6 Must-Have DIY Cabinet Construction Tools

As any home Do-It-Yourselfer will tell you, having the right tools for a project can make all the difference between a fun afternoon, and a day-long headache.

The same is true when it comes to working with cabinets, from cutting and building a new cabinet box, to making modifications to your existing doors and drawers, there are some tools that are almost always helpful to have on-hand.

To make sure your next cabinet construction job goes off without a hitch, check out these 6 must-have home tools!

Laser Level

This handy tool is one part level, one part laser pointer, and it works wonders when compared to its traditional level counterpart.

It allows you to project a line of light against a wall which you can hold to whatever height you need with the help of either a friend, or a little tape.

This way, you can easily align your cabinets so that they will be set perfectly straight from the get go rather than needing to make multiple measurements and adjustments during installation. Not to mention this versatile tool is also excellent for hanging picture frames, seasonal décor, and an other form of wall art.

Framing Square

This L-shaped ruler is a wonderful measuring tool for forming accurate right angles, acting as a straight- edge, and measuring the interior and exterior corners of your cabinet boxes.

Sometimes referred to as a steel square, the sturdy material and shape of a framing square also allows you to make firmer measurements than with wobbly measuring tape.

Bar Clamps

These guys hold your cabinet together while you work, and you’ll want to get a few so that you can apply multiple clamps at once to effectively maintain the integrity of your larger projects.

Also known as F-clamps, their adjustable jaws give you the freedom to operate with wood that’s been cut wide or thin, and they can be an essential tool for holding freshly glued pieces of your cabinet together as it dries.

Stud Finder

When trying to improve your home with DIY projects, nobody wants to see more damage done than good. Because of this, a stud finder is an absolute essential when mounting upper cabinets, or any cumbersome objects to your wall.

Just nailing into drywall is fine and dandy when putting up light picture frames, but heavier objects will send your hangings falling and some of the wall along with it. Because of this, it is absolutely imperative that you utilize the supportive studs of your home, and that you are completely certain of their location.

Easy to use and cheap to purchase, there is never a good reason not to have one of these incredibly helpful tools.

Hand Jigsaw

While table saws are awesome for their easy performance, they’re often too large and impractical to warrant a household purchase. In lieu of that, the handheld jigsaw is a much more sensible tool.

It can make both straight and curved cuts to get into those hard-to-reach corners, can readily switch out blades to accommodate different cabinet materials, and can carve pieces out from your cabinets which can be invaluable when modifying frames or creating custom-cut designs.

Electric Sander

Before you can paint newly constructed cabinets, or refinish your old ones, you’ll need to sand them down.

Sanding by hand takes a lot of time and effort, so investing in an electric sander is a no brainer if you plan to work with wood frequently so that you can smooth over those rough edges in no time.

Just remember to wear protective gear and cover your face before you start sending wood particles flying.