Using Portable Tools And Components To Construct A Cabinet
It's good but even perplexing to get such a huge variety of portable power tools at home centers as well as in teleshopping catalog. My recommendation on buying these power tools is to try them out whenever you can. Though it's not possible to operate these power tools at a home center, you may test how much they weigh and feel and find out how properly the controls and adjustments do the job. It's also wise to solicit brand and model priorities from experienced woodworkers. For quickness and comfort, combine a cordless drill with quick-change drill-and-drive accessories. This is the tool you'll be using in and day out for any cabinet-making project. You might need a drill to bore pocket and preliminary holes for anchoring screws and to drive screws when putting together cases cupboard, face frames and bases. Although I have a corded drill, I personally use cordless versions for all but the most power-hungry tasks, such as utilizing a saw hole cutter when installing cabinets.
There are lots of good cordless drill / drivers available on the market. For cabinet-making, a 12 or 14 volt model provides more than adequate power. Ensure that your drill/driver kit includes an extra battery so you won't need to stop working when one battery has no power. To make the most of this tool, you'll also need a few quick-change bit components. Buy a basic set of "drill and drive" bits, including combination countersink counter bore bits and Philips head bits in several lengths. This will set you up well for pocket-hole joinery and assembly work.
Quick, strong, and undoable, joinery with pocket screws is very useful in cabinet construction. A pocket-hole jig with a toggle clamps is used to bore a set of holes in a face-frame rail.
Pocket-hole-jigs
Pocket-hole joinery goes back to ancient Egypt. Today, pocket-hole jigs have helped cabinet-makers save time and simplify joinery details without sacrificing quality or power. Big cabinet constructions have pocket-hole devices with air-driven clamps and also other sophisticated attributes. I have a number of basic pocket-hole jigs that I employ for various joints. These jigs are inexpensive and very simple to operate. They are built to guide a drill bit so it bores a pilot hole at a shallow angle. The mating component is then clamped against the part with the pocket-hole so the joint could be screwed quickly with special self-drilling pan head anchoring screws.