GP

UIDE
WORKSHO
TIPS
SAFETY
. Concentrate
on ihe job;do notrush.
or
Never
workwhenyouaretired,stressed
h a v eb e e nd r r n k i nagl c o h oo r u s i n g
m e d r c a t i ot nh sa ti r d u c ed ' o w s i n e s s .

POWER
TOOLS
r Wearappropriate
safetygear:safety
glasses.
on.
a 'aceshieldfor extraprotect
protectors
or earplugs.lf
andhearing
wea'a
thereis ro dustcolecton system.
dustmask.Forexoticwoodssuchas
may
ebony,usea respirator;
thesawdust
reaction.
Wearwork
causean allergic
g l o v ew
s h e nh a n d l i nrgo u g hl u m b e r .

. Keepyourworkareacleanandtidy;
andsawdust
cluttercanleadto accidents,
andwoodscraps
canbea firehazard,

l)rano lho nn'ror

eord, nf a nnrr:hlc

f)n nnl fnrro r lnnl tni rpmnvino losq

mater
ial.or sharpen
thecuttingedge,
. KeepLheedgesof cuttingtoolssharp.

ANATOMY
OFA BOARD

HAND
TOOLS

. Donotusea toolif anypartof it is worn

or 0amageo.
. Keepyourhandswe I awayfroma
turning
b l a d eo r b i t .

. Usetl-eappropriate
tool'or thejob:do
for
nottryto makea tooldo something
whichit wasnotdesigned.

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. Clampdowna workpiece
to f reeboth
handsfor an operation.

lnnl

it from
overyourshouderto prevent
gettingin thewayandbe ngdamaged.

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. Cutawayfromyourself
ratherthan
towardyourbody.

CLAMPS
CABINETMAKING

W e bc l a m p
Aleoknovrn
a e b a n dc l a m po r
e L r a pc l a r n p : l y p i c a l ya v a ia b l e
with eLra2 15 feeL.tn lenqLh.For
a p p l y t n q? r e . a L ) r .t n m o r eL h a n
o-P ) .pr tion, -, .c\ )

. e c*?

Quickaction
ctam?
h60 Knowa
n5
cabineLmaker.e
c a m ? :t y ? c a y
i a e a 2 / l h r o a l A e p L ha n b ,
a 4 - i n c he 2 a n ,b u La a o a v a ia b l e
t n I a r q e re i z e e .

-o

S p r i n qc l a m p
A v a ia b l e i n a v a r i e l y
c:feizesf or ci.am.ptnq
u 2 t C 4 n c l , e " ' a' .o r n e
mode". have? aglic t.t?.
Lc,tprolecL atock.

Double-sided
clamp
ane Eil,eof clanp eecured
"votNorLeurfaceanA cLher
eiAetr: etr:ck; fealuree a
reachof tp to 5a inchea
d e p e n A i naqn t h e r Y o d ,.e

f o u r c h a i r ) e q ea L o n c e .

T r i q g e rc l a m p
A v a i l a b l ei n e p a n e
o f 6 , 1 2 ,1 8 , 2 4a n d
3 6 i n c h e ed: e e i 4 n e A
lo beineLallea
dnd
removeAvtiLhone
h a n d .T a d A e dl a w e
proLecLetock,

Handecrew
f, ao Kncwnaa acrew
c l a m p .C o m e et n
v a r i o l s e i z e ew i " v h
jawethaL can o?en
u p l o 1 6 i n c h e ew i d e ,

with deepLhroaLelor
e x l e n d , ecd a m 2 i n qr e a c h
6ar clamp
C amge uVtu A fuel
i n i e n q l ha v a ta b l e ' ,
m o r ec o r n m o ne t z e e
a r e2 4 , 3 6 a n d
48 nchea.
? i p eo l a m p
for
SuiLable
c l a m ? r n qa n I e r
L h a n1 2 t n c h e e .
C o n e i e l eo f j a w e a l * " a c h e d l o
. o . / . _- c r _ a r a 1 f i , ? ?",
p i g e e n q t hc a n b ec u . L o r n t z e a
t o f i l a p a r L i c ua r . ? a n ,

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING

CABINEMKING

BOOKS
TIME-LIFE
VIRGINIA
ALEXANDRIA.
ST.REMYPRESS
NEWYORK
MONTREAL.

THE ART OF WOODWORKING wasproduced by

ST.REMYPRESS
PUBLISHER KennethWinchester
PRXSIDENT PierreLdveill6
SeriesEditor
SeriesArt Director
SeniorEditors

PierreHome-Douglas
FrancineLemieux
Marc Cassini(Text)
HeatherMills (Research)
Art Directors Normand Boudreault,SolangeLaberge
Designer Luc Germain
Research
Editor TimMcRae
PictureEditor ChristopherJackson
Writers TamsinM. Douglas,Andrew fones
ContributingWriter StephenHart
Cont r ibuting IIlustrators RonaldDurepos,RobertPaquet,
Studio La Perludteinc.
Administrator NatalieWatanabe
ProductionManager MichelleTurbide
SystemCoordinator fean-LucRoy
Photographer RobertChartier
Index ChristineM. Jacobs
Proofreader Iudith Yelon
Time-Life Booksis a division of Time-Life Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President
Publisher
ManagingEditor
Directorof Editorial Resources
Associate
Publisher
MarketingDirector
Editorial Director
ConsultingEditor
ProductionManager

Mary N. Davis
RobertH. Smith
ThomasH. Flaherty
EliseD. Ritter-Clough
Trevor Lunn
ReginaHall
Donia Ann Steele
Bob Doyle
MarleneZack

THECONSUXTANTS
Mark Duginske,a cabinetmakerwho lives
in Wausau,Wisconsin, is a contributing
editor to F in e Woodworking magazine
and the author ofseveralbooks on woodworking power tools.
Leonard Leeis the presidentofVeritas Tools
and LeeValleyTooli, manufacturersand retailersof fine woodworkinghand tools. He is also
the publisherand executiveeditor of Woodcuts,
a magazinethat focuseson the history and
techniquesof woodworking.
GilesMiller-Mead hastaught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor
more than ten years.A nativeof New Zealand,
he previouslyworked asa restorerofantique
furniture.
fosephTruini is SeniorEditor ofFlome
Mechanixmagazine.
A former Shopand Tools
Edrtor of PopularMechanics,he hasworked as
a cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor
and carpenter.

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Cabinetmaking
p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)
Includesindex.
(trade)
ISBN0-8094-9904-5.
(lib)
ISBN0-8094-9905-3
l. Cabinetwork.
L Time- Life Books. II. Series
TTt97.C2r2 1992
684'.04-dc20
92-11188
CIP
For information about any Time-Life book,
pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write:
ReaderInformation
Time-Life CustomerService
P.O.Box C-32068
Richmond,Virginia
2326r-2068
@ 1992Time-LifeBooksInc,
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproducedin
any form or by any electronicor mechanical
means,including information storageand
retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior
written permissionfrom the publisher,except
that brief passages
may be quoted for reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A.
Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada.
TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time Warner
Inc. U.S.A.

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CONTENTS

6 INTRODUCTION
12 CABINETMAKING
TECHNIQUES
16
18
20
27
39
4L

CARCASECONSTRUCTION
Anatomyof a carcase
Making wide panels
joinery
Carcase
Edgebanding
Shelving

44 FRAME-AND.PANEL
CONSTRUCTION
Anatomy
of a frame-and-panel
46
assemblv
48 Making the frame
53 Making the panel
57 Puttinqthe panelin the frame
59 Assemblinga frame-and-panel
case
60 Installinga bottom panel
6 T Shelving
64 Installinga top
69 Installingmolding
72
74
76
85
87
95
97

DRAWERS
Anatomy of a drawer
Drawerjoinery
Assemblinga drawer
Mounting a drawer
Drawerstops
Falsefronts and hardware

r00 DooRS
I02
104
108
111
113
115

Anatomy of a door
doors
Frame-and-panel
Solid-paneldoors
Glassdoors
doors
Veneered-panel
Hanginga door

I2O
L22
L24
I28
131
I33

LEGS
Anatomy of a cabrioleleg
Cabriolelegs
Thperedand octagonallegs
Inlaysand detailing
Legjoinery

I4O GLOSSARY
I42 INDEX
IM

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Ian Ingersollon building a

SHAKERCHEST
the
furniture.Wandering
whenI firstcameunderthespellof Shaker
f remember
to
I
was
transported
New
York,
Museumin Old Chatham,
I ha[sof theShaker
pieces.
were
The
Shakers
bythosesimple
atthefeelingevoked
anothertime,awestruck
Midrvestin the
a religious,utopiansocietythatflourishedin NewEnglandand_the
partially
out
of a desireto
least
werebornat
19thCentury.Theirfurnituredesigns
purity
of design
quest,
achieved
a
they
In their
existence.
morereligious
leadasimpler,
of
temples |apan'_
for theBuddhist
rivaledonlybytheworkcreated
of drawers
andcase
term,I havedubbedthecupboard
Forlackof amoredescriptive
"TheUtilityChest."
purpose
is
no-longer
whoseoriginal
Itsprototype,
shownhere
off-center
The
surprising
around1825-1850.
known,wasbuiltin Enfield,Connecticut,
pgp$g
its
height,
designat
Shaker
demonstrates
placement
of thetwosmalldrawers
well.
The
as
of humanexistence
not onlyto apurity of form,but to theasymmetry
have
been
is
to
maybelosttoday,but it sure
originaifunctionof thosetwodrawers
one.
a practical
wideand
17inches
deep,31inches
Theutilitychestisbuiltof pineandmeasures
using
simpleandcanbeaccomplished
is relatively
71incheshigh.Itsconstruction
Fora
techniques.
door-anddrawer-making
casework-,
of standard
a combination
I
thedesign.find
attentionshouldbepaidto thelayout_of
projectlikethis,however,
or thefrahly
drawingon eitheralargepieceof cardboard
it trilpm to doafull-scale
is correct.
thatthescale
to ensure
sanded
topof myworkbench
arenotfinMostcabinetmakers
challenge.
Finishingthispiecewasaconsiderable
It shouldbepointedoutthatthetrickto anygoodfinishisto buildit up gradishers.
alightyellowpaintlvasusedfirst,thensteel
ln thiscase,
uallywith multiplethin coats.
of
wool,followedbyawashof pumpkinpaint,moresteelwool,andanapplication
with alightcoating
to warmuptheyellow.Thefinishingtouchcomes
orangeshellac
to protecttheshellac.
ofvarnishor lacquer

lan Ingersollownsa cabinetmaking

shopin WestCornwall,Connecticut,
specializingin Shakerfurniture.

INTRODUCTION

MichaelBurnstalksabout

CRAFTSMANSHIP
peargivento me
heinspiration
forthiscabinet
camefroma smallbilletof Swiss
yearsago.I feltthatit hadtakenmeatleastthatlongto acquire
theskills
seven
difficultwood.Thepearwasadarkgolden
toworkwiththisbeautiful,
butsomewhat
pinkandhada softappearance.
I designed
thecabinet
to highlightthewood'swonof delicate
edgeprofiles.
I wantderfi.rlsurface
anditsabilityto standupto theshaping
edto showofftherawmaterial.
I resawed
thepearintoveneers,
ascnt %-inchthick,bookmatched
them,andglued
andshaped
thetopandbottom.I doweled
themto aplywoodcore.I thenedgebanded
posts,
needing
solidwoodforthejointswiththelegs.Next,
thesides
to smalllYa-inch
precisely,
I doweled
usingonedowelperinch.I
thetop,bottomandsidestogether
finishedallthepieces
beforegluingup.Thelegs,madefromjarrah,werethennotched,
gluedandscrewed
to thecorners
ofthecabinet.
Thejoinerymustbetightandperfect;
slight
Pearisasdemanding
asit isbeautiful.
myplanes
imperfections
areverynoticeable.
I spenta greatdealof timesharpening
jointscrispandthesurfaces
unflawed.
Thejarrah,ontheotherhand,
to gettheedge
sawed
andshaped
easily,
and
wasapleasure
to workwith.It planedin anydirection,
verywell.I finished
thepearwithseveral
thin coats
tookthelightoil finishI applied
markings.
of blondshellac,
bringingoutitscolorandsurface
padauk
eachmadeof Andaman
andcamphor.
Insidethecabinet
aretwodrawers,
in themiddleof theinterior,isacurvedshelf.I madetheL-shaped
Underthedrawers,
knifehingesanddoorpullsfrompatinated
brass.
includingmyteacher
My inspiration
comes
fromseveral
sources,
Greek
JimKrenov,
Emile
What
is
imporcraft
and
French
cabinetmaker
Rutrlmann.
architecture,
fapanese
isthe
I makeisthattheinfluences
arebalanced,
thecraftsmanship
tantin everything
pleasing.
andtheresults
bestI canachieve,

MichaelBurnsteaches
cabinetmakthe
Redwoods
in
ing at College
of
FortBragg,Califurnia.

INTRODUCTION

Terry Moore andhis

WRITINGDESK
My furnituretends
I relyonaveryinformalapproach
to design.
eingself-taught,
process.
Forexample,
seeking
to evolve
asI proceed
throughtheconstruction
leg,andinspiredby 1920s
cabinetmakers
to thecommontapered
analternative
Jules
I developed
amultifaceted
flutedleg.Todothis,I designed
kleu andEmileRuhlmann,
a fixturefor myspindleshaperthatallowedmeto profileandflutethetwelvefacets
of theleg.Aftermuchtrial anderror,I hadoneprototypelegandawholenewchalI madea
lenge:Namely,howto attachthelegto a tableor deskapron.Eventually,
thelegto thepost.
mock-upof a deskwith a diagonalcornerpostandattached
the
visuallypleasing
detailsthatbecame
Presenting
thelegata 45oangleproduced
for thislady'swritingdesk.
inspiration
anddovetail
of mortise-and-tenon
Toconstruct
thedesk,I useda combination
joinery.Thedrawers
I chose
Bubinga-AfricanRosewood-which
arealsodovetailed.
isremarkable
for itsstrikingfigureandcolor.Thegrainpatternin thedesktopwas
veneer.
A wonderfulstreakof lightaplankinto %o-inch-thick
achieved
byresawing
edges
wereglued
graces
colored
sapwood
oneedgeof theplank.Whenthesapwood
(mirrorimage)panels,theresultswerespectacular.
togetherinto bookmatched
framemeetsthepanels,
Aroundtheperimeterof thetopandwherethesurrounding
theframeI inlaidathinlineof curlymapleto addvisualtextureandto emphasize
further
aroundthedrawers
and-panel
effea.Addingcurlymaplepullsandacockbead
All
features
work
together
to
evoke
a
sense
of
functhe
color
contrast.
these
enhanced
tionalelegance.
youshouldnotfeelintimidated;
every
Whilethisdeskisobviously
ammplexpiece,
right
instructional
information,
along
was
a
novice.
You
can,
with
the
craftsman once
masterallof thetechniques
thatyouwill need.Remember,
withpatience
andpractice,
your
masterpiece,
museums
wait
to
enshrine
sodon'tbiteoffmore
though,the
can
projects
you
right
with
simple
that
allowyouto practise
than canchew
away.
Start
is farbetter
yourskillsanddevelop
yourdesignsense.
A simpleprojectwellexecuted
piece
has
made.
There
will
be
failures
andmisthananelaborate that beenshoddily
part
process
is
learning.
The
main
objective
of the
of
takesalongtheway,butthis,too,
you
isto enjoyyourworkanddothebest can.

OriginallyfromWales,TerryMoore
designs
and buildsfinefurniture in
Newport, NewHampshire..

CABINETMAKINGTECHNIOUES
-l- h. first stepin anycabinetmaking
I. projectisto selectandprepare
your
stock.As shownbelow not all thewood
at a lumberyardis freeof defects,
so it
is importantto chooseboardscarefully.
Whetheryou arebuildingan armoire
or a toy box, most stockis readiedin

roughlythe sameway.The procedures

illustratedon pagesl3 to 15coverthe
basictechniques.
For rough,or unsurfacedlumbet first passone faceacross
the jointer,then one edge,producing
two surfaces
that areat 90oto eachother.Next,planethe secondface,making

it parallel
to thefirst.Nowyouareready
to rip yourstockto widthandcrosscut
it to length.
Fordressed,
or surfaced
lumber,youonlyhavetojointoneedge,
then
rip andcrosscut.
Before
gluingupapiece
of furniture,
besureto sandanysurfaces
thatwill bedifficultto reachafterwards.

CHO()SING
LUMBER
COMMON
WOOD
DEFECTS
Knot,
A dark whorlaurcoundedby new
qrowth ringe; may fall out, affectinq appearance.Avoid eawing
through thia defect.

Cheak
9plito acroae qrowDh
ringa, affectinq
apPearance

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Pitah
Kesinaccumulationon
aurface; can affect

Twiat
Unevenor irceqularwarping;
makea board unatable and
prone to further warpinq

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Crook
End-to-endcurve
alon4 edge

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Selecting
stockforcabinetmaking
Woodisavarlable
in twobroadcategories:
hardwood
andsoftwood.
Although
thetermsarebotanical
rather
thandescriptive,
hardwoods,
suchasmahogany
andcherry,
arepreferable
formost
projects
cabinetmaking
because
theyare,in fact,generally
harder.
Before
buying
lumber,
examine
it carefully.
Check
its
color,texture
andgrainpatterns,
andselectstockthatyoufind
visually
appealing.
Lumber
is usually
milledin oneof twoways:

Quarter-sawed,
or edge-grained
lumberhasa toughsurface
and
plain-sawed,
isgenerally
stable;
orflat-grained
lumber,
although
lessexpensive,
is moreprone
to warping
andshrinking.
Whatever
you
typeof wood buy,choose
kiln-dried
lumber,
andwatchout
fordefects.
Someof thoseshownabove
onlyaffectappearance,
butothers
canmakethewooddifficultto cut,jointor plane.
"select"
Youcanavoiddefects
bybuying
lumber
whenpossible.

t2

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t
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CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES

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JOINTING
A BOARD
proper
pressure
Maintaining
ontheoutfeed
table
Formostoperations,
seta cuttingdepth
between
Vaandlruinch.Tojointa board
edge,feedthestockslowlyintothecutpressing
terhead,
itsfaceagainst
thefence
whilekeeping
theedgef latonthejointer
tables.Besureto feedtheworkpiece
so
t h ek n i v ea
s r ec u t t i n gw i t ht h eg r a i n .
C o n t i n ufee e d i n tgh e s t o c ku n t i ly o u r
righthandapproaches
theoutfeed
table.
Thenreverse
the position
of yourhands
without
stopping
thecut.Gradually
slide
yourleft handtowardthe backof the
workpiece,
maintai
ningpressure
against
thefence(/eff).Shiftyourrighthand
fartherbackon thestockto maintain
justto theoutfeed
pressure
downward
sideof theknives.
Continue
thesehandover-hand
movements
untiltheoassis
completed.
Tojointthefaceof a board,
followthesameprocedures,
usingpush
blocksto feedthestock.

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PLANING
STOCK
Feeding
theworkpiece
intothecutterhead
Seta cutting
depthupto %einch.Stand
t o o n es i d eo f t h ew o r k p i e caen du s e
bothhands
to feedit carefully
intothe
machine,
keeping
theedges
of thestock
o a r a l l et ol t h ep l a n etra b l e0. n c et h e
gripsthe boardandbegins
machine
pullingit across
thecutterhead,
support
itstrailing
endto keepit flatonthetable
(left).Thenmoveto theoutfeedsideof
theplaner.
with
Support
theworkpiece
bothhandsuntilit clearsthe outfeed
roller.To prevent
stockf romwarping,
avoidpassing
onlyonefaceof a board
planethe
through
themachine;
instead,
sameamount
of woodfrombothsides.

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13

CABINETMAKINGTECHNIQUES

RIPPING
A W()RKPIECE
Using
theripfenceasa guide
Setthebladeheightaboulr/qinchabove
theworkpiece.
Position
theripfence
forthe
w i d t ho f c u t ,t h e np u s ht h es t o c ki n t o
theblade,pressing
it against
thefence
withyourlefthandandfeeding
withboth
thumbs(/eff).Standto onesideof the
workpiece
andstraddle
thefencewith
yourrighthand,making
surethatneither
handis in linewiththeblade.
Keeooushingtheboard
untilthebladecutsthrough
it completely.
Tokeepyourhandsfrom
c o m i n cg l o s etrh a n3 i n c h e fsr o mt h e
blade,
complete
thecutwitha pushstick.
(Caution:
Bladeguardpartially
retracted
for clarity.)

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CR()SSCUTTING
STOCK

Using
themitergauge
Withtheworkpiece
f lushagainst
the
mitergauge,
markwith
alignthecutting
t h eb l a d eP. o s i t i ot nh er i of e n c ew e l l
awayfromtheendof thestockto prepiece
ventthecut-off
fromjamming
up
a g a i n st ht eb l a d e
a n dk i c k i n bg a c k
you.Hookthethumbsof both
toward
hands
overthemitergauge
to holdthe
stockf irmlyagainst
thegauge
andf lat
onthetable,thenfeedtheboardinto
the blade(righil.(Caution:
Bladeguard
partiallyretracted
for clarity.)

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CABINETMAKINGTECHNIQUES

SANDING

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Using
a sanding
block
Clampstopblocks
to a worksurface
at bothendsof the
workpiece
to holdit steady.
Fita sanding
blockwitha piece
paperandsandthesurface
of abrasive
of thestockalong
(abovd.Use
pressure
thegrain,applying
even,moderate
long,smooth,
is smooth.
overlapping
strokes
untilthesurface
paperfora smoother
Repeat
witha finer-grit
finish.To preventrounding
theedges
of theworkpiece,
keepthesanding
blockflaton itssurface,
andworkupto-but notover-theedge.

THEBELT
SANDER
ASPTANER

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Using
a beltsander
Usea stopblockto keeptheworkpiece
frommoving.
Install
a sanding
beltanddrape
thepower
cordoveryourshoulder
parallel
to keepit outof theway.Withthesander
to thewood
grain,
lower
turnit onandslowly
it ontothesurface,
holding
it firmlywithbothhands(above).
Movethemachine
backand
youwouldusewitha sanding
forthwiththesametypeof strokes
block.Toavoidgouging
thesurface,
keepthesander
flatand
always
moving;
do notletthemachine
restin sppsnnt

Smoothing
a panel
lf a planer
is notavailable
to evenout
panels,
thesurface
of glued-up
usea belt
sander.
Thediagrams
ontheleftillustrate
thecorrect
sequence
of operations.
First,
slowlymovethesander
backandforth
across
thesurface
al a 45'angleto
thewoodgrain(farleft),Besureto coverthe
entire
surface,
butdonotletthesanding
drumruncompletely
offtheedges
of the
panel;
thismayround
thecorners.
Next,
makea secondoassbackandforth
diagonally
across
thegrainin theoppo(centerlefil. Finally,run
sitedirection
thetoolalongthewoodgrainto remove
a n ys c r a t c h el esf tb yt h ee a r l i esra n d ing (nearleft).

l5

'-d
----tg

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CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE,
panelsrun in the samedirection.
andcontracts,
Sincewoodexpands
especially
across
thegrain,thepanbeenthe startingpoint of many
elswill expandandcontracttogethtypesof furniture.The earliest
the
nailed
er at thesamerate,preserving
examples
weresimplecoffers,
structuralintegrityof the box.
together,
thatserved
douor pegged
Assembling
with thegrain
a carcase
or benches.
Toduy,
ble-dutyaschests
ofadjacentpanelsatrightangles
to
limitlessvariathereareseemingly
eachothervirtuallyensures
thatone
The
tionsonthatsamebasicdesign.
of thepanelswill eventually
split;
of carcase
consmallest
examples
plywood
pieces
whenwoodis readyto move,it is
of
Drawers,shelves
and aveneered
structionfeaturedelicate
almostimpossible
to stop.
backpanel transforma typicalcarcase
into an
highlyfigured,exoticwoods,such
Muchof thecharacter
andindielegantbookcase.
Thedrawersrun alongfixed
asbird's-eyemaple,rosewoodor
viduality of a particularcarcase
Hawaiiankoa,that areassembled shelves
setinto dadoescut in thesidepanels.
designderivesfromthemethodof
with precisejoints and delicate
Largerbut still
assembling
thepanels.
Thereareagreatmanytypes
of corner
hingesto formjewelryboxesandsilverchests.
jointsyoucanuse;someof themostcommonincludedovetails,
compactboxesprovidetheframeworkfor drawers.
joins, biscuitjoints,and
in thepages lockmiters,rabbets,
miter-and-spline
examined
Onceassembled,
thetypeof carcase
jointsarehighlyregarded
dovetail
thatfollowcanbethebasisfor anythingfroma smalldresser boxandfingerjoints.Because
cabinetor a home-enter- for theirstrengthandbeautyin solidwood,onevariety-the
or tool chestto a floor-to-ceiling
in thisbooklookat the hand-cutthroughdovetail-is featuredin thischapter(page
tainmentcenter.Thelaterchapters
27).It canalso
doorsor legs-so asto
becutmorequicklywith ajig asshownin the
subsequent
steps-addingdrawers,
Drawers
chapter(page80).Intheeyesof manywoodworkers,
turn thebasiccarcase
into a finishedpieceof furniture.
hand-cutdovetailjoint isvisibleproofof thecabto withstand awell-made
Althoughcarcases
anddrawersaredesigned
in
coninetmaker's
competence.
types
and
levels
ofstress
use,
there
are
certain
different
Forplywoodcarcases,
rabbet(page34)orbiscuitjoints-also
thatareapplicable
to both.Whereapprostructiontechniques
j6) arebetter
jonts-(page
plate
priate,a cross-reference
known
choices.
Bothoffer
Drawers
chapter
will
be
included
as
to the
joints
prove
pretfymuch
as
dovetail
and,
although
you
technique
that
could
the
same
strength
to direct to a drawer-building
pleasing,
quick
less
they
are
and
methods
for
esthetically
easy
of
usefi.rl constructingcarcases.
joined
panels
major
four
together
to
form
assembly.
The
convenience
factor
becomes
a
considerAll carcases
consistof
withproducing
alargenumberof carcases.
a box.A keyrequirementis that thewoodgrainof all the ationif youarefaced
hebasicbox-or arcase-featured in this chapterhaslong

panelsofferstwo very
Usingbiscuitjoints to assemble
strengthand easeof assembly.
Abiscuit
appealingbenefits:
joiner cutssemicircular
groovesinto matingpanek.The
beech,
slotsarefilled with glue and biscuitsof compressed
thenthepanelsarebuttedtogethertoform a perfeajoint.

17

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hetherit is a boxthatwill house
acoupleof drawers
anda shelfor
a chinacabinetdestined
to graceyour
diningroom,thecarcase
youbuildwill
featuremanyofthebasicelements
illustratedbelow.First,it will havefoursides,
or panels,whichareusuallythe same
widthandthickness.
Anotherrequire-

mentis thatparallelpanelsmusthave
thesamedimensions.
Althougha panelcanbemadefrom
a singlepieceof lumber,it is generally
lessexpensive
to gluenarrowerboards
edge-to-edge
to formthewidesurface
(page20).Oncegluedup,thepanelsare
planed,jointedon oneedge,cutto size,

andthentheirsurfaces
aresanded.A
third option-one whichcombines
the
economy
of glued-uppanelsandthe
easeof solidlumber-is to usehardwoodplywood,whichcanbemadeto
looklikesolidwood,
bytheadditionof a
bandingalongexposed
edges(page39).
Constructingcarcases
from plywood

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funel
Uaedto form the top, bottom and
sidea of the carcaai, May be a ein6le piece of plywoodor eolid lumben
but panelaare more commonlymade
from amaller boarda qlued edqe to
edge; dowela may be ueed to help
with alignment. Individualboards
can be of varyinq widtha, but are
uaually2 to 5 inches wide.

Cornerjoint
Secureathe ende of the
panele together: rabbet
joint ia ahown,but dovetail
and plate jointa are aleo
popular choicea.

Thissimplecarcase-framed
cabinet
paneh
edge-glued
of
ashand
features
rabbeted
cornerjointscutona tablesaw.
A fixed uppershelfissetin dadoescut
into thesidepanek;aloweradjustable
shelfrestson hiddensupports.

Back
UauallyI/+-inchplywood
piecenailedand'gluedinto
a rabbot routed alonq baok
ed1e of the panela.

thelving
May be plywoodor ein7le
pieae of wood,but often made
from edge-qluedboarda. Fixed
ahelveaare qlued in dadoes
routed on the inside surfaces
of aide panele;adjuatable
ehelvearegt on aupporta.

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

however.
doeshaveits disadvantages,
It reduces
vourflexibiliwwhenit comes
for example,
to thejoinery;dovetaiis,
not
work.
It
also
rulesout
will
simply
possibilities
creating
esthetic
as
such
attractivegrainpatternson the
panels
byedgegluingcareflrlly
matchedboards.

Ifyou planto addedgebandingor

(page
41), youmustanticinstallshelves
ipatethosesteps
beforegluingthepanels
youwill needto
Forshelves,
together.
routdadoes
or boredowelholesonthe
insidesurfaces
of thesidepanels.
Formoredetailon thecutting,jointing, sandingand other procedures

necesssary
to prepare
boardsandpanels,
Techniques
referto theCabinetmaking
section
onpage12.Of themanyjoinery
methods
thatcanbeusedto connectthe
panels
thischapterfocuses
ofa carcase,
on threeof the mostcommon:the
hand-cutthroughdovetailjoint, the
platejoint andtherabbetjoint.

CORl{ER
JOINTS
Through dovetail joint
Taperedpine on onepanel interlock with
anqled taila of the other: offera lar1e
qluing aurface. For best appearance,
pino are ueuallycut at the enda of
the top and bottom panela;taile
are aawnat.enda ofthe eide panele.
Stronq, decorativejoint for eolid lum'
ber; not recommendedfor plywood.
Good choice whenfeaturinq joinery
ae an elementof deoiqn.

Plate or biocuit joint

Diecuits of compreaaedwoodfit
into slote in the matinq boarda;
qlue owellothe biacuite, atrength'
eninqthe joint. Toconcealend
1rain whenviewedfrom the aide
of carcaae, alots are uauallycut
into end 6rain of top and bottom
panelaand into mating facea of
oide panele,)tronq joint for aolid
lumber or plywood.Not decorative
but quick and eaay to make.

Edge banding
Decorativeveneercommerciallyavailablebut
can be made in the ahop;glued to expoeed
edqeoof plywoodpanelaand shelvea.

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'Jv .#
'''oS

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Rabbetjoint
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 lumberor plywood.
Alao uaed to join carcaee back
to panela.Not ae decorativeaa
a throuqh dovetail, but much
aimplerto make.

MAKING WIDE PANELS

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makeup the
\ 7f ost woodworkers
IVJ. widepanels
for a carcase
bygluing
boardstogetheredge-to-edge.
Building
a carcase
thiswayisnot a matterof cutting costsat the expense
of strength.
Panels
ofedge-glued
boardsareeverybit
asstrongasa singlepieceof lumber.In
fact,a propergluejoint providesa sturdier
bondthanthefibersofa oieceofwood.
Followthesteosdetailed
belowand
on thefollowingpages
to assemble
panels.Apartfrom a supplyof glueandan

assortment
of clamps,all you needis a
levelwork surfaceor a shop-builtglue
rack(page24).To help keepthe boards
aligned,somewoodworkers
alsouse
dowels(page2S).Formoreinformation
on selecting
glue,referto theinsideback
coverofthis book.
Selecting
yourwoodis an important
part ofthe process.
Do not buy green
woodor stockthat is cuppedor ftvisted,
andavoidusingwoodwith a highmoisturecontent,whichcanadversely
affect

the glue.Instead,buy lumberthat has

beendriedin a kiln. If you areworking
from rough stock,begin preparing
boardsby jointing a faceand an edge,
thenplaningtheotherface.Next,crosscut theboards,leavingthem roughlyI
inch longerthan their finishedlength,
andjointan edgeofeachpiece.Ripthe
stocksothatthecombinedwidth of all
the boardsexceeds
the finishedwidth
ofthe panelby aboutI inch,thenjoint
thecut edses.

Edge-gluedboardsshould createthe
illusion of a singlepieceof wood rather
than a composite.Experimentwith the
boardsin diferent configtrations to
producea pattern that is visuallyinterestingbut makesurethat thegrain runs
in the samedirectionon all of the oieces.

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EDGE
GLUING
'l Arranging
theboards
I Settwobarclamps
ona worksurface
andlaytheboards
onthem.Useasmany
clampsasnecessary
to support
theboards
at 24-Io 36-inchintervals,
Tokeeothebars
placethemin notched
frommoving,
wood
(insef).
blocks
Usea pencilto marktheend
grainorientation
of eachboardasshown,
thenarrange
thestockontheclamps
to
(photoabove).
enhance
theirappearance
Tominimize
warping,
arrange
thepieces
so
thattheendgrainof adjacent
boards
runsin
opposite
directions.
lf thegrainisdifficult
to read,dampen
orsandtheboardendsto
makeit showup moredefinitely.
Onceyou
havea satisfactory
arrangement,
alignthe
stockedge-to-edge
andusea pencil
orchalk
(right).
to marka triangle
Thiswillhelpyou
correctly
rearrange
theboards
if youmove
thempriorto finalassembly.

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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filltllllllll]llllllIllllllllllllllfillllllllllllllllilllllllllllllilll
1HO?TI?
Two wayo to
opreadglue
To soreada aluebead

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T

art oupplyelores.Tocleanlhe
rollerafler use,roll iI repeaNedly
overa ocrapboard.Fora ohoP-made
ueea 6-inchlenqlhof
alueepreaAer,
i/"-inchdowelae a handleNoholda
2-incheectionof a brokenor worn
or
blade.Usea backeaw
hackeaw
in one
slot'
shallow
cuN
a
saw
No
band
endof lhe dowel,makinqit' t'hinenouqh
lo holdNhebladeeectiononu4ly.FiI the
int'othe sloL'
bladeNeelh-eide-ouL

r) Applying
theglue
of the
marring
theedges
L fo auoid
you
the
clamPs,
panel
tighten
when
of scrapwoodat least
cuttwopieces
and
to beglued,
aslongastheboards
first
pads.
the
Leaving
usethemas
boardfacedown,standtheother
pieces
on edgesothatthetriangle
marksfaceawayfromyou.APPIY
a thingluebeadto eachboard(/eff),
justenough
to covertheedgecompletely
is spread.
whentheadhesive
glue
in
willresult a weak
Toolittle
a mess
bond;toomuchwillcause
Usea
theclamPs.
whenyoutighten
to
spread
brush
small,sttff-bristled
edges
ontheboard
theglueevenly
(abovd,leaving
Do
no baresPots.
forsPreading;
notuseyourfingers
to thegluewill
dirtorgrease
adding
thebondandslowthedrying
weaken
time.Moveonto step3 assoonas
possible
thegluefromdryto prevent
youtighten
theclamPs.
ingbefore

I
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

Tightening
theclamps
Setthe boardsfacedownand line
u p t h e i re n d s ,m a k i n gs u r et h a tt h e
s i d e so f t h e t r i a n g l e
alignT
. i g h t e tnh e
c l a m p su n d e rt h e b o a r d sj u s te n o u g h
t o b u t tt h e mt o g e t h e cr ,h e c k i n g
again
f o r a l i g n m e nA
t . v o i do v e r t i g h t e n i n g
t h e c l a m p so r t h e b o a r d sm a yb u c k l e
u p a t t h e j o i n t s .P l a c ea t h i r dc l a m p
acrossthe top of the boards,
centering
i t b e t w e etnh e t w o u n d e r n e a t F
h i.n i s h
t i g h t e n i n ag l l o f t h e c l a m p si n t u r n
(left) until there are no gapsbetween
t h e b o a r d sa n d a t h i n b e a do f g l u e
s q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t s .

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Leveling
theboards
Foradjacentboardsthat do not lie

perfectly
levelwitheachother,usea
C c l a m pt o h o l dt h e mi n a l i g n m e n t .
Protecting
theboards
withwoodpads,
c e n t et rh ec l a m po nt h ej o i n tn e atrh e
endof thestock;placea stripof wax
paperundereachpadto prevent
it from
sticking
to theboards.
Thentightenthe
clampuntiltheboards
arelevel(right).
Refer
to themanufacturer's
instructions
fortheglue's
drying
time.lf youareshort
of clamps,
markthetimeonthepanel
sothatyoucanmoveonto thegluing
of thenextpanelassoonaspossible.

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CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE

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glue
theexcess
f, Removing
:,f Usea plasticputtyknifeto remove
glueas
asmuchof thesqueezed-out
it dries.Themoisture
oossible
before
e illbe
f r o mg l u el e f to n t h e s u r f a c w
swelling
bythewood,causing
absorbed
a n ds l o wd r y i n gh; a r d e n eadd h e s i v e
c a na l s oc l o gs a n d p a p edru, l lp l a n e r
knivesandrepelwoodstain.Oncethe
from
gluehasdried,remove
theclamps
andusea paint
thetop of the boards,
that
anysqueeze-out
to remove
scraper
(/eftl.Remove
the lowerclamps,
remarns
by
thepanelforjoinery
thenprepare
planing
anedgeandcutting
it, jointing
t o i t sf i n i s h eddi m e n s i o n s .
t h ep i e c e
to smooththe surUsea beltsander
once
facesthatwillbehardto reach
is
assembled
carcase
the

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'lll$
"llllflt"llJ"llf

"lfif"1lr1llf".llr'ffi
llll"l$

1HO?TI?
?revenling
clamp otains
Themetal bar of a clamp
can be olainedby adheeive
thal dripodurin44luing
Oriedqluecan
operationo.
aleo interterewith Ihe
ratchetinqaction ot
elimieomeclamoe.To
nat'eNheproblem,usea
haoksawor bandeawto cut
a rollof wax?a?erinto Z-inch'
eachNime
widemini'rolls.Then,
you applya clamp,tearofl a ot'rip
of paVerIo wrapoveror underNhebar.

23

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

GIUERACK
Tousethegluerack,seatat least
A shop-built
rackmadefromtwo
twobarclampsin the notches
so
provides
sawhorses
a convenient
thatthe boards
to begluedare
wayto holdtheclamps
forgluing
supported
at leastevery24 to 36
up a panel.Tobuildthejig,remove
thecrosspiecefromyoursawhorses.
Cutreplacements
thesamewidth
andthickness
astheoriginals,
making
themat leastas longastheboards
thatyouwillbegluing.
Usea handsawor a bandsawto
cut notches
alongoneedgeof each
crosspieceat 6-inchintervals.
Make
the cutswideenough
to holda bar
c l a m ps n u g l a
y n dd e e pe n o u gtho
holdthebarlevelwiththetopof the
crosspiece.Youcanalsocut notches
pipeclamps,
to accommodate
but
barclampsarestronger.

inches.
Therestof theoperation
is
identical
to edgegluingboards
ona
worksurfaceasshownin steps3 to
pages.
5 onthepreceding

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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ANAIDT(lALIGNMENT
DOWELS:
usedowelsto help
Marrywoodworkers
with thealignmentof boardsin a panel.Oneof theproblemsin usingthis
techniqueis that thewoodpins have
to bepreciselycenteredon theedges
of theboardsto bejoined.In thephoto
at left,locationpointshavebeenmade
for thedowels-oneabout3 inches
from eachendof theboardsand one
in themiddle.A line is thenscribed
across
thepointswith a cuxinggauge
of the
setto one-halfthe thickness
at thecenter
stock.Thelinesintersect
perguaranteeing
of theboardedges,
placement
the
dowels.
of
fect

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thedowelholes
1 Boring
onthe board
I Locatepointsfor dowels
Toavoidsplitting
edges(phoitoabove).
dowels
withthe pins,usegrooved
boards
asthick
thatarenomorethanone-half
asthestock.Fita drillwitha bitthesame
thenwrapa strip
diameter
asthedowels,
thebit to mark
tapearound
of masking
beslightthedrillingdepth,whichshould
the lengthof the
ly morethanone-half
tothe
Keepthedrillperpendicular
dowels.
boardedgeasyouboreeachhole(righ),
tape
thebitwhenthemasking
withdrawing
thedrill
thestock.(Although
touches
press
canalsobeusedto boretheholes,
steadyon the
longerboards
keeping
difficult.)
tablemayprove
machine's

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25

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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r) Pinpointing
mating
dowelhotes
L lnserta dowelcenterthesamediameter
asthedowels
in eachof the holes(above),
thensettheboards
flatonthe
clamps
withthetriangle
markfacingyou.Aligntheendsof
theboards
andbutttheedgeof thesecond
boardagainst
thatof thefirst.Thepointed
endsof thedowel
centers
will
punchimpressions
providing
onthewood,
points
starting
for
themating
dowel
holes.
Boretheseholes
to thesamedepth
as in step1, thenrepeat
theprocedure
forthethirdboard.

Gluing
uptheboards
A p p l yg l u et o t h e b o a r dt h e s a m ew a ya s w h e ne d g e

gluing(page
21).fhenusea pencil
tip to daba smallamount
of adhesive
in thebottom
of eachdowelhole.Avoid
spreading
gluedirectly
onthedowels;
quickly
theyabsorb
moisture
and
willswell,
making
themdifficult
to fit intotheirholes.
Insert
(above),
thedowels
thentapthemintofinalposition
using
a hammer.
Avoidpounding
onthedowels;
thismaycause
a
board
to split.Close
upthejoint,thentighten
theclamps
(page22). Remove
the excessglue(page23).

ilIlllllilttfillfililllllll illlfiltfltlllJil[filtllllilltiltlljltllll
1HO?TI?
lnoerling dowelewith
a deplh 0au0e
ToavoidNherisk of oplittin7
boardswheninseilinqdowels,usethie oimple
ehoV-made
depth
qauqe.Kipa f-inch'/'
longboardto a Nhickneeethal ie exactly
one-haltthe lenqthof Nhe
dowele.Borea holethaN is
olightlywiderNhanthe t.hicknessof Nhedowelelhrou7hthe gauqenearoneend.
Thenplaceit aroundeachdowelwhenyou NapiXinNo
its hole.Thedowelwillbe aNT,hecorrecl deobhwhen
iNis flush with the Lopof Nhedepth qauqe.

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26

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CARCASE
IOINERY
herearemanywaysof joiningcarThepages
that
J. casepanelstogether.
follow will examinethreeof the most
popularchoices:dovetail,rabbetand
platejoinery.As shownin thephotoat
right, the interlockingpins and tails
of a throughdovetailjoint giveboth
solidity and distinctiveappearance.
Cuttingsucha joint with thetraditional hand tools is considereda rite of
passage
for aspiringwoodworkers.It
requiresskill and practiceto perfect.
It alsoleavesroom for creativity,since
it allowsyou to choosethe width of
pins and tails to giveyour joints an

blind dovetail,which is examinedon

pages
B2-84.
If you prefer somewhatsimpler
forms of joinery,try eitherthe rabbet
or the plate joint (page34-37).Both
are ideal for joining plywood panels,which arenot suitedfor dovetails.
Whichevertype of joinery you select,
you mustplan aheadfor the laterstages
projects,suchas
pleasinglook. The same ofyour cabinetmaking
esthetically
panels,
shelving,edge
joint canbeexecuted
installingback
in far lesstime,but
Somedrawer-hangbandingor drawers.
with equalprecision,usinga routerand
requireyou
a jig; that approachis demonstrated ing methods,for example,
panels
(page
before
80-81). to rout a groovein theside
in the Drawerschapter
is assembled.
thecarcase
You may also want to try the half-

D()VETAIL
JOINTS
thoulder line

Half-pin

X X /

\ X

X X

'l 0utlining
thepins
faceof eachpanelwitha bigX,thenseta
I Marktheoutsrde
of thestockandscribea line
cuttinggaugeto thethickness
of thepins
to marktheshoulder
along
theendsof thefourpanels
of the
thatwillformthetopandbottom
andtails.Thepanels
eachonein turnin a vise
Secure
willbethepinboards.
carcase
thepinsontheendsof the
to outline
square
andusea dovetail
at
Startwithhalf-pins
above.
boardasshownrnthesequence
endsof thepinsareon
surethatthenarrow
eachedge,making
thewastesections
Nextoutline
faceof theboard.
theoutside
thenmarkthecenterof theboardend.
adjacent
to thehalf-pins,

thenoutline
theremaining
mark,
a pinat thecenter
Outline
withXs.
pins(above,
all thewastesections
right),marking
(Youcanalsousea sliding
gauge
thepins;
bevel
to outline
or 1:8for hardwood.)
setanangleof about1:6forsoftwood
of pinsorfor
forthenumber
There
arenorigidguidelines
pinsthatare
spaced
them.Butevenly
between
thespacing
around
them
thesizeof thewastesections
at leastone-half
andsolidjoint.Usea combination
makeforanattractive
markssothattheyreach
allthedovetail
square
to extend
lineson bothfacesof theboards.
theshoulder

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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r) Cutting
thepins
Z- Secure
thefirstpin boardin a vise
sothattheoutside
faceof thepanelis
you.Usea dovetail
toward
sawto cut
alongtheedges
of thepins,working
from
onesideof thepanelto theother.
Some
preferto cut allthe left-hand
woodworkers
edges
first,thenmoveon to the righthandedges.
Foreachcut,holdthepanel
steady
andalignthesawbladejustto the
waste
sideofthecuttingline.Usesmooth,
evenstrokes,
allowing
thesawto cut on
the pushslroke(right).
Continue
sawing
r i g h t o t h es h o u l d el irn e ,m a k i nsgu r e
t h a tt h eb l a d ei s p e r p e n d i c utloatrh e
line.Next,usea copingsaw(sfep3) or
a chisel(step4) to remove
the waste
between
thepins.Repeat
theprocedure
at theotherendof theboardandat both
endsof theotherpinboard.

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thewaste
witha coping
saw
Q Removing
r-J Standontheothersideof the panel
andbegincuttingawaythewastewood
between
thepins.At thesideof eachpin,
slidea coping
sawbladeintothekerfand
rotatetheframewithoutstriking
theend
of theboard.
Cutoutasmuchof thewaste
asyoucanwhilekeeping
theblade
about
%oinchabove
theshoulder
line.Cut(/efrl
untilyoureachthekerfontheedgeof the
pin.Pareawayanyremaining
adjacent
wastewitha chisel(step5).

2B

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

Removing
thewaste
witha chisel
Setthepaneloutside
faceupona worksurface
and
clampona guideblock,
aligning
itsedgeabout%oinchto
thewaste
sideof theshoulder
line.Using
a woodchiselno
widerthanthenarrow
sideof thewastesection,
butttheflat
sideof thebladeagainst
theguideblock.Holdtheendof
thechiselsquare
to thefaceof thepanelandstrikeit witha
wooden
mallet(left),scoring
a lineabout7s-inch-deep.
Then
turnthechiseltoward
theendof thepanelabout% inch
belowthesurface
of thewoodandshave
off a thin layerof
thewaste(below).
Continue
shaving
awaythewastein this
fashion
untilyouareabouthalfway
through
thethickness
of
thepanel,
thenmoveonto thenextsection.
Whenyouhave
removed
all thewastefromthisside,turnoverthepanel,
andworkfromtheothersideuntilthepinsareallexposed.

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paring
f, Final
\,, Withthepaneloutside
faceup,aligntheedge
of a guideblockwiththeshoulder
lineonthepanel
andclampit in place.
Butttheflatsideof a chisel
yourthumbto holdthe
against
theblock,
andusing
gently
bladevertical,
taponthehandle
to pareaway
thefinalsliverof waste(left).Repeat
the process
between
theotherpinsuntilthereis nowaste
beyond
theshoulder
line.

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29

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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Preparing
to outline
thetails
S e to n eo f t h e t a i l b o a r d so u t s i d e
f a c ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d c l a m p
a g u i d eb l o c ko n t o p o f i t w i t h t h e e d g e
o f t h e b l o c kf l u s hw i t ht h e s h o u l d elri n e .
T h e nh o l dt h e e n d o f o n eo f t h e p i n
b o a r d sa g a i n stth e g u i d eb l o c kw i t h i t s
o u t s i d ef a c ea w a yf r o mt h e t a i l b o a r d .
F a s t e na h a n d s c r e w
to the pin board
a n d u s ea n o t h ecr l a m pt o h o l di t f i r m l y
rn position(/eff).

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Markingthe tails
I
/ Usea pencrlto outlineIhe Iatls (rrghil,
t h e nr e m o v e
t h e c l a m p sa n d u s ea c o m b i n a t i o ns q u a r et o e x t e n dt h e l i n e so n t ot h e
e n do f t h e b o a r dM
. a r kt h e w a s t es e c t i o n s
w i t hX s ,t h e no u t l i n et a i l so n t h e o t h e r
e n do f t h e b o a r da n da t b o t he n d so f t h e
o t h e rp a n e l .

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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Cuttingthetails andremoving
waste
U s ea d o v e t a isl a wt o c u t t h e t a i l s
the samewayyou cut the pins (step2).
S o m ew o o d w o r k efrisn d t h a t a n g l i n gt h e
b o a r d ,a s s h o w nr a t h e rt h a n t h e s a w
m a k e st h e c u t t i n gg o e a s i e rI.n e i t h e r
case,sawsmoothlyand evenly,and stop
justa fractionof an inchbeforeyoureach
t h e s h o u l d elri n e .R e m o v teh e b u l k
o f t h e w a s t ew i t h e i t h e ra c o p i n gs a w
(step3) or a chisel (step4), then pare
a w a yt h e f i n a l b i t so f w a s t ed o w nt o
the shoulderline (step5).

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Dry-fitting
thecarcase
gluing
Before
upthecarcase,
assemble
it to check
t h e f i t o f a l l t h e j o i n t s .S t a n do n eo f t h e p i n b o a r d so n
a w o o db l o c k t, h e na l i g na m a t i n gt a i l b o a r dw i t h i t ;
supportthe otherend of the tail boardwith a sawhorse.
P r e s st h e l o i n t t o g e t h e b
r y h a n da s f a r a s i t w i l l g o ,
t h e nt a p t h e t w o e n d st h e r e s to f t h e w a y i n t o p l a c e ,
whileprotecting
the workpiece
with a scrapboard.To
a v o i db i n d i n ga n dd a m a g i ntgh e p i n s ,c l o s et h e j o i n t
evenlyalongits wholelenglh(left).Jointhe otherpin
a n dt a i l b o a r d tsh e s a m ew a y ,t a p p i n go n l yo n t h e t a i l
b o a r dT. h ej o i n t ss h o u l db e t i g h te n o u g ht o r e q u i r ea
l i t t l eg e n t l et a p p i n gb, u t a v o i du s i n ge x c e s s i vf o
er c e .
l f t h e j o i n t i s c l e a r l yt o ot i g h t ,m a r kt h e s p o tw h e r ei t
b i n d st,h e nd i s a s s e m btlhee p a n e l sa n d u s ea c h i s etl o
pareawaya little morewood.DryJitthe carcaseagain
a n d m a k ef u r t h e ra d j u s t m e n t isf ,n e c e s s a rlyf .t h e r er s
anygapbetween
a pin anda tail, inserta thin wedgeto
f i l l i I ( p a g e3 2 ) . A I t h i s p o i n t ,y o uw i l l n e e dt o s e e
t o t h e o t h e rr e q u i r e m e n ot sf y o u rp r o j e c ts, u c ha s
i n s t a l l i na
g b a c kp a n e l( p a g e3 & a n d e d g eb a n d i n g
( p a g e3 9 ) , i f d e s i r e dt,h e n p r e p a r i ntgh e s i d e sf o r
shelves(page41) or drawers.
Oncethat is done,glue
up the carcase(stepl0).

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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f\ Gluingup thecarcase
e hen
I\J
r o a p p l yp r o p e rp r e s s u rw
t i g h t e n i ntgh e c l a m p su, s ef o u rw o o d
p a d ss p e c i a l lnyo t c h e d
f o r d o v e t a ji ol i n t s .
M a k et h e p a d st h e s a m el e n g t ha s t h e
p a n e l sa r ew i d e ,a n dc u t a w a y
carcase
l i t t l et r i a n g u l anro t c h e s o t h a ti h e w o o d
w i l l o n l ym a k ec o n t a cw
t i t ht h e t a i l sa n d
n o te x e r tp r e s s u roen t h e p i n s .A p p l ya
t h i n b e a do f g l u eo n t h e f a c e so f t h e p i n s
a n dt a i l st h a tw i l l b e i n c o n i a cw
t h e nt h e
j o i n t sa r ea s s e m b l e dU.s ea s m a l l ,s t i f f b r i s t l e db r u s ht o s p r e a dt h e g l u ee v e n l y ,
leaving
n o b a r es p o t s A
. s s e m b lteh e c a r c a s ea n d i n s t a ltl w o b a rc l a m p sa c r o s s
t h e f a c e so f e a c ho f t h e p i n b o a r d si n
t u r n .T i g h t e n
t h e c l a m p sa l i t t l ea t t i m e
(left)unlil a little gluesqueezes
out of
the joints.Remove
the excessglue(page
2 3 ) , a n dk e e pt h e c l a m p si n p l a c eu n t i l
t h e g l u ei s d r y .

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llltl]lllllllllllllrlll]lll ilitllilllrllltlll l[ llllllrlll1

l]ltllt
jHO? TI?
Dealingwith a
defeclivedovetail
Evena eliqhN
error
in cuLNinq
doveLaile
can resullin a small
qaVbeNween
a Vin
a n da I a i l . l tt h e q a pi o
small,fill it wilh a thin lrianqularchiVof veneeror a woodshav'
i n qc u t t r o m t h e V a n eol l o c k . T om a k e L h e
woodchipleesobvioue,
cut itrso lhat ito qrainwillrun
in the samedirectionae lhat of the Vino.Usea dovetail
eawIo eLraighNen
out or deepenLhegap,if neceooary.
qluein NheqaVand inserlIhe chip,which
AVVIya liLNle
shouldfiNenualv.

32

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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CARCASE-SOUARING
BLOCKS
youareinstalling
Unless
a back
panelon a carcase,
it canbedifficultto keepthefoursidessquare
glueup.A shop-made
during
carng block(right)placed
case-squari
on eachcorner
will helpa great
deal.Foreachblock,cuta pieceof
3/q-inch
plywood
intoan B-inch

square.
Fita drillpress
oranelectric
drillwitha 2-inch-diameter
holesaw
or circlecutter,thenboreanopeningin thecenterof theblock.(The
gluesqueeze-out
holewill prevent
frombonding
theblockto thecarcase.)Next,outfityourtablesaw
witha dadoheadthatis thesame
widthasthethickness
of thestock.

Carcaoe-aquartnq

block
B"xB"

andcuttwogrooves
at rightangles
to oneanother,
intersecting
at the
centerof theblock.
Tousethejig,applytheglue
andassemble
thecarcase,
thenfit
a blockovereachcorner(left),
centering
the holeat the point
join.Makesure
wheretwopanels
thatthedadoes
onthe blocksfit
snugly
around
theedgesof the panels.lnstallandtightentheclamps.

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llllllltlll lllllll1
lltlll1
lll llll]ltllllilltillIlll illllll llllilt1
1HO?TI?
Checkinga carcaoefor equare
To Vrevenlclamp Vreoourefrom
pullinqa carcaaeoul of oquaredurin4qlueu?,meazurethe diaqonalo
beNween
opposiLecornerl immediately after IiqhNeninq
lhe clampo.
TheLwo resulf,sehouldbe lhe
eame.lf Nheyare noL,the carcaee
ie out- of- equare.To correcNNhe
loosenNheclampe,then
problem,
olideonejaw of eachclampaway
fromthe joint aL oppooihe
corners
ae ehown.Tiqhten
the clampeand checkaqainfor 6quare,
ohifLin7Iheclampoa6 neceobary
untilNhecarcaoeio oquare.

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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RABBET
JOINTS

t
Quickandeasyto cutandassemble,
therabbetjoint is idealfor bothsolid
woodandplywoodcarcases.
Thejoint
is madeup of a boardorpanelthatfits
intoa rabbetcuton itsmatingpiece.
Thewidthof therabbetshouldbe
equalto thethickness
of thestock.In a
carcase,
thejoint is bestcut into theside
panelssothat theendgrain of thetop
and bottomwill becovered.
Although
stronger
thansimplebuttjoints,rabbet
jointsfrequentlyrequirescrewsor nails
for reinforcement.

therabbets
1t Cuttine
I Marka cuttinglineforthewidthof
edgeof one
therabbetonthe leading
l l d a d oh e a d
s i d ep a n e lT. h e ni,n s t a a
widerthantherabbet
andlower
slightly
it below
t h et a b l eS
. crew
a na u x i l i a r y
woodfenceto thesaw'sripfenceand
markthedepthof therabbet
on it; the
depthshould
beone-half
thethickness
of thestock.Withthemetalfenceclear
theauxiliary
of thedadohead,position
fenceoverthetableopening.
Turnon
slowlyintothe
thesaw.Raise
theblades
woodupto thedepthline.Turnoffthe
sawandlineupthepanelandauxiliary
fenceforcutting
a
therabbet.
Clamp
featherboard
to thefenceabove
the
dadoheadto holdthepanelsecurely
against
thetable.Turnonthesawand
makethe cut (above),
thenrepeat
the
process
fortheremaining
rabbets
in the
(Caution:
guard
sidepanels.
Blade
removed
forclarity.)

filillttlltlllfitltll]IrIIJlllllllllllfiltllrllltlllttlllfillllll

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1HO?Tt?

lnvisiblenailer
Toconcealnaile
driveninLoa carcaoepanel,uoe
a b l i n dn a i l e r .
Thecommercial
deviceworkslike
a mini-plane,litti n 7a l h i n w o o d
ehavinqunderwhicha nailcan bedriven.The
ohavinq
canLhenbeqluedriqhl backdownto hidelhe nailhead.
)et up the nailertollowing
Lhemanufactrurer's
inslrucLions-uouallyf or a 1/zz-inch-t
hickohavinq, And praclioe
on a 6cra?boardbeforeuoin7the naileron an aclual
workpiece.
Theehavinqyou raieemusl be lon4enou4h
to leNyou drivethe nailcomforLably.
A ebriVof Iape will
holdIhe ehaving
downwhileNheqlueie drying.

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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upthecarcase
! Gluing
1- Dry-fit
thecarcase,
thenmakeanyothernecessary
preparations,
suchasinstalling
a backpanelor preparing
Then,applya thinbeadof adhesive
thesidesforshelving.
surfaces
of thetop
in therabbets
andonthecontacting
panels.
theglueevenly,
andbottom
Usea brushto spread
leaving
nodryspots.
Assemble
thecarcase
andinstall
two
panels,
protecting
barclamps
across
thetopandbottom
withwoodpads.
Tighten
a little
theworkpieces
theclamps
at a timeuntilgluestartsto squeeze
outof thejoints.
Reinforce
thejointswithscrews
aboutI inchf romthe
of thetopandbottompanels;
foraddrtional
strengih,
edges
in themiddle.
lf youwishto conceal
the
drivemorescrews
screwheadswithwoodplugs,boreholesin twostages
bits.First,
usinganelectric
drillf ittedwithtwodifferent
fortheplugs;
usea spade
bitwideenough
to makeholes
widerthanthescrew
thenswitchto a twistbitslightly
holes.
Boretheclearance
shanks
formaking
clearance
holes
deepenough
to reach
thesidepanels;
angle
thedrill
theinsideof thecarcase
to increase
thegrip
slightly
toward
Then,drivethescrewsintoplace(right).
of thescrews.

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woodplugs
? Installing
r-,1 Tosecure
theplugs,applya dab
of glueto thescrewheads,
theninsert
a plugintoeachhole(/effl,aligning
the
grainwiththatof thepanels.
Tapthe
plugsin placewitha wooden
mallet,
thenusea woodchisel
to trimtheprojecting
stubsflushwiththesurface
of
thepanels.
Finally,
remove
anyexcess
glue(page23).

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PLATE
JOINTS
Although it lack the allu'e of luud-ctft dovetails,theplate or biscuitjoirt hnsgrown
in popularity in recerttyearsltecause
of its
strengthand sinrylicity.Tlrcjoint is ctrt with
a platejoiner, showrrirr thephoto nt left. The
tool workssorrrewhnt
like n rrirtiotttrccircrtIar saw,with n retractablebladethat plunges
into mating workpieces.
Glue is nppliedand
an oval-shapedbiscuitof corrtpressed
beeclr
is insertedhtto rtntching slotsorr eachpiece.
The carcnseis therrossentbled.
Sirtcethe blade
projectsfront the tool orily while it is ctrttirrg,
theplatejoirrcr is very safeto use.Guide lines
on thebaseplateof the nnchine rnakeit u sir'trple nntter to nlign the slotsirr nnting boards.
The slotsare cut slightlylnrgerthnn the bisctrits,perntitting n small rnargin of error
while still ennn'inga properlyaligrecljoirtt.

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Marking
thelocation
ofthejoints
_

I l d e n t i f tyh e o u t s i d e
f a c eo f e a c hp a n e l w i t ha n X , t h e nm a r kl o c a t i o p
n o i n t sf o r
t h e s l o t sa l o n ge a c ho f t h e f o u r c o r n e r s .
S t a r tw i t h o n eo f t h e s i d ep a n e l so u t s i d e
f a c ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d h o l d
t h e t o p p a n eal t a 9 0 ' a n g l et o i t . U s ea
p e n c i l t om a r kl i n e st h a to v e r l atph e
faceof the top pieceandthe endof the
s i d ep a n eal b o u t2 i n c h e si n f r o me a c h
c o r f l rm
; a k ea t h i r dm a r km i d w a ya l o n g
t h ee d g eW
. i d e rp a n e l sw i l l r e q u i r e
addit i o n a lb i s c u r t si n; g e n e r atl h, e r es h o u l d
b e o n eb i s c u i e
t v e r y4 t o 6 i n c h e sM
. ark
s i m i l a rs l o t l o c a t i o np o i n t so n t h e o t h e r
threecornersof the carcase.

\. i'
'It..

'\..,.

/'

)loL locaLion
mark

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CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE,

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r) Cutting
theslots
facedownontheworksurface,
sidepaneloutside
L Leauinga
piece
outside
faceup ontopof it. Offsettheendsof
setthetop
of the
byan amount
equalto thethickness
thetwoworkpieces
marks
on
the
two
stock.Makesurethatmatingslotlocation
panel
perfectly
panels
with
wood
Protecting
thetop
aligned.
are
pads,clampthetwoworkpieces
in placeandsetin frontof
Thissetasthestock.
board
thesamethickness
thema suooort
you
of
the
carcase
upwillallow to cutalltheslotsforonecorner
panels.
instrucFollow
themanufacturer's
the
withoutmoving
thedepthof cutontheplatejoiner;it usually
tionsforsetting

the plate
on the sizeof biscuitbeingused.Resting
depends
j o i n e ro n t h e s u p p o r b
t o a r d ,b u t t t h e m a c h i n e 'fsa c e
p l a t ea g a i n stth e e n d o f t h e t o p p a n e la n d a l i g nt h e g u i d e
n a r ko n t h e s t o c k .
e i t ha s l o tl o c a t i o m
l i n eo n t h e f a c e p l a tw
Holding
t h e j o i n e rw i t h b o t hh a n d sc, u t a s l o ta t e a c hm a r k
( l e f i l . f oc u t t h e m a t i n gs l o t si n t h e s i d ep a n e l b, u t tt h e j o i n l n dt h e na l i g nt h e
e r ' sb a s ep l a t ea g a i n stth e t o p p a n e a
centerguidelineon the baseplatewith a slot locationmark
to cut
on the top panel(righil.Followthe sameprocedure
marks.
s l o t sa t t h e o t h e rs l o tl o c a t i o n

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upthecarcase
Q Gluing
r-J 0nceall theslotshavebeencut,dry-fitthe panels
or
a backpanelif thatis partof yourdesign,
andinstall
glue
Then
up
the
carready
for
shelves
or
drawers.
make
facedownona worksuroutside
case:Setthesideoanels
glue
intoeachslotandalong
squeeze
a
bead
of
face,and
panels
theslots,inserting
bisof
the
between
thesurface
panels,
you
go
boftom
Repeat
for
the
top
and
cuitsas
@fl.
Toprevent
thewooden
thistimeomitting
thebiscuits.
panels
are
assembled,
before
the
wafers
fromexpanding
possible,
gluing
quickly
fitting
thestde
as
upas
dothe
p a n eal n dt h e na d d i ntgh et o p .
p a n e losnt h eb o t t o m
panels
thetopandbottom
Install
twobarclamps
across
gluing
you
would
when
theclamps
exactly
as
andtighten
joints
rabbet
35).
with
up a carcase
@age

37

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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INSTALLING
A BACKPANEL

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'l

Routing
a rabbet
forthepanel
I Fitthepanels
together
andsetthecarcase
ona worksurface
withits
backside
facingup;install
a barclampwitha support
board
across
thetop
andbottompanels,
asshown.
Installa 3/s-inch
rabbeting
bit witha ballpilotonyourrouter,
bearing
thensetthedepthadjustment
to cut %oinch
deeper
thanthethickness
youwillbeinstalling.
of thebackpanel
Starting
at onecorner,
resttherouter's
baseplateonthesupport
boardwiththebit
justclearoftheworkpiece.
Griptherouter
firmlywithbothhands
andturnit
o n ,g u i d i ntgh eb i t i n t ot h ep a n e lO. n c et h ep i l o tb u t t sa g a i n st ht es t o c k ,
pulltherouterslowly
toward
theadjacent
corner,
keeping
thebaseplate
flat.Whenyoureachthecorner,
turntherouteroff.Reposition
thesupport
boardandcutrabbets
alongtheedges
panels
ofthethreeremaining
in the
samemanner(above).

r) Squaring
thecorners
1 tlsea pencilanda straightedge
to mark
square
corners
in therounded
endsof the
rabbets.
Select
a woodchisel
thatiswide
enough
to finishoff thecorners
wrthtwo
perpendicular
cuts.At eachcorner,
stand
thetip of thechiselonthemarkthatruns
across
thegrain,making
surethatthebevel
facestheinside
of thecarcase.
Usea woodenmallet
to strikethechisel(above),
cutting
to thedepthof therabbet.
Alignthechisel
withtheothermarkandstrike
thehandle
(Making
again.
thecutwiththegrainf irst
maycause
thepanel
to split.)

thepanel
Q Installing
r-,f Cuta pieceof plywood
to fit snuglyintotherabbetsonthebackof thecarcase.
Glueupthecarcase
and,at thesametime,applya thingluebeadalong
therabbets
forthebackpanelandonthecontacting
surfaces
of theplywood.
Spread
theglueevenly,
set
thepanelin position,
thenusesmallnailsto secure
(/effJ.
it at 4-inchintervals

3B

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EDGEBANDING
D dg. bandingistheusualwayof conof plyruood
Ij cealingthevisibleedges
theillusion
it creates
panelsandshelves;
of
is madeexclusively
that the carcase
solidwood.Youcanchooseoneof two
options:Commercialedgebanding,
shownon page40,is availablein a wide
varietyof woodtypes,colorsandthick-

nesses.
Installingit is simplya matterof
cuttingoffthe lengthsyou needfrom a
roll, settingthe bandingin placeand
heatingit with a householdiron to melt
that bondsit to the surface
the adhesive
ofthe wood.
Althoughsomewhatmorepainstakedgebanding
ing to apply,shop-made

overthe storeoffersseveraladvantages
boughtsolution.Youcanmakeit from
anv availablewood speciesand cut it
to whatever thicknessyou choose;
bandingis typical.The
7s-inch-thick
varietyis alsolessexpenshop-made
sive-a considerationif you plan to
usea lot ofbanding.

BANDING
EDGE
SHOP.MADE
thebanding
1 Applying
I Usethetablesawto cutthinstrips
froma board;besureto
of edgebanding
usea oushstickto feedthestockintothe
longer
than
Makethestripsslightly
blade.
thepanelandat leastaswideasthepanel isthick.Gripthepanelat eachendin
thenclampthehandscrews
a handscrew,
sothatthefrontedgeof
to a worksurface
facesup.Thenapplya thtn
theworkpiece
gluebeadto theedgeof thepanelanduse
the
brushto spread
a small,stiff-bristled
along
thebanding
evenly.
Center
adhesive
edge;
to holdit flatwhilethe
thepanel's
gluedries,tapeit veryf irmlyat 2-inch
intervals.
Useas manystripsof tapeas
anygapsbetween
necessary
to eliminate
andtheedgeof thepanel.
thebanding

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r) Trimming
excess
banding
gluehasdried,
that
trimanyedgebanding
Z Oncethe
projects
Fita routerwitha flushthepaneledges.
beyond
baseplateonthepanel
bit,thenrestthemachine's
cuttrng
Holding
banding.
edgewiththebitjustclearof theexcess
turnonthemotorand
firmlywithbothhands,
therouter
guidethebit intotheexcess
Oncethebit'spilot
banding.
the
thepanel,guidetherouterslowlyagainst
buttsagainst
endof theworkto theopposite
of bit rotation
direction
piece.
Makesurethatthebaseplateandthepilotremain
andendsof
sandtheedges
Lightly
flushwiththepanel.
unevenness.
anyremaining
thebanding
to remove

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39

a
CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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SETF.ADHESIVE
BANDING

theedgebanding
1 Applying
I Seta household
ironon High(without
steam)
andallowit to heatuo.Meanwhile.
applyclamps
to holdthepanelupright,
andcuta stripof banding
slightly
longer
thantheedgeto becovered.
Setthebandingadhesive-side
downalongthe panel
e d g eH
. o l d i ntgh eb a n d i nign p l a c e
with
onehand,runthe ironslowly
alongthe
paneledge,pressing
thetrimflat.Theheat
of theironwillmelttheglueandjointhe
banding
to thepanel.
Keeptheironmoving;resting
it ononespotfor morethan
a fewseconds
will leavescorchmarks.

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llltllllfllJ
fit]IIJlllllll]lllllllllll]lltllllIIJillJlllllllltllllllt
1HO?TI?
r) Flattening
outthetrim
pressure,
L Applyingeven
runa
smallhandrollerbackandforthalong
the lengthof theedgebanding
to
smooth
it outandbondit firmlyto the
paneledge.Shaveoff anyexcess
banding
witha laminate
edgetrimmeror a router(page39).

5 pringboard f or alamping
edgebanding
Forthick edgebandinq,iNmay
be neceeoary
to clampLhebandinryto a paneledqewhilethe
gluedriee.Foratypical panel,
you miqhLneedNhreeor four
bar clampo;a einqle
clampwill
suffice,
howevenif
youueea ohop-made
oprinqboard.To
make
the device,cut a genblecurve-r/+-inch-deep
aL iIs c
oneed7eof a 2-inch-wide
boardthe eami lenaNh
and Nhickness
ae the panel.CenterNhepanelon a bar clampand seNVhe
concaveed4eofthe
Ihe epringboard
aqainof,lhe
againeL
the edge
edgebandinq.Uee
bandinq.
Ue a
woodpad lo prolecl
prolecl the Vanel,
Ti
the clampunLilNhe
protecl
Vanel,Ti4hten
epringboard
flatlens aqainelthe bandinq.

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40

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SHELVING
isoneway
to a carcase
I ddingshelves
f\ to turn a simplewoodbox into a
usefulpieceof furniture.The simplest
is to bore
methodfor installingshelves
parallel
rowsof holesin the side
two
panelsof the carcase
and insertcommerciallyavailableplasticor metalshelf
shownin
supports.Thetwo alternatives
thischapterrequirea littlemorepreparation, but they havea payoffin that
thereareno visibleshelfsupportsto mar
theappearance
of thefinishedpiece.Like
hiddensupcommercialshelfhardware,
ports(belowandpage42)areadjustable;
the differenceis that they relyon narrowwoodstripsrecessed
in rabbetscut
into the undersideof the shelves,
and
this makesthem all but invisible.
For fixedshelves(page43),youhave
to rout dadoeson carcase
sides.The
shelves
arethen gluedpermanentlyin
is assembled.
Many woodworkers
usecommercialshelf-drillingjigsto helpwith the
olacewhenthe carcase
job of boringparallelrowsof holes.Clampedto theedgeof thepanel,
rowsareperfectlyaligned.Thejig
the jig ensures
that thecorresponding
anydistance
in thephotoallowsyou to boreholesat l-inch intervals
from
2 inchesin from theedges
is typical.
theedges
of thepanel.For mostprojects

ADJUSTABLE
SHELF
SUPPORTS
HIDDEN

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andinstalling
1 Making
I ttrestretfsupports
Boreholesfortheshelfsupports
usinga
jig.Afterthecarcase
is assemcommercial
pershelf. For
bled,maketwosupports
eachof them,cut a thinstripof wood
aboutI inchlonger
thanthegapbetween
therowsof holes;makethestripwide
enough
to holda dowelat eachend.To
markpositions
forthedowels,
inserta
dowelcenterintoeachof twoparallel
holes,
thenpress
thewoodstripagainst
forthe
theooints.
Usetheindentations
points
forboring
dowelcenters
asstarting
t h eh o l e sM
. a k et h eh o l e si n t h es h e l f pieces
support
thesamedepthasthe
h o l e isn t h es i d eo a n e l sG.l u ed o w e l s
intotheshelfsupports,
andwhenthe
has
install
themonthe
adhesive dried,
panels
height
side
at the
thatyouwant
rest.
theshelfto

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41

CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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t
r) Making
andpreparing
theshelving
plywood
Z- Usesolidlumber,
or edge-glued
boards(page20)to maketheshelving.
Cuteach
shelfto thesamewidthasthecarcase
oanels
andto a length
equalto thedistance
between
thesidepanels.
Addedgebanding
to thevisible
edgeof theshelf(page39),if desired.
Toconcealthesupports,
routstopped
rabbets
in the
. Startbypositioning
shelf
theshelfonthesupportsandoutlining
theirlocations
ontheundersideof theshelf.Usinga woodpadto prevent
anymarring,
clamptheshelfto a worksurface.
Fita routerwitha rabbeting
bit,thensetthe
depthof cutto thewidthof theshelfsupports.
Gripping
thetoolfirmlywithbothhands
andrestingits baseplateontheshelf,routeachrabbet
(abovd,making
asmanypasses
asnecessary
to
cutto themarked
outline.
Square
theendsof
the rabbetsusinga chisel(page3B).

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theshelving
Q Installing
\Jt Withtheshelfsupports
at thedesired
height
onthesidepan(above).
els,test-fittheshelfin thecarcase
Usea chiselto adjust
the length,
widthor depthof thestopped
rabbets,
if necessary,
to
ensure
a perfect
f it thatcompletely
hidestheshelfsupports.

/1 )

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION

FIXED
SHETVING
thecarcase
sidepanels
1 Preparing
I Setthesidepanels
oneontooof theotheron a worksurandmarkcuttinglinesforthe
face,edges
andendsaligned,
of bothpanels.
Makethewidth
dadoes
ontheleading
edges
of theshelf;thedepth
of thedadoes
equalto thethickness
Install
of thesideoanels.
a
should
beone-half
thethickness
dadoheadona tablesawandalignthecuttinglinesonone
to the proper
heightfor
sidepanelwithit. Cranktheblades
the
theripfenceflushagainst
thedepthof cut,thenposition
panel.Cuta testdadoin a scrapboardandadjustthewidth
Clampa featherboard
to thefenceabove
of cut if necessary.
stability.
Tomakethecutin each
thedadoheadforadded
panel,
turnonthesawandfeedthepanelintothedadohead
Blade
usingthemitergauge
andbothhands(/eft).(Caution:
guardremoved
forclari$.)

r) Making
anddry-fitting
theshelving
plywood
tlsesolidlumber,
oredge-glued
boards
I
(page20)to maketheshelving.
Cuteachshelfto
panels
andto a
thesamewidthasthecarcase
thesidepanlengthequalto thedistance
between
Addedgebanding
elsplusthedepthof thedadoes.
39),if desired.
to thevisible
edgeof theshelf@age
jointhetopand
Tocheckthefit of theshelving,
withonesidepanel,
of thecarcase
bottompanels
intothe dadotighD.FiIthe
thenfit theshelving
othersidepanelontop.Adjustthe lengthor width
if necessary,
to ensure
a perfect
fit.
of theshelving,

upthecarcase
Q Gluing
r-J Applya thingluebeadintothedadoes
in thesrdepanels
whilegluing
surfaces
of theshelving
andonthecontacting
Spread
theglueevenly
andthenassemble
upthecarcase.
(step2). Clampthecorners
of the
theboxaswhendry-fitting
joints@age32) or for rabbetor plate
for dovetail
carcase
joints(paEe35).Fortheshelving,
installa barclampacross
thesidepanels
withwood
eachedgeof theshelf, protecting
pads;placea %-inch-thick
woodchipundereachpadto
pressure
midway
between
the
focussomeof theclamping
of theshelving.
Tighten
eachclampa littleat a time
edges
untila thingluebeadsqueezes
outof eachdado.

43

j \

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FRA4E-AdD-PN\TEL
CONSTRI.ICTION

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joinery was
rame-and-panel
inventedabout 500yearsago)

Theopening
in theframeisfilled
"floating"panel,which in
by a
sits
probablyby a frustratedmedieval
grooves
cutin therailsandstiles.
Thepanelis saidto floatbecause
craftsman
deterrnined
to findabetit is not gluedin place.Rather,
terwayto buildcabinets
thansimply
it
fixing boardstogether.A major
merelyfitsin itsgrooves
with room
of woodasa building
for movement.
If thepanelwere
drawback
material
isitstendency
gluedin place,theassembly
might
to warpand
split.Frame-and-panel
offersasolueventually
split.
Panelsaresetinto their surtion to theseoroblems.
Ever-changing
moisturelevels
roundingframeswithoutglueto
minimizewarping.
Butin addition
in theaircause
woodto move,espepressure
ciallyacrossthegrain.As relative
Thisclampingsetupfocuses
on the
to theirstructural
function,panels
humidityrises,wood swells;as
cornerjoints to locktogetherthecomponents
alsoserve
anesthetic
role.Theyare
"raised"-that
themoisturecontentfalls,wood
of aframe-and-panel
assembly.
Whileglue
often
is,theyhave
Thecentralheatingfound
bondsthecorners,no adhesive
is appliedin
bevels
cutaroundtheiredges.
This
shrinks.
in mostmodernhomescompounds
thegroovesthat holdthepanel,allowingit
not onlymakesthemeasier
to fit
In a heated
hbmein
to moveasthewoodexDands
and contracts.
into grooves,
theproblem.
but alsogivesthem
winier,therelativehumiditycan
interest.
decorative
Wth oneframe-and-panel
youneedonlyrepeat
drop aslow asl0 percent;in summerit cansoarto 85percent.
assembled,
Thedifference
betweenthe two levelscansignificantlychange theprocess
andvaryit slightlyto builda cabinet(page59).
the cross-graindimensionsof a pieceof wood.
Usually,
tlvoassemblies
arejoinedtogether
with siderailsand
Frame-and-panel
constructionis designed
to accommodate panels,
with thefrontassembly
leftopenfor a door.
the movementof swellingand shrinkingwood,resultingin furAsyouwill seein thepages
thatfollow,frame-and-panel
niture that is both strongand stable.In the typicalpieceshown
construction
isaversatile
furniture-building
Youcan
system.
on the two pagesthat follow, individual frame-and-panel addabottompanelto a cabinet(page60),thenatop (page
&)
(page61).lnstalling
assemblies
arejoined togetherto form a four-sidedcabinet. andeitherfixedor adjustable
shelving
Eachassembly
molding(page69)hidestheconnection
comprisestwo verticalmembers-stiles-and
between
theframeand
two or morehorizontalrails,all lockedtogetherby anyoneof
thetop;it alsoaddsa decorative
flourish.
a varietyof joints.Thesecanincludedowel,plate,miter-andAlthoughthismethodof construction
is moredifficultto
masterthanbuildinga simplecarcase,
splineandlap joints.This chapterwill showyou how to usethe
theresultis a sturdy,
(page48)andthe decorative functionalandattractive
pieceof furniture,whichmakes
haunchedmortise-and-tenon
allthe
joint (page51).
cope-and-stick
timeandeffortworthwhile.

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Mountedupside-down
in a table,a routerfltted with a copingbit
cutsa tongueat theendof a rail.Anotherbit will cut a matching
grooveinto thestiles,makinga solidand attractivecope-and-stick
joint, oneof thehallmarlcs
offrame-and-panel
construction.

45

ANATOMY OF A FRAME-AND-PANELASSEMBLY
espite
theirdifferences,
theframeand-panel
assemblies
thatmakeup
haveelements
in comatypicalcabinet
mon:Namely,framesmadefrom rails
andstiles,andpanels
thatfit intogrooves
in theframe.Bottoms
andtopsareusuallyadded,alongwith shelvingin many
cases.
Thesecomponents
aretypically
madeof edge-glued
boardsof thesame
stockusedfor theframe.
Individualcabinets
will featurevariations.In someinstances,
thesides
will
sharestileswith the front and back
assemblies
with railsfittingintoboththe
edges
andthefaces
ofthestiles.
Toprovideaccess
to theinsideof thecabinet,
the front frequentlyhasa framebut
no panel.Sometimes,
a medianrail is
usedto dividethe openinginto two
discrete
sections.
Thetwomostcommon
iointsin frameand-panel
cabinets
ateihe haunched
mortise-and-tenon
andthecope-andstickThehaunched
mortise-and-tenon
offersgreatergluingsurfacethanthe
standard
mortise-andtenon,makingit
a verystrongjoint. Thehaunchalso
fills in the endof the groovecut into
the stiles,eliminatingthe needfor
stoppedgrooves.
Thecope-and-stick
joint providescomparable
strength
and addsits own decorativetouch.
The routerbit that cutsthe grooves
for the panelalsocarvesa decorative
moldingin theinsideedges
of theframe.
Whatever
thejoint, cabinetmakers
usuallybuild framesfrom %-inchstock
that is at least2 incheswide;larger
stockmayalsobeusedto suitthedimensionsofa particularproject.

Rail
Frovideahorizontal
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
with edqea rabbeted or beveledon
"raiae"
four aideeto
center of the panel

46

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

ToP
Uouallyoverhanqaoutaide edqeaof
frame; attached with wood buttona,
ae ahown,or with metal faetanera,
led4er etripe or pocket holea.Edqe
commonlyhaa routed decoration

Molding
Concealajoint betweentop
and frame; can be purchaaed
or made in the ohop

Wood button
Used to faaten top to frame. Oneend fits
into 1roovecut into frame, permittinq ali4ht
movement;other end acrewedto top

thelf eupport
Can be pooit.ionedin dadoea
at any heiqht inaide cabinat
to provideadjuatable ehelving

Shelf
May have
decorative
detail routed alonq
front edqe

#r'

I
Led4er etrip
Uaedto faaten bottom or
top panel to frame; one
edqeacrewedto frame; other ed1e screwedto panel
Eottom
Attached to frame by ledqer
atripa or 1lued into 7roove
cut in inaideedaee of frame

Thisframe-and-panel
cabinetis held
togetherby haunchedmortise-andtenonjoints. Thefront hasrailsand
stiles,but nopanel.Instead,a median
rail serves
asa dividinglinebenveen
theopenings
for a doorand a drawer.

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47

MAKINGTHEFRAME
hissectionof thebookexamines
I theframingtechniques
forbuilding
a typicalframe-and-panel
case.
Remember,however,
youneeda carefuldesign
for thewholepieceof furniturebefore
you makethefirst cut on a projectof
yourown.
Whetheryouwill beusingthestanHa unchedmortiae-a nd-tenon ioint
joint, the
dard mortise-and-tenon
haunched
versionofthat joint (right,
-stickjoint (right,
top),or thecope-and
bottom),
calculate
thenumberof rails
andstilesyouwill beneeding
soyoucan
cutthemall to lengthandwidthat the
sametime.Thispermitsyouto usethe
sametoolsetupfor allthecutting.
Forthehaunched
mortise-and-tenon
youmustcuta
joint
andthecope-and-stick,
Cope-and-etick
f

groovefor the floatingpanelalongthe

insideedgesof the rails and stiles.The
grooveis typically Vqinch wide and
Vzinch deep,and the panelis cut to
dimensionsthat allow/+ inch of its edges
to sit in the groove.If you opt for morjoints,you alsoneedto
tise-and-tenon
cut a haunched---or
notched-tenon at
the endsof eachrail to accommodate
the
panel.For frameswith no panels,suchas
the front ofthe caseshownon page59,
you haveto cut standardmortise-andtenons.Toproducethisjoint, followthe
sameproceduresusedin making the
frameof a frame-and-paneldoor(page
104).Whatever
typeof tenonyou decide
to make,cutit3/+inch long andthe same
thicknessasthe groovein the stiles.

HAUNCHED
MORTISE.AND.TENON
J(lINTS

thetenonsin therails
1 Cutting
I Installa dadoheadslightly
widerthanthelengthof thetenons
ona tablesaw,thenattachanauxiliary
fenceandraisetheblades
to cut a notchin it. Setthewidthof cut eoualto thetenon
length.
Tocut thetenoncheeks,
buttthestockagainst
the
fenceandthemitergauge,
thenfeedit face-down
overtheblades.
Turnthe railoverandrepeat
thecut ontheotherside.Test
thetenonin a scrappieceof woodcut witha dadothesame
sizeasthegrooves
in thestiles;adjustthe heightof thedado
headandrepeatthe cuts,if necessary.
Next,cut thetenon

cheeks
at theotherendof therail (above,
/eff).Position
the
fenceto leavea haunch
equalin widthto thedepthof thegroove
for the panel;setthe heightof the dadoheadto cut about
Vzinchintothetenon.Withthestockon its edge,usethe
fenceandthe mitergaugeto guideit overthe blades.
Repeat
to cut the haunchontheothersideof thetenon(above,
right).
Fortherailsof anassembly
withnopanel,cutstandard
tenons
(page104),makingthe shoulders
equalto thewidthof the
notchyoucut intothehaunched
tenons.

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FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

r) Planning
themortises
inthestiles
forthe
L fust,evaluate
theappearance
of theboards
withtheirbest
stilesandarrange
themona worksurface
cabinei,
suchasthe
sidesfacingdown.Fora four-sided
posioneshown
on page59,setthestilesin theirrelative
number
themin sequence,
tions-oneat eachcorner-and
withthefrontleftstile.Thiswillhelpyourearbeginning
Next,
range
thestilesshould
theygetoutof sequence.
putting
locations
of themortises,
marktheapproximate
facesat thetops
Xsontheinside
edges
andtheinside
witha median
andbottoms
of thestiles(lefil,Forstiles
location
rail,markanadditional
X at theappropriate
on
theedseof thestock.

\l 0- f f i
IUffi

-) Outlinine
themortises
<.

r - , 1 C l a m pt h e s t i l e st o g e t h efra c et o f a c e ,e n d sa l i g n e dT. o
m a r kt h e l e n g t ho f t h e m o r t i s e su, s ea r a i lw i t h a s t a n d a r d
t e n o n .H o l dt h e c h e e ko f t h e t e n o nf l u s ha g a i n stth e e d g eo f
a s t i l es o t h a tt h e e d g eo f t h e r a i l i s a l i g n e dw i t h t h e e n d o f
t h e s t i l e .0 u t l i n et h e w i d t ho f t h e t e n o n( a b o v el,e f t ) .T h e n
usea try squareto extendthe marks(dottedlines in the illust r a t i o na) c r o s sa l l t h e s t i l e s .R e p e aat t t h e o t h e re n d a n df o r
. o m a r kt h e w i d t ho f t h e m o r t i s e s ,
a n ym a r k sf o r m e d i a nr a i l s T
remove
t h e c l a m p sa n d h o l dt h e e d g eo f t h e t e n o nf l u s h

againstthe edgeof the stile (aboveright,fop);repeatfor the

o t h e rs t i l e s .E x t e n dt h e m a r k sa l o n gt h e e d g eo f t h e s t i l e
f t o t t e d I i n e d . f o o u t l i n et h e m o r t i s e so n t h e f a c e so f t h e
s t i l e s ,f i r s t m a r kt h e l e n g t hb y e x t e n d i ntgh e l i n e sa c r o s tsh e
e d g e so f t h es t i l e st o t h e f a c e s .F o rt h e w i d t h ,h o l dt h e e d g e
o f t h e t e n o nf l u s ha g a i n stth e m a r k e df a c eo f t h e s t i l ea n d
o u t l i n et h e c h e e k so f t h e t e n o no n t h e s t i l e ( a b o v er i g h t ,
b o t t o m ) .E x t e n dt h e l i n e sa l o n gt h e t a c e ( d o t t e dl i n e s ) .
R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs t il e s .

49

FRAM E-AND - PANELCONSTRUCTION

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Routing
themortises
Secure
a stilein a vise.Install
a commercial
edgegurdeon
a plunge
router,
thenscrew
ontotheguidea woodextension
as
wideastheedgeof thestile.Fittherouter
witha straight
bit
youwillbecutthesamediameter
asthewidthof the mortise
ting,thensetthecuttingdepth.Center
thebit overthemarks
forthemortise
andadjusttheedgeguideto butttheextension
against
f irmlywithbothhands,
thestile.Gripping
therouter

,{
-t

turnit onandplunge
thebit intothestock(above,
left).(lf you
pivot
areusinga conventional
router,
carefully thetool'sbase
plateonthestockto lowerthebit.)Guidethebitfromoneend
of themortise
to theother.Makeasmanypasses
asnecessary
to cutthemortise
to therequired
depth.Then,square
theends
of themortise
usinga chisel.
Cutwiththebeveled
edgeof the
chiselfacingintothe mortise(above,
righil.
thegrooves
f, Cutting
marklocar,f Ontherailsandstiles,
tionsforthegrooves
thatwill holdthe
panel.
Thensetupyourtablesawwith
an auxiliary
fenceanda dadohead
thesamewidthasthegroove.
Place
the
edgeof a railora stileonthetablewith
thedadoheadaligned
to runrightalong
itsmiddle,
andadjustthefenceto butt
against
thestock.Usefeatherboards
to
holdtheworkpiece
against
thefence
w h i l em a k i n tgh ec u t .T oc u t g r o o v e s
onthefacesof thestiles,
keepthefence
in thesameposition:
usefeatherboards
b o t ha b o v e
a n dt o t h es i d e so f t h e
stock(left),andcomplete
eachpass
witha oushstick.

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FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

J()INTS
C()PE-AND.STICK
thecopecutsin therails
1 Making
I Insert
a copingbit-alsoknown
as
pilot
a railcutter-with
a ball-bearing
in a
in a router,
andmountthemachine
tongues
in
router
table.Youwillbecutting
in the
theendsoftherailsto fit intogrooves
stiles.Butttheedgeof the railagainst
depthsetting
thebitandadjusttherouter's
cutter
sothatthetopof the uppermost
the
is slightlyabovethestock.Position
fenceparallel
to the mitergaugeslot
andin linewiththeedgeof thebit pilot.
Makethecutswitha mitergaugef itted
withanextension
andwiththeendof the
thefence(/eftl.
stockbuttedupagainst

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0
r) Adjusting
theheightofthestickingbit
L lnstalla stickingbit---orstilecutterpilot.Thissetupwill,
witha ball-bearing
shape
theedges
in a singleprocedure,
witha decorative
and
of thestrles
orofile
fortherailsandthepanels.
cutgrooves
Tosetthecuttingheight,
buttthe endof
railsagainst
the
oneof thecompleted
on
setting
bit,thenadjustthespindle
the routersothatoneof theteethonthe
on therail
bit is levelwiththetongue
(right).Alignthe fencewiththeedge
of thebit pilot.

51

FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

thestiles
Q Cutting
r-,1Tosecure
theworkpiece,
clampa
featherboard
to theroutertableagainst
theoutside
edgeof thestile;forextra
support,
secure
a second
featherboard
to thefenceabove
the bit.Whenfeedingtheworkpiece
intothe bit (above),
usea pushstickto complete
thepass.

Il[llltlllllll flfllllllllllllltl|Illlllll tllllll ljlllllllll llltllll

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1HO? TI?

A ohop-builtmiter gauge
lf you do nolhave a 65_
miler qauqeor if
your rouLerlable
io mieeinga sloI,
you can u?ea
o h o p - m a dj ieq L o
quideetock accu- ,a
ralely acroeolhe
table.WiNht,he
rouler Lable'efence
aliqnedwiLhNheedge
of the bit pilot,cuLa
board IhaI willoverhangLheedqeof Nhetable
by an inchor Lwowhenit ie
bu|Ied aaainst the fence.)crew a
ohort eu??ortpieceto Nhieboard,counNersinkinqlhe
ocrew6.
Then,ecrewa Lhirdboardto the undereide
of lhe oupporLpiece.Thie
lael addibionwillserveae a guide,runningalonqthe edqeof Nhetable.
Oeforeueinqthe jiq, cuNa nolch into it by runninqit paeLNhebiL.

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52

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MAKINGTHE PANEL
canbe
p anelsto fit insideyourfi'antes
or edgeI madeof eitherply'wood
gluedboards(page20).To ensurethat a
on the
panelwillfit snuglyin thegrooves
railsandstiles,
but stillhavea littleroom
to moveasthewoodexpandsandconthinner
tracts,it is madesubstintially
on theedgesthanit is in themiddle.The
raisedpanelis
shapeofsucha so-called
not by addingmaterialat the
achieved
centerbut by cuttingawaythickness
at theedges.
Thereareseveralwaysof makinga
on the visual
raisedpanel,depending
A common
effectyou wish to achieve.
in thissectionof the
method,examined
ofthe
bevelingtheedges
book,involves
54)orrouter
panelwitha tablesaw(page
(page56).Raisedpanelcuttersfor the

router areavailabein severaldesigns,

includingcoveandogee,andin various
Makesureyourrouterhasat
diameters.
to makesucha cut.
least2 horsepower

Beforeraisinga panel,cut it to size.As

shownbelow,this demandsprecision,
sincethereis little room for playin the
fit betweenthepanelandtheframe.

with
Akhoughthedesignis different,bevelinga panel'sedges
thesanreffict:
a router(top) or a tablesaw(below)achieves
are
Thecenterof thepanelappearsraised,while itsedges
sfficientlynarrowtofit intoa groovein theframe.

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T()FIT
THEPANEL
CUTTING
to size
Cutting
a panel
it
rails
andstilesof theframe,
Test-fthe
between
them.
thenmeasure
theopening
with
cope-and-stick
Fora frameassembled
joints,
fromtheback,
theopening
measure
frontof the
molding
cut
into
the
sincethe
precise
calculation
difficult.
framemakes
dimensions
AddVzinchto eachof the
to allowforIher/qinchof
fortheopening
of thepanelthat
stockalongtheedges
grooves
in therailsandstiles
fitsintothe
(Thedottedlinesin theillustration
(inset).
of thepanel;
represent
theactualedges
theframeopenthesolidlinesrepresent
p
a
n
e
l
i n g . )C u tt h e
o nt h et a b l es a w ,
Forthe
rippingfirst,thencrosscutting.
to themitergauge
screwa board
crosscut,
firmly
thenholdthepanel
asanextension,
andpushthemtogether,
against
theextension
feedinsthestockintothe blade(left).

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t
FRAME-AND_PANELCONSTRUCTION

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MAKING
A RAISED
PANET
WITHA TABTE
SAW

Auxiliary fence

theendgrain
1 Cutting
I Tosetthebladeangle,
beginbymarkinga cutting
line:Draw
a 7a-inch
square
at thebottom
corner,
thenmarka line
fromthefrontfaceof thepanelthrough
theinside
corner
of thesquare
to a point
onthebottom
edget/a
inchfromtheback
face(inset).
Restthepanelagainst
an
auxiliary
woodfenceandadjusttheangle
of thebladeuntilit aligns
withthemarked
l i n eA
. d j u stth eb l a d eh e i g hut n t i o
l ne
toothjustprotrudes
beyond
thefrontface
of thepanel,
thenclampa gurde
blockto
thepanel
to ridealong
thetopofthefence.
Feed
thepanelintotheblade,
keeping
it
f l u s ha g a i n st ht ef e n c ew i t hy o u r i g h t
handwhilepushing
it forward
alongwith
theguideblockwithyourlefthand(left).
Test-fit
thecut endin a groove.
lf less
thanl/qinchof thepanelentersthegroove,
movethefencea littlecloser
to theblade
pass.Repeat
andmakeanother
thecutat
theotherendof thepanel.

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r) Cutting
withthegrain
L Setthepanelon edgeandfeed
i t i n t ot h e b l a d e k, e e p i n g
the back
f l u s h a g a i n s t h e f e n c e .T u r nt h e
paneo
l v e rt o c u t t h e r e m a i n i n g
edge(right).Cuttinginto the end
g r a i no f t h e p a n e lf i r s t - b e v e l i n g
t h e t o p a n d b o t t o mb e f o r et h e
sides-helps reducetearout.

54

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FRAME-AND - PANELCONSTRUCTION

Anqled
fence
12"x 3O"
Auxiliary
fence
9" x 30"

9upporL

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55

RAISED
PANETS
A JIGF(lRGUTTING
Toraisea oanelonthetablesawwiththeangleof the blade,
outadjusting
jig shownat left.
usetheshop-built
for suggested
Referto the illustration
dimensions.
the lip alongthe bottomedge
Screw
sureto
fence,making
of theangled
position
wheretheywill
thescrews
withtheblade.Propthe
notinterfere
fence
theauxiliary
fenceagainst
angled
at thesameangleasthecuttingline
marked
onthe panel(page54I (Usea
Cut
theangle.)
slidingbevelto transfer
supports
to fit precisetriangular-shaped
thetwofences,
ly in thespacebetween
thenfix themin placewithscrews.
it onthesaw
Tousethejig,position
the lip and
tablewiththejointbetween
fencedirectly
overtheblade;
theangled
ensurethatthe screwsarewellclearof
Slidetheripfenceto
thetableopening.
fence,and
thejig'sauxiliary
buttagainst
Turnonthe saw
screwthetwotogether.
andcrankthebladeslowlyupto cut a
the lip. Next,seatthe pankerfthrough
el in thejig andadjusttheheightof the
bladeuntila singletoothis protruding
the frontof the panel.Make
beyond
a testcut in a scrapboardthe same
asthepanel,feedingit into
thickness
thebladeandthentestingitsfit in a
groove.
Adjustthe positionof thefence
Thencuttheactuor blade,if necessary.
thesideswiththeend
al panel,beveling
graintisl (lefil.

FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

MAKING
A RAISED
PANET
WITHA ROUTER
uptherouter
1 Setting
I Fita router
witha panel-raising
bit,
thenmountthetoolin a routertable.To
ensure
thatthecutting
widthis uniform,
position
thefenceparallel
to themiter
gauge
slotandin linewiththeedgeof
thebit pilot.Withtherouter
turnedoff,
placea scrapboardalongthefenceand
across
the bitto checktheposition
of
thefence.Thebit pilotshould
turnasthe
boardtouchesiI (left);adjustthefence's
position,
if necessary.
Settherouterfor
a Va-inch
deothof cut.

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r) Raising
thepanel
L Lowe,the guardoverthe bit and
turnon therouter.
Tominimize
tearout,
cut intotheendgrainof thepanelfirst,
beveling
thetopandbottombefore
the
s i d e sW
. h i l er u n n i ntgh es t o c kp a s t h e
bit,keepit flushagainst
thefencewith
yourlefthandandpushit forward
withyour
(right).
righl
Theoutside
faceof the panmust
el
bedownonthetable.Turnoff
therouter,
thentest-fitthecut endin
a groove.
lf the panelsitslessthant/q
inchdeepintothegroove,
increase
the
c u t t i n gd e p t hb y 7 ei n c ha n dm a k e
another
oass.

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PUTTINGTHE PANELIN THE FRAME

to boreoocketholesin therailsor rout
groovesin the railsand stiles.In either
case,the stockwill haveto be prepared
prior to gluingup.

f) eforegluingup the rails,stilesand

I) panel,takethe time to dry-fit the
parts.Ifthe piecesdo not fit perfectly,
A
asnecessary.
makefinal adjustments,
slightshavingwith a wood chiselwill
usuallydo thetrick.
Sincetheindividualframe-and-panel
is only one componeniof a
assembly
pieceof furniture,somefurtherplanning
is requiredat this stage.You needto
decidewhich methodsyou will useto
install a bottom panel(page60) anda
rop (page64).Someof the methodsof
requireyou
installingthosecomponents

provides
A beltsander
a quickand
thesurefficient
startin smoothing
Here,the
facesof a ftame-and-panel.
pieceisclampedto a work
glued-up
surface
for sandingthefacesof the
stilesandrails.Thepaneland the
of theraik andstiles
insideedges
prior toglueup.
shouldbesanded

THEFRAME-AND.PANEL
ASSEMBLING

'l Testassembling
thepieces
them.Setthestileona worksurI Joina railanda stile.thenseatthepanelbetween
railandstile(abovd.Markeachof thejointsusinga pencilto
face,andaddthesecond
whenyouapplytheglue.lf anyof thejointsistootight,
helpyouin thefinalassembly,
to pareawaysome
andusea woodchisel
thepieces
markthebinding
spots,
disassemble
joint.Assemble
withthefit,
Onceyouaresattsfied
theframeagain.
woodat theill-fitting
oncethe
to reach
thatwillbedifficult
theframeandsandanysurfaces
disassemble
hasbeengluedup.
assembly

57

FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

r) Applying
theglue
I
VtaV,e
fourclamping
blocks,
cutting
themaslongastherailsarewideandas
wideasthestilesarethick.Layoutallof
positions
thecomponents
in theirrelative
withtheiroutside
surfaces
facingdown.
F o rm o r t i s e - a n d - t ej onionnt ss, q u e e z e
glueintothemortises
andonthetenon
cheeks
andshoulders;
forcope-and-stick
l o r n t sa, p p l yg l u et o a l l t h ec o n t a c t i n g
surfaces.
In eithercase,usejustenough
adhesive
to cover
thesurfaces
completely
whenit is spread
outevenly(right).Do
gluein thepanelgrooves;
notinsert
the
panelmustbefreeto movewithinthese
joints.Afterapplying
theglue,assemble
thef rame-and-panel.

Tightening
theclamps
Q
r-,1 Laytwobarclamps
ontheworksurface
andplacethe
glued-up
assembly
facedownonthem,aligning
therails
wrththebars.Tokeeptheclamps
fromfallingover,prop
themup in notched
woodblocks.
Place
clamping
blocks
between
thestilesandthejawsof theclamps
to avoidmarringthestockandto distribute
thepressure
evenly
along
the
just
Tighten
each
clamp
in
turn
enough
to
close
loint.
thejoints(left),Ihenusea trysquare
to makesurethatthe
corners
of theframeareat 90' angles.
Continue
tightening
theclamps
untila thinbeadof gluesqueezes
outof the
joints,checking
forsquare
asyougo.0ncethegluehas
dried,remove
theclamps.
Protecting
thesurface
with
a woodpad,clamptheassembly
to a worksurface.
Usea
paintscraper
to remove
anydriedgluethatremains
onthe
wood,pullingthescraper
alongeachloinI(inset).

Notched
wood block

5B

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CASE,
A FRAME,-AND-PANE,L
ASSEMBLING
youcanrepeat
ith a fewvariations,
shownon pages57
theprocedures
and 5Bto join individualframe-andinto a pieceof furniture.
panelassemblies
A singleframeand panelmakeup the
Thefront is put
backof a smallcabinet.
in roughlythesamewayusing
together
joints.On thisside,
mortise-and-tenon
however,thereis no panelin the frame,
but a medianrail runninebetweenthe

stiles.In thissituation,therailsandstiles
canbe joinedwith standardmortiseand-tenons(page104),ratherthanthe
haunchedvarietyusedfor the other
threesides.
areidenticalto
The sideassemblies
theback,exceptfor onefeature:Instead
of havingstilesof their own, the sides
fit into the stilesof the front and back
Ifyou areusingmortise-andassemblies.

G L U I NUGPA C A B IN E T
Putting
thecasetogether
a single
Test-fit
thecaseasyouwouldwhendryassembling
side(page57),thensandtheinsidesurfaces
frame-and-panel
Applyglueto thejoints-wtththeexcepof all the pieces.
makeyourfinal
thatholdthepanels-and
tionof thegrooves
facedownandfit the
Setthebackof thecabinet
assembly:
in the
twosidepanels
foursiderailsintoitsstiles.Installthe
groove
edges
of thesiderails,
andtheinside
in thebackstiles
putonthefront,placing
over
in thestiles
themortises
Finally,
and
tenons
onthesiderails.Setthecaseupright
thehaunched
running
fromfrontto backovertherails,
install
fourbarclamps
protecting
Tighten
the
of thestileswithwoodpads.
thesurfaces
(right)
outof the
untila thingluebeadsqueezes
clamps
euenly
j o i n t sU. s ea m e a s u r itnagp et o c h e c kw h e t h et h
r ec a s ei s
corners;
between
opposite
thedistance
measuring
square,
another
should
beequal.lf not,install
thetwomeasurements
the
setting
of thetwodiagonals,
thelonger
barclampacross
Tighten
theclampa litin place.
clampjawsonthosealready
untilthetwodiagoasyougo (below)
tle at a time,measuring
and
remove
theclamps
Oncethegluehasdried,
nalsareequal.
anydriedadhesive.
to remove
usea paintscraper

tenonjoints,asin thepieceof furniture

shownbelowandon thefollowingpages,
thetenonsof thesiderailsfit into mortisescut into theinsidefacesof thestiles;
joints,tongues
cutin
ior cope-and-stick
routedin thestiles.
therailsfit in grooves
In bothcases,
thepanelsfit into grooves
ofthe fiont
routedalongtheinsidefaces
ofthe rails
andbackstilesandtheedees
betweenthem.

INSTALLINGA BOTTOM PANEL

''l"t hereareseveral
waysto installa botI tom on a fi'ame-and-panel
case.
One
methodthat is popularamongctrbinetmakerscallsfor grooves
alongtheinside
facesof thebottomrailsandthe stiles
priorto gluingup theindividualfrarreand-panel
assemblies.
Thegrooves
canbe
madewith a dadoheadon thetablesaw,
and theyshouldfall about1 inch from

thetop edgeof thebottomrails.They

shouldbeabout7zinchwideandhalfas
deepasthe thickness
ofthe stock;stop
thegroovein thestilesatthepointwhere
the siderailsbutt up against
them.To
installthepanel,narrowits edges
slightly
with a plane,allowingthe pieceto fit
snuglyin thegrooves,
but not corrpletely
restricting
itsmovenrent.

Anothertypeof installation,
shown
below,relieson ledgerstrips,whichare
screwed
to thebottomrails.With this
approach,
thebottomcanbe installed
afterglueup.Usingeithermethod,the
bottom is madefrom the samestock
usedfor the restof the case.Makethe
widthof thepanelslightlynarrower
than
itsopeningto allowfor woodexpansion.

ATTACHING
THEPANEL

Installing
ledgerstrips
S a wf o u r 1 - i n c h - s q u alreed g esr t r i o st o f i t a l o n gt h e r a i l sa t t h e
b o t t o mo f t h e c a b i n e tc, u t t i n gt h e ms l r g h t lsyh o r t o m a k et h e m
e a s i etro i n s t a l lB
. o r et w o s e t so f h o l e si n e a c hs t r i p :o n ei n
t h e c e n t e ar l o n go n ee d g ef,o r s c r e w i ntgh es t r i pt o t h e c a s ea, n d
a n o t h etro t h e s i d eo f a n a d j a c e net d g ef o r a t t a c h i n g
thebott o m p a n e l .B o r et h e h o l e si n t w os t e p sw i t ht w o d i f f e r e nbt r a d p o i n tb i t s :o n eb i t s l i g h t l yl a r g etrh a nt h e d i a m e t eor f t h e s c r e w
h e a d sf o r r e c e s s i ntgh e f a s t e n e rasn da n o t h ebr i t s l i g h t l yl a r g e r
t h a nt h e d i a m e t eor f t h e s c r e ws h a n k st o p r o v i d e
clearance

h o l e s(.T h ew i d e rh o l ew r l la l l o wf o r m o v e m e n tP. )o s i t i otnh e

s t r i p so n t h e i n s i d es u r f a c e
o f a r a i la b o u t1 i n c hf r o m i t s t o p
e d g ea n d m a r kt h e p o s i t i o nosf t h e s c r e wh o l e sw i t h a n a w l .
B o r ea p i l o th o l ef o r a N o .8 s c r e wa t e a c hm a r k e dp o i n t t, h e n
u s ea d r i l lf i t t e dw i t h a s c r e w d r i v eb ri t t o f a s t e nt h e s t r i p st o
. f t ) . f oi n s t a ltlh e b o t t o mp a n e ls, e tt h e c a s e
t h e c a s e( a b o v el e
o n i t s b a c k .H o l d i n tgh e p a n efll u s ha g a i n st th e s t r i p sw i t ho n e
hand,screwthe bottompanelin place(above,rrght).

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60

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SHELVING
tf h. numberandplacement
of shelves
I in a frame-and-oanel
cabinetwill
dependon the useyou havein mind for
the furniture.If the cabinetwill hold
you mayneedfewer
books,for example,
shelves
thanif it will bethenlacefor vour
comoactdiscs.
eithoughsomeshelf-support
systems
canbe put in placeafterthe cabinetis
planningwill
gluedup, a little advance
First,choose
maketheinstallationeasier.
betweenfixed and stationaryshelves;
eachhasits advantages.
Fixedshelves
canaddto thestructural
integrityof a case,
but onceinstalledthey
cannotbemoved.Onewayto installpermanentshelves
is to mount cleatson the
frameinsidethe cabinetandthenscrew
the shelvingto them.Fixedshelvescan

alsobe gluedinto dadoesroutedin the

framebeforethecabinetis assembled.
Whileadjustable
shelves
do not add
strengthto a pieceof furniture,they
allowgreaterflexibility.As in simplecarcaseconstruction,adjustable
shelves
are
commonlyheldin placewith wooden
pins,or
dowelpins,plasticor metalshelf
Themethod
adjustable
shelfstandards.
shownbelowandon thefollowingpages
usescornerstripsandwoodensupports.

Notchedcornerstrips allow
shelfsupports-and the shelves
that reston them-to be shifted easily to different levels.

NGADJUSTABTE
SHELVES
INSTALLI

thecorner
strips
1 Making
I Ripa board
to a 4-inch-width
andthencut it to lenghto
inside
Install
reach
fromtopto bottom
thecabinet.
a dado
headontheradial
armsaw,setting
theblades
to a widthto
accommodate
thethickness
of theshelfsupports
62)
@age
Starting
at theendthatwillbeat thebottom
of thecabinet,
cuta dadoacross
theboard
forthe lowest
shelf.Slidethe
boardalonsthefenceto cutthesecond
dadoat thenext

shelfposition.
Before
making
thecut,to makedadoes
the
aoart.
drivea screwintothefencewiththe
samedistance
headof thefastener
against
the leftedgeof thefirstdado.
Thencutthesecond
dadoandslidetheboard
alonguntrl
thescrewhead.
Cut
theleftedgeof thisdadois upagainst
(abovd,
in thisfashion
theremaining
dadoes
thenripthe
boardintofourequalstrips.

6l

t
FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

r") Installing
thecorner
strips
Z Cuta rabbetat the bottomendof
eachcorner
stripto allowit to sit onthe
bottom
of thecabinet
whilefittingaround
the rail.Tomountthestrips,boretwo
screw
holesin eachof themneartheends.
Maketheholesona drillpressin a twostepprocedure
asfor ledger
stripsin the
bottomof a cabinet(page60). Position
eachstripin a corner
of thecabinet,
makingsurethatthedadoes
facetheinterior as shown.Markthescrewholesin
thestilesusinganawl,thenborea pilot
holefora No.8 screwat eachooint.Use
a screwdriver
to fastenthestrioto the
cabinel(lefl.

Inserting
theshelfsupports
Measure
thedistance
between
the
frontandbackstileson bothsidesof the
cabinet.
Cutshelfsupports
to fit thegaps
pairsof dadoes.
matching
between
Make
surethatthesupports
arewideenough
to
properly,
buttress
theshelves
andtest-fit
lhem(right)to ensurethattheyfit snugly
in thedadoes.

62

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

Cutting
theshelving
to fit
U s ep l y w o o do r e d g e - g l u ebdo a r d s

to maketheshelving,
cutting
eachpiece
to
sizeona tablesawsothattheendswill
beflushagainst
thecabinet
sidesand
theedges
willbuttagainst
thestiles.
Add
edgebanding
to thevisibleedgeif you
(page39).Tomakea
areusingplywood
shelffii, setit ontopof thecorner
strips
andoutline
theirshape
ontheunderside
o f t h es h e l fT. h e ns, e c u rteh es h e l if n
a v i s ea n dc u t o u tt h e c o r n e rws i t ha
(right).Withedge-glued
backsaw
shelving,
youhavetheoptionof routing
a decorat i v em o l d i n cgo n t o uar l o n gt h ef r o n t
pd,oe< (c.tpn 5)

Routing
a molding
f,
r.,f Place
theshelves
momentarrly
inside
t h ec a b i n eat ,n dm a r kt w ol i n e so nt h e
frontedgeof eachoneto indicate
thebeginningsandendsof themoldings.
Drawa
t h i r dl i n ef o rt h ed e s i r edde p t ho f c u t .
P r o t e c t i nt hges h e l w
f i t ha w o o dp a d ,
clampit to a worksurface.
Fita router
withan edge-shaping
bit,ihensetthe
d e p t ho f c u t .G r i p p i nt g
h er o u t efri r m l y
withbothhandsandresting
its baseplate
ontheshelf,turnonthetool.Move
the
bit pilotup against
theedgeof theshelf
andguidetherouter
against
thedirection
of its bit rotation
to cutthe moldine
1efil.

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63

INSTALLINGATOP
T ike thebottom,the top of a frameI: and-panel
cabinetis madefrom the
samestoik astherestof thepiece,usuallyindividualboardsedge-glued
together.To determinethe size,measurethe
frameandaddthewidth of anymolding
you plan to installunderthe lip. Also
takeinto considerationa smallamount
of overhangat thefront andsides.Unless
thecabinetwillbefeaturedin themiddle

of a room,makethetop panelflushwith
thebackofthe case.
Fourcommonmethodsof attaching
topsareillustratedbelow Onetechnique
"butfeaturesrabbetedblocks.called
tons,"whichfit into a groovecut around
thetop rails.Metalfasteners
canbeused
in the sameway.Ledgerstrips,suchas
thoseusedto attacha bottom panelto
the cabinet,will work equallywell for

securinga top.Anothermethodcallsfor
the creationofpocketholesin the rails
beforethe caseis gluedup.
Whateverapproachyou choose,allow
someplayin anticipation
of woodmovement;otherwise,
the top will buckle,
warp and forcethe frameapart.Also,
rememberto installanydrawer-hanging
hardware(page92) beforeputting the
top on thecabinet.

()PTIONS
TOP-FASTENING

Woodbuttons

Metal faatenera

?ocket holea

Ledgeretilpa

()NA T(lP
WOOD
BUTTONS
TOLATCH
a groove
in thetoprails
1 Cutting
I Fita router
witha three-wing
slottingcutterandsetthetool'scutting
depthfor abouI3/t
inch.Protecting
the
surface
of thecabinet
withwoodpads,
usebarclamps
to holda guideboard
flushalongtheedgeonwhichtherouter
willberiding;
thiswillprovide
a surface
to bracethetoolasyoucut thegroove.
Foreachrail,guidetherouteralongthe
topedge,moving
fromleftto right(lef\.
Reposition
theedgeguidebefore
cutting
subseouent
sidesof thecabinet.

64

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

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Woodbutton

r) Making
thebuttons
L youwillneedto produce
a series
of 1-inch-square
buttonsat leastthreeforeachsideandoneforaboutevery
6 inches
for
larger
tops.Youcanmass-produce
froma single
thesepieces
board,
butchoose
stockof a thickness
equalto thegapbetween
thebottom
of thegroove
cut in stepi andthetopof therails,
less%oinch.Cuta3/rinchrabbet
at eachendof theboard.
Thenriptheboardinto1-inch-wide
stripsandcutoffthebut-

tonsaboutl% inches
fromtheends(lnsef).
Tomakeholesin
jig
thebuttons
forinstallation,
usea 3/ro-inch
bitanda corner
fashioned
froma scrapof 3/rinchplywood
andL-shaped
supportbrackets.
Clamp
thejigto thedrillpress
tableandsteady
thebuttons
witha pushstick.Borethrough
thecenters
of the
nortion(ahove)
buttons
onthe unrabbeted

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Installing
thebuttons
Setthe cabinettop facedownon a worksurface,and

position
thecaseupside
downontopof it. Aligntheback
of thecabinet
withthebackedgeof thetopandcenter
thecasebetween
itssides.Fittherabbeted
endsof three
buttons
intothegroove
in therailat thebackof thecabinet,positioning
onein themiddle
andtheothertwonear
gapbetween
theends.Leave
a %o-inch
thelipped
ends
of the buttons
andthe bottomof thegroove
to allowfor
movement
of thewood.Drive
screws
witha drilltofasten
thebuitonsin place(left).

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65

FRAME_AND_
PANELCONSTRUCTION

Squaring
thetop
l n s t a lal b a rc l a m oa c r o s tsh e f r o n to f

t h ec a s ea l i s n i ntsh eh a rw i t ht h ef r o n t
rail.Usingwoodpadsto focuspressure
onthecorners,
buttonejawof theclamp
ontheedgeofthetopandtheotherjawon
measure
thefrontstile.Totestforsouare.
thegapbetween
theedgeof thecabinet
points
andtheedgeof thetopat several
Thegapshould
on bothsides.
beuniform.
lf it is not,tightentheclamp(right)unlil
positroned
thetopis correctly
onthecase.
(page
lnstallthe remaining
buttons
65),at
leastthreenerside.Thebuttons
onthe
sidesshouldbefirmlyseated
inthegroove;
onthefront-likethoseon
the buttons
theback-should
bebacked
offslightly
fromthe bottomof thesroove.

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P()CKET
HOTES
jig
holes
witha commercial
1 Boring
I Usea drillto boreholesin twosteps
w i t ht w od i f f e r e nbt r a d - p o i n
b ti t s :o n e
s l i g h t llya r g etrh a nt h ed i a m e t eorft h e
screwheads,
sotheycanberecessed,
and
onea littlelarger
thanthescrew
shanks
to
a l l o wa l i t t l em o v e m e nCt .l a m oa s t o o
b l o c kt o a w o r ks u r f a c et h, e nf i t t h ef i r s t
b i t o nt h ed r i l l .W r a pa s t r i po f m a s k i n g
t a p ea r o u n tdh eb i t t o m a r kt h ed r i l l i n g
depth.Buttthetopedgeof anupperrailfor
thecabinet
against
thestopblock,inside
pocket
surface
up,andclampa commercial
h o l ej i gc l o s teo o n ee n d .H o l d i nt g
h er a i l
f irmly,borethehole,stopping
whenthe
stripof tapetouches
thejig.Reposition
the
jigto boreanother
holeat themiddle(/eff)
anda thirdoneneartheotherend.Fitthe
second
bitonthedrillandboretheclearanceholesin thesamemanner.

66

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PANELCONSTRUCTION
FRAME-AND_

t') Aftaching
thetop
L Once
thecabinet
hasbeenglued
up (page59),setthetopfacedown
andposition
the
ona worksurface,
caseupside
downon it asyouwould
wheninstalling
woodbuttons(page
bit
65).FiIa drillwitha screwdriver
anddrivescrews
to attachtheback
railof thecabinet
to thetop (/eff).
Square
thecabinet
topthesameway
youwouldwheninstalling
woodbuttons(page66), Ihendrivescrews
r agi l s .
t h r o u gthh er e m a i n i n

SECURING
A T()PWITHLEDGER
STRIPS
Installing
thewoodstrips
Cutfourledgerstripsandboretwosets
(page60).
of holesin themfor mounting
Toinstallthetop,firstscrew
thestripsin
placeflushwiththetopedges
of theupper
railsof thecabinet(right).fhen, setthe
and
too oanelfacedownona worksurface
place
in position
thecabinet
ontopof it.
Screw
thetooto thestrioattached
to the
backrailandsquare
thetop (page60. Run
screws
through
theremaining
ledger
strips.

Ledqeretrip

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67

FRAME_AND_PANELCONSTRUCTION

ti o.^

9upporl;bracket
1 1 / 2 "x 1 t / 2 " x 4 ' / 2 "

Jig baee

A POCKET
H()IEJIG
Usea pocketholejig,shop-built
from%-inchplywood,
to borepocket holeson a drillpress.
Referto
the illustration
at leftforsuggested
dimensions.
Forthejig,screw
together
thetwosidesof thecradle
to forman L. Cuta 90'wedgefrom
eachsupport
bracket
sothatthe
widesideof thecradleis angled
about15"fromthevertical
when
it sitsin the brackets.
Screw
the
brackets
to thejig baseandglue
thecradleto thebrackets.
Tousethejig,seatthepieces
to
bedrilledin thecradle
withtheir
inside
facing
surfaces
outandtheir
topedgesin theV of thecradle.
Borethe holesin twostepswith
twodifferent
bitsasdescribed
in
step1, page66. In thiscase,use
a Forstner
bit anda brad-point
bit.
Withthe brad-point
bit in the
chuck,position
thejigonthedrill
tablesothatthebitwillexit
oress
in thecenter
of thetopedgeof the
rail.Clamp
thejigto thetableand
install
theForstner
bit in thechuck.
Holding
theworkpiece
firmlyin
thejrg,feedthebit slowly
to bore
threeholesintotherailjustdeep
enough
to recess
thescrewheads.
Then,installthebrad-point
bit in
thechuckandborethrough
the
workpiece
to complete
thepocket
holes(/efi,bottom).

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INSTALLINGMOLDING
1 'hethelit isstore-bought
or shop" .'
fulfillsa keyrole
rnade,
rnoldirrg
On a frame-andfor thecabinetmaker.
panelcabinet,its principalfunction
thetop and
isto hidethejoint between
therails,creatingtheillusionof a seamBut moldingalsogives
lessconnection.
and
a pieceof furniturea decorative
distinctivelook.
By shapingthe edgesof a pieceof
hardwoodwith a routeror-as shown
belowandon thefollowingpages-with
a tablesau you cantransformsomeof
thesamestockusedfor thecabinetinto
attractivemoidings.Crown,cove,bead

andogeecurvearejusta fewof thecommon profilesusedin cabir-retmaking.

makethe
Wren cuttingthemoldings,
finaloassa vervshallowoneat halfthe
previoirrpos.r.Sucha finishing
speedof
touchshouldproducea smoothfinish
thatwill requiieonlyminimalsanding.

The rrtold i rtg .for ilt i s.fitt trrc- a rrclpttrrclcctltinetwosctft ort a taltle sttw
eryipped witlt o setof ogeckrrives.

MOLDING
PREPARING
ANDINSTALLING

a t a b l es a w
1 C u t t i ntgh em o l d i n og n
t o y i e l dm o l d i n gfso r t w os i d e s
I S e l e cat b o a r dl o n ge n o u g h
a n dt h e f r o n to f t h e c a b i n e tA. f t e rf i t t i n go u t a m o l d i n gh e a d
w i t h t h e a p p r o p r i a tceu t t e r s s, c r e wa n a u x i l i a r fye n c et o t h e
m e t a lr i p f e n c e W
. i t ht h e m e t a fl e n c ec l e a ro f t h e m o l d i n g
h e a d ,p o s i t i o tnh e a u x i l i a rfye n c eo v e rt h e t a b l eo p e n i n ga n d
. r a n ku p t h e h e a dt o c u t a n o t c hi n t h e w o o d .
t u r no n t h e s a w C
t os t h e f e n c e
T o s e c u r et h e w o r k p i e c ec,l a m pf e a t h e r b o a r d
a b o v et h e m o l d i n gh e a da n dt o t h e s a w{ 3 [ l s [ s 3 r i n oa o a i n c i

t h e e d g eo f t h e s t o c k T
. h e n ,r a i s et h ec u t t e r s7 s i n c ha b o v et h e
. i n i s ht h e
t a b l ea n df e e dt h ew o r k p i e ci en t ot h e m o l d i n gh e a d F
p a s sw i t ha p u s hs t i c k .F o ra d e e p ecr u t ,m a k ea d d i t i o n apla s s o
e s ,r a i s i n tgh ec u t t e r sr / ai n c ha t a t i m e .R e p e atth e p r o c e d u rt e
(above).
Installa comedgeof the workpiece
shapethe opposite
f r o mt h e e d g e s
b l a d eo n t h es a w t, h e nr i p t h e m o l d i n g
bination
t o l e n $ hf o r o n es i d eo f t h ec a b i o f t h e s t o c kC
. u tt h e m o l d i n g
n e t ,m a k i n ga 4 5 ' m i t e r a t o n ee n do f t h e p i e c e .

69

FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

r') lnstalling
themolding
ononeside
L Cutfourwoodpadsandtwoshort
pieces
of molding
to serve
asspecial
clamping
blocks.
Turned
upside
down,
theblocks
willmeshwiththemolding
gluedin place.
being
Applyanevenlayer
of adhesive
to thebackof themolding,
beingcareful
notto slopanyglueonthe
topedge.Thedecorative
trimshould
bondto therails,notto thetopof the
cabinet.
Position
themolding
onthe
siderail(left),makingsure
thatit butts
against
thecabinet
topandthatits
mitered
endisflushwiththefrontstile.

theclamps
Q Tightening
r-J Protecting
theopposite
sideof
t h ec a b i n ewt i t hw o o dp a d si,n s t a l l
twoclamps
across
thetopof thecase.
place
Toholdthemolding
firmly,
the
clamping
blockbetween
themolding
a n dt h ew o o dp a d sT. i g h t eena c h
clampa littleat trme(right)unIila
thinbeadof gluesqueezes
outof the
anyexcess
adhesive.
loint.Remove

70

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

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molding
Installing
front
onthecabinet
o f s i d em o l d i nsgt i l l
W i t ht h ep i e c e
ee
c l a m p etdo t h ec a b i n e tm, e a s u rt h
. u ta
w i d t ho f t h ef r o n to f t h ec a s eC
p i e c eo f m o l d i nsgl i g h t l lyo n g et rh a n
, a k i nag 4 5 ' m i t e rc u t
t h i sw i d t hm
a t t h ee n dt h a tw i l lb u t ta g a i n st ht e
Holdthenew
in place.
already
molding
p i e c ei n p l a c e
a n du s ea p e n c i l t o
lineontheunmitered
marka cutting
outfromthecorangling
end(above),
to length,
of molding
ner.Cutthepiece
m a k i n ag 4 5 " m i t e ri n l i n ew i t hy o u r
mark.
Once
thegluefortheside
cutting
and
piecehasdried,
remove
theclamps
(page
install
thepieceof frontmolding
to cutandinstall
70).Repeat
theprocess
o fm o l d i n g .
t h er e m a i n i np gi e c e

lllt
lltll]11
lllllllrllllr]lJ
lllll.ltillllltllllilIlllllilltlllrrllil1ll
1HO?Tt?
An alternalive mei'hod
for alampingon moldingo
TooimVlify
Nheclampinq
operalion,maKetwo
woodVado,
Nriangular
whichwillenableyouto
uoeC clamVsto hold
lhe moldinqin place.
Gluea ebripof oandpaper
lo the edqeof eachpad
to Vrevenlit' from elipVinq
whenclampinq?reeoure
ieaVVlied.

7I

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D
jammingor chattering.
Aswithjoinery
f n.rr.n.., a draweris nothingmore
mountinga draweroffersmanychoices
I thana boxwithouta top-a front,a
(page87).Everymethodmustsupport
bachtwosidesandabottom.Individual
thedrawetpreventit fromtippingasit
however,
beliethissimplicity.
examples,
is pulledout and stopit asit slides
Theyrun thegamutfromthemodern
home.Theperfectdrawerwill glide
kitchendrawerslammingshutonmetal
nearlyout, thenhesitate
a bit; drawer
slidesto the drawerof a well-made
stops(page95)preventthe unit from
homewitha
Victoriandeskwhispering
pulledall theway
beinginadvertently
nearlyairtight
sigh.Theformerisoften
out or pushedtoofar in.
interchangeable
unit
an anonymous,
Differenttypesof furnituredemand
with a falsefront.Thelattermaybea
differentmethodsof mountingdrawers.
finicky individualpreciselyfit to an
grooves
cut in
In carcases,
drawers
canbeside-mountSizedtofitbetuveen
offumiture,
openingin aparticularpiece
ed:grooves
routedin their sidesslide
thesidesof a drmuer,a plywood
itsuniquefaceblendingbeautifrrlly
with
directly
it.
bottompanelslidesintoposition.
onthin stripsof woodattached
thegrainof thewoodsurrounding
to the cabinetsides.Theycanalsobe
moreof
Thepanelwill bottomout in a
Pulledopen,adrawerreveals
groovein thefront and benailedto
supported
by a U-shaped
framewith
may
is personality.
Eachof is fivepieces
runnersat the sidesanda rail at the
Thefront,
thebackto secureit in place.
becutfromadifferentwood.
front.Here,thedrawerslidesonthebotwhichshowsmost,is chosenfor its
calledbottomof itssides-atraditional
technique
for longwear;
theback tomedges
species,
colorandgrain;thethinnersides
run.In frame-and-panel
cases,
drawersupports
sit on strips
for strengh;thebottomfor stability.
to theframesonly.
Not onlyisthefrontthemostvisiblepartof a drawetit also attached
metaldrawersliderunners-like thosefound
Asyouwill discover
in thejoinerysecCommercial
takesthemostabuse.
side-mounting
option.
it attached
to thesides on file drawers-providea wheeled
76),keeping
tion of thischapter(page
jointsrangefrom One-halfof thehardware
attaches
to thecarcase
andtheother
requires
a durable,
solidjoint.Front-to-side
in kitchencabinethand-cuthalf- halfto thedrawersides.Usedextensively
theutilitarianrabbetjoint to thehandsome,
blind dovetail.Therabbetis quickandeasyto cut;producing work,meal slidescansupportgreatweightandprovideaccess
to theverybackof thedrawer.
thedovetailcanbeanart form in itself.
in a quicklymadechild's
Whethermeantto holdpajamas
Thejoint between
thebackandsidesalsorequires
strength,
will form
lastly, chestor nightgowns
in anheirloomhighboy,
drawers
suffice.
butit showsless,sosimplerjointssuchasdadoes
projects.
Each
anintegralpartof manyofyourcabinetmaking
in thesidesandfront.
thebottomslidesinto grooves
of timessomeone
opensoneof thesedrawers,
A drawer's
mostbasicfunctionisto holdthings.Butit must of thethousands
of thecareyoutookto buildthem.
alsoslipin andoutof thepieceof furniturehousingit without heor shewill bereminded

Setoffby thesimplicityof ametallicsingJe-pullhandle,

a solidwooddrau,erglidessmoothlyin and out of aframeroutedinto thedrawersides
and-panelcabinet.Grooves
run alongsupportsattachedto theframeof thecabinet.

73

ANATOMY OF A DRAWTR
rruvclnrrrliinqcorrsists
o1'tll'cetlis
t i n c ts t c p sj:o i n i n ul l o a r c ltso g c t h c r '
l o l i l r n r r t b o r , n r o L u r t i ntgh c c l r r r n ' ci nr
, rp i c c co 1 ' f i r n r i t t r racn d i n s l i r l l i n h
s ilrdn'rrrc.EachstcpntLlst[rcpcrfirlntcclprecisclvif .rcllarvcris to contbincqlaccancl
s t r u t q t h ,g l i d i n gs n r o o t h l vi n a p i c c co l '
f i r r n i t u l ci v h i I c[ r c i n qs t u l t l vc n o L r q tho
b c a l t h c r v c i g ho
t l ' i t sc o n t c n t s .
. \ l t h o L r s hv i r t u r r I l va l l t l r . r r vl e
s shIrc
thc basiclcirturcs
of thc onc slrtxvnbclorv
Iar/if i./,thelc rrrcirn ilrritvol'r'irriations.

'l'his
l l c l i r r cn r r r l i i n {\ 1 ) u rl l r s t c L r t c, o n s i c l e r '
i s t h c p . u ' to l ' t h c d l r t r v c t ' t h i t t
t h c o p t i o n sf i r l c a c hs t c p .I r o rc r i r n t p l c , c n d u l c st h c n r o s ts lr c s s .
'l
i ' r ' o r ri r r l o n q t h c j o i n t s i l l u s t r r r t c cal t
h c s L r c c cosls' t h cc i r i t i v cnr t o L r n t i n g
r i s h t ,t h c r ci so n c t o s a t i s l \ ' r ' i r t L r r r l l r ' . r n yopct'ation
hinqcson horvrvcllthc clran'cr
'l'hrcc
l c t l L r i l c n r c nFt . a c hi o i n t h . t sd i l - l c r c n t h r r sb c c n p u 1t o q c t h c r ' .
dil'ltrcnt
chrrrrtctcristics
in trrnts of stt'cngth.ltcl
Inethocls
tirr ntoLrntinq
rrrlrarr'clin ir cirr
clLrrrrbil
itr, lo'cl ol'd i lllcLrl
tri anii .rppcil
rc r l s ca r c s h o n ' i .rrn t h i s c h a p t c r{ 1 r e / o r r l
anccirndsuitirbiIitv
tirr diflcrent tvpcsof
r . i q / r ti )r sn ' c l li r so n c t c c l t n i q u cs u i t a b l c
stocliirncllirrnitLrrlc.
\ilu can .rlloripcrf i l r i r a n r c - i r n i l - p a nccr il b i n c t s . ' \ I t h o u s h
son.rlprclcrcnccto guicicvour sclcction, c a c hn r c t h o tpl e r n r i t s o r r ci r c l j L r s t n t c n t ,
l r t t t t t t . t ] i .\' U l ' L\' o l l . 1 t , , , ' r . J, : l t o I l i r r i t t l
ir driuvclout ol stprirrc
lrvit u'idcnr.rrgin
to itttitchthc cllau'crll-ontto thc sitlcs. r v i l l[ r ca l n r o s itr r p l r 5 5 j b [t'o i n s t . r l l .

D R A W EFRR O N T S

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False front: '\ .sr'lrrltt/t'

t lt ' t ' r t l r t '
lrorrlis ttLrilt'o
sl r t rt l t rrttI .l)o trl; crrlrrti/-s
ctttl lt ttitt of rli'rttrt'r'-sir/t'-s

t
Lippedfrorrt: ,\ rttblrt'tt'd
l r o t t l L '(to l r st r l i p t l t t r t
.\('i'j'c-i./-\Ltt l o t't'r I t ttt t !;
t r sc.lt rI .lit r cortt't'Lrli rr! t'orrrt t t t'rt'i tt I r t l I I t t('t : tt'l tct t l I tt'
tlrttrcr i.rcio,st'r/;
lip ptrI o r t tr s t l t tt r l t l ct l t t I t ' t t s
{/iiil1t'i-_\/()f).

Drawer alide
?ita in qrooverouted
in drawer side; Ecrewed
to carcaaeaide panel

Bot'tom panel /
Typically'/. - inch plywood:
fiLa in 4rooverauted in
draweraides and front

F l u s h f r o n t : , ' \ / h r r ' - s/ / r r '

tl ttttt't'rt tt .li t t'ttt i rr:lv
t t ' i t l t i r tl l t c c t r b i r t t ' l ;r t l s o
/ ' i i , , r r ' i i , i :r 1 l li / i i ( ' 1{ / / , / l l i l

71

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DRAWERS

DRAWER
JOINTS

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Rabbet
For back-to-eide
jointa on moat draw'
ers; alao etron4
enoughfor joininq the
front to the aidee if
reinforced with screwe
or naila;auitablefor
aolid woodor plyvvood

Through dovetail
1tron4, decorativejoint
for any drawercorner;
end qrain of drawer
aideacan be concealed
with fal6e front; appropdate for aolid wood
but not plSwood

Half-blind dovetail
Thetraditional joint
for connectin4the
front to the aidea;
concealaend qrain of
eidea;euitableonly
for aolid wood

Doubledado
For any corner of
ematl,liqht-duty
drawer; concealaend
qrain of aideoand
front; auitable only
for aolid wood

METH(|DS
DRAWER-MOUNTING
Drawer
back

Drawer front
Typicallythicker
than eidee,back
and bottom; may
be coveredby a
falae front

5ide-mounted
Woodenslidee acrewed
to carcaaeoidepanela
run in 4rooveerouted in
drawer sidea

Eot'tom-run
Drawerslideaon rail and runner
aaaembly.Twintenone at enda
of rail are gluedinto doublemortiges cut into carcaae panelg:
one ed4e of runnera ia iabbeted
and fita into groovecut into panele

Commeraialslide
runner5
Metal alidea acrewed
lo draweraideemeeh
with runnere acrewed
to carcaae

Drawer eide
Joined to front
and back with
any of a variety
of jointe; qroove
ahownmeshea
with drawer alide

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Dado
Can be uaed to
join the front to the
aideaand the back
to the sidea;for aolid
wood or plywood

75

DRAWERIOINERY
'-,'

he firststepin drarver-making
is to
think the process
throLrgh
fron-r
beginning
to end.Ther,arious
stages
of
the operationarerelated;
the finished
dimensionsof a draler front, for
extrmple,
candependon thejoinery
metl-rod
you choose.
And drawerhanging methodscaninfluence
the waya
draweris br,rilt.
Onceyouhavesettledon thesizeof
drawer,choosea joinerymethod(pnge
75),a methodof hangingandthesryleof
front yon will r-rse;
thensizeyourstock.
Cut the front,backandsidesto fit the
opening,choosingthe ntostvisually
appealing
piecefor thefront.Thegrain
of the drawershouldrun horizontally
whenit is installed.
Makesurethatthe
bestsideof eachpiecefircesoutward;
markit with an X asa reminder.
Not allthepartsof a drawerundergo
the samestresses.
The front takesthe
hardest
beating,
thesidesa iittleless,the
backlessstill.Cabinetmakers
takethis
into accourrtwl-rentheybr,rilddrawers.
Many will planethe partsdifferently
depending
on howsturdytheyneedto

be.Thus,thefrontcanbethickerthanthe
sidesandthesidesthickerthantheback.
Woodworkersoften use different
jointsat differentcorners.
The choice
depends
not merelvon thedesired
visual
effict,but alsoon the stresses
thejoint
will face.A joint thatmightbeadequate
to connectthe sidesto the backof a
drawermaynotbestrongenoughto join
thefront to thesides.
The following pagespresentan
assortment
ofjoinerymethods.
Someare
joints,othersare
suitablefor front-to-side
joints,whilestill
strictlyfor back-to-side
otherscanbeusedat anycorner.Youalso
needto keepin mindtherypeof woodyou
areusing.Somejoints,suchasthedovetail and the doubledado,canbe used
onlywithsolidwood,whileothers-the
rabbetandthedado,for example-work
wellwithply.rvood
eqrrally
or solidwood.
Forthestronsest
andmostattractive
joint, chooseihe throughdovetail,
whichcanbecut quicklyandaccurately
usinga jig (pageB0).Youcanalsosaw
oneby handasyouwouldto join carcasesides(pnge27).Unlessyou will be

installinga falsefront (pnge97),ahalfblinddovetail(pnge82)nay bea better

choice.
Alsocalledthelappeddovetail,
thehalf-blinddovetailconceals
theend
orrirr nf thp cidpc

b'",''"'

Rabbet
andlippedrabbetjoints(pnge
77)areeasyto cut andarestrongenough
to useat anycornerofa drawer,
particularlyif reinforced
with screws
or nails.
The main difference
betweenthe two
jointsisthatthedrawerfrontin a lipped
rabbetjoint overhangs
the sides.As a
result,thefront mustbecut largerthan
theopening.
Simpleto constmct,the dadoand
doubledadojoints (pnge78)areideal
choicesfor small,light-dutydrawers.
Thedoubledadoconceals
endgrain,
rnakingit a visuallyappealing
alternativeto thedado.
Likeotheroperations
in cabinetmaking,drarver-building
demands
accuracy
andpatience.
Maketestjointsto finetune your tools and nteasllrements
beforecuttingintostock,andperiodically test-fita drawerto eusrlreit will fit its
openingperfectly.

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--" fr

t
Diftbrettt.jointsfor diflbrerrtptu'p()ses:
A sinrpledadojoiltt is suJficiertto.joirrtlrc
backto tlrc sidesof n drat er.But the.fi'orrt
reqtiresn strortger
.ioirrt-irt tltiscnse,a
doultledndo,alsokrtotvrtttstt concenled
dado-arrcl-tortgtrc.

76

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DRAWERS

RABBET
JOINTS
Usinga dadoheadon thetablesaw
O ny o u rt a b l es a wi n s t a lal d a d oh e a ds l i g h t l y
w i d e rt h a nt h e t h i c k n e sosf t h e d r a w esr i d e s
a n dc r a n ki t b e l o wt h e t a b l e .A t t a c ha n a u x i l i a r yf e n c ea n d s e t t h e w i d t h o f c u t e q u a lt o
t h e t h i c k n e s so f t h e s i d e s .T u r no n t h e s a w
a n d r a i s et h e b l a d e st o n o t c ht h e a u x i l i a r y
f e n c e .S e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t o n o m o r et h a n
one-halfthe thickness
of the drawerfront.To
c u t t h e r a b b e t sb
, u t t t h e e d g eo f t h e f r o n t
a g a i n stth e f e n c e .H o l d i n gt h e w o r k p i e c e
f l u s ha g a i n stth e m i t e rg a u g ef,e e di t f a c e
downintothe dadohead.Flipthe boardaround
and repeatthe cut at the oppositeend (right).

LIPPED
RABBET
JOINTS
Cutting
a lip in a drawer
front
Tocut lippedrabbets
around
theedges
of a drawer
front,marklineson itsinside
faceto allowforanoverhangof at least% inch.Alsomarktherabbet
depthon
itsedges-upto one-half
thethickness
of thedrawer
front.Cuttherabbets
in twosteps,
firstnotching
the
inside
faceof thefront,thenfeeding
thestockinto
thebladeonendandonedge.
Tomakethefirstcuts,
setthebladeheight
to thedepthof therabbet.
Then
feedthestockinside
facedownintotheblade
to cut
lines(insef).
along
themarked
Tomaketheremaining
cuts,setthebladeheight
to thewidthof therabbets.
Alignthebladewiththemarks
fortherabbet
depth,
thenbuttthefenceagainst
thestock.Keeping
the
drawer
frontflushagainst
thefence,feedit onend
intothebladeto complete
onerabbet.
Turntheboard
overandrepeat
to cuttherabbetat theotherend(left).
Thenfeedthestockintothebladeonedgeto cutthe
rabbets
onthetopandbottomedges.

DRAWERS

DAD()
J()INTS
Cutting
dadoes
in drawer
sides
A dadocut aboutr/zinchfromthe back
endof eachsideserves
asan effective
joint.Onyourtablesawinstall
back-to-side
a dadoheadthesamewrdthasthedrawer
back.Position
theripfenceabout% inch
fromtheblades
andsetthecuttingheight
no higher
thanone-half
thestockthickness.Buttthedrawer
sideagainstthe
f e n c eT. h e nh, o l d i ntgh eb o a r df i r m l y
, a k et h ec u t .
a g a i n st ht em i t e g
r a u g em

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DOUBTE
DADO
J()INTS
dadoes
in a drawer
front
1t Cuttins
-

J - M a r ko n ee n do f t h e b o a r dt o d i v i d e
i t s t h i c k n e sisn t ot h i r d s T
. h e n ,o n y o u r
t a b l e s a w a t t a c ha d a d oh e a dw h o s e
w i d t he q u a l so n e l h i r dt h e t h i c k n e sosf
t h e d r a w efrr o n t .N e x t ,i n s t a lal c o m m e r c i a lt e n o n i njgi g ;t h e m o d esl h o w ns l i d e s
in the miterslot.Protecting
the stockwith
a woodpad,clampthe drawerfrontto the
Movethe jig sideways
to alignthe marks
.1rg.
on the stockwith the dadoheadto cut out
t h e d a d oi n t h e m i d d l et h i r do f t h e b o a r d .
S l i d et h e i i s a l o n st o f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t o
the blades.Turnthe drawerfrontoverand
c l a m pi t t o t h e j i g t o c u t t h e d a d oa t t h e
olher end (right).

78

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DRAWERS

/) Trimming
thedadotongues
L lnslallanauxiliary
fence,thenmark
a cuttinglineontheedgeof thedrawer
frontto divideoneof thetongues
on its
insidefacein half. Withthestockf lush
a g a i n st ht e m i t e rg a u g ei ,n s i d e
face
down,
alignthemarked
linewiththedado
head.Buttthefenceagainst
thestock.
Notchthe fence(page77),thensetthe
cuttingheightto trimthe half-tongue.
Holding
thedrawer
frontfirmlyagainst
feedit intothedadohead.
thegauge,
Turnthe boardaround
andreoeat
the
procedure
at theotherend(right).

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matching
in the
dadoes
Q Cutting
r-,f drawer
sides
Tojointhedrawer
sidesto thefront,cut
a dadonearthefrontendof eachside.The
dadoes
needto meshwiththehalf-tongues
onthefront.First,setthecuttingheight
to
the lengthof the halftongues.
Tosetthe
widthof cut,buttthedrawer
sideagainst
t h ef r o n a
t n du s ea o e n c it lo o u t l i nteh e
half-tongu
oe
n t h e d r a w esr i d e A
. lign
themarks
withthedadohead,
thenbuttthe
ripfenceagainst
thestock.Holding
theboard
flushagainst
themitergauge,
feedit into
Thenreoeat
theblades.
thecut onthe
otherdrawer
side.

79

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THROUGH
DOVETAIL
J(|INTS
jig
uptherouter
1 Setting
jigforcutting
I Setupa router
dovetails
following
themanufacturer's
instructions.
Forthemodelshown,
adjusting
thetails
ona fingerassembly
automatically
setstheproper
widthforthe
pinsontheopposite
sideof thesameassembly.
Tobegin,
cut
plywood
a pieceof 3/a-inch
to fit across
thetopof thejig asa
spacer
board,
thenclamptheboardbetween
thejig bodyand
thefingerassembly.
Thespacer
boardserves
asa solidbase
fortheassembly
andhelpsreduce
tear-out.
Makesurethatthe
assembly
lockscrews
faceup;if theydo not,loosen
thescale
thumbscrews,
remove
thefingerassembly
fromitssupport
arms
andflip it over.Fita router
witha dovetail
bit,thensetthepin
scaleon bothendsof thefingerassembly
to thebit diameter
(inseil.fighlenthethumbscrews.
Clampthetail board(oneof
thedrawer's
sides)
to thejig,outside-face
out.Loosen
the lock
knobs
oneachsideof thejig,thenslightly raise
thef ingerassembly
andtighten
theknobs.Layoutthefingers
across
the
endof thetail boardto setthesizeand
spacing
of thetails.Leave
a fewfingers
oneachsideof thetailboard
to keeothe
routersteady
whenit is cutting.There
shouldbeonefingerat eachedgeof
theboardto makehalf-tails.
Onceyou
aresatisfied
withthespacing-symmetric a lo r a s y m m e t r i cdael p, e n d i nogny o u r
(/eft).
preference-tighten
thelockscrews

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Cutting
thetails
Withthetailboardstillclamped
to thejig,loosen
thescalethumbscrews.
Turnoverthefingerassembly
andslideit alongthesupport
armsuntilbothscales
indicate
theALLposition.
Loosen
thelockknobs
on
thesideof thejig,lower
thefingerassembly
onthe
spacer
board
andtighten
theknobs,
making
sure
theassembly
is sitting
squarely
onthespacer
board.
Usea pinboardasa guideto scribe
a lineacross
the
tailboardmarking
thecutting
depth.
Then,position
therouteronthejig, its baseplaterestrng
onthefingerassembly,
andsetthetip of thebit %ainchbelow
themarked
line.Turnontherouter
andcui outthe
wastebetween
thetails(right).Routfromrightto left,
keeping
thetoolflatagainst
thefingerassembly.
Turn
theboardover,secureit to thejig andcutthetails
at theotherendthesameway.Follow
thesameprocedure
to cutthetailsof theotherdrawer
side.

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thepins
Q Cutting
r-,1 Remove
thetail boardandturnover
thefingerassembly.
Setthepinscale
to thediameter
of thedovetail
bitasin
witha straightstep1. Thenfit therouter
cuttingbitandclampthepinboard-the
drawer
front-tothejig,outside-face
out.
against
thepin
Usea tailboardbutted
to marka lineforthecuttingdepth.
board
Placethe routeron thejig andsetthe
themarked
tip of thebit %oinchbelow
thepins
line.Cutoutthewastebetween
thesamewayyourouted
outthetails(/eff).
it
Then,remove
thepin boardandtest-f
t h ej o i n t .l f t h ef i t i s t o ot i g h t ,l o o s e n
t h es c a l et h u m b s c r e w
a ns ds l i d et h e
fingerassembly
about7einchtoward
the
thethumbscrews
backof thejig.Tighten
(belowlMakeanother
passwiththe router
morewastebetween
thef into remove
gers,Test-f
it thejointagain,andmake
anynecessary
adjustments.
Onceyou
aresatisfied
withthefit, turnthe board
it to thejig andcutthepins
over,secure
at iheotherend.Cutthepinsat both
backthesamewav.
endsof thedrawer

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HAIF-BLIND
DOVETAIL
JOINTS

t
The half-blind dovetailmakesan
idealjoint for building drawers:
The taik on the sidepieceqre visible
but their endgrain is concealed
by
the drawerfront. Thejoint can be cut
by hand, asshownin thefollowing
page5or by a router in contbination
with a tenrplnteor a jig.

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Marking
thepinboard
I Marktheoutside
facesof theboards
withanX.Thenseta
gauge
cutting
to abouttwothirds
thethickness
ofthepinboard
andmarka lineacross
theend,closer
to theoutside
thanthe
insideface(above),
Adjustthecuttinggauge
to thethickness
of
thestockandscribe
a linearound
theendsof theoinboards
to
marktheshoulder
lineof thetails.Next,usea dovetail
square
to outline
thepinsonanendof thepinboard;
thewidepart
of thepinsshould
beontheinside
faceof thestock.
There
are
pins,butformostdrawnostrictguidelines
forspacing
dovetail
ers,starting
wrtha half-pin
at eachedgeandadding
twoevenly
pinsin between
joint.
spaced
makes
fora strong
andattractive
Tocomplete
themarking,
secure
thepinboard
in a viseanduse
a trysquare
anda pencil
to extend
thelinesontheboard
end
to theshoulder
lineon its rnsideface(right).
Markthewaste
sections
withanX asyougo.

Tryoquare

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DRAWERS

r) Cutting
thepins
in a visewith
Z. Secure
oneoinboard
the outside
faceof the stocktoward
you,thencutalong
theedges
of thepins
yourway
saw,working
witha dovetail
fromoneboardedgeto theother.(Some
prefer
to cutalltheleft-hand
woodworkers
edges
of thepinsfirst,thenalltherightHoldtheboard
steady
and
handedges.)
side
alignthesawbladejustto thewaste
of thecuttingline;angle
thesawtoward
thewasteto avoidcuttingintothepins.
evenstrokes,
allowing
the
Usesmooth,
Continue
sawto cutonthepushstroke.
t h ec u tj u s tt o t h es h o u l d el i rn et,h e n
repeat
to cutthepinsat theotherend
of the board.

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-) Removins
thebulkofthewaste
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r . , l S e t t h e p a n e li n s i d e - f a cuep o n a
w o r ks u r f a c e
a n dc l a m pa g u i d eb l o c kt o
it, aligningitsedgewiththewastesideof
t h e s h o u l d elri n e .S t a r t i n ga t o n ee d g e
of the stock,holdthe flat sideof a chisel
a b o u l r A ian c hf r o mt h eg u i d eb l o c k ; t h e
t o o ls h o u l db e n o w i d e rt h a nt h e n a r r o w e s t p a r to f t h e w a s t es e c t i o nW
. i t ht h e
c h i s e sl q u a r et o t h e f a c eo f t h e b o a r d ,
usea woodenmalletto strikeit, scoring
i npt ot h e w a s t e
a l i n ea b o u t7 a - i n c h - d e e
s e c t i o nT. h e nh o l dt h e c h i s e fl l a t s i d e
downandsquareto the endof the board
a b o u t% i n c h b e l o wt h e t o p s u r f a c e .
a thin layer
S t r i k et h e c h i s e tl o r e m o v e
. o n t i n u eu n t i ly o u r e a c ht h e
o f w a s t eC
s c r i b e dl i n e o n t h e e n d o f t h e b o a r d ,
t h e n p a r ea w a ya n y e x c e s sb t e p 4 ) .
s i t ht h e r e m a i n i n g
R e p e atth e p r o c e sw
wastesections.

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DRAWERS

paring
Final
W o r k i no
s n o n ew a s t es e c t i o na t a
t i m e n r e s st h e f l a t s i d eo f t h e c h i s e l
! , i , i v '

Y i

against
thewallsof thesection
withthe
thumbof yourlefthand;withyourright
hand,pushthechisel
toward
theshoulderline,shaving
away
thelastslivers
of
waste(left).lf necessary,
tapthechisel
gently
witha wooden
mallet.

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andcutting
thetails
f, Marking
.-,1Seta tailboardinside-face
uDona
worksurface.
Holdoneof theoinboards
e n d - d o wwni t hi t si n s i d fea c ea l i g n e d
w i t ht h es h o u l d el i rn eo f t h et a i lb o a r d .
U s ea p e n c it lo o u t l i nteh et a i l so nt h e
tail board(right),Ihen
extend
thelines
ontheboardendusinga trysquare.
Mark
thewaste
wrthXs,thenoutline
thetails
ontheotherendof theboard
thesame
way.Remove
thewaste
asyouwouldwhen
jointsforcarcase
panels
cuttingdovetail
(nape.30)Reneat
thp nrocedure
forthe
othertailboard.

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A DRAWER
ASSEMBLING
ASSEMBLY
DRAWER
panel
thedrawer
fora bottom
1 Preparing
then
I Dry-f
it the partsof thedrawer,
bars
aligning
the
unit
securely,
clampthe
Use
with
drawer
sides.
clamps
the
of the
parts
pencil
fit
that
togethto
identify
the
a
laterwhen
easier
er to makereassembly
panel,
y o ug l u eu p .T oi n s t a a
ll bottom
groove
inside
of
the
drawalong
the
routa
r/z
inch
from
the
botmark
a
line
er.First,
sides.
front,
back
and
tomedgeof the
r i t ha % - i n c thh r e e T h e nf,i t a r o u t ew
wingslotting
cutterandmountthetool
right-side
in a router
table.Setthedrawer
with
align
the
cutter
uponthetableand
of
at
the
middle
line.Starting
themarked
into
stock
the
side,feedthe
onedrawer
butted
the pilotbearing
cutter.Keeping
feed
the
drawer
against
theworkpiece,
pivoting
the
clockwise
tight). Continue
return
to
drawer
onthetableuntilvou
yourstarting
point.

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r) Making
panel
thebottom
theback
L anlpreparing
panel,
cuta pieceof %-inch
Forthebottom
plywood
adding
thedepth
to f it theopening,
grooves
of
its
width
and
the
depth
to
of the
groove
of
the
back
to
and
the
thickness
one
and
trim
lengh.
Next,
remove
the
clamps
its
backwitha table
of thedrawer
thebottom
panel
you
bottom
to
slide
the
sawto allow
position.
inside
face
up
With
the
back
into
of
the
align
the
top
edge
onthesawtable,
groove
youcut in step1 withtheblade.Butt
thestock,thenfeed
the ripfenceagainst
t o m a k et h ec u t ,
t h eb a c ki n t ot h eb l a d e
with
of your
thefence thefingers
straddling
(Caution:
guard
Blade
removed
righthand.
forclarity.)

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I
upthedrawer
Q Gluing
gluingupthedrawer,
r-,1 Before
decide
you
how will mountiI (page87),since
youto prepare
somemethods
require
the
drawer
sidesbefore
finalassembly.
Then,
sandthesurfaces
thatwillbedifficult
to
access
afterglueup.Squeeze
someglue
onthecontacting
surfaces
of thejoints
andspread
theadhesive
evenly
witha
brush.
Assemble
thedrawer,
thenarrange
twobarclamps
ona worksurface
andlay
thedrawer
onthem,aligning
thedrawer
sideswiththebarsof theclamps.
Install
t w om o r ec l a m p a
s l o n gt h et o po f t h e
drawer
andtwomoreacross
the back
andfront.Place
a woodpadbetween
the
stockandtheclampjawsto avoidmarringthewood.(Donotplacea padona
lipped
drawer
front,asit willprevent
the
jointsfromclosing.)
Tighten
theclamps
justenough
to fullyclosethejoints(/eff,),
thenusea trysquare
to checkwhether
thecorners
areat rightangles.
lf they
arenot,usea barclampplaced
diagonally to correctthe problem(page59).
Finish
tightening
theclamps
untila bead
of gluesqueezes
outof thejoints,checkingasyougothatthecorners
aresquare.
Oncetheadhesive
hasdried,remove
any
d r i e dg l u ew i t ha p a i n st c r a p eSr .l i d e
panelintoplace,
thebottom
thendrive
a fewfinishrng
nailsthrough
it andinto
thebottomedgeof thedrawerbackto
fix it in position.

ilfliltllltllltlllllllt]lltllllillififillllllllfiutllllll fililllltll1
1HO?TI?
Fixinga loooe drawer bottom
If a drawerbo|tom is looee,uoeohop-made
wedgeo
to ^tighhenNhefit. Deqinby uoinga t ableoawNorip
a fewthin otripe of woodfrom a board,anqlingbhe
bladeNoproduceone narcowedge.Then,cuI the
elriVointo smallerpiecee.1eIthedrawerupeide
downon a worksuflace and installa wedqe
inlo any qap betweenlhe bottrom
paneland the sidesor fronLof
T,hedrawer.CoaLthe eLripo
wilh qlue,NheninserNthe
NaVered
end inlo Nheqap;uoe
a hammerNotap them enugly
in|o place.Oncelhe qluehao
dried,ueea woodchiselNo
oeverany part of Lhewedqee
protrudinqfrom Nheqroovee,

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MOUNTINGADRAWER
||

hereare probablyas many drawI er-mountingmethodsasthereare

drawerjoints. The techniqueyou
selectis determinedby the pieceof
furniture in which the drawerwill be
housed:a frame-and-panelcabinet
requiresdifferenthangingmethods
than doesa carcase.The following
pagesconsiderboth typesofcasework.
A drawercan be supportedin one
of two ways:along its sidesor along
its bottom. As shown below and on
page88, a side-mounteddrawerhas
groovesrouted in its sidesbeforeglue
up, allowingit to run along slides
A side-mountattachedto the carcase.
case
ed drawerin a frame-and-panel
(page92) is held in placeby the same

draweris slid into

A side-mounted
A lipped
test-fitting.
a carcase
for
runners
and
the
conceals
front
grooves
whenthedraweris closed.

CARCASE
SIDE-M0UNTING:
grooves
sides
in thedrawer
1 Cutting
cuta groove
finalassembly,
I Before
side.
faceof eachdrawer
in theoutside
forthe
Thereareno rigidguidelines
groove
width,but it shouldbeable
slidesthatarelarge
to accommodate
thedrawer.
0n your
to support
enough
a dadoheadthesame
tablesawinstall
Drawcuttinglines
widthasthegroove.
widthin themiddleof
forthegroove
side;
endof onedrawer
theleading
alsomarkthedepthof thegroove-no
thestockthickness.
morethanone-half
width
Buttthe linesforthegroove
the
thencrank
thedadohead,
against
blades
upto thedepthltne;position
thestock
theripfenceflushagainst
width
andmakethecut.lf thegroove
exceeds
thewidthof thedadohead,
endfor endandmake
turntheboard
pass.Repeat
to cutthegroove
another
side.
in theotherdrawer

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systemof cornerstripsand supports

usedto installshelves.
Commercialsliderunners(page93)
offer anothermethodfor side-mounting drawersin a carcase.Although
many purists regardthem as a poor
alternative,commercialrunners are
actuallystrongerthan wood runners,
making them ideal for drawersthat
will bearheavyloads.
A popularway to supporta bottom-run draweris by a systemof runas
nersand rails affixedto a carcase,
s h o w no n p a g e s9 0 a n d 9 1 . S o m e
woodworkersprefer to rout a groove
in the carcasesidesand install a shelf,
which servesnot only asa drawersupport but asa dustpanelaswell.

87

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r) Ripping
thedrawerslides
I
lnstala
l c o m b i n a t i ob
n l a d eo n y o u r
tablesaw.Crosscut
a boardsothat its lengh
i s a f e w i n c h e ss h o r t etrh a nt h e w i d t ho f
t h e c a r c a s sei d ep a n e l sT. h e np o s i t i o tnh e
r i p f e n c et o s e ta c u t t i n gw i d t he q u atl o t h e
w i d t ho f t h e g r o o v eyso uc u t i n t h e d r a w e r
sides(sfepl), lesst/zzinchfor clearance.
C u tt w o s l i d e sf r o mt h e e d g eo f t h e b o a r d ,
u s i n ga p u s hs t i c kt o f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t o
the blade(nghD.SmooIhone edgeof the
s l i d e sw i t ha h a n dp l a n et o m a k es u r et h a t
t h e yw i l l r e s tf l u s ha g a i n stth e s i d ep a n e l s
o f t h e c a r c a s e(.C a u t i o nB: l a d eg u a r d
removedfor clarity.)

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/) Installins
theslides
<'

r - . f I n s e r t h e d r a w e irn t ot h e c a r c a s e
a n dh o l dr t i n p l a c ew h r l el s i n ga p e r - c i l
t o m a r kt h e l o c a t i o o
n f t h e g r o o v eosn
t h e f r o n te d g e so f t h e s i d ep a n e l sT. h e n
u s ea c a r p e n t e rs' sq u a r et o e x t e n dt h e
m a r k sa c r o s st h e i n s i d ef a c e so f t h e
p a n e l sT. o m o u n t h e s l i d e sb, o r et h r e e
h o l e sf o r c o u n t e r s i n k i sn cgr e w sm
; ake
t h ec l e a r a n cheo l e s l i g h t lw
y i d e rt h a n
the screwshanksto allowfor woodmovem e n t .H o l d i ntgh es l i d e sb a c kf r o mt h e
frontedgeof the carcasebetweenthe
m a r k e dl i n e so n t h e s i d ep a n e l ss, c r e w
them in place(left).Test-fitthe drawer.
l f i t i s t o o l o o s ea, d d s h i m su n d e rt h e
s l i d e s i;f i t i s t o ot i g h t ,e n l a r g teh e
g r o o v ien t h e d r a w esr i d e .Y o uc a na l s o
r e c e stsh e s l i d e si n t h e c a r c a ssei d e s
usinga lig (pageB9).

BB

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DADO-ROUTING
JIG
FOR
DRAWER
SUPPORTS
To routa seriesof evenlyspaced
of a cardadoes
in ihe sideoanels
runners,
usethe
casefor drawer
jig shownat right.
shop-made
depend
onthesizeof
Dimensions
between
thecarcase
andthespacing
therunners.
Forthejig,cut a pieceof %-inch
plywood
asa base.Makeit about
side
thesamewidthasthecarcase
panels
than
anda fewincheslonger
gap
Set
the
runners.
the
between
and
thejig baseona worksurface
placea router
on it nearoneend.
Markthescrewholesin the router
alsodraw
baseplateonthejig base;
tool's
chuck.
a spotdirectly
below
the
cut
Boreholesforthescrews; a hole
to
belowthechuckwideenough
router
bit.
allowclearance
forthe
thejig baseto themachine's
Screw
baseplateandinstalla straight-cut-

tingbitthesamewidthasthedadoes
youwishto rout.
Next,cut a spacer
to fit snuglyin
makeit slightlylonger
thedadoes;
Screw
thanthewidthof thepanels.

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89

to the bottomof thejig

thespacer
between
base,making
thedistance
it andtherouterbitequalto thespactherunners.
ingyouwantbetween
Tousethejig,clampa sidepanel
inside-face
upto theworksurface.
Setthejig onthepanelwiththe
flushagainst
oneendof the
spacer
workoiece
andtherouterbit at one
firmly,turn
therouter
edge.Gripping
the
it on andfeedthe toolacross
panelto routthedado;keepthe
Turn
flushagainst
thepanel.
spacer
off therouter,theninsertthespacer
theclamps,
in thedado,repositioning
Routthe nextdado,
as necessary.
in thefirstdado.
sliding
thespacer
have
untilall thedadoes
Continue
theoperation
beencut,thenrepeat
ontheothersidepanel.

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DRAWERS

I
B0TT0M-RUN:
CARCASE
therail
1 Preparing
I Crosscut
a boardlongenough
to
spanthegapbetween
thesidepanels,
adding
thethickness
of onepanel
to allow
fortwintenons
at theendsof therail.For
t h et w i nt e n o n sm, a r kt h ee n d so f t h e
stockto divideitswidthintofifths.Then,
install
a dadoheadwideenough
to cut
outthewastebetween
twoof the marks.
S e tt h ec u t t i n g
h e i g hat t o n e - h atlhf e
t h i c k n e sosf t h ep a n e l sN. e x ti,n s t a l l
jig onyoursaw
a commercial
tenoning
t a b l eC
. l a m tph er a i lt o t h ej i g e n du p ;
shiftthedevice
sideways
to alignthe
marks
ontherailwiththedadoheadto
c u tt h es h o u l d ei nr t h em i d d l fei f t ho f
theboard.
Tomakethecut,pushthejig
fonvard,
feeding
thestockintotheblades.
Move
thejigto cuttheshoulders
at the
outside
edgeof therail.Turnthestock
a r o u ntdo c u tt h er e m a i n i nsgh o u l d e r
(lefil.fhencutthetwintenons
at the
otherend.

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Tenoning
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r) Chiseling
thedouble
mortises
I
Uontheendof therailagainst
eachcarcase
sidepanelat
thedesired
heightof thedrawer
bottom
andoutlinethemortises,Extend
thelinesto theedgeof thepanels,
thenbuttthetwo
workpieces
faceto faceto makesurethemarksareat thesame
herght.
Tocutthemortises,
firstclampa panel
to a worksurface.Then,starting
at anendof oneoutline,
holda mortising
chiselsquare
to thefaceof thepanelandstrikethehandle
witha wooden
mallet.Usea chisel
thesamewidthasthemortiseandbesurethatthebeveled
sideisfacing
thewaste.
Make
a n o t h ecru t % i n c hf r o mt h ef i r s t C
. o n t i n uuen t i yl o ur e a c h
theotherendof theoutline,
usingthechiselto leveroutthe
wasteto therequired
depth.Chopouttheadjacent
mortise
a n dt h ed o u b l e
m o r t i soent h eo t h e p
r a n etlh es a m ew a y .
T e s t i-tf t h et w i nt e n o n sw: i d e no r d e e o ean m o r t i sw
eith
t h ec h i s e a
l .sr e c u i r e d .

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therailandrunners
n<' Installins

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lltlltllllllllllltlllllllllllllllrlllllll llllllllllllilllllllllllllll
1HO? TI?
Fixinga boweddrawer side
A bowedeidecan ?revent,
a drawerfrom olidinq
a ohoV-made
proVerly:
qlue block willcorrect,the
Cutthe block
problem.
eliqhtlynarcowerlhan
NhegaVbetweenthe
bottom Vaneland
the botlom edqeof r,he
drawereide.)Vread oome
qlueon Nheeurfacesof Nhe
block th at, co nLact the d rawe r,
Lhen butf, the pieceof wood aqainet,
N h eb o t l o m p a n e la n d d r a w e r e i d e a s

it beNween
Nhefront'and back.lnelalla clamV
ehown,cenLerinq
of lhe drawer,
tiqhleninqiXuntilIhe eide
acro;o the mid,Ale
Nheclamp.
oLraiqhtene
ouL,Oncethe qluehasdried,remove

r.,f Cuttwo runnersfor the sidepanels

o f t h e c a r c a s em; a k et h e mt h e s a m e
w i d t ha n dt h i c k n e sass t h e r a i la n da s
l o n ga s t h e w i d t ho f t h e p a n e l sl,e s s
t h ew i d t ho f t h er a i l .C u ta t o n g u ei n t h e
m i d d l eo f o n ee d g eo f t h e r u n n e ras b o u t
o n e t h i r dt h ew i d t ha n dt h i c k n e sosf t h e
groove
in the carrunner.Routa matching
p
a
n
e
l
s
;
c a s es i d e
c e n t e tr h e s l o to n t h e
d o u b l em o r t i s ef o r t h e t w i n t e n o n s
(inseil.f o mountthe runners,
f irstbore
a s e r i e so f h o l e sf o r c o u n t e r s i n k i n g
s c r e w st:h e c l e a r a n c he o l e ss h o u l d
a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e n tT. h e n ,f i t
in one
t h e r a i li n t ot h e d o u b l em o r t i s e
l n ds l o tt h e r u n n e ri n t ot h e
s i d ep a n e a
p a n e lM
. a k i n gs u r et h a tt h e r u n n e irs
b u t t e ds q u a r e layg a i n stth e r a i l ,s c r e w
. e p e at to m o u n t h e r u n n e r
i i i n p l a c eR
. t the
t o t h e o t h e rc a r c a s sei d ep a n e l A
g
l
u
e
upthecarcase,
s a m et i m et h a ty o u
s p r e a ds o m ea d h e s i voen t h e r a i l ' st w i n
t e n o n sa n dt h e d o u b l em o r t i s eisn t h e
cidp nanplc:nd

fii thp iriln tnspihpr

will
Theclamping
setupforthecarcase
while
holdtherailin place
thegluedries.

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SIDE-M0UNTING:
FRAME-AND-PANEt
The samesystemof corner strips and
supportsfor installing adjustableshelves
in frame-and-panelcabinetscan be
usedto mount a drawer.Beforethe corner strips are screwedto the stilesof
the cabinet,they are held in placewith
handscrews.This way, the drawer can be
test-fitted in the opening and the strips
can be raisedor loweredas needed.Once
the drawer slidessmoothly and is centered, the stripsarefixed to the cabinet.

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Attaching
cornerstripsandsupports
Prepare
thedrawer
sidesasyouwould
to side-mount
thedrawer
in a carcase
(page87).Glueupthedrawer,
thenhold
it atthedesired
height
in thecabinet
and
marktheposition
of itsgrooves
onthestiles.
To mountthedrawer,
usecorner
strips
(page61).Makethestrips
andsupports
longenough
to reachfromthetopedge
of thecabinet
to thebottom
of thedrawer.
Routa dadoacross
thestrips,
aligning
it
youmadeonthestiles.
withthemarks
Cuttwosupports
to fit between
thedadoes,
lessVre inchforclearance.
Holdthe
c o r n esr t r i p sf l u s ha g a i n st h
t es t i l e s
withhandscrews,
liningupthedadoes
with
theposition
marks.
Fitthesupports
inthe
dadoes,
thenslidethedrawer
intoposrtion.lt should
movesmoothly
andsit
centered
andlevelin theopening.
lf not,
loosen
thehandscrews
andadjustthe
heightof thecorner
strips,asnecessary
(above).
Screw
thewoodstripsto thestiles.

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SLIDERUNNERS:
CARCASE
C0MMERCIAL

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therunners
1t Installins
-

I l n s t a l l c o m m e r csilai dl er u n n e r s
f o l l o w i ntgh e m a n u f a c t u r e irn' ss t r u c t i o n s .T h et y p es h o w nc o n s i s t so f t w o
p a r t s :r u n n e r st h a t a t t a c ht o t h e c a r to the
caseand slidesthat arescrewed
d r a w e rT. o h e l pp o s i t i o tnh e r u n n e r s ,
c u t a p i e c eo f 1 / , r - i n cphl y w o o d
to frt
and
between
the bottomof the carcase
t h e b o t t o me d g eo f t h e r u n n e rl.f t h e
d r a w e irs d i r e c t l yu n d e ra s h e l fo r t h e
top, trim t/zinchfromthe plycarcase
w o o dj i g t o a l l o wf o r c l e a r a n cdeu r i n g
installatiow
n ,h e nt h e d r a w e m
r u s tb e
l i f t e ds l i g h t l yt o f i t t h e w h e e l si n t ot h e
r u n n e r sW
. i t ht h e c a r c a s o
e n i t ss i d e ,
b u t tt h e p l y w o o dp i e c ea g a i n stth e b o t . h e np l a c et h e
t o m o f t h e s i d ep a n e l T
r r r n n p re 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 o mt h e f r o n te d g eo f t h e p a n e lt o
a l l o wf o r t h e t h i c k n e sos f t h e d r a w e r
f r o n t .M a r kt h e s c r e wh o l e so n t h e s i d e
p a n e lt,h e nb o r ea p i l o th o l ea t e a c h
p o i n t .S c r e wt h e r u n n e tro t h e p a n e l
( a b o v d .R e p e atto f a s t e na r u n n e rt o
tho nthor cidp nanpl

r) Installing
theslides
L l,on theslides
onthedrawer,
thentestjitit in thecarcase.
plane
if thedrawer
lf thedrawer
is loose,
shimtherunners;
binds,
somestockfromitssides(page94).fhensetthedrawer
upside
down.oosition
theslides
andmarkthescrewholes
onthedrawer.
Borepilotholes,
thenscrewtheslidesin place(above),

lililli|lil|ltll
llilui
ililru
iill|lil
iliilill
illli.U
iliiliil
illilil|ilrili
ut
ttl ut ul tu
ru irtilltu
ui ul
ui lil
ut ru u

?HO?TI?
?oeitioningJig

-f^ t^-t^
| v | | v | Y J, , va ,u, v rva |- |r av ^v+v| ,| ,J Y ^ O g i t i O n

commercial
slideeon
drawersides,usea
jig. Cut
ohop-made
a rabbet in a ecraV
board;makethe
depLhof Lhe rabbet,equalto the
deeired
dielance
beNween
Nheelide
and the boI0omof
the drawerside.To
uoethe jiq, holdil uVaqainotthe bottromof lhe drawersideas
shown.Then
sellhe slideonLhedrawereide,botLomedgebutted
aqainotthe jig, HoldinqNheslideandjiq in place,
markNhe
suew
holee,Then
boreoiloLholee
and ecrewNheelideIo Nhedrawer.

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DRAWERS

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FINE.TUNING
DRAWER
FIT
Planing
thedrawer
sides
1
maybindin a pieceof
I A drawer
furniture
evenaftera thorough
sanding.
lf thetooor bottomof thedrawer
rubs
partof thecasework,
planethe
against
top (sfep2). lf lhe sidesbind,remove
thedrawer
andmarkanyshinyareas
on thesides-highspotsthatcanbe
shaved
Tosecure
offwitha handolane.
t h ed r a w ef ro r p l a n i n gc ,l a m pa w i d e
boardto a workbench
withoneedge
extending
overiheside.Hangthedrawer
ontheboard
sothatthebinding
sideis
f a c i n gu p .T h e nc l a m pa n o t h ebro a r d
to theworkbench,
it against
butting
the
drawer;
usea benchdogto keepthesecond
boardfrommoving.
Gripping
theplane
withbothhands,
shaveoffthemarked
spotswithsmooth,evenstrokes(nghf).
periTest-f
it thedrawer
in itsopening
o d i c a l l yp ,l a n i ntgh es i d e su n t i tl h e
drawer
fits perfectly.

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r) Planing
thetopofa drawer
l to holdthedrawer
in prace,
ser
it ona worksurface
andnailthreescrap
boards
to thetableflushagainst
thesides
andbackof thedrawer.
Gripping
a hand
plane
passonthe
f irmly,makea smooth
topedges
of thedrawer
sidesfromthefront
of thedrawer
to the back.Moveto the
adjacent
sideof thetableto planethetop
edges
of thefrontandback.Test-fit
and
planing
continue
untilyouaresatisfied
withthef it.

94

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DRAWERSTOPS

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a drawerstop
,\ s thenamesuggests,
f1' controlshow far a drawercanslide
in or out. Thereare two basictvoes
depending
on wheretheyarelocated'orr
a pieceof furniture.Inwardstopsare
placednearthebackandkeepa drawer
from beingpushedin too far.Outward
stopsareinstallednearthefiont andpreventa drawerfrom slidingin beyonda
pointor pullingrightout.
certain
Thereis a drawerstopfor everypiece
of furniture.InwardstoDsareidealfor
with side-mounted
carcases
drawers
sincetheycanbe mountedat anypoint
on thesidepanels.Outwardstopswork
wellfor anypiece,but theyaresimplerto
installon frame-and-oanel
furniture.

INWARD
ST0PS:CARCASE

r
Attaching
an inwardstop
W i t ha b a n ds a wo r s a b e sr a wc u t a 1 - t o 1 % - i n c h - d i a m e tdei sr kf r o ma
p i e c eo f s c r a pw o o dt h e s a m et h i c k n e sass t h e d r a w esr i d e s B
. o r ea n o f f c e n t e rh o l ei n t h e s t o p ,t h e ns c r e wt h e d i s kt o a s i d ep a n e ln e a rt h e b a c k .
S e tt h e c a r c a s o
e n i t s s i d ea n dc l o s et h e d r a w e rL. o o s e tnh e s c r e ws l i g h t l y
a n d r o t a t et h e s t o pu n t i l r t l u s tt o u c h e tsh e d r a w e rt ,h e nt i g h t e nt h e s c r e w

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OUTWARD
STOPS:
CARCASE
thedrawer
1I Preparine
gluingupthedrawer,
I Before
cuta
notchforthestoponthedrawer
back
witha tablesaw.Markcutting
linesin
themiddle
of thetopedgefora 1-inchwidenotch.
Setthebladehighenough
s ot h a tt h en o t c hw i l lc l e a trh es t o p
whenyouinstallthedrawer.
Screw
a
board
to themitergauge
asanextens i o nA. l i g n i nogn eo f t h ec u t t i n lgi n e s
onthestockwrththeblade,
butta handscrew
against
theendof thedrawer
back
andclamprtto theextension
asa stop
block.
Turnonthesaw,holdthestock
f l u s ha g a i n st ht ee x t e n s i oann, df e e d
thetwointothe blade.
Turntheworkpiecearound
andcuttheothersideof
thenotch.Remove
thewastein between
bymaking
repeat
cuts(/eff).

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DRAWERS

r) Screwing
the stopin place
L Cuta drawerstopfroma scrapDoaro:
m a k ei t l o n g e ar n d n a r r o w et h
r a nt h e
widthof the notchin the drawerback.To
m o u n t h e s t o o .i n s t a ltlh e d r a w ear n d
markthe locationof the notchon the bott o m o f t h e o a n eol r s h e l fu n d e w
r h i c ht h e
d r a w ew
r i l ls l i d e .B o r ea p i l o th o l et h r o u g h
the stop,then screwit in position(rrghf),
i t s e d g e sw i t ht h e l i n e so n t h e
aligning
c a r c a s eD. o n o tt i g h t e nt h e s c r e wa l l t h e
w a y .W i t ht h e l o n ge d g eo f t h e s t o pp a r a l l e l t o t h e d r a w esr l i d e s i,n s t a ltl h e d r a w e r
(inseil.Oncethe stop passescompletely
t h r o u g ht h e n o t c h r, o t a t ei t 9 0 ' s o t h a t i t s
l o n ge d g ei s p a r a l l et lo t h e d r a w e br a c k .

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()UTWARD
ST()PS:FRAME-AND-PANEL
Installing
a stoponthelrontrail
Cuta drawer
stopfroma scrapboard.
lt
should
b e l o n ge n o u gtho e x t e n bd e l o w
thefrontrailof thecabinet
whenoneend
is attached
to therail.Tomountthestoo.
borea pilotholethrough
it nearoneend.
Wrththecabinet
topoff, screw
thestop
to themiddieof therail.Leave
thescrew
justloose
enough
sothatyoucanrotate
thestopoutof theway.Install
thedrawer.
Oncethedrawer
backclears
thefrontrail,
rotate
thestop90' sothatit extends
below
Iherail (right).

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FALSE,
FRONTSAND HARDWARE
part from theirvisualappeal,false
fronts havepracticalapplications
For thewoodworkin drawer-makins.
er reluctantto diicarda drawerthat is
not perfectlyalignedwith its opening,
a properlymounted falsefront can
providea simplesolution.Centering
the front on the carcaseor cabinet,
ratherthan on the drawer,will salvage
an imorecisefit. Falsefronts can also
serveis drawerstops,but avoidexagg e r a t i n gt h e s i z eo f t h e o v e r h a n g .
Slamminsthe drawerwhen it is filled
with wei[hty itemsriskssplittingthe
front asit strikesthe cabinet.

A drawerpull putsthefinishingtouch
on a drawerwith afalsefront.

Installinshardwareon a draweris
the last-and possiblyleasttaxingactivityin an otherwisechallenging
ooeration.Still. drawerhandlesand
oulls needto be mountedwith care.
Thekeyis to centerthemon thedrawer front. Aligninga single-pullhandle
properly is fairly straightforward:
Mark the diagonalsacrossthe front
andinstallthe oull wherethetwo lines
intersect.
For a double-oullhandle.
jigs canprovide
variouscommercial
fastand accuratepositioning.But as
shownon page99,thejob canalsobe
doneusinga simpletapemeasure.

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INSTALLING
A FALSE
FRONT
thedrawer
1 Preparing
I Oncethedrawer
hasbeenproperly
mounted,
it
face
set
up on a worksurface
anddrivetwo
front,leaving
bradsintothedrawer
theirheads
protruding.
Makesurethebrads
arenotlocated
pullwillbeinstalled.
where
thedrawer
Thensnip
offtheheads
witholiers.

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Positioning
thefalsefront
Install
thedrawer,
thensetthecabinet
on
itsback.Cutthefalsefrontto therightsize,then
(right).Onceyou
lowerit intoposition
carefully
press
iedwiththeplacement,
aresatisf
f irmly;the
pointed
willpunchimpressions,
endsofthebrads
youto repositron
allowing
thefalsefrontlater
whenyoucomplete
theassembly.

97

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DRAWERS

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andclamping
Q Gluing
r-,1Spread
a thin layerof glueonthe
backof thefalsefront.Avoidapplying
toomuchadhesive
oryouwillendup
withtoomuchsqueeze
out.Place
the
frontin position,
withthetwobrads
r e s t i nign t h e i ri m p r e s s i o H
n so.l d
withbarclamps;
theassembly
together
alignthe barswiththedrawer
sides.
Tighten
evenly
untilthere
theclamps
arenogapsbetween
thefalsefront
a n dt h ed r a w e r .

lltlll]rll1
lltlltrlllllltilltllltllllilllllltulrfilrffilllllrillll
1HO?Tt?
Faeleninga einqle-pullhandle
to a drawer already built,
Thescrewoupplied
with a oinqle-pull
handle
may nol be longenou4hlo paoothrouqh
wif,ha falsefronl, )ne rem'
a d,rawer
edy ioto countersinklhescrew,but tr
it you havealreadyasoembled
the
drawer,a drill may nol fi| inside,
lnslead,workfrom Lheoutsideof the
drawer.)Nart by boringa clearance
holeIhroughIhe cenNere
of Nhef alse
front and lhe drawerfront. Then
eharpentheehoulder
of a eVade
bit elightlywiderLhanlhe screwhead
to creaNea cuNtinaedae.Feedtheehank l

af thebt throuqhlhehole{romtrheinside
of the drawerand
atlach it t o Nhedrill.)wtch onthe tool and pullNhebff,tnward
youuniilthe countersinkinq
holeio the righNdepIh.

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DRAWERS

HANDLE
ATTACHING
A DRAWER
'l

Marking
holesforscrews
I Placethedrawer
on its backon a
and
worksurface,
thenmarkvertical
linesacross
front
horizontal
thedrawer
Forthedoubleintersecting
at itscenter.
pullhandle
measure
the
shownbelow,
gapbetween
posts.
Then
itstwomounting
transfer
thatdistance
to thehorizontal
line,making
twomarks
thesamedistance
fromthecenterof Ihedrawer(right).

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r) Aftaching
thehandle
L Boreclearance
holes
forscrews
atthe
p o i n t st,h e na p p l yw h a t t w om a r k e d
everf inishyouhaveselected.
Tomount
screw
onemounting
thehandle
shown,
postto thedrawer
front.Slipthepullinto
thepost,thenfit theotherpostonthe
pullandscrewit to thedrawer
fronl(left).

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99

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DOORS

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doorwouldbemostappropriate
I safinepieceoffurniturenears
whereas
a fine
ona simplecarcase,
,[ \ completion,the lastmajor
periodpiecenormallydemands
a
taskbeforefinishingthewoodis
door.Glass
doors
frame-and-oanel
andmounting
oftenconstructing
area goodchoicefor a chinaor
thedoors.A projectwithin a project,assembling
curiocabinet.
a doordemands
Sincewoodis proneto swelling
thesamecareasbuildingthepiece
andwarping,soliddoorsshould
Nothingis more
it accompanies.
small
onlybeinstalledon relatively
a carefully
frustratingthanseeing
pieces
of furniture.Wth a larger
offsetbya doorthat
craftedcabinet
hutch,
cabinet-a floor-to-ceiling
is warpedor ill-fitting.
for example-abroad,soliddoor,
In additionto providingavisuor
suchastheboard-and-batten
a strip of molding
A braddriversecures
al focus,doorsservethe simple
door,wouldbe
tongue-and-groove
a centralpane
to a doorframe,sandwiching
thecontents
functionof protecting
morelikelytobucklethanwoulda
of glassbetweenthemoldingand a rabbet
storedinsidea pieceof furniture.
veneered-panel
frame-and-panel,
cut into theedgeof theframe.
usesin
Oneof thefirst recorded
or glass
doot whoseconstruction
of a doorasa physcabinetmaking
in woodmovement
changes
to accommodate
alargecabinetused is calculated
icalbarrierwasthemedievalaumbrey,
to protectfoodfromvermin.Thedesignof thedoorwasprim- dueto shiftingheatandhumiditylevels.
a door
of precision
Anotherpointto ponderisthedegree
itive:a singlepieceof woodheldin placewith simpleforged
requires.
A flush-mounted
doorpermitslittlemarginfor error.
straphinges.
havefar morechoices
thantheir A gapaslittle as7sinchcanspoilthelook of an otherwise
woodworkers
Today's
piece.Overlaydoors,on theotherhand,do
will exam- finelyexecuted
fromtheMiddleAges.Thischapter
counterparts
to
sincetheyaredesigned
inefivedifferentdoortypes,eachwith its ownvisualappeal not requirethesameexactness
thesizeoftheiropenings.
rangingfrom therusticboard-and-batten exceed
andapplication,
is available
for doorsofall types,
A vastrangeofhardware
model.Youwill
doorto thefinelycraftedframe-and-panel
to fine
of theaumbrey
doors from rusticiron hingesreminiscent
doors,glass
alsolearnhowto buildtongue-and-groove
hingesfor flushdoors.Mostof theseaccessories
cast-brass
doors.
andveneered-panel
finishes,
includingblack
withoneof several
thedesignof a pieceof furnituredictates canbepurchased
Tosomedegree,
brass,andchrome.
thetypeof dooryouwill installon it. A board-and-batten or polishediron,antiqueor polished

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dooris hungon a cabinet

A frame-and-panel
whichallowthe
cabinethinges,
with detachable
doorto beeasilyremovedafterinstallation.

101

ANATOMYOFADOOR
havean integrated
moldingcut into
[ frame-and-paneldoormaybebuilt
fl, thesamewayasonesideof aframe- them;for addedembellishment,
you
and-panel
cabinet(page
a8).Although maychoose
to cutanarchor curveinto
thedoorillustratedbelowfeatures
stan- theupperrail.
dardmortise-and-tenons,
youcanalso
The tongue-and-groove
door is a
usehaunched
mortise-and-tenons
popularchoicefor modern,Europeanor
joints.Thefloatingpan- stylefurniture.It hasstileswith grooved
cope-and-stick
elin thecenterofthedoorcanberaised, edgesthat accepttenonsat theendsof
asshown,dividedintoapatternofsmall- therails.Therailshavegrooves
ontheir
er panelsor inlaid.Therailsandstiles bottomedges
andtongues
ontheirtops,

FRAME.AND-PANEt
DOOR

allowingthemto interlock.Shouldthe
woodcontractandtherailsseparate
slightly,the matchingtonguesand
grooves
will hideanygaps.
Theboard-and-batten
doorisassembledwithoutglue.Rabbets
arecutinto
theedges
of theboards,
whichareheld
togetherby battensscrewed
acrossthe
backof thedoor.Woodplugsareused
to conceal
thescrewheads.Theglass

BOARD-AND.BAfiEN
DOOR

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TONGUE.AND-GROOVE
DOOR

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DOORS

a frame-and-panel platejointsthatconnectthepanelto the

dooris essentially
doorwith a glasspanelratherthana frame,rabbetsarecut into the inside
atthebackof theframe.Thepanpanelbetweenthe rails and stiles. edges
jointsare elthenfits snuglyinto therabbets.
mortise-and-tenon
Standard
madeto fit
Althougha doorisalways
shownin thedoorbelow.Thepieceof
cutalongtheinside a pieceof furniture,it doesnot haveto
glass
sitsin rabbets
of theframe;it isheldin placeby besizedexactlytoitsopening,asshown
edges
methbelowin thedrawer-mounting
stripsof molding.
doorcanbedifa ods.A flush-mounted
doorfeatures
Theveneered-panel
to construct
the ficultandtime-consuming
framejoinedto thepanel.Toconceal

required
ofthe finetolerances
because
lipBoth
to build andhangthedoor.
are
usually
rabbeted
andoverlaydoors
simplerto make.
Theentirethicknessof an overlay
thefrontofa cabbeyond
doorprojects
door
Thelip-rabbeted
inetor carcase.
cutarounditsoutsideedges
hasrabbets
thatonlyapartof is thickatthebad<so
nessis exposed.
DOOR
VENEERED.PAI{Et

GLASS
DOOR

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METHODS
DOOR.MOUNTING

h L L
Flueh-mounted

Lip-rabbeted

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103

Overlay

FRAME-AND.PANEL
DOORS
doorimpartsstyle
I fiame-and-panel
A to a pieceoifurniturewithoutsacrificing durability or strength.Its solid
frame constructionaccountsfor the
structuralintegrity.At the sametime,
anyoneofseveralstylistictouchescan
be addedto makeit more attractive.
Theseincludedesigninganarchedtop nil
or,ifthe doorislargeenou$, dividingthe

Liketheframe-and-panel
assembly
usedto build thesidesoffurniture,
theframe-and-panel
doorfeatures
a sturdyframe of raik and stiles
encasing
a decorative
floatingpanel.

panelinto smallersectionswith horizontalcrossrailsandverticalmullions.

Youcanbuilda frame-and-paneldoor
the sameway you would constructa
frame-and-panel
assembly,
usingeither
haunched
mortise-and-tenons
or coDeand-stickjoints(pageaS).This section
features
a doorassembled
with standard
jointsandintegrated
mortise-and-tenon
molding.The first stepis to sizeyour
stock.Makethe stilesequalto the door
height;the railsshouldbe aslong as
the width of the door, including two
tenonsat eachend,minusthe stilewidth.
The tenonstypicallyare cut about
7+inchlong.

MAKING
A FRAME.AND.PANEL
D()OR
thetenons
1 Cufting
I I n s t aal l d a d oh e a ds l i g h t lw
y ider
t h a nt h et e n o nl e n g t h
o ny o u rt a b l e
sawA
. t t a c ha n dn o t c ha n a u x i l i a r y
fence(page48),Ihensetthe width
of cutequalto the lengthof thetenon
to cut thetenoncheeks;
adjustthe
cuttingheight
to aboutone-third
the
thickness
of thestock.Butting
therail
against
thefenceandthemitergauge,
feedthe stockfacedownintothe
blades.
Turnthe railoverandmake
thesamecutontheothersideof the
tenon.Thenrepeat
the orocess
at the
opposite
endof the rail (left,above)
a n dw i t ht h es e c o nrda i l .T oc u tt h e
tenonshoulders,
settheheight
of the
dadoheadat about1/zinch.Withthe
r a i lf l u s ha g a i n st ht ef e n c ea n dt h e
mitergauge,
feedtheworkpiece
edge
d o w ni n t ot h e b l a d e sT.u r nt h er a i l
overandrepeat
on theothersideof
thetenon.Cutthetenonshoulders
at
theopposite
endof therailthesame
way(left,below).Repeatthe process
withthesecond
rail.Toaddintegrated
molding,
f it a routerwiththeappropriatebitandmountthetoolin a router
table.
Cutalong
theinside
edges
of the
railsandstilesasyouwouldformaking
a veneered-panel
door(page113).

r04

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DOORS

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Moldinq
profile

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r) Preparing
therailsforglueup
fenceand
I Re.ouetheauxiliarv
a
adjust
theblade
angle
to45".Make
testcut in a scrapboard
andmeasure
square,
thecutendwitha combination
thebladeangleif necessary.
adjusting
Tosetthewidthof cut,marka lineon
themolded
edgeof a railthesamedisasthe
tancefromthetenonshoulder
molding
width.Alignthemarkwiththe
bladewhereit exitsthetableopening,
thenbuttthefenceagainst
therail.
Adjust
thebladeheight
untilonetooth
justprotrudes
beyond
thetenonshoulder.Tomakethecuts,butttherarl
against
thefenceandholdit flush
against
themitergauge
to feedit moldRepeat
ed-edge
downintotheblade.
to cut theotherendof the rail (left)
andbothendsof thesecond
rail.

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Readying
thestiles
preparing
molding
if youwish
Before
thestilesforfinalassembly,
routa decorative
stopped
(page107).Thenmarka lineonthemolded
fromthe
edgeof eachstilethewidthof a railaway
Withthetablesawbladeangled
at 45', alignthecutting
edgewiththemark
endof theboard.
stopthecutat thepointwhere
themolding
endsandthefaceof
andcut intothemolded
edge;
Next,sliceoffthestripof molding
between
the45" cutandtheendof thestile
thestilebegins.
theripfenceoutof the
witha bandsaw.Then,smooth
thecutedgeusingthetablesaw.Moving
the
way,holdthethestileflushagainst
themitergauge
andslidethestockbackandforthalong
edgeof thestile.
mitergauge(above,
right).Makesureyoudo notcut intothemolded

105

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DOORS

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mortises
Cutting
A l i g na r a , lw i t he a c hs t i l ea n dm a r k
t h e o u t l i n eo f t h e m o r t i s eass y o uw o u l d
w h e nm a k i n ga f r a m e - a n d - p a naes ls e m b l y
(naop lQ)
\ r e o e .

lnci:ll : mnrt,cino:tt:e

hmpnf

o n a d r i l l n r p q s e n d r ^ l a m n t h p c . t i l pi n f h p

f e n c ec. e n t e r i ntph e m o r t i s oe u t l r n e
under
t h ec h i s eal n db i t .S e tt h ed r i l l i n g
d e p t ht o
t h e t e n o nl e n g t ht,h e nm a k ea c u t a Le a c h
e n d o f t h e m o r t i s eb e f o r eb o r i n go u t t h e
wastein belween(rrght).

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Preparing
theframefor a panel
f,
r . . / A s s e m b l teh e r a i l sa n d s t i l e s T
. h e n .p ' o t e c t r ntgh e s t o c k
w i t hw o o dp a d s ,u s et w o b a rc l a m p st o h o l dt h e f r a m et o g e t h e r
s e c u r e l yF.i t a r o u t ew
r i t ha % - i n c ht h r e e , w i nsgl o t t r n cgu t t e r
a n d m o u n t h e t o o l i n a r o u t e tr a b l e .R e m o vteh e f e n c ea n ds e t
t l ' e r r a m eo n t h et a b l e .A d j u s t h e b r t ' sc u t t i n gd e p t ht o c u t t h e
groove
m i d w a yb e t w e etnh e b o t t o mo f t h e f r a m e3 n dt h e c d o c

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o f t h e m o l d i n gG, r i p p i r tr hg e b a rc l a m p fsi r m l y b, u t tt h e i n s i d e
e d g eo f t h e f r a m ea g a i n stth e b i t n e a ro n ec o r n e rt,h e nr o t a t e
i t c l o c k w i st eo c u t t h eg r o o v ae l o n gt h e r a i l sa n ds t i l e s( a b o v e ) .
K e e pt h e f r a m ef l a to n t h e t a b l ea s y o uf e e dr t i n t ot h e b i t .
lMake
a raisedpanelto f it the f rame(page53) andthendisass e m b l teh ef r a m e .

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DOORS

upthedoor
fi Gluing

\.,1 Squeeze
someglueintothe mortises
in thestilesandonthetenoncheeks
and
shoulders
attheendsof therails;
alsoapply
someadhesive
onthecontacting
surfaces
ofthemitercutsin therailsandstiles.
Do
notaddanyglueto the panelgrooves.
Then,assemble
thedoorandsetit ontwo
barclamps
ona worksurface,
aligning
the
railswiththebarsof theclamps.
Tokeep
fromfallingover,propeach
theclamps
oneon a notched
woodblock.Protecting
t h ef r a m ew r t hw o o dp a d st,i g h t e n
the
justenough
clamps
tofullyclose
thejoints
(riSht),
thenusea try squareto check
whether
thecorners
of thedoorareat right
angles.
Finish
tightening
theclamps
until
gluesqueezes
outof thejoints,
checking
remain
occasionally
thatthecorners
square.
glue
has
0ncethe
dried,usea paintscraper
to remove
anyremaining
adhesive.

ADDING
DECORATIVE
MOLDING

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Molding
profile --.,

Cutting
molding
intothestiles
I n s t aa
l l m o l d i nhge a dw i t hc u t t e rtso m i l lt h ep r o f i loef y o u r
choice;
a beaddesignis shown(above,
left).Crank
thecutters
to % inchabove
thetable,center
onestileoverthem,thenbutt
theripfenceagainst
thestock.Marktheplaces
onthetable
insertwherethemolding
headstartsandstopscutting.
Then
markthepoints
oneachstilewhere
themolding
willbegin
and
e n d .F o re a c hc u t ,h o l dt h es t i l ej u s ta b o vteh em o l d i nhge a d ,
frontcuttinglinewiththemarkonthetableinsert
aligningthe

farthest
fromyou.Keeping
thestileagainst
thefence,lowerthe
stockontotheblades.
0ncethestockisflatonthetable,feed
it forward
whilepressing
it against
ihe fence.Slideyourleft
handalong
thetopof thestileandhookyourfingers
around
the
faredgeof thetable.Oncethebackcuttinglinereaches
the
markonthetableinsert
closest
to you,liftthestileoffthecut(above,
ters
right).Fora deeper
cut,makeasmanypasses
as
necessary,
raising
themolding
headr/ainchat a time.

r07

DOORS
SOLID-PANEL
doorsofferthesame
com- the length of the rails-without the
Q olid-panel
rJ binationofstrensthandcharmas tenons-added to thewidth of the stiles.
theirframe-and-paneimunteqparts.
This
In buildinga board-and-batten
door,
section
features
twostyles:
tongue-and- somewoodworkersusetwo horizontal
grooveandboard-and-batten
doors.
battensinsteadofthe standardZ-shaoed
Sizingstockfor a board-and-batten pattern;for addedstrength,the two
piecesarerecessed
doorisamatterof makingthelengthof
in dadoescut into the
theboardsequalto thedoorheight;their back of the door. A more elaborate
combined
widthshouldeoualthedoor method is to rout a sliding dovetail
width.Dimensioning
stockioratongue- acrossthe backand fit the battensnugand-groove
doorrequires
makingthe ly into it, securingthe supportpieceof
Iengthof thestilesthesameheightas wood with a singlescrewin the center
thedoor.Thewidthof thedoorwill be ofthe door.

A modern,European-style
door(nearleft) is assembled
raik
and
stiles
that
interlockwith
tenonsand tonguefrom
joints. Forthemorerusticboard-and-batten
and-groove
door(far left), boardsarejoined with rabbetjoints reinforcedby battensscrewedto thebackof thedoor.

MAKING
A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE
D(l(lR
thestock
1 Milling
I Toprepare
therailsandstilesyouwill
haveto cuta series
of grooves,
tenonsand
tongues.
Beginbysawing
a groove
along
oneedgeof eachboard,exceptfor the
bottom
rail.Install
a 7+-inch-wide
dadohead
on yourtablesawandsetthe cutting
heightat Vzinch.Center
a boardedgeover
theblades,
thenbutttheripfenceagainst
thestock;clampa featherboard
to thetable
for support.
Tocut eachgroove,
feedthe
pressing
stockintotheblades,
theboard
against
thefence(farleft).Thencut a
tenonat theendsof eachrailthesame
wayyouwouldfora frame-and-panel
door
(page104),butdo notmaketheshoulder
cut.Finally,
cuta tongue
along
thenongrooved
edgeof eachrail,exceptforthe
toppiece.Installandnotchanauxiliary
fence(page4B).Setthecuttingheightat
Vqinch,thenclamponefeatherboard
to
thefenceabove
thedadoheadandinstall
a second
featherboard
onthetable.Tocut
eachtongue,
usea pushstickto feedthe
railintothedadohead.Turntheboard
overto complete
thecut (nearleft).

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DOORS

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r) Gluing
upthedoor
Z fitthe partsof thedoortogether,
t h e nn u m b eera c hr a i lt o h e l py o u
reassemble
thedoorforfrnalglueup.
lf anyjointis tootight,usea wood
chiselto paresomewoodfromthe
edges
of thetenonorthegroove,
as
required.
with
Onceyouaresatisfied
thefit, takethe pieces
apartand
s p r e asdo m eg l u eo nt h et e n o n s ,
Reassemble
thedoorandolaceit on
propping
twobarclamps,
themup
withnotched
woodblocks.
Protectingthestockwithwoodpads,tightuntilgluesqueezes
entheclamps
fromthe jotnls(abovd.Oncethe
hasdried,remove
adhesive
the
witha paintscraper.
excess

llflllllllllllltllllIIJlllttlljilIltlllllllIllJ
lrJill]rlllilllllllrlll
1HO?Tt?
?reventing
oanding
-6\S
ocrat'aheo
tY1andinqthe
sbileeof a eolid,,\\\
frame door may
\f
c a u o ec r o e e - q r a i n \ \ ' : \ \ \ i
scralcheeon lhe raile.
An eaeysolutionie No
sand NherailefireL,Nhen
apVlyetripeof maekinq
LapeIo the rails,aligning
Nheedqeof the tape wiLhthe
ioints belweenLheraileand,
-sIilee.
TheneandLheetilee.

N$

DOORS

BUILDING
A BOARD.AND.BATTEN
D()()R
therabbets
1 Cutting
I Onvourtablesawinstall
a dadohead
one-half
aswideasthestockthickness.
Attachandnotchanauxiliary
fence(page
48),thensetthecuttingheight-again,
one-half
thethickness
of theboards.
To
secure
theworkpiece,
clamptwofeatherboards
anda suooort
boardto thetable
sawasshown.
Feedthestockintothe
blades
usinga pushstick.Thenflipthe
board
overandrepeat
thecutalong
the
nlhpr

pdsp

(lpft'l

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Assembling
thedoor
Dry-clamp
thedoorinside-face
up usingthesamesetupas
where
thescrew
willlointhebatten
to anoutside
doorboard.
for a tongue-and-groove
door(page109).Then
cuttwobattens Then,holding
thebatten
square
to theedgeof thedoor,drive
slightly
shorter
thanthedoorwidthandnarrower
thanthedoor
in eachscrew(above,
left).Cuta thirdbattento fit diagonally
boards.
Position
thetwopieces
of woodacross
thetopandbotbetween
thetwoalready
in placeandscrewit in position.
To
tomoftheassembly.
Thenfit anelectric
drillwith
a combinationconceal
thescrews,
applya dabof glueto theirheads,
then
bitandcounterbore
holesforscrews
plugsin theholes.
andwoodplugsat 2-inch
insert
Tapthemin placewitha wooden
intervals
along
thebattens,
alternating
between
thetopandbotmallel(above,
right),Ihenusea chiselto trimtheprojecting
tomof eachboard.
Makeclearance
holesexcept
in theplaces
stubsflushwiththedoorsurface.

110

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GLASSDOORS
of largecabinets,
f) opularfeatures
I hutches,
andshelving
units,glass
doorsareconstructed
in muchthesame
wayasframe-and-panel
doors(page
104).The
frameisheldtogether
bymorjoints;adecorative
tise-and-tenon
moldingadornsitsinneredges.
Thedifference
isthatonaglass
doorthemoldingisnot
routedintotheframe;instead,
a rabbet
is cut,thena separate
glass-stop
moldingis nailedin place.Theadvantage
of
thisdesignis thatthemoldingcaneasilybepriedoffshouldtheglass
break.
In largerpieces
of furniture,thedoor
is oftendividedby horizontalrailsand
verticalmullionsinto several
smaller

panels,
eachholdingits ownpane.In
additionto its aesthetic
appeal,this
designmakesthe glasslessproneto
breaking
andalsocheaper
to replace.
Glassis available
in variousthicknesses
purandtypes.Fordoor-making
poses,
themostcommonly
usedvariety
is sheetor windowglass,
in
available
thicknesses
up to %inch.

Glassdoorssolvetheproblemof
shieldingthecontentsof a piece
offurniturefrom dustwhile still
allowingthemto bedkplayed.

CONSTRUCTING
A GLASS
D(l(|R

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a rabbet
to holdthepaneof glass
1 Cufting
I Clamptheframeto a worksurface,
usinga woodpadfor
protection.
Theninstalla3/a-inch
rabbeting
bit ona routerand
setthedepthof cutto thecombined
thickness
of theglassand
themolding.
Holdthetoolfirmlywithbothhands
whileresting
thebaseplate
ontheframenearonecorner,
thenturnonthe

routerandguidethebit intotheinsideedgeof thedoor.Move

therouterclockwise
alongthe edges(above,
left)unlilthecut
is completed.
Square
thecorners
witha wooden
malletanda
woodchisel(above,
right).Makethecutswiththegrainfirstto
avoidsplitting
theframe.

111

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DOORS

Routing
themolding
l n s t a lal d e c o r a t i vmeo l d i n pb i t o n t h e

router,
thenmount
thetoolIna router
table.
Choose
a boardlongenough
to produce
youneed.
Tosecure
thelength
of molding
thestock,install
twofeatherboards
onthe
router
table-onepressing
theworkpiece
toward
thefenceandonepressing
down
(Here,
directly
above
therouter.
theupper
featherboard
hasbeenremoved
forclarity.)Turnonthetoolandfeedtheworkpiece
intothebitwhilekeeping
theboard
flushagainst
thefence.Finish
thepass
using
a pushstick.Repeat
thestepto rout
molding
in theopposite
a second
edge
(left),thenrip thetwo
of theworkpiece
fromthestockwitha tablesaw.Sawthe
molding
to theproper
length,
making
45"
mitercutsat theendsof eachpiece.
Cut
e ta t i m e m
a n df i t o n ep i e c a
, a k i nsgu r e
youalignthemitercutswiththecorners
of therabbets.

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Finalassembly
Q
r.,f Setthe frameandthe glasson a worksurface,
thenplacethe moldingin position.
B o r ea p i l o th o l ee v e r y2 i n c h e su s i n ga n e l e c t r i d
c r i l l f i t t e dw i t ha s m a l l f i n i s h i nnga i l
w i t ht h e h e a ds n i p p e do f f .T h e nd r i v et h e b r a d si n p l a c eu s i n ge i t h e ra h a m m eor r a
b r a dd r i v e rW
. i t ht h e h a m m e rh, o l dt h e m o l d i n gf l u s ha g a i n stth e f r a m eo f t h e d o o r ;
usea pieceof cardboard
to protectthe glass(above,Ieft).To usea braddriver,insert
a b r a di n t ot h e p i l o th o l e t, h e np o s i t i o tnh e j a w sa n dt i g h t e nt h e l o c k i n gn u t .H o l d i n g
the framesteady,squeezethe jawsto set the nail (above,right).

t12

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DOORS
VENEERE,D.PANE,L
I s ornamentalas the frame-anddoor
A paneldoor,theveneered-panel
is muchsimplerto make.Firstof all,it
doesnot recuiremortise-and-tenon
joints.In fact,theframeaddsno strengh
to thedoorat all;thefour sidesaresimply miteredat eachend.The assembly
is held togetherby biscuitjoints that
affixit to a plyvood panel,whichserves
asthe structuralbackboneofthe door.
The veneeredplyuood is formedby
up to nine pliesof thin veneerglued
together.The outerskin is typically%s
inch thick for hardwoodsand %oinch
thick for softwoods.

Sinceplywood is not affectedby

humidiry no allowancehasto be made
for changesin the sizeof the panel.
Therefore,
it doesnot needto havea bevel cut alongits edgeto fit into a groove
on theframe.Theplywoodsimplyrests
in a rabbetcut in the frame.

Thepanelof a veneered-panel
door- with its typicallydarkhuedwood-offersa visualcontrastto thelighter-colored
frame.

D()()R
A VENEERED.PANEL
MAKING

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'l

intheframepieces
Routing
a molding
I Ripthefourframepieces
to width,
themslightly
longer
than
thencrosscut
witha
length.
Fita router
theirf inished
molding
bit,theninstall
the
decorative
in a router
table.Foreachcut,
machine
good-face
downinto
feedtheworkpiece
(abovd,
usinga featherboard
to
IhebiI
thefenceanda
bracethestockagainst
pushstickto complete
thepass.

r) Cutting
a rabbet
andsizing
thestock
justasyouwouldto makea board-and-batten
door(page110).
L Cutarabbet
panel;
the
width
should
beone-half
at thethickness
of the
Setthecuttingheight
workpiece.
the
saw
table
to
support
the
Clamp
featherboards
to
thestockthickness.
pressure
keep
featherboard
and
the
fence
to
the
thevertical
Inserta shimbetween
good-face
part
into
workpiece
up
the
dado
offtherabbeted of ihe stock.Feedthe
(above).
pieces
making
45"
miter
cuts
at
each
end.
Thencuttheframe
to size,
head
panel
panel
fit.
ldentify
edges
and
their
to
the
Dry-assemble
theframe,
thencutthe
assemble
thedoorforglueup.
mating
framepieces
to helpyoucorrectly

r13

DOORS

Preparing
theframeandpanel
forglueup
Marka lineacross
theoanel
andthe
framepieces
about4 inches
fromeach
edgeandat 6-inchintervals
in between.
D i s a s s e mtbhl ed o o ra n dc l a m po n e
protecting
framepieceio a worksurface,
thestockwithwoodpads.Adjustthe
depthof cutona platejoiner,
thenset
thetool'sbaseplateonthebottom
of the
rabbet
intheframepiece.
Witha support
boardunderthejorner
to keepit level,
a l i g nt h eg u i d el i n eo nt h et o o lw i t ha
slotlocation
mark.Holding
thejoiner
withbothhands,
cut a groove
at each
mark(left).Repeat
for theotherframe
pieces,
thencutthemating
slotsin the
panelthesameway.

,,,
\

Gluing
upthedoor
Oncealltheslotshavebeencut,glueupthedoor.Settheframepieces
andthepanel
good-face
glueintoeachslot,inserting
upona worksurface
andsqueeze
biscuits
asyougo.
To prevent
thewafers
fromexpanding
before
everything
is puttogether,
assemble
thedooras
quicklyaspossible,
fittingtheframepieces
to thepanel(above,
/eff).Next,setthedooron
twobarclamps
ona worksurface.
Withwoodpadsprotectingthe
frame,
tighten
theclamps
justenough
to closethejoints.Install
twomoreclamps
across
thetopof thedoor,placing
themperpendicular
to thefirsttwo.Finish
tightening
untilgluesqueezes
outof thejoints
(above,
paint
right).Oncetheadhesive
hasdried,remove
anyexcess
witha
scraper.

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HANGINGADOOR
astin metalsrangingfromwroughtf
doorhingescomein
U ironto brass,
a wide arrayof stylesto complement
virtuallv anv door.Most fit into one of
shownat right.
four basiccategories
hingesare bestsuitedto
Clock-case
doorsthatoverlaytheiropening,Commonly usedfor flush-mounteddoors,
butt hingestipically sit in shallowmortisescut into thedoor andcase.Surfacemountedhingesareidealforimparting
an antiqueor rustic look to a door.
hinges,suchastheEuropean
Concealed
cabinethinge,arecompletelyhidden
whenthe door is closed.
Beforeinstallingthehinges,readthe
instructionsregarding
manufacturer's
Ifyou areworkingwith
hingeplacement.
fine woods,tap the stock for brass
machinescrewsafterdrilling pilot holes
to reducethechance
of splitting.A spot
of glue in the hole will improvethe
holdingabilityof the screw.

HINGES
DOOR

Cloak-caaehinge
Fivota on a pin, which
allowa the door to be
lifted off

European cabineb hinge

Commonlyused in kitchen
oprin7-mounted.Can be adjuated
after inatallation to correat minor
mountinq inaccuraciea

Eutt hinge
Availablein iron
or bra99

5utfaae-mounted hinge
A decorative hinge
installed on the outaide
face offluah doora

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HINGES
EUROPEAN
CABINET
INSTALLING
thehingebodies
1 Attaching
install
a Forstner
I Onyourdrillpress,
bitthewidthof thehingebody-typically,35mm.Setthedooroutside-face
thenalign
downonthemachine's
table,
for
thebitwithoneof thetwomarks
several
lf youarehanging
thehinges.
against
the
doors,
clampstopblocks
edgeandendof thedoor.Setthedrilling
d e p t ht o t h et h i c k n e sosf t h eh i n g e
body.Holding
thedoorflushagainst
feedthe bit intothe
thestopblocks,
withmore
door(left),lf youareworking
too.
thanonedoor,drilltheotherones,
Thenalignthemarkat theotherend
ofthedoorunder
thedrillbit.Reposition
andborethehole;repeat
thestopblocks
foranyotherdoors.
Setthedooron a
worksurface
andscrewthehingebody
in placeInseil.

115

DOORS

r) Aligning
andattaching
the
plates
Z- mounting
Havea helper
holdthedoorin itsopen
position
against
thecase.Extend
the
plates
hingearmsto buttthemounting
against
thepanel.
Marka reference
line
around
theplates,
thenunscrew
them
fromthehingearms.Placetheplates
in position
onthepanelinside
thecase
(/eff).
anddrivein thescrews

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thedoor
Q Hanging
r-,1 Slidethearmsontothemountingplatesandscrewin place?ight).
Close
thedoorandcheckits oosrtionon thecase.Youcanadjust
position
theheight,
depthor lateral
of thedoorbyloosening
ortightenrngtheadjustment
screws
onthe
hinse
arms.

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116

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DOORS

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BUTT
HINGES
ATTACHING
mortises
forthehinges
1 Routing
and
I Secure
thedoorin handscrews
clamothemin olaceona worksurface.
onthedoor
Position
oneof thehinges
edge,making
surethatthepinpro1ects
of the
overtheedge.Marktheoutline
forthe
Repeat
hingeleafwitha pencil.
a straight-cutting
hinge.Install
second
bit ona routerandsetthedepthof cut
of a hingeleaf.Protectto thethickness
ingthedoorwithwoodpads,clampa
board
to thedoorasanedgeguide.Posithedoor
bitslightly
above
tiontherouter
e d g ej u s ti n s i d teh eo u t l i n eG. r i p p i n g
firmly,
turnonthetooland
thehandles
Once
thebase
lower
thebit intothestock.
guide
platesitssquarely
onthedoor(right),
t h eb i t i n a c i r c u l amr o t i o an r o u ntdh e
o u t l i n eU. s ea w o o dc h i s etlo s q u a r e
thenscrew
the
ofthemortises,
theedges
hinees
to thedoor.

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r) Hanging
thedoor
holdsthedooragainst
L Wntl"a helper
buttthe
thecasein its openposition,
hingeleaves
against
the insidefaceof
surethatthehardware's
thecase.Making
pin projects
beyond
theedgeof the panto outline
thehingeleaf
el,usea pencil
(farleft).Placethecaseon itssideand
routthemortises,
following
thesameproin step1. Thenscrew
cedures
described
thehinges
to thecase(nearlefil.

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I17

DOORS

INSTALLING
CLOCK-CASE
HINGES

t2,

9andpaper

Hinqe

ww/pin-

thehinges
1 Positioning
I Setthecaseon its backandfix stripsof masking
tape
across
thecorners
of thedooropening.
Place
smallsandpapershimsontopof thepieces
of tape,thensetthedoorin
place.
Onceyouaresatisf
iedwiththepositioning,
markthe
doorcorners
onthetapewitha pencil.
Next,buttthehinges
against
theedgeof thedoor;usea tapemeasure
to make
surethattheyareequally
spaced
fromthetopandbottom
of thedoor(above).
Holding
theupperhalfof thehingein
place,
slipoffthebottom
halfandthehingepin.Thenmark
thescrewholesonthedooredse(inscf)

r) Mounting
thehinges
onthedoor
I Secure
thedoorto a wornsurfacewithhandscrews
andclamos.
thenborepilotholesat eachmarked
point.Holdthetophalfof eachhinge
square
to thedooredgeandscrew
tt in place(right).

118

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DOORS

thedoor
Q Hanging
r - ) R e a s s e m btlhee h i n g ea n d r e p o s i . h e c kt h a t
t i o n t h e d o o ro n t h e c a s e C
withthe
of thedoorarealigned
thecorners
m a r k so n t h e m a s k i n gt a p e .H o l d i n g
disthe bottomhalfof oneof the hinges,
a s s e m b lteh e h i n g ea n d m o v et h e d o o r
a s i d et,h e nm a r kt h e s c r e wh o l e so n t h e
c a s e .R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rh i n g e .B o r e
pilotholes,thenscrewthe bottomhalf
Remove
of eachhingeto the case(/eff,).
t h e s h i m sa n dt a p es t r i p s i,n s e rtth e p i n
in the bottompartof the hingeandthen
o l a c et h e d o o ro n t h e c a s e .

HINGES
SURFACE.MOUNTED
ADDING
thehinges
Mounting
up on a work
Withthedoorgood-face
position
onthedoor,
thehinges
surface,
m a k i nsgu r et h a tt h ep i n se x t e njdu s t
theedgeof thedoor.Alsocheck
beyond
t h a tt h eh i n g eas r et h es a m ed i s t a n c e
of thedoor.
fromthetopandbottom
Markthescrewholesonthedoorwitha
the
pencil,
Screw
thenborepilotholes.
to thedoor.Tomountthehinges
hinges
setthecaseon
to thepieceof furniture,
its back.Holdthedoorin thecaseand
placea pieceof sandpaper
between
the
twoto serveasa shim,Withthehinge
pincentered
overtheedgeof thedoor
markthescrewholesonthe
opening,
c a s eB
, o r ep i l o th o l e sa n dd r i v ei n
the screws(right).

119

,:qfrr*

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LE,GS
In general,legs should be
in human
iketheircounterparts
attached
to furniturewith the
legsin cabinetmakanatomy,
joinerytechniqu
es(page
strongest
of
But
ing servemainlyassupports.
mortise-and-tenon
133),
such
as
the
play
an equally
furniture legs
or thedoweljoint.Anotheroption
role,compleimportantesthetic
isleghardware,
whichis commermentingandsettingofffor display
available
but
canalsobeeascially
to a chair.
arythingfroma carcase
This altermade
in
the
shop.
ily
Whatever
thestyleof legs,thechala
leg
to
be
detached,
native
allows
lenges
of makingthemareseveral:
it
is
only
appropriate
but
usually
perandproportionmustbe
shape
whenthepieceis largeenoughto
with therestof the
fectlyin balance
legsanadvantage
makedetachable
back
to
the
The
leg
harkens
cabriole
pieceof furniture,andthelegmust
moving.
with
hand
during
art
of
shapingwood
time-honored
support.The
alsoprovideadequate
youwill
Formostlegprojects,
contours
tools.Here,theleg\ unmistakable
between
goalisto achieve
abalance
is comneed
thicker
stock
than
by
a
spokeshave,
arerevealed
and smoothed
strengthandbeauty.
plane.
You
monly
available.
can
either
ofthe
hand
traditionalcousin
will showyouhow
Thischapter
proper-sized
wood
from
a
order
to makefour popularlegtypes:
your
leg
blanks
from
thinor
make
own
specialized
supplier,
legs.Several
methods
andsquare
tapered,
octagonal
cabriole,
Startby preparcalledface-gluing.
Takentogether,
theseleg nerstock,usinga process
ofattachinglegsarealsopresented.
final
of theleg:To
joinery
larger
than
the
size
ing
the
stock
slightly
for a
offerattractive
alternatives
techniques
typesand
will
3by 3by 29
finished
dimensions
be
make
a
leg
whose
widerangeof furniturestyles.
t/rinchby
boards.
To
I
by
3
30-inch
inches,
cut
three
%-inch
forlegs,thecabriole
of designs
Amongthemostdistinctive
joint
glue
Then
up
fit,
the
mating
surfaces.
a
seamless
is bestsuitedto traditionalstylesof furniture,suchasQueen ensure
theendgrainofthepieces
have theboardsfaceto face,alternating
ButasAmericanfurnituremakers
AnneandHepplewhite.
grainandcolor.
maximize
the
stock
to
craftsmanship andarranging
shownsincethe 19thCentury,accomplished
process
boardsinto panels
The
is
identical
to
edge-gluing
Asyouwill see,the
cankeepthisdesignfreshandappropriate.
(page
used.Before
cut20),except
that
more
clamps
should
be
requirements
thatshould
legdoeshavecertaindesign
cabriole
joint
face
an
edge
to
create
two
(page
your
leg
a
and
blank,
contours
of theleg tinginto
berespected na).Thecharacteristic
then
use
the
a
angle
to
one
another,
thatareat 90o
Incorporating
animal surfaces
aremorethansimplyrandomshapes.
its
final
width
planir
to
bring
the
blank
to
or thetablesaw
for example,
hasalways
beena feature.
profilesin thedesign,
Lastly,crosscut
thelegto length.Referto the
term, andthickness.
anantecedent
of theEnglish
TheItalianwordcapriolarq
(page12)for information
Techniques
chapter
refersto ananimalleapingintotheair,anactionwhichmany Cabinetmaking
operations.
onthesebasicwoodworking
to suggest.
versions
ofthelegarecalculated

A router etchesa rectangulargroove

for an inlay into a squareleg.

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ANATOMYOFA CABRIOLELEG

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Poat block
I
1ection of le7
joined to rail;
len4th equala I
width of rail;
width typically I
one-halfto twothirda aa wide
I
ao le7 blank
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"|a h. illustrationbelowshowsoneof
I the commonwaysa leg-in this
case,
a cabriole
leg-is joinedto a piece
of furniture,suchasa simplecarcase.
Beforeattaching
thelegto therails,you
will needto cuta rabbetalongthetop
of therails.Afterassembly,
thetop of
thelegistrimmedto thelevelof therabbet.Next,glueisappliedto therabbets,
thenotches
andthecontacting
surfaces
ofthecarcase,
andthecasework
isseated on theleg-and-rail
assembly.
The
weightof thepieceeliminates
theneed
for clamping.
There are many waysof joining
legsto rails,includingthefour techniquesshownoppositeandfeatured
in thischapter.
Themortise-and-tenon
anddoweljoints aretwo alternatives
designed
to lastthelife of a pieceof
furniture.Ifyouchoose
themortiseand-tenon,
remember
thatthetenons
arealwayscutattheendsof therails,
whilethemortisesarealwayschiseledoutofthelegs.
Whetheryou buy hardwarefor
attachingthelegsor buildyourown
in theshop,it offersthestrength
and
durabilityof traditionaljoinery,
with theaddedbenefitof easeof
disassembly-an
optionimpossiblewith a gluejoint.

t
Rail
Rabbet cut in top
ed4eprovidea lip
to cradle piece of
furniture

Ankle
At narrowest
point, about twofiftha the width
of le7 blank

Toe
Typicallyabout
3/+to 1inch from
bottom of leg

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LEGS

JOINTS
LEG-TO-RAIL

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Rail

Rail

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Tenon

\,",

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LEGHARDWARE
thop-made hardware

Commercialhardware
Notch
CUL tn le7 to
hold mount- ,\
inq plate

Rail
Flanqeof mounLtn7
plaLe fite tnto groove
cut near end

Notah
Cul;in le7
to accePt \
-:
cornerblock

Rail
Groove cuL
near end
arrenla

anline

''-:'

Spline
Mounting
plate
Hanger
bolt

123

Cornerblock
Orooveecut
in endeaccept
epltnee

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CABRIOLELEGS
I lthoughits originscanbe traced
A backto woodworkers
of classical
times in China,Egypt,Greeceand
Rome,the cabrioleleg hasbecomea
ubiauitousfixture of Westernfurnituriin the past200years,The best
knowndesigns
includethestaidQueen
Anne leg with its spoon-shaped
foot
and the ornateball-and-claw
foot of
the Americancolonialdesign.Due to
the leg'swidespread
popularity,every
generationhasaddedits own touches
or variedold ones,so that thereis no
standardpattern.Designsrangefrom
legswith exaggerated
curvesto others
that arealmostknee-less
andvirtually

straight.Themostcommonelementof
cabriolelegsistheS-shaped
curve,which
is meantto suggest
the graceand eleganceof a horse's
leg.
The designshownbelowwill yield
an attractive,well-proportionedleg
strongand stableenoughto supporta
pieceof furniture.You can alterthe
patternto suit your own projector
copythe designofan existinglegthat
appeals
to you.However,do not exaggeratethe curvestoo muchor you risk
makingthe leg unstable.Beforecutting into the block of wood, perform
thissimpleteston your design:Drawa
straightline from the top of the legto

the bottom;the line

should fall within
the leg outline at
everypoint.

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A cabrioleleg.

MAKING
A CABRI()TE
LEG

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a cabriole
leg
1 Designing
I Fora template,
cuta pieceof stiffcardboard
point,thediameter
or hardboardat its narrowest
of theankleshouldbe
to thesamelength
andwidthasyourlegblanks.
Todrawthe abouttwo-fifths
thestockwidth.Moveonto theknee,sketch
leg,startbyoutlining
thepostblock.Makeits length
equalto inga gentlecurvefromthepostblockto thefrontedgeof the
thewidthof therailthatwillbeattached
to theleg;thewidth template
about2 to 3 inches
belowthe
block.
Thenjointhe
should
beadequate
to accept
thetenonof therail(one-half
to kneeto theanklewitha relatively
straight
line.Complete
the
two{hirds
thewidthof thestockistypical).
Next,sketch
the outline
at thebackof theleg,connecting
thebottom
of the
toe;fora legof theproportions
shown,
it shouldbeabout% to legwiththebackof theankle.
Thensketch
a curve
fromthe
1 inchfromthebottom
of theleg,Thendrawa curveonthe
ankleto the bottomof the postblock(above).
Experiment
with
frontof the legfromthetoeto theankleusinga french
curve; theoutlineuntilyouhavea satisfactory
design.

r24

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LEGS

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Illllllllltlllllll llltillilltlll]ili lll1

filtllllll|lI]I1
illlllltfiIl
1HO?Tt?
Copyingt'hedeei1n
of a aabrioleleg
ToLransferNhecontoureof an exieLinq
leqontroa temVlate,ueethis ehop-made
Iracin7quide.CULa 2-inchcubefrom a
ocrapblock,lhen useyour trablesawNo
torm aV in one ed4e.1aw off the bot|om
half of Nhewedqe.Remove
Nhecatbrid4e
from a ball-pointVenand uoeepoxyqlue
Nobondit to Nhecubejuel Io onesideof
lhe Y;Ia?e NhecarLrid^eLo Lheblockwhilethe
glueie dryinq.To ueeNhequide,holdthe iemplate
quidelhe pen
flaLaqainoLoneeideol the leg.Then,
alonqthe backand fronLof the leg,makinqsurethe
VoinLof Ihe V ridesaqainotLheedgeof the leg.

125

r) Transferring
thedesign
I nme legblank
Cutoutyourtemplate
ona bandsaw,
thensandtheedges
upto themarked
outline.
Holdthetemplate
flatononeof
theinside
facesof thelegblank,
makingsurethattheendsof thetemplate
andtheblankarealigned
andthatthe
backof theoostblockisflushwiththe
insideedgeof theblockof wood.Trace
alongtheedges
of thetemplate
to outl i n et h el e g T
. u r nt h eb l a n ko v e a
r nd
repeat
theprocedure
ontheotherinside
face(above).
At thispoint,somewoodpreferto makepreparations
workers
for
thejoinery
before
cutting
theleg.(lt is
easier
to clampandcuta mortise
in a
rectangular
legblank,
forexample,
than
to carryoutthesameprocedures
in a
legwithpronounced
contours.)
Other
woodworkers
cutthe legfirstandthen
dotheioinerv.

LEGS

MakinS
thecutsononefaceoftheleg
Q
r../ Setthe lesblankonthebandsaw
tablewithon.of th. marked
outlines
facingupandthebottom
of thelegpointing
awayfromyou.Aligning
thesawblade
justto thewaste
sideof themarked
line
forthebackof theleg,feedthestockinto
theblade.
Turnoffthesawabouthalfway
through
thecutandremove
theworkpiece.
T h e nc u ta l o n g
t h es a m el i n ef r o mt h e
opposite
end.Toavoiddetaching
thewaste
piece
fromtheblankandlosing
themarked
outline
ontheadjacent
face,stopthecut
aboult/zinchfromthefirstkerf,leaving
a
shortbridgebetween
thetwocuts.Retract
theworkpiece,
thencutalong
thelinefor
thefrontof Iheleg(left).

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Making
thecutsontheadjacent
face
T u r no v e trh eb l a n ks ot h a tt h em a r k eodu t l i n oe n i t s
adlacent
sideisfacing
up.Cutalong
themarked
lines,
beginningatthefoothbove).
Thistime,complete
thecut,letting
fallaway.
thewaste

thebridges
f, Cutting
r-,t Rotate
theblanksothatthefirstfaceyoucutfacesup.
Withthesawoff,slidetheblankforward
to feedtheblade
intothekerfat thebackof theleg.Turnonthesawandcut
through
thebridge
to release
thewastepiece(above).
Thencut
through
thebridge
between
thekerfsat thefrontsf theleo

t26

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LEGS

Shaping
andsmoothing
the leg
4i
t h e c a b r i o l el e g
\ , 1 T o f i n i s hs h a p i n g
a n dt o r e m o v e
a n yb l e m i s h else f t b y
the bandsawblade,smoothits surfaces
w i t ha s p o k e s h a vfeo,l l o w e db y a r a s p
a n ds a n d p a p eIrn. p r e p a r a t i of on r t h i s
s m o o t h i npgr o c e s ss,e c u r et h e l e gi n a
b a rc l a m pa n df i x t h ec l a m pt o a w o r k
s u r f a cw
e i t ha h a n d s c r eawn da C c l a m p
a s s h o w nH
. olding
a spokeshaw
v ei t h
b o t hh a n d sa t t h e t o p o f a c u r v e de d g e
o f t h e l e g ,p u l lt h e t o o ls l o w l yt o w a r d
y o u ,c u t t i n ga t h i ns h a v i nagn df o l l o w i n g
the grain(/eif).Repeatuntilthe surface
i s s m o o t hT. u r nt h e l e gi n t h e b a rc l a m p
t o c l e a nu p t h e o t h e re d g e sT. o s m o o t h
an areathatthe spokeshave
cannotreach,
u s et h e r a s p .T h et o o lw o r k sb e s tw h e n
p u s h e dd i a g o n a l layc r o s tsh e g r a i n .F i n ishthe job withsandpaper,
usingprogress i v e l yf i n e r - g r ipt a p e r su n t i l t h es u r f a c e
issmooth.

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illltllllllllll lll lllllltlrjlltlllll]lilllilIllllllll1

lll ltiltl]lilil
9HO7Tt?
Sandinga aabrioleleg
)mootrhinglhe curved
eurfacesof a cabriole
legueinqonlya
eheeLof eandpaper
o r a e a n d i n qb l o c k
riekecrealinqbumpeor
valleyeor flaXlening
oul
Ihe curvesif excessive
io apVlied,
Ueea
?ree6ure
o h o V - m a doea n d i n qV a d

l h a L w i l lf o l l o wN h ec o n t o u r e o f
l h e l e g .W r a Va s h e e l o f e a n d p a V e r a r o u n d a t h i c k o V o n q el h a |
y o u c a n c o m f o r t a b l yq r i p a n d

h o l dt h e ? a ? e ra r o u n dt h e s p o n q ea o
you emootrh
Nheleg.Evenwilh firm hand
is no nek of overaandinq.
lhere
?reboure,

t27

TAPEREDAND OCTAGONALLE,GS
abinetmakers
taperlegsstrictly
f
\-.r for visualeffect.A taoeraddsno
strength,but neitherdoei it takeany
away.Its principaleffectis to reducethe
stolidheaviness
of a leg,impartinga
sleekappearance
to furnitureasdiverse
astraditionalEnglishandcontemporary
Scandinavian
designs.
A legcanbe taperedon one inside
face,on two outsidefaces,or, asillustratedbelowandon page129,onallfour
sides.Beforesettlingon the amountof
taper for a leg-expressedin either
degreesor inchesper foot-you can
evaluate
thevisualimpactof thefinished

productwithout cuttinginto your leg

blank.Experimentwith differenttapers
by simplymaskingoffthe part to becut
awaywitha pieceof light-colored
cardboard.Thereareno prescriptions
for the
idealamountof taper,but asa general
rule,thethickerandlongertheleg,the
greatertheangle.
Anotheroption well-suitedto many
furniturestylesis the octagonalleg.
Despiteits appearance
of intricacy,it is
easyto createusinga tablesawasshown
on page130.For eitherstyleofleg, be
sureto sandthestockthoroughlybefore
preparingit for joinery.

Cut on a tablesaw
fitted with a moldingheadand cutters,a beadprofile
adds a distinctive
decorativetouch to
this taperedleg.

J()INTING
A TAPERED
LEG

'l

Setting
upandstarting
thecut
I Usea cuttinggauge
to outlinethetaperon the bottom
endof thelegblank(inset).
Thenmarklinesonthefourfaces
of thestockneartheopposite
endto indicate
where
thetaper
s f e etda b l et o h o l d
w i l lb e g i nI.n s t aal l c l a m po nt h ej o i n t e r i' n
theguardoutof thewayduring
theoperation.
Setthedepthof
cutfor 7ainchand,holding
theblankagainst
thefence,align
thetaperstartlinewiththefrontof theoutfeed
table.Butta

stopblockagainst
the legasshownandclampit to the
infeed
table.Tostarteachpass,
caref
ullylower
theblank
ontothecutterhead
whileholding
it f irmlyagainst
thefence
withyourlefthand(above).
Straddle
thefencewithyourright
hand,usingyourthumbto keeptheblankflushagainst
the
stooblock.Makesurebothhands
areovertheinfeed
side
of thecutterhead.

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LEGS

r) Jointing
thetaper
L feeathe lesacross
thecutterhead
pushing
witha pushstic-k,
downonthe
trailing
endof thestockwhilepressing
it flushagainst
thefence(left).Keep
yourlefthandawayfromthecutterhead.
Makeasmanypasses
asnecessary
until
youhavetrimmed
thestockdownto the
taperoutline,
thenrepeat
theprocess
to
faces.
shape
theremaining

MOLDING
ADDING
DECORATIVE

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'v-"a
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molding
intoa leg
Cutting
headwiththeappropriOnyourtablesawinstalla molding
Marka cuttinglinefor
atecutters;
a beadprofileis shown.
eachmolding
ononefaceof theleg,thenholdthelegagainst
Fora tapered
leg,youwillhaveto adjust
themitergauge.
square
to make
theangleof thegauge.
Usea carpenter's
partof thelegis perpendicular
to the
surethatthesquare
miterslot.Crank
thecutters
to 7ainchabove
thetableand
a l i g no n eo f t h ec u t t i n lgi n e sw i t ht h em o l d i nhge a dT. h e n

the leg.Tocut thefirstmolding,

buttthe ripfenceagainst
press
themitergauge
andthefence,
the legfirmlyagainst
Repeat
thecut on
whilefeeding
thestockintothecutters.
face,thencontinuing
in thesamemanner
until
theadjacent
youhavecutthemolding
cut,
onallfoursides.Fora deeper
raising
head
makeasmanypasses
asnecessary,
themolding
forclarity.)
7sinchat a time.(Caution:
Bladeguardremoved

t29

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LEGS

SHAPING
AN()CTAGONAT
LEG
upthecut
1 Setting

I Unplug
thetablesaw,crankthe
blade
to itshighest
setting
andadjust
thecutting
angle
to 45". Move
therip
fenceto theleft-hand
sideof theblade
Layonefaceof thelegblankonthe
blade
witha corner
resting
onthesaw
table,thenbuttthefenceagainst
the
stock//eff.).

Cutting
theleg
Buttthestockagainst
theripfence
a fewinches
in frontof theblade.
Adjust
thecuttingheightuntilonetoothjust
protrudes
beyond
thefaceof theworkpiece.To makethef irstcut,feedthe
blankintotheblade,
straddling
thefence
withyourlefthand.Rotate
theleg90"
clockwise
andrepeat
thecutontheadjacentface.Continue
in thissamemanner
untilallthesidesarecut

130

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INLAYSANDDETAILING
I ddinginlayto a legcantransform
A an easilyoverlookedsquareor
octagonalblock of wood into the eyecatchingfocusof a pieceof furniture.
Whetherthegoalis to createa contrast
with the legstockor to complementa
leg'soutlines,you canchoosefrom a
including
widevarietyof inlaymaterials,
marquetryandmetals,woodveneers,
asshownbelowandon page132-solid
hardwood.Eachtvoeof materialcanbe
preparedin theshop,but mostarealso
in variousdiameters
at fine
available
woodworkingstores.

practiceis to rout a groove

Standard
for aninlavfromthetopto thebottomof
a leg.However,
beforecuttinginto your
leg,holdpiecesof inlayof differentlengths
up againstit andselectalengthor arrangement that oroducesthe besteffect.
Anotheidecorative
optionis to rout
a moldinginto a leg.Althoughit does
not standout asboldlyasinlay,molding canaddits own distinctivetouchto
a oieceof furniture.Youcanalsoinstall
a moldingcutterheadon your tablesaw
and carveout a pattern,much asyou
would on a door frame(page107).

An inlay of marquetry createsa

vivid counterpoint
to the understated
grain pattern of
an octagonalleg.

TOA LEG
ADDING
INLAV

'l

grooves
Cutting
androuting
groove,
I Tocut a straight
useyourtablesawwiiha dado
to
headthesamewidthastheinlay;setthecuttingheight
Makea cut in a scrapboard
lessthanitsthickness.
slightly
of the
thewidthandcuttingheight
andtestthefit; adjust
onthe
if necessary.
Next,marka lineforthegroove
blades,
leading
endof thelegandalignit withthedadohead.Butt
thestock,
thenfeedit intotheblades
theripfenceagainst
(above,
lefil.f o makea groove
withmorethanonestraight

of the leg
Startbysecuring
all fouredges
cut,usea router.
bit onyour
withstopblocks.
Theninstalla straight-cutting
lessthanthethickrouterandsetthecuttingdepthto slightly
thegroove
ontheleg,thenadjustthe
nessof theinlay.Outline
tool's
edgeguide
to alignthebitwithoneof thelinesthatrun
therouterf irmly,cut thegroove,
across
thegrain.Gripping
Repeat
of bit rotation.
to
moving
thetoolagainst
thedirection
witha chisel.
thecorners
cuttheothergrooves,
thensquare

131

LEGS

r) Setting
theinlayinthegroove
L Cutthe inlayto fit in thegroove
witha
tablesaw,a backsaw
andmiterbox,ora wood
groove
chisel.
Fortherectangular
shown,
make
45" mitercutsattheendsoftheinlaypieces.
It is easiest
to cutandfit onepieceat a time,
making
sureyoualignthemitercutswiththe
corners
of thegrooves.
Next,spread
a little
g l u ei n t h es l o ta n do nt h em i t e r eedn d so f
t h ei n l a yp i e c e sI n. s e rot n es t r i pa t a t i m e ,
tappingit gentlywitha woodenmallel(right).
Oncethegluehasdried,gently
sandtheleg
to remove
anyexcess
adhesive
andto trimthe
inlayperfectly
f lushwiththesurface
of the
wood.lf youareusingmetalinlay,
cut it with
a hacksaw
andsandthesurfaces
thatwillcontactthegroove
to improve
adhesion.
Then
glue.
bondthestripin placewithepoxy

(lFA tEG
DETAITING
THESURFACE
Routing
detailing
Holdthelegin placewithstopblocks
screwed
to a worksurface.
Marklines
onthelegforthebeginning
andendof
thecut.Theninstall
a decorative
biton
yourrouter;
a covebitwitha ball-bearingpilotis shown.
Seta cuttingdepth
appropriate
to theprofileyouwantto
make,
thenalignthebitwiththestart
line.Gripping
therouter
withbothhands,
g u i d et h eb i ta l o n g
t h ec o r n eorf t h e
legagainst
thedirection
of bit rotation,
stopping
whenyoureach
theendline.
Repeat
to routthedetailing
ontheother
cornerof the leg(left).

r32

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LEGJOINERY

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his sectionfeaturestwo time-testjoining

I edmethodsfor permanently
legsto the railsof a pieceof furniture:
joint and the
the mortise-and-tenon
doweljoint. Two more contemporary
waysarealsofeatured;both involveusing
knock-downleghardware-suitable for
furniture that must be takenapartand
periodically.
reassembled
To someextent,the type of leg will
dictatethe wayyou join it to the rails.
Youwould be unlikely,for example,to
usea hangerbolt to fix a cabriolelegto
cabinet.A mora fine frame-and-panel
joint would be a more
tise-and-tenon
appropriatechoice.
for maktechniques
Thereareseveral
Youcanuse
ing the mortise-and-tenon.
a tablesawto cut thetenons(page104);

Thetenonat theendof a railfi* snugly

in a mortisecut out of a squareleg,
joint.
creatinga sturdy,long-lasting

the mortisescanbeboredwith a router

(page50)or a drill press(page106).Yott,
mayalsochooseto usehandtools.As
shownbelowandon page134,tenonscut
with a handsawand mortiseschopped
out with a chiselaretraditionalmethconsider
odsthat manywoodworkers
particularlysuitablefor thecabrioleleg.
Whatever method you choose,the
strengthof the joint will be enhanced
by its largegluingarea.
As a rule of thumb,thelengthof the
tenonshouldgenerallybe aboutthreequartersthe thicknessof the leg.The
tenon is typicallyabout one-third as
thick astherail,but manywoodworkers
insteadon the
basethetenon'sthickness
width of the chiselwith whichtheywill
chopout themortise.

J()INTS
MORTISE.AND.TENON
HAND.CUT

thetenons
1 Cutting
s n t h er a i l st,h e ns e c u roen eo f t h e
I 0 u t l i n et h et e n o n o
v
i s eC
. u ta l o n g t hlei n e so nt h ee n d
e
n
d
u
i
p
n
a
workpieces
andcut to the
thesawforward
rail
with
a
backsaw;
tilt
of the
(above,
complete
thecut
lefil.fhen
line
the
tenon
shoulder of
from
tenon
cheeks,
remove
the
waste
the
level.
To
withthesaw
protecting
thestock
to a worksurface,
clamptherailface-up
pad.
line
the
face
of the
shoulder
on
Cut
alons
the
witha wood

ontheother
theoperation
rail;turnoverthestockandrepeat
sidebbove,right).Tocut awaythewasteontheedgesof the
theedges
again
andsawalong
therailend-up
tenon,
secure
clamptherailedgeline,Finally,
of thetenonto theshoulder
of the
lineson bothedges
theshoulder
up andcutthrough
at theotherendof therailand
rail.Reoeat
to cutthetenons
at bothendsof theotherrails.

r33

LEGS

r) 0utlining
themortises
L lttar*mortise
outlines
on eachleg
in twosteps,usingoneof therailtenons
asa guide.First,holdthecheekof the
tenonflushagainst
theleg,withthetop
of therailaligned
withtheendof the
leg.Drawa pencilalongtheedges
of
thetenonto outlinethe lengthof the
mortise,
thenusea try square
to continuethelinesacross
theleg.Tomark
thewidthof themortise,
holdtheedge
of thetenoncentered
flushagainst
the
leg(left).Extend
themarksalongthe leg
untilthetwooutlines
intersect.
Repeat
to markanother
mortise
ontheadjacent
faceof thelegfortheadjoining
rail.

Chiseling
themortises
Foreachof themortises,
clamothe
legto a worksurface,
protecting
thestock
witha woodpad.Then,starting
at one
endof anoutline,
holda mortising
chisel
square
to thefaceof the legandstrike
it witha wooden
mallet.
Usea chisel
the
samewidthasthetenonandbesure
thatthe beveled
sideof the bladeis facingthewaste.
Makeanother
cut 7einch
fromthefirst.Continue
untilyoureach
t h eo t h e e
r n do f t h eo u t l i n el ,e v e r i n g
outthe wasteto a depththatslightly
exceeds
the lengthof thetenon.Test-fit
thetenonandwidenor deeoen
themortiseasrequired.

134

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LEGS

Gluing
upthelegandrail
S p r e a da l i t t l eg l u ei n t h e m o r t i s e
a n do n t h e c h e e k sa n ds h o u l d e rosf t h e
t e n o n .F i t t h e t w ot o g e t h e rm, a k i n gs u r e
t h a t t h e t o p so f t h e r a i la n dt h e l e ga r e
f l u s h .P r o t e c t i nt gh e l e gw i t h a w o o d
p a d ,h o l dt h e j o i n tt o g e t h ewr i t h a b a r
c l a m p .A l i g nt h e b a ro f t h e c l a m pw i t h
t h e r a i l ,t h e nt i g h t e ni t u n t i la b e a do f
g l u es q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t .O n c et h e
adhesivh
e a sd r i e d ,r e m o v ea n ye x c e s s
gluewith a paintscraper.Repeatthe proc e d u r et o f a s t e nt h e a d j o i n i n rga i lt o t h e
^'{i^^^^+
duldLtrilL

{^^^ ^+ +hn laa and

rdLU ur Llltr 1tr5 u"-

fn olrrp trn

t h e r e m a i n i n lge g sw i t ht h e o t h e rr a i l s .

JOINTS
DOWEL
dowelholes
andborins
1l Locatins
I i n t h er a i l s
F i r s t ,m a r kl o c a t i o np o i n t sf o r t h e d o w e l
h o l e sH
. o l d i n go n eo f t h e r a i l se n d - u ps, e t
a c u t t i n gg a u g et o o n e - h a ltfh e t h i c k n e s s
o f t h e s t o c ka n d s c r i b ea l i n ea c r o s st h e
. i t ht h e g a u g ea t a
e n do f t h e b o a r dW
s l r g h t lw
y i d e rs e t t i n ge, t c ht w o m a r k so n
t h e e n do f t h e r a i lt h a t i n t e r s e cwt i t ht h e
firstline(ighil.Io avoidsplittingthe stock,
dowelsno morethanone-half
usegrooved
. i t a d r i l lp r e s s
t h et h i c k n e sosf t h e r a i l s F
o r a n e l e c t r idc r i l lw i t ha b i t t h es a m ed i a m e t e ra s t h e d o w e l st,h e n b o r ea h o l ea t
p o i n t ;t h e d e p t hs h o u l db e
e a c hI o c a t i o n
s l i g h t l ym o r et h a no n e - h a ltfh e l e n g t ho f
t h e d o w e l sU
. s et h e s a m et e c h n i q uteo
b o r et h e d o w e lh o l e sa t t h e o p p o s i t e n d
o f t h e r a i la n di n t h e o t h e r a i l s .

135

LEGS

r) Pinpointing
mating
dowelholes
L lnsertdowelcenters
in the holes.
Thenalignthetopof therailwiththetop
of the leg(right),
andswingtherailupso
thatrtsoutside
faceisflushwiththeedge
o f t h e l e g .T a pt h eo t h e er n do f t h er a i l
witha wooden
mallet.
Thepointed
endsof
thedowelcenters
willpunchimpressions
pointsfor
on the leg,providing
starting
b o r i n tgh em a t i n g
d o w ehl o l e sR. e p e a t
fortheotherrailsandlegs.

Boring
themating
dowelholes
andgluing
up
B o r et h e h o l e si n t h e l e gt o t h e s a m e
depthas thosein the rail (page135).
l f y o ua r ed r i l l i n gi n t oa t a p e r e dl e go n
a drrllpress,be sureto keepthe square
p a r to f t h e l e gf l a t o n t h e m a c h i n e ' s
t a b l e .S p r e a a
d l i t t l eg l u eo n t h e s u r f a c e so f t h e l e ga n d r a i lt h a tw i l l c o m e
i n t oc o n t a cw
t i t he a c ho t h e r t, h e nd a b
a smallamountof adhesive
in the boftom
o f t h ed o w e lh o l e sw i t h a p e n c i tl i p .
A v o i ds p r e a d i nggl u ed i r e c t l yo n t h e
d o w e l st;h e ya b s o r bm o r s t u rqeu i c k l y
a n dw i l l s w e l l m
, a k i n gt h e md i f fi c u l t
t o f i t i n t ot h e h o l e s I. n s e r t h e d o w e l s
i n t o t h e l e g s t, h e nt a p t h e m i n t op o s i t i o nw i t h a h a m m e rR
. e m e m b enro tt o
p o u n do n t h e d o w e l sw, h i c hc a nc a u s e
t h e l e gt o s p l i t .F i tt h e r a i lo n t ot h e l e g ,
t h e nc l o s eu p t h e j o i n tw i t h t h e s a m e
c l a m p r n sge t u pu s e df o r t h e m o r t r s e and-tenonlotnt(pageJ35l. Glueup the
o t h e rl e g sa n d r a i l st h e s a m ew a y .

r36

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LEGS

LEGHARDWARE
C()MMERCIAL
therails
1T Preparing
'

I I n s t a lcl o m m e r c i ahla r d w a rteo a t t a c hr a i l st o a l e gf o l s .o rt h e t y p es h o w n

l o w i n gt h e m a n u f a c t u r e ri n' ss t r u c t i o nF
i n t h i s s e c t i o n( p a g e1 3 & , t e s ta s s e m b lteh e l e g ,t h e r a i l s
of theplate
a n dt h e m o u n t i n gp l a t e t, h e nm a r kt h e l o c a t i o n
flangeo
s n t h e r a i l sT
. o c u t t h e s l o t sf o r t h e f l a n g e sa, l i g n
e a c hm a r kw i i ht h e b l a d et,h e nb u t tt h e r i p f e n c ea g a i n stth e
r a i l .S e tt h e b l a d eh e i g ht o t h e l e n g i ho f t h e f l a n g e sa, d d i n g
t / r ci n c hf o r c l e a r a n c eF.e e dt h e r a i l i n t ot h e b l a d ew i t ht h e
mitergauge(/eff).(Caution:Bladeguardremovedfor clarity.)
R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rr a i l .S l i pt h e f l a n g e si n t ot h e i rs l o t sa n d
m a r kt h e s c r e wh o l e so n t h e s t o c k .B o r ep i l o th o l e sa t e a c h
p o i n ta n dt h e ns c r e wt h e m o u n t i n gp l a t et o t h e r a i l s .

r) Preparing
the leg
L Fust,cut a notchout of the legfor the
. t a n dt h e l e gu p a n dh o l d
mountinp
g l a t eS
t h e r a i l - a n d - p l aat ses e m b loyn t o p o f i t ,
aligning
t h e e n d so f t h e r a i l sw i t h a d j a c e n ts i d e so f t h e l e g .M a r ka d i a g o n al il n e
a c r o s st h e t o p o f t h e l e ga l o n gt h e m o u n t i n g p l a t e .N e x t ,a l i g nt h e t o p o f t h e p l a t e
w i t h t h e t o p o f t h e l e ga n d m a r ka l i n e
a l o n gt h e b o t t o me d g eo f t h e p l a t ea c r o s s
r f t h e l e ga d d i n g r / r "
t h e i n s i d ec o r n e o
i n c hf o r c l e a r a n c eT.o c u t t h e n o t c h s, e t
t h e l e go n a b a n ds a wt a b l ea n dt r l t t h e
t a b l et o a l i g nt h e b l a d ew i t ht h e d i a g o n a l
l i n e .B u t t a b o a r da g a i n stth e l e ga n d
. eed
c l a m pi t t o t h e t a b l ea s a r i p f e n c e F
t h e l e g i n t ot h e b l a d et o m a k et h e c u t ,
t h e nc l a m pa s t o pb l o c ki n p l a c et o h e l p
with repeatcuts (righil.Completethe notch
u s i n ga h a n d s a wT.e s t - a s s e m bt hl ee l e g
s s e m b layg a i na n d
a n d r a i l - a n d - p l aat e
m a r kt h e h o l eo n t h e s t o c kf o r t h e h a n g e r
b o l tp r o v i d e dF.i t y o u rd r i l l p r e s sw i t ha
b r a d - p o i nbti t a n d b o r ea c l e a r a n cheo l e
f o r t h e b o l tu s i n ga s h o p - m a dVe- b l o c k
ltg (inseil.

r37

LEGS

Fastening
thelegto therails
Insert
thescrew-thread
endof the
h a n g ebro l ti n t ot h ec l e a r a n cheo l ei n
theleg.Unlike
otherfasteners,
a hanger
bolthastwotypesof threads:
screw
t h r e a dast o n ee n da n db o l t h r e a dast
t h eo t h e ri;t a l s oh a sn o h e a dS
. crew
nutsontotheboltlhread
endandtightenthemagainst
eachotherwitha wrench,
formrng
a temporary
headonthebolt.
Tighten
theboltwithoneof thewrenches
to drivethescrewthreads
completely
intotheleg,thenunscrew
thenutsfrom
thebolt.Sliptherail-and-plate
assembly
overtheboltandscrew
a nuton it, makingsurethattheflanges
arein theirslots.
Keeping
thetopof therailsflushwiththe
topof the leg,tightenthe nut (left).

SHOP-MADE
LEGHARDWARE
thecorner
block
1 Cutting
I Toattach
therailsto a legusingshopmadehardware,
firstmakea corner
block.Rip
a pieceof woodnarrow
enough
to drivea hanger boltthrough
it intotheleg.Thenmake45'
mitercutsat bothends.Next,cutgrooves
for
s p l i n ew
s ,h i c hw i l lh e l pj o i nt h eb l o c tko t h e
rails.Install
a dadoheadonyourtablesawwith
a widthandcuttingheight
equalto one-third
thethickness
of therails.Screw
a board
to the
mitergauge
asanextension,
thenalignthemidpointof oneendof theblockwiththeblades.
C l a m pt h e b l o c kt o t h ee x t e n s i oBn u. t ta
wastepiecefromthemitercutsagainst
the
workpiece
to serve
asa stopblockandclamp
it to theextension.
Feedthestockintothe
blades,
thenturnit overandcutthegroove
in the otherend(right).
Test-fitthe block
a g a i n st h
t er a i l st,h e nm a r ka n dc u tt h e
grooves.
Next,cuta splrne
foreachgroove.
Plane
thesplines
carefully
to makesurethat
t h e yf i t p r e c i s eilny t h e m a t c h i nggr o o v e s ,
remembering
to cutthem%eshortto allow
forclearance.
Formaximum
strength,
make
surethatthegrainof thesplrnes
runsacross
theirwidth,rather
thanalong
theirlength.

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l38

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LEGS

r) Boring
pilotandclearance
holes
(- lnsLall
bit onyourdrill
a brad-point
pressandmarkthecenterof the long
bolt.Secure
edgeoftheblockfora hanger
andclamp
in
a
handscrew
theworkpiece
p
l
a
c
e
w
i
t
h
t
h
ec e n t e r
it in
a ss h o w n ,
thehole.
with
bit.
Then
bore
aligned the
side
of the
holes
on
each
Next,marktwo
(right),
pilot
holes
hole
and
drill
clearance
repositioning
theblockin thehandscrew
as necessary.

thelegto therails
Q Fastening
blockto therails:
r-J First,fasten
thecorner
in theblockand
somegluein thegrooves
Spread
in the
intothegrooves
therails,thenfit thesplines
b l o c kP. r e stsh eb l o c ku p a g a i n st ht er a i l st o f i t
t h es p l i n ersn t ot h er a i l sT. h e nk, e e p i nt gh er a i l s
theblock,screwtheblockto the
snugly
against
thelegasyouwouldforcomrails(lefil.Prepare
(page137),cuttinga notchout
hardware
mercial
a clear'
of thetopforthecornerblockandboring
thelegto the
bolt.Fasten
anceholefora hanger
a washer
railswiththebolt(page138),slipping
Tighten
the
block.
between
thenutandthecorner
together.
nuIbelow)untilthelegandrailsf it snugly

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r39

GLOSSARY
A-B
Ankle: The narrowest part of a cabriole leg, typically about two-fifths as
wide as the widest part of the leg.

Copingbit A router bit that cuts a

decorative molding and a tongue at
the end or edge of a workpiece, allowing the stock to be joined to a board
with a matching groove.

Featherboard: A piece ofwood cut

"felathers"
with fingers or
at one end;
used in conjunction with clamps to
hold a workpiece against the fence or
table of a saw or a router table.

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.

Crossgrain: A lumber defect appearing as an edge-to-edgecurve, produc1n8a concavetace.

Fence: An adjustable guide to keep

the edge of a workpiece a set distance
from the cutting edgeof a tool. Also
called a rip fenceon the table saw.

Batten: A board screwed acrossthe

back ofa board-and-batten door to
provide reinforcement.

Cup: A lumber defectappearingas an

edge-to-edgecurve, producing a concavetace.

Bench dog: A pin that fits into a slot

on a workbench to help keep a workpiece in place.

Cutting gauge: A marking tool featuring a handle, a fence and sharp

cutting edge for scribing a line on a
workpiece parallel to its end or edge.

Biscuit joint Seeplate joint.

D-E

Biscuit A thin oval-shaped wafer of

compressedwood, usually beech,
which fits into slots in mating boards
cut by a plate joiner.
Bow: A defect in lumber characterizedby an end-to-end curve along the
faceofthe stock.
Brad driver: A locking pliers-like tool
designed for driving finishing nails.
Brad-pointbit: A drill bit featuring
a sharpened centerpoint and two cutting spurs; produces cleaner holes
than a twist bit.

C
Cabriole leg: A type of furniture leg
characterizedby roundedcontours
designedto imitate the gracefulleg
of a leapinganimal.
Cheek In a mortise-and-tenon
ioint,
the part ofthe tenonperpendicular
to the shoulder.
Carcase:A pieceof furniture with a
box-likeconstruction;madefrom
solidpanels.

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 interlocks with a groove in the other; also
known as a concealeddado-andtongue joint.
Dowel center: A metal cylinder that
is inserted into a dowel hole to pinpoint a matching hole in a mating
worKprece.
Edge banding: Decorative veneer
glued to the exposed edgesofa plywood panel in a piece of furniture.
Edge gluing: Bonding severalboards
together edge-to-edgeto form a panel.
End grain: The arrangement and
direction of the wood fibers running
acrossthe width of a workpiece when
viewed from the ends.

F
Facegluing:Similarto edgegluing,
except that boards are bonded
together face-to-face.

Forstner bit: A drill bit with a razor

rim and cutters for boring perfectly
flat-bottomed holes.
Frame: An assemblyof horizontal
rails and vertical stiles: used to form
a door or one side of a frame-andpanel piece of furniture.

G-H-I
Glass-stop molding: Decorative
strips of wood used to hold a pane of
glassin place in a door.
Grain: The arrangement and direction 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-andtenon, 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 tendencyof a workpieceto be thrown backin the direction of the sawoperatorby a moving
bladeor cutter on a woodworking
machineor tool.
Ledgerstrip: A short,narrowpiece
of wood usedto supportthe top and
bottom of a pieceof furniture.
Legblank A solid pieceof wood
madeof severalthinner boardsfacegluedtogether;usedasthe basisofa
furniture leg.
M-N
Miter gauge:A devicethat slidesin a
slot on a sawor router table,providing support for the stockasit moves
pastthebladeor bit.
Molding: Decorativestripsof wood
that canbe carvedon a router or
tablesaw.
Mortise: A rectangularhole cut into a
pieceof wood.
Mortise-and-tenonjoinfi A joinery
techniquein which a projecting
tenon on one board fits into a mortiseon another.
Mullion: A verticalmemberbetween
the stilesof a frame;alsocalled
muntin.
O-P-R
Ogeebit A decorativerouter bit or
stationarysawmolding headcutter
that producesan S-shapedprofile.
Platejoint A method ofjoining
wood in which biscuitsof wood fit
into slotscut in mating boards.
Pockethole: An angledholebored
into the faceof a workpieceand exiting from its top edge.

Pushblock or stick A deviceusedto

feeda workpieceinto a blade,cutter
or bit to protectthe operator'sfingers.

Stile: A verticalmemberof a frameand-panelassembly.

Stile cutter: Seestickingbit.

Rabbetjoint A method ofjoining

wood in which the end or edgeof one
workoiecefits into a channelcut
alongthe edgeor endofanother
workpiece.
Rail A horizontalmemberof a
frame-and-panel
assembly;
also,a
board running acrossthe front opening of a pieceof furniture designed
to supporta drawer.

Stop collar: An electricdrill accessory

that fits around a bit to stop a drilling
operationat a certaindepth.
Tearout:The tendencyofa bladeor
cutter to tearthe fibersof the wood it
is cutting, leavingraggededgeson the
workpiece.
Tenon:A protrusion from the end of
a boardthat fits into a mortise.

Rail cutter: Seecopingbit.

Raisedpanet A pieceof wood that
fits into groovescut into the inside
edgesof a frame-and-panelassembly.
Bevelingthe edgesofthe panelcreatesthe illusion that the middle por"raised".
tion is

S-T-U
Shoulder:In a mortise-and-tenon
joint, the part ofthe tenonperpendicular to the cheek.In a dovetail
joint, the valleysbetweenthe pins
andtails.
Spline A smallpieceof wood that fits
in mating groovesin two workpieces,
reinforcingthe joint betweenthem.
Spokeshave:
A plane-likehand tool
with an adjustablecutter for shaping
curvedsurfaces.

Three-wingslotting cutter: A router

bit designedto cut a groove.
Through dovetailjoint: A method of
joining wood at cornersby meansof
interlockingpins and tails;the name
derivesfrom the distinctiveshapecut
into the endsof joining boards.
Tongue In a tongue-and-groove
or
joint,a protrusion
cope-and-stick
from the edgeor end ofone board
that fits into the groovein another.
Twin tenon: Two tenonsat the end
of a board that fit into two side-bysidemortises.
TWist:A lumber defectcharacterized
by unevenor irregularwarping.

V-W-X-Y-Z

gluethat is
Squeezeout The excess
forcedfrom a gluejoint when clamping pressureis applied.

VeneeredpanehA panelwith a thin

layerof decorativewood laid onto
or overit.

Stickingbit A router bit that cutsa

decorativemolding and a grooveat
the end or edgeof a workpiece,allowing the stockto bejoinedto a board
with a matchingtongue.

Wood button: A small,squareshapedblock with a rabbetat one

end that fits into a groove;usedto
securethe top of a pieceof furniture.

r4l

INDEX
Pagereferences
in italicsindicate
an illustrationof subjectmatter.
Pagereferencesin bold indicate
a Build It Yourselfproject.

A-B
Adhesives,
backendpaper
Bar clamps,y'ont endpaper
belt sanoers.-t5,5,/
Beveledpanels,'
5j-54, 55,56
Biscuitjoints.SeePlatejoints
Blind nailers:
ShopTip, 34
Board-and-batten
doors,102,108,110
Build It Yourself:
Carcaseconstruction
carcase-squaring
blocks,33
glue racks,24
Drawers
dado-routingjigs for drawer
supports,89
Frame-and-oanel
construction
jigs for culting raisedpanels,55
pocketholejigs,68
Burns,Michael,8-9
Butt hinges,115,117
Buttons(rabbetedblocks),47,64-65

C
Cabinetmaker'sclamps,/ront endpaper
Cabinets.SeeCarcases;
Frame-and-panel
construction
Cabriolelegs,121,122,124-127
Copying the designof a cabrioleleg
(ShopTip), 125
Sandinga cabrioleleg (ShopTip), 127
17,18-19
Carcases,
Assembly,3l-32, 35,37,43
Backpanels,38
Carcase-squaring
blocks,33
for square
Checkinga carcase
(ShopTip), 33
Toinerv
dovetailjoints,17,19,27-32
platejoints, 16,17, 19,36-37
rabbetjoints, 19,34-35
SeealsoEdgebanding;Edge-glued
boards;Shelves
C clamps,front endpaper
Clamping:
Carcases,
32,35,37,43
for square
checkinga carcase
(ShopTip), 33
Doors,107,109,114
Drawers,86,98
Edge-gluedboards,22
preventing
clampstains
(ShopTip), 23
Frame-and-panel
construction,45,
58,59
Glue racks,24
Moldings, T0-71
an alternativemethod for clamping
on moldings(ShopTip), 71

Springboards
for clampingedge
banding(ShopTip), 40
Clamps,front endpaper
SeealsoClamping
hinges,115,118-119
Clock-case
dadoand tonguejoints, 26,
Concealed
78-79
joints,44,46, 48,5l- 52
Cope-and-stick
Craftsmanship,
6-11
SeealsoHand-crafting
I4
Crosscutting,

Dadojoints:
Drawers,
75,76,78-79
Dado-routingjigs,89
Decorativetechniques:
lnlays,120,131-132
Moldings
aoofs. Lu/

legs,izs, i2g,t3t,132
shelves,63
Depthgauges:
Insertingdowelswith a depth gauge
.(ShopTip), 26
Doors,101
Board-and-batten,
102,108,110
Decorativemoldings,107
Frame-and-panel,
101,102,104-107
Glass,l0l, 103,1 11-112
H i n g e s1, 0 1 , 1 1 5 - 1 1 9
Mounting,103,115-119
Tongue-and-groove,
102,108- 109
preventingsandingscratches
(ShopTip), 109
Veneered-panel,
10i, 113-114
Doubledadojoints,76,78-79
Double-sidedclamps,front endpaper
Dovetailjoints:
17, 19,27-32
Carcases,
Drawers,75,76,8U84
Hand-cut,27-32,82-84
dealingwith a defectivedovetail
(ShopTip), 32
Doweljoints, 123,135-136
Dowels:
Edge-gluedboards,25-26
insertingdowelswith a depth gauge
(ShopTip),26
Drawers,17, 72,73,74-75
Assemblv.85 -86
Bottompanels,73,74, 85-86
Falsefronts,74,97-98
Fitting, 91,94
Flushfronts, 74
Jolnery, / J, /J, /O

dadojoints,75,76,78-79
dovetailioints,75,76,80 -84
rabbetjoints,75,76,77
Lipped fronts,74, 87
Mounting,86
bottom-run,75,90-91
positioningjig for sliderunners
(ShopTip), e3

g, 75,87-88,89,92
side-mountin
sliderunners,73,75,87,93
slides,73,74,75
Pullsand handles,97,99
singlepulls for drawersalready
built (ShopTip), 98
Repair
fixing a boweddrawerside
(ShopTip), el
fixing a loosedrawerbottom
(ShopTip), 86
Stops,95-96
Drill presses:
Poiket holejigs,68

E-F
Edgebanding,19,39-40
Springboards
for clampingedge
banding(ShopTip), 40
Edge-gluedboards,20-26
Clamping,22
glueracks,24
preventingclampstains
(ShopTip), 23
Dowels,25-26
insertingdowelswith a depth gauge
(ShopTip), 26
Sanding,l5
Two waysto spreadglue
( S h o pT i p ) , 2 1
European
cabinethinges,115-116
Face-gluing,121
Frame-and-panel
construction, 45,
46-47,53
Assemblv.52-59
Cabinets
alternativemethod for clampingon
moldings(ShopTip), 7l
bottom panels,47,60
drawers,92,96
moldings,47,69-71
shelves,
47,61-63
top panels,64-67,68
joints,44,46,48,
Cope-and-stick
51-52
Doors,l0l, 102,104-107
joints,
Haunchedmortise-and-tenon
46,47,48-s0
Raisedpanels,5i- 54, 55,56

G
Glassdoors,101,103,111-112
Glossarv.
140-14l
Glue racks.24
Glues,backendpaper
Gluing:
Carcases,
32,35,37,43
carcase-squaring
blocks,33
Doors,107,109,114
Drawers,86,98
Edge-glued
boards,21-23,24
preventingclampstains
(ShopTip), 23
spreadingglue(ShopTip), 21

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Face-gluing,l2l
Frame-and-panel construction, 58,
59, 107

Half-blinddovetailjoints, 75,76,82-84
Hand-crafting:
Dovetailjoint s,27-32,82-84
joints, 133-135
Mortise-and-tenon
Handscrews,
front endpaper
Hardware:
D o o r s ,l 0 l , 1 1 5 - 1 1 9
Drawers,74
pulls and handles,97, 99
pullsfor drawersalreadybuilt
(ShopTip), 98
sliderunners,73,75,87,93
Legs,121,122,123,137-139
Metal top fasteners,
64
joints,
Haunchedmortise-and-tenon
46,47,48-50
Hinges,107,115-119

Lipped rabbetjoints, 76, 77

Lumber.SeeWood

M.N-O
Miter gauges,14,52
Moldings:
Frame-and-panel
construction,47,
69-71
, 11-112
G l a sd
s o o r s ,1 0 1 1
SeealsoDecorativetechniques:
moldings
Moore,Terry,10-11
joints:
Mortise-and-tenon
Frame-and-panel
construction, 46,47,
48-50,59
Hand-cut,133-135
L e g s1, 2 2 1, 2 3 , 1 3 3 - 1 3 5
Nails:
Concealment
invisiblenailers(ShopTip), 34
wood plugs,35
Octagonallegs,128,130

I-I-K

P-Q-R

Ingersoll,Ian,6-7
Inlays:
Legs,120,131-132
Invisiblenailers:
ShopTip, 34
figs:
Drawersliderunners
positioningjigs for sliderunners
(ShopTip), 93
Drill presses
pocketholejigs,68
Routers
dado-routingjigs for drawer
supports,89
Shelf-drillingjigs,4l
Tablesaws
raisedpanels,55
foinery:
P l y w o o d1, 7 ,1 8 - 1 9l,1 3
SeealsoDadojoints;Dovetail
joints;Mortise-and-tenon
joints;
Platejoints;Rabbetjoints
lointing,l3

Panels:
Carcases,
l8
Frame-and-panel
construction,45,
46,53
raisedpanels,53-54,55,56
Veneered-panel
doors,103,1I 3-I 14
SeealsoEdge-gluedboards
Pipeclamps,/ront endpaper
Planing,13
Platejoiners,l6
Platejoints, 16,17, 19,36-37
Veneered-panel
doors,103,I13, 114
Plywood:
Edgebanding,39-40
J o i n e r y1, 7 ,1 8 - 1 91, 1 3
Veneered-panel
doors, 103,1 13-114
Pocketholes,64, 66-67,68
Powertools:
Beltsanders,15,57
Drill presses:
Pocketholejigs,68
Platejoiners,
l6
Safetyprecautions,
front endpaper
SeealsoRouters;Tablesaws
Pullsand handles,97, 99
Singlepulls for drawersalreadybuilt
(ShopTip), 98
Quick-action clamps,front endpaper
Rabbetjoints:
Carcases,
19,34-35
Drawers,
75,76,77
Rip fences,.14
Ripping,14
Routers:
Dado-routingjigs for drawersupports,89
Dovetailjoints,80-81
Raisedpanels,56
Shop-builtmiter gauges
(ShopTip), 52

L
Ledgerstrips,47, 60, 64, 67
Legs,l2l
Cabriolelegs,121,122,124-127
copyingthe designofa cabrioleleg
(ShopTip), 125
sandinga cabrioleleg
(ShopTip), 122
Decoration,
128
inlays,120,131-132
moldings,128,129,l3l
Detachable
legs,12l, 122,123,
137-139
Joinery,I2l, 122,123,133-139
Octagonal,128,130
Tapered,128-129

r43

S
Safetyprecautions,
front endpaper
Sanding,15
Cabriolelegs(ShopTip), 127
Frame-and-panel
construction,57
Preventingsandingscratches
(ShopTip), 109
Screws:
Concealment
invisiblenailers(ShopTip), 3a
wood plugs,35
Shelf-drillingjigs,4J
18-19,41-43
Shelves,
Adjustable,41- 42, 6I - 63
Edgebanding,39-40
Frame-and-panel
cabinets,6l-63
ShopTips:
Carcase
construction,21,23,26,32,
33,34,40
Doors,109
Drawers,
86,91,93,98
Frame-and-panel
construction,52, 71
Legs,125,127
Sliderunners,73,75, 87,93
Springclamps,front endpaper
Squareconstruction:
checking,33, 59
Surface-mount
hinges,115,119

T-U-V-W
Tablesaws,14
Raisedpanels,53-54,55
Taperedlegs,128-129
Through dovetail joints,27-32, 75,76,
80-81
Tongue-and-groove
doors,102,108-109
Preventingsandingscratches
(ShopTip), 109
Tools:
Cl,amp
s,fr ont endpaper
Safetyprecautions,
front endpaper
SeealsoPowertools
Trigger clamps,front endpaper
Veneered-panel
doors, 103,113-114
Web clamps,/ro nt endpaper
Wood:
Anatomyof aboard,front endpaper
Defects,12
Face-gluing,121
Grain
carcases,
17,20
Preparation
ofstock,12, 13-15
Selection,l2
carcases,
20
legs,121
Shrinkingand swelling,101
T1pes,backendpaper
SeealsoPanels;Plywood
Wood plugs,35

ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
Theeditorswish to thank thefollowing
CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
Ont.; HitachiPowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
CARCASECONSTRUCTION
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
A.G.SwitzerlandiColonial
SawCo.,
Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Steiner-Lamello
NY
Kingston,MA; VeritasToolsInc.,Ottawa,Ont./Ogdensburg,
FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.;
Cable,Guelph,bnt.; FreudiVestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
RichardsEngineeringCo. Ltd., Vancouver,BC; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuck
and Co.,Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc.,Montreal,Que.;StanleyTools,Divisionof the StanleyWorks,New
Britain,CT; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY
DRAWERS
AdjustableClamp Co.,Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; BelwithInternational,GrandRapids,MI;
Ont.;
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; LeighIndustriesLtd., Port Coquitlam,
HafeleCanada,Mississauga,
BC;MohawkFinishingProductsInc.,Amsterdam,NY/Montreal,Que.;SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,
Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Divisionof the StanleyWorks,New Britain,
CT; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY
DOORS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
Ont.;LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.;MohawkFinishingProducts
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
Inc., Amsterdam,NY/Montreal,Que.;RichardsEngineeringCo. Ltd., Vancouver,BC; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,
Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.;StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT;
Steiner-LamelloA.G. Switzerland/ColonialSawCo., Kingston,MA; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton,
NC and Louisville.KY
LEGS
Nf; DeltaInternational
Corp.,Somerdale,
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Anglo-AmericanEnterprises,
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,
Machinery/Porter
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
Co. Ltd.,Vancouver,BC;Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Vermont
Ottawa,Ont.; RichardsEngineering
AmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY
in thepreparatton
Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted
ofthis book:
RenaudBoisjoly,LorraineDor6,GraphorConsultation,
JosdeLaperridre,GrardMariscalchi,
JenniferMeltzer,JamesTh6rien

PICTURECREDITS
Cover PaulMcCarthy/Au Puitsde Lumiire
6,7 PaulRocheleau
8,9RobertHolmes
l0,ll ThomasAmes,Jr.

r44

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WORKSHO
GPU I D E

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()FLUMBER
TYPES
WPE

CHARACTERISTICS

S0FTW00D

Pine

grainr Skong;lowshrinkage
Whiteto paleorred-brown,
withredstreaks;
fineto coarse,
skaight
andwarpage
. Mosttypeseasyto shape;
whendried;lightto heavy
holdsfasteners
wellt Glueandclearfinishbondwell

HARDWOOD

Ash

grain. Strong
qualities;
White
to darkbrown;
coarse,
uneven,
straight
orwavy
withexcellent
bending
heavy
and
hardo Easy
to shape;
holds
fasteners
well. Glueandclear
finishbondwell

Birch

qualities;
Whiteto palebrown;
fine,uneven,
skaight
orwavygrain. Strong
withgoodbending
heavy
andhard
. Easy
o Glueandclear
holds
to shape;
fasteners
well,butoftensplits
whenscrewed
finishbondwell

Cherry

Paleto darkred-brown,
grain. Strong
oftenwithhintsofgreen;
fine,uneven,
straight
orwavy
withmedium
bending
qualities;
moderately
heavy
andhardo Easy
to shape;
holds
fasteners
wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell

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. Strong
grain,oftenwithvivid,flecked
patterns
Mahogany Brown
to darkred-brown;
fine,even,straight
withgoodbending

qualities;
moderately
heavy
andhard. Easy
to shape,
buttendsio scuffwhenplaned;
holdsfasteners
wello Glue
andclearfinishbondwell

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W00D

Maple

. Exceptionally
grain,
White
fine,even,
to palered-brown;
straight
oftenwithbird's
eyeorburlpatterns
strong
with
goodbending
qualities;
heavy
andhardo Easy
to shape;
holds
fasteners
wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell

0ak

grain. Strong
qualities;
Palegrayto red-brown;
coarse,
even,straight
withgoodbending
heavy
andveryhard
. Hardtoshape;
r Glueandclearfinishbondwell
holds
fasteners
well,butoftensplits
whennailed

Walnut

grain. Exceptionally
Grayto darkbrown,
oftenwithhintsof purple;
coarse,
even
straight
strong
withgoodbending
qualities;
moderately
heavy
andhardo Easy
to shape;
holds
fasteners
wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell

grainwithhighly
Rosewood Darkbrown
to black,oftenwithhintsof darkpurple
orstreaks
of orange;
coarse,
uneven
figured
o Exceptionally
patterns
qualities;
strong
withgoodbending
heavy,
hardandveryoilyr 11ur6
to shape,
tending
to
dullblades;
holds
fasteners
well. Gluebonds
well;usually
finished
withpenetrating
oil

Teak

grain! Strong
lVledium
qualities;
to darkbrown,
oftenwithhintsofyellow;
coarse,
even,
straight
withgoodbending
heavy,
veryhardandoilyo 53.ttoshape,
buttends
to dullblades
andsuffer
burnmarks
frompower
tools;
holds
fasteners
well. Gluebonds
well;usually
finished
withpenetrating
oil

o 61u.bonds
poorly
MANUFACTURED
HardboardBrittle;
fairlyheavy
andhardo Easy
tocut,buttends
holds
to shred;
fasteners
well
PANELS
Plywood Strong;
heavy
andfairlyhardr Easy
tocut;holds
fasteners
wello Gluebonds
well
ADHESIVES
CABINETMAKING
TYPE

CHARACTERISTICS

usEs

White
glue

. Skongbonding;
Polyvinyl-acetate-based;
nottoxicorf lammable
working
time3 to 5 minutes
r Setting
o Dries
timeabout
30 to 45 minutes;
cures
fullyin 24Io72 hours
clear
andcolorless
o Doesnotsandaswellasyellow
glue

General
woodworking

Yellow
glue

o Better
grabthanwhiteglue;
Aliphatic
resin-based;
nottoxicorflammable
wettackforfaster
. Setting
working
time3 to 5 minutes
timeabout
30 to 45 minutes;
fullyin 24Io72 hours
cures
. Dries
(faded
yellow);
properties
opaque
moreheatresistant
forbetter
sanding
thanwhiteglue

General
woodworking

. Drying
o Afterdrying,
Contact Solvent-based;
maybetoxicandflammable
time10to 20 minutes
instant
. Non{oxic
cement bondoncontact;
curesfullyin 72 hours
water-based
contact
cements
alsoavailable,
properties
withsimilarbonding
butslower
drying;
water-based
maycause
thinveneers
to warp
Epoxy
glue

Bonding
dissimilar
materials
suchasplastic
laminate
and
veneers
to woodandplywood

priorto use;notflammable
Resin
andhardener
typically
mixed
together
butmaybetoxic. Strong, Bonding
acidic
woods
suchas
(depending
waterproof
bonding;
working
time5 minutes
to 2 hours
ontype). Setting
time5
oakandmahogany;
other
exotic
(depending
minutes
to 2 hours
ontype);
cures
fullyin 24 hours
woods
difficult
toglue

. Strong
Hideglue Protein-based,
available
ingranular
orliquidform;nottoxicorflammable
bonding;
workingCabinet
construction,
antique
r Setting
o Sandable
time3 to 5 minutes
timet hour;
fullyin 24 hours
cures
anddriesa darkcolor restoration
andveneering
r Notwater-resistant:
gluebondcanbesoftened
withwaterfordisassembly
Casein
glue

o Average
Milk-based,
available
in powdered
form;nonflammable
bonding;
working
time
o Setting
o Highresistance
15to 20 minutes
time15to 20 minutes;
cures
in8 to 12 hours
to
water
anddriesanopaque
color;
sands
well,butstains
acidic
woods

0ilywoods
thatbondpoorly
with
(teak,
glues
yewand
other
lemonwood);
laminating