Well, well. I've scored a cabinet job. Most people think that cabinetmaking and furniture making are the same thing, but they're not, which is not to say that a cabinet cannot be a piece of furniture, but he point is that modern cabinet making requires efficient processing of panels, be they plywood, melamine, MDF etc. The cases are usually standardized sizes and use a wide variety of hinges and slides that are designed for this kind of industrial work. Years ago I decided to stay away from cabinets for a number of reasons; the equipment to do them efficiently and competitively costs a whole lot of money. Sliding table saws, edgebanders, line drilling machines, CNC machines and on and on. And secondly, I prefer to work with wood, shapes, turnings and all kinds of furniture-esqe details. Alas, few are buying handmade furniture.
This cabinet job is not exactly standard, which is a good thing, and rather than doing the panel sizing as I would usually do I've bought a track saw instead. Here is the German made saw I've decided to use for this and other projects. Here's a review.
It's not cheap, and frankly I think it's overpriced. If I had my druthers I'd spend even more and get the Mafell MT-55, also German. And if I do a lot of this, the automagic Mafell PSS 3100e, which verges on the nutty, but a nice Germanic nutty.
Speaking of tools, the Germans still make very good tools, made by people who actually use them. I could say a lot about what has happened to US tools but I'll save it.
These boys and girls seem rather pleased.
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