router to hollow out specific parts of wood for creating various designs in the cabinets. There are different types of routers, such as plunge routers, fixed base routers, etc. The hardware supplies for cabinet making consist of nails, screws, hinges, etc. Cabinet fittings can be of brass, aluminium, antique iron, and other metals; the fittings can include door handles, knobs, locks and escutcheons, cabin hooks, brackets and plates, drawer slides, stays, swivels, wardrobe accessories, etc.