Cabinet makers are responsible for creating cabinets and other wood furniture. They are trained in carpentry, joinery and related disciplines.
Cabinet makers usually specialise in either designing cabinets or building them. While cabinet makers can specialise in different areas of the trade, they typically have a basic knowledge of all aspects of their work. The main job duties include the below.
Cabinet making requires a cabinet maker to understand design criteria to meet customers' requirements, interpret drawings/specifications to fit specific needs. This is the ability to develop or read drawings and specifications. With the dawn of industrial design, cabinet making requires a person who has skills in maths and the use of computers.
Beyond an ability to develop drawings and specifications, many cabinetmakers have the skills and capabilities to construct wooden objects using hand and power tools such as laminate trimmers and cordless drills.
A qualified cabinet maker should be able to use fasteners such as nails, screws, and staples to secure wood pieces together. They should know how to reinforce joints and fit sections using woodworking machines or wood glue. Cabinet makers often perform finishing work, including painting or staining surfaces, assembling furniture, and other woodwork tasks.This career is not without hazards. Cabinet makers must follow safety rules to avoid injury from saws and other equipment. They also handle sharp tools like knives and chisels, which can cause injuries if used unsafely. Cabinet makers should always wear protective eyewear when operating machines or sharp instruments.
Creativity in furniture making is required when making custom furniture. The same principle applies to all fine wood furniture work. Quality work and visual appeal are two key design elements in all interior designers work. It is the responsibility of the cabinet maker to transfer the finer details in a drawing to reality. This applies to all cabinetry work, whether it involves making kitchen cabinets, bedroom suites, entertainment units, or shop fittings. A career as a cabinet maker requires knowledge of carpentry techniques, good hand-eye co-ordination, precision skills, and attention to detail while completing repetitive tasks over long periods of time.
Cabinetry break or weaken with time, necessitating repair works. Performing cabinetry repairs over and above making furniture is also a key job for cabinetmakers. Being called on to repair furniture is a routine job for cabinetmakers. Cabinet makers usually work in small repair shops or as part of a large construction team. Many cabinet makers travel to job sites and must be able to lift heavy objects and spend hours on ladders and scaffolds. This is not a desk job. It requires hard physical work, and sometimes a cabinet maker will have to work overtime. However, this career offers challenging and rewarding opportunities for those who enjoy working with their hands and building things from scratch.
Cabinet makers need to be able to work with their hands and have steady, careful movements. They must also be good at following tasks instructions and procedures to ensure high-quality results. The following skills are important in becoming a cabinet maker:
Knowledge of proper safety rules and precautions when working with tools like drills, saws, knives, and chisels.
Experience using all types of tools found in woodworking shops - hand tools like hammers, hand planes, and templates; power equipment like table saws, band saws, jointers, and routers.
Ability to use measuring devices like tape measures, calipers, and levels.
Awareness of the different types of woods used for cabinet making (pine, maple, oak) or manufactured board, as well as techniques for staining, varnishing and painting.
Precision skills to work with tools precisely without injuring yourself or damaging materials.
Creative ability to visualise how wood pieces can be assembled into an appealing cabinet design.
A joiner is a person who specialises in assembling pieces of wood together to create furniture or cabinets. A cabinet maker creates the designs for cabinets and other wooden objects, which are then built by a joiner.
Cabinet makers often specialise in certain aspects of their craft. Some may specialise in designing cabinets, while others focus on building them. However, all cabinet makers have an understanding of how to design and build custom wood furniture. They use their knowledge of carpentry techniques and hand tools to complete tasks within specific time limits according to project specifications that meet customer needs.
A cabinet making career requires manual labour with long hours spent hunched over work surfaces or at the saw table, but it offers opportunities for challenging and rewarding work such as with different types of woods and equipment. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission has some great information on cabinet making.Cabinet makers complete several different tasks throughout the day to produce high-quality furniture or cabinets. They begin by reading blueprints, sketches, and other plans to create designs for wooden objects. Next, they cut wood using hand tools like jigsaws and chisels or power tools like table saws or jointers. They then sand surfaces flat with hand sanders or a drum sander if sanding big pieces of wood. A cabinet maker will then proceed to assemble parts together with nails, screws, and adhesives such as glue. After assembling surfaces, cabinet makers use finishing techniques including painting, staining, varnishing, and polishing to produce the desired colour/finish for their finished product. The final step is handing off completed projects to customers who will pick them up for delivery or installation elsewhere.
Cabinet makers in Australia earn good salaries because they complete challenging, physically demanding, and rewarding work. Entry-level employees earn around $60,000 each year, with most experienced professionals earning up to $80,805 per year. Your earning will also vary depending on your level of training and experience. As a cabinet maker, you can choose to work at small repair and joinery workshops with cabinetmaking contractors or be a self-employed cabinet maker.
Carpenters learn how to build structures out of wood, whereas cabinet makers work with wood pieces to create furniture and cabinets. Cabinet makers often specialise in design while carpenters concentrate on carpentry techniques.
A joiner is a person with a broad range of carpentry skills, including building structures out of wood in addition to creating furniture and cabinets. They must understand different types of woods and how to work with tools that include hand saws, drills driver bits, routers, and band saws. Cabinet makers often design custom furniture based on blueprints that they then build themselves. They may also specialise in painting, staining, and varnishing surfaces to ensure they're attractive while making finishing touches like adding hinges or handles. Cabinet makers don't necessarily need formal education beyond high school but typically learn on the job through apprenticeships or internships. In cabinet making, you must have knowledge of how different wood pieces are assembled together to create a pleasing appearance and may need to complete specific tasks like sanding pieces flat or adding finishing touches like polishing.
Yes, cabinet makers use several hand tools that include jigsaws for cutting wood pieces, chisels for cutting notches into surface edges, and sandpaper to smooth surfaces. More advanced workers may also learn how to operate power tools like table saws and jointers, which allow them to create specific cuts into wood pieces. Cabinet makers typically work closely with customers throughout the process of creating custom furniture or cabinets. They must be able to construct designs based on customers' preferences while still creating products that meet project specifications outlined in blueprints. Cabinet makers must also have a broad knowledge of carpentry techniques and hand tools but may complete tasks related to specialising in painting, staining, or varnishing surfaces depending on the need.