Rob
You've definitely got a lot of good advice, and as you see folks here aren't shy about spending other folks money.
To make your own cabinets is very satisfying. You get to control every phase and don't have to live with anything that is "standard".
To make cabinets you need to break down a 4'x8' sheet of cabinet grade plywood. This will take a nice saw with a good blade. The blade is probably more important than the saw, believe it or not. You need a straight edge to guide the saw. Here is where you need to make a decision.
Will you "rough cut" your plywood panels and then size them on your table saw? Most likely. Or will you try to to accurately cut them with a track saw only. You might try, but to hold the repeatability of a track saw over the dozens upon dozens of cuts you'll need to make will be taxing. You will probably end up with a hybrid of the two. Get as close as you can with the track saw, and then size them on the table saw. You're not doing a "one off", you're going into production. That table saw will be critical. Guaranteed. You might get rid of it after this project, but no way I'd get rid of it prior to the project.
Routers, you need two of them. I promise. To cut rails and stiles requires a bit set. Each router will have the complimentary set of cutters in it.One for rails, one for stiles. Once you get these set up to mate properly, I absolutely guarantee that you will not want to mess with them. Changing cutter sets, and resetting cutter heights, will kill you on time, and material waste. This doesn't even include incorporating a raised panel bit if necessary. into the equation. If you're making your own drawers, the same will hold true. There are a lot more parts in a cabinet than folks realize, until you make one.
I would personally go with a straight edge to use with your current circular saw and spend the saved money on high quality blades, high quality cabinet cutter sets, and that second router.
I've never seen any distinct advantage to an MFT table, but they are nice and ruggedly built. They wouldn't hurt your endeavor, that's for sure.
Routers. The big Makita should be fine. Remember, you need two of them.
Vac's. If you can afford it, get a nice vacuum. Fein, Festool, etc. You will not regret it. Your current setup will work in the garage, but it is nice to have a better vac in the house if necessary.
Clamps. You're going to need a lot of clamps for face frames and to pull cabinet parts together. Home Depot sells a line of Bessy parallels that are nice. Expensive, but nice.
One machine I'm not seeing is a planer. You might want to consider one. Controlling material thickness will go a long way towards improving your work flow, time and final result. Sanding to match differing material thicknesses, sucks big time.
Your work flow will go a long way towards determining your tool needs. Get that down, and things may clear up for you.
Also, don't be afraid to buy high quality tools. When you're done, you can sell high quality tools for more than lesser quality, and recover more of your upfront cost quicker. Something to consider.
Last edited by Mike Cutler; 02-16-2018 at 9:29 PM.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)