Cabinet Doors: Do Most Cabinetmakers Make Them Themselves?

I got a question from "Secrets..." subscriber Marlin-

Marlin asks, "Do most cabinetmakers make or buy their doors?"

Well Marlin,

I can only answer for myself and most of the cabinetmakers I know in the Southern California area. I certainly can't answer for "all" cabinetmakers as I'm sure this issue varies from region-to-region.

That said, in our business, (www.CaptainCabinets.com) we buy our doors, drawer fronts and matching end panels. We do continue to make our drawer boxes if our clients choose our "standard" construction method but buy them if our client requests dovetailed drawers.

The decision comes down to pure economics and client demands. In our area, most of the cabinet door manufacturers offer more than 40 different door profiles and most of our clients know this and demand that type of selection.

In order to pull this off, at minimum, you'd have to have a shaper and 40 different sets of cutter heads to go with it. That's an upfront investment of over $20K and this is just the beginning!

A custom door manufacturer buys their lumber in huge quantities, has CNC (computer numerically controlled) shaping equipment, custom profile sanders, etc. etc. which allows them to deliver a quality product at a price a small-sized cabinetmaker just can't match.

Now then, I'll share some resources, but bear in mind that many door manufacturers won't sell to the do-it-yourselfer... they only sell to the "trade." While I'm not certain, I believe Corona Millworks and Cal Door will sell to the do-it-yourselfer.

We primarily use these two manufacturers...

http://www.dreeswoodproducts.com/

http://www.coronamillworks.com/index1.html

Other manufacturers include...

http://www.caldoor.com/

http://www.decore.com/

I hope this helps,

Kevin A. Koop
aka TheCabinetGuyOnline

P.S. If you're reading this and you're not yet a "Secrets..." subscriber, go to:
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