Bandsaw, planer, or drill press?

[Terry Thillemann]

I decided to start a home wood shop in my basement so I could build new kitchen / dining rooms cabinets and start some other fun projects in the future.

To get going with my cabinet project, I bought a new Sawstop cabinet saw. I added a mobile base, extra extension wing, router table extension, router lift, and Incra Joinery fence system to it. I also bought a dust collection system, air filtration unit, tons of parallel clamps, squares, saw blades, etc. Lastly, I already had a Rigid 6" jointer.

I'm wondering what power tool to buy next if any at this point. Would a bandsaw make the most sense for resawing to make doors? What about a drill press to drill the hinge cups? Or what about a planer to thin down hard wood or re sawn wood, my jointer can probably double as a planer?

Do I need any of these at this point or can I do without ... I'd also really like to finish a recent rifle build with a nice scope.

My budget is around $1,500.

Suggestions?

[paul cottingham]

Planer and a 14" bandsaw. I would also consider a mortiser. Very useful for making cabinet doors.

[Bryan Cramer]

A Dewalt DW735 lunch box planer will suit a hobbyist well and a maybe a Grizzly 14" bandsaw. A plunge router can do the mortises and a commercial jig for a hand drill can drill the cup holes.

[Terry Thillemann]

Whats the best band saw in this price range?

[Matt Day]

A jointer is not a planer. Jointer makes it flat and square, planer makes it parallel.

Get them all!
Estimates:
Used lunchbox planer on CL (~$200)
Used bench top DP (~$50)
Used 14" bandsaw ($250)

If you've got the coin for a SS I bet you can afford the used machine above, especially if you were planning on buying new machines to start with. Get 3 used machines for the price of 1 new. Search CL often for the deals.

[Jim German]

I don't find a bandsaw to be useful for cabinet making. How do you get your wood? Are you getting it rough from a lumberyard? If so I'd get a bigger jointer and a planer. If its already coming S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) then you don't really need those.

A drill press (or a milling machine!) is a must have for me, but you don't need to spend a ton on one that is serviceable.

What do you plan on doing after the cabinets?

[Robert Engel]

It depends on what you're starting with. Is the wood rough or S3/4S?
When I built my kitchen I found that the savings on S3S vs rough wasn't worth all the milling work.

You can drill the hinge cups by hand, but a drill press makes quicker/better work of it.

You won't need to resaw unless you're making quite thin panels.

Answer: I don't think you need any of them but I would consider a drum sander. I will be very handy for panels, and if you buy surfaced lumber it will have planer marks that need to be removed.

When I built my kitchen I wish I had a drum sander to run everything through before assembly.

[Terry Thillemann]

A jointer is not a planer. Jointer makes it flat and square, planer makes it parallel.

Ok, I seen jointer/planer combo units which look like my jointer. Seeing how it's 6" wide, I wasn't sure if it could also surface the face like a planer would. Thanks for clarification.

I can certain afford the used machines but I typically stay away from used because I have no idea what to check to understand if its good to go, needs rehab, how much it needs, etc. Buying new at least allows me to know its condition, allows me to get started without any issues, have a great looking machine, the machine which has the highest reviews versus one that was a deal, etc. That said, I'm not against buying used I'd just have to do more homework, know exactly what I want, and wait for it to show up. $250 seems very cheap for a band saw, can one of that cost work as well as a brand new $1,000 band saw?

[Terry Thillemann]

I don't find a bandsaw to be useful for cabinet making. How do you get your wood? Are you getting it rough from a lumberyard? If so I'd get a bigger jointer and a planer. If its already coming S4S (surfaced on 4 sides) then you don't really need those.

A drill press (or a milling machine!) is a must have for me, but you don't need to spend a ton on one that is serviceable.

What do you plan on doing after the cabinets?

I've never bought wood other than from the big box stores which was ready to go. This will my first time buying wood somewhere else. I'll have to research where to go for the best quality/price, how I should buy it, etc. After the cabinets I'm probably going to build some more cabinets for a bathroom, perhaps a vanity, and maybe a hall tree. Other than that I'm not sure ... outside furniture, birdhouse, recipe box, end table, etc. I'll have to look through some magazines and see what looks fun and I can achieve.

[Terry Thillemann]

It depends on what you're starting with. Is the wood rough or S3/4S?
When I built my kitchen I found that the savings on S3S vs rough wasn't worth all the milling work.

You can drill the hinge cups by hand, but a drill press makes quicker/better work of it.

You won't need to resaw unless you're making quite thin panels.

Answer: I don't think you need any of them but I would consider a drum sander. I will be very handy for panels, and if you buy surfaced lumber it will have planer marks that need to be removed.

When I built my kitchen I wish I had a drum sander to run everything through before assembly.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to research where the best place to source wood is and how much it costs in its different forms. I figured for the cost of buying surfaced wood I'd be better to surface it myself but perhaps not. I'll have to look into this. Thanks.

[glenn bradley]

I've never bought wood other than from the big box stores which was ready to go. This will my first time buying wood somewhere else. I'll have to research where to go for the best quality/price, how I should buy it, etc. After the cabinets I'm probably going to build some more cabinets for a bathroom, perhaps a vanity, and maybe a hall tree. Other than that I'm not sure ... outside furniture, birdhouse, recipe box, end table, etc. I'll have to look through some magazines and see what looks fun and I can achieve.

The field is pretty wide open in woodworking so you may not be getting a black and white answer ;-) Sticking with the immediate projects of kitchen, bath, etc. I will assume glued-up raised panel doors in typical 'cope and stick' frames for this discussion. This video (http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/video/simple-cope-and-stick-doors.aspx)shows the cope and stick. It uses a plywood panel door but, you get the idea. The cope and stick can be done on the router table (although there are other methods as well).

Your door panel glue ups will be better if you properly mill your lumber. Dimensional lumber from the home center is not going to be particularly straight, flat or true. While it is possible to do a lot of non-critical things with dimensional lumber, raised panel doors would not be on my list of things to use it for. The bandsaw will be more or less important depending on how you want to go about milling your (http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/all-about-milling-lumber.aspx) lumber. I start with thicker stock and basically make all my own boards. Other folks start with slightly oversized stock and simply joint, plane, rip and crosscut to length. There is a reasonable amount of discussion on the sequence of these steps.

All that being said, I feel a jointer and planer are a pair, never to be separated. Others have different opinions. Matt clarified an often misunderstood fact; jointers make things flat, planers use that flat surface as a reference to make the other side parallel. If your panels will be less than 3/4" thick (not so common) you can use home center stock and joint, plane, etc. to create your boards for glue up. If you want full 3/4" panels you would want 4/4 or 5/4 stock from the umber yard to yield flat true 3/4" stock after milling.

If you go with a bandsaw suitable for resawing (14" and above with reasonable debate about a 14" being up to the job) you are free to use a much wider variety of stock. This opens up your ability to be more selective about the piece you make for grain appearance, working around flaws and so forth.

So my short answer is, get a planer for sure. Get a bandsaw if you want more freedom and versatility in stock prep and selection. As to the DP, I would want at least a small benchtop if I were going to drill any number of hinge cups. Doing these by hand will quickly become tedious and can lead to irregularities. You can always start with an inexpensive DP to get you through the kitchen. At that point you can decide whether a more advanced DP is in you future or not and you will not be out a lot of money if you decide to upgrade. I would not be without one but, that's me.

Hope this helps ;-)

[Terry Thillemann]

I get 10% cash back for using my Chase Freedom card on Amazon through end of December. I was really interested in a nice rifle scope but wanted to check with fellow wood workers whether I really should be buying any specific tools instead for my needs. I'm sure I'd use the power tools more often than I'd go shooting and making good cabinets is my first priority as I plan to sell the house after I wrap up the kitchen and master bathroom.

I suppose this comes down to whether I will saw my own rough stock, resurface stock, or need to sand slightly rough stock? Am I better off buying hard wood from a lumber yard versus one of the wood working stores?

[Marc Burt]

Since getting a "real" bandsaw (19" Grizzly) 4 or 5 years ago I readily admit I use it far more than I thought I would and much more than I used my previous smaller bandsaw. Having said that I don't think a bandsaw would serve you well for cabinetmaking. I'd go for the planer first then the drill press if I were you. They make jigs to drill hinge cups if need be. I haven't used them but they've been for sale forever so they must work okay or they'd be discontinued right?

I understand your aversion to buying used but I'd suggest keeping an eye out for a used drill press. New ones are ridiculously priced. There's not a whole lot to them so they're a pretty low risk when buying used.

Good luck with your project!

[Marc Burt]

Around here Woodcraft sells wood pretty competitively priced compared to hardwood dealers. There's a small premium but that's to be expected for the convenience and it's not at all unreasonable. This was not the case when I lived in Georgia so it varies. You just have to know your market. Also, don't discount buying online. I've done it several times and haven't been burned yet. It's whole lot easier when it just shows up at your house!

I should add that a big disadvantage to buying from woodworkin stores is quantity. I use them for small projects however for for big projects or buying for inventory you'd clean them out.

[Jim German]

I'm sure I'd use the power tools more often than I'd go shooting and making good cabinets is my first priority as I plan to sell the house after I wrap up the kitchen and master bathroom.

If you plan on selling the house, I would defiantly not be making my own cabinets. A kitchen's worth of cabinets is a huge huge project. Most prosepective buyers aren't going to know the difference between well built, hand made cabinets and generic stuff. You're much better off going to Ikea and getting some cheap cabinets and using your time to make some nice furniture for the new house.


I suppose this comes down to whether I will saw my own rough stock, resurface stock, or need to sand slightly rough stock? Am I better off buying hard wood from a lumber yard versus one of the wood working stores? A real lumberyard is the best place to buy most wood. If you're looking for some small exotic stuff for turning or specialty knobs or something, than a place like Woodcraft might have more selection. My lumberyard will S3S stuff for you for a small fee ($0.45 per bdft), and they have better equipment than I'll ever have. You'd need to buy an awful lot of wood before the cost to have them do it would pay for the tools to do it yourself. Course I still buy it rough and do it myself.

[Jerry Olexa]

The slippery slope begins.....

[Peter Aeschliman]

Terry,

The best advice I can give you at your stage, having been there before, is to slow down, think it through, and avoid going on a buying frenzy. That can be a very expensive proposition in the long run.



Buy machines based on need first. Your kitchen project is a good example- only buy the machines you need in order to build your cabinets. As you go, you will learn what kind of woodworking you enjoy and what things you cannot do (or do in a way that you enjoy) without buying new tools. Then buy those tools. I've been sucked into the trap of buying machines because they look cool, or a magazine seems to think I need them, only to have them collect dust. That's a big waste of your hard earned money!
Ideally, you would know at this juncture whether woodworking is going to be a phase for you, or a lifelong hobby. If it's a lifelong hobby, buy quality machines (like your sawstop). And you could probably rationalize buying brand new because the cost will be amortized over many years. If you by junky/cheap tools, you will regret it and want to upgrade later... which will cost you more money in the long run. If you aren't sure yet whether you'll really enjoy woodworking, then I strongly advise you to buy used machines. My experience is that woodworking machines only really seem to depreciate once. Average quality machines (like Jet, Delta, Grizzly, etc) tend to lose 50% of their value after, say, a year or two of ownership. Higher quality machines (euro machines, Sawstop, festool) hold their value pretty well, but will still probably depreciate to around 75% of retail. My point is that if you buy used machines, and 5 years from now have lost interest in WW, you can sell them for about what you paid. Or, if you buy an average quality machine used and want to upgrade, same deal- you can sell for what you paid and upgrade.
Regarding your arguments about new vs used. You know your budget, but once you buy your machines, you're going to have to learn about their function and how to maintain them anyway. So do the research now and buy used!


That said, all of this is written with the assumption that you have a budget. If you're wealthy enough to not have to worry about losing money on buying and selling machines, then disregard and go have some fun!

Btw, a Bandsaw isn't really a machine to cheap out on. They can be very finicky. Avoid the 14" Asian-made cast iron saws if you can. I have a Jet 14" and that thing drives me nuts.

[Cary Falk]

I don't find a band saw useful for cabinets unless you are making bookmatched poor panels. A planer is a must have for me. It is much cheaper to buy skipped planed lumber than S4S. It also opens the door for a lot more options on thicknesses. No longer does everything have to be 3/4" thick. A drill press would be useful to drill hinge cups.

[Jerry Olexa]

Very good sound advice, Peter.

[Art Mann]

If you are planning to buy rough sawn or skip planed hardwood, a thickness planer is an absolute necessity. The jointer will make the surfaces of a board flat, but it absolutely will not make the board a uniform thickness. In fact, the more you run it across a jointer the less uniform the thickness will be. You can use a bandsaw to resaw the dimension pretty close, but not smooth or accurate enough to build fine cabinets. Here is my recommendation. Buy a lunchbox style planer and some hearing protection. Fairly good ones can be had for less than $600 brand new and even less a used machine. Then go buy a Laguna model 14/12 bandsaw. I am sure there are other brands in the $1000 range that are good too but that is the one I own and I like it a lot. If you are careful and watch for sales or good used equipment, you should be able to buy both of these items for close to your stated target price. I realize what other people have said about buying the best but these machines are more than adequate for a beginning woodworker. You can do a lot of woodworking before you start to feel you need better.

[John TenEyck]

I agree with the poster who said to forget making cabinets for a house you plan to sell in the near future. You will put hundreds of hours into it and chances are potential buyers won't like what you did. And if you don't do a "factory" quality job the value of your house will go down, not up, unless what you have now is 50 years old and looks awful. Ikea cabinets look very nice, are well made, and install easily. None of that is anywhere close to a guarantee if you build your own. Use Ikea or someone else's cabinets and install new appliances, floor, tile, etc. You'll still spend hundreds of hours but at least you stand a chance of getting your money back and maybe more. If you've never designed and built a bunch of kitchen cabinets before, now is not the time to try.

As for equipment, I built a lot of stuff, including cabinets, with not much more than a table saw, router, and hand tools, but getting a jointer and planer was a true game changer. The bandsaw came later but is very useful. Buying rough lumber and milling my own stock from it is a huge cost savings for me.

Make furniture - you can take it with you. Build your kitchen in the next house after you've learned the necessary skills, and assuming you plan to stay there long enough to justify the work.

John

[Ray Newman]

As Peter Aeschliman posted, I think you need to slow down and plan this out. You did not mention it and I did not notice it in your other older post, maybe I missed it, but exactly how much experience do you have working wood? Seems that building a kitchen is a bit more difficult and time consuming than it appears. I would suggest that you start building some shop cabinets, a work bench, cut off table, etc., to get into the swing of things, gain experience, find out what tools you will need as opposed to those you want, and if you are willing to spend the time to do a kitchen.

[Terry Thillemann]

If you plan on selling the house, I would defiantly not be making my own cabinets. A kitchen's worth of cabinets is a huge huge project. Most prosepective buyers aren't going to know the difference between well built, hand made cabinets and generic stuff. You're much better off going to Ikea and getting some cheap cabinets and using your time to make some nice furniture for the new house.

I was able to spend over $10k on all my equipment on the premise I'll be building all these cabinets. Ikea has some very cheap cabinets that I'd definitely notice. I plan to make all the carcasses from plywood which has thin veneer so it's not completely cheap. I think it should be relatively easy to make and strong. The hardest part in my mind will be the work it takes to make the doors, drawer boxes, etc. and perhaps I'll even sub that out if it's not worth it. Also, the kitchen is not extremely large, it's an 1,200 sq. ft. home.

A real lumberyard is the best place to buy most wood. If you're looking for some small exotic stuff for turning or specialty knobs or something, than a place like Woodcraft might have more selection. My lumberyard will S3S stuff for you for a small fee ($0.45 per bdft), and they have better equipment than I'll ever have. You'd need to buy an awful lot of wood before the cost to have them do it would pay for the tools to do it yourself. Course I still buy it rough and do it myself.[/QUOTE]

I'll have to get a hold of some lumber yards here to find out local price but that's pretty cheap in my opinion.

[Terry Thillemann]

Terry,

The best advice I can give you at your stage, having been there before, is to slow down, think it through, and avoid going on a buying frenzy. That can be a very expensive proposition in the long run.



Buy machines based on need first. Your kitchen project is a good example- only buy the machines you need in order to build your cabinets. As you go, you will learn what kind of woodworking you enjoy and what things you cannot do (or do in a way that you enjoy) without buying new tools. Then buy those tools. I've been sucked into the trap of buying machines because they look cool, or a magazine seems to think I need them, only to have them collect dust. That's a big waste of your hard earned money!
Ideally, you would know at this juncture whether woodworking is going to be a phase for you, or a lifelong hobby. If it's a lifelong hobby, buy quality machines (like your sawstop). And you could probably rationalize buying brand new because the cost will be amortized over many years. If you by junky/cheap tools, you will regret it and want to upgrade later... which will cost you more money in the long run. If you aren't sure yet whether you'll really enjoy woodworking, then I strongly advise you to buy used machines. My experience is that woodworking machines only really seem to depreciate once. Average quality machines (like Jet, Delta, Grizzly, etc) tend to lose 50% of their value after, say, a year or two of ownership. Higher quality machines (euro machines, Sawstop, festool) hold their value pretty well, but will still probably depreciate to around 75% of retail. My point is that if you buy used machines, and 5 years from now have lost interest in WW, you can sell them for about what you paid. Or, if you buy an average quality machine used and want to upgrade, same deal- you can sell for what you paid and upgrade.
Regarding your arguments about new vs used. You know your budget, but once you buy your machines, you're going to have to learn about their function and how to maintain them anyway. So do the research now and buy used!


That said, all of this is written with the assumption that you have a budget. If you're wealthy enough to not have to worry about losing money on buying and selling machines, then disregard and go have some fun!

Btw, a Bandsaw isn't really a machine to cheap out on. They can be very finicky. Avoid the 14" Asian-made cast iron saws if you can. I have a Jet 14" and that thing drives me nuts.

I've been WW for 33 years now. I started when I was 6 and have helped my dad remodel many homes over the years. I've taken many hands on related classes throughout high school, electrical, machining & fabrication, WW, welding, automotive, etc. I've never done cabinets but am confident it will not be difficult for me, only time consuming, and require adequate research and planning. I don't have much of a budget, other than wanting to save for another major expense coming next year, and don't mind adding to my collection of things which collect dust. I figured I'd ask what the next best tool I should invest in which would make the project easier or may be necessary (I've never worked with rough cut wood I had to finish on my own). Thanks for taking time to share your advice.

[Terry Thillemann]

Thanks Art.

[Terry Thillemann]

I'd certainly be open to a used drill press, am just a bit more hesitant of getting a band saw or planer which has some major issues needing attention. Thanks!

[Terry Thillemann]

Thanks Marc. I have a small kitchen but will look around for other options so I can buy everything at once and ensure the materials are as consistent as possible. :)

[Terry Thillemann]

A planer will be mandatory for rough cut wood ... perhaps the drum sander too. I guess I need to shop the prices and see how much cheaper rough cut is here in Milwaukee. Thanks Cary.

[Jim German]

Kitchen cabinets are a ton of work. They aren't particularly difficult (although they aren't easy either), but there is just alot involved. A kitchen of the size you've described could easily have over 200 parts, and thats assuming you sub out the drawer boxes. I'd never want to invest that amount of time and effort in something I was planning on selling in a year. I think you'd be much happier in the long run buying some inexpensive cabinets to put in the house you're selling and start building the cabinets for your next house instead.

Good news is that you don't need any more tools to do cabinets (assuming you buy S4S lumber). I'd save the extra money to add to your budget for the materials. The cost of decent materials will be about what you'd pay for IKEA cabinets, or quite possibly even more.

[Terry Thillemann]

I agree with the poster who said to forget making cabinets for a house you plan to sell in the near future. You will put hundreds of hours into it and chances are potential buyers won't like what you did. And if you don't do a "factory" quality job the value of your house will go down, not up, unless what you have now is 50 years old and looks awful. Ikea cabinets look very nice, are well made, and install easily. None of that is anywhere close to a guarantee if you build your own. Use Ikea or someone else's cabinets and install new appliances, floor, tile, etc. You'll still spend hundreds of hours but at least you stand a chance of getting your money back and maybe more. If you've never designed and built a bunch of kitchen cabinets before, now is not the time to try.

As for equipment, I built a lot of stuff, including cabinets, with not much more than a table saw, router, and hand tools, but getting a jointer and planer was a true game changer. The bandsaw came later but is very useful. Buying rough lumber and milling my own stock from it is a huge cost savings for me.

Make furniture - you can take it with you. Build your kitchen in the next house after you've learned the necessary skills, and assuming you plan to stay there long enough to justify the work.

John

Thanks for your advice. I've never built cabinets before but have finished basements, done hardwood floors, baseboards, door/window moldings, 6 panel interior, exterior, and garage doors, built 2 story gambrel shed with loft and windows, removed walls and put up headers, drywall/mud, electrical, plumbing, etc. Some of these aren't fine carpentry but I've been using tools most my life and do a very nice job. I'm also very meticulous and OCD. There's not much I haven't done with a house besides cabinets and furniture. Most of my work has been exceptional and done with contractor grade tools. I've now got a great cabinet saw, Incra precision fence, and with a few more tools shouldn't have terrible difficulty, in my opinion, making a very beautiful kitchen so long as I spend the time up front planning it out and asking the right questions.

I'm not saying they'll be 100% perfect but with planning and good tools I'm confident anybody who buys the house will love them as everybody else who compliments me on all the other work I've done. The kitchen is not huge and has a very basic layout. I'll definitely be building shop, shed, and garage cabinets before I get to the kitchen so I'm more familiar with the process.

Is there a resource other than Yellow pages to find lumber yards or the most popular place wood workers get lumber from in Milwaukee?

I would definitely love to make a hall tree and maybe a hutch or something. In fact, instead of building dining room cabinets into the wall, I'm considering a larger hutch so I can take it with me! Excellent suggestion.

[Steve Schoene]

Kitchen cabinets use sheet goods, preferably plywood, for the boxes. Those are hard to handle on the table saw short of one with large sliding tables. A much better solution for that is a track saw, such as the excellent but pricey Festool saw track and squaring accessories.

People talk about buying S4S wood. DON'T. It's almost impossible to find such wood square enough and flat enough to use for quality work directly. Machining from rough lumber gives the opportunity for much higher quality and more varied wood parts. To do that you need BOTH a jointer and a planer. The jointer does two things. It flattens one surface, and it straightens one edge. But it can't make the other side parallel to the first. For that you need a planer. Planers only make two side parallel.

The process of working with rough lumber is to first lay out the parts to be cut using over size dimensions to allow for close trimming. Then rough cut to size. Then flatten one surface with the jointer, then using that as a reference, straighten one edge square to the first surface on the jointer. Then using the flat joined surface as reference make the other side parallel to the first using the planer. Be sure to keep parts "stickered" so air passes on all sides, or boards will warp before you use them.

I like the drill press to keep holes, as for hinges, square. The bandsaw is useful for curves, but to use it for resawing calls for power, and requires buying thick lumber which is more expensive to begin with.

[Kent Adams]

Thanks for your advice. I've never built cabinets before but have finished basements, done hardwood floors, baseboards, door/window moldings, 6 panel interior, exterior, and garage doors, built 2 story gambrel shed with loft and windows, removed walls and put up headers, drywall/mud, electrical, plumbing, etc. Some of these aren't fine carpentry but I've been using tools most my life and do a very nice job. I'm also very meticulous and OCD. There's not much I haven't done with a house besides cabinets and furniture. Most of my work has been exceptional and done with contractor grade tools. I've now got a great cabinet saw, Incra precision fence, and with a few more tools shouldn't have terrible difficulty, in my opinion, making a very beautiful kitchen so long as I spend the time up front planning it out and asking the right questions.

I'm not saying they'll be 100% perfect but with planning and good tools I'm confident anybody who buys the house will love them as everybody else who compliments me on all the other work I've done. The kitchen is not huge and has a very basic layout. I'll definitely be building shop, shed, and garage cabinets before I get to the kitchen so I'm more familiar with the process.

Is there a resource other than Yellow pages to find lumber yards or the most popular place wood workers get lumber from in Milwaukee?

I would definitely love to make a hall tree and maybe a hutch or something. In fact, instead of building dining room cabinets into the wall, I'm considering a larger hutch so I can take it with me! Excellent suggestion.

One of the things you didn't mention experience in is finishing. If you're intent on spending the time making the cabinets for a house you're selling, I'd suggest you sub the finishing to someone that is a pro. A bad finish job will ruin all your work and is practically impossible to fix.

[Prashun Patel]

You sound like you know your stuff and style.

You mentioned big cabinet projects in your near future. These may involve a lot of sheet goods and narrow 4x4 stock. These projects may not require a jointer, planer or bandsaw. And if you have the Wonderfence with that LS routing system, you will be able to joint cabinet parts including doors as well - maybe better - than most jointers.

Large expanses of cabinets require efficient joinery methods. So, you may consider dowel jigs, a Domino, or a pocket screw system.

Do you have a good miter fence? The Incra Miter fence will match your existing hardware nicely ;)

Down the road, a bandsaw is a versatile, wonderful tool to have. People tend to buy small and make do. But if you can afford it, get the biggest, baddest one you can afford. You won't regret it. These machines are fidgety and top heavy. So a quality, fat, powerful machine is a good thing here.

[Charles P. Wright]

If you want to mill the lumber; you absolutely need a planer. I have the RIDGID 6" jointer paired with a DW735. If you're going to do the garage/shed cabinets first, I think you could skip the planer and just buy S4S lumber and plywood for those. You can see how the process goes, and wait to spend the additional money on a planer. I assembled my shop 10 years ago by finding what was on sale and opportunistically buying most of it (thankfully this was when the Home Depot was clearing out their stationary tools so I got lucky for a bunch of stuff ); though now I am augmenting and replacing machines with better ones as particular projects arise, I think it is easier to put a shop together piece by piece than all at once.

I don't have a real bandsaw (I have a 9" benchtop, which isn't suitable for resawing), but do want to get one. If you're doing a kitchen, I would say that you can probably skip the bandsaw; because most of the boxes are plywood, and you're really only going to be doing the face frames/doors/drawer fronts, so if you're picky about getting 4/4 you won't have to waste too much wood.

I would get at least a small benchtop drill press for the doors, it will make doing euro hinge cups much easier. This only has to be around $100.

If you don't have a circular saw, you need one (but based on your carpentry I'm pretty sure you should have one). I want a fancy track saw; but have busted up plenty of plywood with a simple edge guide and it can come out just fine. Just take a straight board (joint the edge), screw it to the edge of a piece of 1/4" plywood and cut down the line. You'll be able to make straight cuts with any reasonable circular saw. I'll usually cut just a bit big using the straight line jig; and then clean things up on my table saw so that I can be 100% sure pieces that need to match really do.

[Wade Lippman]

A jointer is not a planer. Jointer makes it flat and square, planer makes it parallel.

Get them all!
Estimates:
Used lunchbox planer on CL (~$200)
Used bench top DP (~$50)
Used 14" bandsaw ($250)

If you've got the coin for a SS I bet you can afford the used machine above, especially if you were planning on buying new machines to start with. Get 3 used machines for the price of 1 new. Search CL often for the deals.

This is what I would recommend also. Even if you can't get them used, they still fit in your budget new.
See how they meet your needs and upgrade as necessary. I bought all of my original tools used, and then sold them at a profit.

[Terry Thillemann]

One of the things you didn't mention experience in is finishing. If you're intent on spending the time making the cabinets for a house you're selling, I'd suggest you sub the finishing to someone that is a pro. A bad finish job will ruin all your work and is practically impossible to fix.

My mom has finished many different tables, kitchen cabinets, and hand rails in her home with success. I was planning on having her do my shop ones first to see the quality I can expect but thanks for pointing this out ... it could turn into an unexpected cost.

[Terry Thillemann]

If you want to mill the lumber; you absolutely need a planer. I have the RIDGID 6" jointer paired with a DW735. If you're going to do the garage/shed cabinets first, I think you could skip the planer and just buy S4S lumber and plywood for those. You can see how the process goes, and wait to spend the additional money on a planer. I assembled my shop 10 years ago by finding what was on sale and opportunistically buying most of it (thankfully this was when the Home Depot was clearing out their stationary tools so I got lucky for a bunch of stuff ); though now I am augmenting and replacing machines with better ones as particular projects arise, I think it is easier to put a shop together piece by piece than all at once.

I don't have a real bandsaw (I have a 9" benchtop, which isn't suitable for resawing), but do want to get one. If you're doing a kitchen, I would say that you can probably skip the bandsaw; because most of the boxes are plywood, and you're really only going to be doing the face frames/doors/drawer fronts, so if you're picky about getting 4/4 you won't have to waste too much wood.

I would get at least a small benchtop drill press for the doors, it will make doing euro hinge cups much easier. This only has to be around $100.

If you don't have a circular saw, you need one (but based on your carpentry I'm pretty sure you should have one). I want a fancy track saw; but have busted up plenty of plywood with a simple edge guide and it can come out just fine. Just take a straight board (joint the edge), screw it to the edge of a piece of 1/4" plywood and cut down the line. You'll be able to make straight cuts with any reasonable circular saw. I'll usually cut just a bit big using the straight line jig; and then clean things up on my table saw so that I can be 100% sure pieces that need to match really do.

I just looked on the lumber mill website in my area and they charge $0.15/board ft. for planing both sides, $0.15/board ft. for straight line rip one edge, $2.50/minute for wide belt sanding with 80 grit, and $0.50/sq. ft. for re-sawing up to 8" wide. If I do frameless cabinets, unless I'm missing something it seems my only hardwood will be for drawers/doors. I've measured all the doors, rounding up to the nearest foot, and only have 126 board feet. I can have that amount straight edged and planed for $40!! At that price, I'm guessing it's only worth buying more equipment if I find a good deal on CL, right?

I will buy a drill press. My brother and I made a 6-pack beer caddy for Christmas present and he drilled the hole at the top for a large dowel as a handle. He didn't drill it straight so we reversed a piece to they both leaned in slightly and clamped them hard with glue. No idea how strong wood glue holds but point is I need to be able to drill 90 degree holes in the future and the drill press will be great for that.

Yep, I have a circular saw. I used to clamp my drywall t-square to do what you're doing. I recently seen a post about pro-grip straight edge. Sure looks cool ... it has moderate reviews on Amazon. Thanks for the advice!

[Andy Fox]

I'd definitely get a planer and a drill press. About 10 years ago, I purchased a Ridgid planer and a floor 16 1/2" Delta drill press for about $400 each. Both have served me well.

I like to use unsurfaced wood from the sawmill and cut it down to pieces which are 2-4" over length, and then surface them after a few days. That allows for wood movement after the internal stresses in the board are removed.

[Allan Speers]

I just looked on the lumber mill website in my area and they charge $0.15/board ft. for planing both sides, $0.15/board ft. for straight line rip one edge, $2.50/minute for wide belt sanding with 80 grit, and $0.50/sq. ft. for re-sawing up to 8" wide. If I do frameless cabinets, unless I'm missing something it seems my only hardwood will be for drawers/doors. I've measured all the doors, rounding up to the nearest foot, and only have 126 board feet. I can have that amount straight edged and planed for $40!! At that price, I'm guessing it's only worth buying more equipment if I find a good deal on CL, right?


The problem is, they are not worrying about climate control at the lumber yard. You typically want to control your lumber's acclimation. More importantly. wood loves to move after you've cut it close to your final dimensions, which is why most woodworkers (unless time is critical) cut oversize, then check flatness, then cut again to the final dimensions. A cabinet door MUST be dead flat!


"A planer is a no-brainer."

There are ways around a jointer, though, such as a planer sled (if your planer is at least half the width of your cabinet doors) or (dare I say it?) hand planes.

A bandsaw is indispensable if, and only if, you plan to make solid doors with book-matched faces.

I would also echo what some other have said about the value of a good tracksaw system, specifically for dealing with sheet goods. Either that or a very expensive sliding tablesaw.

[Curt Harms]

.................................................. .............
If you plan on selling the house, I would defiantly not be making my own cabinets. A kitchen's worth of cabinets is a huge huge project. Most prosepective buyers aren't going to know the difference between well built, hand made cabinets and generic stuff. You're much better off going to Ikea and getting some cheap cabinets and using your time to make some nice furniture for the new house.


That would be my thought as well, unless the house would attract buyers that appreciated the difference. For the most part new, shiny and trendy are noticed, "they'll last 40 years or more" quality may not be.

[Rich Engelhardt]

What about a drill press to drill the hinge cups?
I'm just finishing up a kitchen build.
My best advice is to - find the nearest Ikea store, buy their MDF stuff and use the money you'll spend on tools/materials to treat yourself to a nice vacation! :D LOL!

Ok - so that's not in the cards...I understand. I wanted the challenge of building the kitchen from scratch myself. I have the luxury though of not having to worry too much about time. Mine is for a rental house and my deadline is next April. I've been working on the kitchen since - August.
My main tools:
- Track saw
- Router table
- Kreg Pocket Hole jig
- Table saw
- Planer
- Jointer
- CMS

Milling the lumber was tedious, but, not that bad from a time standpoint. I used roughly 300 board feet of cherry. It took me three days, off and on for about 6 hours a day, to plane all the cherry. I hauled my planer over to the rental & set up in the garage there.
I hauled the milled boards over to the house and ran them through the table saw to rip them down to 2" wide pieces for rails and stiles - both for face frames and for doors.

The boxes were cut on site using the track saw (Festool TS55EQ).


I'm wondering what power tool to buy next if any at this point. Would a bandsaw make the most sense for resawing to make doors? What about a drill press to drill the hinge cups? Or what about a planer to thin down hard wood or re sawn wood, my jointer can probably double as a planer?
Bandsaw - - really depends on your level of comfort.
I had planned on using raised panels for my doors, but, wimped out and used 1/4" Cherry plywood instead.

Either way - -a planer is 100% necessary. Either that or a drum sander. It's a 100% requirement that your rails and stiles & door glue ups are all flat and uniform in thickness. If they aren't, the amount of time you spend fighting the parts is enormous & ill spent because in the long run, you're fighting a losing battle.

(Drill press for cup hinges? Harbor Freight has a real nice simple 5 speed benchtop on sale for $59. IMHO - any drill press is better than no drill press. I used a similar low end drill press to drill holes for cup hinges for two kitchens (about 60 doors total) in the past & it worked fine. I don't use cup hinges for rental houses anymore - they don't hold up)

A few things I do recommend highly - - the Sommerfeld Tools T&G "system" - the three bit cabinet making router bit set #03004. You can view the how to videos on Youtube. I found the system to be super simple and nearly foolproof. It takes 99% of the effort out of making nice square cabinets. Just have a nice large flat assembly table & it's nearly foolproof.
The Sommerfeld featherboard. Yeah, it's a bit pricey (~ $30)for something that simple, but, it works exactly as it should.
Pocket hole jig. I had a Kreg Master I bought a few years ago & was just about ready to get rid of since I seldom used it. I have one of the $40 Kreg jigs also and I used that for nearly everything. I figured the master one was redundant. Man was I wrong!!!! I mounted the master to a small box I made and just clamped that whole setup to the workbench. I hooked a small shop vac to it & that became a real workhorse. IMH - estimate - it shaved about two thirds the time, or more, off drilling the face frames for pocket holes.


Someone mentioned above about the finishing part....
I have to agree - - the most horrid and time consuming part has been getting a finish on everything.
Had I know going in how awful this part would be, I would have used prefinished plywood and made provisions to spray the face frames and doors.
Staging the doors for drying takes up every bit of space there is in the kitchen area & shuts down work on the rest of the house - so we don't raise dust.
My whole production output for the whole month of December has been to apply three coats of finish to the fronts of the doors and two coats to the backs!

Anyhow sorry to be so long winded.....Everything about the build is still fresh in my mind.


making good cabinets is my first priority as I plan to sell the house after I wrap up the kitchen and master bathroom. Man - how did I miss that!!???
Remember what I said about Ikea? Change that to - I'm not kidding in the least. Just go and buy some premade stuff and install it. Save the "custom made" stuff for the house you'll live in long enough to enjoy it.
If not for the fact that I'm retired & doing things like rehabbing a house and making stuff like this is a hobby, I'd never build a kitchen from scratch like this to sell the house.