The Art of Woodworking - Cabinetmaking 1992

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING
HOMEWORI$HOP
POWER TOOLS
r
Wear appropri at e saf et y gear: saf et y
gl asses. a
' ace
shi el d f or ext ra prot ect on.
and heari ng prot ect ors or ear pl ugs. l f
t here i s ro dust col ect on syst em. wea' a
dust mask. For exot i c woods such as
ebony, use a respi rat or; t he sawdust may
cause an al l ergi c react i on. Wear work
gl oves when handl i ng r ough l umber .
.
Do not use a t ool i f any part of i t i s worn
or 0amageo.
.
Keep your hands we I away f rom a
t ur ni ng bl ade or bi t .
o l ) r ano l ho nn' r or eor d, nf a nnr r : hl c l nnl
over your shou der t o prevent i t f rom
get t i ng i n t he way and be ng damaged.
SAFETY TIPS
.
Concent rat e on i he
j ob;
do not rush.
Never work when you are t i red, st ressed or
have been dr r nki ng al coho or usi ng
medr cat i ons t hat i r duce d' owsi ness.
.
Keep your work area cl ean and t i dy;
cl ut t er can l ead t o acci dent s, and sawdust
and wood scraps can be a f i re hazard,
HAND TOOLS
.
Use t l -e appropri at e t ool
' or
t he
j ob:
do
not t ry t o make a t ool do somet hi ng f or
whi ch i t was not desi gned.
.
Cl amp down a workpi ece t o f ree bot h
hands f or an operat i on.
.
Cut away f rom yoursel f rat her t han
t oward your body.
r f ) n nnl f nr r o r l nnl t ni r pmnvi no l osq
mat er i al . or sharpen t he c ut t i ng edge,
.
Keep Lhe edges of cut t i ng t ool s sharp.
ANATOMY OF A BOARD
WORKSHOP GUI DE
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Al eo knovr n ae band cl amp or
eLr ap cl ar np: l ypi cal y avai abl e
wi t h eLra2 15 f eeL. t n l enqLh. For
appl yt nq
?r e. aL) r .
t n mor e Lhan
o - P )
. p r
t i o n ,
- ,
. c \ )
. e
c * ?
- o
f our chai r ) eqe aL once.
CABINETMAKING CLAMPS
Qui ck-
act i on
c t am?
h60 Known a5
cabi neLmaker . e
c am?: t y? ca y
i ae a 2/ l hr oal AepLh anb,
a 4
- i nch
e2an, buL a ao avai abl e
t n I ar qer ei zee.
wi t h deep LhroaLe l or
exl end, ed c am2i nq r each
?i pe ol amp
Sui Labl e f or
cl am?r nq anI er
Lhan 12 t nchee.
Conei el e of j awe al * " achedl o
.
o.
/ . _ - cr _ar a1f i , -
? ?" ,
pi ge enqt h can be cu. Lor nt zea
t o f i l a par Li cu ar . ?an,
Spr i nq cl amp
Avai abl e i n a var i el y
c: f ei zes f or ci . am. pt nq
u2 t C 4 ncl , e" ' ' . aor ne
mode
".
have
?
agl i c t . t ?.
Lc, t prol ecL at ock.
Doubl e- si ded cl amp
ane Ei l , e of cl anp eecured
"vo
tNorL
eurface anA cLher
eiAe tr: etr:ck; fealuree a
reach of t p t o 5a i nchea
depenAi nq an t he r Yod, e .
6ar cl amp
C amge uV t u A f uel
i n i enql h avat abl e' ,
mor e cor nmon et zee
ar e 24, 36 and
48 nchea.
Tr i qger cl amp
Avai l abl e i n epane
o f 6 , 1 2 , 1 8 , 2 4 a n d
36 i nchee: deei 4neA
l o be i neLal l ed and
removeA vt i Lh one
hand. TadAed
l awe
proLecL et ock,
Handecrew
f , ao Kncwn aa acrew
cl amp. Comee t n
var i ol s ei zee wi " vh
j awe t haL can o?en
up l o 16 i nchee wi de,
Web cl amp
THEART OF WOODWORKING
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CABINETAAAKING
THE ART OF WOODWORKING
CABINEMKING
TI ME-LI FE BOOKS
ALEXANDRI A. VI RGI NI A
ST. REMY PRESS
MONTREAL. NEW YORK
THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by
ST. REMYPRESS
PUBLISHER
PRXSIDENT
Series Editor
Series Art Director
Senior Editors
Art Directors
Designer
Research Editor
Picture Editor
Writers
Contributing Writer
C o nt r ib utin g IIlu s tr at o r s
Administrator
Production Manager
System Coordinator
Photographer
Index
Proofreader
Kenneth Winchester
Pierre Ldveill6
Pierre Home-Douglas
Francine Lemieux
Marc Cassini
(Text)
Heather Mills
(Research)
Normand Boudreault, Solange Laberge
Luc Germain
Tim McRae
Christopher
Jackson
Tamsin M. Douglas, Andrew
fones
Stephen Hart
Ronald Durepos, Robert Paquet,
Studio La Perludte inc.
Natalie Watanabe
Michelle Turbide
fean-Luc
Roy
Robert Chartier
Christine M.
Jacobs
Iudith Yelon
THECONSUXTANTS
Mark Duginske, a cabinetmaker who lives
in Wausau, Wisconsin, is a contributing
editor to F in e W o o dw o rking magazine
and the author ofseveral books on woodwork-
ing power tools.
Leonard Lee is the
president
ofVeritas Tools
and Lee Valley Tooli, manufacturers and retail-
ers of fine woodworking hand tools. He is also
the publisher and executive editor of Woodcuts,
a magazine that focuses on the history and
techniques of woodworking.
Giles Miller-Mead has taught advanced cabi-
netmaking at Montreal technical schools for
more than ten years. A native of New Zealand,
he previously worked as a restorer ofantique
furniture.
foseph
Truini is Senior Editor ofFlome
Mechanixmagazine. A former Shop and Tools
Edrtor of Popular Mechanics, he has worked as
a cabinetmaker, home improvement contractor
and carpenter.
Cabinetmaking
p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8094-9904-5.
(trade)
ISBN 0-8094-9905-3 (lib)
l. Cabinetwork.
L Time- Life Books. II. Series
TTt97.C2r2 1992
684' . 04-dc20 92-11188
CIP
For information about any Time-Life book,
please call l-800-621-7026, or write:
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@ 1992 Time-Life Books Inc,
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form or by any electronic or mechanical
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written permission from the publisher, except
that brief passages may be quoted for reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time Warner
Inc. U.S.A.
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Time-Life Books is a division of Time-Life Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY
TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President
Publisher
Managing Editor
Director of Editorial Resources
Associate Publisher
Marketing Director
Editorial Director
Consulting Editor
Production Manager
Mary N. Davis
Robert H. Smith
Thomas H. Flaherty
Elise D. Ritter-Clough
Trevor Lunn
Regina Hall
Donia Ann Steele
Bob Doyle
Marlene Zack
CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION
12 CABINETMAKING
TECHNIQUES
16 CARCASECONSTRUCTION
18 Anatomy of a carcase
20 Making wide panels
27 Carcase
joinery
39 Edge banding
4L Shelving
FRAME-AND.PANEL
CONSTRUCTION
Anatomy of a frame-and-panel
assemblv
Making the frame
Making the panel
Puttinq the
panel
in the frame
Assembling a frame-and-panel
case
Installing a bottom panel
Shelving
Installing a top
Installing molding
44
46
48
53
57
59
60
6T
64
69
r00 DooRS
I02 Anatomy of a door
104 Frame-and-panel doors
108 Solid-panel doors
111 Glass doors
113 Veneered-panel doors
115 Hanging a door
I2O LEGS
L22 Anatomy of a cabriole leg
L24 Cabriole legs
I28 Thpered and octagonal legs
131 Inlays and detailing
I33 Leg
joinery
I4O GLOSSARY
I42 INDEX
IM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
72 DRAWERS
74 Anatomy of a drawer
76 Drawer
joinery
85 Assembling a drawer
87 Mounting a drawer
95 Drawer stops
97 False fronts and hardware
INTRODUCTION
Ian Ingersoll on building a
SHAKERCHEST
f
remember when I first came under the spell of Shaker furniture. Wandering the
I ha[s of the Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, New York, I was transported to
another time, awestruck at the feeling evoked by those simple pieces. The Shakers were
a religious, utopian society that flourished in New England and_the Midrvest in the
19th Century. Their furniture designs were born at least partially out of a desire to
lead a simpler, more religious existence. In their quest, they achieved a purity of design
rivaled onlybythe work created for the Buddhist temples of
|apan'_
For lack of a more descriptive term, I have dubbed the cupboard and case of drawers
shown here
"The
Utility Chest." Its prototype, whose original purpose is no-longer
known, was built in Enfield, Connecticut, around 1825-1850. The surprising off-center
placement of the two small drawers demonstrates Shaker design at its height, pgp$g
not only to a purity of form, but to the asymmetry of human existence as well. The
originai function of those two drawers maybe lost today, but it is sure to have been
a practical one.
-
The utility chest is built of pine and measures 17 inches deep, 31 inches wide and
71 inches high. Its construction is relatively simple and can be accomplished using
a combination of standard casework-, door- and drawer-making techniques. For a
project like this, however, attention should be paid to the layout_of the design. I find
it trilpm to do a full-scale drawing on either a large piece of cardboard or the frahly
sanded top of myworkbench to ensure that the scale is correct.
Finishing this piece was a considerable challenge. Most cabinetmakers are not fin-
ishers. It should be pointed out that the trick to any good finish is to build it up grad-
ually with multiple thin coats. ln this case, a light yellow paint
lvas
used first, then steel
wool, followed by a wash of pumpkin paint, more steel wool, and an application of
orange shellac to warm up the yellow. The finishing touch comes with a light coating
ofvarnish or lacquer to protect the shellac.
lan Ingersoll owns a cabinetmaking
shop in West Cornwall, Connecticut,
sp ecializing in Shaker
furniture.
INTRODUCTION
Michael Burns talks about
CRAFTSMANSHIP
he inspiration for this cabinet came from a small billet of Swiss pear given to me
seven years ago. I felt that it had taken me at least that long to acquire the skills
to workwith this beautiful, but somewhat difficult wood. The pear was a dark golden
pink and had a soft appearance. I designed the cabinet to highlight the wood's won-
derfi.rl surface and its ability to stand up to the shaping of delicate edge profiles. I want-
ed to show offthe raw material.
I resawed the pear into veneers, a scnt %-inch thick, bookmatched them, and glued
them to a plywood core. I then edge banded and shaped the top and bottom. I doweled
the sides to small lYa-inch posts, needing solid wood for the
joints
with the legs. Next,
I doweled the top, bottom and sides together precisely, using one dowel per inch. I
finished all the pieces before gluing up. The legs, made from
jarrah,
were then notched,
glued and screwed to the corners ofthe cabinet.
Pear is as demanding as it is beautiful. The
joinery
must be tight and perfect; slight
imperfections are very noticeable. I spent a great deal of time sharpening my planes
to get the edge
joints
crisp and the surfaces unflawed. The
jarrah,
on the other hand,
was a pleasure to work with. It planed in any direction, sawed and shaped easily, and
took the light oil finish I applied very well. I finished the pear with several thin coats
of blond shellac, bringing out its color and surface markings.
Inside the cabinet are two drawers, each made of Andaman padauk and camphor.
Under the drawers, in the middle of the interior, is a curved shelf. I made the L-shaped
knife hinges and door pulls from patinated brass.
My inspiration comes from several sources, including my teacher
Jim
Krenov, Greek
architecture,
fapanese
craft and French cabinetmaker Emile Rutrlmann. What is impor-
tant in everything I make is that the influences are balanced, the craftsmanship is the
best I can achieve, and the results pleasing.
Michael Burns teaches cabinetmak-
ing at College of the Redwoods in
Fort Bragg, Califurnia.
INTRODUCTION
Terry Moore and his
WRITINGDESK
eing self-taught, I rely on a very informal approach to design. My furniture tends
to evolve as I proceed through the construction process. For example, seeking
an alternative to the common tapered leg, and inspired by 1920s cabinetmakers
Jules
kleu and Emile Ruhlmann, I developed a multifaceted fluted leg. To do this, I designed
a fixture for my spindle shaper that allowed me to profile and flute the twelve facets
of the leg. After much trial and error, I had one prototype leg and a whole new chal-
lenge: Namely, how to attach the leg to a table or desk apron. Eventually, I made a
mock-up of a desk with a diagonal corner post and attached the leg to the post.
Presenting the leg at a 45o angle produced visually pleasing details that became the
inspiration for this lady's writing desk.
To construct the desk, I used a combination of mortise-and-tenon and dovetail
joinery.
The drawers are also dovetailed. I chose Bubinga-African Rosewood-which
is remarkable for its striking figure and color. The grain pattern in the desk top was
achieved by resawing a plank into %o-inch-thick veneer. A wonderful streak of light-
colored sapwood graces one edge of the plank. When the sapwood edges were glued
together into bookmatched
(mirror
image) panels, the results were spectacular.
Around the perimeter of the top and where the surrounding frame meets the panels,
I inlaid a thin line of curly maple to add visual texture and to emphasize the frame-
and-panel effea. Adding curly maple pulls and a cockbead around the drawers further
enhanced the color contrast. All these features work together to evoke a sense of func-
tional elegance.
While this desk is obviously a mmplex piece, you should not feel intimidated; every
craftsman was once a novice. You can, with the right instructional information, along
with patience and practice, master all of the techniques that you will need. Remember,
though, the museums can wait to enshrine your masterpiece, so don't bite offmore
than you can chew right away. Start with simple projects that allow you to practise
your skills and develop your design sense. A simple project well executed is far better
than an elaborate piece that has been shoddily made. There will be failures and mis-
takes along the way, but this, too, is part of the process of learning. The main objective
is to enjoyyour work and do the best you can.
Originally
fromWales,
Terry Moore
designs and builds
fine furniture
in
N ewp ort, New Hamp shire..
CABINETMAKING TECHNIOUE S
-l-
h. first step in any cabinetmaking
I. project is to select and prepare your
stock. As shown below not all the wood
at a lumberyard is free of defects, so it
is important to choose boards carefully.
Whether you are building an armoire
or a toy box, most stock is readied in
CHO()SING LUMBER
roughly the same way. The procedures
illustrated on pages l3 to 15 cover the
basic techniques. For rough, or unsur-
faced lumbet first pass one face across
the
jointer,
then one edge, producing
two surfaces that are at 90o to each oth-
er. Next, plane the second face, making
it parallel to the first. Now you are ready
to rip your stock to width and crosscut
it to length. For dressed, or surfaced lum-
ber, you only have to
joint
one edge, then
rip and crosscut. Before gluing up a piece
of furniture, be sure to sand any surfaces
that will be difficult to reach afterwards.
COMMON WOOD DEFECTS
Knot,
Cheak
A dark whorl aurcounded by new
qrowth ringe; may fall out, affect-
inq appearance. Avoid eawing
9plito acroae qrowDh
ringa, affectinq
apPearance
through thia defect.
Pitah
Crook
End-to-end curve
alon4 edge
Kesin accumulation on
aurface; can affect
Twiat
Uneven or irceqular warping;
makea board unatable and
prone to further warpinq
Sel ecti ng stock for cabi netmaki ng
Wood is avarlable in two broad categories: hardwood and softwood.
Al though the terms are botani cal rather than descri pti ve, hard-
woods, such as mahogany and cherry, are preferabl e for most
cabi net maki ng proj ect s because t hey are, i n f act , general l y
harder. Bef ore buyi ng l umber, exami ne i t caref ul l y. Check i t s
col or, texture and grai n patterns,
and sel ect stock that you fi nd
vi sual l y appeal i ng. Lumber i s usual l y mi l l ed i n one of t wo ways:
Quarter-sawed, or edge-grai ned l umber has a tough surface and
i s general l y st abl e; pl ai n-sawed,
or f l at -grai ned l umber, al t hough
l ess expensi ve, i s more prone
to warpi ng and shri nki ng. Whatever
type of wood you buy, choose ki l n-dri ed l umber, and watch out
for defects. Some of those shown above onl y affect appearance,
but ot hers can make t he wood di f f i cul t t o cut ,
j oi nt
or pl ane.
You can avoi d defects by buyi ng
"sel ect"
l umber when possi bl e.
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CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES
I
t
JOINTING A BOARD
Mai ntai ni ng
proper pressure
on the outfeed table
For most operati ons, set a cutti ng depth
between Va and l ru i nch. To
j oi nt
a board
edge, feed the stock sl owl y i nto the cut-
terhead, pressing its face against the fence
whi l e keepi ng t he edge f l at on t he
j oi nt er
tabl es. Be sure to feed the workpi ece so
t he kni ves ar e cut t i ng wi t h t he gr ai n.
Cont i nue f eedi ng t he st ock unt i l your
ri ght hand approaches the outfeed tabl e.
Then reverse the posi ti on of your hands
wi t hout st oppi ng t he cut . Gradual l y sl i de
your l ef t hand t oward t he back of t he
workpi ece, mai ntai n i ng pressure agai nst
t he f ence
(/ ef f ).
Shi f t your ri ght hand
f art her back on t he st ock t o mai nt ai n
downward pressure j ust
to the outfeed
si de of t he kni ves. Cont i nue t hese hand-
over-hand movement s unt i l t he oass i s
compl eted. To
j oi nt
the face of a board,
f ol l ow t he same procedures, usi ng push
bl ocks to feed the stock.
Feeding the workpiece into the cutterhead
Set a cut t i ng dept h up t o %e i nch. St and
t o one si de of t he wor kpi ece and use
bot h hands t o f eed i t caref ul l y i nt o t he
machi ne, keepi ng the edges of the stock
oar al l el t o t he
pl aner
t abl e. 0nce t he
machi ne gri ps t he board and begi ns
pul l i ng i t across the cutterhead, support
i ts trai l i ng end to keep i t fl at on the tabl e
(left).
Then move to the outfeed side of
t he pl aner. Support t he workpi ece wi t h
bot h hands unt i l i t cl ears t he out f eed
rol l er. To prevent st ock f rom warpi ng,
avoi d passi ng onl y one f ace of a board
t hrough t he machi ne; i nst ead, pl ane t he
same amount of wood from both si des.
PLANING STOCK
13
RIPPING A W()RKPIECE
Usi ng the ri p fence as a gui de
Set the bl ade hei ght aboul
r/q
i nch above
the workpi ece. Posi ti on the ri p fence for the
wi dt h of cut , t hen push
t he st ock i nt o
t he bl ade, pressi ng i t agai nst t he f ence
wi t h your l ef t hand and f eedi ng wi t h bot h
t humbs
(/ ef f ).
St and t o one si de of t he
workpi ece and st raddl e t he f ence wi t h
your ri ght hand, maki ng sure t hat nei t her
hand i s i n l i ne wi t h t he bl ade. Keeo oush-
i ng t he board unt i l t he bl ade cut s t hrough
i t compl et el y. To keep your hands f rom
comi ng cl oser t han 3 i nches f r om t he
bl ade, compl et e t he cut wi t h a push st i ck.
(Cauti on:
Bl ade guard parti al l y retracted
for cl ari ty.)
CR()SSCUTTING STOCK
Usi ng the mi ter gauge
Wi t h t he workpi ece f l ush agai nst t he
mi t er gauge, al i gn t he cut t i ng mark wi t h
t he bl ade. Posi t i on t he r i o f ence wel l
away f rom t he end of t he st ock t o pre-
vent t he cut -of f pi ece f rom
j ammi ng
up
agai nst t he bl ade and ki cki ng back
t oward you. Hook t he t humbs of bot h
hands over t he mi t er gauge
t o hol d t he
st ock f i rml y agai nst t he gauge and f l at
on t he t abl e, t hen f eed t he board i nt o
the blade
(righil. (Caution:
Blade guard
partially retracted for clarity.)
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SANDING
Usi ng a sandi ng bl ock
Cl amp st op bl ocks t o a work surf ace at bot h ends of t he
workpi ece t o hol d i t st eady. Fi t a sandi ng bl ock wi t h a pi ece
of abrasi ve paper and sand t he surf ace of t he st ock al ong
t he grai n, appl yi ng even, moderat e pressure
(abovd.
Use
l ong, smoot h, overl appi ng st rokes unt i l t he surf ace i s smoot h.
Repeat wi t h a f i ner-gri t paper f or a smoot her f i ni sh. To pre-
vent roundi ng t he edges of t he workpi ece, keep t he sandi ng
block flat on its surface, and work up to-but not over-the edge.
THE BELT SANDER AS PTANER
Usi ng a bel t sander
Use a st op bl ock t o keep t he workpi ece f rom movi ng. I nst al l
a sandi ng bel t and drape t he power cord over your shoul der
to keep i t out of the way. Wi th the sander paral l el to the wood
grai n, t urn i t on and sl owl y l ower i t ont o t he surf ace, hol di ng
i t fi rml y wi th both hands
(above).
Move the machi ne back and
forth wi th the same type of strokes you woul d use wi th a sandi ng
bl ock. To avoi d gougi ng the surface, keep the sander fl at and
al ways movi ng; do not l et t he machi ne rest i n spp
snnt
Smoothi ng a
panel
l f a pl aner i s not avai l abl e t o even out
the surface of gl ued-up panel s, use a bel t
sander. The di agrams on the l eft i l l ustrate
the correct sequence of operati ons. Fi rst,
sl owl y move t he sander back and f ort h
across t he surf ace al a 45' angl e t o
the wood grain (far
left), Be sure to coverthe
ent i re surf ace, but do not l et t he sandi ng
drum run compl etel y off the edges of the
panel ; t hi s may round t he corners. Next ,
make a second oass back and f ort h
di agonal l y across t he grai n i n t he oppo-
si te di recti on
(center
l efi l . Fi nal l y, run
t he t ool al ong t he wood grai n t o remove
any scr at ches l ef t by t he ear l i er sand-
ing
(near
left).
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Usingbiscuit
joints
to assemble panels offers two very
appealingbenefits: strength and ease of assembly. Abiscuit
joiner
cuts semicircular grooves into matingpanek. The
slots are
filled
with glue and biscuits of compressed beech,
then the panels are butted together to
form
a perfea joint.
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CARCASE, CONSTRUCTION
he basic box-or arcase-fea-
tured in this chapter has long
been the starting point of many
types of furniture. The earliest
examples were simple coffers, nailed
or pegged together, that served dou-
ble-duty as chests or benches. Toduy,
there are seemingly limitless varia-
tions on that same basic design. The
smallest examples of carcase con-
struction feature delicate pieces of
highly figured, exotic woods, such
as bird's-eye maple, rosewood or
Hawaiian koa, that are assembled
with precise
joints
and delicate
hinges to form
jewelry
boxes and silver chests. Larger but still
compact boxes provide the framework for drawers.
Once assembled, the type of carcase examined in the pages
that follow can be the basis for anything from a small dresser
or tool chest to a floor-to-ceiling cabinet or a home-enter-
tainment center. The later chapters in this book look at the
subsequent steps-adding drawers, doors or legs-so as to
turn the basic carcase into a finished piece of furniture.
Although carcases and drawers are designed to withstand
different types and levels ofstress in use, there are certain con-
struction techniques that are applicable to both. Where appro-
priate, a cross-reference to the Drawers chapter will be included
to direct you to a drawer-building technique that could prove
usefi.rl for constructing carcases.
All carcases consist of four panels
joined
together to form
a box. A key requirement is that the wood grain of all the
Drawers, shelves and aveneered plywood
back panel transform a typical carcase into an
elegant bookcase. The drawers run along
fixed
shelves set into dadoes cut in the side panels.
assembling the panels. There are a great manytypes of corner
joints
you can use; some of the most common include dovetails,
lock miters, rabbets, miter-and-spline
joins,
biscuit
joints,
and
box and finger
joints.
Because dovetail
joints
are highly regarded
for their strength and beauty in solid wood, one variety-the
hand-cut through dovetail-is featured in this chapter
(page
27).It canalso be cut more quickly with a
jig
as shown in the
Drawers chapter
(page
80).In the eyes of many woodworkers,
a well-made hand-cut dovetail
joint
is visible proof of the cab-
inetmaker's competence.
For plywood carcases, rabbet
(page
34) orbiscuit
joints-also
known as plate
jonts-(page
j6)
arebetter choices. Both offer
pretfymuch the same strength as dovetail
joints
and, although
less esthetically pleasing, they are quick and easy methods of
assembly. The convenience factor becomes a major consider-
ation if you are faced with producing a large number of carcases.
panels run in the same direction.
Since wood expands and contracts,
especially across the grain, the pan-
els will expand and contract togeth-
er at the same rate, preserving the
structural integrity of the box.
Assembling a carcase with the grain
ofadjacent panels at right angles to
each other virtually ensures that one
of the panels will eventually split;
when wood is ready to move, it is
almost impossible to stop.
Much of the character and indi-
viduality of a particular carcase
design derives from the method of
17
hether it is a box that will house
a couple of drawers and a shelf or
ment is that parallel panels must have
the same dimensions.
Although a panel can be made from
a single piece of lumber, it is generally
less expensive to glue narrower boards
edge-to-edge to form the wide surface
(page
20). Once glued up, the panels are
planed,
jointed
on one edge, cut to size,
funel
Uaed to form the top, bottom and
sidea of the carcaai, May be a ein-
6le
piece of plywood or eolid lumben
but panela are more commonly made
from amaller boarda qlued edqe to
edge; dowela may be ueed to help
with alignment. Individual boards
can be of varyinq widtha, but are
uaually 2 to 5 inches wide.
and then their surfaces are sanded. A
third option-one which combines the
economy of glued-up panels and the
ease of solid lumber-is to use hard-
wood plywood, which can be made to
looklike solidwood, bythe addition of a
banding along exposed edges
(page
39).
Constructing carcases from plywood
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a china cabinet destined to grace your
dining room, the carcase you build will
feature many ofthe basic elements illus-
trated below. First, it will have four sides,
or panels, which are usually the same
width and thickness. Another require-
Cornerjoint
Securea the ende of the
panele together: rabbet
joint
ia ahown, but dovetail
and plate jointa
are aleo
popular choicea.
This simple carcase-framed cabinet
features
edge-glued paneh of ash and
rabbeted corner
joints
cut on a table saw.
A
fixed
upper shelf is set in dadoes cut
into the side panek; alower adjustable
shelfrests on hidden supports.
Back
Uaually
I/+-inch
plywood
piece nailed and'glued into
a rabbot routed alonq baok
ed1e of the panela.
thelving
May be plywood or ein7le
pieae
of wood, but often made
from edge-qlued boarda. Fixed
ahelvea are qlued in dadoes
routed on the inside surfaces
of aide panele; adjuatable
ehelvea regt on aupporta.
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does have its disadvantages, however.
It reduces vour flexibiliw when it comes
to the
joinery;
dovetaiis, for example,
simply will not work. It also rules out
such esthetic possibilities as creating
attractive grain patterns on the
panels byedge gluing careflrlly
matchedboards.
CARCASE CONSTRUCTION
Ifyou plan to add edge banding or
install shelves
(page 4 1
),
youmust antic-
ipate those steps before gluing the panels
together. For shelves, you will need to
rout dadoes or bore dowel holes on the
inside surfaces of the side panels.
For more detail on the cutting,
joint-
ing, sanding and other procedures
necesssary to prepare boards and panels,
refer to the Cabinetmaking Techniques
section on page 12. Of the many
joinery
methods that can be used to connect the
panels ofa carcase, this chapter focuses
on three of the most common: the
hand-cut through dovetail
joint,
the
plate joint
and the rabbet
joint.
CORl{ER JOINTS
Through dovetail joint
Tapered pine on one panel interlock with
anqled taila of the other: offera lar1e
qluing aurface. For best appearance,
pino are ueually cut at the enda of
the top and bottom panela; taile
are aawn at.enda ofthe eide
panele.
Stronq, decorative
joint for eolid lum'
ber; not recommended for plywood.
Good choice when featurinq joinery
ae an element of deoiqn.
Plate or biocuit joint
Diecuits of compreaaed wood fit
into slote in the matinq boarda;
qlue owello the biacuite, atrength'
eninq the joint. To conceal end
1rain
when viewed from the aide
of carcaae, alots are uaually cut
into end
6rain
of top and bottom
panela and into mating facea of
oide panele, )tronq
joint for aolid
lumber or plywood. Not decorative
but quick and eaay to make.
Rabbet joint
Edge of one board fita into rabbet
cut in the matinq board; offers
larqe gluinq aurface. To conceal
end grain of top and bottom
panele, the rabbeta are normally
cut into the aide panela. )trong
joint for aolid lumber or plywood.
Alao uaed to join
carcaee back
to
panela.
Not ae decorative aa
a throuqh dovetail, but much
aimpler to make.
J .
' v#
' ' ' o S
r #
' d
Edge banding
Decorative veneer commercially available but
can be made in the ahop; glued to expoeed
edqeo of plywood panela and shelvea.
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MAKING WIDE PANELS
\ 7f
ost woodworkers make up the
IVJ. wide panels for a carcase by gluing
boards together edge-to-edge. Building
a carcase this way is not a matter of cut-
ti ng costs at the expense of strength.
Panels ofedge-glued boards are every bit
as strong as a single piece of lumber. In
fact, a proper glue joint provides a sturdier
bond than the fibers ofa oiece ofwood.
Fol l ow the steos detai l ed bel ow and
on the following pages to assemble pan-
els. Apart from a supply of glue and an
assortment of clamps, all you need is a
level work surface or a shop-built glue
rack (page
24). To help keep the boards
al i gned, some woodworkers al so use
dowels
(page
2S). For more information
on selecting glue, refer to the inside back
cover ofthis book.
Selecting your wood is an important
part ofthe process. Do not buy green
wood or stock that is cupped or ftvisted,
and avoid using wood with a high mois-
ture content, which can adversely affect
the glue. Instead, buy lumber that has
been dried in a kiln. If you are working
from rough stock, begi n prepari ng
boards by
jointing
a face and an edge,
then planing the other face. Next, cross-
cut the boards, leaving them roughly I
inch longer than their finished length,
andj oi nt an edge ofeach pi ece. Ri p the
stock so that the combined width of all
the boards exceeds the finished width
ofthe panel by about I inch, then
joint
the cut edses.
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Edge-glued boards should create the
illusion of a single piece of wood rather
than a composite. Experiment with the
boards in diferent configtrations to
produce a pattern that is visually inter-
esting but make sure that the grain runs
in the same direction on all of the oieces.
EDGE GLUI NG
' l
Arrangi ng the boards
I Set two bar cl amps on a work surface
and l ay t he boards on t hem. Use as many
cl amps as necessary to support the boards
at 24- Io 36-i nch i nterval s, To keeo the bars
from movi ng, pl ace
them i n notched wood
bl ocks
(i nsef).
Use a penci l to mark the end
grai n ori ent at i on of each board as shown,
t hen arrange t he st ock on t he cl amps t o
enhance thei r appearance
(photo
above).
To mi ni mi ze warpi ng, arrange the pi eces
so
that the end grai n of adj acent boards runs i n
opposi t e di rect i ons. l f t he grai n i s di f f i cul t
to read, dampen or sand the board ends to
make i t show up more def i ni t el y. Once you
have a sati sfactory arrangement, al i gn the
stock edge-to-edge and use a penci l
or chal k
to mark a tri angl e
(ri ght).
Thi s wi l l hel p you
correctl y rearrange the boards i f you move
t hem pri or
t o f i nal assembl y.
20
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fill tlll llll l]ll llll Ill llll llll llll fill llll llll llll llil llll llll llll illl
1HO? TI ?
Two wayo to
opread gl ue
To soread a al ue bead
art ouppl y el ores. To cl eanl he
rol l er afl er use, rol l i I repeaNedl y
r)
Appl yi ng the
gl ue
L fo auoid marring the edges of the
panel when you t i ght en t he cl amPs,
cut two pieces of scrap wood at least
as l ong as the boards to be
gl ued, and
use t hem as pads. Leavi ng t he f i rst
board f ace down, st and t he ot her
pi eces on edge so t hat t he t ri angl e
marks f ace away f rom you. APPI Y
a thi n gl ue bead to each board
(/eff),
j ust
enough to cover the edge com-
pl et el y when t he adhesi ve i s spread.
Too l i t t l e gl ue wi l l resul t i n a weak
bond; t oo much wi l l cause a mess
when you t i ght en t he cl amPs. Use a
smal l , st t f f -bri st l ed brush t o spread
t he
gl ue evenl y on t he board edges
(abovd, l eavi ng
no bare sPot s. Do
not use your f i ngers f or sPreadi ng;
addi ng di rt or grease t o t he gl ue wi l l
weaken t he bond and sl ow t he dryi ng
ti me. Move on to step 3 as soon as
possi bl e to prevent the gl ue from dry-
i ng bef ore
you t i ght en t he cl amPs.
over a ocrap board. For a ohoP-made
al ue epreaAer, uee a 6-i nch l enql h of
i /"-i nch
dowel ae a handl e No hol d a
2-i nch eecti on of a broken or worn
hackeaw bl ade. Use a backeaw or
band saw No cuN a shal l ow sl ot' i n one
end of l he dowel , maki nq i t' t' hi n enouqh
l o hol d Nhe bl ade eecti on onu4l y. Fi I the
bl ade Neel h-ei de-ouL i nt' o the sl oL'
Ti ghteni ng the cl amps
Set the boards face down and l i ne
up t hei r ends, maki ng sur e t hat t he
si des of t he t r i angl e al i gn. Ti ght en t he
cl amps under t he boar ds
j ust
enough
t o but t t hem t oget her , checki ng agai n
f or al i gnment . Avoi d over t i ght eni ng
t he cl amps or t he boar ds may buckl e
up at t he
j oi nt s.
Pl ace a t hi r d cl amp
across the top of the boards, centeri ng
i t bet ween t he t wo under neat h. Fi ni sh
t i ght eni ng al l of t he cl amps i n t ur n
(left)
until there are no gaps
between
t he boar ds and a t hi n bead of gl ue
squeezes out of t he
j oi nt s.
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Level i ng the boards
For adj acent boards that do not l i e
perf ect l y l evel wi t h each ot her, use a
C cl amp t o hol d t hem i n al i gnment .
Prot ect i ng t he boards wi t h wood pads,
cent er t he cl amp on t he
j oi nt
near t he
end of t he st ock; pl ace
a st ri p of wax
paper under each pad to prevent
i t from
sti cki ng to the boards. Then ti ghten the
cl amp unti l the boards are l evel
(ri ght).
Refer to the manufacturer' s i nstructi ons
for the gl ue' s
dryi ng ti me. l f you are short
of cl amps, mark t he t i me on t he panel
so t hat you can move on t o t he gl ui ng
of t he next panel
as soon as
possi bl e.
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f,
Removi ng the excess
gl ue
:,f Use a
plastic putty knife to remove
as much of t he squeezed-out
gl ue as
oossi bl e bef ore i t dri es. The moi st ure
f r om gl ue l ef t on t he sur f ace wi l l be
absorbed by the wood, causi ng swel l i ng
and sl ow dr yi ng; har dened adhesi ve
can al so cl og sandpaper , dul l pl aner
kni ves and repel wood st ai n. Once t he
gl ue has dri ed, remove t he cl amps f rom
the top of the boards, and use a pai nt
scraper to remove any squeeze-out that
remarns
(/eftl.
Remove the lower clamps,
t hen
prepare
t he
panel f or
j oi nery
by
pl ani ng i t ,
j oi nt i ng
an edge and cut t i ng
t he pi ece t o i t s f i ni shed di mensi ons.
Use a bel t sander t o smoot h t he sur-
f aces t hat wi l l be hard t o reach once
the carcase i s assembl ed
"llll
flt"llJ"llf
'lll
$
"lfif"1lr1llf".llr'ffi
llll"l$
1HO? TI?
?revenling
cl amp otai ns
The metal bar of a cl amp
can be ol ai ned by adheei ve
t hal dri po duri n4
4l ui ng
operati ono. Ori ed ql ue can
aleo intertere with Ihe
ratchetinq action ot
eome cl amoe. To el i mi -
nat' e Nhe
probl em,
use a
haoksaw or band eaw to cut
a rol l of wax
?a?er
i nto Z-i nch'
wi de mi ni ' rol l s. Then, each Ni me
you appl y a cl amp,tear ofl a ot' ri p
of paVer Io wrap over or under Nhe bar.
23
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GIUE RACK
A shop-bui l t rack made from two
sawhorses
provi des
a conveni ent
way t o hol d t he cl amps f or gl ui ng
up a panel .
To bui l d the
j i g,
remove
the cross piece
from your
sawhorses.
Cut repl acement s t he same wi dt h
and thickness as the originals, making
them at l east as l ong as the boards
that you wi l l be gl ui ng.
Use a hand saw or a band saw to
cut notches al ong one edge of each
cross
pi ece
at 6-i nch i nterval s. Make
t he cut s wi de enough t o hol d a bar
cl amp snugl y and deep enough t o
hol d the bar l evel wi th the top of the
cross piece. You can also cut notches
t o accommodat e pi pe cl amps, but
bar cl amps are stronger.
To use the gl ue
rack, seat at l east
t wo bar cl amps i n t he not ches so
that the boards to be gl ued
are
supported at l east every 24 to 36
i nches. The rest of the operati on i s
i denti cal to edge gl ui ng
boards on a
work surface as shown in steps 3 to
5 on the precedi ng pages.
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DOWELS: AN AID T(l ALIGNMENT
1
Bori ng the dowel hol es
I Locate
points
for dowels on the board
edges
(phoito
above). To avoid splitting
boards wi th the
pi ns, use grooved dowel s
t hat are no more t han one-hal f as t hi ck
as the stock. Fi t a dri l l wi th a bi t the same
di ameter as the dowel s, then wrap a stri p
of maski ng t ape around t he bi t t o mark
t he dri l l i ng dept h, whi ch shoul d be sl i ght -
l y more than one-hal f the l ength of the
dowel s. Keep the dri l l perpendi cul ar to the
board edge as you bore eachhole
(righ),
wi thdrawi ng the bi t when the maski ng tape
t ouches t he st ock.
(Al t hough
t he dri l l
press
can al so be used to bore the hol es,
keepi ng l onger boards steady on the
machi ne' s t abl e may
prove di f f i cul t . )
Marry woodworkers use dowels to help
with the alignment of boards in a pan-
el. One of the problems in using this
technique is that the wood pins have
to be precisely centered on the edges
of the boards to be
joined. In the photo
at left, location points have been made
for
the dowels-one about 3 inches
from
each end of the boards and one
in the middle. A line is then scribed
across the points with a cuxing gauge
set to one-half the thickness of the
stock. The lines intersect at the center
of the board edges, guaranteeing per-
fect
placement of the dowels.
25
r)
Pi npoi nti ng mati ng dowel hotes
L l nsert a dowel center the same di ameter as the dowel s
i n each of the hol es
(above),
then set the boards fl at on the
cl amps wi t h t he t ri angl e mark f aci ng you.
Al i gn t he ends of
t he boards and but t t he edge of t he second board agai nst
t hat of t he f i rst . The poi nt ed
ends of t he dowel cent ers wi l l
punch i mpressi ons on t he wood, provi di ng st art i ng poi nt s f or
t he mat i ng dowel hol es. Bore t hese hol es t o t he same dept h
as i n st ep 1, t hen repeat t he procedure
f or t he t hi rd board.
Gl ui ng up t he boards
Appl y gl ue
t o t he boar d t he same way as when edge
gl ui ng (page
21).fhen use a penci l
ti p to dab a smal l amount
of adhesi ve i n the bottom of each dowel hol e. Avoi d spreadi ng
gl ue di rectl y on the dowel s; they absorb moi sture qui ckl y
and
wi l l swel l , maki ng t hem di f f i cul t t o f i t i nt o t hei r hol es. I nsert
t he dowel s
(above),
t hen t ap t hem i nt o f i nal posi t i on
usi ng
a hammer. Avoi d poundi ng
on t he dowel s; t hi s may cause a
board t o spl i t . Cl ose up t he
j oi nt ,
t hen t i ght en t he cl amps
(page
22). Remove the excess glue (page
23).
ilIl llll iltt fill fili llll lll illl filt flt lllJ il[ filt llll illt iltl ljlt llll
1HO? TI ?
lnoerling dowele with
a depl h
0au0e
To avoi d Nhe ri sk of opl i tti n7
boards when i nsei l i nq dow-
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el s, use t hi e oi mpl e
ehoV-made dept h
qauqe. Ki p a f -i nch-
l ong board to a Nhi ck-
' /'
neee thal i e exactl y
one-hal t t he l enqt h of Nhe
dowel e. Bore a hol e thaN i s
ol i ghtl y wi der Nhan the t.hi ck-
ness of Nhe dowel e l hrou7h t he gauqe near one end.
Then pl ace i t around each dowel when you Nap i X i nNo
i ts hol e. The dowel wi l l be aN T,he correcl deobh when
i N i s fl ush wi th the Lop of Nhe depth qauqe.
26
CARCASE
IOINERY
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f
here are many ways of
j oi ni ng
car-
J. case panels together. The pages that
follow will examine three of the most
popular choices: dovetail, rabbet and
plate
joinery. As shown in the photo at
ri ght, the i nterl ocki ng pi ns and tai l s
of a through dovetai l
j oi nt gi ve both
sol i di ty and di sti ncti ve appearance.
Cutting such a
joint with the tradition-
al hand tool s i s consi dered a ri te of
passage for aspiring woodworkers. It
requires skill and practice to perfect.
It also leaves room for creativity, since
i t al l ows you to choose the wi dth of
pi ns and tai l s to gi ve your
j oi nts
an
estheti cal l y pl easi ng l ook. The same
joint
can be executed in far less time, but
with equal precision, using a router and
a
j i g;
that approach i s demonstrated
i n the Drawers chapter
(page
80-81).
You may also want to try the half-
blind dovetail, which is examined on
pages B2-84.
If you prefer somewhat si mpl er
forms of
joinery,
try either the rabbet
or the plate
joint (page 34-37). Both
are i deal for
j oi ni ng pl ywood pan-
els, which are not suited for dovetails.
Whichever type of
joinery you select,
you must plan ahead for the later stages
ofyour cabinetmaking projects, such as
installing back panels, shelving, edge
banding or drawers. Some drawer-hang-
ing methods, for example, require you
to rout a groove in the side panels before
the carcase is assembled.
D()VETAIL JOINTS
thoulder line
Half-pin
X X X / \ X X X
' l
0utl i ni ng the
pi ns
I Mark the outsrde face of each panel wi th a bi g X, then set a
cut t i ng gauge t o t he t hi ckness of t he st ock and scri be a l i ne
al ong the ends of the four panel s to mark the shoul der of the
pi ns
and t ai l s. The
panel s t hat wi l l f orm t he t op and bot t om of t he
carcase wi l l be t he pi n boards. Secure each one i n t urn i n a vi se
and use a dovet ai l square t o out l i ne t he pi ns on t he ends of t he
board as shown rn the sequence above. Start wi th hal f-pi ns at
each edge, maki ng sure t hat t he narrow ends of t he
pi ns are on
t he out si de f ace of t he board. Next out l i ne t he wast e sect i ons
adj acent to the hal f-pi ns, then mark the center of the board end.
Out l i ne a pi n at t he cent er mark, t hen out l i ne t he remai ni ng
pins
(above,
right), marking all the waste sections with Xs.
(You
can al so use a sl i di ng bevel gauge t o out l i ne t he pi ns;
set an angl e of about 1:6 for softwood or 1:8 for hardwood.)
There are no ri gi d gui del i nes f or t he number of pi ns or f or
t he spaci ng bet ween t hem. But evenl y spaced
pi ns t hat are
at l east one-hal f the si ze of the waste secti ons around them
make f or an at t ract i ve and sol i d
j oi nt .
Use a combi nat i on
square t o ext end al l t he dovet ai l marks so t hat t hey reach
t he shoul der l i nes on bot h f aces of t he boards.
r)
Cutti ng the pi ns
Z- Secure the fi rst
pi n
board i n a vi se
so t hat t he out si de f ace of t he panel i s
t oward you.
Use a dovet ai l saw t o cut
al ong the edges of the pi ns, worki ng from
one si de of t he panel t o t he ot her. Some
woodworkers prefer to cut all the left-hand
edges f i rst , t hen move on t o t he ri ght -
hand edges. For each cut , hol d t he panel
steady and al i gn the saw bl ade
j ust
to the
waste si de of the cutti ng l i ne. Use smooth,
even strokes, al l owi ng the saw to cut on
the push sl roke
(ri ght).
Conti nue sawi ng
r i ght t o t he shoul der l i ne, maki ng sur e
t hat t he bl ade i s per pendi cul ar
t o t he
l i ne. Next, use a copi ng saw
(sfep
3) or
a chi sel
(step
4) to remove the waste
between the pi ns. Repeat the procedure
at the other end of the board and at both
ends of t he ot her pi n board.
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Q
Removi ng the waste wi th a copi ng saw
r-J Stand on the other si de of the panel
and begi n cutti ng away the waste wood
bet ween t he pi ns. At t he si de of each pi n,
sl i de a copi ng saw bl ade i nt o t he kerf and
rotate the frame wi thout stri ki ng the end
of the board. Cut out as much of the waste
as you
can whi l e keepi ng t he bl ade about
%o i nch above the shoul der l i ne. Cut
(/efrl
unti l you reach the kerf on the edge of the
adj acent pi n. Pare away any remai ni ng
waste wi th a chi sel
(step
5).
2B
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Removi ng the waste wi th a chi sel
Set t he panel out si de f ace up on a work surf ace and
cl amp on a gui de
bl ock, al i gni ng i t s edge about %o i nch t o
t he wast e si de of t he shoul der l i ne. Usi ng a wood chi sel no
wi der than the narrow si de of the waste secti on, butt the fl at
si de of t he bl ade agai nst t he gui de
bl ock. Hol d t he end of
the chi sel square to the face of the panel and stri ke i t wi th a
wooden mal l et
(l eft),
scori ng a l i ne about 7s-i nch-deep. Then
t urn t he chi sel t oward t he end of t he panel about % i nch
bel ow the surface of the wood and shave off a thi n l ayer of
the waste
(bel ow).
Conti nue shavi ng away the waste i n thi s
f ashi on unt i l you are about hal f way t hrough t he t hi ckness of
t he panel , t hen move on t o t he next sect i on. When you have
removed al l t he wast e f rom t hi s si de, t urn over t he
panel ,
and work f rom t he ot her si de unt i l t he pi ns are al l exposed.
f,
Fi nal pari ng
\ , , Wi t h t he panel out si de f ace up, al i gn t he edge
of a gui de bl ock wi t h t he shoul der l i ne on t he panel
and cl amp i t i n
pl ace.
But t t he f l at si de of a chi sel
agai nst t he bl ock, and usi ng your t humb t o hol d t he
bl ade vert i cal , gent l y t ap on t he handl e t o pare away
the fi nal sl i ver of waste
(l eft).
Repeat the process
bet ween t he ot her pi ns unt i l t here i s no wast e
beyond t he shoul der l i ne.
29
Prepari ng to outl i ne the tai l s
Set one of t he t ai l boar ds out si de
f ace down on a wor k sur f ace and cl amp
a gui de bl ock on t op of i t wi t h t he edge
of t he bl ock f l ush wi t h t he shoul der l i ne.
Then hol d t he end of one of t he pi n
boar ds agai nst t he gui de
bl ock wi t h i t s
out si de f ace away f r om t he t ai l boar d.
Fast en a handscr ew t o t he pi n boar d
and use anot her cl amp t o hol d i t f i r ml y
rn posi ti on (/eff).
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Marking the tails
/ Use a pencrl to outline Ihe Iatls
(rrghil,
t hen r emove t he cl amps and use a combi -
nat i on squar e t o ext end t he l i nes ont o t he
end of t he boar d. Mar k t he wast e sect i ons
wi t h Xs, t hen out l i ne t ai l s on t he ot her
end of t he boar d and at bot h ends of t he
ot her
panel .
30
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Q
Cutti ng the tai l s and removi ng waste
( J
Use a dovet ai l saw t o cut t he t ai l s
the same way you cut the pi ns (step
2).
Some woodwor ker s f i nd t hat angl i ng t he
boar d, as shown r at her t han t he saw
makes t he cut t i ng go easi er . I n ei t her
case, saw smoothl y and evenl y, and stop
j ust
a fracti on of an i nch before you reach
t he s houl der l i ne. Remov e t he bul k
of t he wast e wi t h ei t her a copi ng saw
(step
3) or a chi sel
(step
4), then pare
away t he f i nal bi t s of wast e down t o
the shoul der l i ne
(step
5).
Dry-fitting the carcase
Bef ore gl ui ng up t he carcase, assembl e i t t o check
t he f i t of al l t he
j oi nt s.
St and one of t he pi n
boar ds on
a wood bl ock, t hen al i gn a mat i ng t ai l boar d wi t h i t ;
support the other end of the tai l board wi th a sawhorse.
Pr ess t he
l oi nt
t oget her by hand as f ar as i t wi l l go,
t hen t ap t he t wo ends t he r est of t he way i nt o pl ace,
whi l e protecti ng
the workpi ece wi th a scrap board. To
avoi d bi ndi ng and damagi ng t he pi ns, cl ose t he
j oi nt
evenl y al ong i ts whol e l engl h
(l eft).
Joi n the other pi n
and t ai l boar ds t he same way, t appi ng onl y on t he t ai l
boar d. The
j oi nt s
shoul d be t i ght enough t o r equi r e a
l i t t l e gent l e t appi ng, but avoi d usi ng excessi ve f or ce.
l f t he
j oi nt
i s cl ear l y t oo t i ght , mar k t he spot wher e i t
bi nds, t hen di sassembl e t he panel s and use a chi sel t o
pare away a l i ttl e more wood. DryJi t the carcase agai n
and make f ur t her adj ust ment s, i f necessar y. l f t her e r s
any gap between a pi n and a tai l , i nsert a thi n wedge to
f i l l i I
( page
32) . AI t hi s poi nt , you wi l l need t o see
t o t he ot her r equi r ement s of your pr oj ect ,
such as
i nst al l i ng a back panel ( page
3& and edge bandi ng
( page
39) , i f desi r ed, t hen pr epar i ng t he si des f or
shel ves
(page
41) or drawers. Once that i s done, gl ue
up the carcase
(step
l 0).
3 1
' l
f\
Gl ui ng up the carcase
I \ J r o appl y
pr oper pr essur e
when
t i ght eni ng t he cl amps, use f our wood
pads speci al l y not ched f or dovet ai l
j oi nt s.
Make t he pads
t he same l engt h as t he
car case panel s ar e wi de, and cut away
l i t t l e t r i angul ar not ches so t hat i he wood
wi l l onl y make cont act wi t h t he t ai l s and
not exer t pr essur e on t he pi ns. Appl y a
t hi n bead of gl ue on t he f aces of t he pi ns
and t ai l s t hat wi l l be i n coni act when t he
j oi nt s
ar e assembl ed. Use a smal l , st i f f -
br i st l ed br ush t o spr ead t he gl ue evenl y,
l eavi ng no bar e spot s. Assembl e t he car -
case and i nst al l t wo bar cl amps acr oss
t he f aces of each of t he pi n boar ds i n
t ur n. Ti ght en t he cl amps a l i t t l e at t i me
(l eft)
unl i l a l i ttl e gl ue squeezes out of
the
j oi nts.
Remove the excess gl ue (page
23) , and keep t he cl amps i n pl ace unt i l
t he gl ue i s dr y.
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lllt l]ll llll llll lllr lll] lll ilit llil llr lllt lll l[ llll llr lll1 l]lt llt
j HO?
TI ?
Dealing with a
defeclive dovetail
Even a el i qhN error
i n cuLNi nq doveLai l e
can resul l i n a smal l
qaV beNween a
Vi n
and a I ai l . l t t he qap i o
smal l , f i l l i t wi l h a t hi n l ri an-
qul ar chi V of veneer or a wood shav'
i nq cut t r omt he
Vanel
ol ock. To makeLhe
wood chi p l ees obvi oue, cut i tr so l hat i to qrai n wi l l run
i n t he same di rect i on ae l hat of t he
Vi no.
Use a dovet ai l
eaw Io eLrai ghNen out or deepen Lhe gap, i f neceooary.
AVVI y a l i LNl e ql ue i n Nhe qaV and i nserl I he chi p, whi ch
shoul d f i N enual v.
32
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llll lllt lll llll lll1 llt lll1 lll lll l]lt llll illt illI lll illl lll llll ilt1
1HO? TI ?
Checking a carcaoe for equare
To
Vrevenl
clamp
Vreooure
from
pul l i nq a carcaae oul of oquare dur-
i n4 ql ue u?, meazure t he di aqonal o
beNween opposi Le cornerl i mmedi -
atel y after Ii qhNeni nq l he cl ampo.
The Lwo resul f,s ehoul d be l he
eame. l f Nhey are noL, the carcaee
ie out- of
-
equare. To correcN Nhe
probl em, l oosen Nhe cl ampe, then
ol i de one
j aw
of each cl amp away
fromthe j oi nt
aL oppooi he corners
ae ehown. Ti qht en t he cl ampe and check aqai n f or 6quare,
ohi f Li n7I he cl ampo a6 neceobary unt i l Nhe carcaoe i o oquare.
CARCASE-SOUARING BLOCKS
Unl ess you are i nstal l i ng a back
panel on a carcase, i t can be di ffi -
cul t to keep the four si des square
duri ng gl ue up. A shop-made car-
case-squari ng block
(right) placed
on each corner wi l l hel p a great
deal . For each bl ock, cut a
pi ece
of
3/q-i nch
pl ywood i nto an B-i nch
square. Fi t a dri l l press or an el ectri c
dri l l wi th a 2-i nch-di ameter hol e saw
or ci rcl e cutter, then bore an open-
i ng i n the center of the bl ock.
(The
hol e wi l l prevent gl ue squeeze-out
f rom bondi ng t he bl ock t o t he car-
case.) Next, outfi t
your
tabl e saw
wi t h a dado head t hat i s t he same
wi dth as the thi ckness of the stock.
Carcaoe-aquartnq
block
B" x B"
and cut two grooves at right angles
to one another, i ntersecti ng at the
center of the bl ock.
To use the
j i g,
appl y the gl ue
and assemble the carcase, then fit
a block over each corner
(left),
cent eri ng t he hol e at t he poi nt
where two
panel s j oi n.
Make sure
that the dadoes on the bl ocks fi t
snugly around the edges of the pan-
el s. l nstal l and ti ghten the cl amps.
J J
RABBET JOINTS
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1 Cuttine the rabbets
t -
I Mark a cut t i ng l i ne f or t he wi dt h of
t he rabbet on t he l eadi ng edge of one
si de panel . Then, i nst al l a dado head
sl i ght l y wi der t han t he rabbet and l ower
i t bel ow t he t abl e. Scr ew an auxi l i ar y
wood fence to the saw' s ri p fence and
mark t he dept h of t he rabbet on i t ; t he
dept h shoul d be one-hal f t he t hi ckness
of t he st ock. Wi t h t he met al f ence cl ear
of t he dado head, posi t i on t he auxi l i ary
f ence over t he t abl e openi ng. Turn on
the saw. Rai se the bl ades sl owl y i nto the
wood up t o t he dept h l i ne. Turn of f t he
saw and l i ne up t he
panel and auxi l i ary
f ence f or cut t i ng t he rabbet . Cl amp a
f eat herboard t o t he f ence above t he
dado head t o hol d t he panel securel y
agai nst t he t abl e. Turn on t he saw and
make the cut
(above),
then repeat the
process f or t he remai ni ng rabbet s i n t he
si de panel s. (Caut i on:
Bl ade guard
removed for cl ari ty.)
Quick
and easy to cut and assemble,
the rabbet joint is ideal
for
both solid
wood and plywood carcases. The joint
is made up of a board or panel that
fits
into a rabbet cut on its mating piece.
The width of the rabbet should be
equal to the thickness of the stock. In a
carcase, the
joint
is best cut into the side
panels so that the end grain of the top
and bottom will be covered. Although
stronger than simple butt
joints,
rabbet
joints
frequently
require screws or nails
for reinforcement.
fil illt tll tlll fit ltl l]Ir IIJ lll llll llll filt llrl llt lllt tlll fill llll
1HO? Tt?
lnvisible nailer
To conceal nai l e
dri ven i nLo a car-
caoe panel , uoe
a bl i nd nai l er .
The commerci al
device works like
a mi ni -pl ane, l i t t -
i n7 al hi n wood
ehavi nq under whi ch a nai l can be dri ven. The ohavi nq
can Lhen be ql ued ri qhl back down t o hi de l he nai l head.
)et up t he nai l er t ol l owi ng Lhe manuf act rurer' s i nsl ruc-
Li ons-uou al l y f or a
1
/zz-i nch-t hi ck oh avi n q, An d p racl i oe
on a 6cra? board bef ore uoi n7 t he nai l er on an acl ual
workpi ece. The ehavi nq you rai ee musl be l on4 enou4h
to leN you drive the nail comforLably. A ebriV of Iape will
hol d I he ehavi ng down whi l e Nhe ql ue i e dryi ng.
34
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1- Dry-fi t the carcase, then make any other necessary
preparat i ons, such as i nst al l i ng a back panel or prepari ng
t he si des f or shel vi ng. Then, appl y a t hi n bead of adhesi ve
i n t he rabbet s and on t he cont act i ng surf aces of t he t op
and bot t om panel s. Use a brush t o spread t he gl ue evenl y,
l eavi ng no dry spot s. Assembl e t he carcase and i nst al l t wo
bar cl amps across t he t op and bot t om panel s, prot ect i ng
t he workpi eces wi t h wood pads. Ti ght en t he cl amps a l i t t l e
at a t i me unt i l gl ue st art s t o squeeze out of t he
j oi nt s.
Rei nf orce t he
j oi nt s
wi t h screws about I i nch f rom t he
edges of the top and bottom panel s; for addrti onal strengi h,
dri ve more screws i n t he mi ddl e. l f you wi sh t o conceal t he
screw heads wi t h wood pl ugs, bore hol es i n t wo st ages
usi ng an el ect ri c dri l l f i t t ed wi t h t wo di f f erent bi t s. Fi rst ,
use a spade bi t wi de enough t o make hol es f or t he pl ugs;
t hen swi t ch t o a t wi st bi t sl i ght l y wi der t han t he screw
shanks f or maki ng cl earance hol es. Bore t he cl earance
hol es deep enough t o reach t he si de panel s; angl e t he dri l l
sl i ghtl y toward the i nsi de of the carcase to i ncrease the gri p
of the screws. Then, drive the screws into place (right).
?
Instal l i ng wood pl ugs
r-,1 To secure the pl ugs, appl y a dab
of gl ue t o t he screw heads, t hen i nsert
a pl ug i nto each hol e
(/effl ,
al i gni ng the
grai n wi t h t hat of t he panel s. Tap t he
pl ugs i n pl ace wi t h a wooden mal l et ,
t hen use a wood chi sel t o t ri m t he pro-
j ect i ng
st ubs f l ush wi t h t he surf ace of
t he panel s. Fi nal l y, remove any excess
glue (page
23).
35
PLATE JOINTS
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Although it lack the allu'e of luud-ctft dove-
tai l s, the pl ate or bi scui t
j oi rt
hns grown
in popularity in recertt years ltecause of its
strength and sinrylicity. Tlrc
joint
is ctrt with
a plate joiner,
showrr irr the photo nt left. The
tool works sorrrewhnt l i ke n rri rti otttrc ci rcrt-
Iar saw, with n retractable blade that plunges
into mating workpieces. Glue is npplied and
an oval-shaped biscuit of corrtpressed beeclr
is inserted htto rtntching slots orr each piece.
The carcnse is therr ossentbled. Sirtce the blade
projects
front
the tool orily while it is ctrttirrg,
the plate joirrcr
is very safe to use. Guide lines
on the base plate of the nnchine rnake it u sir'tr-
ple nntter to nlign the slots irr nnting boards.
The slots are cut slightly lnrger thnn the bis-
ctri ts, pernti tti ng n smal l rnargi n of error
while still ennn'ing a properly aligrecl joirtt.
' l
Marki ng the l ocati on of the
j oi nts
I _
I l dent i f y t he out si de f ace of each pan-
el wi t h an X, t hen mar k l ocat i on poi nt s f or
t he sl ot s al ong each of t he f our cor ner s.
St ar t wi t h one of t he si de
panel s
out si de
f ace down on a wor k sur f ace and hol d
t he t op panel at a 90' angl e t o i t . Use a
penc i l t o mar k l i nes t hat ov er l ap t he
face of the top
pi ece
and the end of the
si de panel about 2 i nches i n f r om each
cor f l r ; make a t hi r d mar k mi dway al ong
t he edge. Wi der panel s wi l l r equi r e addi -
t i onal bi scur t s; i n gener al , t her e shoul d
be one bi scui t ever y 4 t o 6 i nches. Mar k
si mi l ar sl ot l ocat i on poi nt s
on t he ot her
three corners of the carcase.
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\.
i'
'It..
/'
'\..,.
)loL locaLion mark
36
CARCASE, CONSTRUCTION
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r)
Cutting the slots
L Leaui nga si de panel outsi de face down on the work surface,
set the top
pi ece outsi de face up on top of i t. Offset the ends of
t he t wo workpi eces by an amount equal t o t he t hi ckness of t he
st ock. Make sure t hat mat i ng sl ot l ocat i on marks on t he t wo
panel s are
perfectl y al i gned. Protecti ng the top panel wi th wood
pads,
cl amp t he t wo workpi eces i n pl ace and set i n f ront of
t hem a suooort board t he same t hi ckness as t he st ock. Thi s set -
up wi l l al l ow
you t o cut al l t he sl ot s f or one corner of t he carcase
wi t hout movi ng t he panel s. Fol l ow t he manuf act urer' s i nst ruc-
t i ons f or set t i ng t he dept h of cut on t he pl at e j oi ner;
i t usual l y
depends on the si ze of bi scui t bei ng used. Resti ng the pl ate
j oi ner
on t he suppor t boar d, but t t he machi ne' s f ace
pl at e agai nst t he end of t he t op panel and al i gn t he gui de
l i ne on t he f acepl at e wi t h a sl ot l ocat i on mar k on t he st ock.
Hol di ng t he
j oi ner
wi t h bot h hands, cut a sl ot at each mar k
( l ef i l . f o
cut t he mat i ng sl ot s i n t he si de panel , but t t he
j oi n-
er ' s base pl at e agai nst t he t op panel and t hen al i gn t he
center
gui de l i ne on the base pl ate wi th a sl ot l ocati on mark
on the top panel (ri ghi l .
Fol l ow the same procedure to cut
sl ot s at t he ot her sl ot l ocat i on mar ks.
Q
Gl ui ng up t he carcase
r-J 0nce al l t he sl ot s have been cut , dry-f i t t he panel s
and i nst al l a back
panel i f t hat i s part of your desi gn, or
make ready f or shel ves or drawers. Then gl ue up t he car-
case: Set the si de oanel s outsi de face down on a work sur-
face, and squeeze a bead of gl ue i nto each sl ot and al ong
the surface of the panel s between the sl ots, i nserti ng bi s-
cuits as you go
@fl. Repeat for the top and boftom panels,
t hi s t i me omi t t i ng t he bi scui t s. To prevent t he wooden
waf ers f rom expandi ng bef ore t he panel s are assembl ed,
do t he gl ui ng up as qui ckl y as possi bl e, f i t t i ng t he st de
panel s on t he bot t om panel and t hen addi ng t he t op.
Instal l two bar cl amps across the top and bottom panel s
and ti ghten the cl amps exactl y as you woul d when gl ui ng
up a carcase with rabbet
joints
@age
35).
37
INSTALLING A BACK PANEL
' l
Routi ng a rabbet for the panel
I Fi t t he panel s
t oget her and set t he carcase on a work surf ace wi t h i t s
backsi de f aci ng up; i nst al l a bar cl amp wi t h a support board across t he t op
and bot t om panel s, as shown. I nst al l a
3/ s-i nch
rabbet i ng bi t wi t h a bal l -
beari ng pi l ot
on your rout er, t hen set t he dept h adj ust ment t o cut %o i nch
deeper t han t he t hi ckness of t he back panel you wi l l be i nst al l i ng. St art i ng
at one corner, rest the router' s base pl ate on the support board wi th the bi t
j ust
cl ear of the workpi ece. Gri p the router fi rml y wi th both hands and turn i t
on, gui di ng
t he bi t i nt o t he panel . Once t he pi l ot
but t s agai nst t he st ock,
pul l t he rout er sl owl y t oward t he adj acent corner, keepi ng t he base
pl at e
fl at. When you reach the corner, turn the router off. Reposi ti on the support
board and cut rabbets al ong the edges of the three remai ni ng panel s
i n the
same manner
(above).
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r)
Squari ng the corners
1 tl se a penci l and a strai ghtedge to mark
square corners i n t he rounded ends of t he
rabbet s. Sel ect a wood chi sel t hat i s wi de
enough to fi ni sh off the corners wrth two
perpendi cul ar
cut s. At each corner, st and
t he t i p of t he chi sel on t he mark t hat runs
across the grai n, maki ng sure that the bevel
faces the i nsi de of the carcase. Use a wood-
en mal l et to stri ke the chi sel
(above),
cutti ng
t o t he dept h of t he rabbet . Al i gn t he chi sel
wi t h t he ot her mark and st ri ke t he handl e
agai n.
(Maki ng
t he cut wi t h t he grai n f i rst
may cause t he panel t o spl i t . )
Q
Instal l i ng the panel
r-,f Cut a pi ece of pl ywood
to fi t snugl y i nto the rab-
bet s on t he back of t he carcase. Gl ue up t he carcase
and, at t he same t i me, appl y a t hi n gl ue bead al ong
t he rabbet s f or t he back panel and on t he cont act i ng
surfaces of the pl ywood.
Spread the gl ue evenl y, set
t he panel i n posi t i on,
t hen use smal l nai l s t o secure
i t at 4-i nch i nterval s
(/effJ.
3B
EDGEBANDING
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dg. banding is the usual way of con-
Ij cealing the visible edges of plyruood
panels and shelves; it creates the illusion
that the carcase is made exclusively of
solid wood. You can choose one of two
opti ons: Commerci al edge bandi ng,
shown on page 40, is available in a wide
variety of wood types, colors and thick-
SHOP.MADE EDGE BANDING
1
Appl yi ng the bandi ng
I Use t he t abl e saw t o cut t hi n st ri ps
of edge bandi ng from a board; be sure to
use a oush sti ck to feed the stock i nto the
bl ade. Make t he st ri ps sl i ght l y l onger t han
t he panel and at l east as wi de as t he pan-
el i s t hi ck. Gri p t he
panel at each end i n
a handscrew, t hen cl amp t he handscrews
to a work surface so that the front edge of
t he workpi ece f aces up. Then appl y a t ht n
gl ue bead to the edge of the
panel and use
a smal l , sti ff-bri stl ed brush to spread the
adhesi ve evenl y. Cent er t he bandi ng al ong
t he
panel ' s edge; t o hol d i t f l at whi l e t he
gl ue dri es, t ape i t very f i rml y at 2-i nch
i nt erval s. Use as many st ri ps of t ape as
necessary to el i mi nate any gaps between
t he bandi ng and t he edge of t he panel .
nesses. Installing it is simply a matter of
cutting offthe lengths you need from a
roll, setting the banding in place and
heating it with a household iron to melt
the adhesive that bonds it to the surface
ofthe wood.
Although somewhat more painstak-
ing to apply, shop-made edge banding
offers several advantages over the store-
bought solution. You can make it from
anv available wood species and cut it
to whatever thickness you choose;
7s-i nch-thi ck bandi ng i s typi cal . The
shop-made vari ety i s al so l ess expen-
sive-a consideration if
you plan
to
use a lot ofbanding.
r)
Tri mmi ng excess bandi ng
Z Oncet he
gl ue has dri ed, t ri m any edge bandi ng t hat
proj ects beyond the panel edges. Fi t a router wi th a fl ush-
cut t rng bi t , t hen rest t he machi ne' s base pl at e on t he panel
edge wi t h t he bi t
j ust
cl ear of t he excess bandi ng. Hol di ng
t he rout er f i rml y wi t h bot h hands, t urn on t he mot or and
gui de t he bi t i nt o t he excess bandi ng. Once t he bi t ' s pi l ot
butts agai nst the panel , gui de the router sl owl y agai nst the
di rect i on of bi t rot at i on t o t he opposi t e end of t he work-
pi ece. Make sure t hat t he base pl at e and t he pi l ot remai n
f l ush wi t h t he
panel . Li ght l y sand t he edges and ends of
t he bandi ng t o remove any remai ni ng unevenness.
39
SETF.ADHESIVE BANDING
1
Appl yi ng the edge bandi ng
I Set a househol d i ron on Hi gh
(wi t hout
steam) and al l ow i t to heat uo. Meanwhi l e.
appl y cl amps t o hol d t he panel upri ght ,
and cut a st ri p of bandi ng sl i ght l y l onger
than the edge to be covered. Set the band-
i ng adhesi ve-si de down al ong t he panel
edge. Hol di ng t he bandi ng i n pl ace
wi t h
one hand, run t he i ron sl owl y al ong t he
panel
edge, pressi ng
the tri m fl at. The heat
of t he i ron wi l l mel t t he gl ue
and
j oi n
t he
bandi ng t o t he panel .
Keep t he i ron mov-
i ng; resti ng i t on one spot for more than
a few seconds wi l l l eave scorch marks.
r)
Flattening out the trim
L Appl yi ngeven pressure,
run a
smal l hand rol l er back and forth al ong
t he l engt h of t he edge bandi ng t o
smooth i t out and bond i t fi rml y to the
panel edge. Shave of f any excess
bandi ng wi t h a l ami nat e edge t ri m-
mer or a router
(page
39).
lllt llll fllJ fit] IIJ llll lll] llll llll lll] llt llll IIJ illJ llll llll tlll lllt
1HO? TI ?
5 pri ngb o ard f o r al a m pi ng
edge bandi ng
For thi ck edge bandi nq, i N may
be neceeoary to cl amp Lhe band-
i nry t o a panel edqe whi l e t he
gl ue dri ee. For at ypi cal panel ,
you mi qhL need Nhree or four
bar cl ampo; a ei nql e cl ampwi l l suf f i ce,
howeveni f you uee a ohop-made opri nqboard.To make
the device, cut a genble curve-r/+-inch-deep aL iIs c
one ed7e of a 2-i nch-wi de board the eami l enaNh and Nhi ckness
ae t he panel . Cent er Nhe panel on a bar cl amp and seNVhe con-
cave ed4e of t he epri ngboard aqai nof , l he edgebandi nq. Uee a
wood pad lo prolecl the
Vanel,
Ti
I he epri ngboard agai neL t he edge bandi nq. Ue
protecl
the
Vanel ,
Ti 4hten the cl amp unLi l Nhe
wood pad l o prol ecl the
Vanel ,
Ti 4hten the
epri ngboard fl atl ens aqai nel the bandi nq.
a
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40
SHELVING
HIDDEN ADJUSTABLE SHELF SUPPORTS
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I
dding shelves to a carcase is one way
f\ to turn a si mpl e wood box i nto a
useful piece of furniture. The simplest
method for installing shelves is to bore
two
paral l el
rows of hol es i n the si de
panel s of the carcase and i nsert com-
mercially available plastic or metal shelf
supports. The two alternatives shown in
this chapter require a little more prepa-
ration, but they have a payoff in that
there are no visible shelf supports to mar
the appearance of the finished piece. Like
commercial shelf hardware, hidden sup-
ports
(below
and page 42) are adjustable;
the difference is that they rely on nar-
row wood strips recessed in rabbets cut
into the underside of the shelves, and
this makes them all but invisible.
For fixed shelves
(page
43),you have
to rout dadoes on carcase si des. The
shelves are then glued permanently in
olace when the carcase is assembled. Many woodworkers use commercial shelf-drilling
jigs
to help with the
job
of boring parallel rows of holes. Clamped to the edge of the panel,
the
jig
ensures that the corresponding rows are perfectly aligned. The
jig
in the photo allows you to bore holes at l-inch intervals any distance
from
the edges of the panel. For most projects 2 inches in
from
the edges is typical.
1
Maki ng and i nstal l i ng
I ttre stretf supports
Bore hol es for the shel f supports usi ng a
commerci al
j i g.
After the carcase i s assem-
bl ed, make t wo support s per shel f . For
each of t hem, cut a t hi n st ri p of wood
about I i nch l onger than the gap between
t he rows of hol es; make t he st ri p wi de
enough t o hol d a dowel at each end. To
mark
posi t i ons
f or t he dowel s, i nsert a
dowel cent er i nt o each of t wo paral l el
hol es, then press the wood stri p agai nst
t he ooi nt s. Use t he i ndent at i ons f or t he
dowel centers as starti ng poi nts for bori ng
t he hol es. Make t he hol es i n t he shel f -
support pi eces t he same dept h as t he
hol es i n t he si de oanel s. Gl ue dowel s
i nt o t he shel f support s, and when t he
adhesi ve has dri ed, i nst al l t hem on t he
si de panel s at t he hei ght t hat you want
the shel f to rest.
41
r)
Maki ng and prepari ng the shel vi ng
Z- Use sol i d l umber, pl ywood
or edge-gl ued
boards
(page
20)to make the shelving. Cut each
shel f t o t he same wi dt h as t he carcase oanel s
and t o a l engt h equal t o t he di st ance bet ween
t he si de panel s. Add edge bandi ng t o t he vi si bl e
edge of the shel f
(page
39), i f desi red. To con-
ceal the supports, rout stopped rabbets i n the
shel f . St art by posi t i oni ng t he shel f on t he sup-
port s and out l i ni ng t hei r l ocat i ons on t he under-
si de of t he shel f . Usi ng a wood pad t o prevent
any marri ng, cl amp t he shel f t o a work surf ace.
Fi t a rout er wi t h a rabbet i ng bi t , t hen set t he
dept h of cut t o t he wi dt h of t he shel f support s.
Gri ppi ng the tool fi rml y wi th both hands and rest-
i ng i ts base pl ate
on the shel f, rout each rabbet
(abovd,
making as many passes as necessary to
cut t o t he marked out l i ne. Square t he ends of
the rabbets using a chisel
(page
3B).
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Q
Instal l i ng the shel vi ng
\ Jt Wi t h t he shel f support s at t he desi red hei ght on t he si de pan-
el s, test-fi t the shel f i n the carcase
(above).
Use a chi sel to adj ust
the l ength, wi dth or depth of the stopped rabbets, i f necessary, to
ensure a perf ect f i t t hat compl et el y hi des t he shel f support s.
/1 )
FIXED SHETVING
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r)
Making and dry-fitting the shelving
I tlsesolid lumber, plywood or edge-glued boards
(page
20)to make the shel vi ng. Cut each shel f to
t he same wi dt h as t he carcase
panel s
and t o a
l ength equal to the di stance between the si de pan-
el s pl us the depth of the dadoes. Add edge bandi ng
to the vi si bl e edge of the shel f
@age
39), i f desi red.
To check t he f i t of t he shel vi ng,
j oi n
t he t op and
bottom
panel s of the carcase wi th one si de panel ,
then fi t the shel vi ng i nto the dado ti ghD. Fi Ithe
other si de panel on top. Adj ust the l ength or wi dth
of the shel vi ng, i f necessary, to ensure a perfect fi t.
1
Prepari ng the carcase si de
panel s
I Set the si de
panel s
one on too of the other on a work sur-
f ace, edges and ends al i gned, and mark cut t i ng l i nes f or t he
dadoes on t he l eadi ng edges of bot h panel s. Make t he wi dt h
of t he dadoes equal t o t he t hi ckness of t he shel f ; t he dept h
shoul d be one-hal f t he t hi ckness of t he si de oanel s. I nst al l a
dado head on a t abl e saw and al i gn t he cut t i ng l i nes on one
si de panel wi th i t. Crank the bl ades to the proper hei ght for
the depth of cut, then posi ti on the ri p fence fl ush agai nst the
panel . Cut a test dado i n a scrap board and adj ust the wi dth
of cut i f necessary. Cl amp a featherboard to the fence above
t he dado head f or added st abi l i t y. To make t he cut i n each
panel , turn on the saw and feed the panel i nto the dado head
usi ng the mi ter gauge and both hands
(/eft). (Cauti on:
Bl ade
guard removed for cl ari $.)
Q
r-J Appl y a thi n gl ue bead i nto the dadoes i n the srde panel s
and on t he cont act i ng surf aces of t he shel vi ng whi l e gl ui ng
up t he carcase. Spread t he gl ue evenl y and t hen assembl e
the box as when dry-fitting
(step
2). Clamp the corners of the
carcase for dovetai l
j oi nts
@age
32) or for rabbet or pl ate
j oi nts (paEe
35). For the shel vi ng, i nstal l a bar cl amp across
each edge of the shel f
,
protecti ng the si de panel s wi th wood
pads; pl ace a %-i nch-t hi ck wood chi p under each pad t o
f ocus some of t he cl ampi ng pressure mi dway bet ween t he
edges of t he shel vi ng. Ti ght en each cl amp a l i t t l e at a t i me
unt i l a t hi n gl ue bead squeezes out of each dado.
43
Y
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This clamping setup
focuses
pressure on the
corner
joints
to lock together the components
of a
frame-and-panel
assembly. While glue
bonds the corners, no adhesive is applied in
the grooves that hold the panel, allowing it
to move as the wood exDands and contracts.
The opening in the frame is filled
by a
"floating"
panel, which sits in
grooves cut in the rails and stiles.
The panel is said to float because
it is not glued in place. Rather, it
merely fits in its grooves with room
for movement. If the
panel
were
glued in place, the assembly might
eventually split.
Panels are set into their sur-
rounding frames without glue to
minimize warping. But in addition
to their structural function, panels
also serve an esthetic role. They are
often
"raised"-that
is, they have
bevels cut around their edges. This
not only makes them easier to fit
into grooves, but also gives them
decorative interest.
Mounted upside-down in a table, a router
fltted
with a coping bit
cuts a tongue at the end of a rail. Another bit will cut a matching
groove into the stiles, making a solid and attractive cope-and-stick
joint,
one of the hallmarlcs of
frame-and-panel
construction.
I
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FRA4E-AdD-PN\TEL
CONSTRI.ICTION
rame-and-panel
j oi nery
was
invented about 500 years ago)
probably by a frustrated medieval
craftsman deterrnined to find a bet-
ter way to build cabinets than simply
fixing boards together. A major
drawback of wood as a building
material is its tendency to warp and
split. Frame-and-panel offers a solu-
tion to these oroblems.
Ever-changing moisture levels
in the air cause wood to move, espe-
cially across the grain. As relative
humidity rises, wood swells; as
the moisture content falls, wood
shrinks. The central heating found
in most modern homes compounds
the
problem.
In a heated hbme in
winier, the relative humidity can
drop as low as l0 percent; in summer it can soar to 85 percent.
The difference between the two levels can significantly change
the cross-grain dimensions of a piece of wood.
Frame-and-panel construction is designed to accommodate
the movement of swelling and shrinking wood, resulting in fur-
niture that is both strong and stable. In the typical piece shown
on the two pages that follow, individual frame-and-panel
assemblies are
joined
together to form a four-sided cabinet.
Each assembly comprises two vertical members-stiles-and
two or more horizontal rails, all locked together by any one of
a variety of
joints.
These can include dowel, plate, miter-and-
spline and lap joints. This chapter will show you how to use the
haunched mortise-and-tenon
(page
48)and the decorative
cope-and-stick
joint (page
51
).
Wth one frame-and-panel assembled, you need onlyrepeat
the process and vary it slightly to build a cabinet
(page
59).
Usually, tlvo assemblies are
joined
together with side rails and
panels, with the front assembly left open for a door.
As you will see in the pages that follow, frame-and-panel
construction is a versatile furniture-building system. You can
add a bottom panel to a cabinet
(page
60), then a top
(page
&)
and either fixed or adjustable shelving
(page
61).lnstalling
molding (page
69) hides the connection between the frame and
the top; it also adds a decorative flourish.
Although this method of construction is more difficult to
master than building a simple carcase, the result is a sturdy,
functional and attractive piece of furniture, which makes all the
time and effort worthwhile.
45
I
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ANATOMY OF A FRAME-AND-PANEL ASSEMBLY
espite their differences, the frame-
and-panel assemblies that make up
a typical cabinet have elements in com-
mon: Namely, frames made from rails
and stiles, and panels that fit into grooves
in the frame. Bottoms and tops are usu-
ally added, along with shelving in many
cases. These components are typically
made of edge-glued boards of the same
stock used for the frame.
Individual cabinets will feature vari-
ations. In some instances, the sides will
share stiles with the front and back
assemblies with rails fitting into both the
edges and the faces ofthe stiles. To pro-
vide access to the inside of the cabinet,
the front frequently has a frame but
no panel. Sometimes, a median rail is
used to divide the opening into two
discrete sections.
The two most common ioints in frame-
and-panel cabinets ate ihe haunched
mortise-and-tenon and the cope-and-
stick The haunched mortise-and-tenon
offers greater gluing surface than the
standard mortise-and- tenon, making it
a very strong
joint.
The haunch also
fills in the end of the groove cut into
the stiles, eliminating the need for
stopped grooves. The cope-and-stick
joint provides comparable strength
and adds its own decorative touch.
The router bit that cuts the grooves
for the panel also carves a decorative
molding in the inside edges of the frame.
Whatever the
joint,
cabinetmakers usu-
ally build frames from %-inch stock
that is at least 2 inches wide; larger
stock may also be used to suit the dimen-
sions ofa particular project.
Rail
Frovidea horizontal
aupport at top and
bottom of cabinet
Stile
Vertical
component
of frame
)olid wood piece
that fit6 into
4roove-typically
1/z-inch-deep-
in
frame; can be flat
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with edqea rabbet-
ed or beveled on
four aidee to
"raiae"
center of the panel
46
I
I FRAME-AND- PANEL CONSTRUCTION
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#r'
ToP
Uoually overhanqa outaide edqea of
frame; attached with wood buttona,
ae ahown, or with metal faetanera,
led4er etripe or pocket holea. Edqe
commonly haa routed decoration
Wood button
Used to faaten top to frame. One end fits
into
1roove
cut into frame, permittinq ali4ht
movement; other end acrewed to top
thelf eupport
Can be
pooit.ioned
in dadoea
at any heiqht inaide cabinat
to provide adjuatable ehelving
Molding
Conceala joint between top
and frame; can be purchaaed
or made in the ohop
This
frame-and-panel
cabinet is held
together by haunched mortise-and-
tenon
joints.
The
front
has rails and
stiles, but no panel. Instead, a median
rail serves as a dividingline benveen
the openings
for
a door and a drawer.
Shelf
May have
decorative
detail rout-
ed alonq
front edqe
I
Eottom
Attached to frame by ledqer
atripa or
1lued
into
7roove
cut in inaide edaee of frame
Led4er etrip
Uaed to faaten bottom or
top panel to frame; one
edqe acrewed to frame; oth-
er ed1e screwed to panel
I
I
47
MAKINGTHEFRAME
f
his section of the book examines
I the framing techniques for building
a typical frame-and-panel case. Remem-
ber, however, you need a careful design
for the whole piece of furniture before
you make the first cut on a project of
your own.
Whether you will be using the stan-
dard mortise-and-tenon joint,
the
haunched version ofthat
joint (right,
top), or the cope-and
-stick
joint (right,
bottom), calculate the number of rails
and stiles you will be needing so you can
cut them all to length and width at the
same time. This permits you to use the
same tool setup for all the cutting.
For the haunched mortise-and-tenon
and the cope-and-stick,
you
must cut a
H a unched mo rtiae- a nd
-tenon
ioint
Cope-and-etick joint
groove for the floating panel along the
inside edges of the rails and stiles. The
groove is typically Vq inch wide and
Vz inch deep, and the panel is cut to
dimensions that allow /+ inch of its edges
to sit in the groove. If you opt for mor-
tise-and-tenon
joints,
you also need to
cut a haunched---or notched-tenon at
the ends of each rail to accommodate the
panel. For frames with no panels, such as
the front ofthe case shown on page 59,
you have to cut standard mortise-and-
tenons. To produce this
joint,
follow the
same procedures used in making the
frame of a frame-and-paneldoor (page
104).Whatever type of tenon you decide
to make, cutit3/+ inch long and the same
thickness as the groove in the stiles.
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I
HAUNCHED MORTISE.AND.TENON J(lINTS
1
Cutting the tenons in the rails
I Install a dado head slightly wider than the length of the tenons
on a table saw, then attach an auxiliary fence and raise the blades
t o cut a not ch i n i t . Set t he wi dt h of cut eoual t o t he t enon
l engt h. To cut t he t enon cheeks, but t t he st ock agai nst t he
fence and the miter gauge, then feed it face-down over the blades.
Turn t he rai l over and repeat t he cut on t he ot her si de. Test
t he t enon i n a scrap
pi ece
of wood cut wi t h a dado t he same
si ze as t he grooves i n t he st i l es; adj ust t he hei ght of t he dado
head and repeat the cuts, i f necessary. Next, cut the tenon
cheeks at the other end of the rail
(above,
/eff). Position the
fence to leave a haunch equal in width to the depth of the groove
f or t he panel ; set t he hei ght of t he dado head t o cut about
Vz i nch i nto the tenon. Wi th the stock on i ts edge, use the
fence and the mi ter gauge to gui de i t over the bl ades. Repeat
to cut the haunch on the other side of the tenon
(above,
right).
For the rai l s of an assembl y wi th no panel , cut standard tenons
(page
104), maki ng the shoul ders equal to the wi dth of the
notch you
cut i nto the haunched tenons.
48
FRAM E-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTI ON
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-)
Outl i ni ne the morti ses
<.
r - , 1 Cl amp t he st i l es t oget her f ace t o f ace, ends al i gned. To
mar k t he l engt h of t he mor t i ses, use a r ai l wi t h a st andar d
t enon. Hol d t he cheek of t he t enon f l ush agai nst t he edge of
a st i l e so t hat t he edge of t he r ai l i s al i gned wi t h t he end of
t he st i l e. 0ut l i ne t he wi dt h of t he t enon
( above,
l ef t ) . Then
use a try square to extend the marks
(dotted
lines in the illus-
t r at i on) acr oss al l t he st i l es. Repeat at t he ot her end and f or
any mar ks f or medi an r ai l s. To mar k t he wi dt h of t he mor t i ses,
r emove t he cl amps and hol d t he edge of t he t enon f l ush
agai nst the edge of the sti l e
(above
ri ght, fop); repeat for the
ot her st i l es. Ext end t he mar ks al ong t he edge of t he st i l e
f t ot t ed I i ned. f o out l i ne t he mor t i ses on t he f aces of t he
st i l es, f i r st mar k t he l engt h by ext endi ng t he l i nes acr oss t he
edges of t he st i l es t o t he f aces. For t he wi dt h, hol d t he edge
of t he t enon f l ush agai nst t he mar ked f ace of t he st i l e and
out l i ne t he cheeks of t he t enon on t he st i l e
( above
r i ght ,
bot t om) . Ext end t he l i nes al ong t he t ace
( dot t ed
l i nes) .
Repeat f or t he ot her st i l es.
\ 0f f i
l -
I Uf f i
r)
Pl anni ng the morti ses i n the sti l es
L f ust , eval uat e t he appearance of t he boards f or t he
st i l es and arrange t hem on a work surf ace wi t h t hei r best
si des f aci ng down. For a f our-si ded cabi nei , such as t he
one shown on page 59, set t he st i l es i n t hei r rel at i ve posi -
ti ons-one at each corner-and number them i n sequence,
begi nni ng wi t h t he f ront l ef t st i l e. Thi s wi l l hel p you rear-
range t he st i l es shoul d t hey get out of sequence. Next ,
mark t he approxi mat e l ocat i ons of t he mort i ses, put t i ng
Xs on t he i nsi de edges and t he i nsi de f aces at t he t ops
and bot t oms of t he st i l es
(l ef i l ,
For st i l es wi t h a medi an
rai l , mark an addi t i onal X at t he appropri at e l ocat i on on
the edse of the stock.
49
F RAM E-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTI ON
,{
Routing the mortises
-t
Secure a sti l e i n a vi se. Instal l a commerci al edge gurde on
a pl unge router, then screw onto the gui de a wood extensi on as
wi de as the edge of the sti l e. Fi t the router wi th a strai ght bi t
the same di ameter as the wi dth of the morti se you wi l l be cut-
ti ng, then set the cutti ng depth. Center the bi t over the marks
for the morti se and adj ust the edge gui de to butt the extensi on
agai nst t he st i l e. Gri ppi ng t he rout er f i rml y wi t h bot h hands,
turn i t on and pl unge the bi t i nto the stock
(above,
l eft).
(l f you
are usi ng a conventi onal router, careful l y pi vot the tool ' s base
pl ate
on the stock to l ower the bi t.) Gui de the bi t from one end
of the morti se to the other. Make as many passes as necessary
to cut the morti se to the requi red depth. Then, square the ends
of the morti se usi ng a chi sel . Cut wi th the bevel ed edge of the
chisel facing into the mortise
(above,
righil.
f,
Cutting the grooves
r, f On t he rai l s and st i l es, mark l oca-
ti ons for the grooves that wi l l hol d the
panel . Then set up your t abl e saw wi t h
an auxi l i ary f ence and a dado head
the same wi dth as the groove. Pl ace the
edge of a rai l or a sti l e on the tabl e wi th
the dado head al i gned to run ri ght al ong
i ts mi ddl e, and adj ust the fence to butt
agai nst the stock. Use featherboards to
hol d t he workpi ece agai nst t he f ence
whi l e maki ng t he cut . To cut gr ooves
on the faces of the sti l es, keep the fence
i n the same
posi ti on:
use featherboards
bot h above and t o t he si des of t he
stock
(l eft),
and compl ete each pass
wi t h a oush st i ck.
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50
FRAME-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTION
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C()PE-AND.STICK J()INTS
1
Maki ng the cope cuts i n the rai l s
I Insert a copi ng bi t-al so known as
a rai l cut t er-wi t h a bal l -beari ng
pi l ot
i n a rout er, and mount t he machi ne i n a
router tabl e. You wi l l be cutti ng tongues i n
the ends of the rails to fit into grooves in the
st i l es. But t t he edge of t he rai l agai nst
the bit and adjust the router's depth setting
so that the top of the uppermost cutter
i s sl i ghtl y above the stock. Posi ti on the
f ence paral l el t o t he mi t er gauge sl ot
and i n l i ne wi t h t he edge of t he bi t pi l ot .
Make the cuts wi th a mi ter gauge f i tted
wi th an extensi on and wi th the end of the
stock butted up against the fence
(/eftl.
r)
Adjusting the height of the sticking bit
L lnstall a sticking bit---or stile cutter-
wi t h a bal l -beari ng
pi l ot . Thi s set up wi l l ,
i n a si ngl e procedure, shape the edges
of the strl es wi th a decorati ve orofi l e and
cut
grooves for the rai l s and the panel s.
To set the cutti ng hei ght, butt the end of
one of t he compl et ed rai l s agai nst t he
bi t , t hen adj ust t he spi ndl e set t i ng on
the router so that one of the teeth on the
bi t i s l evel wi t h t he t ongue on t he rai l
(ri ght).
Al i gn the fence wi th the edge
of t he bi t
pi l ot .
0
5 1
FRAME-AND-PANEL CONSTRUCTION
Q
Cutting the stiles
r-,1 To secure the workpi ece, cl amp a
featherboard to the router tabl e agai nst
the outsi de edge of the sti l e; for extra
support, secure a second featherboard
to the fence above the bi t. When feed-
i ng the workpi ece i nto the bi t
(above),
use a push sti ck to compl ete the
pass.
Il[ lllt llll lll flfl llll llll llll tl|I llll lll tlll lll ljll llll lll lllt llll
1HO? TI?
A ohop-bui l t mi ter gauge
l f you do nol have a
65_
mi l er qauqe or i f
your rouLer l abl e
i o mi eei ng a sl oI ,
you can u?e a
ohop- made j i qLo
qui de etock accu-
,a
ralely acroeo lhe
tabl e.Wi Nht,he
rouler Lable'e fence
al i qned wi Lh Nhe edge
of the bi t pi l ot, cuL a
board IhaI will over-
hang Lhe edqe of Nhe tabl e
by an i nch or Lwo when i t i e
bu|Ied aaainst the fence. )crew a
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ohort eu??ort pi ece to Nhi e board, counNersi nki nql he ocrew6.
Then, ecrew a Lhi rd board to the underei de of l he oupporL pi ece.Thi e
lael addibion will serve ae a guide, running alonq the edqe of Nhe table.
Oefore ueinq the jiq,
cuN a nolch into it by runninq it paeL Nhe biL.
52
MAKINGTHE PANEL
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p
anels to fit inside your fi'antes can be
I made of ei t her pl y' wood or edge-
glued boards
(page 20). To ensure that a
panelwill fit snugly in the grooves on the
rails and stiles, but stillhave a little room
to move as the wood expands and con-
tracts, i t i s made substi nti al l y thi nner
on the edges than it is in the middle. The
shape ofsuch a so-called raised panel is
achieved not by adding material at the
center but by cutti ng away thi ckness
at the edges.
There are several ways of making a
rai sed panel , dependi ng on the vi sual
effect
you wish to achieve. A common
method, examined in this section of the
book, involves beveling the edges ofthe
panelwith a table saw
(page 54)or router
(page
56). Raised panel cutters for the
router are availabe in several designs,
including cove and ogee, and in various
diameters. Make sure your router has at
least 2 horsepower to make such a cut.
Before raising a panel, cut it to size. As
shown below, this demands precision,
since there is little room for play in the
fit between the panel and the frame.
Akhough the design is different, beveling a panel's edges with
a router
(top)
or a table saw
(below)
achieves the sanre
ffict:
The center of the panel appears raised, while its edges are
sfficiently narrow to
fit
into a groove in the
frame.
CUTTING THE PANEL T() FIT
Cutti ng a
panel to si ze
Test -f i t t he rai l s and st i l es of t he f rame,
t hen measure t he openi ng bet ween t hem.
For a frame assembl ed wi th cope-and-sti ck
j oi nt s,
measure t he openi ng f rom t he back,
si nce t he mol di ng cut i nt o t he f ront of t he
f rame makes preci se cal cul at i on di f f i cul t .
Add Vz i nch t o each of t he di mensi ons
for the openi ng to al l ow for Ihe
r/q
i nch of
st ock al ong t he edges of t he panel t hat
f i t s i nt o t he
grooves i n t he rai l s and st i l es
(i nset). (The
dotted l i nes i n the i l l ustrati on
represent t he act ual edges of t he
panel ;
t he sol i d l i nes represent t he f rame open-
i ng. ) Cut t he panel on t he t abl e saw,
ri ppi ng f i rst , t hen crosscut t i ng. For t he
crosscut, screw a board to the mi ter gauge
as an ext ensi on, t hen hol d t he
panel f i rml y
against the extension and push them together,
feedins the stock into the blade
(left).
53
FRAME-AND
_PANEL
CONSTRUCTION
MAKING A RAISED PANET WITH A TABTE SAW
r)
Cutti ng wi th the grai n
L Setthe panel on edge and feed
i t i nt o t he bl ade, keepi ng t he back
f l ush agai nst t he f ence. Tur n t he
panel over t o cut t he r emai ni ng
edge
(ri ght).
Cutti ng i nto the end
gr ai n of t he panel f i r st - bevel i ng
t he t op and bot t om bef or e t he
si des-hel
ps
red uce tearout.
1
Cutti ng the end grai n
I To set the bl ade angl e, begi n by mark-
i ng a cut t i ng l i ne: Draw a 7a-i nch square
at t he bot t om corner, t hen mark a l i ne
from the front face of the panel through
t he i nsi de corner of t he square t o a poi nt
on the bottom edget/a i nch from the back
f ace
(i nset ).
Rest t he panel agai nst an
auxi l i ary wood fence and adj ust the angl e
of the bl ade unti l i t al i gns wi th the marked
l i ne. Adj ust t he bl ade hei ght unt i l one
tooth
j ust protrudes
beyond the front face
of t he panel , t hen cl amp a gurde bl ock t o
the panel to ri de al ong the top of the fence.
Feed t he panel i nt o t he bl ade, keepi ng i t
f l ush agai nst t he f ence wi t h your r i ght
hand whi l e pushi ng i t f orward al ong wi t h
the gui de bl ock wi th your l eft hand
(l eft).
Test -f i t t he cut end i n a groove.
l f l ess
than
l/q
inch of the panel enters the groove,
move the fence a l i ttl e cl oser to the bl ade
and make another pass. Repeat the cut at
t he ot her end of t he panel .
t
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Auxiliary fence
54
FRAM E-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTI ON
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Anqled
fence
12" x 3O"
Auxiliary
fence
9" x 30"
9upporL
A JIG F(lR GUTTING RAISED PANETS
To rai se a oanel on the tabl e saw wi th-
out adj ust i ng t he angl e of t he bl ade,
use t he shop-bui l t
j i g
shown at l ef t .
Refer to the illustration for suggested
di mensi ons.
Screw the l i p al ong the bottom edge
of t he angl ed f ence, maki ng sure t o
posi t i on
t he screws where t hey wi l l
not i nterfere wi th the bl ade. Prop the
angled fence against the auxiliary fence
at t he same angl e as t he cut t i ng l i ne
marked on the
panel (page
54I
(Use
a
sl i di ng bevel to transfer the angl e.) Cut
triangular-shaped supports to fit precise-
ly in the space between the two fences,
then fi x them i n pl ace wi th screws.
To use the
j i g, posi ti on i t on the saw
tabl e wi th the
j oi nt
between the l i p and
the angl ed fence di rectl y over the bl ade;
ensure that the screws are well clear of
the tabl e openi ng. Sl i de the ri p fence to
butt against the
jig's
auxiliary fence, and
screw the two together. Turn on the saw
and crank the bl ade sl owl y up to cut a
kerf through the l i p. Next, seat the
pan-
el i n the
j i g
and adj ust the hei ght of the
bl ade unti l a si ngl e tooth i s protrudi ng
beyond the front of the panel . Make
a test cut i n a scrap board the same
thi ckness as the
panel , feedi ng i t i nto
the bl ade and then testi ng i ts fi t i n a
groove. Adjust the position of the fence
or blade, if necessary. Then cut the actu-
al
panel ,
bevel i ng the si des wi th the end
grain tisl
(lefil.
55
FRAME-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTI O N
MAKING A RAISED PANET WITH A ROUTER
r)
Rai si ng the
panel
L Lowe, the
guard
over the bi t and
t urn on t he rout er. To mi ni mi ze t earout ,
cut i nt o t he end grai n
of t he panel f i rst ,
bevel i ng the top and bottom before the
si des. Whi l e r unni ng t he st ock past
t he
bi t, keep i t fl ush agai nst the fence wi th
your left hand and push it forward with your
righl
(right).
The outside face of the
pan-
el must be down on t he t abl e. Turn of f
t he rout er, t hen t est -f i t t he cut end i n
a groove. l f the panel si ts l ess than
t/q
i nch deep i nt o t he groove, i ncrease t he
cut t i ng dept h by 7e i nch and make
anot her oass.
1
Setting up the router
I Fi t a rout er wi t h a panel -rai si ng bi t ,
then mount the tool i n a router tabl e. To
ensure t hat t he cut t i ng wi dt h i s uni f orm,
posi t i on t he f ence paral l el
t o t he mi t er
gauge sl ot and i n l i ne wi t h t he edge of
t he bi t pi l ot . Wi t h t he rout er t urned of f ,
pl ace a scrap board al ong the fence and
across t he bi t t o check t he
posi t i on
of
the fence. The bi t pi l ot shoul d turn as the
board touches iI
(left);
adjust the fence's
posi ti on, i f necessary. Set the router for
a Va-inch deoth of cut.
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PUTTING THE PANEL IN THE FRAME
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f)
efore gluing up the rails, stiles and
I) panel , take the ti me to dry-fi t the
parts. Ifthe pieces do not fit perfectly,
make final adjustments, as necessary. A
slight shaving with a wood chisel will
usually do the trick.
Since the individual frame-and-panel
assembl y i s onl y one componeni of a
piece of furniture, some further planning
is required at this stage. You need to
decide which methods
you will use to
install a bottom panel
(page
60) and a
rop
(page
64). Some of the methods of
installing those components require you
ASSEMBLING THE FRAME-AND.PANEL
to bore oocket holes in the rails or rout
grooves in the rails and stiles. In either
case, the stock will have to be prepared
prior to gluing up.
A belt sander provides a quick and
efficient start in smoothing the sur-
faces
of a
ftame-and-panel.
Here, the
glued-up piece is clamped to a work
surface
for
sanding the
faces
of the
stiles and rails. The panel and the
inside edges of the raik and stiles
should be sanded prior to glue up.
' l
Test assembl i ng the
pi eces
I Joi n a rai l and a st i l e. t hen seat t he
panel
bet ween t hem. Set t he st i l e on a work sur-
face, and add the second rai l and sti l e
(abovd.
Mark each of the
j oi nts
usi ng a penci l to
hel p you i n t he f i nal assembl y, when you appl y t he gl ue. l f any of t he
j oi nt s
i s t oo t i ght ,
mark t he bi ndi ng spot s, di sassembl e t he pi eces and use a wood chi sel t o pare away some
wood at t he i l l -f i t t i ng
j oi nt .
Assembl e t he f rame agai n. Once you are sat t sf i ed wi t h t he f i t ,
di sassembl e t he f rame and sand any surf aces t hat wi l l be di f f i cul t t o reach once t he
assembl y has been gl ued up.
57
r)
Appl yi ng the gl ue
I Vt aV, e f our cl ampi ng bl ocks, cut t i ng
t hem as l ong as t he rai l s are wi de and as
wi de as t he st i l es are t hi ck. Lay out al l of
t he component s i n t hei r rel at i ve posi t i ons
wi t h t hei r out si de surf aces f aci ng down.
For mor t i se- and- t enon
j oi nt s,
squeeze
gl ue i nt o t he mort i ses and on t he t enon
cheeks and shoul ders; f or cope-and-st i ck
l or nt s,
appl y gl ue t o al l t he cont act i ng
surf aces. I n ei t her case, use
j ust
enough
adhesi ve to cover the surfaces compl etel y
when i t i s spread out evenl y
(ri ght).
Do
not i nsert gl ue i n t he panel grooves;
t he
panel
must be f ree t o move wi t hi n t hese
j oi nt s.
Af t er appl yi ng t he gl ue, assembl e
t he f rame-and-panel .
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Q
r-,1 Lay two bar cl amps on the work surface and pl ace
the
gl ued-up
assembl y f ace down on t hem, al i gni ng t he rai l s
wrt h t he bars. To keep t he cl amps f rom f al l i ng over, prop
t hem up i n not ched wood bl ocks. Pl ace cl ampi ng bl ocks
between the sti l es and the
j aws
of the cl amps to avoi d mar-
ri ng the stock and to di stri bute the pressure evenl y al ong the
l oi nt .
Ti ght en each cl amp i n t urn
j ust
enough t o cl ose
the
j oi nts (l eft),
Ihen use a try square to make sure that the
corners of the frame are at 90' angl es. Conti nue ti ghteni ng
t he cl amps unt i l a t hi n bead of gl ue
j oi nt s,
checki ng f or square as you go.
0nce t he gl ue has
dri ed, remove t he cl amps. Prot ect i ng t he surf ace wi t h
a wood pad, cl amp t he assembl y t o a work surf ace. Use a
pai nt
scraper t o remove any dri ed gl ue t hat remai ns on t he
wood, pul l i ng the scraper al ong each
l oi nI
(i nset).
Notched
wood block
5B
ASSEMBLING A FRAME,-AND-PANE,L CASE,
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ith a few variations, you can repeat
the procedures shown on pages 57
and 5B to
j oi n i ndi vi dual frame-and-
panel assemblies into a piece of furniture.
A single frame and panel make up the
back of a small cabinet. The front is put
together i n roughl y the same way usi ng
mortise-and-tenon
joints.
On this side,
however, there is no panel in the frame,
but a median rail runnine between the
stiles. In this situation, the rails and stiles
can be
j oi ned wi th standard morti se-
and-tenons
(page
104), rather than the
haunched vari ety used for the other
three sides.
The side assemblies are identical to
the back, except for one feature: Instead
of having stiles of their own, the sides
fit into the stiles of the front and back
assemblies. Ifyou are using mortise-and-
tenon
joints,
as in the piece of furniture
shown below and on the following pages,
the tenons of the side rails fit into mor-
tises cut into the inside faces of the stiles;
i or cope-and-sti ck
j oi nts,
tongues cut i n
the rails fit in grooves routed in the stiles.
In both cases, the panels fit into grooves
routed along the inside faces ofthe fiont
and back stiles and the edees ofthe rails
between them.
GLUI NG UP A CABI NET
Putti ng the case together
Test -f i t t he case as you woul d when dry assembl i ng a si ngl e
frame-and-panel si de
(page
57), then sand the i nsi de surfaces
of al l t he pi eces. Appl y gl ue t o t he
j oi nt s-wt t h
t he excep-
ti on of the
grooves that hol d the panel s-and make your fi nal
assembl y: Set t he back of t he cabi net f ace down and f i t t he
f our si de rai l s i nt o i t s st i l es. I nst al l t he t wo si de panel s i n t he
groove i n t he back st i l es and t he i nsi de edges of t he si de rai l s,
Fi nal l y,
put on t he f ront , pl aci ng t he mort i ses i n t he st i l es over
t he haunched t enons on t he si de rai l s. Set t he case upri ght and
i nst al l f our bar cl amps runni ng f rom f ront t o back over t he rai l s,
protecti ng the surfaces of the sti l es wi th wood pads. Ti ghten the
cl amps euenl y
(ri ght)
unti l a thi n
gl ue bead squeezes out of the
j oi nt s.
Use a measur i ng t ape t o check whet her t he case i s
square, measuri ng t he di st ance bet ween opposi t e corners;
t he t wo measurement s shoul d be equal . l f not , i nst al l anot her
bar cl amp across t he l onger of t he t wo di agonal s, set t i ng t he
cl amp
j aws
on t hose al ready i n pl ace. Ti ght en t he cl amp a l i t -
t l e at a t i me, measuri ng as you go (bel ow)
unt i l t he t wo di ago-
nal s are equal . Once t he
gl ue has dri ed, remove t he cl amps and
use a
pai nt scraper to remove any dri ed adhesi ve.
INSTALLING A BOTTOM PANEL
''l"t
here are several ways to install a bot-
I
tom on a fi'ame-and-panel case. One
method that is popular among ctrbinet-
makers calls for grooves along the inside
faces of the bottom rai l s and the sti l es
pri or to gl ui ng up the i ndi vi dual frarre-
and-panel assemblies. The grooves can be
made with a dado head on the table saw,
and they should fall about 1 inch from
the top edge of the bottom rai l s. They
should be about 7z inch wide and half as
deep as the thickness ofthe stock; stop
the groove in the stiles at the point where
the si de rai l s butt up agai nst them. To
install the panel, narrow its edges slightly
wi th a pl ane, al l owi ng the pi ece to fi t
snugly in the grooves, but not corrpletely
rest ri ct i ng i t s movenrent .
Another type of i nstal l ati on, shown
below, relies on ledger strips, which are
screwed to the bottom rai l s. Wi th thi s
approach, the bottom can be i nstal l ed
after gl ue up. Usi ng ei ther method, the
bottom i s made from the same stock
used for the rest of the case. Make the
width of the panel slightly narrower than
its opening to allow for wood expansion.
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ATTACHING THE PANEL
Instal l i ng l edger stri ps
Saw f our 1- i nch- squar e l edger st r i os t o f i t al ong t he r ai l s at t he
bot t om of t he cabi net , cut t i ng t hem sl r ght l y shor t t o make t hem
easi er t o i nst al l . Bor e t wo set s of hol es i n each st r i p: one i n
t he cent er al ong one edge, f or scr ewi ng t he st r i p t o t he case, and
anot her t o t he si de of an adj acent edge f or at t achi ng t he bot -
t om panel .
Bor e t he hol es i n t wo st eps wi t h t wo di f f er ent br ad-
poi nt
bi t s: one bi t sl i ght l y l ar ger t han t he di amet er of t he scr ew
heads f or r ecessi ng t he f ast ener s and anot her bi t sl i ght l y l ar ger
t han t he di amet er of t he scr ew shanks t o pr ovi de
cl ear ance
hol es.
( The
wi der hol e wr l l al l ow f or movement . ) Posi t i on t he
st r i ps on t he i nsi de sur f ace of a r ai l about 1 i nch f r om i t s t op
edge and mar k t he posi t i ons
of t he scr ew hol es wi t h an awl .
Bor e a pi l ot hol e f or a No. 8 scr ew at each mar ked poi nt , t hen
use a dr i l l f i t t ed wi t h a scr ewdr i ver bi t t o f ast en t he st r i ps t o
t he case
( above.
l ef t ) . f o i nst al l t he bot t om panel ,
set t he case
on i t s back. Hol di ng t he panel f l ush agai nst t he st r i ps wi t h one
hand, screw the bottom panel i n pl ace (above,
rrght).
60
SHELVING
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tf
h. number and placement of shelves
I i n a frame-and-oanel cabi net wi l l
depend on the use you have in mind for
the furni ture. If the cabi net wi l l hol d
books, for example, you may need fewer
shelves than if it will be the nlace for vour
comoact di scs.
eithough some shelf-support systems
can be put in place after the cabinet is
glued up, a little advance planning will
make the installation easier. First, choose
between fixed and stationary shelves;
each has its advantages.
Fixed shelves can add to the structural
integrity of a case, but once installed they
cannot be moved. One way to install per-
manent shelves is to mount cleats on the
frame inside the cabinet and then screw
the shelving to them. Fixed shelves can
I NSTALLI NG ADJUSTABTE SHELVES
1
Maki ng the corner stri ps
I Ri p a board to a 4-i nch-wi dth and then cut i t to l engh to
reach f rom t op t o bot t om i nsi de t he cabi net . I nst al l a dado
head on t he radi al arm saw, set t i ng t he bl ades t o a wi dt h t o
accommodate the thi ckness of the shel f supports
@age
62)
St art i ng at t he end t hat wi l l be at t he bot t om of t he cabi net ,
cut a dado across t he board f or t he l owest shel f . Sl i de t he
board al ons t he f ence t o cut t he second dado at t he next
also be glued into dadoes routed in the
frame before the cabinet is assembled.
While adjustable shelves do not add
strength to a pi ece of furni ture, they
allow greater flexibility. As in simple car-
case construction, adjustable shelves are
commonly held in place with wooden
dowel pins, plastic or metalshelf pins, or
adjustable shelf standards. The method
shown below and on the following pages
uses corner strips and wooden supports.
Notched corner strips allow
shelf supports-and the shelves
that rest on them-to be shift-
ed easily to different levels.
shel f posi t i on. Bef ore maki ng t he cut , t o make dadoes t he
same di st ance aoart . dri ve a screw i nt o t he f ence wi t h t he
head of the fastener agai nst the l eft edge of the fi rst dado.
Then cut t he second dado and sl i de t he board al ong unt rl
t he l ef t edge of t hi s dado i s up agai nst t he screw head. Cut
t he remai ni ng dadoes i n t hi s f ashi on
(abovd,
t hen ri p t he
board i nt o f our equal st ri ps.
6 l
FRAME-AND
-
PANEL CONSTRUCTION
r")
Instal l i ng the corner stri ps
Z Cut a rabbet at the bottom end of
each corner st ri p t o al l ow i t t o si t on t he
bottom of the cabi net whi l e fi tti ng around
t he rai l . To mount t he st ri ps, bore t wo
screw hol es i n each of them near the ends.
Make t he hol es on a dri l l press i n a t wo-
step procedure as for l edger stri ps i n the
bottom of a cabinet
(page
60). Position
each stri p i n a corner of the cabi net, mak-
i ng sure t hat t he dadoes f ace t he i nt eri -
or as shown. Mark t he screw hol es i n
t he st i l es usi ng an awl , t hen bore a
pi l ot
hol e for a No. 8 screw at each ooi nt. Use
a screwdri ver to fasten the stri o to the
cabinel
(lefl.
t
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Inserting the shelf supports
Measure the di stance between the
front and back sti l es on both si des of the
cabi net . Cut shel f support s t o f i t t he gaps
between matchi ng pai rs of dadoes. Make
sure that the supports are wi de enough to
buttress the shel ves properl y, and test-fi t
lhem
(right)
to ensure that they fit snugly
i n t he dadoes.
62
FRAME-AND
-PANEL
CONSTRUCTION
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Cutti ng the shel vi ng to fi t
Use pl ywood or edge- gl ued boar ds
to make the shel vi ng, cutti ng each pi ece
to
si ze on a t abl e saw so t hat t he ends wi l l
be f l ush agai nst t he cabi net si des and
the edges wi l l butt agai nst the sti l es. Add
edge bandi ng t o t he vi si bl e edge i f you
are usi ng pl ywood (page
39). To make a
shel f f i i , set i t on t op of t he corner st ri ps
and out l i ne t hei r shape on t he undersi de
of t he shel f . Then, secur e t he shel f i n
a vi se and cut out t he cor ner s wi t h a
backsaw
(right).
With edge-glued shelving,
you have t he opt i on of rout i ng a decora-
t i ve mol di ng cont our al ong t he f r ont
pd, oe< ( c. t pn
5)
f,
Routi ng a mol di ng
r.,f Pl ace the shel ves momentarrl y i nsi de
t he cabi net , and mar k t wo l i nes on t he
front edge of each one to indicate the begin-
ni ngs and ends of t he mol di ngs. Draw a
t hi r d l i ne f or t he desi r ed dept h of cut .
Pr ot ect i ng t he shel f wi t h a wood pad,
cl amp i t t o a work surf ace. Fi t a rout er
wi t h an edge-shapi ng bi t , i hen set t he
dept h of cut . Gr i ppi ng t he r out er f i r ml y
wi th both hands and resti ng i ts base pl ate
on t he shel f , t urn on t he t ool . Move t he
bi t pi l ot up agai nst t he edge of t he shel f
and gui de t he rout er agai nst t he di rect i on
of its bit rotation to cut the moldine 1efil.
63
INSTALLINGATOP
T
ike the bottom, the top of a frame-
I: and-panel cabinet is made from the
same stoik as the rest of the piece, usu-
ally individual boards edge-glued togeth-
er. To determine the size, measure the
frame and add the width of any molding
you plan to install under the lip. Also
take into consideration a small amount
of overhang at the front and sides. Unless
the cabinetwillbe featured in the middle
of a room, make the top panel flush with
the back ofthe case.
Four common methods of attaching
tops are illustrated below One technique
features rabbeted blocks. called
"but-
tons," which fit into a groove cut around
the top rails. Metal fasteners can be used
in the same way. Ledger strips, such as
those used to attach a bottom
panel
to
the cabinet, will work equally well for
securing a top. Another method calls for
the creation ofpocket holes in the rails
before the case is glued up.
Whatever approach you choose, allow
some play in anticipation of wood move-
ment; otherwi se, the top wi l l buckl e,
warp and force the frame apart. Also,
remember to install any drawer-hanging
hardware (page
92) before putting the
top on the cabinet.
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TOP-FASTENING
()PTIONS
Wood buttons Metal faatenera ?ocket holea Ledger eti l pa
WOOD BUTTONS TO LATCH
()N
A T(lP
1
Cutting a groove in the top rails
I Fi t a rout er wi t h a t hree-wi ng sl ot -
t i ng cut t er and set t he t ool ' s cut t i ng
depth for abouI3/t i nch. Protecti ng the
surface of the cabi net wi th wood pads,
use bar cl amps t o hol d a gui de
board
fl ush al ong the edge on whi ch the router
wi l l be ri di ng; t hi s wi l l provi de a surf ace
to brace the tool as you
cut the groove.
For each rai l , gui de
the router al ong the
top edge, moving from left to right
(lef\.
Reposi ti on the edge gui de before cutti ng
subseouent si des of t he cabi net .
64
FRAME-AND- PANEL CONSTRUCTION
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r)
Making the buttons
L
you
wi l l need to produce a seri es of 1-i nch-square buttons-
at l east three for each si de and one for about every 6 i nches for
l arger t ops. You can mass-produce t hese pi eces f rom a si ngl e
board, but choose stock of a thi ckness equal to the gap between
t he bot t om of t he groove
cut i n st ep i and t he t op of t he rai l s,
l ess %o i nch. Cut a3/ ri nch rabbet at each end of t he board.
Then ri p t he board i nt o 1-i nch-wi de st ri ps and cut of f t he but -
tons about l % i nches from the ends
(l nsef).
To make hol es i n
t he but t ons f or i nst al l at i on, use a
3/ ro-i nch
bi t and a corner
j i g
fashi oned from a scrap of
3/ri nch
pl ywood and L-shaped sup-
port bracket s. Cl amp t he
j i g
t o t he dri l l press t abl e and st eady
t he but t ons wi t h a push st i ck. Bore t hrough t he cent ers of t he
buttons on the unrabbeted norti on
(ahove)
Instal l i ng the buttons
Set the cabi net top face down on a work surface, and
posi t i on t he case upsi de down on t op of i t . Al i gn t he back
of t he cabi net wi t h t he back edge of t he t op and cent er
the case between i ts si des. Fi t the rabbeted ends of three
but t ons i nt o t he groove i n t he rai l at t he back of t he cabi -
net , posi t i oni ng
one i n t he mi ddl e and t he ot her t wo near
t he ends. Leave a %o-i nch gap bet ween t he l i pped ends
of the buttons and the bottom of the groove
to al l ow for
movement of t he wood. Dri ve screws wi t h a dri l l t o f ast en
the bui tons i n
pl ace (l eft).
Wood button
65
FRAME_AND_ PANEL CONSTRUCTION
Squari ng the top
l nst al l a bar cl amo acr oss t he f r ont of
t he case al i sni ns t he har wi t h t he f r ont
rai l . Usi ng wood pads t o f ocus pressure
on t he corners, but t one
j aw
of t he cl amp
on the edge of the top and the other
j aw
on
the front sti l e. To test for souare. measure
t he gap bet ween t he edge of t he cabi net
and t he edge of t he t op at several poi nt s
on bot h si des. The gap shoul d be uni f orm.
l f i t i s not, ti ghten the cl amp
(ri ght)
unl i l
t he t op i s correct l y posi t roned on t he case.
l nstal l the remai ni ng buttons
(page
65), at
l east t hree ner si de. The but t ons on t he
si des shoul d be fi rml y seated i n the groove;
t he but t ons on t he f ront -l i ke t hose on
t he back-shoul d be backed of f sl i ght l y
from the bottom of the sroove.
P()CKET HOTES
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1
Bori ng hol es wi t h a commerci al
j i g
I Use a dri l l t o bore hol es i n t wo st eps
wi t h t wo di f f er ent br ad- poi nt bi t s: one
sl i ght l y l ar ger t han t he di amet er of t he
screw heads, so they can be recessed, and
one a l i ttl e l arger than the screw shanks to
al l ow a l i t t l e movement . Cl amo a st oo
bl ock t o a wor k sur f ace, t hen f i t t he f i r st
bi t on t he dr i l l . Wr ap a st r i p of maski ng
t ape ar ound t he bi t t o mar k t he dr i l l i ng
depth. Butt the top edge of an upper rai l for
t he cabi net agai nst t he st op bl ock, i nsi de
surface up, and cl amp a commerci al pocket
hol e
j i g
cl ose t o one end. Hol di ng t he r ai l
f i rml y, bore t he hol e, st oppi ng when t he
st ri p of t ape t ouches t he
j i g.
Reposi t i on t he
j i g
to bore another hol e at the mi ddl e
(/eff)
and a t hi rd one near t he ot her end. Fi t t he
second bi t on t he dri l l and bore t he cl ear-
ance hol es i n t he same manner.
66
FRAME-AND_ PANEL CONSTRUCTION
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t')
Aftaching the top
L Once t he cabi net has been gl ued
up
(page
59), set the top face down
on a work surf ace, and posi t i on t he
case upsi de down on i t as you woul d
when i nstal l i ng wood buttons
(page
65). Fi I a dri l l wi t h a screwdri ver bi t
and dri ve screws t o at t ach t he back
rai l of t he cabi net t o t he t op
(/ ef f ).
Square t he cabi net t op t he same way
you woul d when i nst al l i ng wood but -
tons
(page
66), Ihen drive screws
t hr ough t he r emai ni ng r ai l s.
SECURING A T()P WITH LEDGER STRIPS
Instal l i ng the wood stri ps
Cut four l edger stri ps and bore two sets
of hol es i n them for mounti ng
(page
60).
To i nst al l t he t op, f i rst screw t he st ri ps i n
pl ace fl ush wi th the top edges of the upper
rai l s of the cabi net
(ri ght).
fhen, set the
too oanel face down on a work surface and
pl ace t he cabi net i n posi t i on on t op of i t .
Screw the too to the stri o attached to the
back rail and square the top
(page
60. Run
screws through the remai ni ng l edger stri ps.
Ledqer etrip
67
FRAME_AND
_
PANEL CONSTRUCTION
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ti o.^
9upporl; bracket
1
1/ 2"
x 1t / 2" x 4' / 2"
Jig baee
A POCKET H()IE JIG
Use a pocket hol e
j i g,
shop-bui l t
from %-inch plywood, to bore pock-
et hol es on a dri l l press. Ref er t o
the illustration at left for suggested
di mensi ons. For t he
j i g,
screw
together the two si des of the cradl e
to form an L. Cut a 90' wedge from
each support bracket so t hat t he
wi de si de of t he cradl e i s angl ed
about 15" f rom t he vert i cal when
i t si t s i n t he bracket s. Screw t he
bracket s t o t he
j i g
base and gl ue
the cradl e to the brackets.
To use the
j i g,
seat the pi eces to
be dri l l ed i n t he cradl e wi t h t hei r
i nsi de surf aces f aci ng out and t hei r
t op edges i n t he V of t he cradl e.
Bore the hol es i n two steps wi th
two di fferent bi ts as descri bed i n
st ep 1, page 66. I n t hi s case, use
a Forstner bi t and a brad-poi nt bi t.
Wi t h t he brad-poi nt bi t i n t he
chuck, posi t i on
t he
j i g
on t he dri l l
oress tabl e so that the bi t wi l l exi t
i n the center of the top edge of the
rai l . Cl amp t he
j i g
t o t he t abl e and
i nstal l the Forstner bi t i n the chuck.
Hol di ng t he workpi ece f i rml y i n
t he
j rg,
f eed t he bi t sl owl y t o bore
t hree hol es i nt o t he rai l
j ust
deep
enough to recess the screw heads.
Then, i nst al l t he brad-poi nt bi t i n
t he chuck and bore t hrough t he
workpi ece to compl ete the pocket
holes
(/efi,
bottom).
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6B
INSTALLING MOLDING
PREPARING AND INSTALLING MOLDING
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1
.
' het hel
i t i s st ore-bought or shop-
" '
rnade, rnol di rrg f ul f i l l s a key rol e
for the cabinetmaker. On a frame-and-
panel cabi net , i t s pri nci pal f unct i on
i s to hi de the
j oi nt
between the top and
the rails, creating the illusion of a seam-
l ess connecti on. But mol di ng al so gi ves
a pi ece of furni ture a decorati ve and
distinctive look.
By shapi ng t he edges of a pi ece of
hardwood with a router or-as shown
below and on the following pages-with
a table sau you can transform some of
the same stock used for the cabinet into
attractive moidings. Crown, cove, bead
and ogee curve are
just
a few of the com-
mon profiles used in cabir-retmaking.
Wren cutting the moldings, make the
final oass a verv shallow one at halfthe
speedof previoirr pos.r. Such a finishing
touch should
produce
a smooth finish
that will requiie only minimal sanding.
The rr t old i r t g
.fo
r ilt i s
.fitt
t r r c- a r rcl-
pttrrcl cctltinet wos ctft ort a taltle sttw
eryipped witlt o set of ogec krrives.
1
Cut t i ng t he mol di ng on a t abl e saw
I Sel ect a boar d l ong enough t o yi el d mol di ngs f or t wo si des
and t he f r ont of t he cabi net . Af t er f i t t i ng out a mol di ng head
wi t h t he appr opr i at e cut t er s, scr ew an auxi l i ar y f ence t o t he
met al r i p f ence. Wi t h t he met al f ence cl ear of t he mol di ng
head, posi t i on t he auxi l i ar y f ence over t he t abl e openi ng and
t ur n on t he saw. Cr ank up t he head t o cut a not ch i n t he wood.
To secur e t he wor kpi ece, cl amp f eat her boar ds t o t he f ence
above t he mol di ng head and t o t he saw { 3[ l s [ s3r i no
aoai nci
t he edge of t he st ock. Then, r ai se t he cut t er s 7s i nch above t he
t abl e and f eed t he wor kpi ece i nt o t he mol di ng head. Fi ni sh t he
pass wi t h a push st i ck. For a deeper cut , make addi t i onal
pass-
es, r ai si ng t he cut t er s
r / a
i nch at a t i me. Repeat t he
pr ocedur e t o
shape the opposi te edge of the workpi ece
(above).
Instal l a com-
bi nat i on bl ade on t he saw, t hen r i p t he mol di ng f r om t he edges
of t he st ock. Cut t he mol di ng t o l en$h f or one si de of t he cabi -
net , maki ng a 45' mi t er at one end of t he pi ece.
69
FRAME-AND- PANEL CONSTRUCTION
Q
r-J Protecti ng the opposi te si de of
t he cabi net wi t h wood pads,
i nst al l
two cl amps across the top of the case.
To hol d t he mol di ng f i rml y, pl ace
t he
cl ampi ng bl ock bet ween t he mol di ng
and t he wood pads. Ti ght en each
cl amp a l i ttl e at trme
(ri ght)unIi l
a
t hi n bead of gl ue
l oi nt .
Remove any excess adhesi ve.
r' )
l nstal l i ng the mol di ng on one si de
L Cutfour wood
pads
and two short
pi eces
of mol di ng t o serve as speci al
cl ampi ng bl ocks. Turned upsi de down,
t he bl ocks wi l l mesh wi t h t he mol di ng
bei ng gl ued i n pl ace. Appl y an even l ayer
of adhesi ve to the back of the mol di ng,
bei ng careful not to sl op any gl ue
on the
t op edge. The decorat i ve t ri m shoul d
bond t o t he rai l s, not t o t he t op of t he
cabi net . Posi t i on t he mol di ng on t he
side rail
(left),
makingsure that it butts
agai nst t he cabi net t op and t hat i t s
mi tered end i s fl ush wi th the front sti l e.
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70
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I nst al l i ng mol di ng
on the cabi net front
Wi t h t he pi ece of si de mol di ng st i l l
cl amped t o t he cabi net , measur e t he
wi dt h of t he f r ont of t he case. Cut a
pi ece of mol di ng sl i ght l y l onger t han
t hi s wi dt h, maki ng a 45' mi t er cut
at t he end t hat wi l l but t agai nst t he
mol di ng al ready i n pl ace. Hol d t he new
pi ece i n pl ace and use a
penci l t o
mark a cut t i ng l i ne on t he unmi t ered
end
(above),
angl i ng out from the cor-
ner. Cut t he pi ece of mol di ng t o l engt h,
maki ng a 45" mi t er i n l i ne wi t h your
cut t i ng mark. Once t he gl ue f or t he si de
pi ece has dri ed, remove t he cl amps and
i nst al l t he pi ece of f ront mol di ng
(page
70). Repeat the
process to cut and install
t he r emai ni ng
pi ece of mol di ng.
llll l.lt illl llt llll ilIl llll illt lllr rlli l1ll llll lllr llll r]lJ lltl l]11 lllt
1HO? Tt?
An alternalive mei'hod
f or al ampi ng on mol di ngo
To oi mVl i f y Nhe cl ampi nq
operal i on, maKe two
Nri angul ar wood
Vado,
whi ch wi l l enabl e you t o
uoe C cl amVs t o hol d
l he mol di nq i n pl ace.
Gl ue a ebri p of oandpaper
l o the edqe of each pad
to
Vrevenl
i t' from el i pVi nq
when cl ampi nq
?reeoure
i e aVVl i ed.
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f
n.rr.n.., a drawer is nothing more
I than a boxwithout a top-a front, a
bach two sides and abottom. Individual
examples, however, belie this simplicity.
They run the gamut from the modern
kitchen drawer slamming shut on metal
slides to the drawer of a well-made
Victorian desk whispering home with a
nearlyairtight sigh. The former is often
an anonymous, interchangeable unit
with a false front. The latter may be a
finicky individual precisely fit to an
opening in a particularpiece offumiture,
its unique face blending beautifrrlly with
the grain of the wood surrounding it.
Pulled open, a drawer reveals more of
is personality. Each of is five pieces may
be cut from a differentwood. The front,
which shows most, is chosen for its
D
Sized to
fitbetuveen
grooves cut in
the sides of a drmuer, a plywood
bottom panel slides into position.
The panel will bottom out in a
groove in the
front
and be nailed to
the back to secure it in
place.
jamming
or chattering. As with
joinery
mounting a drawer offers many choices
(page
87). Every method must support
the drawet prevent it from tipping as it
is pulled out and stop it as it slides
home. The perfect drawer will glide
nearly out, then hesitate a bit; drawer
stops
(page
95) prevent the unit from
being inadvertently pulled all the way
out or pushed too far in.
Different types of furniture demand
different methods of mounting drawers.
In carcases, drawers can be side-mount-
ed: grooves routed in their sides slide
on thin strips of wood attached directly
to the cabinet sides. They can also be
supported by a U-shaped frame with
runners at the sides and a rail at the
front. Here, the drawer slides on the bot-
species, color and grain; the thinner sides for longwear; the back
for strengh; the bottom for stability.
Not only is the front the most visible part of a drawet it also
takes the most abuse. As you will discover in the
joinery
sec-
tion of this chapter
(page
76), keeping it attached to the sides
requires a durable, solid
joint.
Front-to-side
joints
range from
the utilitarian rabbet
joint
to the handsome, hand-cut half-
blind dovetail. The rabbet is quick and easy to cut; producing
the dovetail can be an art form in itself.
The
joint
between the back and sides also requires strength,
but it shows less, so simpler
joints
such as dadoes suffice. lastly,
the bottom slides into grooves in the sides and front.
A drawer's most basic function is to hold things. But it must
also slip in and out of the piece of furniture housing it without
tom edges of its sides-a traditional technique called bottom-
run. In frame-and-panel cases, drawer supports sit on strips
attached to the frames only.
Commercial metal drawer slide runners-like those found
on file drawers-provide a wheeled side-mounting option.
One-half of the hardware attaches to the carcase and the other
half to the drawer sides. Used extensively in kitchen cabinet-
work, meal slides can support great weight and provide access
to the very back of the drawer.
Whether meant to hold pajamas in a quickly made child's
chest or nightgowns in an heirloom highboy, drawers will form
an integral part of many ofyour cabinetmaking projects. Each
of the thousands of times someone opens one of these drawers,
he or she will be reminded of the care
you
took to build them.
Set offby the simplicity of ametallic singJe-pullhandle,
a solid wood drau,er glides smoothly in and out of a
frame-
and-panel cabinet. Grooves routed into the drawer sides
run along supports attached to the
frame
of the cabinet.
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73
ANATOMY OF A DRAWTR
rruvcl nrrrl i i nq corrsi sts o1' tl l ' ce tl i s
t i nct st cps:
j oi ni nu
l l oar cl s t ogct hcr '
l o l i l r nr r t bor , nr oLur t i ng t hc cl r r r n' cr i n
, r pi ccc o1' f i r nr i t t r r c and i nsl i r l l i ns hi l r d-
n' rrrc. Each stcp ntLl st [rc pcrfi rl ntccl pre-
ci scl v i f .r cl l arvcr i s to contbi nc
ql acc
ancl
st r ut qt h, gl i di ng snr oot hl v i n a pi ccc ol '
f i r r ni t ul c i vhi I c [ r ci nq st ul t l v cnoLr qh t o
bcal t hc r vci ght ol ' i t s cont cnt s.
. \ l t hoLr sh vi r t ur r I l v al l t l r . r r ve l s shI r c
thc basi c l ci rturcs of thc onc sl rtxvn bcl orv
Iar/i f i ./, the l c rrrc i rn i l rri tv ol ' r' i rri ati ons.
DRAWER FRONTS
l l cl i r r c nr r r l i i n{ \ 1) ur l l r st cLr t , consi cl er '
t hc opt i ons f i r l cach st cp. I r or cr i r nt pl c,
i ' r ' or r i r r l onq t hc
j oi nt s
i l l ust r r r t ccl at
r i sht , t hcr c i s onc t o sat i sl \ ' r ' i r t Lr r r l l r ' . r ny
l ct l Lr i l cnr cnt . F. ach
i oi nt
h. t s di l - l cr cnt
chrrrrtctcri sti cs i n trrnts of stt' cngth .l tcl
cl Lrrrrbi l i tr, l o' cl ol ' d i l l l cLrl tri ani i .rppci l r-
ancc i rnd sui ti rbi Ii tv ti rr di fl cre nt tvpcs of
stocl i i rncl l i rrni tLrrl c. \i l u can .rl l ori pcr-
son.rl prcl crcncc to
gui ci c
vour scl ccti on,
l r t t t t t t . t ] i . ' \ Ul ' L ' \ o l l
. 1 t , , , ' r . , J : l t o I l i r r i t t l
to i ttti tch thc cl l au' cr l l -ont to thc si tl cs.
' l ' hi s
i s t hc p. u' t ol ' t hc dl r t r v c t ' t hi t t
cndul cs t hc nr ost sl r css.
' l
hc sLr cccss ol ' t hc ci r i t i vcr nt oLr nt i ng
opct' ati on hi nqcs on horv rvcl l thc cl ran' cr
hr r s bccn pu1 t oqct hcr ' .
' l ' hr cc
di l ' l t r cnt
Inethocl s ti rr ntoLrnti nq rr rl rarr' cl i n i r ci rr
cr l sc ar c shon' i . r r n t hi s chapt cr { 1r e/ or r l
r . i q/ r t ) i r s n' cl l i r s onc t ccl t ni quc sui t abl c
f i l r i r anr c- i r ni l - pancl cr i bi nct s. ' \ I t housh
cach nr ct hot l per nr i t s sor r c i r cl j Lr st nt cnt ,
i r dri uvcl out ol stpri rrc l rv i t u' i dc nr.rrgi n
r vi l l [ r c al nr ost i r r pl r 55j b[ ' t o i nst . r l l .
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False
front:
' \ .sr' lrrltt/t'
l r or r l
i s t t Lr i l t ' t l ot ' t ' r t l r t '
sl r t rt l t r rt t I
. l )
o t rl ; crrl rrt i / -s
ct t t l
l t
t t i t t of rl i ' rt t rt ' r' -si r/ t ' -s
Lipped
frorrt:
,\ rttblrt'tt'd
l r ot t l
L' t
( ol r s
t r l i p t l t t r t
. \ (' i '
j ' c-i
. / -\ Lt t l o t ' t ' r I t t t t t ! ;
t r sc.l t r I
.lit
r co r t t't'Lrl i r r! t'o r r r
-
t t t t'rt' i tt I r t l I I t t(' t : tt'l t c t t l I tt'
t l rt t rcr i . r ci o, st ' r/ ; l i p pt r-
I
or t t r s t l t t t r l t l c t l t t I t ' t t s
{ / i i i l 1t ' i - _\ / ( ) f ) .
Fl ush
f r o
nt : , ' \ / hr r ' - s / / r r '
t l t t t t t ' t ' r t t t
. l
i t t ' t t t i rr: l v
t t ' i t l t i r t l l t c ct r bi r t t ' l ; r t l so
/ ' i i , , r r ' i i , i : r 1 l l i / i i ( ' 1 { / / , / l l i l
Drawer alide
?ita in qroove routed
in drawer side; Ecrewed
to carcaae aide panel
Bot'tom panel
/
Ty pically' /.
-
i nc h plywood :
fiLa in
4roove
rauted in
drawer aides and front
71
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DRAWER JOINTS
Rabbet
For back-to-eide
jointa on moat draw'
ers; alao etron4
enough for joininq the
front to the aidee if
reinforced with screwe
or naila; auitable for
aolid wood or plyvvood
Through dovetail
1tron4, decorative joint
for any drawer corner;
end qrain of drawer
aidea can be concealed
with fal6e front; appro-
pdate for aolid wood
but not plSwood
DRAWERS
Half-blind dovetail
The traditional
joint
for connectin4 the
front to the aidea;
conceala end qrain of
eidea; euitable only
for aolid wood
Dado
Can be uaed to
join the front to the
aidea and the back
to the sidea; for aolid
wood or plywood
Double dado
For any corner of
ematl, liqht-duty
drawer; conceala end
qrain of aideo and
front; auitable only
for aolid wood
Drawer
back
Drawer front
Typically thicker
than eidee, back
and bottom; may
be covered by a
falae front
Drawer eide
Joined to front
and back with
any of a variety
of jointe; qroove
ahown meshea
with drawer alide
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DRAWER-MOUNTING METH(|DS
5ide-mounted
Wooden slidee acrewed
to carcaae oide panela
run in
4roovee
routed in
drawer sidea
Eot'tom-run
Drawer slidea on rail and runner
aaaembly. Twin tenone at enda
of rail are glued into double mor-
tiges cut into carcaae
panelg:
one ed4e of runnera ia iabbeted
and fita into groove cut into panele
Commeraial slide
runner5
Metal alidea acrewed
lo drawer aidee meeh
with runnere acrewed
to carcaae
75
DRAWERIOINERY
--" fr
'-,'
he first step in drarver-making is to
t hi nk t he process t hroLrgh f ron-r
begi nni ng to end. The r,ari ous stages of
the operati on are rel ated; the fi ni shed
di mensi ons of a dral er f ront , f or
ext rmpl e, can depend on t he
j oi nery
metl-rod you choose. And drawer hang-
i ng met hods can i nf l uence t he way a
drawer i s br,ri l t.
Once you have settl ed on the si ze of
drawer, choose a
joinery
method (pnge
75), a method of hanging and the sryle of
front yon will r-rse; then size your stock.
Cut the front, back and si des to fi t the
openi ng, choosi ng t he nt ost vi sual l y
appeal i ng pi ece for the front. The grai n
of the drawer shoul d run hori zontal l y
when i t i s i nstal l ed. Make sure that the
best si de of each pi ece fi rces outward;
mark i t wi th an X as a remi nder.
Not allthe parts of a drawer undergo
the same stresses. The front takes the
hardest beating, the sides a iittle less, the
back l ess sti l l . Cabi netmakers take thi s
into accourrt wl-ren they br,rild drawers.
Many wi l l pl ane the parts di fferentl y
dependi ng on how sturdy they need to
be. Thus, the front can be thicker than the
sides and the sides thicker than the back.
Woodworkers often use di fferent
j oi nts
at di fferent corners. The choi ce
depends not merelv on the desired visual
effict, but also on the stresses the
joint
will face. A joint
that might be adequate
to connect the si des to the back of a
drawer may not be strong enough to
join
the front to the sides.
The fol l owi ng pages present an
assortment ofjoinery methods. Some are
suitable for front-to-side joints,
others are
strictly for back-to-side
joints,
while still
others can be used at any corner. You also
need to keep in mind the rype of woodyou
are using. Some
joints,
such as the dove-
tai l and the doubl e dado, can be used
onlywith solid wood, while others-the
rabbet and the dado, for example-work
eqrral l y wel l wi th pl y.rvood or sol i d wood.
For the stronsest and most attractive
j oi nt ,
choose i he t hrough dovet ai l ,
which can be cut quickly and accurately
using a
jig (page
B0). You can also saw
one by hand as you woul d to
j oi n
car-
case sides
(pnge
27). Unless you will be
installing a false front
(pnge
97), ahalf-
blind dovetail (pnge
82) nay be a better
choi ce. Al so cal l ed the l apped dovetai l ,
the half-blind dovetail conceals the end
or r i r r nf t hp ci dpc
b ' " , ' ' " '
Rabbet and lipped rabbet joints (pnge
77) are easy to cut and are strong enough
to use at any corner ofa drawer, parti c-
ularly if reinforced with screws or nails.
The mai n di fference between the two
joints
is that the drawer front in a lipped
rabbet
j oi nt
overhangs the si des. As a
result, the front must be cut larger than
the openi ng.
Si mpl e to constmct, the dado and
doubl e dado
j oi nts (pnge
78) are i deal
choi ces for smal l , l i ght-duty drawers.
The doubl e dado conceal s end grai n,
rnaki ng i t a vi sual l y appeal i ng al terna-
ti ve to the dado.
Like other operations in cabinetmak-
ing, drarver-building demands accuracy
and pati ence. Make test
j oi nts
to fi ne-
tune your tool s and nteasl l rements
before cutting into stock, and periodical-
ly test-fit a drawer to eusrlre it will fit its
opening perfectly.
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Diftbrettt
.joints for
diflbrerrt ptu'p()ses:
A sinrple dado joiltt
is suJficiert to.joirr tlrc
back to tlrc sides of n drat er. But the
.fi'orrt
reqtires n strortger
.ioirrt-irt
tltis cnse, a
doultle dndo, also krtotvrt tts tt concenled
dado-arrcl -tortgtrc.
76
DRAWERS
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RABBET JOINTS
Usi ng a dado head on the tabl e saw
On your t abl e saw i nst al l a dado head sl i ght l y
wi der t han t he t hi ckness of t he dr awer si des
and cr ank i t bel ow t he t abl e. At t ach an auxi l -
i ar y f ence and set t he wi dt h of cut equal t o
t he t hi ckness of t he si des. Tur n on t he saw
and r ai se t he bl ades t o not ch t he auxi l i ar y
f ence. Set t he cut t i ng hei ght t o no mor e t han
one-hal f the thi ckness of the drawer front. To
cut t he r abbet s, but t t he edge of t he f r ont
agai nst t he f ence. Hol di ng t he wor kpi ece
f l ush agai nst t he mi t er gauge, f eed i t f ace
down i nto the dado head. Fl i p the board around
and repeat the cut at the opposite end
(right).
LIPPED RABBET JOINTS
Cutti ng a l i p i n a drawer front
To cut l i pped rabbets around the edges of a drawer
f ront , mark l i nes on i t s i nsi de f ace t o al l ow f or an over-
hang of at l east % i nch. Al so mark the rabbet depth on
i t s edges-up t o one-hal f t he t hi ckness of t he drawer
f ront . Cut t he rabbet s i n t wo st eps, f i rst not chi ng t he
i nsi de f ace of t he f ront , t hen f eedi ng t he st ock i nt o
t he bl ade on end and on edge. To make t he f i rst cut s,
set t he bl ade hei ght t o t he dept h of t he rabbet . Then
f eed t he st ock i nsi de f ace down i nt o t he bl ade t o cut
al ong t he marked l i nes
(i nsef ).
To make t he remai ni ng
cut s, set t he bl ade hei ght t o t he wi dt h of t he rabbet s.
Al i gn t he bl ade wi t h t he marks f or t he rabbet dept h,
t hen but t t he f ence agai nst t he st ock. Keepi ng t he
drawer f ront f l ush agai nst t he f ence, f eed i t on end
i nto the bl ade to compl ete one rabbet. Turn the board
over and repeat to cut the rabbet at the other end
(left).
Then feed the stock i nto the bl ade on edge to cut the
rabbets on the top and bottom edges.
DRAWERS
DAD() J()INTS
Cutti ng dadoes i n drawer si des
A dado cut about
r/z
i nch from the back
end of each si de serves as an effecti ve
back-to-si de
j oi nt.
On your
tabl e saw i nstal l
a dado head the same wrdth as the drawer
back. Posi ti on the ri p fence about % i nch
from the bl ades and set the cutti ng hei ght
no hi gher t han one-hal f t he st ock t hi ck-
ness. But t t he drawer si de agai nst t he
f ence. Then, hol di ng t he boar d f i r ml y
agai nst t he mi t er gauge, make t he cut .
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DOUBTE DADO J()INTS
1 Cutti ns dadoes i n a drawer front
t -
J- Mar k one end of t he boar d t o di vi de
i t s t hi ckness i nt o t hi r ds. Then, on
your
t abl e saw at t ach a dado head whose
wi dt h equal s onel hi r d t he t hi ckness of
t he dr awer f r ont . Next , i nst al l a commer -
ci al t enoni ng
j i g;
t he model shown sl i des
i n the mi ter sl ot. Protecti ng the stock wi th
a wood
pad,
cl amp the drawer front to the
.1rg.
Move the
j i g
si deways to al i gn the marks
on the stock wi th the dado head to cut out
t he dado i n t he mi ddl e t hi r d of t he boar d.
Sl i de t he i i s al ons t o f eed t he st ock i nt o
the bl ades. Turn the drawer front over and
cl amp i t t o t he
j i g
t o cut t he dado at t he
olher end
(right).
78
DRAWERS
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t
/)
Tri mmi ng the dado tongues
L l nsl al l an auxi l i ary fence, then mark
a cut t i ng l i ne on t he edge of t he drawer
f ront t o di vi de one of t he t ongues on i t s
i nsi de f ace i n hal f . Wi t h t he st ock f l ush
agai nst t he mi t er gauge, i nsi de f ace
down, al i gn t he marked l i ne wi t h t he dado
head. But t t he f ence agai nst t he st ock.
Notch the fence
(page
77), then set the
cut t i ng hei ght t o t ri m t he hal f -t ongue.
Hol di ng t he drawer f ront f i rml y agai nst
t he gauge, f eed i t i nt o t he dado head.
Turn t he board around and reoeat t he
procedure at the other end
(ri ght).
Q
Cutti ng matchi ng dadoes i n the
r-,f drawer sides
To
j oi n
the drawer si des to the front, cut
a dado near the front end of each si de. The
dadoes need to mesh wi th the hal f-tongues
on the front. Fi rst, set the cutti ng hei ght to
the l ength of the hal ftongues. To set the
wi dth of cut, butt the drawer si de agai nst
t he f r ont and use a oenci l t o out l i ne t he
hal f - t ongue on t he dr awer si de. Al i gn
the marks with the dado head, then butt the
rip fence against the stock. Holding the board
fl ush agai nst the mi ter gauge, feed i t i nto
t he bl ades. Then reoeat t he cut on t he
ot her drawer si de.
79
DRAWERS
THROUGH DOVETAIL J(|INTS
Cutti ng the tai l s
Wi th the tai l board sti l l cl amped to the
j i g,
l oosen
the scal e thumbscrews. Turn over the fi nger assembl y
and sl i de i t al ong t he support arms unt i l bot h scal es
i ndi cat e t he ALL
posi t i on.
Loosen t he l ock knobs on
t he si de of t he
j i g,
l ower t he f i nger assembl y on t he
spacer board and t i ght en t he knobs, maki ng sure
t he assembl y i s si t t i ng squarel y on t he spacer board.
Use a pi n board as a gui de t o scri be a l i ne across t he
t ai l board marki ng t he cut t i ng dept h. Then, posi t i on
the router on the
j i g,
i ts base pl ate restrng on the fi n-
ger assembl y, and set the ti p of the bi t %a i nch bel ow
t he marked l i ne. Turn on t he rout er and cui out t he
waste between the tails
(right).
Rout from right to left,
keepi ng the tool fl at agai nst the fi nger assembl y. Turn
the board over, secure i t to the
j i g
and cut the tai l s
at the other end the same way. Fol l ow the same
pro-
cedure t o cut t he t ai l s of t he ot her drawer si de.
1
Setti ng up the router
j i g
I Set up a rout er
j i g
f or cut t i ng dovet ai l s f ol l owi ng t he manu-
facturer' s i nstructi ons. For the model shown, adj usti ng the tai l s
on a fi nger assembl y automati cal l y sets the proper wi dth for the
pi ns on t he opposi t e si de of t he same assembl y. To begi n, cut
a pi ece of
3/a-i nch
pl ywood to fi t across the top of the
j i g
as a
spacer board, t hen cl amp t he board bet ween t he
j i g
body and
the fi nger assembl y. The spacer board serves as a sol i d base
f or t he assembl y and hel ps reduce t ear-out . Make sure t hat t he
assembl y l ock screws face up; i f they do not, l oosen the scal e
thumbscrews, remove the fi nger assembl y from i ts support arms
and f l i p i t over. Fi t a rout er wi t h a dovet ai l bi t , t hen set t he
pi n
scal e on bot h ends of t he f i nger assembl y t o t he bi t di amet er
(i nsei l .
fi ghl en the thumbscrews. Cl amp the tai l board
(one
of
the drawer' s si des) to the
j i g,
outsi de-face out. Loosen the l ock
knobs on each si de of t he
j i g,
t hen sl i ght -
l y rai se t he f i nger assembl y and t i ght en
the knobs. Lay out the fi ngers across the
end of the tai l board to set the si ze and
spaci ng of the tai l s. Leave a few fi ngers
on each si de of the tai l board to keeo the
router steady when i t i s cutti ng. There
shoul d be one f i nger at each edge of
the board to make hal f-tai l s. Once you
are sati sfi ed wi th the spaci ng-symmetri -
cal or asymmet r i cal , dependi ng on
your
preference-tighten
the lock screws
(/eft).
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80
DRAWERS
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Q
Cutti ng the
pi ns
r-,1 Remove the tai l board and turn over
t he f i nger assembl y. Set t he pi n scal e
t o t he di amet er of t he dovet ai l bi t as i n
step 1. Then fi t the router wi th a strai ght-
cutti ng bi t and cl amp the pi n board-the
drawer front-to the
j i g,
outsi de-face out.
Use a t ai l board but t ed agai nst t he pi n
board to mark a l i ne for the cutti ng depth.
Pl ace t he rout er on t he
j i g
and set t he
t i p of t he bi t %o i nch bel ow t he marked
l i ne. Cut out t he wast e bet ween t he pi ns
the same way you routed out the tails
(/eff).
Then, remove t he pi n board and t est -f i t
t he
j oi nt .
l f t he f i t i s t oo t i ght , l oosen
t he scal e t humbscr ews and sl i de t he
fi nger assembl y about 7e i nch toward the
back of the
j i g.
Ti ghten the thumbscrews
(belowl
Make another pass with the router
t o remove more wast e bet ween t he f i n-
gers, Test -f i t t he
j oi nt
agai n, and make
any necessary adj ust ment s. Once
you
are sati sfi ed wi th the fi t, turn the board
over, secure i t to the
j i g
and cut the pi ns
at i he ot her end. Cut t he pi ns at bot h
ends of t he drawer back t he same wav.
8 1
DRAWERS
HAIF-BLIND DOVETAIL JOINTS
' l
Marki ng the pi n board
I Mark t he out si de f aces of t he boards wi t h an X. Then set a
cut t i ng gauge
t o about t wot hi rds t he t hi ckness of t he pi n
board
and mark a l i ne across t he end, cl oser t o t he out si de t han t he
i nsi de face
(above),
Adj ust the cutti ng gauge to the thi ckness of
t he st ock and scri be a l i ne around t he ends of t he oi n boards t o
mark t he shoul der l i ne of t he t ai l s. Next , use a dovet ai l square
t o out l i ne t he pi ns on an end of t he pi n board; t he wi de part
of t he pi ns shoul d be on t he i nsi de f ace of t he st ock. There are
no st ri ct gui del i nes f or spaci ng dovet ai l pi ns,
but f or most draw-
ers, st art i ng wrt h a hal f -pi n at each edge and addi ng t wo evenl y
spaced pi ns i n bet ween makes f or a st rong and at t ract i ve
j oi nt .
To compl et e t he marki ng, secure t he pi n
board i n a vi se and use
a t ry square and a
penci l
t o ext end t he l i nes on t he board end
to the shoul der l i ne on i ts rnsi de face
(ri ght).
Mark the waste
sect i ons wi t h an X as you go.
The half-blind dovetail makes an
ideal joint
for
building drawers:
The taik on the side piece
qre
visible
but their end grain is concealed by
the drawer
front.
The joint
can be cut
by hand, as shown in the
following
page5 or by a router in contbination
with a tenrplnte or a
jig.
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Try oquare
B2
DRAWERS
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r)
Cutti ng the pi ns
Z. Secure one oi n board i n a vi se wi t h
t he out si de f ace of t he st ock t oward
you, then cut al ong the edges of the pi ns
wi t h a dovet ai l saw, worki ng your way
from one board edge to the other.
(Some
woodworkers
prefer to cut al l the l eft-hand
edges of t he pi ns f i rst , t hen al l t he ri ght -
hand edges. ) Hol d t he board st eady and
al i gn the saw bl ade
j ust
to the waste si de
of t he cut t i ng l i ne; angl e t he saw t oward
t he wast e t o avoi d cut t i ng i nt o t he pi ns.
Use smoot h, even st rokes, al l owi ng t he
saw t o cut on t he push st roke. Cont i nue
t he cut
j ust
t o t he shoul der l i ne, t hen
repeat t o cut t he pi ns at t he ot her end
of the board.
-)
Removi ns the bul k of the waste
<'
r . , l Set t he panel i nsi de- f ace up on a
wor k sur f ace and cl amp a gui de bl ock t o
i t, al i gni ng i ts edge wi th the waste si de of
t he shoul der l i ne. St ar t i ng at one edge
of the stock, hol d the fl at si de of a chi sel
aboul r Aa i nch f r om t he gui de bl ock; t he
t ool shoul d be no wi der t han t he nar r ow-
est
par t
of t he wast e sect i on. Wi t h t he
chi sel squar e t o t he f ace of t he boar d,
use a wooden mal l et to stri ke i t, scori ng
a l i ne about 7a- i nch- deep i nt o t he wast e
sect i on. Then hol d t he chi sel f l at si de
down and square to the end of the board
about % i nch bel ow t he t op sur f ace.
St r i ke t he chi sel t o r emove a t hi n l ayer
of wast e. Cont i nue unt i l you r each t he
scr i bed l i ne on t he end of t he boar d,
t hen par e away any excess bt ep 4) .
Repeat t he pr ocess wi t h t he r emai ni ng
waste secti ons.
B3
DRAWERS
Fi nal pari ng
Wor ki ns on one wast e sect i on at a
t i me nr ess t he f l at si de of t he chi sel ! , i , i v '
Y i
agai nst t he wal l s of t he sect i on wi t h t he
t humb of your l ef t hand; wi t h your ri ght
hand, push t he chi sel t oward t he shoul -
der l i ne, shavi ng away t he l ast sl i vers of
waste
(l eft).
l f necessary, tap the chi sel
gent l y wi t h a wooden mal l et .
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/ t l
f,
Marki ng and cutti ng the tai l s
.-,1 Set a tai l board i nsi de-face uD on a
work surface. Hol d one of the oi n boards
end- down wi t h i t s i nsi de f ace al i gned
wi t h t he shoul der l i ne of t he t ai l boar d.
Use a penci l t o out l i ne t he t ai l s on t he
t ai l board
(ri ght ), I hen
ext end t he l i nes
on the board end usi ng a try square. Mark
t he wast e wrt h Xs, t hen out l i ne t he t ai l s
on t he ot her end of t he board t he same
way. Remove the waste as you woul d when
cut t i ng dovet ai l
j oi nt s
f or carcase panel s
(nape
.30) Reneat thp nrocedure
for the
ot her t ai l board.
84
ASSEMBLING A DRAWER
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DRAWER ASSEMBLY
1
Prepari ng the drawer for a bottom
panel
I Dry-f i t the
parts of the drawer, then
cl amp t he uni t securel y, al i gni ng t he bars
of t he cl amps wi t h t he drawer si des. Use
a penci l to i denti fy the parts that fi t togeth-
er t o make reassembl y easi er l at er when
you gl ue up. To i nst al l a bot t om panel ,
rout a groove al ong the i nsi de of the draw-
er. Fi rst, mark a l i ne
r/z
i nch from the bot-
t om edge of t he f ront , back and si des.
Then, f i t a r out er wi t h a %- i nch t hr ee-
wi ng sl ot t i ng cut t er and mount t he t ool
i n a router tabl e. Set the drawer ri ght-si de
up on t he t abl e and al i gn t he cut t er wi t h
t he marked l i ne. St art i ng at t he mi ddl e of
one drawer si de, f eed t he st ock i nt o t he
cut t er. Keepi ng t he pi l ot beari ng but t ed
agai nst t he workpi ece, f eed t he drawer
cl ockwi se ti ght). Conti nue pi voti ng the
drawer on t he t abl e unt i l vou
ret urn t o
your st art i ng poi nt .
r)
Maki ng the bottom panel
L anl
prepari ng the back
For t he bot t om
panel , cut a pi ece of %-i nch
pl ywood t o f i t t he openi ng, addi ng t he dept h
of the
grooves to i ts wi dth and the depth of
one groove and the thi ckness of the back to
i ts l engh. Next, remove the cl amps and tri m
t he bot t om of t he drawer back wi t h a t abl e
saw t o al l ow you t o sl i de t he bot t om panel
i nt o posi t i on. Wi t h t he back i nsi de f ace up
on t he saw t abl e, al i gn t he t op edge of t he
groove you cut i n step 1 wi th the bl ade. Butt
t he ri p f ence agai nst t he st ock, t hen f eed
t he back i nt o t he bl ade t o make t he cut ,
st raddl i ng t he f ence wi t h t he f i ngers of your
ri ght hand.
(Cauti on:
Bl ade guard removed
for cl ari ty.)
B5
DRAWERS
Q
Gl ui ng up the drawer
r-,1 Before gl ui ng
up the drawer, deci de
how you wi l l mount i I
(page
87), si nce
some methods requi re you to prepare
the
drawer si des before fi nal assembl y. Then,
sand t he surf aces t hat wi l l be di f f i cul t t o
access after gl ue
up. Squeeze some gl ue
on t he cont act i ng surf aces of t he
j oi nt s
and spread t he adhesi ve evenl y wi t h a
brush. Assembl e the drawer, then arrange
two bar cl amps on a work surface and l ay
t he drawer on t hem, al i gni ng t he drawer
si des wi t h t he bars of t he cl amps. I nst al l
t wo mor e cl amps al ong t he t op of t he
drawer and t wo more across t he back
and front. Pl ace a wood pad
between the
st ock and t he cl amp
j aws
t o avoi d mar-
ri ng t he wood.
(Do
not pl ace a pad
on a
l i pped drawer f ront , as i t wi l l
prevent
t he
j oi nt s
f rom cl osi ng. ) Ti ght en t he cl amps
j ust
enough to ful l y cl ose the
j oi nts (/eff,),
t hen use a t ry square t o check whet her
t he corners are at ri ght angl es. l f t hey
are not , use a bar cl amp pl aced di agonal -
l y to correct the probl em (page
59).
Fi ni sh t i ght eni ng t he cl amps unt i l a bead
of gl ue squeezes out of the
j oi nts,
check-
i ng as you go that the corners are square.
Once the adhesi ve has dri ed, remove any
dr i ed gl ue wi t h a pai nt scr aper . Sl i de
t he bot t om panel i nt o pl ace,
t hen dri ve
a f ew f i ni shrng nai l s t hrough i t and i nt o
the bottom edge of the drawer back to
f i x i t i n
posi t i on.
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ilfl iltl llt lllt llll lllt ]llt llll illi fifi llll llll fiu tlll lll fili llll tll1
1HO? TI ?
Fixing a loooe drawer bottom
If a drawer bo|tom i s l ooee, uoe ohop-made wedgeo
to
^ti ghhen
Nhe fi t. Deqi n by uoi ng a t abl e oaw No ri p
a few thi n otri pe of wood from a board, anql i ngbhe
bl ade No produce one narcow edge. Then, cuI the
el ri Vo i nt o smal l er pi ecee. 1eI t he drawer upei de
down on a work sufl ace and i nstal l a wedqe
i nl o any qap between l he bottrom
panel and t he si des or f ronL of
T,he drawer. CoaL the eLri po
wi l h ql ue, Nhen i nserN t he
NaVered end i nl o Nhe qap; uoe
a hammer No t ap t hem enugl y
i n| o pl ace. Once l he ql ue hao
dri ed, uee a wood chi sel No
oever any part of Lhe wedqee
protrudi nq from Nhe qroovee,
B6
MOUNTINGADRAWER
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||
here are probably as many draw-
I er-mounting methods as there are
drawer
j oi nt s.
The t echni que you
sel ect i s determi ned by the pi ece of
furniture in which the drawer will be
housed: a frame-and-panel cabi net
requi res di fferent hangi ng methods
than does a carcase. The fol l owi ng
pages consider both types ofcasework.
A drawer can be supported in one
of two ways: along its sides or along
its bottom. As shown below and on
page 88, a side-mounted drawer has
grooves routed in its sides before glue
up, al l owi ng i t t o run al ong sl i des
attached to the carcase. A side-mount-
ed drawer in a frame-and-panel case
(page
92) is held in place by the same
SIDE-M0UNTING: CARCASE
A side-mounted drawer is slid into
a carcase
for
test-fitting. A lipped
front
conceals the runners and
grooves when the drawer is closed.
system of corner strips and supports
used to install shelves.
Commercial slide runners
(page 93)
offer another method for side-mount-
i ng drawers i n a carcase. Al though
many purists regard them as a poor
alternative, commercial runners are
actually stronger than wood runners,
making them ideal for drawers that
will bear heavy loads.
A popul ar way to support a bot-
tom-run drawer is by a system of run-
ners and rails affixed to a carcase, as
shown on pages 90 and 91. Some
woodworkers prefer to rout a groove
in the carcase sides and install a shelf,
which serves not only as a drawer sup-
port but as a dust panel as well.
1
Cutting
grooves in the drawer sides
I Before fi nal assembl y, cut a groove
i n the outsi de face of each drawer si de.
There are no ri gi d gui del i nes f or t he
groove wi dt h, but i t shoul d be abl e
to accommodate sl i des that are l arge
enough to support the drawer. 0n
your
tabl e saw i nstal l a dado head the same
wi dth as the
groove. Draw cutti ng l i nes
for the groove wi dth i n the mi ddl e of
t he l eadi ng end of one drawer si de;
also mark the depth of the groove-no
more than one-hal f the stock thi ckness.
But t t he l i nes f or t he groove wi dt h
agai nst t he dado head, t hen crank t he
bl ades up t o t he dept h l t ne; posi t i on
the ri p fence fl ush agai nst the stock
and make the cut. l f the groove wi dth
exceeds the wi dth of the dado head,
turn the board end for end and make
another
pass. Repeat to cut the
groove
i n the other drawer si de.
87
DRAWERS
r)
Ri ppi ng the drawer sl i des
I l nst al l a combi nat i on bl ade on your
tabl e saw. Crosscut a board so that i ts l engh
i s a f ew i nches shor t er t han t he wi dt h of
t he car case si de panel s. Then posi t i on
t he
r i p f ence t o set a cut t i ng wi dt h equal t o t he
wi dt h of t he gr ooves you cut i n t he dr awer
si des
(sfep
l ), l ess
t/zz
i nch for cl earance.
Cut t wo sl i des f r om t he edge of t he boar d,
usi ng a push
st i ck t o f eed t he st ock i nt o
the bl ade
(nghD.
SmooIh one edge of the
sl i des wi t h a hand pl ane
t o make sur e t hat
t hey wi l l r est f l ush agai nst t he si de panel s
of t he car case.
( Caut i on:
Bl ade guar d
removed for cl ari ty.)
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/ )
I nst al l i ns t he sl i des
<'
r - . f I nser t t he dr awer i nt o t he car case
and hol d r t i n pl ace whr l e l si ng a per - ci l
t o mar k t he l ocat i on of t he gr ooves
on
t he f r ont edges of t he si de panel s. Then
use a car pent er ' s squar e t o ext end t he
mar ks acr oss t he i nsi de f aces of t he
panel s. To mount t he sl i des, bor e t hr ee
hol es f or count er si nki ng scr ews; make
t he cl ear ance hol es sl i ght l y wi der t han
the screw shanks to al l ow for wood move-
ment . Hol di ng t he sl i des back f r om t he
front edge of the carcase between the
mar ked l i nes on t he si de panel s,
scr ew
them i n pl ace (l eft).
Test-fi t the drawer.
l f i t i s t oo l oose, add shi ms under t he
sl i des; i f i t i s t oo t i ght , enl ar ge t he
gr oove i n t he dr awer si de. You can al so
r ecess t he sl i des i n t he car case si des
usi ng a
l i g
(page
B9).
BB
DRAWERS
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DADO-ROUTING JIG
FOR DRAWER SUPPORTS
To rout a seri es of evenl y spaced
dadoes i n i he si de oanel s of a car-
case f or drawer runners, use t he
shop-made
j i g
shown at ri ght .
Di mensi ons depend on t he si ze of
the carcase and the spacing between
the runners.
For the
j i g,
cut a pi ece of %-i nch
pl ywood as a base. Make i t about
the same wi dth as the carcase si de
panel s and a few i nches l onger than
the gap between the runners. Set
the
j i g
base on a work surface and
pl ace a rout er on i t near one end.
Mark the screw hol es i n the router
base pl ate on the
j i g
base; al so draw
a spot directly below the tool's chuck.
Bore holes for the screws; cut a hole
bel ow t he chuck wi de enough t o
al l ow cl earance f or t he rout er bi t .
Screw the
j i g
base to the machi ne' s
base
pl ate and i nstal l a strai ght-cut-
ti ng bi t the same wi dth as the dadoes
you wi sh to rout.
Next, cut a spacer to fi t snugl y i n
the dadoes; make i t sl i ghtl y l onger
than the wi dth of the
panel s.
Screw
the spacer to the bottom of the
j i g
base, maki ng the di stance between
it and the router bit equal to the spac-
i ng you want between the runners.
To use the
j i g,
cl amp a si de panel
i nsi de-face up to the work surface.
Set t he
j i g
on t he panel wi t h t he
spacer fl ush agai nst one end of the
workoi ece and the router bi t at one
edge. Gri ppi ng the router fi rml y, turn
i t on and feed the tool across the
panel t o rout t he dado; keep t he
spacer fl ush agai nst the panel . Turn
off the router, then insert the spacer
i n the dado, reposi ti oni ng the cl amps,
as necessary. Rout the next dado,
sl i di ng t he spacer i n t he f i rst dado.
Cont i nue unt i l al l t he dadoes have
been cut, then repeat the operati on
on t he ot her si de
panel .
89
DRAWERS
B0TT0M-RUN: CARCASE
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1
Prepari ng the rai l
I Crosscut a board l ong enough t o
span t he gap bet ween t he si de panel s,
addi ng the thi ckness of one
panel
to al l ow
for twi n tenons at the ends of the rai l . For
t he t wi n t enons, mar k t he ends of t he
st ock t o di vi de i t s wi dt h i nt o f i f t hs. Then,
i nst al l a dado head wi de enough t o cut
out the waste between two of the marks.
Set t he cut t i ng hei ght at one- hal f t he
t hi ckness of t he panel s. Next , i nst al l
a commerci al t enoni ng
j i g
on your
saw
t abl e. Cl amp t he r ai l t o t he
j i g
end up;
shi f t t he devi ce si deways t o al i gn t he
marks on t he rai l wi t h t he dado head t o
cut t he shoul der i n t he mi ddl e f i f t h of
t he board. To make t he cut , push
t he
j i g
fonvard, feedi ng the stock i nto the bl ades.
Move t he
j i g
t o cut t he shoul ders at t he
out si de edge of t he rai l . Turn t he st ock
ar ound t o cut t he r emai ni ng shoul der
(l ef i l . f hen
cut t he t wi n t enons at t he
ot her end.
r)
Chi sel i ng the doubl e morti ses
I Uon the end of the rai l agai nst each carcase si de panel at
the desi red hei ght of the drawer bottom and outl i ne the morti s-
es, Extend the l i nes to the edge of the panel s,
then butt the two
workpi eces face to face to make sure the marks are at the same
herght . To cut t he mort i ses, f i rst cl amp a
panel
t o a work sur-
f ace. Then, st art i ng at an end of one out l i ne, hol d a mort i si ng
chi sel square t o t he f ace of t he
panel
and st ri ke t he handl e
wi t h a wooden mal l et . Use a chi sel t he same wi dt h as t he mor-
t i se and be sure t hat t he bevel ed si de i s f aci ng t he wast e. Make
anot her cut % i nch f r om t he f i r st . Cont i nue unt i l you r each
t he ot her end of t he out l i ne, usi ng t he chi sel t o l ever out t he
wast e t o t he requi red dept h. Chop out t he adj acent mort i se
and t he doubl e mor t i se on t he ot her panel t he same way.
Test - f i t t he t wi n t enons: wi den or deeoen a mor t i se wi t h
t he chi sel . as r ecui r ed.
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Tenoning ji4
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90
DRAWERS
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llt llt llll llll lllt llll llll llll lllr llll lll llll llll llll illl llll llll llll
1HO? TI?
Fixing a bowed drawer side
A bowed eide can
?revent,
a drawer f rom ol i di nq
proVerl y: a ohoV-made
qlu e bl o ck will c o rre ct, the
probl em. Cutthe bl ock
el i qhtl y narcowerl han
Nhe gaV between the
bot t om
Vanel
and
the botlom edqe of r,he
drawer eide. )Vread oome
ql ue on Nhe eurf aces of Nhe
bl o ck th at, co nLa ct the d r aw e r,
Lhen butf, the piece of wood aqainet,
Nhe bot l om panel and dr awer ei de as
ehown, cenLeri nq i t beNween Nhe front' and back. l nel al l a cl amV
acro; o t he mi d, Al e of l he drawer, t i qhl eni nq i X unt i l I he ei de
oLrai qht ene ouL, Once t he ql ue has dri ed, remove Nhe cl amp.
n I nst al l i ns t he rai l and runners
<'
r.,f Cut two runners for the si de panel s
of t he car case; make t hem t he same
wi dt h and t hi ckness as t he r ai l and as
l ong as t he wi dt h of t he panel s, l ess
t he wi dt h of t he r ai l . Cut a t ongue i n t he
mi ddl e of one edge of t he r unner s about
onet hi r d t he wi dt h and t hi ckness of t he
runner. Rout a matchi ng groove i n the car-
case si de panel s; cent er t he sl ot on t he
doubl e mor t i se f or t he t wi n t enons
(i nsei l .
f o mount the runners, f i rst bore
a ser i es of hol es f or count er si nki ng
scr ews: t he cl ear ance hol es shoul d
al l ow f or wood movement . Then, f i t
t he r ai l i nt o t he doubl e mor t i se i n one
si de panel and sl ot t he r unner i nt o t he
panel . Maki ng sur e t hat t he r unner i s
but t ed squar el y agai nst t he r ai l , scr ew
i i i n pl ace. Repeat t o mount t he r unner
t o t he ot her car case si de panel . At t he
same t i me t hat you gl ue up t he car case,
spr ead some adhesi ve on t he r ai l ' s t wi n
t enons and t he doubl e mor t i ses i n t he
c i d p n a n p l c : n d f i i t h p i r i l n t n s p i h p r
The cl ampi ng set up f or t he carcase wi l l
hol d t he rai l i n pl ace whi l e t he gl ue dri es.
DRAWERS
SIDE-M0UNTING: FRAME-AND-PANEt
Attaching corner strips and supports
Prepare t he drawer si des as you woul d
t o si de-mount t he drawer i n a carcase
(page
87). Gl ue up the drawer, then hol d
i t at t he desi red hei ght i n t he cabi net and
mark the position of its grooves
on the stiles.
To mount the drawer, use corner stri ps
and supports
(page
61). Make the stri ps
l ong enough to reach from the top edge
of the cabi net to the bottom of the drawer.
Rout a dado across t he st ri ps, al i gni ng i t
wi t h t he marks you made on t he st i l es.
Cut two supports to fit between the dadoes,
l ess Vre i nch f or cl earance. Hol d t he
cor ner st r i ps f l ush agai nst t he st i l es
wi th handscrews, l i ni ng up the dadoes wi th
the posi ti on marks. Fi t the supports i n the
dadoes, t hen sl i de t he drawer i nt o
posr-
t i on. l t shoul d move smoot hl y and si t
cent ered and l evel i n t he openi ng. l f not ,
l oosen t he handscrews and adj ust t he
hei ght of the corner stri ps, as necessary
(above).
Screw the wood strips to the stiles.
The same system of corner strips and
supports
for
installing adjustable shelves
in
frame-and-panel
cabinets can be
used to mount a drawer. Before the cor-
ner strips are screwed to the stiles of
the cabinet, they are held in place with
handscrews. This way, the drawer can be
test-fitted in the opening and the strips
can be raised or lowered as needed. Once
the drawer slides smoothly and is cen-
tered, the strips are
fixed
to the cabinet.
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92
DRAWERS
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C0MMERCIAL SLIDE RUNNERS: CARCASE
1 Instal l i ns the runners
t -
I l ns t al l c ommer c i al s l i de r unner s
f ol l owi ng t he manuf act ur er ' s i nst r uc-
t i ons. The t ype shown consi st s of t wo
par t s: r unner s t hat at t ach t o t he car -
case and sl i des that are screwed to the
dr awer . To hel p posi t i on t he r unner s,
cut a pi ece of
1/ , r - i nch
pl ywood t o f r t
between the bottom of the carcase and
t he bot t om edge of t he r unner . l f t he
dr awer i s di r ect l y under a shel f or t he
carcase top, tri m
t/z
i nch from the pl y-
wood
j i g
t o al l ow f or cl ear ance dur i ng
i nst al l at i on, when t he dr awer must be
l i f t ed sl i ght l y t o f i t t he wheel s i nt o t he
r unner s. Wi t h t he car case on i t s si de,
but t t he pl ywood pi ece agai nst t he bot -
t om of t he si de panel . Then pl ace t he
r r r n n p r e o : i n q i t h p i i q s p t f i n o i t h : r . k
f r om t he f r ont edge of t he panel t o
al l ow f or t he t hi ckness of t he dr awer
f r ont . Mar k t he scr ew hol es on t he si de
panel , t hen bor e a pi l ot hol e at each
poi nt . Scr ew t he r unner t o t he panel
( abovd.
Repeat t o f ast en a r unner t o
t h o n t h o r c i d p n a n p l
r)
I nst al l i ng t he sl i des
L l , on t he sl i des on t he drawer, t hen t est j i t i t i n t he carcase.
l f t he drawer i s l oose, shi m t he runners; i f t he drawer bi nds,
pl ane
some stock from i ts si des
(page
94).fhen set the drawer upsi de
down. oosi t i on t he sl i des and mark t he screw hol es on t he drawer.
Bore pi l ot hol es, then screw the sl i des i n pl ace (above),
l i l i l l i | l i l | l t l l l l i l i l i l i i l l | l i l t i l l i l i i l i l l i l l l i l i i l i i l i l l i l i l | i l ri l i
ut ttl ut ul tu ui ru ru ir tu ui ul i.U ui lil ut ru u
?HO? TI ?
?oei ti oni ng Ji g
- f ^
t ^ - t ^ , , a, , r a- r a^ +| , , ^ Ogi t i On
| v | | v | Y J v u v v | | v v v | J Y
commerci al sl i dee on
drawer si des, use a
ohop-made j i g. Cut
a rabbet in a ecraV
board; make the
depLh of Lhe rab-
bet , equal t o t he
deeired dielance
beNween Nhe el i de
and the boI0om of
t he drawer si de. To
uoe t he j i q, hol d i l uV aqai not t he bot t rom of l he drawer si de as
shown. Then sel l he sl i de onLhe drawer ei de, bot Lom edge but t ed
aqai not t he j i g, Hol di nq Nhe sl i de and j i q i n pl ace, markNhe suew
hol ee,Then bore oi l oLhol ee and ecrew Nhe el i de Io Nhe drawer.
DRAWERS
FINE.TUNING DRAWER FIT
1
Pl ani ng the drawer si des
I A drawer may bi nd i n a pi ece of
f urni t ure even af t er a t horough sandi ng.
l f the too or bottom of the drawer rubs
agai nst part of t he casework, pl ane t he
top
(sfep
2). l f l he si des bi nd, remove
t he drawer and mark any shi ny areas
on t he si des-hi gh spot s t hat can be
shaved off wi th a hand ol ane. To secure
t he dr awer f or pl ani ng, cl amp a wi de
board t o a workbench wi t h one edge
extendi ng over i he si de. Hang the drawer
on t he board so t hat t he bi ndi ng si de i s
f aci ng up. Then cl amp anot her boar d
t o t he workbench, but t i ng i t agai nst t he
drawer; use a bench dog to keep the second
board f rom movi ng. Gri ppi ng t he pl ane
wi th both hands, shave off the marked
spots with smooth, even strokes
(nghf).
Test -f i t t he drawer i n i t s openi ng peri -
odi cal l y, pl ani ng t he si des unt i l t he
drawer fi ts perfectl y.
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r)
Pl ani ng the top of a drawer
l t o hol d t he drawer i n
prace,
ser
i t on a work surf ace and nai l t hree scrap
boards to the tabl e fl ush agai nst the si des
and back of t he drawer. Gri ppi ng a hand
pl ane f i rml y, make a smoot h pass on t he
top edges of the drawer sides from the front
of t he drawer t o t he back. Move t o t he
adj acent si de of the tabl e to
pl ane
the top
edges of the front and back. Test-fi t and
cont i nue pl ani ng unt i l you are sat i sf i ed
wi t h t he f i t .
94
DRAWER STOPS
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s the name suggests, a drawer stop
f1' controls how far a drawer can slide
i n or out. There are two basi c tvoes
dependi ng on where they are l ocated' orr
a pi ece of furni ture. Inward stops are
placed near the back and keep a drawer
from being pushed in too far. Outward
stops are installed near the fiont and pre-
vent a drawer from sliding in beyond a
cert ai n poi nt or pul l i ng ri ght out .
There is a drawer stop for every piece
of furniture. Inward stoDs are ideal for
carcases wi t h si de-mount ed drawers
since they can be mounted at any point
on the side panels. Outward stops work
well for any piece, but they are simpler to
install on frame-and-oanel furniture.
OUTWARD STOPS: CARCASE
INWARD ST0PS: CARCASE
Attachi ng an i nward stop
Wi t h a band saw or saber saw cut a 1- t o 1%- i nch- di amet er di sk f r om a
pi ece
of scr ap wood t he same t hi ckness as t he dr awer si des. Bor e an of f -
cent er hol e i n t he st op, t hen scr ew t he di sk t o a si de panel near t he back.
Set t he car case on i t s si de and cl ose t he dr awer . Loosen t he scr ew sl i ght l y
and r ot at e t he st op unt i l r t
l ust
t ouches t he dr awer , t hen t i ght en t he scr ew
1 Prepari ne the drawer
I
I Bef ore
gl ui ng
up t he drawer, cut a
notch for the stop on the drawer back
wi t h a t abl e saw. Mark cut t i ng l i nes i n
t he mi ddl e of t he t op edge f or a 1-i nch-
wi de not ch. Set t he bl ade hi gh enough
so t hat t he not ch wi l l cl ear t he st op
when you i nst al l t he drawer. Screw a
board t o t he mi t er gauge as an ext en-
si on. Al i gni ng one of t he cut t i ng l i nes
on the stock wrth the bl ade, butt a hand-
screw agai nst the end of the drawer back
and cl amp rt t o t he ext ensi on as a st op
bl ock. Turn on t he saw, hol d t he st ock
f l ush agai nst t he ext ensi on, and f eed
t he t wo i nt o t he bl ade. Turn t he work-
pi ece
around and cut t he ot her si de of
the notch. Remove the waste i n between
by maki ng repeat cuts
(/eff).
95
DRAWERS
r)
Screwi ng the stop i n pl ace
L Cut a drawer stop from a scrap Doaro:
make i t l onger and nar r ower t han t he
wi dth of the notch i n the drawer back. To
mount t he st oo. i nst al l t he dr awer and
mark the l ocati on of the notch on the bot-
t om of t he oanel or shel f under whi ch t he
dr awer wi l l sl i de. Bor e a pi l ot hol e t hr ough
the stop, then screw i t i n posi ti on (rrghf),
al i gni ng i t s edges wi t h t he l i nes on t he
car case. Do not t i ght en t he scr ew al l t he
way. Wi t h t he l ong edge of t he st op par al -
l el t o t he dr awer sl i des, i nst al l t he dr awer
(i nsei l .
Once the stop passes compl etel y
t hr ough t he not ch, r ot at e i t 90' so t hat i t s
l ong edge i s par al l el t o t he dr awer back.
()UTWARD
ST()PS: FRAME-AND-PANEL
Instal l i ng a stop on the l ront rai l
Cut a drawer st op f rom a scrap board. l t
shoul d be l ong enough t o ext end bel ow
t he f ront rai l of t he cabi net when one end
i s at t ached t o t he rai l . To mount t he st oo.
bore a pi l ot hol e t hrough i t near one end.
Wrt h t he cabi net t op of f , screw t he st op
t o t he mi ddi e of t he rai l . Leave t he screw
j ust
l oose enough so t hat you can rot at e
t he st op out of t he way. I nst al l t he drawer.
Once t he drawer back cl ears t he f ront rai l ,
rotate the stop 90' so that i t extends bel ow
Ihe rail
(right).
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FALSE, FRONTS AND HARDWARE
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part from their visual appeal, false
fronts have practical applications
in drawer-makins. For the woodwork-
er reluctant to diicard a drawer that is
not perfectly aligned with its opening,
a properl y mounted fal se front can
provi de a si mpl e sol uti on. Centeri ng
the front on the carcase or cabi net,
rather than on the drawer, will salvage
an imorecise fit. False fronts can also
serve is drawer stops, but avoid exag-
ger at i ng t he si ze of t he over hang.
Slammins the drawer when it is filled
with wei[hty items risks splitting the
front as it strikes the cabinet.
INSTALLING A FALSE FRONT
Posi ti oni ng the fal se front
I nst al l t he drawer, t hen set t he cabi net on
i ts back. Cut the fal se front to the ri ght si ze, then
careful l y l ower i t i nto posi ti on
(ri ght).
Onceyou
are sati sf i ed wi th the pl acement, press f i rml y; the
poi nt ed ends of t he brads wi l l punch i mpressi ons,
al l owi ng you t o reposi t ron t he f al se f ront l at er
when you compl et e t he assembl y.
A drawer pull puts the
finishing
touch
on a drawer with a
false front.
Installins hardware on a drawer is
the l ast-and possi bl y l east taxi ng-
acti vi ty i n an otherwi se chal l engi ng
ooerati on. Sti l l . drawer handl es and
oul l s need to be mounted wi th care.
The key is to center them on the draw-
er front. Aligning a single-pull handle
properl y i s f ai rl y st rai ght f orward:
Mark the di agonal s across the front
and install the oull where the two lines
i nt ersect . For a doubl e-oul l handl e.
vari ous commerci al
j i gs
can provi de
fast and accurate posi ti oni ng. But as
shown on page 99, the
job
can also be
done using a simple tape measure.
1
Prepari ng the drawer
I Once the drawer has been properl y mounted,
set i t f ace up on a work surf ace and dri ve t wo
brads i nt o t he drawer f ront , l eavi ng t hei r heads
prot rudi ng. Make sure t he brads are not l ocat ed
where t he drawer pul l wi l l be i nst al l ed. Then sni p
of f t he heads wi t h ol i ers.
97
DRAWERS
Q
Gl ui ng and cl ampi ng
r-,1 Spread a thi n l ayer of gl ue on the
back of t he f al se f ront . Avoi d appl yi ng
t oo much adhesi ve or you wi l l end up
wi t h t oo much squeeze out . Pl ace t he
f ront i n posi t i on, wi t h t he t wo brads
r est i ng i n t hei r i mpr essi ons. Hol d
the assembl y together wi th bar cl amps;
al i gn t he bars wi t h t he drawer si des.
Ti ght en t he cl amps evenl y unt i l t here
are no gaps bet ween t he f al se f ront
and t he dr awer .
llt lll] rll1 llt llt rlll lllt illt lllt llll illl lllt ulr filr ffi llll lril lll
1HO? Tt ?
Fael eni ng a ei nql e-pul l handl e
to a drawer already built,
The screw ouppl i ed wi t h a oi nql e-pul l handl e
may nol be l ong enou4h l o paoo throuqh
a d,rawer wi f,h a fal se fronl , )ne rem'
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edy i ot o count ersi nkl he screw, but
t r
i t you have al ready asoembl ed t he
drawer, a dri l l may nol f i | i nsi de,
lnslead, work from Lhe outside of the
drawer. )Nart by bori ng a cl earance
hole Ihrough Ihe cenNere of Nhe f alse
front and l he drawer front. Then
eharpent he ehoul der of a eVade
bi t el i ghtl y wi der Lhan l he screw head
to creaNe a cuNti naedae.Feedtheehank
l
af thebt throuqhl hehol e{romtrhei nsi de of the drawer and
atlach it t o Nhe drill. )wtch on the tool and pull Nhe bff, tnw ard
you uni i l the countersi nki nq hol e i o the ri ghN depIh.
9B
DRAWERS
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ATTACHING A DRAWER HANDLE
' l
Marki ng hol es for screws
I Pl ace t he drawer on i t s back on a
work surf ace, t hen mark vert i cal and
hori zont al l i nes across t he drawer f ront
i ntersecti ng at i ts center. For the doubl e-
pul l handl e shown bel ow, measure t he
gap between its two mounting posts. Then
t ransf er t hat di st ance t o t he hori zont al
l i ne, maki ng two marks the same di stance
from the center of Ihe drawer
(right).
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Aftachi ng the handl e
L Bore cl earance hol es for screws at the
t wo mar ked poi nt s, t hen appl y what -
ever f i ni sh you have sel ect ed. To mount
t he handl e shown, screw one mount i ng
post to the drawer front. Sl i p the pul l i nto
the post, then fi t the other post on the
pull
and screw it to the drawer fronl
(left).
99
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s a fine piece offurniture nears
,[ \ completion, the last major
task before finishing the wood is
often constructing and mounting
the doors. A project within a pro-
ject,
assembling a door demands
the same care as building the piece
it accompanies. Nothing is more
frustrating than seeing a carefully
crafted cabinet offset by a door that
is warped or ill-fitting.
In addition to providing a visu-
al focus, doors serve the simple
function of protecting the contents
stored inside a piece of furniture.
One of the first recorded uses in
DOORS
A brad driver secures a strip of molding
to a door
frame,
sandwiching a central pane
of glass between the molding and a rabbet
cut into the edge of the
frame.
door would be most appropriate
on a simple carcase, whereas a fine
period piece normally demands a
frame-and-oanel door. Glass doors
are a good choice for a china or
curio cabinet.
Since wood is prone to swelling
and warping, solid doors should
only be installed on relatively small
pieces of furniture. Wth a larger
cabinet-a floor-to-ceiling hutch,
for example-a broad, solid door,
such as the board-and-batten or
tongue-and-groove door, would be
more likelyto buckle than would a
frame-and-panel, veneered-panel
or glass doot whose construction
cabinetmaking of a door as a phys-
ical barrier was the medieval aumbrey, alarge cabinet used
to protect food from vermin. The design of the door was prim-
itive: a single piece of wood held in place with simple forged
strap hinges.
Today's woodworkers have far more choices than their
counterparts from the Middle Ages. This chapter will exam-
ine five different door types, each with its own visual appeal
and application, ranging from the rustic board-and-batten
door to the finely crafted frame-and-panel model. You will
also learn how to build tongue-and-groove doors, glass doors
and veneered-panel doors.
To some degree, the design of a piece of furniture dictates
the type of door you will install on it. A board-and-batten
is calculated to accommodate changes in wood movement
due to shifting heat and humidity levels.
Another point to ponder is the degree of precision a door
requires. A flush-mounted door permits little margin for error.
A gap as little as 7s inch can spoil the look of an otherwise
finely executed piece. Overlay doors, on the other hand, do
not require the same exactness since they are designed to
exceed the size oftheir openings.
A vast range ofhardware is available for doors ofall types,
from rustic iron hinges reminiscent of the aumbrey to fine
cast-brass hinges for flush doors. Most of these accessories
can be purchased with one of several finishes, including black
or polished iron, antique or polished brass, and chrome.
A
frame-and-panel
door is hung on a cabinet
with detachable cabinethinges, which allow the
door to be easily removed after installation.
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101
ANATOMYOFADOOR
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frame-and-paneldoormaybebuilt
fl, the same way as one side of a frame-
and-panel cabinet (page a8). Although
the door illustrated below features stan-
dard mortise-and-tenons, you can also
use haunched mortise-and-tenons or
cope-and-stick
joints.
The floating pan-
el in the center ofthe door can be raised,
as shown, divided into a pattern ofsmall-
er panels or inlaid. The rails and stiles
FRAME.AND-PANEt DOOR
have an integrated molding cut into
them; for added embellishment, you
may choose to cut an arch or curve into
the upper rail.
The tongue-and-groove door is a
popular choice for modern, European-
style furniture. It has stiles with grooved
edges that accept tenons at the ends of
the rails. The rails have grooves on their
bottom edges and tongues on their tops,
allowing them to interlock. Should the
wood contract and the rails separate
slightly, the matching tongues and
grooves will hide any gaps.
The board-and-batten door is assem-
bled without glue. Rabbets are cut into
the edges of the boards, which are held
together by battens screwed across the
back of the door. Wood plugs are used
to conceal the screw heads. The glass
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BOARD-AND.BAfiEN DOOR
TONGUE.AND-GROOVE DOOR
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door is essentially a frame-and-panel
door with a glass panel rather than a
panel between the rails and stiles.
Standard mortise-and-tenon
joints
are
shown in the door below. The piece of
glass sits in rabbets cut along the inside
edges of the frame; it is held in place by
strips of molding.
The veneered-panel door features a
frame
joined
to the panel. To conceal the
GLASS DOOR
DOORS
plate
joints
that connect the panel to the
frame, rabbets are cut into the inside
edges at the back of the frame. The pan-
el then fits snugly into the rabbets.
Although a door is always made to fit
a piece of furniture, it does not have to
be sized exactlyto its opening, as shown
below in the drawer-mounting meth-
ods. A flush-mounted door can be dif-
ficult and time-consuming to construct
because ofthe fine tolerances required
to build and hang the door. Both lip-
rabbeted and overlay doors are usually
simpler to make.
The entire thickness of an overlay
door projects beyond the front ofa cab-
inet or carcase. The lip-rabbeted door
has rabbets cut around its outside edges
at the bad<so that only a part of is thick-
ness is exposed.
VENEERED.PAI{Et DOOR
DOOR.MOUNTING METHODS
h L L
Flueh-mounted Lip-rabbeted Overlay
103
FRAME-AND.PANEL
DOORS
I
fiame-and-panel door imparts style
A to a piece oifurniture without sac-
rificing durability or strength. Its solid
frame construction accounts for the
structural integrity. At the same time,
any one ofseveral stylistic touches can
be added to make it more attractive.
These include designing an arched top nil
or, ifthe door is large enou$, dividing the
Like the
frame-and-panel
assembly
used to build the sides offurniture,
the
frame-and-panel
door
features
a sturdy
frame
of raik and stiles
encasing a decorative
floating
panel.
panel into smaller sections with hori-
zontal cross rails and vertical mullions.
You can build a frame-and-paneldoor
the same way you would construct a
frame-and-panel assembly, using either
haunched mortise-and-tenons or coDe-
and-stick
joints (page aS). This section
features a door assembled with standard
mortise-and-tenon joints
and integrated
molding. The first step is to size your
stock. Make the stiles equal to the door
hei ght; the rai l s shoul d be as l ong as
the width of the door, including two
tenons at each end, minus the stile width.
The tenons typi cal l y are cut about
7+ inch long.
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MAKING A FRAME.AND.PANEL D()OR
1
Cufting the tenons
I I nst al l a dado head sl i ght l y wi der
t han t he t enon l engt h on your
t abl e
saw. At t ach and not ch an auxi l i ar y
fence
(page
48),Ihen set the wi dth
of cut equal to the l ength of the tenon
t o cut t he t enon cheeks; adj ust t he
cut t i ng hei ght t o about one-t hi rd t he
t hi ckness of t he st ock. But t i ng t he rai l
agai nst the fence and the mi ter gauge,
f eed t he st ock f ace down i nt o t he
bl ades. Turn t he rai l over and make
t he same cut on t he ot her si de of t he
tenon. Then repeat the orocess at the
opposi te end of the rai l
(l eft,
above)
and wi t h t he second r ai l . To cut t he
t enon shoul ders, set t he hei ght of t he
dado head at about
1/z
i nch. Wi th the
r ai l f l ush agai nst t he f ence and t he
mi t er gauge, f eed t he workpi ece edge
down i nt o t he bl ades. Tur n t he r ai l
over and repeat on t he ot her si de of
t he t enon. Cut t he t enon shoul ders at
t he opposi t e end of t he rai l t he same
way
(left,
below). Repeat the
process
wi th the second rai l . To add i ntegrated
mol di ng, f i t a rout er wi t h t he appropri -
at e bi t and mount t he t ool i n a rout er
t abl e. Cut al ong t he i nsi de edges of t he
rai l s and st i l es as you woul d f or maki ng
a veneered-panel door
(page
113).
r04
DOORS
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Readyi ng the sti l es
Bef ore prepari ng t he st i l es f or f i nal assembl y, rout a decorat i ve st opped mol di ng i f you wi sh
(page
107). Then mark a l i ne on t he mol ded edge of each st i l e t he wi dt h of a rai l away f rom t he
end of t he board. Wi t h t he t abl e saw bl ade angl ed at 45' , al i gn t he cut t i ng edge wi t h t he mark
and cut i nt o t he mol ded edge; st op t he cut at t he poi nt where t he mol di ng ends and t he f ace of
t he st i l e begi ns. Next , sl i ce of f t he st ri p of mol di ng bet ween t he 45" cut and t he end of t he st i l e
wi t h a band saw. Then, smoot h t he cut edge usi ng t he t abl e saw. Movi ng t he ri p f ence out of t he
way, hol d t he t he st i l e f l ush agai nst t he mi t er gauge and sl i de t he st ock back and f ort h al ong t he
mi ter gauge (above,
ri ght). Make sure you do not cut i nto the mol ded edge of the sti l e.
Moldinq
profile
r)
Prepari ng the rai l s for gl ue
up
I Re. oue t he auxi l i arv f ence and
adj ust t he bl ade angl e t o45". Make a
test cut i n a scrap board and measure
t he cut end wi t h a combi nat i on square,
adj usti ng the bl ade angl e i f necessary.
To set the wi dth of cut, mark a l i ne on
t he mol ded edge of a rai l t he same di s-
t ance f rom t he t enon shoul der as t he
mol di ng wi dt h. Al i gn t he mark wi t h t he
bl ade where i t exi ts the tabl e openi ng,
t hen but t t he f ence agai nst t he rai l .
Adj ust the bl ade hei ght unti l one tooth
j ust protrudes beyond the tenon shoul -
der. To make t he cut s, but t t he rarl
agai nst t he f ence and hol d i t f l ush
against the miter gauge to feed it mold-
ed-edge down i nt o t he bl ade. Repeat
to cut the other end of the rail
(left)
and both ends of the second rai l .
105
DOORS
Cutti ng morti ses
Al i gn a r a, l wi t h each st i l e and mar k
t he out l i ne of t he mor t i ses as you woul d
when maki ng a f r ame- and- panel assembl y
( n a o p
l Q) l n c i : l l : mn r t , c i n o : t t : e h mp n f
\ r e o e .
on a dr i l l nr pqs end r ^l amn t hp c. t i l p i n f hp
f ence. cent er i np t he mor t i se out l r ne under
t he chi sel and bi t . Set t he dr i l l i ng dept h t o
t he t enon l engt h, t hen make a cut aL each
end of t he mor t i se bef or e bor i ng out t he
waste in belween
(rrght).
f,
Prepari ng the frame for a panel
r . . / Assembl e t he r ai l s and st i l es. Then. p' ot ect r ng t he st ock
wi t h wood pads, use t wo bar cl amps t o hol d t he f r ame t oget her
secur el y. Fi t a r out er wi t h a %- i nch t hr ee, wi ng sl ot t r ng cut t er
and mount t he t ool i n a r out er t abl e. Remove t he f ence and set
t l ' e
r r ame
on t he t abl e. Adj ust t he br t ' s cut t i ng dept h t o cut t he
gr oove mi dway bet ween t he bot t om of t he f r ame 3nd
t he cdoc
of t he mol di ng, Gr i ppi r r g t he bar cl amps f i r ml y, but t t he i nsi de
edge of t he f r ame agai nst t he bi t near one cor ner , t hen r ot at e
i t cl ockwi se t o cut t he gr oove al ong t he r ai l s and st i l es
( above) .
Keep t he f r ame f l at on t he t abl e as you f eed r t i nt o t he bi t .
l Make a rai sed panel to f i t the f rame
(page
53) and then di sas-
sembl e t he f r ame.
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DOORS
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Gluing up the door
\.,1 Squeeze some
gl ue i nto the morti ses
i n t he st i l es and on t he t enon cheeks and
shoul ders at t he ends of t he rai l s; al so appl y
some adhesi ve on t he cont act i ng surf aces
of t he mi t er cut s i n t he rai l s and st i l es. Do
not add any gl ue t o t he panel grooves.
Then, assembl e the door and set i t on two
bar cl amps on a work surf ace, al i gni ng t he
rai l s wi t h t he bars of t he cl amps. To keep
t he cl amps f rom f al l i ng over, prop each
one on a notched wood bl ock. Protecti ng
t he f r ame wr t h wood pads, t i ght en t he
cl amps
j ust
enough t o f ul l y cl ose t he
j oi nt s
(ri Sht),
then use a try square to check
whether the corners of the door are at ri ght
angl es. Fi ni sh t i ght eni ng t he cl amps unt i l
gl ue squeezes out of t he
j oi nt s,
checki ng
occasi onal l y that the corners remai n square.
0nce the gl ue has dri ed, use a pai nt scraper
t o remove any remai ni ng adhesi ve.
ADDING DECORATIVE MOLDING
Cutti ng mol di ng i nto the sti l es
I nst al l a mol di ng head wi t h cut t er s t o mi l l t he pr of i l e of your
choi ce; a bead desi gn i s shown
(above,
l eft). Crank the cutters
t o % i nch above t he t abl e, cent er one st i l e over t hem, t hen but t
t he ri p f ence agai nst t he st ock. Mark t he pl aces on t he t abl e
i nsert where t he mol di ng head st art s and st ops cut t i ng. Then
mark t he poi nt s on each st i l e where t he mol di ng wi l l begi n and
end. For each cut , hol d t he st i l e
j ust
above t he mol di ng head,
al i gni ngt he f ront cut t i ng l i ne wi t h t he mark on t he t abl e i nsert
farthest from you. Keepi ng the sti l e agai nst the fence, l ower the
st ock ont o t he bl ades. 0nce t he st ock i s f l at on t he t abl e, f eed
i t f orward whi l e pressi ng i t agai nst i he f ence. Sl i de your l ef t
hand al ong t he t op of t he st i l e and hook your f i ngers around t he
f ar edge of t he t abl e. Once t he back cut t i ng l i ne reaches t he
mark on t he t abl e i nsert cl osest t o you, l i f t t he st i l e of f t he cut -
ters
(above,
ri ght). For a deeper cut, make as many passes as
necessary, rai si ng t he mol di ng head
r/ a
i nch at a t i me.
Molding
profile
--.,
r07
SOLID-PANEL DOORS
Q
olid-panel doors offer the same com-
rJ bination ofstrensth and charm as
their frame-and-paneimunteqparts. This
section features two styles: tongue-and-
groove and board-and-batten doors.
Sizing stock for a board-and-batten
door is a matter of making the length of
the boards equal to the door height; their
combined width should eoual the door
width. Dimensioning stockior a tongue-
and-groove door requires making the
Iength of the stiles the same height as
the door. The width of the door will be
the length of the rails-without the
tenons-added to the width of the stiles.
In building a board-and-batten door,
some woodworkers use two horizontal
battens instead ofthe standard Z-shaoed
pattern; for added strength, the two
pieces are recessed in dadoes cut into the
back of the door. A more elaborate
method is to rout a sliding dovetail
across the back and fit the batten snug-
ly into it, securing the support piece of
wood with a single screw in the center
ofthe door.
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A modern, European-style door
(near
left) is assembled
from
raik and stiles that interlockwith tenons and tongue-
and-groove
joints.
For the more rustic board-and-batten
door (far left), boards are
joined
with rabbet joints
rein-
forced
by battens screwed to the back of the door.
MAKING A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE D(l(lR
1
Mi l l i ng the stock
I To prepare the rai l s and sti l es you wi l l
have to cut a series of grooves, tenons and
tongues. Begi n by sawi ng a groove al ong
one edge of each board, except for the
bottom rail. Install a 7+-inch-wide dado head
on your t abl e saw and set t he cut t i ng
height at Vzinch. Center a board edge over
the bl ades, then butt the ri p fence agai nst
the stock; clamp a featherboard to the table
for support. To cut each groove, feed the
stock i nto the bl ades, pressi ng the board
agai nst the fence
(far
l eft). Then cut a
t enon at t he ends of each rai l t he same
way you woul d for a frame-and-panel door
(page
104), but do not make the shoulder
cut . Fi nal l y, cut a t ongue al ong t he non-
grooved
edge of each rail, except for the
top pi ece. Instal l and notch an auxi l i ary
fence
(page
4B). Set the cutting height at
Vq i nch, then cl amp one featherboard to
the fence above the dado head and i nstal l
a second featherboard on the table. To cut
each tongue, use a push sti ck to feed the
rai l i nt o t he dado head. Turn t he board
over to complete the cut
(near
left).
r08
DOORS
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Gl ui ng up the door
Z fi tthe parts of the door together,
t hen number each r ai l t o hel p you
reassembl e t he door f or f rnal gl ue up.
l f any
j oi nt
i s t oo t i ght , use a wood
chi sel t o pare some wood f rom t he
edges of the tenon or the groove, as
requi red. Once
you
are sati sfi ed wi th
t he f i t , t ake t he pi eces apart and
spr ead some gl ue on t he t enons,
Reassembl e the door and ol ace i t on
t wo bar cl amps, proppi ng t hem up
wi th notched wood bl ocks. Protect-
i ng the stock wi th wood pads,
ti ght-
en t he cl amps unt i l gl ue squeezes
from the
j otnl s (abovd.
Once the
adhesi ve has dri ed, remove t he
excess wi th a
pai nt
scraper.
frame door may
\f
,,\\\
cauoe cr oee- qr ai n
\ \ ' : \ \ \ i
scral chee on l he rai l e.
An eaey sol uti on i e No
sand Nhe rai l e fi reL, Nhen
apVl y et ri pe of maeki nq
Lape I o t he rai l s, al i gni ng
Nhe edqe of the tape wi Lh the
i oi nts bel ween Lhe rai l e and,
-sIi l ee.
Then eand Lhe eti l ee.
llfl llll llll lllt llll IIJ lllt tllj ilIl tlll llll IllJ lrJ ill] rlll illl llll rlll
1HO? Tt?
?reventing
oanding
-
-6\S
ocrat'aheo
1andi nqt he
sbi l ee of a eol i d-
t Y-
N$
DOORS
BUILDING A BOARD.AND.BATTEN D()()R
Assembl i ng the door
Dry-cl amp the door i nsi de-face up usi ng the same setup as
for a tongue-and-groove door
(page
109).Then cut two battens
sl i ghtl y shorter than the door wi dth and narrower than the door
boards. Posi ti on the two pi eces
of wood across the top and bot-
t om of t he assembl y. Then f i t an el ect ri c dri l l wi t h a combi nat i on
bi t and counterbore hol es for screws and wood pl ugs at 2-i nch
i nterval s al ong the battens, al ternati ng between the top and bot-
tom of each board. Make cl earance hol es except i n the pl aces
1
Cutti ng the rabbets
I On vour tabl e saw i nstal l a dado head
one-hal f as wi de as the stock thi ckness.
Attach and notch an auxiliary fence
(page
48), then set the cutti ng hei ght-agai n,
one-hal f the thi ckness of the boards. To
secure the workpi ece, cl amp two feather-
boards and a suooort board to the tabl e
saw as shown. Feed the stock i nto the
bl ades usi ng a push st i ck. Then f l i p t he
board over and repeat t he cut al ong t he
nl hpr
pdsp (l pft' l
where the screw wi l l
l oi n
the batten to an outsi de door board.
Then, hol di ng the batten square to the edge of the door, dri ve
in each screw
(above,
left). Cut a third batten to fit diagonally
between the two al ready i n pl ace
and screw i t i n
posi ti on.
To
conceal t he screws, appl y a dab of gl ue t o t hei r heads, t hen
i nsert pl ugs i n t he hol es. Tap t hem i n pl ace
wi t h a wooden
mallel
(above,
right),Ihen use a chisel to trim the projecting
stubs fl ush wi th the door surface.
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1 1 0
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f)
opular features of large cabinets,
I hutches, and shelving units, glass
doors are constructed in much the same
way as frame-and-panel doors
(page
104).The frame is held together by mor-
tise-and-tenon
joints;
a decorative mold-
ing adorns its inner edges. The difference
is that on a glass door the molding is not
routed into the frame; instead, a rabbet
is cut, then a separate glass-stop mold-
ing is nailed in place. The advantage of
this design is that the molding can eas-
ilybe pried offshould the glass break.
In larger pieces of furniture, the door
is often divided by horizontal rails and
vertical mullions into several smaller
GLASS DOORS
panels, each holding its own pane. In
addition to its aesthetic appeal, this
design makes the glass less prone to
breaking and also cheaper to replace.
Glass is available in various thick-
nesses and types. For door-making pur-
poses, the most commonly used variety
is sheet or window glass, available in
thicknesses up to % inch.
Glass doors solve the problem of
shielding the contents of a piece
of
furniture from
dust while still
allowingthem to be dkplayed.
CONSTRUCTING A GLASS D(l(|R
1
Cufting a rabbet to hold the pane
of
glass
I Cl amp the frame to a work surface, usi ng a wood pad for
protecti on. Then i nstal l a3/a-i nch rabbeti ng bi t on a router and
set the depth of cut to the combi ned thi ckness of the gl ass and
the mol di ng. Hol d the tool fi rml y wi th both hands whi l e resti ng
the basepl ate on the frame near one corner, then turn on the
router and gui de the bi t i nto the i nsi de edge of the door. Move
the router clockwise along the edges
(above,
left) unlil the cut
i s compl eted. Square the corners wi th a wooden mal l et and a
wood chisel
(above,
right). Make the cuts with the
grain first to
avoi d spl i tti ng the frame.
1 1 1
DOORS
Rout i ng t he mol di ng
l nst al l a decor at i ve mol di np bi t on t he
router, then mount the tool In a router tabl e.
Choose a board l ong enough t o produce
the l ength of mol di ng you need. To secure
the stock, i nstal l two featherboards on the
router tabl e-one pressi ng the workpi ece
toward the fence and one pressi ng down
di rect l y above t he rout er.
(Here,
t he upper
featherboard has been removed for cl ari -
t y. ) Turn on t he t ool and f eed t he work-
pi ece i nt o t he bi t whi l e keepi ng t he board
f l ush agai nst t he f ence. Fi ni sh t he pass
usi ng a push sti ck. Repeat the step to rout
a second mol di ng i n t he opposi t e edge
of the workpi ece
(l eft),
then ri p the two
from the stock wi th a tabl e saw. Saw the
mol di ng t o t he proper l engt h, maki ng 45"
mi t er cut s at t he ends of each pi ece. Cut
and f i t one pi ece at a t i me, maki ng sur e
you al i gn t he mi t er cut s wi t h t he corners
of the rabbets.
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Q
Fi nal assembl y
r.,f Set the frame and the gl ass on a work surface, then pl ace the mol di ng i n posi ti on.
Bor e a pi l ot hol e ever y 2 i nches usi ng an el ect r i c dr i l l f i t t ed wi t h a smal l f i ni shi ng nai l
wi t h t he head sni pped of f . Then dr i ve t he br ads i n pl ace usi ng ei t her a hammer or a
br ad dr i ver . Wi t h t he hammer , hol d t he mol di ng f l ush agai nst t he f r ame of t he door ;
use a pi ece of cardboard to protect the gl ass (above,
Ieft). To use a brad dri ver, i nsert
a br ad i nt o t he pi l ot hol e, t hen posi t i on t he
j aws
and t i ght en t he l ocki ng nut . Hol di ng
the frame steady, squeeze the
jaws
to set the nail
(above,
right).
t12
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Since plywood is not affected by
humidiry no allowance has to be made
for changes i n the si ze of the panel .
Therefore, it does not need to have a bev-
el cut along its edge to fit into a groove
on the frame. The plywood simply rests
in a rabbet cut in the frame.
The panel of a veneered-panel
door- with its typically dark-
hued wood-offers a visual con-
trast to the lighter-colored
frame.
r)
Cutti ng a rabbet and si zi ng the stock
L Cuta rabbet
j ust
as you woul d to make a board-and-batten door
(page
110).
Set t he cut t i ng hei ght at t he t hi ckness of t he panel ; t he wi dt h shoul d be one-hal f
t he st ock t hi ckness. Cl amp f eat herboards t o t he saw t abl e t o support t he workpi ece.
Insert a shi m between the verti cal featherboard and the fence to keep the
pressure
off the rabbeted part of i he stock. Feed the workpi ece good-face up i nto the dado
head
(above).
Then cut the frame pi eces to si ze, maki ng 45" mi ter cuts at each end.
Dry-assembl e t he f rame, t hen cut t he panel t o f i t . l dent i f y t he panel edges and t hei r
mat i ng f rame pi eces t o hel p you correct l y assembl e t he door f or gl ue up.
VENEERE,D.PANE,L DOORS
I
s ornamental as the frame-and-
A panel door, the veneered-panel door
is much simpler to make. First of all, it
does not recui re morti se-and-tenon
joints.
In fact, the frame adds no strengh
to the door at all;the four sides are sim-
ply mitered at each end. The assembly
i s hel d together by bi scui t
j oi nts
that
affix it to a plyvood panel, which serves
as the structural backbone ofthe door.
The veneered plyuood is formed by
up to ni ne pl i es of thi n veneer gl ued
together. The outer skin is typically %s
inch thick for hardwoods and %o inch
thick for softwoods.
' l
Routi ng a mol di ng i n the frame pi eces
I Ri p t he f our f rame
pi eces
t o wi dt h,
t hen crosscut t hem sl i ght l y l onger t han
t hei r f i ni shed l engt h. Fi t a rout er wi t h a
decorat i ve mol di ng bi t , t hen i nst al l t he
machi ne i n a rout er t abl e. For each cut ,
feed the workpi ece
good-face down i nto
Ihebi I
(abovd,
usi ng a featherboard to
brace the stock agai nst the fence and a
push st i ck t o compl et e t he pass.
MAKING A VENEERED.PANEL D()()R
r 1 3
DOORS
Prepari ng the frame and panel
for gl ue
up
Mark a l i ne across t he oanel and t he
frame pi eces about 4 i nches from each
edge and at 6-i nch i nterval s i n between.
Di sassembl e t he door and cl amp one
frame piece io a work surface, protecting
t he st ock wi t h wood pads. Adj ust t he
dept h of cut on a pl at e j oi ner,
t hen set
the tool's base plate on the bottom of the
rabbet i n the frame pi ece. Wi th a support
board under t he
j orner
t o keep i t l evel ,
al i gn t he gui de l i ne on t he t ool wi t h a
sl ot l ocat i on mark. Hol di ng t he
j oi ner
wi th both hands, cut a groove at each
mark
(left).
Repeat for the other frame
pi eces, then cut the mati ng sl ots i n the
panel the same way.
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Gl ui ng up t he door
Once al l t he sl ot s have been cut , gl ue up t he door. Set t he f rame pi eces
and t he
panel
good-f ace up on a work surf ace and squeeze gl ue i nt o each sl ot , i nsert i ng bi scui t s as you go.
To prevent the wafers from expandi ng before everythi ng i s put together, assembl e the door as
qui ckl y as possi bl e, fi tti ng the frame pi eces to the panel (above,
/eff). Next, set the door on
t wo bar cl amps on a work surf ace. Wi t h wood pads prot ect i ngt he f rame, t i ght en t he cl amps
j ust
enough t o cl ose t he
j oi nt s.
I nst al l t wo more cl amps across t he t op of t he door, pl aci ng
t hem perpendi cul ar
t o t he f i rst t wo. Fi ni sh t i ght eni ng unt i l gl ue squeezes out of t he
j oi nt s
(above,
ri ght). Once the adhesi ve has dri ed, remove any excess wi th a pai nt scraper.
, , ,
\
tr4
HANGI NGADOOR
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f
ast in metals ranging from wrought-
U i ron to brass, door hi nges come i n
a wide array of styles to complement
virtuallv anv door. Most fit into one of
four basi c categori es shown at ri ght.
Cl ock-case hi nges are best sui ted to
doors that overlay their opening, Com-
monly used for flush-mounted doors,
butt hinges tipically sit in shallow mor-
tises cut into the door and case. Surface-
mounted hinges are idealfor imparting
an anti que or rusti c l ook to a door.
Concealed hinges, such as the European
cabinet hinge, are completely hidden
when the door is closed.
Before installing the hinges, read the
manufacturer's instructions regarding
hinge placement. Ifyou are working with
fi ne woods, tap the stock for brass
machine screws after drilling pilot holes
to reduce the chance of splitting. A spot
of gl ue i n the hol e wi l l i mprove the
holding ability of the screw.
INSTALLING EUROPEAN CABINET HINGES
1
Attachi ng the hi nge bodi es
I On
your
dri l l
press, i nstal l a Forstner
bi t the wi dth of the hi nge body-typi cal -
l y, 35mm. Set t he door out si de-f ace
down on t he machi ne' s t abl e, t hen al i gn
t he bi t wi t h one of t he t wo marks f or
t he hi nges. l f you are hangi ng several
doors, cl amp st op bl ocks agai nst t he
edge and end of the door. Set the dri l l i ng
dept h t o t he t hi ckness of t he hi nge
body. Hol di ng t he door f l ush agai nst
t he st op bl ocks, f eed t he bi t i nt o t he
door
(left),
lf you are working with more
t han one door, dri l l t he ot her ones, t oo.
Then al i gn t he mark at t he ot her end
of the door under the dri l l bi t. Reposi ti on
the stop bl ocks and bore the hol e; repeat
f or any ot her doors. Set t he door on a
work surface and screw the hi nge body
i n
pl ace
Insei l .
DOOR HINGES
Cloak-caae hinge
Fivota on a pin, which
allowa the door to be
lifted off
Eutt hinge
Available in iron
or bra99
oprin7-mounted. Can be adjuated
after inatallation to correat minor
mountinq inaccuraciea
5utfaae-mounted hinge
A decorative hinge
installed on the outaide
face offluah doora
European cabineb hinge
Commonly used in kitchen
1 1 5
DOORS
Q
Hangi ng the door
r-,1 Sl i de the arms onto the mount-
ing plates
and screw in place
?ight).
Cl ose t he door and check i t s oosr-
t i on on t he case. You can adj ust
t he hei ght , dept h or l at eral posi t i on
of t he door by l ooseni ng or t i ght en-
rng the adj ustment screws on the
hi nse ar ms.
r)
Al i gni ng and attachi ng the
Z- mounti ng pl ates
Have a hel per hol d t he door i n i t s open
posi t i on
agai nst t he case. Ext end t he
hi nge arms t o but t t he mount i ng pl at es
agai nst t he panel . Mark a ref erence l i ne
around t he pl at es, t hen unscrew t hem
f rom t he hi nge arms. Pl ace t he
pl at es
i n posi t i on
on t he panel i nsi de t he case
and dri ve i n the screws
(/eff).
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1 1 6
DOORS
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ATTACHING BUTT HINGES
1
Routi ng morti ses for the hi nges
I Secure t he door i n handscrews and
cl amo t hem i n ol ace on a work surf ace.
Posi t i on one of t he hi nges on t he door
edge, maki ng sure t hat t he pi n pro1ect s
over t he edge. Mark t he out l i ne of t he
hi nge l eaf wi t h a penci l . Repeat f or t he
second hi nge. I nst al l a st rai ght -cut t i ng
bi t on a router and set the depth of cut
to the thi ckness of a hi nge l eaf. Protect-
i ng t he door wi t h wood pads, cl amp a
board to the door as an edge gui de. Posi -
t i on t he rout er bi t sl i ght l y above t he door
edge
j ust
i nsi de t he out l i ne. Gr i ppi ng
t he handl es f i rml y, t urn on t he t ool and
l ower the bi t i nto the stock. Once the base
plate sits squarely on the door
(right), guide
t he bi t i n a ci r cul ar mot i on ar ound t he
out l i ne. Use a wood chi sel t o squar e
the edges of the morti ses, then screw the
hi nees t o t he door.
r)
Hangi ng the door
L Wntl " a hel per hol ds the door agai nst
t he case i n i t s open
posi t i on,
but t t he
hi nge l eaves agai nst t he i nsi de f ace of
the case. Maki ng sure that the hardware' s
pi n proj ects beyond the edge of the pan-
el , use a
penci l
t o out l i ne t he hi nge l eaf
(far
l eft). Pl ace the case on i ts si de and
rout the morti ses, fol l owi ng the same pro-
cedures descri bed i n step 1. Then screw
the hi nges to the case
(near
l efi l .
I 1 7
DOORS
INSTALLING CLOCK-CASE HINGES
1
Posi ti oni ng the hi nges
I Set t he case on i t s back and f i x st ri ps of maski ng t ape
across t he corners of t he door openi ng. Pl ace smal l sandpa-
per shi ms on t op of t he pi eces of t ape, t hen set t he door i n
pl ace. Once you are sat i sf i ed wi t h t he posi t i oni ng, mark t he
door corners on t he t ape wi t h a penci l . Next , but t t he hi nges
agai nst t he edge of t he door; use a t ape measure t o make
sure t hat t hey are equal l y spaced f rom t he t op and bot t om
of t he door
(above).
Hol di ng t he upper hal f of t he hi nge i n
pl ace,
sl i p of f t he bot t om hal f and t he hi nge pi n. Then mark
the screw hol es on the door edse
(i nscf)
r)
Mounti ng the hi nges on the door
I Secure the door to a worn sur-
f ace wi t h handscrews and cl amos.
then bore pi l ot hol es at each marked
poi nt . Hol d t he t op hal f of each hi nge
square t o t he door edge and screw
tt in place (right).
9andpaper
t2,
Hinqe
ww/pi n-
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1 1 8
DOORS
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Q
Hangi ng the door
r - ) Reassembl e t he hi nge and r eposi -
t i on t he door on t he case. Check t hat
the corners of the door are al i gned wi th the
mar ks on t he maski ng t ape. Hol di ng
the bottom hal f of one of the hi nges, di s-
assembl e t he hi nge and move t he door
asi de, t hen mar k t he scr ew hol es on t he
case. Repeat f or t he ot her hi nge. Bor e
pi l ot hol es, then screw the bottom hal f
of each hi nge to the case
(/eff,).
Remove
t he shi ms and t ape st r i ps, i nser t t he pi n
i n the bottom
part
of the hi nge and then
ol ace t he door on t he case.
ADDING SURFACE.MOUNTED HINGES
Mounti ng the hi nges
Wi t h t he door good-f ace up on a work
surf ace,
posi t i on t he hi nges on t he door,
maki ng sur e t hat t he pi ns ext end
j ust
beyond the edge of the door. Al so check
t hat t he hi nges ar e t he same di st ance
f rom t he t op and bot t om of t he door.
Mark the screw hol es on the door wi th a
penci l , t hen bore pi l ot hol es. Screw t he
hi nges t o t he door. To mount t he hi nges
t o t he
pi ece of f urni t ure, set t he case on
i t s back. Hol d t he door i n t he case and
pl ace
a
pi ece of sandpaper bet ween t he
t wo t o serve as a shi m, Wi t h t he hi nge
pi n cent ered over t he edge of t he door
openi ng, mark t he screw hol es on t he
case, Bor e pi l ot hol es and dr i ve i n
the screws
(ri ght).
1 1 9
,:qfrr*
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I
ike their counterparts in human
anatomy, legs in cabinetmak-
ing serve mainly as supports. But
furniture legs play an equally
important esthetic role, comple-
menting and setting offfor display
arything from a carcase to a chair.
Whatever the style of legs, the chal-
lenges of making them are several:
shape and proportion must be per-
fectly in balance with the rest of the
piece of furniture, and the leg must
also provide adequate support. The
goal is to achieve a balance between
strength and beauty.
This chapter will show you how
LE,GS
The cabriole leg harkens back to the
time-honored art of shapingwood with hand
tools. Here, the leg\ unmistakable contours
are revealed and smoothed by a spokeshave,
traditional cousin ofthe hand plane.
In general, legs should be
attached to furniture with the
strongest of
joinery
techniqu es
(page
133), such as the mortise-and-tenon
or the dowel
joint.
Another option
is leg hardware, which is commer-
cially available but can also be eas-
ily made in the shop. This alter-
native allows a leg to be detached,
but it is usually only appropriate
when the piece is large enough to
make detachable legs an advantage
during moving.
For most leg projects, you will
need thicker stock than is com-
monly available. You can either
order proper-sized wood from a
to make four popular leg types:
cabriole, tapered, octagonal and square legs. Several methods
ofattaching legs are also presented. Taken together, these leg
types and
joinery
techniques offer attractive alternatives for a
wide range of furniture styles.
Among the most distinctive of designs for legs, the cabriole
is best suited to traditional styles of furniture, such as
Queen
Anne and Hepplewhite. But as American furnituremakers have
shown since the 19th Century, accomplished craftsmanship
can keep this design fresh and appropriate. As you will see, the
cabriole leg does have certain design requirements that should
be respected
(page na).The characteristic contours of the leg
are more than simply random shapes. Incorporating animal
profiles in the design, for example, has always been a feature.
The Italian word capriolarq an antecedent of the English term,
refers to an animal leaping into the air, an action which many
versions ofthe leg are calculated to suggest.
specialized supplier, or make your own leg blanks from thin-
ner stock, using a process called face-gluing. Start by prepar-
ing the stock slightly larger than the final size of the leg: To
make a leg whose finished dimensions will be 3by 3by 29
inches, cut three I %-inch by 3
t/rinchby
30-inch boards. To
ensure a seamless fit,
joint
the mating surfaces. Then glue up
the boards face to face, alternating the end grain ofthe pieces
and arranging the stock to maximize grain and color.
The process is identical to edge-gluing boards into panels
(page 20),except that more clamps should be used. Before cut-
ting into your leg blank,
joint
a face and an edge to create two
surfaces that are at a 90o angle to one another, then use the
planir or the table saw to bring the blank to its final width
and thickness. Lastly, crosscut the leg to length. Refer to the
Cabinetmaking Techniques chapter
(page 12) for information
on these basic woodworking operations.
A router etches a rectangular groove
for
an inlay into a square leg.
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ANATOMY OF A CABRIOLE LEG
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"|a
h. illustration below shows one of
I the common ways a leg-in this
case, a cabriole leg-is
joined
to a piece
of furniture, such as a simple carcase.
Before attaching the leg to the rails, you
will need to cut a rabbet along the top
of the rails. After assembly, the top of
the leg is trimmed to the level of the rab-
bet. Next, glue is applied to the rabbets,
the notches and the contacting surfaces
ofthe carcase, and the casework is seat-
ed on the leg-and-rail assembly. The
weight of the piece eliminates the need
for clamping.
There are many ways of
joining
legs to rails, including the four tech-
niques shown opposite and featured
in this chapter. The mortise-and-tenon
and dowel
joints
are two alternatives
designed to last the life of a piece of
furniture.If you choose the mortise-
and-tenon, remember that the tenons
are always cut at the ends of the rails,
while the mortises are always chis-
eled out ofthe legs.
Whether you buy hardware for
attaching the legs or build your own
in the shop, it offers the strength and
durability of traditional
joinery,
with the added benefit of ease of
disassembly-an option impos-
sible with a glue
joint.
Poat block
1ection of le7
joined to rail;
len4th equala
width of rail;
width typically
one-half to two-
thirda aa wide
ao le7 blank
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Rail
Rabbet cut in top
ed4e providea lip
to cradle piece of
furniture
Ankle
At narrowest
point, about two-
fiftha the width
of le7 blank
Toe
Typically about
3/+
to 1 inch from
bottom of leg
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LEGS
LEG-TO-RAIL JOINTS
Rai l
Tenon
Rail
\ , " ,
LEG HARDWARE
Notch
CUL tn le7 to
hol d mount -
, -
inq plate
\
Commercial hardware thop-made hardware
Rai l
Flanqe of mounLtn7
plaLe fite tnto groove
cut near end
Notah
Cul; in le7
to accePt
\
corner block
-:
Rail
Groove cuL
near end
a r r e n l a a n l i n e
' ' - : '
Mounting
plate
Corner block
Oroovee cut
in ende accept
epltnee
Hanger
bolt
Spline
123
I
l t hough i t s ori gi ns can be t raced
A back to woodworkers of cl assi cal
t i mes i n Chi na, Egypt , Greece and
Rome, the cabri ol e l eg has become a
ubi aui tous fi xture of Western furni -
t uri i n t he past 200 years, The best
known designs include the staid
Queen
Anne l eg wi th i ts spoon-shaped foot
and the ornate bal l -and-cl aw foot of
the Ameri can col oni al desi gn. Due to
the leg's widespread popularity, every
generation has added its own touches
or varied old ones, so that there is no
standard pattern. Designs range from
legs with exaggerated curves to others
that are almost knee-less and virtually
CABRIOLE LEGS
straight. The most common element of
cabriole legs is the S-shaped curve, which
is meant to suggest the grace and ele-
gance of a horse's leg.
The design shown below will yield
an attracti ve, wel l -proporti oned l eg
strong and stable enough to support a
pi ece of furni ture. You can al ter the
pattern to sui t your own proj ect or
copy the design ofan existing leg that
appeals to you. However, do not exag-
gerate the curves too much or you risk
maki ng the l eg unstabl e. Before cut-
ting into the block of wood, perform
this simple test on your design: Draw a
straight line from the top of the leg to
the bottom; the l i ne
shoul d fal l wi thi n
the l eg outl i ne at
every point.
A cabriole leg.
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MAKING A CABRI()TE LEG
1
Desi gni ng a cabri ol e l eg
I For a t empl at e, cut a pi ece of st i f f cardboard or hardboard
t o t he same l engt h and wi dt h as your l eg bl anks. To draw t he
l eg, st art by out l i ni ng t he post bl ock. Make i t s l engt h equal t o
t he wi dt h of t he rai l t hat wi l l be at t ached t o t he l eg; t he wi dt h
shoul d be adequat e t o accept t he t enon of t he rai l
(one-hal f
t o
t wo{hi rds t he wi dt h of t he st ock i s t ypi cal ). Next , sket ch t he
toe; for a l eg of the
proporti ons
shown, i t shoul d be about % to
1 i nch f rom t he bot t om of t he l eg, Then draw a curve on t he
f ront of t he l eg f rom t he t oe t o t he ankl e usi ng a f rench curve;
at i t s narrowest poi nt , t he di amet er of t he ankl e shoul d be
about two-fi fths the stock wi dth. Move on to the knee, sketch
i ng a gentl e
curve from the post bl ock to the front edge of the
t empl at e about 2 t o 3 i nches bel owt he bl ock. Then
j oi n
t he
knee t o t he ankl e wi t h a rel at i vel y st rai ght l i ne. Compl et e t he
out l i ne at t he back of t he l eg, connect i ng t he bot t om of t he
l eg wi t h t he back of t he ankl e. Then sket ch a curve f rom t he
ankle to the bottom of the
post
block
(above).
Experiment with
the outl i ne unti l you have a sati sfactory desi gn.
r24
LEGS
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Illl llll llt llll lll lllt illi llt lll] ili lll1 filt llll ll|l I]I1 illl lllt fiIl
1HO? Tt?
Copyi ngt' he deei 1n
of a aabriole leg
To Lransfer Nhe contoure of an exi eLi nq
l eq ont ro a t emVl at e, uee t hi s ehop-made
I raci n7 qui de. CUL a 2-i nch cube f rom a
ocrap bl ock, l hen use your trabl e saw No
torm aV i n one ed4e. 1aw off the bot|om
hal f of Nhe wedqe. Remove Nhe catbri d4e
from a bal l -poi nt
Ven
and uoe epoxy ql ue
No bond i t to Nhe cube j uel Io one si de of
r)
Transferri ng the desi gn
I nme l eg bl ank
Cut out your
t empl at e on a band saw,
t hen sand t he edges up t o t he marked
out l i ne. Hol d t he t empl at e f l at on one of
t he i nsi de f aces of t he l eg bl ank, mak-
i ng sure t hat t he ends of t he t empl at e
and t he bl ank are al i gned and t hat t he
back of t he oost bl ock i s f l ush wi t h t he
i nsi de edge of the bl ock of wood. Trace
al ong the edges of the templ ate to out-
l i ne t he l eg. Tur n t he bl ank over and
repeat the procedure on the other i nsi de
face
(above).
At thi s poi nt, some wood-
workers prefer to make preparati ons for
t he
j oi nery
bef ore cut t i ng t he l eg.
(l t
i s
easi er t o cl amp and cut a mort i se i n a
rect angul ar l eg bl ank, f or exampl e, t han
t o carry out t he same procedures i n a
l eg wi t h pronounced cont ours. ) Ot her
woodworkers cut the l eg fi rst and then
do t he i oi nerv.
l he Y; Ia?e Nhe carLri d^e Lo Lhe bl ock whi l e the
gl ue i e dryi nq. To uee Nhe qui de, hol d t he i empl at e
f l aL aqai noL one ei de ol t he l eg. Then, qui de l he pen
al onq the back and fronL of the l eg, maki nq sure the
Voi nL
of Ihe V ri des aqai not Lhe edge of the l eg.
125
LEGS
Maki ng the cuts on the adj acent face
Tur n over t he bl ank so t hat t he mar ked out l i ne on i t s
adl acent si de i s f aci ng up. Cut al ong t he marked l i nes, begi n-
ni ng at the foot hbove). Thi s ti me, compl ete the cut, l etti ng
t he wast e f al l away.
Q
Maki nS the cuts on one face of the l eg
r. . / Set t he l es bl ank on t he band saw
t abl e wi t h on. of t h. marked out l i nes f ac-
i ng up and the bottom of the l eg poi nti ng
away f rom you. Al i gni ng t he saw bl ade
j ust
t o t he wast e si de of t he marked l i ne
for the back of the l eg, feed the stock i nto
the bl ade. Turn off the saw about hal fway
through the cut and remove the workpi ece.
Then cut al ong t he same l i ne f r om t he
opposi te end. To avoi d detachi ng the waste
pi ece from the bl ank and l osi ng the marked
out l i ne on t he adj acent f ace, st op t he cut
aboul
t/z
i nch from the fi rst kerf, l eavi ng a
short bridge between the two cuts. Retract
t he workpi ece, t hen cut al ong t he l i ne f or
the front of Iheleg
(left).
f,
Cutting the bridges
r-,t Rotate the bl ank so that the fi rst face you
cut faces up.
Wi th the saw off, sl i de the bl ank forward to feed the bl ade
i nto the kerf at the back of the l eg. Turn on the saw and cut
through the bridge to release the waste piece (above).
Then cut
through the bri dge between the kerfs at the front sf
the l eo
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t26
LEGS
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4i
Shapi ng and smoothi ng the l eg
\ , 1 To f i ni sh shapi ng t he cabr i ol e l eg
and t o r emove any bl emi shes l ef t by
the band saw bl ade, smooth i ts surfaces
wi t h a spokeshave, f ol l owed by a r asp
and sandpaper . I n pr epar at i on
f or t hi s
smoot hi ng pr ocess, secur e t he l eg i n a
bar cl amp and f i x t he cl amp t o a wor k
sur f ace wi t h a handscr ew and a C cl amp
as shown. Hol di ng a spokeshave wi t h
bot h hands at t he t op of a cur ved edge
of t he l eg, pul l t he t ool sl owl y t owar d
you, cut t i ng a t hi n shavi ng and f ol l owi ng
the grai n (/ei f).
Repeat unti l the surface
i s smoot h. Tur n t he l eg i n t he bar cl amp
t o cl ean up t he ot her edges. To smoot h
an area that the spokeshave cannot reach,
use t he r asp. The t ool wor ks best when
pushed di agonal l y acr oss t he gr ai n. Fi n-
i sh the
j ob
wi th sandpaper, usi ng progres-
si vel y f i ner - gr i t paper s unt i l t he sur f ace
i s smoot h.
illl tlll llll lll lll llll lltl rjll tlll ll]l illl ilIl llll lll1 lll ltil tl]l ilil
9HO7 Tt ?
Sandi ng a aabri ol e l eg
)mootrhi ng l he curved
eurfaces of a cabri ol e
l eg uei nq onl y a
eheeL of eandpaper
or a eandi nq bl ock
ri eke creal i nq bumpe or
val l eye or f l aXl eni ng oul
Ihe curves i f excessi ve
?ree6ure
i o apVl i ed, Uee a
ohoV- made oandi nq
Vad
l haL wi l l f ol l ow Nhe cont our e of
l he l eg. Wr aV a sheel of eandpa-
Ver
ar ound a t hi ck oVonqe l ha|
you can comf or t abl y qr i p and
hol d t he
?a?er
ar ound t he sponqe ao
you emoot rh Nhe l eg. Even wi l h f i rm hand
?reboure,
l here i s no nek of overaandi nq.
t 27
TAPERED AND OCTAGONAL LE,GS
f
abi net makers t aper l egs st ri ct l y
\-.r for visual effect. A taoer adds no
strength, but nei ther doei i t take any
away. Its principal effect is to reduce the
stol i d heavi ness of a l eg, i mparti ng a
sleek appearance to furniture as diverse
as traditional English and contemporary
Scandinavian designs.
A l eg can be tapered on one i nsi de
face, on two outside faces, or, as illus-
trated below and on page 129, onall four
sides. Before settling on the amount of
taper for a l eg-expressed i n ei ther
degrees or inches per foot-you can
evaluate the visual impact of the finished
product without cutting into your leg
blank. Experiment with different tapers
by simply masking offthe part to be cut
awaywith a piece of light-colored card-
board. There are no prescriptions for the
ideal amount of taper, but as a general
rule, the thicker and longer the leg, the
greater the angle.
Another option well-suited to many
furni ture styl es i s the octagonal l eg.
Despite its appearance of intricacy, it is
easy to create using a table saw as shown
on page 130. For either style ofleg, be
sure to sand the stock thoroughly before
preparing it for joinery.
Cut on a table saw
fitted
with a mold-
i nghead and cut-
ters, a bead profile
adds a distinctive
decorative touch to
this tapered leg.
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'l
Setting up and starting the cut
I Use a cut t i ng gauge t o out l i ne t he t aper on t he bot t om
end of t he l eg bl ank
(i nset ).
Then mark l i nes on t he f our f aces
of t he st ock near t he opposi t e end t o i ndi cat e where t he t aper
wi l l begi n. I nst al l a cl amp on t he
j oi nt er ' s
i nf eed t abl e t o hol d
t he guard out of t he way duri ng t he operat i on. Set t he dept h of
cut f or 7a i nch and, hol di ng t he bl ank agai nst t he f ence, al i gn
t he t aper st art l i ne wi t h t he f ront of t he out f eed t abl e. But t a
st op bl ock agai nst t he l eg as shown and cl amp i t t o t he
i nf eed t abl e. To st art each pass, caref ul l y l ower t he bl ank
ont o t he cut t erhead whi l e hol di ng i t f i rml y agai nst t he f ence
wi th your l eft hand
(above).
Straddl e the fence wi th your ri ght
hand, usi ng your t humb t o keep t he bl ank f l ush agai nst t he
st oo bl ock. Make sure bot h hands are over t he i nf eed si de
of t he cut t erhead.
J()INTING A TAPERED LEG
LEGS
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ADDING DECORATIVE MOLDING
Cutti ng mol di ng i nto a l eg
On your t abl e saw i nst al l a mol di ng head wi t h t he appropri -
at e cut t ers; a bead prof i l e i s shown. Mark a cut t i ng l i ne f or
each mol di ng on one face of the l eg, then hol d the l eg agai nst
t he mi t er gauge. For a t apered l eg, you wi l l have t o adj ust
t he angl e of t he gauge. Use a carpent er' s square t o make
sure t hat t he square part of t he l eg i s perpendi cul ar t o t he
mi t er sl ot . Crank t he cut t ers t o 7a i nch above t he t abl e and
al i gn one of t he cut t i ng l i nes wi t h t he mol di ng head. Then
r)
Joi nti ng the taper
L feea the l es across the cutterhead
wi th a push sti c-k, pushi ng down on the
t rai l i ng end of t he st ock whi l e pressi ng
i t fl ush agai nst the fence
(l eft).
Keep
your l eft hand away from the cutterhead.
Make as many passes as necessary unti l
you have tri mmed the stock down to the
taper outl i ne, then repeat the process to
shape t he remai ni ng f aces.
but t t he ri p f ence agai nst t he l eg. To cut t he f i rst mol di ng,
press t he l eg f i rml y agai nst t he mi t er gauge and t he f ence,
whi l e f eedi ng t he st ock i nt o t he cut t ers. Repeat t he cut on
t he adj acent f ace, t hen cont i nui ng i n t he same manner unt i l
you have cut t he mol di ng on al l f our si des. For a deeper cut ,
make as many passes as necessary, rai si ng t he mol di ng head
7s i nch at a ti me.
(Cauti on:
Bl ade guard removed for cl ari ty.)
'v-"a
t-"'
t29
LEGS
SHAPING AN
()CTAGONAT
LEG
Cutti ng the l eg
But t t he st ock agai nst t he ri p f ence
a few i nches i n front of the bl ade. Adj ust
t he cut t i ng hei ght unt i l one t oot h
j ust
protrudes beyond the face of the work-
pi ece. To make t he f i rst cut , f eed t he
bl ank i nt o t he bl ade, st raddl i ng t he f ence
wi t h your l ef t hand. Rot at e t he l eg 90"
cl ockwi se and repeat the cut on the adj a-
cent f ace. Cont i nue i n t hi s same manner
unt i l al l t he si des are cut
1
Setting up the cut
I Unpl ug t he t abl e saw, crank t he
bl ade t o i t s hi ghest set t i ng and adj ust
t he cut t i ng angl e t o 45". Move t he ri p
fence to the l eft-hand si de of the bl ade
Lay one f ace of t he l eg bl ank on t he
bl ade wi t h a corner rest i ng on t he saw
t abl e, t hen but t t he f ence agai nst t he
stock //eff.).
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ddi ng i nl ay to a l eg can transform
A an easi l y overl ooked square or
octagonal block of wood into the eye-
catching focus of a piece of furniture.
Whether the goal is to create a contrast
with the leg stock or to complement a
l eg' s outl i nes, you can choose from a
wide variety of inlay materials, including
metals, wood veneers, marquetry and-
as shown below and on page 132-solid
hardwood. Each tvoe of material can be
prepared in the shop, but most are also
avai l abl e i n vari ous di ameters at fi ne
woodworking stores.
INLAYSAND DETAILING
Standard practice is to rout a groove
for an inlav from the top to the bottom of
a leg. However, before cutting into your
leg, hold pieces of inlay of different lengths
up against it and select a length or arrange-
ment that oroduces the best effect.
Anothei decorative option is to rout
a molding into a leg. Although it does
not stand out as boldly as inlay, mold-
ing can add its own distinctive touch to
a oiece of furniture. You can also install
a molding cutterhead on your table saw
and carve out a pattern, much as you
would on a door frame
(page
107).
An inlay of mar-
quetry creates a
vivid counterpoint
to the understated
grain pattern of
an octagonal leg.
ADDING INLAV TO A LEG
'l
Cutting and routing grooves
I To cut a strai ght groove, use your tabl e saw wi i h a dado
head t he same wi dt h as t he i nl ay; set t he cut t i ng hei ght t o
sl i ght l y l ess t han i t s t hi ckness. Make a cut i n a scrap board
and t est t he f i t ; adj ust t he wi dt h and cut t i ng hei ght of t he
bl ades, i f necessary. Next, mark a l i ne for the groove on the
l eadi ng end of t he l eg and al i gn i t wi t h t he dado head. But t
t he ri p f ence agai nst t he st ock, t hen f eed i t i nt o t he bl ades
(above,
l efi l . f o make a groove wi th more than one strai ght
cut , use a rout er. St art by securi ng al l f our edges of t he l eg
wi t h st op bl ocks. Then i nst al l a st rai ght -cut t i ng bi t on your
router and set the cutti ng depth to sl i ghtl y l ess than the thi ck-
ness of the i nl ay. Outl i ne the groove on the l eg, then adj ust the
t ool ' s edge gui de t o al i gn t he bi t wi t h one of t he l i nes t hat run
across t he grai n. Gri ppi ng t he rout er f i rml y, cut t he groove,
movi ng the tool agai nst the di recti on of bi t rotati on. Repeat to
cut the other grooves, then square the corners wi th a chi sel .
1 3 1
LEGS
r)
Setti ng the i nl ay i n the groove
L Cut t he i nl ay t o f i t i n t he groove wi t h a
tabl e saw, a backsaw and mi ter box, or a wood
chi sel . For the rectangul ar groove shown, make
45" mi t er cut s at t he ends of t he i nl ay pi eces.
I t i s easi est t o cut and f i t one pi ece
at a t i me,
maki ng sure you al i gn t he mi t er cut s wi t h t he
corners of t he grooves. Next , spread a l i t t l e
gl ue i n t he sl ot and on t he mi t er ed ends of
t he i nl ay pi eces. I nser t one st r i p at a t i me,
tapping it gently with a wooden mallel
(right).
Once t he gl ue has dri ed, gent l y sand t he l eg
to remove any excess adhesi ve and to tri m the
i nl ay perf ect l y f l ush wi t h t he surf ace of t he
wood. l f you are usi ng met al i nl ay, cut i t wi t h
a hacksaw and sand the surfaces that wi l l con-
t act t he groove
t o i mprove adhesi on. Then
bond t he st ri p i n pl ace wi t h epoxy gl ue.
DETAITING THE SURFACE
(lF
A tEG
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Routi ng detai l i ng
Hol d t he l eg i n pl ace wi t h st op bl ocks
screwed t o a work surf ace. Mark l i nes
on t he l eg f or t he begi nni ng and end of
t he cut . Then i nst al l a decorat i ve bi t on
your rout er; a cove bi t wi t h a bal l -bear-
i ng pi l ot i s shown. Set a cut t i ng dept h
appropri at e t o t he prof i l e you want t o
make, t hen al i gn t he bi t wi t h t he st art
l i ne. Gri ppi ng the router wi th both hands,
gui de t he bi t al ong t he cor ner of t he
l eg agai nst t he di rect i on of bi t rot at i on,
st oppi ng when you reach t he end l i ne.
Repeat to rout the detai l i ng on the other
corner of the leg
(left).
r32
LEG
JOINERY
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f
his section features two time-test-
I ed methods for permanently
joining
legs to the rails of a piece of furniture:
the morti se-and-tenon
j oi nt
and the
dowel
joint.
Two more contemporary
ways are also featured; both involve using
knock-down leg hardware-suitable for
furniture that must be taken apart and
reassembled periodically.
To some extent, the type of leg will
dictate the way you
join it to the rails.
You would be unlikely, for example, to
use a hanger bolt to fix a cabriole leg to
a fine frame-and-panel cabinet. A mor-
tise-and-tenon
joint
would be a more
appropriate choice.
There are several techniques for mak-
ing the mortise-and-tenon. You can use
a table saw to cut the tenons
(page
104);
The tenon at the end of a rail
fi*
snugly
in a mortise cut out of a square leg,
creating a sturdy, long-lasting
joint.
the mortises can be bored with a router
(page
50) or a drill press (page 106).Yott,
may also choose to use hand tools. As
shown below and on page 134, tenons cut
with a handsaw and mortises chopped
out with a chisel are traditional meth-
ods that many woodworkers consider
particularly suitable for the cabriole leg.
Whatever method you choose, the
strength of the
joint
will be enhanced
by its large gluing area.
As a rule of thumb, the length of the
tenon should generally be about three-
quarters the thickness of the leg. The
tenon is typically about one-third as
thick as the rail, but manywoodworkers
base the tenon's thickness instead on the
width of the chisel with which theywill
chop out the mortise.
HAND.CUT MORTISE.AND.TENON J()INTS
1
Cutting the tenons
I 0ut l i ne t he t enons on t he r ai l s, t hen secur e one of t he
wor kpi eces end- up i n a vi se. Cut al ongt he l i nes on t he end
of the rai l wi th a backsaw; ti l t the saw forward and cut to the
shoul der l i ne of the tenon
(above,
l efi l .fhen compl ete the cut
wi th the saw l evel . To remove the waste from the tenon cheeks,
cl amp the rai l face-up to a work surface, protecti ng the stock
wi t h a wood
pad.
Cut al ons t he shoul der l i ne on t he f ace of t he
rai l ; turn over the stock and repeat the operati on on the other
side bbove, right).To cut away the waste on the edges of the
t enon, secure t he rai l end-up agai n and saw al ong t he edges
of t he t enon t o t he shoul der l i ne, Fi nal l y, cl amp t he rai l edge-
up and cut t hrough t he shoul der l i nes on bot h edges of t he
rai l . Reoeat t o cut t he t enons at t he ot her end of t he rai l and
at both ends of the other rai l s.
r33
LEGS
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0utl i ni ng the morti ses
L l ttar* morti se outl i nes on each l eg
i n two steps, usi ng one of the rai l tenons
as a gui de. Fi rst , hol d t he cheek of t he
tenon fl ush agai nst the l eg, wi th the top
of t he rai l al i gned wi t h t he end of t he
l eg. Draw a penci l
al ong t he edges of
t he t enon t o out l i ne t he l engt h of t he
mort i se, t hen use a t ry square t o con-
t i nue t he l i nes across t he l eg. To mark
t he wi dt h of t he mort i se, hol d t he edge
of t he t enon cent ered f l ush agai nst t he
leg
(left).
Extend the marks along the leg
unt i l t he t wo out l i nes i nt ersect . Repeat
to mark another morti se on the adj acent
f ace of t he l eg f or t he adj oi ni ng rai l .
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Chi sel i ng the morti ses
For each of t he mort i ses, cl amo t he
l eg to a work surface, protecti ng
the stock
wi t h a wood pad. Then, st art i ng at one
end of an out l i ne, hol d a mort i si ng chi sel
square t o t he f ace of t he l eg and st ri ke
i t wi t h a wooden mal l et . Use a chi sel t he
same wi dt h as t he t enon and be sure
that the bevel ed si de of the bl ade i s fac-
i ng t he wast e. Make anot her cut 7e i nch
f rom t he f i rst . Cont i nue unt i l you reach
t he ot her end of t he out l i ne, l ever i ng
out t he wast e t o a dept h t hat sl i ght l y
exceeds the l ength of the tenon. Test-fi t
t he t enon and wi den or deeoen t he mor-
t i se as requi red.
134
LEGS
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Gl ui ng up t he l eg and rai l
Spr ead a l i t t l e gl ue i n t he mor t i se
and on t he cheeks and shoul der s of t he
t enon. Fi t t he t wo t oget her , maki ng sur e
t hat t he t ops of t he r ai l and t he l eg ar e
f l ush. Pr ot ect i ng t he l eg wi t h a wood
pad, hol d t he
j oi nt
t oget her wi t h a bar
cl amp. Al i gn t he bar of t he cl amp wi t h
t he r ai l , t hen t i ght en i t unt i l a bead of
gl ue squeezes out of t he
j oi nt .
Once t he
adhesi ve has dr i ed, r emove any excess
gl ue wi th a pai nt scraper. Repeat the pro-
cedur e t o f ast en t he adj oi ni ng r ai l t o t he
^ ' { i ^ ^ ^ ^ + { ^ ^ ^ ^ + + h n l a a
a n d f n o l r r p t r n
d u l d L t r i l L r d L U u r L l l t r 1 t r 5 u " -
t he r emai ni ng l egs wi t h t he ot her r ai l s.
DOWEL JOINTS
1 Locati ns and bori ns dowel hol es
l -
I i n t he r ai l s
Fi r st , mar k l ocat i on
poi nt s f or t he dowel
hol es. Hol di ng one of t he r ai l s end- up, set
a cut t i ng
gauge t o one- hal f t he t hi ckness
of t he st ock and scr i be a l i ne acr oss t he
end of t he boar d. Wi t h t he gauge at a
sl r ght l y wi der set t i ng, et ch t wo mar ks on
t he end of t he r ai l t hat i nt er sect wi t h t he
fi rst l i ne
(i ghi l .Io
avoi d spl i tti ng the stock,
use
grooved dowel s no more than one-hal f
t he t hi ckness of t he r ai l s. Fi t a dr i l l pr ess
or an el ect r i c dr i l l wi t h a bi t t he same di am-
et er as t he dowel s, t hen bor e a hol e at
each I ocat i on poi nt ; t he dept h shoul d be
sl i ght l y mor e t han one- hal f t he l engt h of
t he dowel s. Use t he same t echni que t o
bor e t he dowel hol es at t he opposi t e end
of t he r ai l and i n t he ot her r ai l s.
135
LEGS
r)
Pi npoi nti ng mati ng dowel hol es
L l nsert dowel cent ers i n t he hol es.
Then al i gn t he t op of t he rai l wi t h t he t op
of the l eg
(ri ght),
and swi ng the rai l up so
that rts outsi de face i s fl ush wi th the edge
of t he l eg. Tap t he ot her end of t he r ai l
wi th a wooden mal l et. The poi nted
ends of
t he dowel cent ers wi l l punch i mpressi ons
on t he l eg, provi di ng
st art i ng poi nt s
f or
bor i ng t he mat i ng dowel hol es. Repeat
f or t he ot her rai l s and l egs.
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Bori ng the mati ng dowel hol es
and gl ui ng
up
Bor e t he hol es i n t he l eg t o t he same
depth as those i n the rai l
(page
135).
l f you ar e dr i l l i ng i nt o a t aper ed l eg on
a drrl l press,
be sure to keep the square
par t of t he l eg f l at on t he machi ne' s
t abl e. Spr ead a l i t t l e gl ue
on t he sur -
f aces of t he l eg and r ai l t hat wi l l come
i nt o cont act wi t h each ot her , t hen dab
a smal l amount of adhesi ve i n the boftom
of t he dowel hol es wi t h a penc i l
t i p.
Avoi d spr eadi ng gl ue
di r ect l y on t he
dowel s; t hey absor b mor st ur e qui ckl y
and wi l l swel l , maki ng t hem di f f i cul t
t o f i t i nt o t he hol es. I nser t t he dowel s
i nt o t he l egs, t hen t ap t hem i nt o posi -
t i on wi t h a hammer . Remember not t o
pound on t he dowel s, whi ch can cause
t he l eg t o spl i t . Fi t t he r ai l ont o t he l eg,
t hen cl ose up t he
j oi nt
wi t h t he same
cl ampr ng set up used f or t he mor t r se-
and-tenon
l otnt
(page
J35l . Gl ue up the
ot her l egs and r ai l s t he same way.
r36
LEGS
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C()MMERCIAL LEG HARDWARE
1 Prepari ng the rai l s
T '
I I nst al l commer ci al har dwar e t o at t ach r ai l s t o a l eg f ol -
l owi ng t he manuf act ur er ' s i nst r uct i ons. For t he t ype shown
i n t hi s sect i on
( page
13&, t est assembl e t he l eg, t he r ai l s
and t he mount i ng pl at e, t hen mar k t he l ocat i on of t he pl at e
f l anges on t he r ai l s. To cut t he sl ot s f or t he f l anges, al i gn
each mar k wi i h t he bl ade, t hen but t t he r i p f ence agai nst t he
r ai l . Set t he bl ade hei ght t o t he l engi h of t he f l anges, addi ng
t / r c
i nch f or cl ear ance. Feed t he r ai l i nt o t he bl ade wi t h t he
miter gauge (/eff). (Caution:
Blade guard removed for clarity.)
Repeat f or t he ot her r ai l . Sl i p t he f l anges i nt o t hei r sl ot s and
mar k t he scr ew hol es on t he st ock. Bor e pi l ot hol es at each
poi nt and t hen scr ew t he mount i ng pl at e t o t he r ai l s.
r)
Prepari ng the l eg
L Fust, cut a notch out of the l eg for the
mount i ng pl at e. St and t he l eg up and hol d
t he r ai l - and- pl at e assembl y on t op of i t ,
al i gni ng t he ends of t he r ai l s wi t h adj a-
cent si des of t he l eg. Mar k a di agonal l i ne
acr oss t he t op of t he l eg al ong t he mount -
i ng pl at e. Next , al i gn t he t op of t he pl at e
wi t h t he t op of t he l eg and mar k a l i ne
al ong t he bot t om edge of t he pl at e acr oss
t he i nsi de cor ner of t he l eg addi ngr / r "
i nch f or cl ear ance. To cut t he not ch, set
t he l eg on a band saw t abl e and t r l t t he
t abl e t o al i gn t he bl ade wi t h t he di agonal
l i ne. But t a boar d agai nst t he l eg and
cl amp i t t o t he t abl e as a r i p f ence. Feed
t he l eg i nt o t he bl ade t o make t he cut ,
t hen cl amp a st op bl ock i n pl ace t o hel p
with repeat cuts
(righil.
Complete the notch
usi ng a handsaw. Test - assembl e t he l eg
and r ai l - and- pl at e assembl y agai n and
mar k t he hol e on t he st ock f or t he hanger
bol t pr ovi ded. Fi t your dr i l l pr ess wi t h a
br ad- poi nt bi t and bor e a cl ear ance hol e
f or t he bol t usi ng a shop- made V- bl ock
ltg
(inseil.
r37
LEGS
Fasteni ng the l eg to the rai l s
I nsert t he screw-t hread end of t he
hanger bol t i nt o t he cl ear ance hol e i n
t he l eg. Unl i ke ot her f ast eners, a hanger
bol t has t wo t ypes of t hreads: screw
t hr eads at one end and bol t t hr eads at
t he ot her ; i t al so has no head. Scr ew
nut s ont o t he bol t l hread end and t i ght -
en them agai nst each other wi th a wrench,
f ormrng a t emporary head on t he bol t .
Ti ghten the bol t wi th one of the wrenches
t o dri ve t he screw t hreads compl et el y
i nt o t he l eg, t hen unscrew t he nut s f rom
t he bol t . Sl i p t he rai l -and-pl at e assembl y
over t he bol t and screw a nut on i t , mak-
i ng sure t hat t he f l anges are i n t hei r sl ot s.
Keepi ng t he t op of t he rai l s f l ush wi t h t he
top of the leg, tighten the nut
(left).
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SHOP-MADE LEG HARDWARE
1
Cutti ng the corner bl ock
I To at t ach t he rai l s t o a l eg usi ng shop-
made hardware, fi rst make a corner bl ock. Ri p
a pi ece
of wood narrow enough to dri ve a hang-
er bol t t hrough i t i nt o t he l eg. Then make 45'
mi ter cuts at both ends. Next, cut grooves for
spl i nes, whi ch wi l l hel p
j oi n
t he bl ock t o t he
rai l s. I nst al l a dado head on your t abl e saw wi t h
a wi dt h and cut t i ng hei ght equal t o one-t hi rd
t he t hi ckness of t he rai l s. Screw a board t o t he
mi ter gauge as an extensi on, then al i gn the mi d-
poi nt of one end of t he bl ock wi t h t he bl ades.
Cl amp t he bl ock t o t he ext ensi on. But t a
wast e pi ece f rom t he mi t er cut s agai nst t he
workpi ece t o serve as a st op bl ock and cl amp
i t t o t he ext ensi on. Feed t he st ock i nt o t he
bl ades, t hen t urn i t over and cut t he groove
i n t he ot her end
(ri ght ).
Test -f i t t he bl ock
agai nst t he r ai l s, t hen mar k and cut t he
grooves. Next , cut a spl rne f or each groove.
Pl ane t he spl i nes caref ul l y t o make sure t hat
t hey f i t pr eci sel y i n t he mat chi ng gr ooves,
rememberi ng t o cut t hem %e short t o al l ow
f or cl earance. For maxi mum st rengt h, make
sure t hat t he grai n of t he spl rnes runs across
t hei r wi dt h, rat her t han al ong t hei r l engt h.
l 38
LEGS
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Bori ng
pi l ot and cl earance hol es
(-
l nsLal l a brad-poi nt bi t on your dri l l
press and mark t he cent er of t he l ong
edge of the bl ock for a hanger bol t. Secure
t he workpi ece i n a handscrew and cl amp
i t i n pl ace as shown, wi t h t he cent er
al i gned wi t h t he bi t . Then bore t he hol e.
Next , mark t wo hol es on each si de of t he
cl earance hol e and dri l l pi l ot hol es
(ri ght),
reposi t i oni ng t he bl ock i n t he handscrew
as necessary.
Q
Fasteni ng the l eg to the rai l s
r-J Fi rst , f ast en t he corner bl ock t o t he rai l s:
Spread some gl ue i n t he grooves i n t he bl ock and
the rai l s, then fi t the spl i nes i nto the grooves i n the
bl ock. Pr ess t he bl ock up agai nst t he r ai l s t o f i t
t he spl i nes r nt o t he r ai l s. Then, keepi ng t he r ai l s
snugl y agai nst t he bl ock, screw t he bl ock t o t he
rai l s
(l efi l .
Prepare the l eg as you woul d for com-
merci al hardware
(page
137), cutti ng a notch out
of t he t op f or t he corner bl ock and bori ng a cl ear'
ance hol e f or a hanger bol t . Fast en t he l eg t o t he
rai l s wi t h t he bol t
(page
138), sl i ppi ng a washer
bet ween t he nut and t he corner bl ock. Ti ght en t he
nuI bel ow) unti l the l eg and rai l s f i t snugl y together.
r39
GLOSSARY
A-B
Ankle: The narrowest part of a cabri-
ole leg, typically about two-fifths as
wide as the widest part of the leg.
Auxiliaryfence: A wood fence
screwed to the metal rip fence of a
table saw, usually to avoid accidental
damage to the fence when the blade
will cut close to it.
Batten: A board screwed across the
back ofa board-and-batten door to
provide reinforcement.
Bench dog: A pin that fits into a slot
on a workbench to help keep a work-
piece in place.
Biscuit joint
See plate joint.
Biscuit A thin oval-shaped wafer of
compressed wood, usually beech,
which fits into slots in mating boards
cut by a plate joiner.
Bow: A defect in lumber character-
izedby an end-to-end curve along the
face ofthe stock.
Brad driver: A locking pliers-like tool
designed for driving finishing nails.
Brad-pointbit: A drill bit featuring
a sharpened centerpoint and two cut-
ting spurs; produces cleaner holes
than a twist bit.
C
Cabriole leg: A type of furniture leg
characterized by rounded contours
designed to imitate the graceful leg
of a leaping animal.
Cheek In a mortise-and-tenon
ioint,
the part ofthe tenon perpendicular
to the shoulder.
Carcase: A piece of furniture with a
box-like construction; made from
solid panels.
Copingbit A router bit that cuts a
decorative molding and a tongue at
the end or edge of a workpiece, allow-
ing the stock to be
joined
to a board
with a matching groove.
Crossgrain: A lumber defect appear-
ing as an edge-to-edge curve, produc-
1n8 a concave tace.
Cup: A lumber defect appearing as an
edge-to-edge curve, producing a con-
cave tace.
Cutting gauge: A marking tool fea-
turing a handle, a fence and sharp
cutting edge for scribing a line on a
workpiece parallel to its end or edge.
D-E
Dado: A rectangular channel cut into
a workpiece.
Double dado
joint
A method of
joining
wood at corners by means
ofa tongue in each piece that inter-
locks with a groove in the other; also
known as a concealed dado-and-
tongue
joint.
Dowel center: A metal cylinder that
is inserted into a dowel hole to pin-
point a matching hole in a mating
worKprece.
Edge banding: Decorative veneer
glued to the exposed edges ofa ply-
wood panel in a piece of furniture.
Edge gluing: Bonding several boards
together edge-to-edge to form a panel.
End grain: The arrangement and
direction of the wood fibers running
across the width of a workpiece when
viewed from the ends.
F
Face gluing: Similar to edge gluing,
except that boards are bonded
together face-to-face.
Featherboard: A
piece
ofwood cut
with fingers or
"felathers"
at one end;
used in conjunction with clamps to
hold a workpiece against the fence or
table of a saw or a router table.
Fence: An adjustable guide to keep
the edge of a workpiece a set distance
from the cutting edge of a tool. Also
called a rip fence on the table saw.
Forstner bit: A drill bit with a razor
rim and cutters for boring perfectly
flat-bottomed holes.
Frame: An assembly of horizontal
rails and vertical stiles: used to form
a door or one side of a frame-and-
panel piece of furniture.
G-H-I
Glass-stop molding: Decorative
strips of wood used to hold a pane of
glass in place in a door.
Grain: The arrangement and direc-
tion of the fibers that make up wood.
Half-blind dovetail Similar to the
through dovetail joint,
except that
the pins are not cut through the
entire thickness of the workpiece,
thus concealing the end grain of the
tail boards.
Hangerbolt A bolt with no head;
one end ofthe bolt has screw threads
while the other end features machine
threads.
Haunched mortise-and-tenon:
Similar to the standard mortise-and-
tenon, except that one edge ofthe
tenon has a notch cut out ofit.
Inlay: A decorative strip of metal,
hardwood or marquetry that is glued
in a groove cut into a workpiece.
I.K-L
Kerf: A cut made in wood by a saw
blade.
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Kickback The tendency of a work-
piece to be thrown back in the direc-
tion of the saw operator by a moving
blade or cutter on a woodworking
machine or tool.
Ledger strip: A short, narrow piece
of wood used to support the top and
bottom of a piece of furniture.
Leg blank A solid piece of wood
made of several thinner boards face-
glued together; used as the basis ofa
furniture leg.
M-N
Miter gauge: A device that slides in a
slot on a saw or router table, provid-
ing support for the stock as it moves
past the blade or bit.
Molding: Decorative strips of wood
that can be carved on a router or
table saw.
Mortise: A rectangular hole cut into a
piece of wood.
Mortise-and-tenon joinfi
A
joinery
technique in which a projecting
tenon on one board fits into a mor-
tise on another.
Mullion: A vertical member between
the stiles of a frame; also called
muntin.
O-P-R
Ogee bit A decorative router bit or
stationary saw molding head cutter
that produces an S-shaped profile.
Plate
joint
A method ofjoining
wood in which biscuits of wood fit
into slots cut in mating boards.
Pocket hole: An angled hole bored
into the face of a workpiece and exit-
ing from its top edge.
Push block or stick A device used to
feed a workpiece into a blade, cutter
or bit to protect the operator's fingers.
Rabbet
joint A method ofjoining
wood in which the end or edge of one
workoiece fits into a channel cut
along the edge or end ofanother
workpiece.
Rail A horizontal member of a
frame-and-panel assembly; also, a
board running across the front open-
ing of a piece of furniture designed
to support a drawer.
Rail cutter: See coping bit.
Raised panet A piece of wood that
fits into grooves cut into the inside
edges of a frame-and-panel assembly.
Beveling the edges ofthe panel cre-
ates the illusion that the middle
por-
tion is
"raised".
S-T-U
Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenon
joint,
the part ofthe tenon perpen-
dicular to the cheek. In a dovetail
joint,
the valleys between the pins
and tails.
Spline A small piece of wood that fits
in mating grooves in two workpieces,
reinforcing the
joint
between them.
Spokeshave: A plane-like hand tool
with an adjustable cutter for shaping
curved surfaces.
Squeeze out The excess glue that is
forced from a glue joint
when clamp-
ing pressure is applied.
Sticking bit A router bit that cuts a
decorative molding and a groove at
the end or edge of a workpiece, allow-
ing the stock to be
joined
to a board
with a matching tongue.
Stile: A vertical member of a frame-
and-panel assembly.
Stile cutter: See sticking bit.
Stop collar: An electric drill accessory
that fits around a bit to stop a drilling
operation at a certain depth.
Tearout: The tendency ofa blade or
cutter to tear the fibers of the wood it
is cutting, leaving ragged edges on the
workpiece.
Tenon: A protrusion from the end of
a board that fits into a mortise.
Three-wing slotting cutter: A router
bit designed to cut a groove.
Through dovetail
joint:
A method of
joining wood at corners by means of
interlocking pins and tails; the name
derives from the distinctive shape cut
into the ends of
joining
boards.
Tongue In a tongue-and-groove or
cope-and-sti ck
j oi nt,
a protrusi on
from the edge or end ofone board
that fits into the groove in another.
Twin tenon: Two tenons at the end
of a board that fit into two side-by-
side mortises.
TWist: A lumber defect characterized
by uneven or irregular warping.
V-W-X-Y-Z
Veneered paneh A panel with a thin
layer of decorative wood laid onto
or over it.
Wood button: A small, square-
shaped block with a rabbet at one
end that fits into a groove; used to
secure the top of a piece of furniture.
r4l
INDEX
Page references in italics indicate
an illustration of subject matter.
Page references in bold indicate
a Build It Yourself project.
A-B
Adhesives, back endpaper
Bar clamps,
y'ont
endpaper
belt sanoers. -t5, 5,/
Beveled panels,' 5j-54, 55, 56
Bi scui t j oi nts.
See Pl ate
j oi nts
Blind nailers:
Shop Tip, 34
Board-and-batten doors, 102, 108, 110
Build It Yourself:
Carcase construction
carcase-squaring blocks, 33
glue racks, 24
Drawers
dado-routing
jigs for drawer
supports, 89
Frame-and-oanel construction
jigs
for culting raised panels, 55
pocket hole
jigs,
68
Burns, Michael, 8-9
Butt hi nges, 115, 117
Buttons (rabbeted blocks), 47, 64- 65
C
Cabinetmaker's clamps,
/ront
endpaper
Cabinets. See Carcases; Frame-and-panel
construction
Cabriole legs, 121, 122, 124-127
Copying the design of a cabriole leg
(Shop Tip), 125
Sanding a cabriole leg (Shop Tip), 127
Carcases, 17,18-19
Assembly, 3l-32, 35, 37,43
Back panels, 38
Carcase-squaring blocks, 33
Checking a carcase for square
(Shop Tip), 33
Toinerv
dovetai l
j oi nts,17,
19, 27-32
plate joints,
16, 17, 19, 36-37
rabbet joints, 19, 34-35
See also Edge banding; Edge-glued
boards; Shelves
C clamps,
front
endpaper
Clamping:
Carcases, 32,35,37,43
checking a carcase for square
(Shop Ti p), 33
Doors, 107, 109, 114
Drawers,86,98
Edge-glued boards,22
preventi ng cl amp stai ns
(Shop Ti p), 23
Frame-and-panel construction, 45,
58, 59
Glue racks, 24
Moldings, T0-71
an alternative method for clamping
on moldings (Shop Tip), 71
Springboards for clamping edge
banding
(Shop Tip), 40
Clamps,
front
endpaper
See also Clamping
Cl ock-case hi nges, 115, 118-119
Concealed dado and tongue
joints,
26,
78-79
Cope-and-stick
joints,
44, 46, 48, 5l- 52
Craftsmanship, 6- 1 1
See also Hand-crafting
Crosscutting, I4
D
Dado
joints:
Drawers, 75,76,78-79
Dado-routing
jigs,
89
Decorative techniques:
lnlays, 120, 131-132
Moldings
aoofs. Lu/
legs, izs, i2g,t3t,132
shelves, 63
Depth gauges:
Inserting dowels with a depth gauge
.(Shop Tip), 26
Doors, 101
Board-and-batten, 102, 108, 110
Decorative moldings, 107
Frame-and-panel, 101, 102, 104
-107
Gl ass, l 0l , 103, 1 11-112
Hi nges, 101, 115- 119
Mounti ng, 103, 115-119
Tongue-and-groove, 102, 108
-
109
preventing sanding scratches
(Shop Ti p), 109
Veneered-panel, 10i, 1 1 3- 1 14
Double dado
joints,
76,78-79
Double-sided clamps,
front
endpaper
Dovetail
joints:
Carcases, 17, 19,27-32
Drawers, 75,76,8U84
Hand-cut, 27-32,82-84
dealing with a defective dovetail
(Shop Ti p), 32
Dowel
joints, 123, 135- 136
Dowels:
Edge-glued boards, 25- 26
inserting dowels with a depth gauge
(Shop Ti p),26
Drawers, 17
,
72,73, 74-75
Assemblv. 85
-86
Bottom panels, 73, 74, 85-86
False fronts, 74,97-98
Fitting, 91,94
Flush fronts, 74
Jol ner y,
/ J, / J, / O
dado
j oi nts,
75,76,78
-79
dovetail
ioints,
75, 76, 80
-84
rabbet
joints,
75,76, 77
Lipped fronts,74, 87
Mounti ng,86
bottom-run, 75,90
-91
positioning jig for slide runners
(Shop Ti p), e3
side-mountin g, 75, 87- 88, 89, 92
sl i de runners, 73,75, 87, 93
sl i des,73,74,75
Pulls and handles, 97, 99
single pulls for drawers already
built (Shop Tip), 98
Repair
fixing a bowed drawer side
(Shop Ti p), el
fixing a loose drawer bottom
(Shop Tip), 86
Stops,95-96
Drill
presses:
Poiket hole
jigs,
68
E-F
Edge banding, 19, 39-40
Springboards for clamping edge
banding
(Shop Tip), 40
Edge-glued boards, 20- 26
Clamping,22
glue racks, 24
preventing clamp stains
(Shop Ti p), 23
Dowels,25-26
inserting dowels with a depth gauge
(Shop Ti p), 26
Sanding, l5
Two ways to spread glue
( Shop Ti p) , 21
European cabi net hi nges, 115-116
Face-gl ui ng,121
Frame-and-panel constructi on, 45,
46-47,53
Assemblv. 52-59
Cabinets
alternative method for clamping on
moldings (Shop Tip), 7l
bottom panels,47,60
drawers,92,96
moldings, 47,69-71
shelves, 47,61-63
top panels, 64-67,68
Cope-and-stick
joints,
44, 46, 48,
51-52
Doors, l 0l , 102, 104-107
Haunched mortise-and-tenon
joints,
46,47, 48-s0
Raised panels, 5i- 54, 55, 56
G
Gl ass doors, 101, 103, 111-112
Gl ossarv. 140-14l
Glue racks. 24
Glues, back endpaper
Gluing:
Carcases, 32, 35, 37,43
carcase-squaring blocks, 33
Doors, 107, 109, 114
Drawers, 86, 98
Edge-glued boards, 21- 23, 24
preventing clamp stains
(Shop Tip), 23
spreading glue (Shop Tip), 21
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Face-gl ui ng, l 2l
59, 107
H
Half-blind dovetail
joints,
75,76, 82-84
Hand-crafting:
Dovetail
joint
s, 27- 32, 82- 84
Mortise-and-tenon joints,
1 33- 1 35
Handscrews, front endpaper
Hardware:
Door s, l 0l , 115- 119
Drawers, 74
pulls and handles, 97, 99
pulls for drawers already built
(Shop Ti p), 98
sl i de runners, 73,75, 87,93
Legs, 121, 122, 123, 137- 139
Metal top fasteners, 64
Haunched morti se-and-tenon j oi nts,
46,47, 48-50
Hi nges, 107, 115-119
I-I-K
Ingersoll, Ian,6-7
Inlays:
Legs, 120, 131-132
Invisible nailers:
Shop Tip, 34
figs:
Drawer slide runners
positioning jigs
for slide runners
(Shop Ti p), 93
Drill presses
pocket hole jigs,
68
Routers
dado-routing
jigs
for drawer
supports, 89
Shelf-drilling
jigs,
4l
Table saws
raised panels, 55
foinery:
Pl ywood, 17, 18- 19, l 13
See also Dado joints;
Dovetail
j oi nts;
Morti se-and-tenon j oi nts;
Plate joints;
Rabbet
joints
l oi nti ng,
l 3
L
Ledger strips, 47, 60, 64, 67
Legs, l 2l
Cabriole legs, 121, 122, 124-127
copying the design ofa cabriole leg
(Shop Ti p), 125
sanding a cabriole leg
(Shop Ti p), 122
Decorati on, 128
inlays, 120, 131-132
moldings, 128, 129, l3l
Detachabl e l egs, 12l , 122, 123,
137- 139
Joinery,
I2l, 122, 123, 1 33- 1 39
Octagonal, 128, 130
Tapered, 128-129
Lipped rabbet joints,
7 6, 77
Lumber. SeeWood
M. N-O
Miter gauges, 14,52
Moldings:
69-71
Gl ass door s, 101, 111- 112
See also Decorative techniques:
moldings
Moore, Terry, 10-11
Morti se-and-tenon
j oi nts:
Frame-and-panel constructi on, 46, 47,
48- 50, 59
Hand- cut , 133- 135
Legs, 122, 123, 133- 135
Nails:
Concealment
invisible nailers (Shop Tip), 34
wood plugs, 35
Octagonal legs, 128, 130
P-Q-R
Panels:
Carcases, l8
46, 53
raised panels, 53-54, 55, 56
Veneered-panel doors, 103, 1 I 3- I 14
See also Edge-glued boards
Pipe clamps,
/ront
endpaper
Planing, 13
Plate joiners,
l6
Plate joints, 16, 17, 19, 36- 37
Veneered-panel doors, 103, I13, 114
Plywood:
Edge banding, 39-40
Joi ner y,
17, 18- 19, 113
Veneered-panel doors, 103, 1 13- 1 14
Pocket holes, 64, 66-67, 68
Power tools:
Belt sanders, 15, 57
Drill presses:
Pocket hole jigs,
68
Pl atej oi ners, l 6
Safety precautions, front endpaper
See also Routers; Table saws
Pulls and handles, 97, 99
Single pulls for drawers already built
(Shop Tip), 98
Quick-action
clamps,
front
endpaper
Rabbet
joints:
Carcases, 19,34-35
Drawers, 75,76,77
Rip fences, .14
Ripping, 14
Routers:
Dado-routing
jigs
for drawer sup-
ports, 89
Dovetail joints,
80-81
Raised panels, 56
Shop-built miter gauges
(Shop Tip), 52
S
Sanding, 15
Cabriole legs (Shop
Tip), 127
Frame-and-panel construction, 57
Preventing sanding scratches
(Shop
Ti p), 109
Screws:
Concealment
invisible nailers (Shop
Tip), 3a
wood plugs, 35
Shelf-drilling
jigs,
4J
Shel ves, 18-19,41-43
Adjustable, 4 1
-
42, 6 I
-
63
Edge banding, 39-40
Frame-and-panel cabinets, 6l-63
Shop Tips:
Carcase construction, 21, 23, 26, 32,
33, 34,40
Doors, 109
Drawers, 86,91,93,98
Frame-and-panel construction, 52, 7 1
Legs, 125, 127
Slide runners, 73, 7 5, 87, 93
Spring clamps,
front
endpaper
Square construction:
checking, 33, 59
Surface-mount hi nges, 115, 119
T-U-V-W
Table saws, 14
Raised panels, 53- 54, 55
Tapered legs, 128-129
Through dovetail
joints,
27- 32, 75, 7 6,
80-81
Tongue-and-groove doors, 102, 108- 109
Preventing sanding scratches
(Shop Ti p), 109
Tools:
Cl,amp s,
fr
o nt endp ap er
See also Power tools
Trigger clamps,
front
endpaper
Veneered-panel doors, 103, 1 1 3- 1 14
Web clamps,
/ro
nt endpaper
Wood:
Anatomy of aboard,
front
endpaper
Defects, 12
Face- gl ui ng, 121
Grain
carcases, 17,20
Preparati on ofstock, 12, 13-15
Selection, l2
carcases, 20
l egs, 121
Shrinking and swelling, 101
T1pes, back endpaper
See also Panels; Plywood
Wood plugs, 35
r43
ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
The editors wish to thank the
following
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud
Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA
CARCASECONSTRUCTION
Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co.,
Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Steiner-Lamello A.G. SwitzerlandiColonial Saw Co.,
Kingston, MA; Veritas Tools Inc., Ottawa,Ont./Ogdensburg, NY
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Delta International Machinery/Porter
Cable, Guelph,bnt.; FreudiVestmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.;
Richards Engineering Co. Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck
and Co., Chicago, IL; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal,
Que.;
Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New
Britain, CT; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY
DRAWERS
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Belwith International, Grand Rapids, MI;
Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.;
Hafele Canada, Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Leigh Industries Ltd., Port Coquitlam,
BC; Mohawk Finishing Products Inc., Amsterdam, NY/Montreal,
Que.;
Sandvik Saws and Tools Co.,
Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain,
CT; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY
DOORS
Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Mohawk Finishing Products
Inc., Amsterdam, NY/Montreal,
Que.;
Richards Engineering Co. Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Sears, Roebuck and Co.,
Chicago, IL; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal,
Que.;
Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;
Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co., Kingston, MA; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton,
NC and Louisville. KY
LEGS
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Anglo-American Enterprises, Corp., Somerdale, Nf; Delta International
Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Lee Valley Tools Ltd.,
Ottawa, Ont.; Richards Engineering Co. Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Vermont
American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY
The
following
persons also assisted in the preparatton
ofthis book:
Renaud Boisjoly, Lorraine Dor6, Graphor Consultation,
Josde
Laperridre, Grard Mariscalchi,
Jennifer
Meltzer,
James
Th6rien
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PICTURE CREDITS
Cover Paul McCarthy/Au Puits de Lumiire
6,7 Paul Rocheleau
8,9 Robert Holmes
l0,ll Thomas Ames,
Jr.
r44
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TYPES
()F
LUMBER
WPE
S0FTW00D Pi ne
HARDWOOD Ash
Bi rch
Cherry
Mahogany
Mapl e
0ak
Wal nut
EXOTIC W00D Rosewood
Teak
MANUFACTURED Hardboard
PANELS
Plywood
WORKSHOP GUI DE
CHARACTERISTICS
White to pale or red-brown, with red streaks; fine to coarse, skaight grain
r
Skong; low shrinkage and warpage
when dried; light to heavy
.
Most types easy to shape; holds fasteners well
t
Glue and clear finish bond well
Whi te to dark brown; coarse, uneven, strai ght or wavy grai n
.
Strong wi th excel l ent bendi ng qual i ti es; heavy and
hard
o
Easy to shape; hol ds fasteners wel l
.
Gl ue and cl ear fi ni sh bond wel l
White to pale brown; fine, uneven, skaight or wavy grain
.
Strong with good bending qualities; heavy and hard
.
Easy to shape; hol ds fasteners wel l , but often spl i ts when screwed
o
Pale to dark red-brown, often with hints of green; fine, uneven, straight or wavy grain
.
Strong with medium bending
qual i ti es; moderatel y heavy and hard
o
o
Brown to dark red-brown; fine, even, straight grain, often with vivid, flecked patterns .
Strong with good bending
qualities; moderately heavy and hard
.
Easy to shape, but tends io scuff when planed; holds fasteners well
o
Glue
and cl ear fi ni sh bond wel l
Whi te to pal e red-brown; fi ne, even, strai ght grai n, often wi th bi rd' s eye or burl patterns
.
Excepti onal l y strong wi th
good bendi ng qual i ti es; heavy and hard
o
o
Pale gray to red-brown; coarse, even, straight grain .
Strong with good bending qualities; heavy and very hard
.
Hard to shape; hol ds fasteners wel l , but often spl i ts when nai l ed
r
Gray- to dark brown, often wi th hi nts of purpl e; coarse, even strai ght grai n
.
Excepti onal l y strong wi th good bendi ng
qual i ti es; moderatel y heavy and hard
o
o
Dark brown to black, often with hints of dark purple or streaks of orange; coarse, uneven grain with highly figured
patterns
o
Exceptionally strong with good bending qualities; heavy, hard and very oily
r
11ur6 to shape, tending to
dul l bl ades; hol ds fasteners wel l
.
Gl ue bonds wel l ; usual l y fi ni shed wi th penetrati ng oi l
l Vl edi um to dark brown, often wi th hi nts of yel l ow; coarse, even, strai ght grai n !
Strong wi th good bendi ng qual i ti es;
heavy, very hard and oi l y
o
53.t to shape, but tends to dul l bl ades and suffer burn marks from power tool s; hol ds
fasteners wel l
.
Gl ue bonds wel l ; usual l y fi ni shed wi th penetrati ng oi l
Bri ttl e; fai rl y heavy and hard
o
Easy to cut, buttends to shred; hol ds fasteners poorl y o
61u. bonds wel l
Strong; heavy and fai rl y hard
r
Easy to cut; hol ds fasteners wel l
o
Gl ue bonds wel l
CABINETMAKING ADHESIVES
TYPE CHARACTERISTICS
White Polyvinyl-acetate-based; not toxic or f lammable
.
Skong bonding; working time 3 to 5 minutes
gl ue
r
Setti ng ti me about 30 to 45 mi nutes; cures ful l y i n 24Io 72 hours
o
Dri es cl ear and col orl ess
o
Does not sand as well as yellow glue
Yel l ow Al i phati c resi n-based; not toxi c or fl ammabl e
o
Better wet tack for faster grab than whi te gl ue;
gl ue worki ng ti me 3 to 5 mi nutes
.
Setti ng ti me about 30 to 45 mi nutes; cures ful l y i n 24Io 72 hours
.
Dri es opaque
(faded yel l ow); more heat resi stant for better sandi ng properti es than whi te gl ue
Contact Solvent-based; may be toxic and flammable
.
Drying time 10 to 20 minutes
o
After drying, instant
cement bond on contact; cures fully in 72 hours
.
Non{oxic water-based contact cements also available,
with similar bonding properties but slower drying; water-based may cause thin veneers to warp
Epoxy Resi n and hardener typi cal l y mi xed together pri or to use; not fl ammabl e but may be toxi c
.
Strong,
gl ue waterproof bondi ng; worki ng ti me 5 mi nutes to 2 hours
(dependi ng
on type)
.
Setti ng ti me 5
mi nutes to 2 hours
(dependi ng
on type); cures ful l y i n 24 hours
Hi de gl ue Protei n-based, avai l abl e i n granul ar or l i qui d form; not toxi c or fl ammabl e
.
Strong bondi ng; worki ng
ti me 3 to 5 mi nutes
r
Setti ng ti me t hour; cures ful l y i n 24 hours
o
Sandabl e and dri es a dark col or
r
Not water-resistant: glue bond can be softened with water for disassembly
Casei n Mi l k-based, avai l abl e i n powdered form; nonfl ammabl e
o
Average bondi ng; worki ng ti me
gl ue 15 to 20 mi nutes
o
Setti ng ti me 15 to 20 mi nutes; cures i n 8 to 12 hours
o
Hi gh resi stance to
water and dri es an opaque col or; sands wel l , but stai ns aci di c woods
usEs
General woodworking
General woodworki ng
Bondi ng di ssi mi l ar materi al s
such as pl asti c l ami nate and
veneers to wood and plywood
Bondi ng aci di c woods such as
oak and mahogany; other exoti c
woods di ffi cul t to gl ue
Cabi net constructi on, anti que
restoration and veneering
0i l y woods that bond poorl y wi th
other gl ues (teak, yew and
l emonwood); l ami nati ng

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