I have recently tried to engage the services of a joiner to make some cupboards/cabinets for our living room.
This is in an attempt to finish off the last room of the house before impending parentdom.
As that event is now occuring at precisely 9:30am tomorrow morning I'm fairly safe in saying we're not going to finish the room by then!
The joiner, name/number acquired by word of mouth, measured up went quiet then gave me a ball park figure of =A31000 for materials and promised a quote by last Friday. Whilst doing that he suggested that he wasn't very good value for money and that people were often better off going to Ikea.
I took this all to mean that he was not in the slightest bit interested in our business. Fair enough.
So onto the question.
I'm now thinking about making them myself sometime after the baby has come along and we've settled down a bit.
I'm at the end of a 2 year modernisation and my woodwork to date includes making (hidden) carcasses and stud walls, hanging doors and the usual skirting/architrave duties. So basically nothing on show. I've up until now purchased either rough sawn or planed timber from Howarth timber, Jewsons or if I'm desperate B&Q.
If I were to make something that would be on show is there a practical minimum of equipment I would need? I'm thinking specifically of thicknesser/planer, router, table saw etc.
I was wondering about using a veneered mdf, maybe an oak look, or something similar and making it look like our very simple purchased furniture.
I've been trying to suss out what the deal is with buying timber from previous posts and am still puzzled. Can I just buy all my timber straight and true with lovely right angles etc. if I specify (and pay) for it?
I'm assuming that if I can build the cabinets in it should be straightforward to build a hidden frame using fairly functional carpentry and then clad with a nice finish. Maybe a veneered sheet of some kind or just paint it if not. How hard is it to make the thing look nice and not bodged together?
Any help or comments will be appreciated. I would be interested in any websites, old threads etc.
I'll be back to check when the sleep deprivation wears off.
cheers
--=20
Steve F