Long story short: I am a somewhat-experienced kitchen cabinet installer in Europe, I do mainly Ikea cabinets. I am running into customers that need a little more than the standard 40-60-80 width cabinets to fit their spaces and am thinking of going beyond kitchens as well into more built-ins/organizational solutions for homes.
I am thinking of how well my 3D printer has come in handy not only for making specific and unique tools but also things like plastic covers to perfectly cover/edge holes, spacers, and guides for drilling holes exactly where they need to be.
Clearly it would be even better if a CNC could very precisely cut these holes for me. Then I get thinking about how if I learn the software (I am already good with Fusion 360 and modeling things for the 3D printer) I could use a CNC to make cabinets too.
Since my idea is very young and not fully fleshed out yet, and Iām still working toward saving toward renting out a shop space, I am wondering if starting out with building a Lowrider v4 would be sufficient to test this idea out without having to basically take out a loan for a pro-level full-sheet CNC. I am not at this point concerned with volume or speed as I would just be seeing what I could build with a CNC and if the end product fits with what customers look for.
Feels like a very low-risk investment (I have the time and the materials arenāt that expensive) to build a lowrider, but Iām wondering if itās accurate enough to do cabinets on full sheet material, including melamine-coated (particle) board, plywood, MDF, etc. Is it easy to dial in and get things square from a reference edge? I donāt have a table saw, but I do have a track plunge saw.
I think that it somewhat depends on the quality of your build, along with your skill level. Accuracy/tolerance can be +/- 0.2mm or less, but may be worse depending on several factors
I have a Full sheet LR4 (and previously LR3 & LR2) and have cut several cabinets from full sheet plywood. It works amazing for that. I can lay out an entire sheet on the computer, throw it up on the table and hit go. The only thing I have to use the table saw for is the way I lay out drawers I need to cut a rabbit/dato (I always get that terminology confused) on the end of the front and back boards but thatās a one set up and done for how ever many I am cutting.
With the LR4 I think you will find once you get it dialed in and your settings dialed in, that it will be more than sufficient for what you need from it. If you move forward (I hope you do) then start you a build thread and keep us up to date with your build and how it goes cutting cabinets. We will all be here to help you along the way!
Build quality for DIY stuff like the LowRider can vary greatly of course, but a good build is plenty good enough for cabinetry.
So my kitchen has Ikea cabinets in it, but nlt ones thst are clmpatable with the current generation of stuff that can be bought. When mh ex moved out of the house, all of the doors and facing on the lower cabinetry were trashed by water damage. Basically drippings off of the countertops were never wiped off of the doors and drawer facings, until it soaked into and ruined the panels. I went to Ikea to buy new ones (Isnāt that why you buy Ikea stuff, because it has all those interchangeable options?) And I was told āwe donāt make that any more. Do gou want to buy all new cabinets?ā
So I pulled off all of the cabinet doors and drawer facings, drew up a set of drawings with the hinge and hardware mount points, and cut new pieces from 15mm Melamine covered particle board, put some iron-on melamine edging on, and it looks way better. (Full disclosure, I cut all the pieces to size on the table saw, because itās way faster.)
I actually plan on doing it all over again, this time fully CNC cut because Iād like to have some rounded corners and shaped edges on things. The debate is if Iām going to do all new cabinets, so that they actually fit properly in the kitchen, or keep the base Ikea structure and just do doors and faces.
I have 100% faith that if I do the cabknets on the CNC that they will be as good as the Ikea, and fit the kitchen better.
Iāve done cabinets before, so I have a good idea of how theyāre designed, but I figure that it has to be significantly better to justify the expense for the material.
I also have a full sheet capable LowRider, which started as v2, then was v3, and currently is v4, and I also have done some full sheet cutting for making cabinets, and it worked great. Mine was done with plywood, but I donāt think youād have any trouble cutting melamine, since this thing can aluminum. Setting up for a finishing pass is easy in ESTLcam, and a finishing pass helps with getting dimensional accuracy. Squaring the machine is not real hard to do. I say go for it.
Thanks you guys, sounds like something I should give a try! The biggest issue now is āwhereā, because my shed is just a bit larger than a full sheet of plywood, and the neighbors might not like the sound but it wouldnāt be all day long I suppose. Maybe half sheet size is a better idea to begin with, I can cut the material down with my track saw to start. I will keep you updated!
I would recommend building it to a size you need, not the size of your material. It probably wonāt be running all day. Cutting out a cabinet side and drilling a few dozen holes should be an hour or so job. Unlike a 3D printer, you canāt leave it running alone.
You will have a lot to learn. It is one thing to do a few odd jobs on a CNC. But making a business out of it will come with a lot of opportunities to grow your skillset. It is a great machine to do that and get things going. The V1 machines have been the backbone of several CNC businesses. It is a great machine to learn on, for the reasons youāve provided.
Good luck to you and please post some of your work. We love to see CNCād stuff and Iām sure you will inspire new creators.
After doing some measuring I canāt even fit a full sheet-size machine anyway! I will go for half, as that should be more than enough at this moment. Thank you!
I am not starting a business, but one of the main things Iād like to do is build cabinets, so Iām very interested in seeing how your plans work out. Iāve currently got a run of 5 cabinets planned for my workshop and am just tidying up a few things before getting started cutting sides.
The first project I will be building on my full-size LR4 will be cabinetry that will go in my walk-in closet.
I was a cabinet builder 80s and early 90s before I became a financial advisor/stockbroker and I can tell you that if your cuts are square, itās definitely good enough to cut out cabinetry.
I cut my first of 5 cabinets carcasses last night/today. It took about 3 hours total to cut the carcass + back panels. I think running a larger bit (1/4" instead of 1/8") and playing more with DOC/feed rate might be able to speed this up, but I canāt imagine I could get this down any more than maybe 1.5hours.
So this seems much slower than a tablesaw setup, but from laying the pieces out I think the cabinet will come together just fine.
If you do have a table saw itās definitely much quicker, but a CNC helps with any holes or groves etc. that you might need to add.
I also think that, at least for me, the skill ceiling is higher for traditional woodworking. The CNC cuts what I tell it to, if I use the table saw I have to take care to actually cut what I wantā¦
Yeah, Iām looking forward to the auto drilling when I build the taller cabinets. No more fussing about getting those measurements right! I canāt quite get my table flat enough for reliable dadoes but I plan to tackle that (maybe with a rebuild) once these cabs are done. I wanted to pop out of hobby-infrastructure into first order building stuff for a bit.
I see your point and hope I can get there with the CNC. So far itās been a lot of trouble but thatās just the learning curve. One thing I definitely find easier with non-CNC woodworking is I can usually figure out what I did wrong/correct for it. Thatās harder with this machine, at least right now.
