Help me decide what machines I need

[Mike Kees]

For you guys who have established cabinet shops what would be the equipment list that you would recommend to start. I want to build 5-10 kitchens a year and do custom furniture, so solid wood-panels . I know that I want a sliding table saw and I am leaning to a 10'' slide off the bat. After this I need help in what to buy in what order. Any suggestions from cabinet shop owners would be appreciated. Thanks ,Mike

[Mike Kees]

Guess I should list machines I already have. 2 Unisaws,8 jointer ,15 planer ,18 bandsaw,14 bandsaw, 3h.p. shaper, edge sander,drill press, lathe.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you're going to build that many kitchens per year, you need a way to quickly break down full sheets of plywood. If that slider you're talking about is big enough to rip an 8 foot sheet, you have it. But a vertical panel saw costs less, and is easier to load. Another thing you need is a good edgebander. And unless you're subbing out your drawer boxes, you need a fast method for making drawer boxes, like an automatic dovetailer. Those machines have a row of dovetail bits, and cut all of the joint in just one operation. And if you're going to build lots of face frames, a pocket-screw table. A widebelt sander would be good too.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks Jamie. I have an opurtunity,to buy out a friends shop. They have a 36 inch Meber bandsaw,SCM 320 sliding saw,Ema shaper and planer(24''),cantek 12'' jointer, scm 'sandya' widebelt single head and a big General lathe. There is more stuff but those are the main machines. So I am trying to decide what I need from this list.

[Carroll Courtney]

Add maybe Blum Hinge machine that will also line bore

[Bill Adamsen]

Thanks Jamie. I have an opurtunity,to buy out a friends shop. They have a 36 inch Meber bandsaw,SCM 320 sliding saw,Ema shaper and planer(24''),cantek 12'' jointer, scm 'sandya' widebelt single head and a big General lathe. There is more stuff but those are the main machines. So I am trying to decide what I need from this list.

If you have decided against the CNC route, that's an excellent foundational platform especially if the planer and jointer are Tersa (though I think today Cantek only offers spiral). It all sounds like 3-phase, so either you are leaving it where it is, or have that in your target location.

[David Kumm]

I would want everything in the guy's shop ( maybe not the lathe but just me ). You also need a good finishing room and system. The quality of the finish is where a small shop has a hard time competing with high end large producers. I'd also look for ways to separate from the herd. I don't do cabinets for the public, but use full 1" rails and stiles, and a more pronounced profile of the raised panels. A cabinet side that is exposed but not covered with a panel gets bandsawn veneer to look special. Drawer bottoms are 9mm and the dovetails are sized so the bottoms fit without being exposed. I don't have a fully auto dovetail machine but an OMEC 450 with pneumatic clamps and a single flute bit can crank out drawer sides pretty quickly. I'd also want either a drawer or 8" x48" oscillating edge sander. Blum slides and hinges are good quality. Starting with good ply that is flat and lacks voids is huge.

A key to making money in the cabinet business is to avoid the low end so making a quality box is important. A good clamp table and jig to square the boxes is important. Boxes just slightly out of square will drive you crazy and eliminate your profit. Dave

[Mike Kees]

It is all three phase stuff. I am looking at a digital phase converter. planer has a byrd shelix head and jointer is straight knives.I dont know anything about cnc at all.except that they are expensive and run by computers. I am a carpenter who probably should have gone the cabinetmaking route instead to begin with. O well had a lot of fun building houses and shops for the last 25 years. Now I want to be in my shop instead of outside in the cold.

[Bill Adamsen]

Dave brings up a few excellent points. Identify the target market and what's required to service that market. For a small operator the high-end (at least in my area) is the market of choice. Most folks I know in that market are buying their doors and drawer fronts, outsourcing finishing, and buying drawers. The time and effort (and payback) goes into the casework and framing details, and the ability to take the client and designer ideas and working with them iteratively, come up with a solution that simply would not be possible for the pre-manufactured supplier and installer. So the ability to manage the project critical path becomes paramount. For instance, if outsourcing the doors, what is required to get that pipeline moving towards delivery? Building the face-frame first?

The point about case assembly is really important. The key is to get perfectly sized and square panels then be able to efficiently assemble into square boxes. There are many assembly tools (look up JLT Company) and if you have the room that would help optimize your build process and improve quality. Raise and lower lever assembly tables are another way to improve workflow.

[Mark Gibney]

David - "I use full 1" rails and stiles". This is interesting to me, are both your stiles and rails 1"? Do you attach the face frame to each box before you install, and so your stiles end up at 2"?

I'm designing a small cabinet for a client, who hates wide face frame parts. Currently I have the stiles maxing out at 1 3/4" and the rails at 1 1/8".

This cabinet will be a built-in, nestled in an alcove. The stiles could be as narrow as the rails, and I'm thinking of trying that, so your measurements caught my attention.

[David Kumm]

I was referring to thickness. I just like to be different and the thicker frame and full 3/4" panels that don't need a back recess look and feel better to me. The tongue and groove are 5/8". The panel is cut to 7/16" tongue so I can insert a 1/4" od piece of tubing to stabilize the panel but allow for some movement. I like the older look so narrow frames don't look good with the raised panels I make. DSCN3496.jpgDSCN3498.jpg Dave

[Bill Adamsen]

I do the same for face-frames. It limits door selection a bit - there are fewer 1" door profiles to choose from since most manufactures specialize in 3/4" - but it makes a for a more distinctive end product.