Woodworking: Fundamentals of Cabinet Making from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

This woodworking course provides every detail you need to build quality cabinets in your shop.
Designing cabinets and choosing the best material for your project.

How to perfectly dimension a face frame and face frame joinery techniques.

This woodworking course provides every detail you need to build quality cabinets in your shop.
Designing cabinets and choosing the best material for your project.
How to perfectly dimension a face frame and face frame joinery techniques.

Syllabus

Cabinet Making

Fundamentals of Cabinet Making

Meet your instructor, woodworker and author George Vondriska. Get an overview of the course, and have a look at the project that will be used as a teaching tool throughout the course.

There are a variety of materials you could choose from for making a cabinet carcase; plywood, mdf, melamine… they each offer pros and cons. Learn what material is best for your project, how to handle large sheets, and how to safely and accurately cut the case parts to size.

Quality joinery leads to a quality project. Dadoes and rabbets are the mainstay of carcase construction, and you’ll learn joinery rules of thumb that can be applied to any project. Stackable dado heads are great for cutting dadoes and rabbets, and you’ll learn great tricks for easily setting the width of the dado head.

When projects call for adjustable shelves a hand-held drill, self-centering bit and boring jig provide a great solution, if the jig is used correctly. You’ll see how to consistently register the jig on your case parts. Cabinets glued together out of square will forever be out of square. You’ll see George’s secret for letting the clamps do the squaring work for you, which greatly simplifies assembly.

Handling narrow door and face frame parts on the jointer and table saw can be tricky, unless you know some tricks of the trade that’ll keep you safe and accurate. This is a great lesson in ensuring that all of your frame parts are consistently dimensioned, which greatly simplifies crafting the face frame and door.

How do you make a face frame that perfectly matches the dimensions of the case, without ever using a ruler? Learn George’s trick for transferring measurements, and all of your woodworking projects will become easier and more accurate. Also see how to glue your assembled face frame to the cabinet without having it slip and slide in the glue.

Shelves are commonly made from man-made materials, which means banding the edge. Learn how you can easily produce a jig for your shop that will allow you to safely rip the skinniest of edge band pieces, with the saw guard in place.

The door style-inset or overlay-affects the door dimensions, as does the tongue length of your cope and stile bit set. George walks you through calculating your door part sizes for a perfect fit, and teaches how to set up and use rail and stile cutters on the router table.

A solid wood top dresses up the top of a cabinet, but must be allowed to seasonally expand and contract, so can’t be rigidly fastened to the case. Learn how to easily create a connection that allows this flexibility, and great tricks for adding a mitered molding to the top of the case.

George wraps up this class with a reminder to use the processes and skills you learned in making this base cabinet – to help you create virtually any type of cabinet project with more success.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Breaks down cabinet making into manageable steps, making it less daunting for beginners and those with limited experience

Provides downloadable resources, including a detailed woodworking drawing and source references, which enhances the learning experience

Covers a range of essential skills, such as dado and rabbet joinery, face frame techniques, and door dimension calculation, which are applicable to various projects

Features tips and techniques from George Vondriska, who has years of experience in residential and commercial cabinet making, offering practical insights

Focuses on using a router table for making doors, which may require learners to have access to this specialized tool

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Woodworking: Fundamentals of Cabinet Making with these activities:

Review Basic Woodworking Joints

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental woodworking joints like dadoes, rabbets, and mortise and tenon, which are essential for cabinet making.

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Research different types of woodworking joints.
Practice creating basic joints using scrap wood.

Read 'Understanding Woodworking' by Lonnie Bird

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Gain a deeper understanding of woodworking principles and techniques relevant to cabinet making.

View Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Using... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Understanding Woodworking'.
Read chapters related to joinery and cabinet construction.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Practice Cutting Accurate Dados and Rabbets

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Improve your precision in cutting dadoes and rabbets, which are critical for strong and accurate cabinet carcase construction.

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Set up a stackable dado head on your table saw.
Cut dadoes and rabbets in scrap wood, focusing on accuracy.
Measure the cuts and adjust your setup as needed.

Four other activities

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Document Your Cabinet Making Process

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Solidify your understanding by documenting each step of your cabinet making project, including design, material selection, joinery, and finishing.

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Take photos or videos of each step in your project.
Write detailed descriptions of the techniques you used.
Share your documentation with other woodworkers for feedback.

Build a Small Shop Cabinet

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Apply the skills and knowledge you've gained by building a small cabinet for your shop, reinforcing your understanding of cabinet making principles.

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Design a small cabinet to meet your shop's needs.
Select appropriate materials and cut the parts to size.
Assemble the cabinet using dadoes, rabbets, and face frame joinery.
Finish the cabinet to protect the wood and enhance its appearance.

Read 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery' by Gary Rogowski

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Expand your knowledge of joinery techniques and improve your ability to create strong and accurate cabinet joints.

View Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery'.
Study the illustrations and explanations of different joinery techniques.
Practice creating different joints using scrap wood.

Explore Advanced Cabinet Door Techniques

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Refine your skills by following tutorials on advanced cabinet door techniques, such as cope and stile joinery, raised panel construction, and custom door designs.

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Search for online tutorials on advanced cabinet door techniques.
Follow the tutorials to create different types of cabinet doors.
Experiment with different designs and materials.

Career center

Learners who complete Woodworking: Fundamentals of Cabinet Making will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Cabinet Maker

A cabinet maker constructs and installs cabinets, using various woodworking techniques. This course provides a deep dive into the fundamentals of cabinet making, covering essential skills such as designing attractive cabinets, choosing the best materials, and mastering dado and rabbet joinery. Such skills are crucial for a successful cabinet maker. The detailed instruction on dimensioning face frames, calculating door dimensions, and using cope and stile joints directly translates to professional cabinet making projects. The course also includes tips and techniques from an experienced cabinet maker, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to enter this field. The focus on practical, hands-on skills makes it particularly useful for aspiring cabinet makers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cabinet Maker

DIY Enthusiast

DIY enthusiasts enjoy creating projects themselves, often improving their homes or making their own furniture. This course helps teach the fundamental skills of cabinet making, covering design, material selection, and construction techniques. DIY enthusiasts may use these skills for home renovation projects and furniture building. The course's detailed instruction on joinery techniques and dimensioning is very helpful for anyone pursuing DIY projects. The step-by-step guidance provided in the course may also be useful to those new to woodworking, making it ideal for a DIYer.

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Hobbyist Woodworker

Hobbyist woodworkers create projects for personal enjoyment, honing their skills and craftsmanship in their free time. This course covers fundamental cabinet making skills, such as design, material selection, and joinery. The course's comprehensive instruction, including tips and tricks for efficient construction, may be useful for someone seeking to improve their woodworking skills. The course may be a great way to learn the fundamentals of woodworking, and offers a framework for learning more advanced skills. It's a great course for hobbyist woodworkers.

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Home Renovator

Home renovators improve the structure, systems, and appearance of homes, often involving cabinetry upgrades. This course provides core skills in cabinet making, from design to construction. The course content, including material selection, joinery techniques, and dealing with large sheets, may be directly applicable to a home renovator. The step-by-step instruction and expert tips can help a home renovator approach renovations with more confidence. This course can be a valuable resource for anyone looking to renovate their own home and take control of their cabinet needs.

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Furniture Maker

Furniture makers design and create functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture pieces. This course, while focused on cabinet making, provides a strong foundational knowledge of woodworking techniques highly applicable to furniture making. The course covers critical elements such as material selection, joinery methods like dado and rabbet joints, and dimensioning parts. These skills are directly transferable to building various pieces of furniture. The course's focus on precise measurements and efficient construction methods also provide a framework for building a range of furniture items. The course may be useful for any aspiring furniture maker looking to develop a range of fundamental skills.

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Woodworker

Woodworkers create a wide range of items, from furniture to decorative pieces, and require a broad understanding of woodworking techniques. This course on cabinet making covers fundamental woodworking skills, including designing, material selection, joinery, and dimensioning. The techniques taught are applicable to a variety of woodworking projects. The emphasis on precision and efficient construction methods is relevant for anyone working with wood. Learning how to accurately set up a stackable dado head, and discovering the best table saw blade for cutting sheet goods, are skills that apply to countless woodworking projects. This may be helpful to any woodworker looking to expand their skill set.

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Custom Furniture Designer

Custom furniture designers create unique, tailored furniture pieces for clients, blending design aesthetics with practical construction. This course may be useful for a custom furniture designer because it covers essential design and construction techniques specific to cabinet making, which are transferable to other furniture. The course provides insight into material selection, joinery methods, and creating precise frames and doors, all of which are relevant to furniture design. The course also teaches how to manage large sheets of material and add accents with caps and molding, which would be useful to any custom furniture designer in their craft. Furthermore, the focus on accuracy can translate to higher quality results in custom pieces.

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Interior designer

Interior designers focus on the aesthetics and functionality of interior spaces, often specifying custom built-ins. This course may be helpful because it provides hands-on understanding of the construction of cabinets. Learning about designing attractive cabinets, choosing materials, and understanding joinery can help an interior designer better communicate with cabinet makers. The ability to envision and understand the construction process may allow the interior designer to design functional spaces with greater ease. The course is a good introduction to the world of woodworking as it relates to interiors. The course may improve the interior designer's communication and understanding of construction.

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Set Designer

Set designers create the environments for theater, film, and television productions, often involving the construction of custom sets. This course may be useful for a set designer because it provides an introduction to the core skills needed to build set pieces. The course covers the fundamentals of designing, building, and assembling cabinetry -- which can translate to building set pieces. A set designer may greatly benefit from the course's instruction on material selection, and techniques for creating doors, frames, and accent pieces. The course's practical focus on building techniques may be useful for a set designer looking to understand set construction.

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Exhibit Designer

Exhibit designers create engaging and informative displays for museums and trade shows, which may involve custom structures. This course may be useful to an exhibit designer because it offers a foundation in constructing cabinetry, which may translate to building display structures. The course covers design principles, material selection, and various joinery techniques. The focus on accuracy and efficient construction can enable an exhibit designer to understand structural integrity of custom structures. This course may provide a basic understanding of the underlying craft of building structures, which is helpful for an exhibit designer.

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Industrial Designer

Industrial designers create product designs that focus on functionality, form, and user experience. While this course focuses on cabinet making, its emphasis on design, material selection, and joinery may be helpful. An industrial designer needs to be aware of the limitations and possibilities of manufacturing techniques, which this course explores to a degree. Designing attractive cabinets and understanding material properties are both valuable to product design. This may be useful for an industrial designer who seeks a better understanding of manufacturing.

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Product Designer

Product Designers create new products or improve existing ones, using an understanding of user needs and market trends. The course may be helpful because it introduces key elements of building and design. The course covers designing attractive cabinets and choosing the best materials. These skills are transferrable to other fields. Product designers also specify and understand construction methods, which are covered in the course. A product designer who wants a well-rounded understanding of manufacturing may find such a course useful.

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Construction Manager

Construction managers oversee building projects, coordinating schedules, and ensuring quality standards. This course may be useful for construction managers because it provides insights into the detailed process of cabinet making. Understanding the material selection, joinery, and construction of cabinets may allow for better project management. The course's step-by-step instruction and focus on precision may be useful for ensuring quality in construction projects. The course may be valuable for construction managers who want to understand the details of the trades.

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Carpentry Teacher

Carpentry teachers educate students in the principles and practices of carpentry, requiring a deep understanding of various construction techniques. This course may be useful for a carpentry teacher because it covers the fundamentals of cabinet making, including design, material selection, and joinery. The detailed instruction and expert tips would enable a teacher to understand the nuances of cabinet construction. The step-by-step format can help a teacher understand the best ways to teach this skill. A carpentry teacher might use the material in the course to develop their own teaching curriculum.

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Draftsperson

A draftsperson creates technical drawings and plans for construction projects. This course may be useful for a draftsperson because it provides detailed insights into cabinet making, including the design and construction process. Understanding the joinery, material limitations, and dimensioning requirements of cabinets could help a draftsperson create more detailed plans. The course may also be useful to a draftsperson working in the architecture and construction fields by teaching practical information about the trade.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Woodworking: Fundamentals of Cabinet Making.

Handmade

Save

Provides detailed illustrations and explanations of various joinery techniques, including those used in cabinet making. It's a valuable reference for understanding the intricacies of joinery and improving your skills. This book is more valuable as additional reading than it is as a current reference.

Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction

Paperback

Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Using...

Save

Provides a comprehensive overview of woodworking techniques, including joinery, wood selection, and finishing. It's a valuable resource for understanding the fundamentals of woodworking and applying them to cabinet making. The book is helpful for providing background knowledge and useful reference tool.

Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Using...

Paperback

Woodworking

Fundamentals of Cabinet Making

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Activities

Career center

Reading list

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