MY APPROACH TO CABINETMAKING

I am a cabinetmaker with twenty five years experience. I have my own well equipped shop and typically I work alone or with one helper. I have an interest in design as well as cabinetmaking and in these twenty five years I've been exposed to the work of numerous architects and designers. This is the background I bring to every job I do. My tendency is toward higher quality in all things that I use in my work. I try to find the best materials and I only use the best hardware. I'm not one to cut corners and often times I'll take the long way around if it means a clearer interpretation of a given design. I'm used to being a liaison between a design professional and client or I can provide the design given the limitations imposed by the client.

This does not make my work exotically expensive. If the methods and practices I routinely use were specified for a given job and rigidly enforced my work would seem very reasonable. Obviously I'm not going to be a cheap as a production shop but in many cases I would not be that much higher. There used to be very specific standards for shop built cabinets formal manuals described every detail from hardware to grain match to grade of hardwood. Premium grade was the ultimate in quality and this quality extended to every aspect of the job including installation. These standards have pretty much fallen by the way side but the differences are still there.

So, what's the difference?

1. I personally measure and double check the final field measurements of the structure "as built". I also regularly monitor the job to foresee any conflicts with other trades. Kitchens and baths are complex and a lot of problems can be solved before time delaying, expensive alterations are required late in the job.

 
2. Everything is built in my shop. I typically manufacture all my doors. I go to great lengths to select all the hardwoods and veneers for the job.

 
3. Your job is not one of many in my shop. I usually take on one project at a time so each one gets my complete attention.

 
4. I don't use standardized setups for doors and drawers, so your specifications are faithfully carried out.

 
5. I really do try to enhance any design provided by an architect or designer. Often times this means a little extra effort rather than something that is merely adequate.

 
6. I use premium standards where they apply. For example, face frames and nosings are glued and clamped not face nailed, and everything is carefully sanded and aligned.

 
7. Miscommunication is not a problem because I'm the one doing the work.

 

In general the difference is that by the time I'm done with the project I have an intimate knowledge of every detail in the architecture, every variation in the room. There simply is no substitute for this kind of hands on understanding. Typically I'll visit a number of lumber yards to find the right materials. As materials become scarce there is a wide range in quality of hardwoods even within grades. I know what I'm looking for and I'll search until I find it. After acquiring the material I need it is sorted into various categories for grain, flatness, etc. Veneered sheets (sequentially matched where possible) are all layed out for the best possible matches. All the doors (frames and panels) are selected to match. I center and match all the doors I make. When the entire job is done in this fashion a certain harmony results. The cabinets can be finished with a clear finish or stained with materials selected to produce even color. Mass produced cabinets typically have heavily tinted stains intended to cover up the random differences in poorly selected material. There is simply no way to delegate this kind of care.

The difference is that you can have anything you like and you can vary the style of cabinet, type of wood, and make your cabinets look exactly the way you want them to look---this is what one typically relates to in quality built older houses: the sense of individuality that makes a house yours. There are often exposed areas of case work that are not doors or panels --- these gray areas have to be done by the cabinetmaker in my opinion there is no way to convincingly integrate second party doors into carefully done cabinetry. This is why these ready made elements look like exactly what they are. Any compromise in the design detracts from the job. This is the reason that mass produced cabinets and doors have a cookie cutter look.

Cost

When I bid a job I like to include the inevitable small changes that happen on a truly custom set of cabinets. I can't always hold to price if there are major alterations in the job, but I do try to give a realistic estimate for my work, one that doesn't require endless change orders for insignificant changes. I think people want to know going in what the actual costs are going to be.

Obviously, this sort of care and attention to detail is going to cost more, but not as much as you might think. I've done projects that have come in significantly below the cost of "kitchen design" shops and vastly improved the quality in the bargain. All things considered the cost is much less than it would be if the details that I routinely do were specified in the bid of a production shop. I'd be happy to give you an estimate on your project and let you be the judge.

Bruce Kranzler bruce@bkwood.com