Cabinet software has turned into a big monthly bill for a small shop. If you want three seats, one in the office for design, one at the CNC, one at the bench for labeling, you pay a base fee, then $50 to $60 a month for each extra seat, then another $35 a month just to print part labels. Before you've drawn a cabinet you're at $340 or more every month to keep the software turned on.
I think that's broken. So I'm building the other thing.
CabinetFORGE
CabinetFORGE is cabinet design and CAM in one browser app, built by a working shop for working shops. Not a bloated program that takes six months to learn. Lean, fast, and built around what a custom woodworker actually does all day.
What it does today
These are screenshots from the build on my machine right now, not mockups. It has already cut parts on my CNC.
- Lay out the job, then walk through it in 3D. Base, wall and tall cabinets in the room, doors on or off so you can see inside. You design in plan and elevation; the 3D view is how you and the customer check it.
- Nest every part across every material. 3/4 prefinished, 1/2 prefinished birch, 3/4 ply, each on its own sheets, with the sheet count in front of you.
- CAM built in. Cut order for each sheet, the bit for each step, and the G-code for your machine. Pre-drill the screw holes in hidden ends, dados and pockets, then the outlines last. Play the toolpath on screen before you run it.
- Part labels in the base price, not a $35-a-month add-on.
The blueprint
- Targeting about $79 a month, total.
- 3 seats included from day one. Office, machine, bench. No per-machine penalty.
- Part labeling in the base price.
- CAM built in. Design to machine without leaving the app.
- Runs in the browser. Nothing to install, nothing to keep updated on three computers.
Those are targets, not a price list. I'm telling you now so you can hold me to them.
You write the roadmap
I'm not letting a sales department decide what goes in this. The shops that use it are going to tell me what they need, and that's what gets built, in the order they need it.
So here's the ask. What does your current software overcomplicate? What do you actually use every single day? What's the one thing you'd pay for and the five things you ignore? Email me at dennis@thehomesteadworkshop.com. I read every one.
CabinetFORGE is from The Homestead Workshop, the shop behind DoorFORGE, a woodworking shop trusted by 24,000+ followers. Same rule as DoorFORGE: I run it in my own shop before you do.
Frequently asked questions
What is CabinetFORGE?
CabinetFORGE is browser-based cabinet design and CAM software from The Homestead Workshop, the makers of DoorFORGE. You design the job, it nests the parts on the sheet, orders the cuts and writes the G-code for your CNC. It has already cut parts in our shop. It is in development and not for sale yet.
How much will CabinetFORGE cost?
The target is about $79 a month total, with 3 seats included and part labeling in the base price. No per-seat or per-machine add-ons. That is the target, not a final price list.
Do I need VCarve Pro to run CabinetFORGE?
No. CabinetFORGE has its own CAM. It nests the parts, builds the cut order and writes the G-code for your machine. DoorFORGE, our door tool, works inside VCarve Pro; CabinetFORGE does not need it.
Is CabinetFORGE hard to learn?
That is the whole point of building it. It is being built for a small custom shop, not a factory, and it is meant to be learned in days, not months.
When will CabinetFORGE be available?
We don't have a date to give you yet. Email dennis@thehomesteadworkshop.com if you want to be told when it is ready, or if you have a feature you need it to have.
Doors are already solved: see how DoorFORGE makes cabinet doors in VCarve Pro.