"Bob S." writes:

[...]

Would seem that to be called a master cabinetmaker, there must be some form
of testing, certification or review by a recognized organization that
confirms your work meets the degree of craftsmanship required to be
considered a master. I can find numerous references to "master
cabinetmakers" but nothing on how that title is achieved.

In Germany there is such an organisation, the "Handwerkskammer", which
holds courses and takes the exams. To become a master cabinetmaker
("Schreinermeister") one has first to work several years as an
apprentice, take courses, take an exam and to build a "masterpiece".
Without the "Meisterbrief" (the formal diploma) you are not allowed to
work on your own in that profeosion; this ruling is a relic of the
medieval laws that were created to protect the members of the guilds.
Nowadays it is still held up by claiming it protects the customers
from bad work, especially in crafts like carpentry, plumbing or
electrical installation, but it also applies to crafts where a danger
from sloppy work is hard to imagine, like woodcarving or basket
weaving.

By the way, the courses neded for the "Meisterbrief" include some
economics, to make sure that one is able to have a sucessful workshop
afterwards.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23