The right cabinet installation tool can make the difference between a well-executed project with tight joinery and a shoddy job where nothing fits or aligns. Good cabinetry can improve your kitchen’s appearance and visual appeal. Cabinet installation may seem a large undertaking, but you only need basic woodworking skills and several simple tools:
Cabinet Hardware Jig
You’ll need to drill holes for knobs, handles, and hinges when installing cabinets. The cabinet hardware jig has a ‘T’ shape and is adjustable with moveable edges guides, making drilling easy. With the right experience, you can cut complex angles and create cabinet boards.
After mounting a cabinet, you can use this tool to cut the decorative profile for the base. You can also use this tool to take away some depth from finished cabinets.
Clamps
Clamps help in holding wood pieces together. You can use clamps when measuring and cutting wood. Clamps are available in various designs, such as C-clamps, pipe clamps, and bar clamps.
C-clamps: These are made of simple steel frames and have an open throat kept in check by a screw jaw. They come in a wide range of sizes and throat depths.
Pipe clamps: They resemble a standard iron pipe with an adjustable clamp face and one fixed jaw.
Bar clamps: These indispensable cabinetmaking clamps have a metal bar frame. They integrate the strength and depth of a pipe clamp and a C-clamp.
Combination Square
Most cabinet designers use a combination square for cabinet making. The equipment combines a square, a level, and a ruler. You may adjust a cabinet maker, transfer measurements and details, determine angles, and find levels.
A combination square functions the same as a compass and protractor. You can use this tool to determine the trueness and flatness of the cabinet surface.
Hinge Placement Tool With High Speed
If you want an ideal fit and finish, be precise when installing hinges on your cabinet doors. You can use a commercial scribe or a shop-made jig to transfer attachment holes and hinge points. These processes, however, are slow and sometimes inaccurate.
High-speed hinge placement tools are essential if you want accuracy and speed. They are especially effective with popular European hinges. Some even come with three spring-loaded punches, which you tap to move your drill points.
Scribes
Scribes enable you to mark wood to create a visible pattern for cutting and drilling operations. They help transfer a design from one surface to another. You’ll need scribes to trace and transfer pre-existing patterns to the new counter joints and cabinets.
Scribes are made of metal, providing a sharp edge for engraving designs into cabinet surfaces. Scribes with pencil-like tips are the best to transfer erasable lines. This tool allows you to scribe circles, angles, and ovals, making cabinet installation easier.
Magnetic Drawer Slide Mounting Tool
A cabinet maker understands how difficult it is to precisely mount cabinet drawer slides to box and drawer frames. Magnetic drawer slide mounting tools can resolve this issue. This mounting tool is clampable to your frame or drawer. The tool also has a magnetic surface that pulls and holds your metal slide in place while you do various tasks.
Self-centering Bits
Self-centering bits are available in a variety of sizes and quality grades. The best self-centering bits contain a hard carbon steel guide barrel with carbide internal bits or tungsten. The guide barrels align the bit with a fastener hole before aligning your bit to make a properly centered hole.
Router
A router can cut, straighten and shape edges needed to join boards. The device is perfect for cutting grooves for panel doors and profiles rail during cabinet installation. You can also use it to create rail or stile joints.
Mortise Chisels for Cabinet Makers
Mortise chisels have high tensile strength and stability. This makes them one of the most accurate cabinet installation tools. They are useful to cabinet makers who cut mortises.
Have the Right Tools for Cabinet Installation
When you have the right tools, installing and upgrading cabinets is simple. The list above is not exhaustive. You may need more tools to complete the task. The kind of cabinet and the design of these tools determine the level of competence. If you lack the necessary tools for cabinet installation, hire a professional installer.
