1. INTRODUCTION TO CABINETMAKING Modern Cabinetmaking

2. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Throughout history wood has been a mainstay in people’s homes.
Wood has been used for any and all purposes from toilets, toilet seats, places to sit, places to eat, cabinets to put things in (clothes, food, dishes, valuables, etc…) and we could go on and on for countless other things.

3. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Caveman found ways to use tools to make products to help them each day, probably even a stump to sit on rather than sit on the ground.

4. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Early man made the greatest discovery ever made for mankind. They learned how to control fire.
Fire
Once they discovered what fire is, the big problem was how to keep fire burning, since they had no way of starting fire.

5. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
From places where lightening had started a fire, they discovered charcoal. Charcoal not only burns hotter than flames, it can burn for days.

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Once early man discovered the use for wood, and discovered charcoal can extend the life of fire, early man began making handicrafts of animals, people, and to make totem poles to represent their gods.
Archeologist studying some of the earliest civilizations have unearth some wooden handicrafts dating back to 5000 BC.

7. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Some Indian handicrafts are around 5000 years old. Evidence of wood carvings and sculptures are found from the Vedic age, some 1500 BC. A sculpture, figure or figurine, may be formed out of wood by means of a cutting or carving tool. Woodcarving tools used during that time are carving knife, a gouge, the chisel, a mallet, v and u shape tools and of course the grained or sanding tools. The scope of carving depends on the nature of the wood. Commonly used wood for carving includes chestnut, walnut, mahogany and teak. Hardwoods have a longer life and luster. Soft woods are easier to carve. Natural oils of walnut and linseed are used to polish the complete pieces to protect them from dust and moisture.

8. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Wood Carving of West Bengal
The village community halls, also known as chandimantaps, which were the centers of rural culture dating back some 5,000 years BC. They had the best of wooden pillars, wooden bracket beams etc. made out of beautifully carved wood.
Today they would be like the Indian Totem polls.

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This an example of a wood carving which dates back to 1500 BC.

10. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Moving through history we can see the real beginnings of modern day wood carvings.
The real beginnings of modern building began with the Phoenician ships. After the Phoenicians were the Egyptians, Indians, Romans, Greeks, and French designers and builders who started the early days of the woodworking industry.

11. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
The Phoenicians were the boat building professionals of woodworkers. Shipwrecks have been discovered which date back to 100’s of years BC. Theirs skills in boat building was extraordinaire

12. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
Example of Egyptian ship
Cog ship dating back to Egypt 1000 AD

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The real beginning of cabinet and furniture building dates back to 16th century medieval Europe, known as the Gothic era.
Most cabinet and furniture of that era was made to order by Kings for their many palaces and homes.
The pieces were extremely heavy, hand carved, and very elaborate.

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Furniture from Henry VIII (Gothic era)

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During the 17th century the extremely heavy bulky furniture made for only Kings was transitioned into a much lighter version, known as Provincial furniture. This furniture was known as the renaissance period.
In many cases the furniture designs you have today in your homes came from the designs of the renaissance period.

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17. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
During the latter 1600’s and early 1700’s Mary, Queen of England, and her husband, William introduced the William and Mary furniture designs.
Primarily the gate leg table and the highboy.
Their furniture designs had distinctive features such as, curved, decorative edges, and arch-like sections.

18. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
William and Mary Gate Leg Table William and Mary Highboy

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During the 18th century brought many refinements in design and joinery.
Queen Anne furniture designs were popular in both England and the American Colonies.
Queen Anne furniture is best known for the Cabriole leg and carved surfaces.

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Queen Anne Cabriole Leg Queen Anne Pedestal Table

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Thomas Chippendale designed and built furniture during the 18th century. His designs included highly-carved mahogany and walnut furniture.
Chippendale borrowed designs from the Chinese and Queen Anne designs.
In 1754 he published a three volume set of “Gentlemen and Cabinetmakers Directory.”
He is best known for chair designs.

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Thomas Chippendale Chair

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Many designers followed during the 18th century including George Hepplewhite. Hepplewhite was known for rounded fronts with rounded drawers.
Thomas Sheraton also is known for his secretary cabinet.

25. Introduction to Cabinetmaking George Hepplewhite design showing rounded front and doors
George Hepplewhite side cabinet

26. Introduction to Cabinetmaking Thomas Sheraton design showing a Secretary bookcase

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As you can see the 18th century brought many new designs still being produced today.
The 18th century came to be called the “Golden Age of Furniture”.
But what was happening in the American Colonies during this time in history?

28. Introduction to Cabinetmaking
From the time the earliest settles arrived in America to around the mid 1600’s furniture was very crude.
Early American cupboad Early American cabinet

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The crude furniture made an improvement and advanced to the American Colonial Period.
American Colonial period lasted from around 1620 to These designs were copies of European design with influence from American furniture.
American Colonial furniture included chests, benches, and cupboards.
They also included tables, chairs, rockers, and cradles.

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American Colonial chair American Colonial Dining Chairs

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The first American designer to adapt European and Asian designs in America was Duncan Phyfe ( ).
Phyfe introduced the Lyre-back chair and the Pedastal table used today in so many homes.

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Duncan Phyfe Lyre-back chair Duncan Phyfe pedestal dining table with lyre-back chairs

33. Furniture Needs
Throughout history all furniture and cabinets, whether they a rock to sit on, or a stump to eat off of, or a split wooden shelf to put things on, products were produced to fill a need, or to make someone’s life easier, or more comfortable.
We sit on chairs and sleep on beds supported on wooden frames. We shop from store fixtures, work at desk, prepare food on counters, and put books on shelves.
The majority of all these products throughout the ages were made from various species of wood.
The design, appearance, quality, and finish improved over history depending on the availability of materials, tools, machines, and advances in the processes of cutting, shaping, assembly, sanding, and finishing processes.

34. Furniture Needs Design Decisions
Think of yourself as a designer. Your responsibility is to help people meet their needs and wants for furniture and cabinets. How would you do that?
Design decisions are made using the decision making process keeping two things in mind, function and form.
1. Function describes the reason for having the cabinet, chair, bookcase, china cabinet, etc…
2. Form is the appearance of the cabinet or furniture.

35. Furniture Needs
7 steps to decision making to build a piece of furniture
1. Step is establishing the “Needs and Wants.”
2. Step is the “Form and Function.”
3. Step is various “Ideals.”
4. Step is the “Variables and Standards.”
5. Step is to “Sketch” ideals on paper.
6. Step is “Material Considerations”
7. Step is work out a set of “Working Drawings.”

36. Furniture Needs
Today many of the designs come in standardize units. Such as, a dentist office, or library furniture, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, etc…

37. Furniture Needs
Kitchen cabinet design

38. Furniture Needs
Another design concept is ready-to-assemble furniture or KD (knockdown) furniture.

39. Stop
Test—Introduction to Cabinetmaking

40. Furniture Needs Material Decisions
Today there are many materials available for producing cabinets and fine furniture.
Materials you may consider are solid lumber, veneer, manufactured panels, plastic laminates, plastic, ceramic, and glass.
To assemble these materials you must decide on adhesives, mechanical fasteners, or joinery.

41. Furniture Needs
Beyond deciding on what materials you would need, you would have to decide on what tools and machinery are available.
In the modern shop most machining will take place on stationary power tools, such as, table saws, radial saws, planers, and shapers.

42. Furniture Needs
Table Saw Radial Arm Saw Planer Shaper

43. Furniture Needs
Along with the stationary power tools you need several varieties of hand tools. Hand routers, router bits, shaper cutters, drills and drill bits, saw blades, chisels, screwdrivers, etc…

44. Producing Cabinets
Building and producing furniture and cabinets falls into two categories.
The first category is (Custom furniture or cabinets.)
The second category is (Standard or mass-produced.)

45. Producing Furniture and Cabinets
Custom furniture and cabinets is the art of producing only one cabinet or piece of furniture and customizing it to fit into a certain area, a particular or unique look, a certain color, design, or pattern.
It is built to match the surrounding furniture in design and finish.

46. Producing Furniture and Cabinets
Standard or Mass produced cabinets and furniture are built in large quantities in a factory.
They may build 20 pieces or 1000 pieces at a time.
They all will get the same finish, the same hardware, and look identical when completed.

47. Producing Furniture and Cabinets
There are 3 processes that have to be done when building cabinets or furniture.
1. Preprocessing—all the activities before you begin cutting anything.
2. Processing—activities involving bringing in the lumber and materials, cutting the parts to shape, assembly, sanding, and finishing the cabinet or furniture.
Post processing—transporting, installing, and maintaining products.

48. Producing Cabinets and Furniture
Throughout the entire process of deciding what to build, which materials to use, what tools and tooling to use, and what type of finish to put on the cabinets, the next question is what quality of product to make.
Quality is measured by how well the product meets the expectation and requirement of the consumer.
Poor quality means you probably will not get paid, or not get other orders, and the end result is out of business.
Good quality means a satisfied customer, a happy consumer, and more orders from the customer or their neighbors and friends.
Business is good and you have a future.

49. Wood Characteristics'
A tree is nature’s oldest and largest living self-supporting thing.
Some trees live only about 20 years, where some trees, such as, the Redwood in California can live 1000’s of years and can grow 100’s feet tall and be 50 feet in diameter.

50. Wood Characteristics
Cabinetmakers and furniture makers understand the unique qualities of wood.
Wood has natural beauty, strength, durability, elasticity, and easy maintenance.
Wood has a natural beauty that cabinetmakers and furniture makers enhance through shaping and finishing of wood products.
Wood varies in color and patterns that builders exploit to make unique pieces.
The structural qualities of wood make it desirable for building, in fact, some wood pound for pound is as strong as steel.

51. Wood Characteristics
Trees have a an extensive system of roots to support the massive size of some trees. They have one of two types of root systems.
Fibrous root system—these roots are primarily spread out just under the ground surface. They may spread for 10 to 20 feet.
Tap root system—Almost all trees begin with a taproot. After 1 to 3 years some will continue to grow a taproot, while most will develop into a fibrous root system. Roots have two main purposes, they draw nutrients from the soil, for the tree to eat from, and they help make the tree stand up.

52. Wood Characteristics
Fibrous Root System Taproot System

53. Wood Characteristics
The trunk of the tree extends from the root system up the crown of the tree.
The trunk’s primary job is to carry the nutrients absorbed by the roots to the crown or leave system of the tree.
The trunk performs it’s job of carrying water and minerals to the crown through internal cells in the tree.
The crown or leaves of the tree converts these nutrients to food. The conversion is called photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the formation of carbohydrates (sugars) in the green tissues of plants exposed to light.
In order for photosynthesis to occur you need three things present: sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
The food is then carried to the various parts of the tree.

54. Wood Characteristics
The Process of Photosynthesis

55. Wood Characteristics
Cross-section of tree Split-section of a tree

56. Wood Characteristics
The Inside Story
The cambium cell layer is the growing part of the trunk. It annually produces new bark and new wood in response to hormones that pass down through the phloem with food from the leaves. These hormones, called “auxins”, stimulate growth in cells. Auxins are produced by leaf buds at the ends of branches as soon as they start growing in spring.
Sapwood is the tree’s pipeline for water moving up to the leaves. Sapwood is new wood. As newer rings of sapwood are laid down, inner cells lose their vitality and turn to heartwood.
Heartwood is the central, supporting pillar of the tree. Although dead, it will not decay or lose strength while the outer layers are intact. A composite of hollow, needlelike cellulose fibers bound together by a chemical glue called lignin, it is in many ways as strong as steel. A piece 12" long and 1" by 2" in cross section set vertically can support a weight of twenty tons!
The outer bark is the tree’s protection from the outside world. Continually renewed from within, it helps keep out moisture in the rain, and prevents the tree from losing moisture when the air is dry. It insulates against cold and heat and wards off insect enemies.
The inner bark, or “phloem”, is pipeline through which food is passed to the rest of the tree. It lives for only a short time, then dies and turns to cork to become part of the protective outer bark.

57. Wood Characteristics Annual Growth Rings Showing the early wood and
Latewood of how a tree grows

58. Wood Characteristics
Annual Growth Rings help us determine the age of a tree. Count the rings, that is how old the tree is.
The oldest living tree on earth is this Swedish Spruce which dates back 9550 years old.

59. Wood Characteristics
The oldest tree in the US is the Bristlecomb Pine found in the Western US. This tree is about 5,000 years old.

60. Wood Characteristics How is a trees age determined
Mr. Wolffia using a increment borer to age-date an old sierra juniper on a steep 9,000 foot ridge of Pine Mountain in the San Gabriel Range of southern California. A small core of the wood is removed and the rings are painstakingly counted. This remarkable tree was approximately 1400 years old.

61. Wood Characteristics
Core taken from a tree to determine age, climate, forest fires, plenty of rain, or drought situations.

62. Wood Characteristics Tree Identification
Trees are classified as either deciduous or coniferous.
Deciduous trees are broad-leaved trees, which loose their leaves in the fall.
Hardwood trees are deciduous. Deciduous means, loose their leaves in the fall.
Examples of hardwood trees are: maple, hickory, cherry, oaks, walnut, mahogany, ash, poplar, etc…

63. Wood Characteristics
Hardwood Tree Softwood Tree

64. Wood Characteristics Wood Identification
Coniferous trees are softwood trees known as evergreens. (green year round)
Softwood refers to coniferous trees, which means, needle bearing.
Examples of softwood trees are: yellow pine, redwoods, fraser firs, douglas firs, white pines, cedars, etc…

65. Wood Characteristics Wood Identification
Appearance of wood—appearance of wood determines the decorative effect of the product.
Appearance includes color, grain pattern, surface texture, and natural defects.
Color of wood is primarily brown. It can range from a light tan to a dark, reddish brown.
The darkest colors are found in heartwood where these materials are concentrated.