Required tools for building a cabinet.

[guytalbot]

What is the minimum power tools needed for constructing a cabinet?  I have all the hands tools I am sure but don't have a lot of wordworking tools.

[Apollo]

Depends on how you plan to build it but I can tell you what I used.

Circular saw (indespensible)
Router
Jigsaw (indespenible)
Mains powered drill (indespensible)
Battery powered drill
Electric spray paint gun
Electric sander
Angle grinder
Drill press

You can probably get by without a few of these i.e. paint spray gun, electric sander etc.
You could probably do the whole thing with a jigsaw only if you really wanted to but I personally wouldn't.

[Santoro]

Assuming a wood Control Panel,

Bare Minimum:
Circular Saw with newish blade
Straightedge for use with circular saw
Power Drill
Cordless Drill/w screwdriver bits
Handheld Jigsaw
Good Wire Stripper
Router with bits for T-molding and Laminate
1 1/8" spade drill bits

Not required, but make it super-easy
Table Saw
Drill Press
Electric Sander
1 1/8" Forstner Drill Bit

[Tilzs]

I used:

Ciricle Saw
Straight Edge
Dremel Advatage Rotary saw
Drill
Router

[Aceldamor]

I used:

Circlular Saw
Jig Saw
Straight Edge
Wire Strippers
Phillips Screwdriver
Power Drill with 1 1/8 spade drill bit and forstner bit
Battery operated Drill
Sander
There is some kind of tool you can use to score plexiglass (to cut it)  that I used
Router

off the top of my head, that's what I used

[FractalWalk]

Not required, but make it super-easy
Table Saw
Drill Press

I couldn't agree more. I put off buying these items until I realized that the time and headaches I would save far made up for the $150 it cost me to get them.  Even thought I got cheap versions, they have been indispensible tools. I wish I had bought them before I even started my project.

I would neve atempt to build a cab without the following (in order of importance):

Cordless drill (2 would be nice) w/driver bits
Router (template bit, laminate bit, straight bit, slot cutter)
Table Saw
Drill Press
Jig saw
Electrician's pliers
Dremel (mostly for cutting)

Many people substitute a circular saw for a table saw but in my experience it would at least double my project time and leave me with far less precise cuts.

[BldnACab]

Certainly not for building, but comes in handy.

Wet/Dry Vac

MDF, what a mess!!!

<BldnACab>

[NY_in_TX]

what everyone else said plus CLAMPS.

all shapes, all sizes, and as many as you can have

ny

[DougHillman]

My observations

Circular saw vs. table saw:  I own both and have not yet used the table saw at all during the construction of the 2 projects I am currently working on, nor did I use it on my previous aborted attempt.   A straitedge clamped to the workpiece and a circular saw is MUCH more usable than trying to maneuver a 7' x 3' piece of wood on the table saw.  Not really any less precise either.  I will be using the table saw for the very precise cuts needed on the modular control panel I'm building, but these are smaller easily handleable pieces.  

Jigsaw:  If you're building a cabinet without any curves you could reasonably dispense with this.  

Router:  Theoretically, you could pretty much build your entire cabinet with just a good router.  It can be used to replace both a circular saw and a jigsaw as well as performing typical router jobs such as cutting the T-molding slot and CP cutouts.  It can do everything but drive the screws in.

Drill/driver:  Corded or a good cordless doesn't really matter.  Needed to predrill screw holes and for driving screws.  Also used to cut button & joystick holes.

Roto-Zip type rotary tool:  Marketed as somewhere between a router and a Dremel tool.  I'm surprised that no one has mentioned these before.  I've actually found that this is a complete replacement for a plunge or fixed base router.  My actual router now just stays attached to its table.  

Dremel tool:  While I think they're about the coolest thing ever, I've not used mine in cabinet construction yet.  Useful for touchup of cuts & holes I suppose.  

Drill press:  If you have one that'll fit the depth of your control panel, they're great for getting nice straight holes.  Not mandatory though.  If you're careful, you can do fine with a hole saw in a handheld drill.

I've got two cabinets nearly completed and used just a Roto-Zip, a 14v DeWalt cordless Circular Trim Saw, and a 14v Dewalt cordless drill/driver.


D  

[Santoro]

what everyone else said plus CLAMPS.

Amen, I can't believe I forgot clamps!

[hyiu]

ok.... if you're saying BARE MINIMUM tools required...

then I would like to ask....
what kind of cab are you building ??...
will the surface be laminated ??
are you going to have t-molding ??

ok.... let's start...

I have a drill.... (cord or cordless are both fine... actually, I prefer corded drill because I never remember to charge the battery anyway....)

you can get by ALL the cuts with 1 jigsaw, and a guide....
(but you'll need to buy new wood blade....) I use a 4 ft metal ruler as a guide....

and 4-6 spring clamps

you'll need to buy a spade bit for the button holes.... (or some other form of hole cutting bit that can cut 1 1/8 in holes...)

if you do NOT plan on having t-molding and laminate...
you are set....

but... if you're planning on doing t-molding or laminate the surface.... you'll need a router with the appropriate bits...

now.... a sander will also help getting the job done faster, but I would say if you're young, and you have strong arms... (or you want to train yourself to have strong arms...) or you have NO budget whatsoever.... you can get by without it...

[FractalWalk]

Certainly you could build a cab with just a router. You could also do it with just hand tools.  Hell, you could probably build the pyramids with a hammer and chisel (and some slave labor).  But when placing a value on time, labor (and frustration avoidance) certain tools are a must.


I don't absolutely need a drill press, but I had to drill well over 300 holes for my cab and a drill press is a god-send for that. In fact there are things I drilled that wouldn't be possible with a hand-drill.

I don't absolutely need a table saw, but to cut 3 panels EXACTLY the same size, each with a 17 degree bevel, required multiple attempts with a circular saw, but just a single pass on a table. In fact every cut I made with my circular saw, I re-did with a router, jig-saw or table saw, so in effect, I never used my circular saw for my cab.

I don't absolutely need a dremel, but to cut 4 piano hinges and metal brackets down to usable size was much easier, quicker & cleaner than using a hack-saw.

[Doc-]

I built mine with the following and I have no real woodworking skills:

 2 hand clamps (more would have been better)
 A $15 Jigsaw from K-Mart
 A $13 hand sander from K-Mart
 Power Drill
 Circular saw - hand held
 Cordless drill
 Good Metal T-Square - at least 24" long
 Crimper/wire cutters for wiring
 1-1/8" hole drill bit
 Mitre box and hand saw for trim/molding

I used a folding table as my workbench in the garage.  I built the cabinet 24" wide because I could buy 24" wide wood precut from the hardware store.

The Cordless drill is actually optional - you can always use the normal drill as long as its variable speed.

Cheers!
Brad

[DougHillman]

As hiyu intimated, I think what's obvious here is that what tools you NEED is dictated by a buncha variables.

• What are the requirements of your cabinet? (ie. curved cuts?  Angled joints?)
• What can you afford to buy?  
• What can you justify buying? (ie. what will you possibly use again.)  
• What are the tools you already have capable of doing?  
• What do your skills allow you to do? (these last two points - I had to make a handful of bevel cuts for joints on one of the CP's.  Just as easy for me to change the angle on my trim saw to 50 degrees and make the cuts with that as it would have been to run them through my table saw.   Maybe not 1/64" of preciseness, but more than good enough for the job.)

There's no one right answer for everyone.   I didn't want to put across the idea that some of the more expensive fixed tools are useless.  I love my drill press &  table saw.  They definately make certain jobs much easier.   Just want to make sure no one thinks they're a necessity.  They're not, for the majority of cabinet builders.  Particularly those who may never use these tools again.  A great cabinet can be built with a very bare minimum of tools.




300 holes FractalWalk?  You have a swiss cheese replica cabinet?  ;)

D

[FractalWalk]

300 holes FractalWalk?  You have a swiss cheese replica cabinet?  

One would think, but just for my 1Up style rotating control panel:

4 holes x 6 2x2 joins
6 holes x 9 fasteners to join control panel to backsplash
2 holes x 6 safety fasteners to hold control panel down
5 holes per joystick x 4 joysticks
4 countersink routs per joystick x 4 joysticks
1 hole per button x 22 buttons
1 spinner hole
6 holes x 2 plexiglass sheet retaining screws
8-10 holes x 3 piano hinges x 2 sides
3 holes x 3 CP kickstands
4 mounting holes x 2 interface cards

That's over 200 right there and that's not even including my cabinet!!

I agree that not every tool is needed by every person. However in my case a drill press and table saw cost a total of $150 and I have saved at least 30 hours of work so far because of them. That comes to about $5 an hour and dropping.

I don't know about the rest of you but my time is worth much more than minimum wage (at least that's what I tell my boss).

[SeanFu]

A word about cheap tools:

In my experience I have kept all my tools a long time.  In fact, I'm trying to remember when the last time I threw out a working tool...

you may be using the tools you purchase now for a very long time.  Choose wisely.  Better to focus your money on a decent tool that you are likely to get a lot of use out of and try to borrow as much as possible for tools that you can't forsee a near term need for after your cab.  Almost E\every time I have bought a cheap tool I have regretted it over the long term.

At the top of the list (especially for home-owners) is a good cordless drill.  Get a good, high torque drill (DeWalt, Porter Cable, etc) that comes with two batteries.  When I finally got a good drill I was cursing myself for all the years I had suffered with a crappy drill.

A jigsaw is a relatively inexpensive tool that is always handy in a pinch.  It isn't the fastest cutter, but it can do a lot.

The list goes on, but these two tools are a good start.

-Sean