Introduction to Cabinetry

Ken DeCost is a cabinet maker based in Boston, MA. Growing up in a family of tradesmen, Ken began to develop his carpentry skills from a young age. Over the last ten years he has honed his expertise in high end cabinet making. In 2017, he became the Director of Millwork for custom home builder, NS Builders. Here he has assembled a skilled team that aligns to his level of high standards and excellence. From traditional to ultra modern, complex curved work to hand stitched veneering, he continues to push the limits of perfection and craftsmanship.

Learn about the anatomy of cabinets, common materials and the proper techniques to build quality pieces.

Class Overview – Your instructor, Ken, welcomes you to this cabinet making class, shares what you’ll learn about cabinetry, and discusses how he began his career as a cabinet maker.

Anatomy – Learn the basic parts of a cabinet. Ken describes the cabinet box, face frame, and different types of joints and cabinet doors you’ll see on your journey as a cabinet maker.

Hardware – Hinges, knobs, and drawer slides, oh my! Cabinet hardware choices are endless, and boil down to personal taste and budget. Ken takes you through a handful of options when choosing cabinet hardware.

Material Selection – Ken teaches you how to decide what materials to use for your cabinet box and cabinet door construction, how to inspect the wood you’re considering, and how to care for it once it gets to your shop.

Building Cabinet Boxes: Rip Cuts & Cross Cuts – Working from a simple sketch, Ken shows you how to cut your sheet goods down to size to create the top, bottom, back, and sides of your cabinet case.

Building Cabinet Boxes: Dado Joinery – Learn how to prepare the pieces of your cabinet box for assembly using a simple dado stack in your table saw.

Building Cabinet Boxes: Box Assembly – Ken shows you how to assemble your cabinet box and troubleshoot a couple of common problems that might arise during assembly.

Building Cabinet Boxes: Edge Banding – Edge banding is the thin material that covers the edges of plywood on your cabinet to hide the exposed grain. You can edge band with a specialized machine, but here Ken shows you how to do it by hand.

Building Cabinet Doors: Sizing & Cutting – Ken teaches you how to measure and cut two cabinet door panels, and the right way to double check your work.

Building Cabinet Doors: Edge Banding – Cabinet doors need edge banding, too. Ken takes you through edge banding, trimming, and checking your measurements.

Building Cabinet Doors: Boring & Sanding – Ken shows you how to properly bore holes for hinges on your cabinet doors and sand them down so they’re smooth to the touch

Building Cabinet Doors: Adding Hardware – The final step in cabinet construction is adding your hardware and mounting the doors. Ken shows you how to put hinges on the cabinet, install the cabinet doors, and prep your cabinet for finishing.