As you may already know, there are many elements involved in the business of cabinetmaking. You might work in a commercial setting, for a custom furniture maker or within a construction firm. Whatever the work setting is, you must be able to manage the small tasks that help you reach your main goal of making well-crafted woodworks.

If you are self-employed it will become even more important to know how to juggle tasks. You may have to set aside time to communicate with clients about future jobs, update them on current work, and invoice for completed pieces.

In any case, the need to multi-task or manage multiple jobs means that your work is in demand and that is a good thing. On top of having a positive attitude, here are a few suggestions to help you along the way.

Make Checklists

If you have done cabinet making training  you will be familiar with reading blueprints, creating designs and making material lists for projects. Checklists play a similar role to these things whether you are doing one job or multiple jobs. They are a helpful way to break down a project and have been proven to reduce errors and increase productivity.

Checklists will also make sure that you provide consistent and reliable service to each client or for each job. This will put you in good standing to be recommended for more work. Also, writing a checklist will help you devise a plan by creating a work sequence or separating a job into several smaller tasks. This will keep you organized and encourage productivity by giving you a sense of accomplishment as you progress through each work day.

Know Your Limits

It is important to have a realistic idea of how much work you can do in a day, week or month. There will be an amount that you can do that will be optimal for productivity and work-life balance. Knowing your limits is also a matter of safety. You do not want to be stressed out or overtired when you are working with machinery and doing precision woodwork.

Understanding how much work you are able to accomplish in a given amount of time will also help you guarantee that your work is of the highest quality. After all, you will want to prioritize applying the skills you worked hard to develop in cabinetmaking school for each project you do.

Use The Skills from Cabinetmaking Training to Focus

If you are thinking of becoming a cabinetmaker it is likely you are creative and detail oriented. In order to maintain a high level of detailed work, it is necessary to be able to focus. Of course, your capacity to focus will be greater if you have already engaged with the other strategies mentioned above.

The last thing you want is to be thinking about the materials for one project while you measure and cut pieces for another project. This can lead to mistakes or lower quality work. Juggling multiple tasks means that you are able to focus on the current task because you have set up a realistic plan to get your work done. Paying attention to the work in front of you will also let you enjoy the craft and your own creativity.

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Cabinetmaking is a traditional craft, but with training and experience you will discover there is a lot of opportunity for your creativity to flourish within it. Making kitchen cabinets is one of the many ways to blend technical skills, knowledge, and personality into your cabinetmaking work.

The kitchen is one of the most versatile rooms in the house. Of course, people cook, but they also socialize, host dinners, and spend quality time with their family and friends in the kitchen. For many it is the room in the house that will be the most worn and torn.

That’s why there is a lot to think through before you start making cabinets to fit into the life of a kitchen. Here are a few tips to get started.

1. Manage Your Time and Client Expectations

After cabinetmaking school you will have a lot of opportunities to work with clients in different situations. It is always important to manage your time so that your clients know what to expect and when, but even more so if your clients are waiting to get back into their kitchen.

Discuss your plan with the client and ask lots of questions. How do they use the space? What do their dream cabinets look like? Are they looking to increase the value of their home in order to sell it in the near future? Answering these questions will help you devise a solid plan and an accurate estimate for your client so they know what to expect in terms of budget and time.

2. Use Your Cabinetmaking Training to Choose the Right Materials

An important aspect of the cabinetmaking trade is knowing how to identify and choose the right materials. Kitchen cabinet doors are sometimes made from laminate, which is a less expensive option, but it is likely you will be deciding between medium dense fiberboard (MDF), wood and plywood cabinets.

While this decision may be made by the client, with your cabinetmaking training you should be ready to give advice on their options. For example, if a client wants a stained wood look, then MDF should be avoided. But if they want to paint the cabinets a certain colour, MDF is likely the best choice. If there are any large doors in your cabinet design, it may be worthwhile to consider plywood, which is lighter and costs less than woods like maple.

Another set of choices to talk to clients about will be hardware and whether or not the cabinets will include things like a ‘Lazy Suzan’ or pantry pullouts. In all cases, make sure the hardware is durable because these are the moving parts that help keep a kitchen functional.

3. Plan an Efficient Installation

Before ordering materials take detailed notes of where things like plumbing, electrical outlets, and appliances are. Planning is essential to an efficient installation and there are cabinet making courses that include how to read blueprints and building layouts taught by experienced professional instructors.

In addition to the cabinet materials and hardware, make a plan for gaps. Walls are not always straight and floors are not always level so cabinet filler pieces or shims will come in handy. When you are ready to install, start high with the wall cabinets then move to the floor cabinets. By using a bench march and those filler pieces to keep everything on the level, you will be done in no time.

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Cabinetmaking is a craft that combines the traditional art of carpentry with the most sophisticated woodworking instruments. For someone who enjoys woodworking, learning about cabinetmaking can open up exciting career opportunities. While cabinetmaking encompasses everything from the identification and selection of the finest wood, to the reading of designs, to the operation of woodworking equipment, one aspect remains perhaps the most critical: safety.

The skills that you learn in cabinetmaking school must be applied with safety always at the top of your mind. If you might be interested in a career as a cabinetmaker and you want to avoid injury, keep reading to learn some essential safety tips!

1. Where You’re Working is as Important as How You’re Working

When working in cabinetmaking, you might decide to eventually begin your own business or simply do some projects on the side in your workshop. Ensuring that the space you work in is safe should be a top priority.

If you, like many woodworking specialists, decide to set up your headquarters in your personal garage or on your property, you need to make sure that the space meets safety standards. You must consider suitable ventilation, fire hazards, and emergency protocol. Remember that while you may not be in a commercial shop, you too must take safety just as seriously if you decide to go out on your own after cabinetmaking school!

2. What You Wear Can Help Protect You from Safety Hazards

Every woodworker should have the right personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear. While sporting the appropriate PPE might seem an obvious recommendation, injuries as a result of non-adequate protection represent a significant percentage of woodworking injuries. One of the reasons for this, ironically, is expertise. Sometimes, when a professional feels overly confident in their abilities, they decide to omit some of the basic PPE. And although they have achieved mastery of their craft, certain things cannot be predicted regardless of experience. A malfunctioning piece of equipment kicking back and chipping a particle of wood or metal into an unprotected eye can cause irreversible damage!

When you’re equipping yourself for the job, make sure you also pay special attention to:

• Clothing (avoid baggy, floating clothes that might get caught in the machinery)
• Jewelry (a long chain of loose bracelet might also be a hazard)
• Hair (if you’ve got long hair, make sure it’s tied up so it doesn’t get caught in the equipment)

3. Get to Know Your Tools and Equipment in Cabinet Making Training

Another important aspect of safe woodworking practice is the equipment that you are using. You’ll learn in cabinet making training about how to safely use woodworking tools and equipment. You should know what tool is required for what job, and you should know how that tool can be used most effectively. You should always verify that the tool is in adequate condition. For example, there is common a misconception that a sharp blade is more dangerous than a dull blade when, in fact, a dull blade risks getting caught or kicking.

Soliciting help is another important part of safety. If you are operating a tool with which you have little experience, or if you know that a specific task will be easier with the assistance of a fellow woodworker, then it might be a good idea to get help. Be careful, however, to only get help from people who are properly trained!

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