During the 13 years I was an active builder and remodeler in northern Pennsylvania, my company did a lot of jobs that required custom cabinetry. Crooked old farmhouses, tight project budgets, and long lead times often made using factory cabinets impractical, so we came up with a way to build quality cabinets and other casework on site using common tools and rookie carpenters. We used the same techniques to build everything from kitchen cabinets to built-in shelf units and even freestanding furniture pieces. By building the basic carcasses on site, then ordering the drawers and doors from a local shop, we were able to cut both costs and lead times, as well as gain flexibility for oddball sizes and configurations that
