- Most of the cabinet making process revolves around routing. A router is used to both shape the front cabinet doors and cut the joints to assemble the cabinet walls and drawers. This process is extremely precise and takes years to become skilled in. A professional woodworker and cabinetmaker will spend a lot of time routing out different styles of joints in the wood, and then assemble them. Usually, the cabinetmaker spends several hours cutting the joints themselves.
- The joint process of cabinetmaking is called joinery. There are several styles of joints that can be used in a cabinet. A cabinetmaker will first analyze the designs of the cabinet, which are created in AutoCAD, a software used by designers to create two-dimensional drawings of everything from cabinets to auto parts. The cabinetmaker will then choose the type of wood to build the cabinets. After cutting the wood to the dimensions specified in the design, she will proceed to craft each piece on the router.
- When the individual pieces are routered, each one is set up on a professional routing table. The woodworker will select the proper bit to cut the desired shape into the wood. For rounded edges, a circle or round bit is used. To complete a cabinet door, the door piece will be passed through the router, shaping each side. The interior panels will then be cut and the cabinet door assembled. For the joints of the cabinet, the cabinetmaker selects a joinery bit, like a rabbit bit, or a butterfly joinery bit. They then route out the shape of the joints, and then hand assemble the pieces to form the cabinet.
