How about finding a cabinet shop you like to work with, and just mark up their product?

I was a big fan of outsourcing before retirement. So easy to bid because you are looking at a know cost.

Try B&B door in Jackson Missouri. South. I'm in Columbia Missouri. They deliver. Excellent products. Nice people. Ask for Carla. Holler if you ever get this way

Tracy, outsourcing the box components is a great option!

Morning!
Thank you for your responses. I am thinking I need to ask my questions a different way.

First. Is there a company that offers RTA cabinet box components that is superior once assembled? I would prefer they are just as good as I am or better. My experience has been the face frames that come with the order all need to be sanded to finish. They appear to be run through a wide belt 1 time. The cabinet boxes once put together do not fit as good as I like. The joints are not as tight as I want. I assume for ease of assembly?

As far as I know of there is not a cabinet shop in my area that offers the service I am after. Cabinet box components with face frames made. I am 100 miles north of Kansas City and 100 miles south of Omaha Nebraska.

This brings me to my second question. Is there a company that offers what I am after that has high standards? I am talking about the RTA cabinet box components. There absolutely is for doors and drawers. I am not sure about the other.

Now the big question. Should a small shop owner have the mind set to keep the never ending cycle of upgrading his shop going? Or look to outsource it all? I do not consider subbing out the entire cabinet job to another shop an option for me at this point?

I am trying to figure out if I can find a shop with high standards to work with that can make what I offer better for the customer and me or should I stick with doing this myself and keep trying to get better? Buying and learning to use a CNC machine seems much more difficult than finding a shop that will cut my parts. As with everything is comes down to money and how to get the best results and return.

I think Conestoga has high standards and is made domestically. I have very little experience with this, but they will provide stained/Painted finished frames, sides, and whatever else you get with the cabinets. I am not sure of shipping to you but that's certainly a consideration.

I would ask for a sample cabinet from whomever you are considering.
Good Luck.

Bill

If you are not happy with what Cabinotch provides my guess is you won't be happy with any of the others unless the price is higher than what you can re-sell it for. How do you think they make money? They employ whatever help is available off the street and make volumes of product. Quality suffers, it's part of what they build.

If you want to build cabinets learn to be efficient. Building face frames, a straight line rip saw and a wide belt sander would be almost minimum. Adding a 4S molder would be faster that wide belting frame parts. Pocket screw assembly for those parts. A frame table would speed that up as well.

Cutting panel products for the boxes you'd want some sort of vertical saw. I just saw a used Striebig go for $600.00. Buy used equipment, great value for the money spent. Everyone want's CNC, used stuff is cheap.

Doing it yourself will give you the quality level wanted, you keep control over what is being built, when and how. I am a small shop (one employee) and not a fan of outsourcing. If you want to talk about it send a direct message with a phone number.

The default setting of humans is naked and starving the difference between that and today's standard of living was created by trade also known as outsourcing

You may have to go through a few suppliers but that is easier than wearing all the hats in an organization and you will probably make more money

Tracy,

You've referenced your high standards a few times, but have not really specified what that means... there are a LOT of cabinet box companies, with most using CNC for cutting, grooving, line boring, etc.

Comes down to level of assembly and materials... try to be specific about what high standards you're trying to achieve with outsourcing...

Good morning Kap!

First off, I am not familiar with any other cabinet box companies besides Cabinotch. I used them when Columbia Forest Products owned them. I have not used them since it has been bought back. For the most part, it was ok. I did not feel their face frames were of good quality material. I also thought once together the joints on the cabinet boxes needed to be tighter. The only thing I have to compare to is my own work against it.

This brings me to your question and one of mine. I am searching for answers on what direction to take my business. I want to offer the best I can. Is it possible to outsource and provide a 1st class cabinet? I am talking as close to perfect as possible. Or, is that something a guy has to tool up and make happen himself?

Let me ask it this way. Can a guy offer the best with outsourcing, or does he have to invest in his shop and provide it himself? This is where I am at in life at the moment. At 50 what do I do? I own my shop and all the machines. Which is just the bare minimum to get by. Powermatic 66 table saw, 20 inch Delta planer, 12 inch jointer, Delta shaper, Castle pocket hole machine and clamp table, band saw, safety speed cut panel saw, ect.

I am trying to figure out what direction to go from here. Can I get better than I am with outsourcing, or do I have to set up a complete shop?

Are your customers willing to pay for a "perfect" cabinet. Year ago when I started out I thought everything needed to be perfect. I put a lot of extra time into details my customers never noticed or cared about. When I quit dong that I started making money. I build a very good cabinet but it is not perfect.