Cabinet making is a deeply rewarding project for both DIY enthusiasts and professionals. If you are building a single storage cabinet or planning to make an entire set of customized cabinets, learning how to construct cabinets yourself gives you complete control over size, materials, and finish. By building cabinets yourself, it will often be at a fraction of the cost of buying pre-made cabinetry.
This guide covers the fundamentals of cabinet making from design and materials to tools and a step by step overview. If you are new to making cabinets, this article will help you to get started and maybe you won’t need to take any cabinet making classes or courses.
What is cabinet making?
Cabinet making is the process of designing, constructing and installing cabinetry for bathrooms, workshops, storage spaces, bedrooms and kitchens. Professional cabinetry will often involve specialised CNC machinery, although cabinets can be made with standard woodworking tools.
Knowing how to make cabinetry is a great starting point, as the process is fairly straightforward and follows consistent principles.
Types of kitchen cabinets you can make
Kitchen cabinets are a good example to start with, they are typically practical and easy to build.
Before constructing a project, it is important to understand the main types of cabinets commonly used in joinery. Selecting the right style will depend on your specific needs and the space you’re working with.
- Base cabinets: sit on the floor and support worktops; these commonly come with doors, drawers, or a combination of both
- Wall cabinets: wall cabinets are wall mounted above countertops and require strict installation standards
- Tall cabinets: used for maximising vertical space to provide generous storage capacity
When you consider what type of cabinets you require, it’s essential to consider the materials and tools required to manufacture a strong, square, and durable unit.
Tools and materials
The equipment a cabinet maker needs will depend on how the cabinet will be built. For most units, a selection of saws and common hand tools will complete the job well. Material choice will also depend on where the cabinets will be installed, what’s readily available, and your budget.
See the following articles for a deeper look into the tools and materials used by cabinet makers:
- Cabinet making tools for the modern woodworker
- Selecting the best CNC for cabinet making
- Choosing wood for cabinet making
- Composite wood types
How to make a cabinet
We have other articles that explain how to make different types of cabinets, including comprehensive guides that cover both their design and manufacture. See some specific examples below:
- How to build a cabinet with drawers
- How to build a simple box cabinet
- Making shaker cabinet doors
- How to build a cabinet: from carcass construction to fittings
- How to build a wall cabinet
- How to build a corner cabinet
- Kitchen cabinet and worktop heights and dimensions
- Making cabinet doors
Additionally, it is helpful to step back and look at an overview of cabinet making, prioritising accuracy over speed. Taking the time to follow each step properly will improve the overall quality of your finished cabinetry.
Cabinet making: plan and design
Always start by measuring your space so that you can understand the constraints and quantities required for a project. This will also allow you to know what is possible, and you can then make decisions on cabinet types, materials, dimensions, and styles. Properly designing a project avoids costly mistakes later in the project.
- Notate your plans clearly and in detail
- Confirm all cabinetry dimensions against room measurements
- Consider how your design practically fulfills the your needs or the client’s
- Draw your cabinets in a practical manner for production
You can sketch out your project and manually calculate the parts you need. Unless it’s a very simple design, it’s better to use some kind of software. Drawing based CAD software is an option but it’s still a bit difficult to get the part by part dimensions.
Alternatively use a parametric solution like PolyBoard cabinet design software to size your overall cabinet carcass dimensions then drop in shelves and uprights, drawers, doors and plinths. The part by part plans and dimensions are then calculated for you.
Cabinet making: cutting material
Once you’ve got a cutting list of parts, plan your cutting patterns for efficient cutting, then cut and label your panels.
Again, you can manually decide how to cut your parts for a panel material. Alternatively, go for one of many software options to support you with this process, see more information on our OptiCut panel cutting software.
The benefit of planning cutting patterns and using software tools include:
- Efficient use of materials
- Faster planning and production
- Reduced errors
- Clear communication of cutting requirements
Cabinet making: assembly
Join all panels using your chosen fixing method. This could include screws, dowels, or CAM fittings. Check the cabinet is square and fastened securely.
When assembling cabinetry, you should always:
- Confirm a cabinet is square in each corner
- Pre-drill where necessary to prevent splitting
- Use the chosen fixing method consistently across a project
- Tighten all fasteners fully, but don’t over drive them
- Inspect each assembled cabinet for problems
Cabinet making: install doors and hardware
Finally fit all hinges, handles, cabinet feet, drawer slides and adjust until it sits evenly and doors and drawers operate in a smooth manner.
Pre-made hardware and drawer packs will improve your cabinetry speed and quality. The following brands and products are available to streamline your workflow and ensure reliable performance:
- Blum: full range of cabinetry hardware and specialize in hinges and drawer systems
- Hettich: large array of top end hinge systems
- Grass: quality drawer systems
- Emuca: high end wardrobe fittings and hardware
- Hafele: specialized fittings such as cabinet feet with height adjustment
Common beginner mistakes (and avoiding them)
Being aware of common problems and mistakes can save time, materials, and finances. Watch out for:
- Cutting material before double-checking measurements
- Not allowing for material thickness in calculations
- Using blunt tools, see our article on keeping your tools sharp
- Installing cabinets before checking floors and walls are level
Find out more here about common woodworking problems and solutions for cabinet makers.
Getting started with your first cabinet project
Cabinet making is a combination of design, manufacturing skills, and practical problem solving. Starting with simple projects will allow you to develop confidence and knowledge before progressing into larger cabinetry constructions. With the right tools, proper planning, and patience, cabinet making can look professional and be of a high quality.
If you are just getting started, or looking to improve your processes, consider our PolyBoard cabinet design software, which integrates perfectly with OptiCut to create your cutting patterns and save on material costs.
This pro software is available to order, or opt to use free cabinet design software along with our CabinetFile service for one-off and occasional projects.
