Master cabinet making, and you open the door to many projects; cabinets for your shop or kitchen, bathroom vanities, book cases, dressers and more. The construction methods used on all of these projects are very similar. This woodworking class provides every detail you need to build quality cabinets in your shop.
Cabinet making projects may appear daunting, but are easy if you break them down into manageable steps, using a logical approach for the building process. Our class video instruction teaches you how to do that, and provides the following key information:
Designing attractive cabinets
Choosing the best material
Managing large sheets
Dado and rabbet joinery
Dimensioning a face frame, perfectly
Face frame joinery techniques
Calculating door dimensions
Cope and stile joints on cabinet doors
Accenting cabinets with caps and moulding
It’s the small things that make Fundamentals of Cabinet Making beneficial, with attention paid to detail each step of the process. You’ll learn to accurately (and easily) set up a stackable dado head, the best table saw blade for cutting sheet goods, face frame tricks, how to make doors on a router table, and more. All core skills that you need to take on cabinet making projects in your shop.
Instructor George Vondriska brings many years of residential and commercial cabinet making experience to your Fundamentals of Cabinet Making Class. He has, over the years, developed many tips and techniques that streamline the cabinet making process, and he’s ready to teach you all his tricks. From shop-made jigs to measuring without using a ruler, George has lots of great experience that he’ll share with you in this Class.
In addition to video instruction, this Class provides you with some downloadable resources and helpful information, including: A detailed woodworking drawing for the cabinet you’ll build in your own shop while following along with George’s techniques; source references for any specialized tools used; and a printable Class Guide as a reminder for key steps.
NOTE: This Class video instruction is also available for purchase in DVD form. If you prefer to own a physical copy, you can purchase the Class DVD here.
Class Sessions
Session 1: Getting Started
1:59
Meet your instructor, woodworker and author George Vondriska. Get an overview of the class, and have a look at the project that will be used as a teaching tool throughout the class.
Session 2: The Carcase
26:47
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.
Session 3: Case Joinery and Details
30:59
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.
Session 4: Case Assembly
13:35
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.
Session 5: Door and Face Frame Parts
13:43
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.
Session 6: Make the Face Frame
33:52
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.
Session 7: Edge Band the Shelf
6:29
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.
Session 8: Make the Door
40:20
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.
Session 9: Cap the Cabinet
34:12
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.
Session 10: Class Summary
0:49
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.
Your Instructor
George Vondriska
George Vondriska is the Editor in Chief here at Woodworkers Guild of America and has been sharing his woodworking expertise since 1986. Apart from conducting classes at his renowned Vondriska Woodworks School, George's passion for teaching has taken him to woodworking shows nationwide and has led him to teach woodworking for prestigious organizations such as Peace Corps/Swaziland, Andersen Window, Northwest Airlines, and the Pentagon. With a wealth of published magazine articles under his belt, encompassing tool reviews and shop improvement projects, George's knowledge and skills continue to inspire woodworkers every day. To discover more about him and his school, visit georgevondriska.com.
Bonus Material
Video: Instructor Insights
Download this short Video to hear your Instructor talk about this Class and some history of his Cabinet Making.
Printable Class Guide PDF
Download and print this PDF Guide to complement your Class. It’ll be a nice reference for you to keep.
Cabinet Drawing & Cut List PDF
See this detailed drawing of the Cabinet you’ll create with this Class, and a complete Cut List for the process.
Video: Meet Your Instructor
Download this short video to hear how George got started in woodworking and his experience as an instructor.
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
FAQs
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Every Class has a free Preview video you can watch, to give you a flavor of the Instructor and the skills or project that will be covered. In addition, the Overview tab includes a thorough written description of the Class. And finally, each Class Session has a brief written summary of the content in that Session, including the length of each Session video. You will get a good feel for the Class content by reviewing these resources.
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