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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP
 GP
WORKSHO UIDE
I
TIPS
SAFETY I
POWER
TOOLS . Concentrate on ihe job;do notrush. r f)n nnl fnrro r lnnl tni rpmnvino losq
Never workwhenyouaretired,stressed or mater
ial.or sharpen
thecuttingedge, I
r Wearappropriate safetygear:safety h a v eb e e nd r r n k i nagl c o h oo r u s i n g
glasses. a 'aceshieldfor extraprotect on. 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 . . KeepLheedgesof cuttingtoolssharp.
I
andhearing protectors or earplugs.lf
thereis ro dustcolecton system. wea'a . Keepyourworkareacleanandtidy;
dustmask.Forexoticwoodssuchas
ebony,usea respirator; thesawdust may andwoodscraps
andsawdust
cluttercanleadto accidents,
canbea firehazard, ANATOMY
OFA BOARD
t
causean allergic
g l o v ew
reaction. Wearwork
s h e nh a n d l i nrgo u g hl u m b e r . HAND
TOOLS t
. Donotusea toolif anypartof it is worn
or 0amageo.
. Usetl-eappropriatetool'or thejob:do
nottryto makea tooldo something for
t
whichit wasnotdesigned.
. Keepyourhandswe I awayfroma
turning
b l a d eo r b i t . . Clampdowna workpiece to f reeboth
I
o l)rano lho nn'ror eord, nf a nnrr:hlc lnnl
handsfor an operation.
t
overyourshouderto prevent
it from . Cutawayfromyourself
ratherthan
gettingin thewayandbe ngdamaged. towardyourbody. I

CLAMPS
CABINETMAKING

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
Quick- u 2 t C 4 n c l , e " ' a' .o r n e
action mode". have? aglic t.t?.
ctam? Lc,tprolecL atock.
h60 Knowa n5
cabineLmaker.e
W e bc l a m p c a m ? :t y ? c a y Double-sided clamp
Aleoknovrn a e b a n dc l a m po r i a e a 2 / l h r o a l A e p L ha n b , ane Eil,eof clanp eecured
"votNorLeurfaceanA cLher
e L r a pc l a r n p : l y p i c a l ya v a ia b l e a 4 - i n c he 2 a n ,b u La a o a v a ia b l e
with eLra2 15 feeL.tn lenqLh.For t n I a r q e re i z e e . eiAetr: etr:ck; fealuree a
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*? -o
reachof tp to 5a inchea
d e p e n A i naqn t h e r Y o d ,.e
I
f o u r c h a i r ) e q ea L o n c e .
I
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
I
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
with deepLhroaLelor
e x l e n d , ecd a m 2 i n qr e a c h t
lo beineLallea dnd
removeAvtiLhone
h a n d .T a d A e dl a w e 6ar clamp
I
C amge uVtu A fuel
proLecLetock,
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
t
a r e2 4 , 3 6 a n d
48 nchea.
I
? i p eo l a m p
Handecrew
f, ao Kncwnaa acrew SuiLable for I
c l a m p .C o m e et n c l a m ? r n qa n I e r
v a r i o l s e i z e ew i " v h 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
I
jawethaL can o?en
. o . / . _- c r _ a r a 1 f i , -
u p l o 1 6 i n c h e ew i d e , ? ?",
p i g e e n q t hc a n b ec u . L o r n t z e a t
t o f i l a p a r L i c ua r . ? a n ,
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THEARTOFWOODWORKING
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 THE ART OF WOODWORKING

CABINEMKING

BOOKS
TIME-LIFE
ALEXANDRIA.VIRGINIA
ST.REMYPRESS
NEWYORK
MONTREAL.
 I
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING wasproduced by
I
THECONSUXTANTS
ST.REMYPRESS
I
Mark Duginske,a cabinetmakerwho lives
PUBLISHER KennethWinchester
PRXSIDENT PierreLdveill6
in Wausau,Wisconsin, is a contributing
editor to F in e Woodworking magazine t
and the author ofseveralbooks on woodwork-
SeriesEditor PierreHome-Douglas ing power tools. I
SeriesArt Director FrancineLemieux
Marc Cassini(Text) Leonard Leeis the presidentofVeritas Tools
SeniorEditors
HeatherMills (Research) and LeeValleyTooli, manufacturersand retail-
ersof fine woodworkinghand tools. He is also
I
Art Directors Normand Boudreault,SolangeLaberge
the publisherand executiveeditor of Woodcuts,
Research
Designer Luc Germain
Editor TimMcRae a magazinethat focuseson the history and I
PictureEditor ChristopherJackson techniquesof woodworking.
Writers TamsinM. Douglas,Andrew fones
GilesMiller-Mead hastaught advancedcabi-
I
ContributingWriter StephenHart
netmakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor
Cont r ibuting IIlustrators RonaldDurepos,RobertPaquet,
Studio La Perludteinc.
more than ten years.A nativeof New Zealand, I
Administrator NatalieWatanabe he previouslyworked asa restorerofantique
ProductionManager MichelleTurbide
SystemCoordinator fean-LucRoy
furniture.
t
Photographer RobertChartier fosephTruini is SeniorEditor ofFlome
Index ChristineM. Jacobs Mechanixmagazine. A former Shopand Tools
Edrtor of PopularMechanics,he hasworked as
I
Proofreader Iudith Yelon
a cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor
and carpenter. t
Time-Life Booksis a division of Time-Life Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY
I
Cabinetmaking
p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)
Includesindex.
t
TIME-LIFEBOOKS ISBN0-8094-9904-5. (trade)
President Mary N. Davis
ISBN0-8094-9905-3
l. Cabinetwork.
(lib) I
Publisher RobertH. Smith
L Time- Life Books. II. Series
ManagingEditor
Directorof Editorial Resources
ThomasH. Flaherty
EliseD. Ritter-Clough
TTt97.C2r2 1992 I
684'.04-dc20 92-11188
AssociatePublisher Trevor Lunn
CIP l
MarketingDirector ReginaHall
Editorial Director
ConsultingEditor
Donia Ann Steele
Bob Doyle
For information about any Time-Life book, I
pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write:
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Time-Life CustomerService
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P.O.Box C-32068
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@ 1992Time-LifeBooksInc, I
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproducedin
any form or by any electronicor mechanical
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means,including information storageand
retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior
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t
that brief passages may be quoted for reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A. I
Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada.

TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time Warner I

Inc. U.S.A.
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 CONTENTS

6 INTRODUCTION r00 DooRS

I02 Anatomy of a door
12 CABINETMAKING 104 Frame-and-panel doors
TECHNIQUES 108 Solid-paneldoors
111 Glassdoors
16 CARCASECONSTRUCTION 113 Veneered-panel doors
18 Anatomyof a carcase 115 Hanginga door
20 Making wide panels
27 Carcasejoinery I2O LEGS
39 Edgebanding L22 Anatomy of a cabrioleleg
4L Shelving L24 Cabriolelegs
I28 Thperedand octagonallegs
44 FRAME-AND.PANEL 131 Inlaysand detailing
CONSTRUCTION I33 Legjoinery
46 Anatomy of a frame-and-panel
assemblv I4O GLOSSARY
48 Making the frame
53 Making the panel I42 INDEX
57 Puttinqthe panelin the frame
59 Assemblinga frame-and-panel IM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
case
60 Installinga bottom panel
6 T Shelving
64 Installinga top
69 Installingmolding

72 DRAWERS
74 Anatomy of a drawer
76 Drawerjoinery
85 Assemblinga drawer
87 Mounting a drawer
95 Drawerstops
97 Falsefronts and hardware
 INTRODUCTION

Ian Ingersollon building a

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

lan Ingersollownsa cabinetmaking

shopin WestCornwall,Connecticut,
specializingin Shakerfurniture.
 INTRODUCTION

MichaelBurnstalksabout

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

MichaelBurnsteaches cabinetmak-
ing at College
of theRedwoodsin
FortBragg,Califurnia.
 INTRODUCTION

Terry Moore andhis

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

OriginallyfromWales,TerryMoore
and buildsfinefurniture in
designs
Newport, NewHampshire..
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CABINETMAKINGTECHNIOUES I
-l- h. first stepin anycabinetmaking roughlythe sameway.The procedures it parallel
to thefirst.Nowyouareready I
I. projectisto selectandprepareyour illustratedon pagesl3 to 15coverthe to rip yourstockto widthandcrosscut
stock.As shownbelow not all thewood basictechniques. For rough,or unsur- it to length.
Fordressed, or surfaced
lum- t
at a lumberyardis freeof defects,
so it facedlumbet first passone faceacross ber,youonlyhavetojointoneedge, then
is importantto chooseboardscarefully. the jointer,then one edge,producing rip andcrosscut. Before gluingupapiece t
Whetheryou arebuildingan armoire two surfaces that areat 90oto eachoth- of furniture,besureto sandanysurfaces
or a toy box, most stockis readiedin er.Next,planethe secondface,making thatwill bedifficultto reachafterwards. I
I
CHO()SING
LUMBER
I
COMMON
WOOD
DEFECTS I
Cheak
Knot,
A dark whorlaurcoundedby new 9plito acroae qrowDh I
qrowth ringe; may fall out, affect- ringa, affectinq
inq appearance.Avoid eawing apPearance I
through thia defect.
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Pitah
Kesinaccumulationon
aurface; can affect
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Twiat Crook
Unevenor irceqularwarping;
makea board unatable and
End-to-endcurve I
alon4 edge
prone to further warpinq
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Selectingstockforcabinetmaking
Woodisavarlable in twobroadcategories:
hardwoodandsoftwood. Quarter-sawed,
or edge-grained
lumberhasa toughsurface and I
Although thetermsarebotanical ratherthandescriptive,
hard- isgenerally
stable; plain-sawed,
orflat-grained
lumber,although
woods, suchasmahogany andcherry,arepreferable formost is moreprone
lessexpensive, to warping andshrinking.Whatever I
cabinetmaking projectsbecause theyare,in fact,generally you
typeof wood buy,choose kiln-driedlumber,andwatchout
harder. Before
buying lumber,examine it carefully.
Check its fordefects.
Someof thoseshownabove onlyaffectappearance, I
andgrainpatterns,
color,texture andselectstockthatyoufind butotherscanmakethewooddifficultto cut,jointor plane.
visuallyappealing.Lumber is usually
milledin oneof twoways: Youcanavoiddefects bybuying"select"lumber whenpossible. I
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I CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES

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I JOINTING
A BOARD
I Maintaining proper pressure
ontheoutfeed table
I Formostoperations, seta cuttingdepth
between Vaandlruinch.Tojointa board
I edge,feedthestockslowlyintothecut-
terhead, pressing itsfaceagainst thefence
I whilekeeping theedgef latonthejointer
tables.Besureto feedtheworkpiece so
I t h ek n i v eas 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
I righthandapproaches theoutfeed table.
Thenreverse the position of yourhands
I without stopping thecut.Gradually slide
yourleft handtowardthe backof the
I workpiece, maintai ningpressure against
thefence(/eff).Shiftyourrighthand
I fartherbackon thestockto maintain
justto theoutfeed
downward pressure
I sideof theknives. Continue thesehand-
over-hand movements untiltheoassis
I completed. Tojointthefaceof a board,
followthesameprocedures, usingpush
t blocksto feedthestock.

I
I PLANING
STOCK
I Feeding theworkpiece intothecutterhead
Seta cutting depthupto %einch.Stand
I 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
I 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
I machine gripsthe boardandbegins
pullingit across thecutterhead, support
I itstrailing endto keepit flatonthetable
(left).Thenmoveto theoutfeedsideof
t theplaner. Support theworkpiece with
bothhandsuntilit clearsthe outfeed
I roller.To prevent stockf romwarping,
avoidpassing onlyonefaceof a board
I through themachine; instead, planethe
sameamount of woodfrombothsides.
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CABINETMAKINGTECHNIQUES I
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RIPPING
A W()RKPIECE I
Using theripfenceasa guide I
Setthebladeheightaboulr/qinchabove
theworkpiece. Position theripfence forthe I
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 I
withyourlefthandandfeeding withboth
thumbs(/eff).Standto onesideof the I
workpiece andstraddle thefencewith
yourrighthand,making surethatneither I
handis in linewiththeblade. Keeooush-
ingtheboard untilthebladecutsthrough I
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 I
blade, complete thecutwitha pushstick.
(Caution:
for clarity.)
Bladeguardpartially retracted t
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CR()SSCUTTING
STOCK I
Using themitergauge
Withtheworkpiece f lushagainst the
t
mitergauge, alignthecutting markwith I
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 pre-
ventthecut-off piece fromjamming up
t
a g a i n st ht eb l a d ea n dk i c k i n bg a c k I
toward you.Hookthethumbsof both
hands overthemitergauge to holdthe t
stockf irmlyagainst thegauge andf lat
onthetable,thenfeedtheboardinto I
the blade(righil.(Caution: Bladeguard
partiallyretracted for clarity.) I
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Usinga sanding block Using a beltsander
I Clampstopblocks to a worksurface at bothendsof the Usea stopblockto keeptheworkpiece frommoving. Install
workpiece to holdit steady.Fita sanding blockwitha piece a sanding beltanddrape thepower cordoveryourshoulder
I of abrasivepaperandsandthesurface of thestockalong to keepit outof theway.Withthesander parallel
to thewood
thegrain,applying even,moderate pressure (abovd.Use grain, turnit onandslowly lower
it ontothesurface, holding
t long,smooth, overlapping
strokes untilthesurface is smooth. it firmlywithbothhands(above). Movethemachine backand
Repeat paperfora smoother
witha finer-grit finish.To pre- forthwiththesametypeof strokes youwouldusewitha sanding
I ventrounding theedges of theworkpiece, keepthesanding block.Toavoidgouging thesurface,keepthesander flatand
blockflaton itssurface,
andworkupto-but notover-theedge. always moving; do notletthemachine restin sppsnnt
t
I THEBELT
SANDER
ASPTANER
t Smoothing a panel
lf a planer is notavailable to evenout
I thesurface of glued-up panels, usea belt
sander. Thediagrams ontheleftillustrate
I thecorrect sequence of operations. First,
slowlymovethesander backandforth
I across thesurface al a 45'angleto
thewoodgrain(farleft),Besureto coverthe
I entire surface, butdonotletthesanding
drumruncompletely offtheedges of the
I / \ panel; thismayround thecorners. Next,
makea secondoassbackandforth
I diagonally across thegrainin theoppo-
sitedirection (centerlefil. Finally,run
I thetoolalongthewoodgrainto remove
a n ys c r a t c h el esf tb yt h ee a r l i esra n d -
I ing (nearleft).

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t CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE,
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hebasicbox-or arcase-fea- panelsrun in the samedirection.
I tured in this chapterhaslong Sincewoodexpands andcontracts,
beenthe startingpoint of many especially across thegrain,thepan-
I typesof furniture.The earliest elswill expandandcontracttogeth-
examples weresimplecoffers, nailed er at thesamerate,preserving the
I or pegged together,
thatserved dou- structuralintegrityof the box.
ble-dutyaschests or benches. Toduy, Assembling a carcase with thegrain
I thereareseemingly limitlessvaria- ofadjacentpanelsatrightangles to
tionsonthatsamebasicdesign. The eachothervirtuallyensures thatone
I smallest examples of carcase con- of thepanelswill eventually split;
structionfeaturedelicate pieces of Drawers,shelves and aveneered plywood whenwoodis readyto move,it is
t highlyfigured,exoticwoods,such backpanel transforma typicalcarcase into an almostimpossible to stop.
asbird's-eyemaple,rosewoodor elegantbookcase. Thedrawersrun alongfixed Muchof thecharacter andindi-
I Hawaiiankoa,that areassembled shelves setinto dadoescut in thesidepanels. viduality of a particularcarcase
with precisejoints and delicate designderivesfromthemethodof
t hingesto formjewelryboxesandsilverchests. Largerbut still assembling thepanels. Thereareagreatmanytypes of corner
compactboxesprovidetheframeworkfor drawers. jointsyoucanuse;someof themostcommonincludedovetails,
I Onceassembled, thetypeof carcase examined in thepages lockmiters,rabbets, miter-and-spline joins, biscuitjoints,and
thatfollowcanbethebasisfor anythingfroma smalldresser boxandfingerjoints.Because dovetailjointsarehighlyregarded
I or tool chestto a floor-to-ceiling cabinetor a home-enter- for theirstrengthandbeautyin solidwood,onevariety-the
tainmentcenter.Thelaterchapters in thisbooklookat the hand-cutthroughdovetail-is featuredin thischapter(page
I subsequent steps-addingdrawers, doorsor legs-so asto 27).It canalso becutmorequicklywith ajig asshownin the
turn thebasiccarcase into a finishedpieceof furniture. Drawers chapter(page80).Intheeyesof manywoodworkers,
I Althoughcarcases anddrawersaredesigned to withstand awell-made hand-cutdovetailjoint isvisibleproofof thecab-
different typesand levels ofstress in use, thereare certain con- inetmaker's competence.
I structiontechniques thatareapplicable to both.Whereappro- Forplywoodcarcases, rabbet(page34)orbiscuitjoints-also
priate,a cross-referenceto the Drawers chapterwill be included known asplate jonts-(page j6) arebetter choices. Bothoffer
I you
to direct to a drawer-building technique that could prove pretfymuch the same strengthas dovetail joints and, although
for
usefi.rl constructingcarcases. lessesthetically pleasing,
they are quick and easy methods of
I All carcasesconsistof four panels joined together to form assembly.The convenience factor becomes a major consider-
a box.A keyrequirementis that thewoodgrainof all the ationif youarefaced withproducing alargenumberof carcases.
I
I
I Usingbiscuitjoints to assemble panelsofferstwo very
appealingbenefits: strengthand easeof assembly.Abiscuit
t joiner cutssemicircular groovesinto matingpanek.The
slotsarefilled with glue and biscuitsof compressed
beech,
I thenthepanelsarebuttedtogethertoform a perfeajoint.

t 17

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I

hetherit is a boxthatwill house mentis thatparallelpanelsmusthave andthentheirsurfaces aresanded.A I

acoupleof drawers anda shelfor thesamedimensions. third option-one whichcombines the
a chinacabinetdestined to graceyour Althougha panelcanbemadefrom economy of glued-uppanelsandthe I
diningroom,thecarcase youbuildwill a singlepieceof lumber,it is generally easeof solidlumber-is to usehard-
featuremanyofthebasicelements illus- lessexpensive to gluenarrowerboards woodplywood,whichcanbemadeto I
tratedbelow.First,it will havefoursides, edge-to-edge to formthewidesurface looklikesolidwood,bytheadditionof a
or panels,whichareusuallythe same (page20).Oncegluedup,thepanelsare bandingalongexposed edges(page39). I
widthandthickness. Anotherrequire- planed,jointedon oneedge,cutto size, Constructingcarcases from plywood
I
funel
Uaedto form the top, bottom and
sidea of the carcaai, May be a ein-
6le 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.

Back
UauallyI/+-inchplywood
piecenailedand'gluedinto
Thissimplecarcase-framed cabinet a rabbot routed alonq baok
features edge-glued paneh of ashand ed1e of the panela.
rabbeted cornerjointscutona tablesaw.
A fixed uppershelfissetin dadoescut
into thesidepanek;aloweradjustable
shelfrestson hiddensupports.

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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I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

I doeshaveits disadvantages, however. Ifyou planto addedgebandingor necesssary boardsandpanels,

vourflexibiliwwhenit comes
It reduces
I to thejoinery;dovetaiis, for example,
simply will not work.It also rulesout
t such estheticpossibilities
as creating
attractivegrainpatternson the
I panelsbyedgegluingcareflrlly
matchedboards.
I
(page
installshelves 41), youmustantic-
ipatethosesteps beforegluingthepanels
together.Forshelves, youwill needto
routdadoes or boredowelholesonthe
insidesurfaces of thesidepanels.
Formoredetailon thecutting,joint-
ing, sandingand other procedures
to prepare
referto theCabinetmaking Techniques
sectiononpage12.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. 'Jv .#
'''oS
Stronq, decorativejoint for eolid lum'
ber; not recommendedfor plywood. r' #d
Good choice whenfeaturinq joinery
ae an elementof deoiqn.

Plate or biocuit joint Rabbetjoint

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 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.

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

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MAKING WIDE PANELS I
I
\ 7f ost woodworkers makeup the assortment of clamps,all you needis a the glue.Instead,buy lumberthat has t
IVJ. widepanels for a carcase
bygluing levelwork surfaceor a shop-builtglue beendriedin a kiln. If you areworking
boardstogetheredge-to-edge. Building rack(page24).To help keepthe boards from rough stock,begin preparing I
a carcase thiswayisnot a matterof cut- aligned,somewoodworkers alsouse boardsby jointing a faceand an edge,
ting costsat the expense of strength. dowels(page2S).Formoreinformation thenplaningtheotherface.Next,cross- I
Panels ofedge-glued boardsareeverybit on selecting
glue,referto theinsideback cut theboards,leavingthem roughlyI
asstrongasa singlepieceof lumber.In coverofthis book. inch longerthan their finishedlength, I
fact,a propergluejoint providesa sturdier Selecting
yourwoodis an important andjointan edgeofeachpiece.Ripthe
bondthanthefibersofa oieceofwood. part ofthe process.Do not buy green stocksothatthecombinedwidth of all I
Followthesteosdetailed belowand woodor stockthat is cuppedor ftvisted, the boardsexceeds the finishedwidth
on thefollowingpages to assemblepan- andavoidusingwoodwith a highmois- ofthe panelby aboutI inch,thenjoint I
els.Apartfrom a supplyof glueandan turecontent,whichcanadversely affect thecut edses.
I
Edge-gluedboardsshould createthe I
illusion of a singlepieceof wood rather
than a composite.Experimentwith the I
boardsin diferent configtrations to
producea pattern that is visuallyinter- I
estingbut makesurethat thegrain runs
in the samedirectionon all of the oieces. I
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EDGE
GLUING I
'l Arranging
theboards I
I Settwobarclamps ona worksurface
andlaytheboards onthem.Useasmany I
clampsasnecessary to support theboards
at 24-Io 36-inchintervals, Tokeeothebars
placethemin notched
I
frommoving, wood
blocks(insef).Usea pencilto marktheend I
grainorientation of eachboardasshown,
thenarrange thestockontheclamps to
(photoabove).
I
enhance theirappearance
Tominimize warping, arrangethepieces so I
thattheendgrainof adjacent boards runsin
oppositedirections. lf thegrainisdifficult I
to read,dampen orsandtheboardendsto
makeit showup moredefinitely. Onceyou I
havea satisfactoryarrangement, alignthe
stockedge-to-edge andusea pencil
(right).
orchalk I
to marka triangle Thiswillhelpyou
correctlyrearrangetheboards if youmove I
thempriorto finalassembly.
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20 I
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I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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I r) Applying theglue
L fo auoid marring theedges of the
I panel when you tighten the clamPs,
cuttwopieces of scrapwoodat least
I aslongastheboards to beglued, and
usethemas pads. Leaving the first
I boardfacedown,standtheother
pieces on edgesothatthetriangle
I marksfaceawayfromyou.APPIY
a thingluebeadto eachboard(/eff),
I justenough to covertheedgecom-
pletely
whentheadhesive is spread.
I Toolittleglue willresult a weak
in
bond;toomuchwillcause a mess
I whenyoutighten theclamPs. Usea
brush
small,sttff-bristled to spread
I theglueevenly ontheboard edges

I filltllllllll]llllllIllllllllllllllfillllllllllllllllilllllllllllllilll (abovd,leaving no baresPots.

notuseyourfingers
Do
forsPreading;
adding dirtorgrease to thegluewill
I 1HO?TI? weaken thebondandslowthedrying
time.Moveonto step3 assoonas
I Two wayo to possibleto prevent thegluefromdry-
opreadglue youtighten theclamPs.
ingbefore
I To soreada aluebead

I
art oupplyelores.Tocleanlhe
t rollerafler use,roll iI repeaNedly
overa ocrapboard.Fora ohoP-made
I alueepreaAer, ueea 6-inchlenqlhof
i/"-inchdowelae a handleNoholda
I 2-incheectionof a brokenor worn
hackeaw blade.Usea backeaw or
I band saw NocuN a shallow slot' in one
endof lhe dowel,makinqit' t'hinenouqh
I lo holdNhebladeeectiononu4ly.FiI the
bladeNeelh-eide-ouL int'othe sloL'
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
I
Tightening
theclamps I
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 t
s i d e so f t h e t r i a n g l ealignT . 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 I
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 I
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 I
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 I
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 I
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 . I
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Leveling
theboards I
Foradjacentboardsthat do not lie
perfectly levelwitheachother,usea I
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, I
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 I
paperundereachpadto prevent it from
sticking to theboards. Thentightenthe I
clampuntiltheboards arelevel(right).
Refer to themanufacturer's instructions I
fortheglue's drying time.lf youareshort
of clamps, markthetimeonthepanel I
sothatyoucanmoveonto thegluing
of thenextpanelassoonaspossible. I
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I CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE
I
I f, Removing theexcess glue
:,f Usea plasticputtyknifeto remove
I asmuchof thesqueezed-out glueas
oossible before it dries.Themoisture
I f r o mg l u el e f to n t h e s u r f a c w
e illbe
absorbed bythewood,causing swelling
I 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
I knivesandrepelwoodstain.Oncethe
gluehasdried,remove theclamps from
I thetop of the boards, andusea paint
scraper to remove anysqueeze-out that
t remarns (/eftl.Remove the lowerclamps,
thenprepare thepanelforjoinery by
I planing it, jointing anedgeandcutting
t h ep i e c e
t o i t sf i n i s h eddi m e n s i o n s .
I Usea beltsander to smooththe sur-
facesthatwillbehardto reach once
t the carcase is assembled

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r 'lll$
"llllflt"llJ"llf "lfif"1lr1llf".llr'ffi
I llll"l$
I 1HO?TI?
I ?revenling
clamp otains
Themetal bar of a clamp
I can be olainedby adheeive
thal dripodurin44luing
I operationo. Oriedqluecan

r aleo interterewith Ihe

ratchetinqaction ot
eomeclamoe.To elimi-
I nat'eNheproblem,usea
haoksawor bandeawto cut
I a rollof wax?a?erinto Z-inch'
eachNime
widemini'rolls.Then,
you applya clamp,tearofl a ot'rip
I of paVerIo wrapoveror underNhebar.
I
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I 23
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
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GIUERACK
I
Tousethegluerack,seatat least inches.
Therestof theoperation
is
A shop-built rackmadefromtwo twobarclampsin the notches so identical
to edgegluingboards
ona I
sawhorses provides a convenient thatthe boardsto begluedare worksurfaceasshownin steps3 to
wayto holdtheclamps forgluing supportedat leastevery24 to 36 5 ontheprecedingpages. I
up a panel.Tobuildthejig,remove
thecrosspiecefromyoursawhorses. I
Cutreplacements thesamewidth
andthickness astheoriginals, making I
themat leastas longastheboards
thatyouwillbegluing.
Usea handsawor a bandsawto
t
cut notches alongoneedgeof each I
crosspieceat 6-inchintervals. Make
the cutswideenough to holda bar I
c l a m ps n u g l a
y n dd e e pe n o u gtho
holdthebarlevelwiththetopof the I
crosspiece.Youcanalsocut notches
to accommodate pipeclamps, but I
barclampsarestronger.
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r
I ANAIDT(lALIGNMENT
DOWELS:
I Marrywoodworkers usedowelsto help
with thealignmentof boardsin a pan-
I el.Oneof theproblemsin usingthis
techniqueis that thewoodpins have
I to bepreciselycenteredon theedges
of theboardsto bejoined.In thephoto
I at left,locationpointshavebeenmade
for thedowels-oneabout3 inches
t from eachendof theboardsand one
in themiddle.A line is thenscribed
I across thepointswith a cuxinggauge
setto one-halfthe thickness of the
I stock.Thelinesintersect at thecenter
of theboardedges, guaranteeing per-
,l fect placement of thedowels.

I
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I
a 1 Boring thedowelholes
I Locatepointsfor dowels onthe board
I edges(phoitoabove).Toavoidsplitting
boardswiththe pins,usegrooved dowels
I thatarenomorethanone-half asthick
asthestock.Fita drillwitha bitthesame
I diameterasthedowels, thenwrapa strip
of masking tapearound thebit to mark
t thedrillingdepth,whichshould beslight-
ly morethanone-half the lengthof the
I dowels.Keepthedrillperpendicular tothe
boardedgeasyouboreeachhole(righ),
I withdrawingthebitwhenthemasking tape
touches thestock.(Although thedrill
I presscanalsobeusedto boretheholes,
keeping longerboards steadyon the
I machine'stablemayprove difficult.)

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I 25
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
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r) Pinpointing
r
matingdowelhotes Gluing
uptheboards
L lnserta dowelcenterthesamediameter asthedowels 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 I
in eachof the holes(above),thensettheboards flatonthe gluing(page21).fhenusea pencil tip to daba smallamount
clamps withthetrianglemarkfacingyou.Aligntheendsof of adhesive
in thebottomof eachdowelhole.Avoid spreading I
theboards andbutttheedgeof thesecond boardagainst gluedirectly
onthedowels;theyabsorb moisturequickly
and
thatof thefirst.Thepointed endsof thedowel centerswill willswell,
making themdifficult
to fit intotheirholes.
Insert I
punchimpressions onthewood, providing
startingpoints
for thedowels (above),
thentapthemintofinalposition using
themating dowel holes.
Boretheseholes to thesamedepth a hammer. Avoidpounding onthedowels; thismaycause a I
as in step1, thenrepeat theprocedureforthethirdboard. board upthejoint,thentighten
to split.Close theclamps
(page22). Remove the excessglue(page23). I
I
ilIlllllilttfillfililllllll illlfiltfltlllJil[filtllllilltiltlljltllll I
I
1HO?TI? I
lnoerling dowelewith
a deplh 0au0e I
ToavoidNherisk of oplittin7
boardswheninseilinqdow-
els,usethie oimple
I
ehoV-made depth
qauqe.Kipa f-inch- I
'/'
longboardto a Nhick-
neeethal ie exactly I
one-haltthe lenqthof Nhe
dowele.Borea holethaN is I
olightlywiderNhanthe t.hick-
nessof Nhedowelelhrou7hthe gauqenearoneend. I
Thenplaceit aroundeachdowelwhenyou NapiXinNo
its hole.Thedowelwillbe aNT,hecorrecl deobhwhen
iNis flush with the Lopof Nhedepth qauqe.
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26 I
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I CARCASE
I
I f herearemanywaysof joiningcar-
J. casepanelstogether.Thepages that
I follow will examinethreeof the most
popularchoices:dovetail,rabbetand
I platejoinery.As shownin thephotoat
right, the interlockingpins and tails
I of a throughdovetailjoint giveboth
solidity and distinctiveappearance.
I Cuttingsucha joint with thetradition-
al hand tools is considereda rite of
I passage for aspiringwoodworkers.It
r requiresskill and practiceto perfect.
It alsoleavesroom for creativity,since
it allowsyou to choosethe width of
3 pins and tails to giveyour joints an
IOINERY
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 pan-
els,which arenot suitedfor dovetails.
Whichevertype of joinery you select,
you mustplan aheadfor the laterstages
esthetically pleasinglook. The same ofyour cabinetmaking projects,suchas
joint canbeexecutedin far lesstime,but installingback panels,shelving,edge
Somedrawer-hang-
with equalprecision,usinga routerand bandingor drawers.
a jig; that approachis demonstrated ing methods,for example, requireyou
in the Drawerschapter (page 80-81). to rout a groovein thesidepanels before
You may also want to try the half- thecarcase is assembled.

I
D()VETAIL
JOINTS
I
I thoulder line

I
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Half-pin
I
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I
X X X / \ X X X
I
I 'l 0utliningthepins
I Marktheoutsrde faceof eachpanelwitha bigX,thenseta Outlinea pinat thecentermark, thenoutlinetheremaining
I cuttinggaugeto thethickness of thestockandscribea line pins(above,right),marking all thewastesections withXs.
theendsof thefourpanels of thepins
to marktheshoulder (Youcanalsousea sliding bevel gaugeto outlinethepins;
t along
andtails.Thepanels thatwillformthetopandbottom of the setanangleof about1:6forsoftwood or 1:8for hardwood.)
carcasewillbethepinboards. Secureeachonein turnin a vise There arenorigidguidelines forthenumber of pinsorfor
I andusea dovetail square thepinsontheendsof the
to outline thespacing between them.Butevenly spaced pinsthatare
boardasshownrnthesequence above.Startwithhalf-pinsat at leastone-halfthesizeof thewastesections around them
I eachedge,making surethatthenarrow endsof thepinsareon makeforanattractive andsolidjoint.Usea combination
theoutside faceof theboard. Nextoutlinethewastesections square to extend allthedovetail markssothattheyreach
t adjacent thenmarkthecenterof theboardend.
to thehalf-pins, theshoulder lineson bothfacesof theboards.
I
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
I
r) Cutting thepins I
Z- Secure thefirstpin boardin a vise
sothattheoutside faceof thepanelis I
toward you.Usea dovetail sawto cut
alongtheedges of thepins,working from I
onesideof thepanelto theother. Some
woodworkers preferto cut allthe left-hand t
edges first,thenmoveon to the right-
handedges. Foreachcut,holdthepanel I
steady andalignthesawbladejustto the
waste sideofthecuttingline.Usesmooth, I
evenstrokes, allowing thesawto cut on
the pushslroke(right). Continue sawing I
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 I
between thepins.Repeat theprocedure
at theotherendof theboardandat both I
endsof theotherpinboard.
I
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Q Removing thewaste witha copingsaw
I
r-J Standontheothersideof the panel
andbegincuttingawaythewastewood
between thepins.At thesideof eachpin,
I
slidea copingsawbladeintothekerfand
rotatetheframewithoutstrikingtheend
r
of theboard.Cutoutasmuchof thewaste
asyoucanwhilekeeping theblade about
t
%oinchabove theshoulderline.Cut(/efrl
untilyoureachthekerfontheedgeof the I
adjacent pin.Pareawayanyremaining
wastewitha chisel(step5). I
I
2B I
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I
I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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

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I paring
f, Final
\,, Withthepaneloutside faceup,aligntheedge
I of a guideblockwiththeshoulder lineonthepanel
andclampit in place. Butttheflatsideof a chisel
I againsttheblock, andusing yourthumbto holdthe
gently
bladevertical, taponthehandle to pareaway
I thefinalsliverof waste(left).Repeatthe process
between theotherpinsuntilthereis nowaste
I beyond theshoulder line.
I
I 29
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 I
CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
I
Preparing
to outline
thetails I
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 I
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 . I
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 I
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 I
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). I
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Markingthe tails
I
/ Usea pencrlto outlineIhe Iatls (rrghil, I
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 I
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 I
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 . I
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30 I
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I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

t
I Q
Cuttingthetails andremoving waste
(J U s ea d o v e t a isl a wt o c u t t h e t a i l s
fi 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
I 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
I case,sawsmoothlyand evenly,and stop
justa fractionof an inchbeforeyoureach
I 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
I (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
I the shoulderline (step5).

I
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I
I
I
Dry-fitting
thecarcase
I Beforegluingupthecarcase,
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
I 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.
I 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 ,

r 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
I 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
t 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 .
I 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
I 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
I 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
I 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 nag 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
t ( 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
I up the carcase(stepl0).

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I 31

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
I
'l
f\ Gluingup thecarcase I
I\J r o a p p l yp r o p e rp r e s s u rw e hen
t i g h t e n i ntgh e c l a m p su, s ef o u rw o o d {t
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 t
carcase p a n e l sa r ew i d e ,a n dc u t a w a y
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 I
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 I
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 I
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 , I
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 I
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 I
(left)unlil a little gluesqueezes out of
the joints.Remove the excessglue(page I
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 . I
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I
llltl]lllllllllllllrlll]lll ilitllilllrllltlll l[ llllllrlll1
l]ltllt t
jHO? TI? I
Dealingwith a I
defeclivedovetail
Evena eliqhN
in cuLNinq
error
doveLaile
I
can resullin a small
qaVbeNween a Vin I
a n da I a i l . l tt h e q a pi o
small,fill it wilh a thin lrian- I
qularchiVof 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 I
woodchipleesobvioue, cut itrso lhat ito qrainwillrun
in the samedirectionae lhat of the Vino.Usea dovetail I
eawIo eLraighNen out or deepenLhegap,if neceooary.
AVVIya liLNle
shouldfiNenualv.
qluein NheqaVand inserlIhe chip,which I
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32 I
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I
I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

t
I
f,
I CARCASE-SOUARING BLOCKS square. Fita drillpress
oranelectric
youareinstalling Carcaoe-aquartnq
I Unless
panelon a carcase,
a back
it canbediffi-
drillwitha 2-inch-diameter holesaw
or circlecutter,thenboreanopen- block
B"xB"
I cultto keepthefoursidessquare ingin thecenterof theblock.(The
during glueup.A shop-made car- holewill prevent gluesqueeze-out
I ng block(right)placed
case-squari frombonding theblockto thecar-
on eachcorner will helpa great case.)Next,outfityourtablesaw
I deal.Foreachblock,cuta pieceof witha dadoheadthatis thesame
3/q-inchplywoodintoan B-inch widthasthethickness of thestock.
I andcuttwogrooves at rightangles
I to oneanother, intersecting
centerof theblock.
at the

I Tousethejig,applytheglue
andassemble thecarcase, thenfit
I a blockovereachcorner(left),
centering the holeat the point
I wheretwopanels join.Makesure
thatthedadoes onthe blocksfit
r snuglyaround theedgesof the pan-
els.lnstallandtightentheclamps.
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t
I
I llllllltlll lllllll1
lltlll1
lll llll]ltllllilltillIlll illllll llllilt1
I
1HO?TI?
I Checkinga carcaoefor equare
To Vrevenlclamp Vreoourefrom
I pullinqa carcaaeoul of oquaredur-
in4qlueu?,meazurethe diaqonalo
I beNween opposiLecornerl immedi-
ately after IiqhNeninq lhe clampo.
I TheLwo resulf,sehouldbe lhe
eame.lf Nheyare noL,the carcaee
a ie out- of- equare.To correcNNhe
problem, loosenNheclampe,then
I olideonejaw of eachclampaway
fromthe joint aL oppooihe corners
ae ehown.Tiqhten the clampeand checkaqainfor 6quare,
I ohifLin7Iheclampoa6 neceobary untilNhecarcaoeio oquare.
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I JJ

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION r
I
RABBET
JOINTS I
I
I
t
Quickandeasyto cutandassemble,
therabbetjoint is idealfor bothsolid I
woodandplywoodcarcases. Thejoint
is madeup of a boardorpanelthatfits T
intoa rabbetcuton itsmatingpiece.
Thewidthof therabbetshouldbe I
equalto thethickness of thestock.In a
carcase,thejoint is bestcut into theside I
panelssothat theendgrain of thetop
and bottomwill becovered. Although I
stronger thansimplebuttjoints,rabbet
jointsfrequentlyrequirescrewsor nails t
for reinforcement.
I
I
l
I
1t Cuttine therabbets
-
I Marka cuttinglineforthewidthof I
therabbetonthe leading
s i d ep a n e lT. h e ni,n s t a a
edgeof one
l l d a d oh e a d
filillttlltlllfitltll]IrIIJlllllllllllfiltllrllltlllttlllfillllll I
slightly widerthantherabbet andlower
it below t h et a b l eS. crew a na u x i l i a r y 1HO?Tt? t
woodfenceto thesaw'sripfenceand lnvisiblenailer
markthedepthof therabbet on it; the Toconcealnaile
I
depthshould beone-half thethickness driveninLoa car-
of thestock.Withthemetalfenceclear caoepanel,uoe I
of thedadohead,position theauxiliary a b l i n dn a i l e r .
fenceoverthetableopening. Turnon Thecommercial I
thesaw.Raise theblades slowlyintothe deviceworkslike
woodupto thedepthline.Turnoffthe a mini-plane,litt- I
sawandlineupthepanelandauxiliary i n 7a l h i n w o o d
fenceforcutting therabbet. Clamp a ehavinqunderwhicha nailcan bedriven.The ohavinq I
canLhenbeqluedriqhl backdownto hidelhe nailhead.
featherboard to thefenceabove the
dadoheadto holdthepanelsecurely
)et up the nailertollowing
Lions-uouallyf or a 1/zz-inch-t
Lhemanufactrurer's inslruc-
hickohavinq, And praclioe
3
against thetable.Turnonthesawand on a 6cra?boardbeforeuoin7the naileron an aclual
makethe cut (above), thenrepeat the workpiece. Theehavinqyou raieemusl be lon4enou4h I
process fortheremaining rabbets in the to leNyou drivethe nailcomforLably. A ebriVof Iape will
sidepanels. (Caution: Blade guard holdIhe ehaving downwhileNheqlueie drying. I
removed forclarity.)
I
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34 I
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I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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

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

I
I 35

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
t
PLATE
JOINTS I
Although it lack the allu'e of luud-ctft dove-
tails,theplate or biscuitjoirt hnsgrown
I
in popularity in recerttyearsltecause of its
strengthand sinrylicity.Tlrcjoint is ctrt with
I
a platejoiner, showrrirr thephoto nt left. The I
tool workssorrrewhnt like n rrirtiotttrccircrt-
Iar saw,with n retractablebladethat plunges
into mating workpieces.
I
Glue is nppliedand
an oval-shapedbiscuitof corrtpressed beeclr
is insertedhtto rtntching slotsorr eachpiece.
I
The carcnseis therrossentbled. Sirtcethe blade
projectsfront the tool orily while it is ctrttirrg,
I
theplatejoirrcr is very safeto use.Guide lines
on thebaseplateof the nnchine rnakeit u sir'tr-
I
ple nntter to nlign the slotsirr nnting boards.
The slotsare cut slightlylnrgerthnn the bis-
I
ctrits,perntitting n small rnargin of error
while still ennn'inga properlyaligrecljoirtt.
I
I
I
'l Marking ofthejoints
thelocation
I
I _
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 -
I
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
\. i' t
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 'It.. '\..,. I
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
I
/'
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
I
t h ee d g eW . i d e rp a n e l sw i l l r e q u i r eaddi-
)loL locaLion
mark I
t 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 tl
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
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I
36 I
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I
I CONSTRUCTION
CARCASE,

I
t
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r
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t
I
I
I
r) Cuttingtheslots
I L Leauinga sidepaneloutside
facedownontheworksurface, depends on the sizeof biscuitbeingused.Resting the plate
setthetop piece faceup ontopof it. Offsettheendsof
outside 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
I thetwoworkpieces byan amount equalto thethickness of the 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
stock.Makesurethatmatingslotlocation marks on the two l i n eo n t h e f a c e p l a tw 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
I panelsareperfectly Protecting
aligned. thetop panel withwood 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
pads,clampthetwoworkpieces in placeandsetin frontof ( 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 -
t thema suooort boardthesamethickness asthestock. Thisset- e r ' sb a s ep l a t ea g a i n stth e t o p p a n e a l n dt h e na l i g nt h e
you
upwillallow to cutalltheslotsforonecorner of the carcase centerguidelineon the baseplatewith a slot locationmark
I withoutmoving the panels.
Follow themanufacturer's instruc- on the top panel(righil.Followthe sameprocedure to cut
thedepthof cutontheplatejoiner;it usually
tionsforsetting s l o t sa t t h e o t h e rs l o tl o c a t i o n marks.
I
I
I
t Q Gluing upthecarcase
r-J 0nceall theslotshavebeencut,dry-fitthe panels
t andinstall a backpanelif thatis partof yourdesign, or
make ready forshelves or drawers. Then glue up the car-
I case:Setthesideoanels outside facedownona worksur-
face,and squeeze a bead of glue intoeachslotandalong
I thesurface of the panels between theslots,inserting bis-
cuitsas you go @fl. Repeat for the top and boftom panels,
I thistimeomitting thebiscuits. Toprevent thewooden
wafers fromexpanding before the panels are assembled,
I dothe gluing upas quickly as possible, fitting thestde
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
I Installtwobarclamps across thetopandbottom panels
andtighten theclamps exactly as you would when gluing
I up a carcase with rabbet joints @age 35).

I
.l 37

I
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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
t
INSTALLING
A BACKPANEL I
I
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I
Routing a rabbet forthepanel
I Fitthepanels together andsetthecarcase ona worksurface withits I
backside facingup;install a barclampwitha support board across thetop
andbottompanels, asshown. Installa 3/s-inch rabbeting bit witha ball- I
bearing pilotonyourrouter, thensetthedepthadjustment to cut %oinch
deeper thanthethickness of thebackpanel youwillbeinstalling. Starting I
at onecorner, resttherouter's baseplateonthesupport boardwiththebit
justclearoftheworkpiece. Griptherouter firmlywithbothhands andturnit I
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 , r) Squaring thecorners
pulltherouterslowly toward theadjacent corner, keeping thebaseplate 1 tlsea pencilanda straightedge to mark I
flat.Whenyoureachthecorner, turntherouteroff.Reposition thesupport square corners in therounded endsof the
boardandcutrabbets alongtheedges ofthethreeremaining panels in the rabbets.Select a woodchisel thatiswide I
samemanner(above). enough to finishoff thecorners wrthtwo
perpendicular cuts.At eachcorner, stand I
thetip of thechiselonthemarkthatruns
acrossthegrain,making surethatthebevel I
facestheinside of thecarcase. Usea wood-
enmallet to strikethechisel(above),cutting I
to thedepthof therabbet. Alignthechisel
withtheothermarkandstrike thehandle t
again.(Making thecutwiththegrainf irst
maycause thepanel to split.) I
I
Q Installing thepanel
r-,f Cuta pieceof plywood to fit snuglyintotherab- I
betsonthebackof thecarcase. Glueupthecarcase
and,at thesametime,applya thingluebeadalong I
therabbets forthebackpanelandonthecontacting
surfaces of theplywood.Spread theglueevenly,set I
thepanelin position, thenusesmallnailsto secure
(/effJ.
it at 4-inchintervals I
I
3B I
I
t
I EDGEBANDING
T
T D dg. bandingistheusualwayof con- nesses. Installingit is simplya matterof offersseveraladvantages overthe store-
Ij cealingthevisibleedges of plyruood cuttingoffthe lengthsyou needfrom a boughtsolution.Youcanmakeit from
I panelsandshelves; theillusion
it creates roll, settingthe bandingin placeand anv availablewood speciesand cut it
is madeexclusively
that the carcase of heatingit with a householdiron to melt to whatever thicknessyou choose;
t solidwood.Youcanchooseoneof two the adhesive that bondsit to the surface 7s-inch-thick bandingis typical.The
options:Commercialedgebanding, ofthe wood. shop-made varietyis alsolessexpen-
I shownon page40,is availablein a wide Althoughsomewhatmorepainstak- sive-a considerationif you plan to
varietyof woodtypes,colorsandthick- ing to apply,shop-made edgebanding usea lot ofbanding.
t
t EDGE
SHOP.MADE BANDING
I 1 Applying thebanding
I Usethetablesawto cutthinstrips
froma board;besureto
I of edgebanding
usea oushstickto feedthestockintothe
I blade. Makethestripsslightly longer
thepanelandat leastaswideasthepan-
than

I el isthick.Gripthepanelat eachendin
a handscrew, thenclampthehandscrews
I to a worksurface sothatthefrontedgeof
theworkpiece facesup.Thenapplya thtn
I gluebeadto theedgeof thepanelanduse
brushto spread
a small,stiff-bristled the
I adhesive evenly. Centerthebanding along
thepanel's edge; to holdit flatwhilethe
I gluedries,tapeit veryf irmlyat 2-inch
intervals.Useas manystripsof tapeas
I necessary
thebanding
to eliminateanygapsbetween
andtheedgeof thepanel.
I
I
I
I
I
r) Trimming excess banding
I Z Oncethe gluehasdried, trimanyedgebanding that
projects
beyond thepaneledges. Fita routerwitha flush-
I bit,thenrestthemachine's
cuttrng baseplateonthepanel
edgewiththebitjustclearof theexcess banding.Holding
I therouterfirmlywithbothhands, turnonthemotorand
guidethebit intotheexcess banding.Oncethebit'spilot
I buttsagainstthepanel,guidetherouterslowlyagainst the
to theopposite
of bit rotation
direction endof thework-
I piece.Makesurethatthebaseplateandthepilotremain
flushwiththepanel. Lightlysandtheedges andendsof
I thebanding to remove anyremaining unevenness.

t
I 39

I
 a
CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
I
SETF.ADHESIVE
BANDING t
1 Applying theedgebanding
I
I Seta household ironon High(without
steam) andallowit to heatuo.Meanwhile.
applyclamps to holdthepanelupright,
I
andcuta stripof banding slightly longer
thantheedgeto becovered. Settheband-
I
ingadhesive-side downalongthe panel
e d g eH
. o l d i ntgh eb a n d i nign p l a c e
with
I
onehand,runthe ironslowly alongthe
paneledge,pressing thetrimflat.Theheat
I
of theironwillmelttheglueandjointhe
banding to thepanel. Keeptheironmov-
I
ing;resting it ononespotfor morethan
a fewseconds will leavescorchmarks. I
I
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I
I
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t
I
llltllllfllJ
fit]IIJlllllll]lllllllllll]lltllllIIJillJlllllllltllllllt I
1HO?TI? I
r) Flattening outthetrim 5 pringboard f or alamping
edgebanding
I
L Applyingeven pressure,
runa
Forthick edgebandinq,iNmay
smallhandrollerbackandforthalong
be neceeoary to clampLheband-
I
the lengthof theedgebanding to inryto a paneledqewhilethe
smooth it outandbondit firmlyto the gluedriee.Foratypical panel, I
paneledge.Shaveoff anyexcess you miqhLneedNhreeor four
banding witha laminate edgetrim- bar clampo;a einqle clampwill
suffice, I
meror a router(page39). howevenif youueea ohop-made oprinqboard.To make
the device,cut a genblecurve-r/+-inch-deepaL iIs c I
oneed7eof a 2-inch-wide boardthe eami lenaNh and Nhickness
ae the panel.CenterNhepanelon a bar clampand seNVhe
caveed4eofthe
con- I
Ihe epringboard aqainof,lhe
againeL the edge
edgebandinq.Uee
bandinq.Ue a
woodpad lo prolecl
prolecl the Vanel,
epringboard
protecl Vanel,Ti4hten
Ti the clampunLilNhe
flatlens aqainelthe bandinq.
I
I
I
40 I
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I
I SHELVING
I
I I ddingshelves to a carcase isoneway
f\ to turn a simplewoodbox into a
I usefulpieceof furniture.The simplest
methodfor installingshelves is to bore
I two parallelrowsof holesin the side
panelsof the carcase and insertcom-
I merciallyavailableplasticor metalshelf
supports.Thetwo alternatives shownin
I thischapterrequirea littlemoreprepa-
ration, but they havea payoffin that
I thereareno visibleshelfsupportsto mar
theappearance of thefinishedpiece.Like
I commercialshelfhardware, hiddensup-
ports(belowandpage42)areadjustable;
I the differenceis that they relyon nar-
rowwoodstripsrecessed in rabbetscut
I into the undersideof the shelves, and
this makesthem all but invisible.
I For fixedshelves(page43),youhave
to rout dadoeson carcase sides.The
I shelves arethen gluedpermanentlyin
olacewhenthe carcase is assembled. Many woodworkers usecommercialshelf-drillingjigsto helpwith the
I job of boringparallelrowsof holes.Clampedto theedgeof thepanel,
the jig ensures rowsareperfectlyaligned.Thejig
that thecorresponding
I in thephotoallowsyou to boreholesat l-inch intervals anydistance from
theedges of thepanel.For mostprojects
2 inchesin from theedges is typical.
I
I ADJUSTABLE
HIDDEN SHELF
SUPPORTS
I 1 Making andinstalling
I ttrestretfsupports
I Boreholesfortheshelfsupports
jig.Afterthecarcase
usinga
commercial is assem-
I bled,maketwosupports pershelf. For
eachof them,cut a thinstripof wood
I aboutI inchlonger thanthegapbetween
therowsof holes;makethestripwide
I enough to holda dowelat eachend.To
markpositions forthedowels, inserta
t dowelcenterintoeachof twoparallel
holes, thenpress thewoodstripagainst
I theooints. Usetheindentations forthe
dowelcenters asstarting points forboring
I t h eh o l e sM . a k et h eh o l e si n t h es h e l f -
support pieces thesamedepthasthe
I 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
I has
adhesive dried, install themonthe
side panels at the height thatyouwant
I theshelfto rest.

I
I 41

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CARCASECONSTRUCTION I
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t
r) Making andpreparing theshelving
Z- Usesolidlumber, plywood or edge-glued I
boards(page20)to maketheshelving. Cuteach
shelfto thesamewidthasthecarcase oanels I
andto a length equalto thedistance between
thesidepanels. Addedgebanding to thevisible I
edgeof theshelf(page39),if desired. Tocon-
cealthesupports, routstopped rabbets in the I
shelf. Startbypositioning theshelfonthesup-
portsandoutlining theirlocationsontheunder- I
sideof theshelf.Usinga woodpadto prevent
anymarring, clamptheshelfto a worksurface. t
Fita routerwitha rabbeting bit,thensetthe
depthof cutto thewidthof theshelfsupports. I
Gripping thetoolfirmlywithbothhands andrest-
ingits baseplateontheshelf,routeachrabbet I
(abovd,making asmanypasses asnecessary to
cutto themarked outline. Squaretheendsof I
the rabbetsusinga chisel(page3B).
Q Installing theshelving I
\Jt Withtheshelfsupports at thedesired onthesidepan-
height
els,test-fittheshelfin thecarcase (above).
Usea chiselto adjust I
the length,widthor depthof thestopped rabbets,
if necessary,
to
ensure a perfect f it thatcompletely
hidestheshelfsupports. I
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/1 )
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I
I CARCASECONSTRUCTION

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

I
I r) Making anddry-fittingtheshelving
I tlsesolidlumber, plywoodoredge-glued boards
I (page20)to maketheshelving. Cuteachshelfto
thesamewidthasthecarcase panels andto a
t lengthequalto thedistance between thesidepan-
elsplusthedepthof thedadoes. Addedgebanding
I to thevisibleedgeof theshelf@age 39),if desired.
Tocheckthefit of theshelving, jointhetopand
I bottompanels of thecarcase withonesidepanel,
thenfit theshelving intothe dadotighD.FiIthe
I othersidepanelontop.Adjustthe lengthor width
of theshelving, if necessary,
to ensure a perfect
fit.
I
I
I
I
I Q Gluing upthecarcase
r-J Applya thingluebeadintothedadoes in thesrdepanels
andonthecontacting surfaces
of theshelving whilegluing
I upthecarcase. Spread theglueevenly andthenassemble
theboxaswhendry-fitting (step2). Clampthecorners of the
t carcase joints@age32) or for rabbetor plate
for dovetail
joints(paEe35).Fortheshelving, installa barclampacross
t eachedgeof theshelf, protectingthesidepanels withwood
pads;placea %-inch-thick woodchipundereachpadto
I focussomeof theclamping pressure midway between the
edges of theshelving.Tighteneachclampa littleat a time
I untila thingluebeadsqueezes outof eachdado.
I
I 43

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j \
i,j I
if r t I
I
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I

I
I FRA4E-AdD-PN\TEL
I
r CONSTRI.ICTION
t
I
rame-and-panel joinery was Theopening in theframeisfilled
I "floating"panel,which in
inventedabout 500yearsago) by a sits
probablyby a frustratedmedieval grooves cutin therailsandstiles.
I craftsman deterrnined to findabet- Thepanelis saidto floatbecause
terwayto buildcabinets thansimply it is not gluedin place.Rather, it
I fixing boardstogether.A major merelyfitsin itsgrooves with room
drawback of woodasa building for movement. If thepanelwere
I material isitstendency to warpand gluedin place,theassembly might
split.Frame-and-panel offersasolu- eventually split.
I tion to theseoroblems. Panelsaresetinto their sur-
Ever-changing moisturelevels roundingframeswithoutglueto
I in theaircause woodto move,espe- minimizewarping. Butin addition
ciallyacrossthegrain.As relative Thisclampingsetupfocuses pressure on the to theirstructural function,panels
I humidityrises,wood swells;as cornerjoints to locktogetherthecomponents alsoserve anesthetic
"raised"-that
role.Theyare
themoisturecontentfalls,wood of aframe-and-panel assembly. Whileglue often is,theyhave
I shrinks. Thecentralheatingfound bondsthecorners,no adhesive is appliedin bevels cutaroundtheiredges. This
in mostmodernhomescompounds thegroovesthat holdthepanel,allowingit not onlymakesthemeasier to fit
! theproblem. In a heated hbmein to moveasthewoodexDands and contracts. into grooves, but alsogivesthem
winier,therelativehumiditycan decorative interest.
I drop aslow asl0 percent;in summerit cansoarto 85percent. Wth oneframe-and-panel assembled, youneedonlyrepeat
Thedifference betweenthe two levelscansignificantlychange theprocess andvaryit slightlyto builda cabinet(page59).
I the cross-graindimensionsof a pieceof wood. Usually, tlvoassembliesarejoinedtogether with siderailsand
Frame-and-panel constructionis designed to accommodate panels, with thefrontassembly leftopenfor a door.
I the movementof swellingand shrinkingwood,resultingin fur- Asyouwill seein thepages thatfollow,frame-and-panel
r niture that is both strongand stable.In the typicalpieceshown construction isaversatile
furniture-building
on the two pagesthat follow, individual frame-and-panel addabottompanelto a cabinet(page60),thenatop (page
system. Youcan
&)
assemblies arejoined togetherto form a four-sidedcabinet. andeitherfixedor adjustable shelving (page61).lnstalling
I Eachassembly comprisestwo verticalmembers-stiles-and molding(page69)hidestheconnection between theframeand
two or morehorizontalrails,all lockedtogetherby anyoneof thetop;it alsoaddsa decorative flourish.
I a varietyof joints.Thesecanincludedowel,plate,miter-and- Althoughthismethodof construction is moredifficultto
splineandlap joints.This chapterwill showyou how to usethe masterthanbuildinga simplecarcase, theresultis a sturdy,
I haunchedmortise-and-tenon (page48)andthe decorative functionalandattractive pieceof furniture,whichmakes allthe
cope-and-stick joint (page51). timeandeffortworthwhile.
I
I
Mountedupside-down in a table,a routerfltted with a copingbit
t cutsa tongueat theendof a rail.Anotherbit will cut a matching
grooveinto thestiles,makinga solidand attractivecope-and-stick
I joint, oneof thehallmarlcsofframe-and-panel construction.

I 45

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ANATOMY OF A FRAME-AND-PANELASSEMBLY I

espitetheirdifferences, theframe-
and-panel assemblies thatmakeup
atypicalcabinet haveelements in com-
mon:Namely,framesmadefrom rails
andstiles,andpanels thatfit intogrooves
in theframe.Bottoms andtopsareusu-
allyadded,alongwith shelvingin many
cases. Thesecomponents aretypically
madeof edge-glued boardsof thesame
stockusedfor theframe.
Individualcabinets will featurevari-
ations.In someinstances, thesides will
sharestileswith the front and back
assemblies with railsfittingintoboththe
edges andthefaces ofthestiles. Topro-
videaccess to theinsideof thecabinet,
the front frequentlyhasa framebut
no panel.Sometimes, a medianrail is
usedto dividethe openinginto two
discrete sections.
Thetwomostcommon iointsin frame-
and-panel cabinets ateihe haunched
mortise-and-tenon andthecope-and-
stickThehaunched mortise-and-tenon
offersgreatergluingsurfacethanthe t
standard mortise-and- tenon,makingit
a verystrongjoint. Thehaunchalso Rail
I
fills in the endof the groovecut into Frovideahorizontal
the stiles,eliminatingthe needfor aupport at top and 3
stoppedgrooves. Thecope-and-stick bottom of cabinet
joint providescomparable strength I
and addsits own decorativetouch. Stile
The routerbit that cutsthe grooves Vertical I
for the panelalsocarvesa decorative component
moldingin theinsideedges of theframe.
of frame I
Whatever thejoint, cabinetmakers usu-
allybuild framesfrom %-inchstock I
that is at least2 incheswide;larger
stockmayalsobeusedto suitthedimen- t
sionsofa particularproject.
I
)olid wood piece t
that fit6 into
4roove-typically
1/z-inch-deep-in
I
frame; can be flat
with edqea rabbet-
I
ed or beveledon
four aideeto
"raiae" I
center of the panel
I

46 I
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I
I FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

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

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

3
Wood button
I Used to faaten top to frame. Oneend fits
into 1roovecut into frame, permittinq ali4ht
movement;other end acrewedto top
I
I
thelf eupport
I Can be pooit.ionedin dadoea
at any heiqht inaide cabinat
to provideadjuatable ehelving
I
I
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I
I Shelf
May have
I decorative
detail rout-
ed alonq
I #r' front edqe

I I
I Led4er etrip
Uaedto faaten bottom or
I top panel to frame; one
edqeacrewedto frame; oth-
I Eottom
er ed1e screwedto panel

Attached to frame by ledqer Thisframe-and-panel cabinetis held

I atripa or 1lued into 7roove togetherby haunchedmortise-and-
cut in inaideedaee of frame tenonjoints. Thefront hasrailsand
I stiles,but nopanel.Instead,a median

r rail serves
theopenings
asa dividinglinebenveen
for a doorand a drawer.

I 47

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 I
MAKINGTHEFRAME I
I
f hissectionof thebookexamines groovefor the floatingpanelalongthe t
I theframingtechniques forbuilding insideedgesof the rails and stiles.The
a typicalframe-and-panelcase.Remem- grooveis typically Vqinch wide and I
ber,however, youneeda carefuldesign Vzinch deep,and the panelis cut to
for thewholepieceof furniturebefore dimensionsthat allow/+ inch of its edges I
you makethefirst cut on a projectof to sit in the groove.If you opt for mor-
yourown. tise-and-tenon joints,you alsoneedto I
Whetheryouwill beusingthestan- Ha unchedmortiae-a nd-tenon ioint cut a haunched---or notched-tenon at
dard mortise-and-tenon joint, the the endsof eachrail to accommodate the I
haunched versionofthat joint (right, panel.For frameswith no panels,suchas
top),or thecope-and -stickjoint (right, the front ofthe caseshownon page59, I
bottom), calculate
thenumberof rails you haveto cut standardmortise-and-
andstilesyouwill beneeding soyoucan tenons.Toproducethisjoint, followthe a
cutthemall to lengthandwidthat the sameproceduresusedin making the
sametime.Thispermitsyouto usethe frameof a frame-and-paneldoor(page I
sametoolsetupfor allthecutting. 104).Whatever typeof tenonyou decide
Forthehaunched mortise-and-tenon to make,cutit3/+inch long andthe same I
andthecope-and-stick, youmustcuta Cope-and-etickjoint thicknessasthe groovein the stiles.
I
HAUNCHED
MORTISE.AND.TENON
J(lINTS I
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I
1 Cutting thetenonsin therails
I Installa dadoheadslightlywiderthanthelengthof thetenons cheeks at theotherendof therail (above,
/eff).Position
the I
ona tablesaw,thenattachanauxiliary fenceandraisetheblades fenceto leavea haunch equalin widthto thedepthof thegroove
to cut a notchin it. Setthewidthof cut eoualto thetenon for the panel;setthe heightof the dadoheadto cut about I
length. Tocut thetenoncheeks, buttthestockagainst the Vzinchintothetenon.Withthestockon its edge,usethe
fenceandthemitergauge, thenfeedit face-downovertheblades. fenceandthe mitergaugeto guideit overthe blades. Repeat I
Turnthe railoverandrepeat thecut ontheotherside.Test to cut the haunchontheothersideof thetenon(above, right).
thetenonin a scrappieceof woodcut witha dadothesame Fortherailsof anassembly withnopanel,cutstandard tenons I
sizeasthegrooves in thestiles;adjustthe heightof thedado (page104),makingthe shoulders equalto thewidthof the
headandrepeatthe cuts,if necessary. Next,cut thetenon notchyoucut intothehaunched tenons. I
r
48 I
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I
I FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

I
3 r) Planningthemortises inthestiles
L fust,evaluate theappearance of theboards forthe

\l 0- f f i
I stilesandarrangethemona worksurface withtheirbest
sidesfacingdown.Fora four-sided cabinei, suchasthe
I oneshown on page59,setthestilesin theirrelative posi-
tions-oneat eachcorner-and number themin sequence,
I beginningwiththefrontleftstile.Thiswillhelpyourear-
range thestilesshould theygetoutof sequence. Next,
I marktheapproximate locations of themortises, putting

IUffi
Xsontheinside edges andtheinside facesat thetops
I andbottoms of thestiles(lefil,Forstiles witha median
rail,markanadditionalX at theappropriate location on
I theedseof thestock.

I
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t
I
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I
-) Outlinine
themortises
t <.
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 againstthe edgeof the stile (aboveright,fop);repeatfor the
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 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
I 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 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
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 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
I 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 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
usea try squareto extendthe marks(dottedlines in the illus- 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
I t 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 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 ,
a n ym a r k sf o r m e d i a nr a i l s T . o m a r kt h e w i d t ho f t h e m o r t i s e s , 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 ) .
I 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 R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs t il e s .

I
I 49

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FRAM E-AND - PANELCONSTRUCTION I
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,{
-t
Routing
themortises I
Securea stilein a vise.Install
a commercial edgegurdeon turnit onandplunge thebit intothestock(above,
left).(lf you
a plungerouter,
thenscrew ontotheguidea woodextension as areusinga conventional router, pivot
carefully thetool'sbase I
wideastheedgeof thestile.Fittherouter witha straight
bit plateonthestockto lowerthebit.)Guidethebitfromoneend
thesamediameter asthewidthof the mortise youwillbecut- of themortiseto theother.Makeasmanypasses asnecessary I
ting,thensetthecuttingdepth.Center thebit overthemarks to cutthemortise to therequired depth.Then,squaretheends
forthemortiseandadjusttheedgeguideto butttheextension of themortiseusinga chisel. Cutwiththebevelededgeof the t
againstthestile.Gripping therouter f irmlywithbothhands, chiselfacingintothe mortise(above, righil.
I
f, Cutting thegrooves I
r,f Ontherailsandstiles, markloca-
tionsforthegrooves thatwill holdthe I
panel. Thensetupyourtablesawwith
an auxiliary fenceanda dadohead I
thesamewidthasthegroove. Place the
edgeof a railora stileonthetablewith I
thedadoheadaligned to runrightalong
itsmiddle, andadjustthefenceto butt I
against thestock.Usefeatherboards to
holdtheworkpiece against thefence I
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 I
in thesameposition: usefeatherboards
b o t ha b o v ea n dt o t h es i d e so f t h e I
stock(left),andcomplete eachpass
witha oushstick. I
I
t'
50 I
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I FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION

I
I J()INTS
C()PE-AND.STICK
I 1 Making
I Insert
thecopecutsin therails
a copingbit-alsoknown as
I a railcutter-with
in a router,
pilot
a ball-bearing
andmountthemachine in a
I routertable.Youwillbecutting tongues
theendsoftherailsto fit intogrooves
in
in the
t stiles.Butttheedgeof the railagainst
thebitandadjusttherouter's depthsetting
I sothatthetopof the uppermost cutter
is slightlyabovethestock.Position the
t fenceparallel to the mitergaugeslot
andin linewiththeedgeof thebit pilot.
I Makethecutswitha mitergaugef itted
withanextension andwiththeendof the
I stockbuttedupagainst thefence(/eftl.

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

I
I 51

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION I
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I
Q Cutting thestiles
r-,1Tosecure theworkpiece, clampa I
featherboard
theoutside
to theroutertableagainst
edgeof thestile;forextra
Il[llltlllllll flfllllllllllllltl|Illlllll tllllll ljlllllllll llltllll I
support,secure a second featherboard
to thefenceabove the bit.Whenfeed- 1HO? TI? t
ingtheworkpiece intothe bit (above),
usea pushstickto complete thepass. A ohop-builtmiter gauge
lf you do nolhave a 65_
I
miler qauqeor if
your rouLerlable I
io mieeinga sloI,
you can u?ea I
o h o p - m a dj ieq L o
quideetock accu- ,a I
ralely acroeolhe
table.WiNht,he I
rouler Lable'efence
aliqnedwiLhNheedge I
of the bit pilot,cuLa
board IhaI willover-
hangLheedqeof Nhetable
I
by an inchor Lwowhenit ie
bu|Ied aaainst the fence.)crew a
I
ohort eu??ortpieceto Nhieboard,counNersinkinqlhe ocrew6.
Then,ecrewa Lhirdboardto the undereide of lhe oupporLpiece.Thie I
lael addibionwillserveae a guide,runningalonqthe edqeof Nhetable.
Oeforeueinqthe jiq, cuNa nolch into it by runninqit paeLNhebiL. I
I
I
52 t
I
I
I MAKINGTHE PANEL
I
t p anelsto fit insideyourfi'antes canbe router areavailabein severaldesigns, Beforeraisinga panel,cut it to size.As
I madeof eitherply'wood or edge- includingcoveandogee,andin various shownbelow,this demandsprecision,
I gluedboards(page20).To ensurethat a diameters.Makesureyourrouterhasat sincethereis little room for playin the
panelwillfit snuglyin thegrooves on the least2 horsepowerto makesucha cut. fit betweenthepanelandtheframe.
t railsandstiles,but stillhavea littleroom
to moveasthewoodexpandsandcon-
I tracts,it is madesubstintially thinner
on theedgesthanit is in themiddle.The
I shapeofsucha so-called raisedpanelis
achieved not by addingmaterialat the
! centerbut by cuttingawaythickness
at theedges.
I Thereareseveralwaysof makinga
raisedpanel,depending on the visual
I effectyou wish to achieve. A common
method,examined in thissectionof the Akhoughthedesignis different,bevelinga panel'sedgeswith
I book,involves bevelingtheedges ofthe a router(top) or a tablesaw(below)achieves thesanreffict:
panelwitha tablesaw(page 54)orrouter Thecenterof thepanelappearsraised,while itsedges are
I (page56).Raisedpanelcuttersfor the sfficientlynarrowtofit intoa groovein theframe.

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

I
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I 53

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FRAME-AND_PANELCONSTRUCTION I
I
MAKING
A RAISED
PANET
WITHA TABTE
SAW I
1 Cutting theendgrain I
I Tosetthebladeangle, beginbymark-
inga cutting line:Draw a 7a-inch square I
at thebottom corner, thenmarka line
fromthefrontfaceof thepanelthrough I
theinside corner of thesquare to a point
onthebottom edget/a inchfromtheback I
face(inset). Restthepanelagainst an
auxiliary woodfenceandadjusttheangle I
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 I
toothjustprotrudes beyond thefrontface
of thepanel, thenclampa gurde blockto I
thepanel to ridealong thetopofthefence.
Feed thepanelintotheblade, keeping it I
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 I
theguideblockwithyourlefthand(left).
Test-fit thecut endin a groove. lf less I
Auxiliary fence thanl/qinchof thepanelentersthegroove,
movethefencea littlecloser to theblade t
andmakeanother pass.Repeat thecutat
theotherendof thepanel. I
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r) Cutting withthegrain I
L Setthepanelon edgeandfeed
i t i n t ot h e b l a d e k, e e p i n gthe back I
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 I
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 I
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. I
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54 I
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I FRAME-AND - PANELCONSTRUCTION

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t RAISED PANETS
A JIGF(lRGUTTING
I Toraisea oanelonthetablesawwith-
Anqled outadjusting theangleof the blade,
jig shownat left.
I fence
12"x 3O"
usetheshop-built
Referto the illustration for suggested
I dimensions.
the lip alongthe bottomedge
Auxiliary Screw
I fence
9" x 30"
of theangled
position
fence,making sureto
wheretheywill
thescrews
I notinterfere
angled
withtheblade.Propthe
fenceagainst theauxiliary fence
I at thesameangleasthecuttingline
marked onthe panel(page54I (Usea
I slidingbevelto transfer theangle.)
supports
Cut
to fit precise-
triangular-shaped
I ly in thespacebetween thetwofences,
9upporL thenfix themin placewithscrews.
I Tousethejig,position it onthesaw
tablewiththejointbetween the lip and
I theangled fencedirectly overtheblade;
ensurethatthe screwsarewellclearof
I thetableopening.
buttagainst
Slidetheripfenceto
thejig'sauxiliary fence,and
l' screwthetwotogether. Turnonthe saw
andcrankthebladeslowlyupto cut a
I kerfthrough the lip. Next,seatthe pan-
el in thejig andadjusttheheightof the
I bladeuntila singletoothis protruding
beyond the frontof the panel.Make
I a testcut in a scrapboardthe same
thickness asthepanel,feedingit into
I thebladeandthentestingitsfit in a
groove. Adjustthe positionof thefence
I or blade,if necessary. Thencuttheactu-
al panel,beveling thesideswiththeend
I graintisl (lefil.

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I 55

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FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION I
I
MAKING
A RAISED
PANET
WITHA ROUTER I
1 Setting uptherouter I
I Fita router witha panel-raising
bit,
thenmountthetoolin a routertable.To I
ensurethatthecutting widthis uniform,
positionthefenceparallel to themiter t
gauge slotandin linewiththeedgeof
thebit pilot.Withtherouter turnedoff, I
placea scrapboardalongthefenceand
acrossthe bitto checktheposition of I
thefence.Thebit pilotshould turnasthe
boardtouchesiI (left);adjustthefence's I
position,if necessary.
Settherouterfor
a Va-inchdeothof cut. I
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r) Raising thepanel t
L Lowe,the guardoverthe bit and
turnon therouter. Tominimize tearout, I
cut intotheendgrainof thepanelfirst,
beveling thetopandbottombefore the I
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 I
yourlefthandandpushit forward withyour
righl (right). Theoutside faceof the pan- I
el must bedownonthetable.Turnoff
therouter, thentest-fitthecut endin I
a groove. lf the panelsitslessthant/q
inchdeepintothegroove, increase the I
c u t t i n gd e p t hb y 7 ei n c ha n dm a k e
another oass. I
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I PUTTINGTHE PANELIN THE FRAME
I
I f) eforegluingup the rails,stilesand to boreoocketholesin therailsor rout
I) panel,takethe time to dry-fit the groovesin the railsand stiles.In either
I parts.Ifthe piecesdo not fit perfectly, case,the stockwill haveto be prepared
makefinal adjustments, A
asnecessary. prior to gluingup.
I slightshavingwith a wood chiselwill
usuallydo thetrick.
I Sincetheindividualframe-and-panel A beltsander provides a quickand
assembly is only one componeniof a efficientstartin smoothing thesur-
I pieceof furniture,somefurtherplanning facesof a ftame-and-panel. Here,the
is requiredat this stage.You needto glued-up pieceisclampedto a work
I decidewhich methodsyou will useto surfacefor sandingthefacesof the
install a bottom panel(page60) anda stilesandrails.Thepaneland the
I rop (page64).Someof the methodsof insideedges of theraik andstiles
installingthosecomponents requireyou shouldbesanded prior toglueup.
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I THEFRAME-AND.PANEL
ASSEMBLING
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'l Testassembling thepieces
I I Joina railanda stile.thenseatthepanelbetween them.Setthestileona worksur-
face,andaddthesecond railandstile(abovd.Markeachof thejointsusinga pencilto
I helpyouin thefinalassembly, whenyouapplytheglue.lf anyof thejointsistootight,
markthebinding spots,disassemble thepiecesandusea woodchisel to pareawaysome
I joint.Assemble
woodat theill-fitting theframeagain.Onceyouaresattsfied withthefit,
disassembletheframeandsandanysurfaces to reach
thatwillbedifficult oncethe
t assemblyhasbeengluedup.
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I 57

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FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION I
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r) Applying theglue I
I VtaV,e fourclamping blocks, cutting
themaslongastherailsarewideandas I
wideasthestilesarethick.Layoutallof
thecomponents in theirrelative positions I
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 I
glueintothemortises andonthetenon
cheeks andshoulders; forcope-and-stick I
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 I
adhesive to cover thesurfaces completely
whenit is spread outevenly(right).Do I
notinsert gluein thepanelgrooves; the
panelmustbefreeto movewithinthese I
joints.Afterapplying theglue,assemble
thef rame-and-panel. I
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Tighteningtheclamps
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r-,1 Laytwobarclamps ontheworksurface andplacethe I
glued-up assembly facedownonthem,aligning therails
wrththebars.Tokeeptheclamps fromfallingover,prop I
themup in notched woodblocks. Place clamping blocks
Notched
wood block between thestilesandthejawsof theclamps to avoidmar- I
ringthestockandto distribute thepressure evenlyalongthe
loint.Tighten each clamp in turnjust enough to close I
thejoints(left),Ihenusea trysquare to makesurethatthe
cornersof theframeareat 90' angles. Continuetightening I
theclamps untila thinbeadof gluesqueezes outof the
joints,checking forsquare asyougo.0ncethegluehas I
dried,remove theclamps. Protecting thesurface with
a woodpad,clamptheassembly to a worksurface. Usea I
paintscraper to remove anydriedgluethatremains onthe
wood,pullingthescraper alongeachloinI(inset). I
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5B I
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I CASE,
A FRAME,-AND-PANE,L
ASSEMBLING
t
I ith a fewvariations,youcanrepeat stiles.In thissituation,therailsandstiles tenonjoints,asin thepieceof furniture
theprocedures shownon pages57 canbe joinedwith standardmortise- shownbelowandon thefollowingpages,
I and 5Bto join individualframe-and- and-tenons(page104),ratherthanthe thetenonsof thesiderailsfit into mor-
panelassemblies into a pieceof furniture. haunchedvarietyusedfor the other tisescut into theinsidefacesof thestiles;
t A singleframeand panelmakeup the threesides. ior cope-and-stick joints,tongues cutin
backof a smallcabinet. Thefront is put The sideassemblies areidenticalto therailsfit in groovesroutedin thestiles.
t together in roughlythesamewayusing theback,exceptfor onefeature:Instead In bothcases, thepanelsfit into grooves
mortise-and-tenon joints.On thisside, of havingstilesof their own, the sides routedalongtheinsidefaces ofthe fiont
I however,thereis no panelin the frame, fit into the stilesof the front and back andbackstilesandtheedees ofthe rails
but a medianrail runninebetweenthe assemblies. Ifyou areusingmortise-and- betweenthem.
I
I G L U I NUGPA C A B IN E T
I Putting thecasetogether
Test-fit thecaseasyouwouldwhendryassembling a single
I frame-and-panel side(page57),thensandtheinsidesurfaces
of all the pieces. Applyglueto thejoints-wtththeexcep-
I tionof thegrooves thatholdthepanels-and makeyourfinal
assembly: Setthebackof thecabinet facedownandfit the
I foursiderailsintoitsstiles.Installthe twosidepanels in the
groove in thebackstiles andtheinside edges of thesiderails,
I Finally, putonthefront,placing themortises in thestiles over
thehaunched tenons onthesiderails.Setthecaseupright and
I install fourbarclamps running fromfrontto backovertherails,
protecting thesurfaces of thestileswithwoodpads. Tighten the
I clamps euenly (right) untila thingluebeadsqueezes outof the
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
I square, measuring thedistance between opposite corners;
thetwomeasurements should beequal.lf not,install another
I barclampacross thelonger of thetwodiagonals, setting the
clampjawsonthosealready in place. Tighten theclampa lit-
! tle at a time,measuring asyougo (below) untilthetwodiago-
nalsareequal. Oncethegluehasdried, remove theclamps and
I usea paintscraper to remove anydriedadhesive.

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INSTALLINGA BOTTOM PANEL I
I
''l"t hereareseveral
waysto installa bot- thetop edgeof thebottomrails.They Anothertypeof installation,shown I
I tom on a fi'ame-and-panel
case. One shouldbeabout7zinchwideandhalfas below,relieson ledgerstrips,whichare
methodthat is popularamongctrbinet- deepasthe thickness ofthe stock;stop screwed to thebottomrails.With this I
makerscallsfor groovesalongtheinside thegroovein thestilesatthepointwhere approach, thebottomcanbe installed
facesof thebottomrailsandthe stiles the siderailsbutt up against them.To afterglueup.Usingeithermethod,the I
priorto gluingup theindividualfrarre- installthepanel,narrowits edgesslightly bottom is madefrom the samestock
and-panel assemblies.
Thegrooves canbe with a plane,allowingthe pieceto fit usedfor the restof the case.Makethe t
madewith a dadoheadon thetablesaw, snuglyin thegrooves,but not corrpletely widthof thepanelslightlynarrowerthan
and theyshouldfall about1 inch from restrictingitsmovenrent. itsopeningto allowfor woodexpansion. I
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ATTACHING
THEPANEL
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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 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 I
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 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 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 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 . I
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 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
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 thebot- 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 I
t 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 - t h e c a s e( a b o v el e . 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
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 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 I
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 hand,screwthe bottompanelin place(above,rrght).
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 I
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60 I
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I SHELVING
I
I tf h. numberandplacement of shelves alsobe gluedinto dadoesroutedin the
I in a frame-and-oanel cabinetwill framebeforethecabinetis assembled.
I dependon the useyou havein mind for Whileadjustable shelves do not add
the furniture.If the cabinetwill hold strengthto a pieceof furniture,they
t books,for example, you mayneedfewer allowgreaterflexibility.As in simplecar-
shelvesthanif it will bethenlacefor vour caseconstruction,adjustable shelvesare
I comoactdiscs. commonlyheldin placewith wooden
eithoughsomeshelf-support systems dowelpins,plasticor metalshelf pins,or
I canbe put in placeafterthe cabinetis adjustableshelfstandards. Themethod
gluedup, a little advance planningwill shownbelowandon thefollowingpages
I maketheinstallationeasier. First,choose usescornerstripsandwoodensupports.
betweenfixed and stationaryshelves;
I eachhasits advantages.
Fixedshelves canaddto thestructural
I integrityof a case, but onceinstalledthey
cannotbemoved.Onewayto installper- Notchedcornerstrips allow
I manentshelves is to mount cleatson the shelfsupports-and the shelves
frameinsidethe cabinetandthenscrew that reston them-to be shift-
I the shelvingto them.Fixedshelvescan ed easily to different levels.

I
NGADJUSTABTE
INSTALLI SHELVES
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I 1 Making thecornerstrips
I Ripa board to a 4-inch-width
andthencut it to lenghto shelfposition.
Before making thecut,to makedadoes the
reachfromtopto bottom insidethecabinet.Install a dado samedistanceaoart. drivea screwintothefencewiththe
I headontheradial armsaw,setting thebladesto a widthto headof thefasteneragainst the leftedgeof thefirstdado.
accommodate thethicknessof theshelfsupports @age 62) Thencutthesecond dadoandslidetheboard alonguntrl
I Starting
at theendthatwillbeat thebottom of thecabinet, theleftedgeof thisdadois upagainst thescrewhead. Cut
cuta dadoacross theboard forthe lowest
shelf.Slidethe theremainingdadoes in thisfashion (abovd,thenripthe
I boardalonsthefenceto cutthesecond dadoat thenext boardintofourequalstrips.
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I 6l

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FRAME-AND- PANELCONSTRUCTION I
I
r") Installingthecorner strips I
Z Cuta rabbetat the bottomendof
eachcorner stripto allowit to sit onthe I
bottom of thecabinet whilefittingaround
the rail.Tomountthestrips,boretwo I
screw holesin eachof themneartheends.
Maketheholesona drillpressin a two- I
stepprocedure asfor ledgerstripsin the
bottomof a cabinet(page60). Position I
eachstripin a corner of thecabinet, mak-
ingsurethatthedadoes facetheinteri- I
or as shown.Markthescrewholesin
thestilesusinganawl,thenborea pilot I
holefora No.8 screwat eachooint.Use
a screwdriverto fastenthestrioto the I
cabinel(lefl.
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Inserting
theshelfsupports I
Measure thedistance between the
frontandbackstileson bothsidesof the I
cabinet.
Cutshelfsupports to fit thegaps
between matching pairsof dadoes. Make I
surethatthesupports arewideenough to
buttress
theshelves properly,andtest-fit I
lhem(right)to ensurethattheyfit snugly
in thedadoes. I
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62 I
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I FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

I
I 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
I to maketheshelving, cutting eachpiece to
sizeona tablesawsothattheendswill
I beflushagainst thecabinet sidesand
theedges willbuttagainst thestiles. Add
I edgebanding to thevisibleedgeif you
areusingplywood (page39).Tomakea
I shelffii, setit ontopof thecorner strips
andoutline theirshape ontheunderside
I 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
I backsaw (right).Withedge-glued shelving,
youhavetheoptionof routing a decora-
I t 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)

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I f,
Routing a molding
r.,f Place theshelves momentarrly inside
I 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 thebegin-
t ningsandendsof 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 .
I P r o t e c t i nt hges h e l wf i t ha w o o dp a d ,
clampit to a worksurface. Fita router
I 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
I withbothhandsandresting its baseplate
ontheshelf,turnonthetool.Move the
t bit pilotup against theedgeof theshelf
andguidetherouter against thedirection
I of its bit rotation to cutthe moldine 1efil.

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I 63
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INSTALLINGATOP I
I
T ike thebottom,the top of a frame- of a room,makethetop panelflushwith securinga top.Anothermethodcallsfor I
I: and-panel cabinetis madefrom the thebackofthe case. the creationofpocketholesin the rails
samestoik astherestof thepiece,usu- Fourcommonmethodsof attaching beforethe caseis gluedup. I
allyindividualboardsedge-glued togeth- topsareillustratedbelow Onetechnique Whateverapproachyou choose,allow
er.To determinethe size,measurethe featuresrabbetedblocks.called
"but-
someplayin anticipation of woodmove- t
frameandaddthewidth of anymolding tons,"whichfit into a groovecut around ment;otherwise, the top will buckle,
you plan to installunderthe lip. Also thetop rails.Metalfastenerscanbeused warp and forcethe frameapart.Also, I
takeinto considerationa smallamount in the sameway.Ledgerstrips,suchas rememberto installanydrawer-hanging
of overhangat thefront andsides.Unless thoseusedto attacha bottom panelto hardware(page92) beforeputting the I
thecabinetwillbefeaturedin themiddle the cabinet,will work equallywell for top on thecabinet.
I
()PTIONS
TOP-FASTENING
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Woodbuttons Metal faatenera ?ocket holea Ledgeretilpa
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WOOD
BUTTONS ()NA T(lP
TOLATCH
a groove
I
1 Cutting in thetoprails
I Fita router witha three-wing
tingcutterandsetthetool'scutting
slot- a
depthfor abouI3/t
surface
inch.Protecting
of thecabinet withwoodpads,
the I
usebarclamps to holda guideboard
flushalongtheedgeonwhichtherouter
I
willberiding; thiswillprovidea surface I
to bracethetoolasyoucut thegroove.
Foreachrail,guidetherouteralongthe I
topedge,moving fromleftto right(lef\.
Reposition theedgeguidebefore cutting I
subseouent sidesof thecabinet.
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64 I
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I FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

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Woodbutton
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I r) Making thebuttons
L youwillneedto produce a series
of 1-inch-square
buttons- tonsaboutl% inchesfromtheends(lnsef). Tomakeholesin
I at leastthreeforeachsideandoneforaboutevery 6 inches
for thebuttons usea 3/ro-inch
forinstallation, bitanda cornerjig
largertops.Youcanmass-produce thesepieces froma single froma scrapof 3/rinchplywood
fashioned andL-shapedsup-
I board, butchoose stockof a thicknessequalto thegapbetween portbrackets.
Clampthejigto thedrillpress
tableandsteady
thebottom of thegroovecut in stepi andthetopof therails, thebuttonswitha pushstick.Borethroughthecenters
of the
I less%oinch.Cuta3/rinchrabbet at eachendof theboard. buttons
onthe unrabbeted nortion(ahove)
Thenriptheboardinto1-inch-wide stripsandcutoffthebut-
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I Installing
thebuttons
Setthe cabinettop facedownon a worksurface,and
t positionthecaseupside downontopof it. Aligntheback
of thecabinet withthebackedgeof thetopandcenter
I thecasebetween itssides.Fittherabbeted endsof three
buttons intothegroove in therailat thebackof thecabi-
I net,positioningonein themiddle andtheothertwonear
theends.Leave a %o-inch gapbetween thelipped ends
I of the buttonsandthe bottomof thegroove to allowfor
movement of thewood.Drive screws witha drilltofasten
I thebuitonsin place(left).

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FRAME_AND_
PANELCONSTRUCTION I
I
Squaring
thetop I
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 I
rail.Usingwoodpadsto focuspressure
onthecorners, buttonejawof theclamp I
ontheedgeofthetopandtheotherjawon
thefrontstile.Totestforsouare. measure I
thegapbetween theedgeof thecabinet
andtheedgeof thetopat several points I
on bothsides. Thegapshould beuniform.
lf it is not,tightentheclamp(right)unlil I
thetopis correctly positroned onthecase.
lnstallthe remaining buttons (page 65),at I
leastthreenerside.Thebuttons onthe
sidesshouldbefirmlyseated inthegroove; I
the buttons onthefront-likethoseon
theback-should bebacked offslightly I
fromthe bottomof thesroove.
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P()CKET
HOTES
jig
I
1 Boring holes witha commercial
I Usea drillto boreholesin twosteps
w i t ht w od i f f e r e nbt r a d - p o i nb ti t s :o n e
t
s l i g h t llya r g etrh a nt h ed i a m e t eorft h e I
screwheads, sotheycanberecessed, and
onea littlelarger thanthescrew shanks to I
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 I
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
I
thecabinet against thestopblock,inside
pocket
I
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 I
f irmly,borethehole,stopping whenthe
stripof tapetouches
jigto boreanother
thejig.Reposition the I
holeat themiddle(/eff)
anda thirdoneneartheotherend.Fitthe I
second bitonthedrillandboretheclear-
anceholesin thesamemanner. I
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66 t
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I PANELCONSTRUCTION
FRAME-AND_

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

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

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I 67

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FRAME_AND_PANELCONSTRUCTION I
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ti o.^
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A POCKET H()IEJIG
I
Usea pocketholejig,shop-built I
from%-inchplywood, to borepock-
et holeson a drillpress. Referto I
the illustrationat leftforsuggested
dimensions. Forthejig,screw I
together thetwosidesof thecradle
9upporl;bracket
1 1 / 2 "x 1 t / 2 " x 4 ' / 2 "
to forman L. Cuta 90'wedgefrom
eachsupport bracket sothatthe
I
widesideof thecradleis angled
about15"fromthevertical when
I
it sitsin the brackets.
brackets
Screw
to thejig baseandglue
the I
Jig baee thecradleto thebrackets.
Tousethejig,seatthepieces to
I
bedrilledin thecradle
inside surfaces facing
withtheir
outandtheir
I
topedgesin theV of thecradle.
Borethe holesin twostepswith
I
twodifferent bitsasdescribed
step1, page66. In thiscase,use
in I
a Forstner bit anda brad-point
Withthe brad-point
bit.
bit in the
I
chuck,position
oress
thejigonthedrill
tablesothatthebitwillexit
t
in thecenter
rail.Clamp
of thetopedgeof the
thejigto thetableand
I
installtheForstner
Holding
bit in thechuck.
theworkpiece firmlyin
I
thejrg,feedthebit slowly to bore I
threeholesintotherailjustdeep
enough to recess thescrewheads. I
Then,installthebrad-point bit in
thechuckandborethrough the I
workpiece to complete thepocket
holes(/efi,bottom). I
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INSTALLINGMOLDING
t
I 1 'hethelit isstore-bought
" .'
or shop- andogeecurvearejusta fewof thecom-
rnade, rnoldirrgfulfillsa keyrole mon profilesusedin cabir-retmaking.
I for thecabinetmaker. On a frame-and- Wren cuttingthemoldings, makethe
panelcabinet,its principalfunction finaloassa vervshallowoneat halfthe
I isto hidethejoint between thetop and speedof previoirrpos.r.Sucha finishing
therails,creatingtheillusionof a seam- touchshouldproducea smoothfinish
I lessconnection. But moldingalsogives thatwill requiieonlyminimalsanding.
a pieceof furniturea decorative and
I distinctivelook.
By shapingthe edgesof a pieceof
I hardwoodwith a routeror-as shown
belowandon thefollowingpages-with
I a tablesau you cantransformsomeof The rrtold i rtg .for ilt i s.fitt trrc- a rrcl-
thesamestockusedfor thecabinetinto pttrrclcctltinetwosctft ort a taltle sttw
I attractivemoidings.Crown,cove,bead eryipped witlt o setof ogeckrrives.

I
MOLDING
ANDINSTALLING
PREPARING
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I a t a b l es a w
1 C u t t i ntgh em o l d i n og n
I S e l e cat b o a r dl o n ge n o u g h t o y i e l dm o l d i n gfso r t w os i d e s 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 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 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 . i n i s ht h e
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 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 -
I 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 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 o
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 shapethe opposite edgeof the workpiece (above). Installa com-
t t u r no n t h e s a w C . 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 . bination 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 f r o mt h e e d g e s
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 t os t h e f e n c e o f t h e s t o c kC . u tt h e m o l d i n g t o l e n $ hf o r o n es i d eo f t h ec a b i -
I 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 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 .

I
I 69

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 I
FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION I
I
r') lnstalling
themolding ononeside I
L Cutfourwoodpadsandtwoshort
piecesof molding to serveasspecial I
clamping blocks.
Turned upside down,
theblocks willmeshwiththemolding t
beinggluedin place. Applyanevenlayer
of adhesiveto thebackof themolding, I
beingcareful notto slopanyglueonthe
topedge.Thedecorative trimshould t
bondto therails,notto thetopof the
cabinet. Positionthemolding onthe I
siderail(left),makingsurethatit butts
againstthecabinet topandthatits I
miteredendisflushwiththefrontstile.
t
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Q Tightening theclamps
r-J Protecting theopposite sideof I
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. I
Toholdthemolding firmly, place the
clamping blockbetween themolding I
a n dt h ew o o dp a d sT. i g h t eena c h
clampa littleat trme(right)unIila I
thinbeadof gluesqueezes outof the
loint.Remove anyexcess adhesive. I
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70 I
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I FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION

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Installing molding
I onthecabinet front

I
W i t ht h ep i e c e o f s i d em o l d i nsgt i l l
c l a m p etdo t h ec a b i n e tm, e a s u rt h ee
lllllllrllllr]lJ
lllll.ltillllltllllilIlllllilltlllrrllil1ll lllt
lltll]11
w i d t ho f t h ef r o n to f t h ec a s eC . u ta
I p i e c eo f m o l d i nsgl i g h t l lyo n g et rh a n 1HO?Tt?
t h i sw i d t hm, a k i nag 4 5 ' m i t e rc u t An alternalive mei'hod
I a t t h ee n dt h a tw i l lb u t ta g a i n st ht e for alampingon moldingo
molding already in place. Holdthenew TooimVlifyNheclampinq
I p i e c ei n p l a c ea n du s ea p e n c i l t o operalion,maKetwo
marka cutting lineontheunmitered NriangularwoodVado,
I end(above), angling outfromthecor- whichwillenableyouto
ner.Cutthepiece of molding to length, uoeC clamVsto hold
t m a k i n ag 4 5 " m i t e ri n l i n ew i t hy o u r lhe moldinqin place.
Gluea ebripof oandpaper
cutting mark. Once thegluefortheside
I piecehasdried, remove theclamps and
lo the edqeof eachpad
to Vrevenlit' from elipVinq
install thepieceof frontmolding (page
I 70).Repeat theprocess to cutandinstall
whenclampinq?reeoure
ieaVVlied.
t h er e m a i n i np gi e c e
o fm o l d i n g .
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I D
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f n.rr.n.., a draweris nothingmore jammingor chattering. Aswithjoinery
I I thana boxwithouta top-a front,a mountinga draweroffersmanychoices
bachtwosidesandabottom.Individual (page87).Everymethodmustsupport
I examples, however,beliethissimplicity. thedrawetpreventit fromtippingasit
Theyrun thegamutfromthemodern is pulledout and stopit asit slides
I kitchendrawerslammingshutonmetal home.Theperfectdrawerwill glide
slidesto the drawerof a well-made nearlyout, thenhesitate a bit; drawer
I Victoriandeskwhispering homewitha stops(page95)preventthe unit from
nearlyairtight sigh.Theformerisoften beinginadvertently pulledall theway
I an anonymous, interchangeable unit out or pushedtoofar in.
with a falsefront.Thelattermaybea Differenttypesof furnituredemand
I finicky individualpreciselyfit to an differentmethodsof mountingdrawers.
openingin aparticularpiece offumiture, Sizedtofitbetuveen grooves cut in In carcases,
drawers canbeside-mount-
I itsuniquefaceblendingbeautifrrlly with thesidesof a drmuer,a plywood ed:grooves routedin their sidesslide
thegrainof thewoodsurrounding it. bottompanelslidesintoposition. onthin stripsof woodattached directly
I Pulledopen,adrawerreveals moreof Thepanelwill bottomout in a to the cabinetsides.Theycanalsobe
Eachof is fivepieces
is personality. may groovein thefront and benailedto supported by a U-shaped framewith
I becutfromadifferentwood. Thefront, thebackto secureit in place. runnersat the sidesanda rail at the
whichshowsmost,is chosenfor its front.Here,thedrawerslidesonthebot-
t species,colorandgrain;thethinnersides for longwear; theback tomedges of itssides-atraditional technique calledbottom-
for strengh;thebottomfor stability. run.In frame-and-panel cases,drawersupports sit on strips
I Not onlyisthefrontthemostvisiblepartof a drawetit also attached to theframesonly.
takesthemostabuse. Asyouwill discover in thejoinerysec- Commercial metaldrawersliderunners-like thosefound
I tion of thischapter(page 76),keeping it attached to thesides on file drawers-providea wheeled side-mounting option.
requiresa durable,solidjoint.Front-to-side jointsrangefrom One-halfof thehardware attachesto thecarcase andtheother
I theutilitarianrabbetjoint to thehandsome, hand-cuthalf- halfto thedrawersides.Usedextensively in kitchencabinet-
blind dovetail.Therabbetis quickandeasyto cut;producing work,meal slidescansupportgreatweightandprovideaccess
I thedovetailcanbeanart form in itself. to theverybackof thedrawer.
Thejoint between thebackandsidesalsorequires strength, Whethermeantto holdpajamas in a quicklymadechild's
I butit showsless,sosimplerjointssuchasdadoes suffice.lastly, chestor nightgowns in anheirloomhighboy, drawers will form
thebottomslidesinto grooves in thesidesandfront. anintegralpartof manyofyourcabinetmaking projects.Each
I A drawer's mostbasicfunctionisto holdthings.Butit must of thethousands of timessomeone opensoneof thesedrawers,
alsoslipin andoutof thepieceof furniturehousingit without heor shewill bereminded of thecareyoutookto buildthem.
t
t
Setoffby thesimplicityof ametallicsingJe-pullhandle,
t a solidwooddrau,erglidessmoothlyin and out of aframe-
and-panelcabinet.Grooves routedinto thedrawersides
t run alongsupportsattachedto theframeof thecabinet.

I 73
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 I
ANATOMY OF A DRAWTR I

rruvclnrrrliinqcorrsists o1'tll'cetlis 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 '

'l'his
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 I
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 ' 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 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 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
'l
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 I
, 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 ilrd- 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
n'rrrc.EachstcpntLlst[rcpcrfirlntcclpre- 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 ' .
'l'hrcc
dil'ltrcnt t
cisclvif .rcllarvcris to contbincqlaccancl chrrrrtctcristics in trrnts of stt'cngth.ltcl Inethocls tirr ntoLrntinq rrrlrarr'clin ir cirr
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 ' clLrrrrbil itr, lo'cl ol'd i lllcLrl tri anii .rppcil r- c 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 I
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 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
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 . stocliirncllirrnitLrrlc. \ilu can .rlloripcr- f 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 I
. \ 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 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 ,
thc basiclcirturcs of thc onc slrtxvnbclorv 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 I
Iar/if i./,thelc rrrcirn ilrritvol'r'irriations. 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 .
I
D R A W EFRR O N T S I
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False front: '\ .sr'lrrltt/t'
lrorrlis ttLrilt'o t lt ' t ' r t l r t ' I
sl r t rt l t rrttI .l)o trl; crrlrrti/-s
ctttl lt ttitt of rli'rttrt'r'-sir/t'-s I
t
I
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
.\('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'orrr- Drawer alide I
t t t t'rt'i tt I r t l I I t t('t : tt'l tct t l I tt'
?ita in qrooverouted
tlrttrcr i.rcio,st'r/; lip ptr-
in drawer side; Ecrewed
to carcaaeaide panel
I
I 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). I
Bot'tom panel / I
Typically'/. - inch plywood:
fiLa in 4rooverauted in I
draweraides and front
I
I
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 I
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 t
I
71 I
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t DRAWERS

I DRAWER
JOINTS

I
t
t
I Rabbet
For back-to-eide
jointa on moat draw'
I ers; alao etron4
enoughfor joininq the
I front to the aidee if
reinforced with screwe
I or naila;auitablefor
aolid woodor plyvvood
Through dovetail
1tron4, decorativejoint
Half-blind dovetail
Thetraditional joint
Dado
Can be uaed to
Doubledado
For any corner of
for any drawercorner; for connectin4the join the front to the ematl,liqht-duty
end qrain of drawer front to the aidea; aideaand the back drawer; concealaend
aideacan be concealed concealaend qrain of to the sidea;for aolid qrain of aideoand
with fal6e front; appro- eidea;euitableonly wood or plywood front; auitable only
pdate for aolid wood for aolid wood for aolid wood
but not plSwood

t METH(|DS
DRAWER-MOUNTING
Drawer 5ide-mounted
back 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 doublemor-
Drawer front
tiges cut into carcaae panelg:
Typicallythicker
one ed4e of runnera ia iabbeted
than eidee,back
and fita into groovecut into panele
and bottom; may
be coveredby a
falae front

Drawer eide Commeraialslide

Joined to front runner5
and back with Metal alidea acrewed
any of a variety lo draweraideemeeh
of jointe; qroove with runnere acrewed
ahownmeshea to carcaae
with drawer alide

I 75

I

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 drawerhang-
ing 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
I
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be.Thus,thefrontcanbethickerthanthe installinga falsefront (pnge97),ahalf- I
sidesandthesidesthickerthantheback. blinddovetail(pnge82)nay bea better
Woodworkersoften use different choice.Alsocalledthelappeddovetail, I
jointsat differentcorners. The choice thehalf-blinddovetailconceals theend
depends not merelvon thedesired visual orrirr nf thp cidpc
b'",''"'
t
effict,but alsoon the stresses thejoint Rabbet andlippedrabbetjoints(pnge
will face.A joint thatmightbeadequate 77)areeasyto cut andarestrongenough I
to connectthe sidesto the backof a to useat anycornerofa drawer, partic-
drawermaynotbestrongenoughto join ularlyif reinforced with screws or nails. I
thefront to thesides. The main difference betweenthe two
The following pagespresentan jointsisthatthedrawerfrontin a lipped t
assortment ofjoinerymethods. Someare rabbetjoint overhangs the sides.As a
joints,othersare
suitablefor front-to-side result,thefront mustbecut largerthan I
strictlyfor back-to-sidejoints,whilestill theopening.
otherscanbeusedat anycorner.Youalso Simpleto constmct,the dadoand I
needto keepin mindtherypeof woodyou doubledadojoints (pnge78)areideal
areusing.Somejoints,suchasthedove- choicesfor small,light-dutydrawers. I
tail and the doubledado,canbe used Thedoubledadoconceals endgrain,
onlywithsolidwood,whileothers-the rnakingit a visuallyappealing alterna- I
rabbetandthedado,for example-work tiveto thedado.
eqrrallywellwithply.rvood or solidwood. Likeotheroperations in cabinetmak- I
Forthestronsest andmostattractive ing,drarver-building demands accuracy
joint, chooseihe throughdovetail, andpatience. Maketestjointsto fine- I
whichcanbecut quicklyandaccurately tune your tools and nteasllrements
usinga jig (pageB0).Youcanalsosaw beforecuttingintostock,andperiodical- I
oneby handasyouwouldto join car- ly test-fita drawerto eusrlreit will fit its
casesides(pnge27).Unlessyou will be openingperfectly. I
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--" fr t
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Diftbrettt.jointsfor diflbrerrtptu'p()ses:
A sinrpledadojoiltt is suJficiertto.joirrtlrc I
backto tlrc sidesof n drat er.But the.fi'orrt
reqtiresn strortger .ioirrt-irt tltiscnse,a
I
doultledndo,alsokrtotvrtttstt concenled
dado-arrcl-tortgtrc.
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76 I
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I DRAWERS

I
t RABBET
JOINTS
I 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
t 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 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
I 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
I one-halfthe thickness
c u t t h e r a b b e t sb
of the drawerfront.To
, u t t t h e e d g eo f t h e f r o n t
I 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
I downintothe dadohead.Flipthe boardaround
and repeatthe cut at the oppositeend (right).
I
I
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LIPPED
RABBET
JOINTS
I Cuttinga lip in a drawer front
I Tocut lippedrabbets around
front,marklineson itsinside
theedges of a drawer
faceto allowforanover-
t hangof at least% inch.Alsomarktherabbet
itsedges-upto one-half thethickness
depthon
of thedrawer
I front.Cuttherabbets
inside
in twosteps,
faceof thefront,thenfeeding
firstnotching
thestockinto
the

I thebladeonendandonedge.
setthebladeheight
Tomakethefirstcuts,
to thedepthof therabbet. Then
I feedthestockinside
alongthemarked
facedownintotheblade
lines(insef).
to cut
Tomaketheremaining
I cuts,setthebladeheight to thewidthof therabbets.
Alignthebladewiththemarks fortherabbet depth,
I thenbuttthefenceagainst thestock.Keeping the
drawer frontflushagainst thefence,feedit onend
I intothebladeto complete onerabbet. Turntheboard
overandrepeat to cuttherabbetat theotherend(left).
I Thenfeedthestockintothebladeonedgeto cutthe
rabbets onthetopandbottomedges.
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DRAWERS t
I
DAD()
J()INTS I
Cutting dadoes in drawer sides
A dadocut aboutr/zinchfromthe back
I
endof eachsideserves
back-to-side
asan effective
joint.Onyourtablesawinstall
I
a dadoheadthesamewrdthasthedrawer
back.Position theripfenceabout% inch
I
fromtheblades
no higher
andsetthecuttingheight
thanone-half thestockthick-
I
ness.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
I
a g a i n st ht em i t e g
r a u g em
, a k et h ec u t . I
I
I
I
I
t
I
DOUBTE
DADO
J()INTS
1t Cuttins
dadoes
in a drawer
front
I
-
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
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
I
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
I
in the miterslot.Protecting
a woodpad,clampthe drawerfrontto the
the stockwith I
.1rg. Movethe jig sideways to alignthe marks I
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
I
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
I
olher end (right). I
I
I
I
I
I
78 I
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I DRAWERS

t
t /) Trimming thedadotongues
L lnslallanauxiliary fence,thenmark
I a cuttinglineontheedgeof thedrawer
frontto divideoneof thetongues on its
t 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
t down, alignthemarked linewiththedado
head.Buttthefenceagainst thestock.
I Notchthe fence(page77),thensetthe
cuttingheightto trimthe half-tongue.
I Holding thedrawer frontfirmlyagainst
thegauge, feedit intothedadohead.
I Turnthe boardaround andreoeat the
procedure at theotherend(right).
I
I
I
t
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I Q Cutting matching dadoes in the
r-,f drawer sides
I Tojointhedrawer sidesto thefront,cut
a dadonearthefrontendof eachside.The
I dadoes needto meshwiththehalf-tongues
onthefront.First,setthecuttingheight to
I the lengthof the halftongues. Tosetthe
widthof cut,buttthedrawer sideagainst
I 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 oen t h e d r a w esr i d e A
. lign
I themarks withthedadohead, thenbuttthe
ripfenceagainst thestock.Holding theboard
I flushagainst themitergauge, feedit into
theblades. Thenreoeat thecut onthe
I otherdrawer side.

I
I 79

t
 I
DRAWERS I
t
THROUGH
DOVETAIL
J(|INTS I
jig
1 Setting uptherouter I
I Setupa router jigforcutting dovetails following themanu-
facturer'sinstructions.
ona fingerassembly
Forthemodelshown,
automatically setstheproper
adjusting thetails
widthforthe
t
pinsontheopposite
a pieceof 3/a-inch
sideof thesameassembly.
plywood to fit across
Tobegin,
thetopof thejig asa
cut I
spacer board, thenclamptheboardbetween thejig bodyand I
thefingerassembly. Thespacer boardserves asa solidbase
fortheassembly
assembly
andhelpsreduce
lockscrews
tear-out.
faceup;if theydo not,loosen
Makesurethatthe
thescale
I
thumbscrews, remove thefingerassembly
andflip it over.Fita router witha dovetail
fromitssupport
bit,thensetthepin
arms t
scaleon bothendsof thefingerassembly
(inseil.fighlenthethumbscrews.
to thebit diameter
Clampthetail board(oneof
I
thedrawer's sides)to thejig,outside-face out.Loosen the lock I
knobs oneachsideof thejig,thenslight-
ly raise thef ingerassembly
theknobs.Layoutthefingers
andtighten
across the
I
endof thetail boardto setthesizeand
spacing of thetails.Leave a fewfingers
I
oneachsideof thetailboard
routersteady
to keeothe
whenit is cutting.There
t
shouldbeonefingerat eachedgeof
theboardto makehalf-tails. Onceyou
I
aresatisfied withthespacing-symmetri-
c a lo r a s y m m e t r i cdael p, e n d i nogny o u r
t
preference-tighten (/eft).
thelockscrews I
Cutting
thetails
t
Withthetailboardstillclamped to thejig,loosen I
thescalethumbscrews. Turnoverthefingerassembly
andslideit alongthesupport
indicate theALLposition.
armsuntilbothscales
Loosen thelockknobs on
I
thesideof thejig,lower
spacer board andtighten
thefingerassembly
theknobs, making
onthe
sure
t
theassembly is sitting
squarely
Usea pinboardasa guideto scribe
onthespacer board.
a lineacrossthe
I
tailboardmarking thecutting depth. Then,position
therouteronthejig, its baseplaterestrng onthefin-
I
gerassembly,
themarked
andsetthetip of thebit %ainchbelow
line.Turnontherouter andcui outthe
I
wastebetween thetails(right).Routfromrightto left, I
keeping thetoolflatagainst thefingerassembly. Turn
theboardover,secureit to thejig andcutthetails I
at theotherendthesameway.Follow thesamepro-
cedure to cutthetailsof theotherdrawer side. I
I
t
80 I
I
I
I DRAWERS

t
I Q Cutting thepins
r-,1 Remove thetail boardandturnover
I thefingerassembly. Setthepinscale
to thediameter of thedovetail bitasin
r step1. Thenfit therouter
cuttingbitandclampthepinboard-the
witha straight-

I drawer front-tothejig,outside-face out.

Usea tailboardbutted against thepin
I board to marka lineforthecuttingdepth.
Placethe routeron thejig andsetthe
I tip of thebit %oinchbelow themarked
line.Cutoutthewastebetween thepins
I thesamewayyourouted outthetails(/eff).
Then,remove thepin boardandtest-f it
I 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
I fingerassembly about7einchtoward the
backof thejig.Tighten thethumbscrews
I (belowlMakeanother passwiththe router
to remove morewastebetween thef in-
I gers,Test-f it thejointagain,andmake
anynecessary adjustments. Onceyou
I aresatisfied withthefit, turnthe board
over,secure it to thejig andcutthepins
I at iheotherend.Cutthepinsat both
endsof thedrawer backthesamewav.
I
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t
I 81

I
 I
DRAWERS I
I
HAIF-BLIND
DOVETAIL
JOINTS I
I
I
t
The half-blind dovetailmakesan I
idealjoint for building drawers:
The taik on the sidepieceqre visible I
but their endgrain is concealedby
the drawerfront. Thejoint can be cut t
by hand, asshownin thefollowing
page5or by a router in contbination I
with a tenrplnteor a jig.
I
I
I
I
I
a
'l
t
thepinboard
Marking
I Marktheoutside facesof theboards withanX.Thenseta I
cuttinggaugeto abouttwothirds thethickness ofthepinboard
andmarka lineacross theend,closer to theoutside thanthe Tryoquare I
insideface(above),Adjustthecuttinggauge to thethicknessof
thestockandscribe a linearound theendsof theoinboards to I
marktheshoulder lineof thetails.Next,usea dovetail square
thepinsonanendof thepinboard;
to outline thewidepart I
of thepinsshould beontheinside faceof thestock. There are
nostrictguidelinesforspacing dovetailpins,butformostdraw- I
ers,starting
wrtha half-pin at eachedgeandadding twoevenly
spaced pinsin between makes fora strong andattractivejoint. I
Tocomplete themarking, secure thepinboard in a viseanduse
a trysquareanda pencil to extend thelinesontheboard end I
to theshoulderlineon its rnsideface(right). Markthewaste
sectionswithanX asyougo. I
I
I
I
I
B2 I
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I
I DRAWERS

T
I r) Cutting thepins
Z. Secure oneoinboard in a visewith
I the outside faceof the stocktoward
you,thencutalong theedges of thepins
I witha dovetail saw,working yourway
fromoneboardedgeto theother.(Some
I woodworkers prefer to cutalltheleft-hand
edges of thepinsfirst,thenalltheright-
t handedges.) Holdtheboard steady and
alignthesawbladejustto thewaste side
I of thecuttingline;angle thesawtoward
thewasteto avoidcuttingintothepins.
I Usesmooth, evenstrokes, allowing the
sawto cutonthepushstroke. Continue
I 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
I of the board.

I
I
I
I
t
I
I -) Removins
<'
thebulkofthewaste
r . , l S e t t h e p a n e li n s i d e - f a cuep o n a
I 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
I 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
I 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 -
t 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 ,
I usea woodenmalletto strikeit, scoring
a l i n ea b o u t7 a - i n c h - d e e i npt ot h e w a s t e
I 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
I 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 .
S t r i k et h e c h i s e tl o r e m o v e a thin layer
I o f w a s t eC . o n t i n u eu n t i ly o u r e a c ht h e
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 ,
I t h e n p a r ea w a ya n y e x c e s sb t e p 4 ) .
R e p e atth e p r o c e sw s i t ht h e r e m a i n i n g
I wastesections.

I
I B3

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 I
DRAWERS I
I
paring
Final I
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
I
against
thewallsof thesectionwiththe
thumbof yourlefthand;withyourright I
hand,pushthechisel towardtheshoul-
derline,shaving awaythelastslivers
of I
waste(left).lf necessary,
tapthechisel
gentlywitha wooden mallet. I
r
I
I
/tl I
I
I
I
t
I
I
t
I
I
I
f, Marking andcutting thetails
.-,1Seta tailboardinside-face uDona I
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 I
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 I
tail board(right),Ihen extend thelines
ontheboardendusinga trysquare. Mark I
thewaste wrthXs,thenoutline thetails
ontheotherendof theboard thesame I
way.Remove thewaste asyouwouldwhen
cuttingdovetail jointsforcarcase panels I
(nape.30)Reneat thp nrocedure forthe
othertailboard. I
I
84 T
I
I
I A DRAWER
ASSEMBLING
I
t ASSEMBLY
DRAWER
I 1 Preparing thedrawer fora bottom panel
I Dry-f it the partsof thedrawer, then
I clampthe unit securely, aligning the bars
of the clamps with the drawer sides. Use
I a pencil to identify the parts that fit togeth-
er to makereassembly easier laterwhen
I y o ug l u eu p .T oi n s t a a ll bottom panel,
routa groove along the inside of the draw-
I er.First, mark a line r/z inch from the bot-
tomedgeof the front, back and sides.
I T h e nf,i t a r o u t ewr i t ha % - i n c thh r e e -
wingslotting cutterandmountthetool
I in a router table.Setthedrawer right-side
uponthetableand align the cutter with
I themarked line.Starting at the middle of
onedrawer side,feedthe stock into the
I cutter.Keeping the pilotbearing butted
against theworkpiece, feed the drawer
I clockwise tight). Continue pivoting the
drawer onthetableuntilvou return to
I yourstarting point.

I
I
I
I
I
I r) Making thebottom panel
L anlpreparing theback
I Forthebottom panel, cuta pieceof %-inch
plywood to f it theopening, adding thedepth
I of the grooves to itswidth and the depth of
one groove and the thickness of the back to
I its lengh. Next, remove the clamps and trim
thebottom of thedrawer backwitha table
I sawto allow you to slide the bottom panel
into position. With the back inside face up
I onthesawtable, align the top edge of the
groove youcut in step1 withtheblade.Butt
I the ripfenceagainst thestock,thenfeed
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
I straddling thefence thefingers
with of your
righthand. (Caution: Blade guard removed
I forclarity.)

I
I B5

I
 I
DRAWERS I
I
Q Gluing upthedrawer .t
r-,1 Before gluingupthedrawer, decide
how will mountiI (page87),since
you I
somemethods require youto prepare the
drawer sidesbefore finalassembly. Then, I
sandthesurfaces thatwillbedifficult to
access afterglueup.Squeeze someglue I
onthecontacting surfaces of thejoints
andspread theadhesive evenly witha I
brush. Assemble thedrawer, thenarrange
twobarclamps ona worksurface andlay I
thedrawer onthem,aligning thedrawer
sideswiththebarsof theclamps. Install I
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 I
andfront.Place a woodpadbetween the
stockandtheclampjawsto avoidmar- I
ringthewood.(Donotplacea padona
lipped drawer front,asit willprevent the t
jointsfromclosing.) Tighten theclamps
justenough to fullyclosethejoints(/eff,), I
thenusea trysquare to checkwhether
thecorners areat rightangles. lf they I
arenot,usea barclampplaced
ly to correctthe problem(page59).
diagonal-
r
Finish tightening theclamps untila bead
of gluesqueezes outof thejoints,check- I
ingasyougothatthecorners aresquare.
Oncetheadhesive hasdried,remove I
ilfliltllltllltlllllllt]lltllllillififillllllllfiutllllll fililllltll1
thebottom panelintoplace, thendrive
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
I
a fewfinishrng nailsthrough it andinto
1HO?TI? thebottomedgeof thedrawerbackto I
fix it in position.
Fixinga loooe drawer bottom
If a drawerbo|tom is looee,uoeohop-made wedgeo
I
to ^tighhenNhefit. Deqinby uoinga t ableoawNorip
a fewthin otripe of woodfrom a board,anqlingbhe
t
bladeNoproduceone narcowedge.Then,cuI the
elriVointo smallerpiecee.1eIthedrawerupeide r
downon a worksuflace and installa wedqe
inlo any qap betweenlhe bottrom I
paneland the sidesor fronLof
T,hedrawer.CoaLthe eLripo I
wilh qlue,NheninserNthe
NaVered end inlo Nheqap;uoe I
a hammerNotap them enugly
in|o place.Oncelhe qluehao
dried,ueea woodchiselNo
I
oeverany part of Lhewedqee
protrudinqfrom Nheqroovee, I
T
I
B6 I
I
I
t MOUNTINGADRAWER
t
I || hereare probablyas many draw- systemof cornerstripsand supports
I er-mountingmethodsasthereare usedto installshelves.
I drawerjoints. The techniqueyou Commercialsliderunners(page93)
selectis determinedby the pieceof offer anothermethodfor side-mount-
I furniture in which the drawerwill be ing drawersin a carcase.Although
housed:a frame-and-panelcabinet many purists regardthem as a poor
I requiresdifferenthangingmethods alternative,commercialrunners are
than doesa carcase.The following actuallystrongerthan wood runners,
t pagesconsiderboth typesofcasework. making them ideal for drawersthat
A drawercan be supportedin one will bearheavyloads.
I of two ways:along its sidesor along A popularway to supporta bot-
its bottom. As shown below and on tom-run draweris by a systemof run-
l. page88, a side-mounteddrawerhas nersand rails affixedto a carcase, as
groovesrouted in its sidesbeforeglue s h o w no n p a g e s9 0 a n d 9 1 . S o m e
I up, allowingit to run along slides A side-mounted draweris slid into woodworkersprefer to rout a groove
attachedto the carcase. A side-mount- a carcasefor A lipped
test-fitting. in the carcasesidesand install a shelf,
I ed drawerin a frame-and-panel case front concealsthe runners and which servesnot only asa drawersup-
(page92) is held in placeby the same grooves whenthedraweris closed. port but asa dustpanelaswell.
t
I CARCASE
SIDE-M0UNTING:
I 1 Cutting
grooves in thedrawer sides
I Before finalassembly, cuta groove
I in theoutsidefaceof eachdrawer side.
Thereareno rigidguidelines forthe
I groove width,but it shouldbeable
to accommodate slidesthatarelarge
I enough to supportthedrawer. 0n your
tablesawinstalla dadoheadthesame
I widthasthegroove. Drawcuttinglines
forthegroove widthin themiddleof
I theleading endof onedrawer side;
alsomarkthedepthof thegroove-no
I morethanone-half thestockthickness.
Buttthe linesforthegroove width
I againstthedadohead, thencrank the
blades upto thedepthltne;position
r theripfenceflushagainst
andmakethecut.lf thegroove
thestock
width
I exceeds thewidthof thedadohead,
turntheboard endfor endandmake
I another pass.Repeat to cutthegroove
in theotherdrawer side.
I
I
I
I
I
I 87

I
 I
DRAWERS I
I
r) Ripping thedrawerslides I
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
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 I
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 I
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 , I
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 I
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
,t
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.) I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
/) 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 I
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 I
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 I
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 I
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 I
the screwshanksto allowfor woodmove-
m e n t .H o l d i ntgh es l i d e sb a c kf r o mt h e I
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 I
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 I
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 I
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). I
I
BB I
I
I
I DRAWERS

T
I
I
t
DADO-ROUTING JIG
I FOR DRAWER SUPPORTS
To routa seriesof evenlyspaced
I dadoes in ihe sideoanels of a car-
casefor drawer runners, usethe
t shop-made jig shownat right.
Dimensions depend onthesizeof
I thecarcase andthespacing between
therunners.
I Forthejig,cut a pieceof %-inch
plywood asa base.Makeit about
! thesamewidthasthecarcase side
panels anda fewincheslonger than
I the gap between the runners. Set
thejig baseona worksurface and
I placea router on it nearoneend.
Markthescrewholesin the router
t baseplateonthejig base; alsodraw
a spotdirectlybelow the tool's
chuck.
I Boreholesforthescrews; a hole
cut tingbitthesamewidthasthedadoes thespacer to the bottomof thejig
belowthechuckwideenough to youwishto rout. base,making thedistance between
I allowclearance forthe router bit. Next,cut a spacerto fit snuglyin it andtherouterbitequalto thespac-
Screw thejig baseto themachine's thedadoes; makeit slightlylonger ingyouwantbetween therunners.
I baseplateandinstalla straight-cut- thanthewidthof thepanels. Screw Tousethejig,clampa sidepanel
inside-face upto theworksurface.
I Setthejig onthepanelwiththe
spacer flushagainst oneendof the
t workoiece andtherouterbit at one
edge.Gripping therouter firmly,turn
. it on andfeedthe toolacross the
panelto routthedado;keepthe
I spacer flushagainst thepanel. Turn
off therouter,theninsertthespacer
I in thedado,repositioning theclamps,
as necessary. Routthe nextdado,
I sliding thespacer in thefirstdado.
Continue untilall thedadoes have
I beencut,thenrepeat theoperation
ontheothersidepanel.
I
I
I
I
I
I 89

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DRAWERS I
I
B0TT0M-RUN:
CARCASE I
1 Preparing therail I
I Crosscut a boardlongenough to
spanthegapbetween thesidepanels, I
adding thethickness of onepanel to allow
fortwintenons at theendsof therail.For t
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, I
install a dadoheadwideenough to cut
outthewastebetween twoof the marks. I
S e tt h ec u t t i n gh e i g hat t o n e - h atlhf e
I 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 t
a commercial tenoning jig onyoursaw
t a b l eC. l a m tph er a i lt o t h ej i g e n du p ; I
ji4
Tenoning shiftthedevice sideways to alignthe
I
marks ontherailwiththedadoheadto t
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 I
fonvard, feeding thestockintotheblades.
Move thejigto cuttheshoulders at the I
outside edgeof therail.Turnthestock ,l
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. I
I
I
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r) Chiseling thedouble mortises
I Uontheendof therailagainst eachcarcase sidepanelat I
thedesired heightof thedrawer bottom andoutlinethemortis-
es,Extend thelinesto theedgeof thepanels, thenbuttthetwo I
workpieces faceto faceto makesurethemarksareat thesame
herght. Tocutthemortises, firstclampa panel to a worksur- I
face.Then,starting at anendof oneoutline, holda mortising
chiselsquare to thefaceof thepanelandstrikethehandle I
witha wooden mallet.Usea chisel thesamewidthasthemor-
tiseandbesurethatthebeveled sideisfacing thewaste. Make I
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 I
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 pr a n etlh es a m ew a y . I
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 . I
t
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I therailandrunners
n<' Installins
r.,f Cuttwo runnersfor the sidepanels
I 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
t 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
t 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
I runner.Routa matching groove in the car-
c a s es i d e p a n e l s ;
c e n t e tr h e s l o to n t h e
I 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,
r 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
t h e r a i li n t ot h e d o u b l em o r t i s e in one
I lltlltllllllllllltlllllllllllllllrlllllll llllllllllllilllllllllllllll s i d ep a n e a
p a n e lM
l n ds l o tt h e r u n n e ri n t ot h e
. a k i n gs u r et h a tt h e r u n n e irs
I 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
1HO? TI? i i i n p l a c eR . e p e at to m o u n t h e r u n n e r
I t o t h e o t h e rc a r c a s sei d ep a n e l A . t the
Fixinga boweddrawer side s a m et i m et h a ty o u g l u eupthecarcase,
I A bowedeidecan ?revent,
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
a drawerfrom olidinq
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
I proVerly: a ohoV-made
qlue block willcorrect,the cidp nanplc:nd fii thp iriln tnspihpr

problem. Cutthe block Theclamping setupforthecarcasewill

I eliqhtlynarcowerlhan holdtherailin place
whilethegluedries.
NhegaVbetweenthe
I bottom Vaneland
the botlom edqeof r,he
I drawereide.)Vread oome
qlueon Nheeurfacesof Nhe
I block th at, co nLact the d rawe r,
Lhen butf, the pieceof wood aqainet,
I 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
ehown,cenLerinqit beNween Nhefront'and back.lnelalla clamV
t acro;o the mid,Ale
oLraiqhtene
tiqhleninqiXuntilIhe eide
of lhe drawer,
ouL,Oncethe qluehasdried,remove Nheclamp.
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DRAWERS I
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SIDE-M0UNTING:
FRAME-AND-PANEt I
The samesystemof corner strips and t
supportsfor installing adjustableshelves
in frame-and-panelcabinetscan be I
usedto mount a drawer.Beforethe cor-
ner strips are screwedto the stilesof I
the cabinet,they are held in placewith
handscrews.This way, the drawer can be I
test-fitted in the opening and the strips
can be raisedor loweredas needed.Once I
the drawer slidessmoothly and is cen-
tered, the stripsarefixed to the cabinet. I
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D
Attaching cornerstripsandsupports I
Prepare thedrawer sidesasyouwould
to side-mount thedrawer in a carcase I
(page87).Glueupthedrawer, thenhold
it atthedesired height in thecabinet and I
marktheposition of itsgrooves onthestiles.
To mountthedrawer, usecorner strips I
andsupports (page61).Makethestrips
longenough to reachfromthetopedge I
of thecabinet to thebottom of thedrawer.
Routa dadoacross thestrips, aligning it I
withthemarks youmadeonthestiles.
Cuttwosupports to fit between thedadoes, t
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 I
withhandscrews, liningupthedadoes with
theposition marks. Fitthesupports inthe I
dadoes, thenslidethedrawer intoposr-
tion.lt should movesmoothly andsit I
centered andlevelin theopening. lf not,
loosen thehandscrews andadjustthe I
heightof thecorner strips,asnecessary
(above). Screw thewoodstripsto thestiles. I
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I
I SLIDERUNNERS:
C0MMERCIAL CARCASE
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1t Installins
therunners r) Installing
theslides
I -
I l n s t a l l c o m m e r csilai dl er u n n e r s L l,on theslides onthedrawer,thentestjitit in thecarcase.
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 - lf thedrawer shimtherunners;
is loose, if thedrawer plane
binds,
t 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 somestockfromitssides(page94).fhensetthedrawer upside
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 - down.oosition andmarkthescrewholes
theslides onthedrawer.
t caseand slidesthat arescrewed to the Borepilotholes,thenscrewtheslidesin place(above),
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 ,
I c u t a p i e c eo f 1 / , r - i n cphl y w o o d to frt
between the bottomof the carcase and lililli|lil|ltll
ut llilui
ttl ut ul tu ililru
iill|lil
ru irtilltu
iliilill
ui ulillli.U
iliiliil illilil|ilrili
ui lil ut ru u
I 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
t carcase top, trim t/zinchfromthe ply- ?HO?TI?
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
r installatiow n ,h e nt h e d r a w e m r u s tb e
?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
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
I 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 ,
commercial slideeon
drawersides,usea
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 - ohop-made jig. Cut
I t o m o f t h e s i d ep a n e l T . h e np l a c et h e a rabbet in a ecraV
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 board;makethe
t f r o mt h e f r o n te d g eo f t h e p a n e lt o depLhof Lhe rab-
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 bet,equalto the
I 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 deeired
dielance
p a n e lt,h e nb o r ea p i l o th o l ea t e a c h beNween Nheelide
I 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 and the boI0omof
( a b o v d .R e p e atto f a s t e na r u n n e rt o the drawerside.To
t tho nthor cidp nanpl
uoethe jiq, holdil uVaqainotthe bottromof lhe drawersideas
shown.Then sellhe slideonLhedrawereide,botLomedgebutted
aqainotthe jig, HoldinqNheslideandjiq in place,markNhesuew
I holee,Then boreoiloLholeeand ecrewNheelideIo Nhedrawer.
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DRAWERS t
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FINE.TUNING
DRAWER
FIT I
1
Planing thedrawer sides
maybindin a pieceof
I
I A drawer
furniture evenaftera thorough sanding. I
lf thetooor bottomof thedrawer rubs
against partof thecasework, planethe I
top (sfep2). lf lhe sidesbind,remove
thedrawer andmarkanyshinyareas
on thesides-highspotsthatcanbe
I
shaved offwitha handolane. Tosecure
t h ed r a w ef ro r p l a n i n gc ,l a m pa w i d e
t
boardto a workbench
extending
withoneedge
overiheside.Hangthedrawer
t
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
t
to theworkbench,
drawer;
butting it against
usea benchdogto keepthesecond
the I
boardfrommoving.
withbothhands,
Gripping theplane
shaveoffthemarked
t
spotswithsmooth,evenstrokes(nghf).
Test-f it thedrawer in itsopening peri-
r
o d i c a l l yp ,l a n i ntgh es i d e su n t i tl h e I
drawer fits perfectly.
t
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r) Planing thetopofa drawer
l to holdthedrawer in prace,
ser I
it ona worksurface andnailthreescrap
boards to thetableflushagainst thesides I
andbackof thedrawer. Grippinga hand
plane f irmly,makea smooth passonthe I
topedges of thedrawer sidesfromthefront
of thedrawer to the back.Moveto the I
adjacent sideof thetableto planethetop
edges of thefrontandback.Test-fit and I
continue planing untilyouaresatisfied
withthef it. I
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94 I
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I DRAWERSTOPS
t
I ,\ s thenamesuggests, a drawerstop INWARD
ST0PS:CARCASE
f1' controlshow far a drawercanslide
I in or out. Thereare two basictvoes
depending on wheretheyarelocated'orr
a a pieceof furniture.Inwardstopsare
placednearthebackandkeepa drawer
I from beingpushedin too far.Outward
stopsareinstallednearthefiont andpre-
I venta drawerfrom slidingin beyonda
certain pointor pullingrightout.
I Thereis a drawerstopfor everypiece
of furniture.InwardstoDsareidealfor
I carcases with side-mounted drawers
sincetheycanbe mountedat anypoint
I on thesidepanels.Outwardstopswork
wellfor anypiece,but theyaresimplerto
I installon frame-and-oanel furniture.

I
r
Attaching an inwardstop
I 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 -
t 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
I 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

I
OUTWARD
STOPS:
CARCASE
t 1I Preparine thedrawer
gluingupthedrawer,
I I Before
notchforthestoponthedrawer
cuta
back
I witha tablesaw.Markcutting linesin
themiddle of thetopedgefora 1-inch-
I widenotch. Setthebladehighenough
s ot h a tt h en o t c hw i l lc l e a trh es t o p
I whenyouinstallthedrawer. Screw a
board to themitergauge asanexten-
I s 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 hand-
a screw against theendof thedrawer
andclamprtto theextension asa stop
back

I 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
I thetwointothe blade. Turnthework-
piecearound andcuttheothersideof
I thenotch.Remove thewastein between
bymaking repeat cuts(/eff).
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DRAWERS I
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r) Screwing the stopin place I
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 I
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 t
markthe locationof the notchon the bot-
t 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 I
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), t
aligning i t s e d g e sw i t ht h e l i n e so n t h e
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 t
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 I
(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 I
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
Installinga stoponthelrontrail
I
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
I
thefrontrailof thecabinet whenoneend I
is attached to therail.Tomountthestoo.
borea pilotholethrough it nearoneend. I
Wrththecabinet topoff, screw thestop
to themiddieof therail.Leave
justloose
thescrew I
enough sothatyoucanrotate
thestopoutof theway.Install
Oncethedrawer backclears
thedrawer.
thefrontrail,
I
rotatethestop90' sothatit extends
Iherail (right).
below t
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T FALSE,
FRONTSAND HARDWARE
I
I part from theirvisualappeal,false
fronts havepracticalapplications
I in drawer-makins. For thewoodwork-
er reluctantto diicarda drawerthat is
I not perfectlyalignedwith its opening,
a properlymounted falsefront can
I providea simplesolution.Centering
the front on the carcaseor cabinet,
I ratherthan on the drawer,will salvage
an imorecisefit. Falsefronts can also
I serveis drawerstops,but avoidexag-
g 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 .
I Slamminsthe drawerwhen it is filled
with wei[hty itemsriskssplittingthe
I front asit strikesthe cabinet.
A drawerpull putsthefinishingtouch
on a drawerwith afalsefront.
Installinshardwareon a draweris
the last-and possiblyleasttaxing-
activityin an otherwisechallenging
ooeration.Still. drawerhandlesand
oulls needto be mountedwith care.
Thekeyis to centerthemon thedraw-
er front. Aligninga single-pullhandle
properly is fairly straightforward:
Mark the diagonalsacrossthe front
andinstallthe oull wherethetwo lines
intersect. For a double-oullhandle.
variouscommercial jigs canprovide
fastand accuratepositioning.But as
shownon page99,thejob canalsobe
doneusinga simpletapemeasure.

I
INSTALLING
A FALSE
FRONT
I
1 Preparing thedrawer
I I Oncethedrawer hasbeenproperlymounted,
set it faceup on a worksurfaceanddrivetwo
I bradsintothedrawer front,leaving
theirheads
protruding. Makesurethebrads arenotlocated
t where thedrawerpullwillbeinstalled.
Thensnip
offtheheads witholiers.
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I
Positioning
thefalsefront
I Install
thedrawer, thensetthecabinet on
tf itsback.Cutthefalsefrontto therightsize,then
carefully (right).Onceyou
lowerit intoposition
iedwiththeplacement,
aresatisf press
f irmly;the
I pointedendsofthebrads willpunchimpressions,
allowingyouto repositronthefalsefrontlater
I whenyoucomplete theassembly.
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I 97

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DRAWERS t
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Q Gluing andclamping I
r-,1Spread a thin layerof glueonthe
backof thefalsefront.Avoidapplying
toomuchadhesive oryouwillendup
lltlll]rll1
lltlltrlllllltilltllltllllilllllltulrfilrffilllllrillll I
withtoomuchsqueeze out.Place the I
frontin position, withthetwobrads 1HO?Tt?
r e s t i nign t h e i ri m p r e s s i o H
n so.l d I
Faeleninga einqle-pullhandle
theassembly together withbarclamps;
alignthe barswiththedrawer sides.
to a drawer already built, I
Thescrewoupplied with a oinqle-pullhandle
Tighten theclamps evenly untilthere
arenogapsbetween thefalsefront
may nol be longenou4hlo paoothrouqh
a d,rawerwif,ha falsefronl, )ne rem'
I
a n dt h ed r a w e r . edy ioto countersinklhescrew,but tr
it you havealreadyasoembled the
I
drawer,a drill may nol fi| inside,
lnslead,workfrom Lheoutsideof the I
drawer.)Nart by boringa clearance
holeIhroughIhe cenNere of Nhef alse t
front and lhe drawerfront. Then
eharpentheehoulder of a eVade I
bit elightlywiderLhanlhe screwhead
to creaNea cuNtinaedae.Feedtheehank l I
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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I DRAWERS

I
I A DRAWER
ATTACHING HANDLE
r 'l Markingholesforscrews
I Placethedrawer on its backon a
r worksurface, thenmarkvertical
linesacross
horizontal thedrawer
and
front
I at itscenter.
intersecting Forthedouble-
pullhandleshownbelow, measure the
I gapbetween itstwomounting posts.
Then
transfer
thatdistance to thehorizontal
I line,makingtwomarks thesamedistance
fromthecenterof Ihedrawer(right).
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r) Aftaching thehandle
I 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
I everf inishyouhaveselected. Tomount
thehandle shown, screw onemounting
| postto thedrawer front.Slipthepullinto
thepost,thenfit theotherpostonthe
I pullandscrewit to thedrawer fronl(left).
I
I 99

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

r
t
t
I A frame-and-paneldooris hungon a cabinet
with detachable whichallowthe
cabinethinges,
I doorto beeasilyremovedafterinstallation.

I 101

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ANATOMYOFADOOR I

[ frame-and-paneldoormaybebuilt havean integrated moldingcut into allowingthemto interlock.Shouldthe I

fl, thesamewayasonesideof aframe- them;for addedembellishment, you woodcontractandtherailsseparate
and-panel cabinet(page a8).Although maychoose to cutanarchor curveinto slightly,the matchingtonguesand I
thedoorillustratedbelowfeaturesstan- theupperrail. grooves will hideanygaps.
dardmortise-and-tenons, youcanalso The tongue-and-groove door is a Theboard-and-battendoorisassem- I\
usehaunched mortise-and-tenons or popularchoicefor modern,European- bledwithoutglue.Rabbets arecutinto
cope-and-stickjoints.Thefloatingpan- stylefurniture.It hasstileswith grooved theedges of theboards,
whichareheld I
elin thecenterofthedoorcanberaised, edgesthat accepttenonsat theendsof togetherby battensscrewed acrossthe
asshown,dividedintoapatternofsmall- therails.Therailshavegrooves ontheir backof thedoor.Woodplugsareused I
er panelsor inlaid.Therailsandstiles bottomedges andtongues ontheirtops, to conceal thescrewheads.Theglass
I
FRAME.AND-PANEt
DOOR
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BOARD-AND.BAfiEN
DOOR
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TONGUE.AND-GROOVE
DOOR r
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I DOORS

I dooris essentiallya frame-and-panel platejointsthatconnectthepanelto the because ofthe finetolerancesrequired

doorwith a glasspanelratherthana frame,rabbetsarecut into the inside to build andhangthedoor. Both lip-
I panelbetweenthe rails and stiles. edges atthebackof theframe.Thepan- rabbeted andoverlaydoors areusually
Standard mortise-and-tenon jointsare elthenfits snuglyinto therabbets. simplerto make.
! shownin thedoorbelow.Thepieceof Althougha doorisalways madeto fit Theentirethicknessof an overlay
glass cutalongtheinside a pieceof furniture,it doesnot haveto
sitsin rabbets doorprojectsbeyond thefrontofa cab-
I edges of theframe;it isheldin placeby besizedexactlytoitsopening,asshown inetor carcase.Thelip-rabbeted door
stripsof molding. belowin thedrawer-mounting meth- hasrabbets cutarounditsoutsideedges
I Theveneered-panel doorfeatures a ods.A flush-mounted doorcanbedif- atthebad<so thatonlyapartof is thick-
framejoinedto thepanel.Toconceal the ficultandtime-consuming to construct nessis exposed.
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DOOR
VENEERED.PAI{Et
I GLASS
DOOR

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METHODS
DOOR.MOUNTING
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h L L Flueh-mounted Lip-rabbeted Overlay

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FRAME-AND.PANEL
DOORS I
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I fiame-and-panel doorimpartsstyle panelinto smallersectionswith hori- I
A to a pieceoifurniturewithoutsac- zontalcrossrailsandverticalmullions.
rificing durability or strength.Its solid Youcanbuilda frame-and-paneldoor I
frame constructionaccountsfor the the sameway you would constructa
structuralintegrity.At the sametime, frame-and-panel assembly, usingeither I
anyoneofseveralstylistictouchescan haunched mortise-and-tenons or coDe-
be addedto makeit more attractive. and-stickjoints(pageaS).This section I
Theseincludedesigninganarchedtop nil features
a doorassembled with standard
or,ifthe doorislargeenou$, dividingthe mortise-and-tenon jointsandintegrated I
molding.The first stepis to sizeyour
stock.Makethe stilesequalto the door I
Liketheframe-and-panel assembly height;the railsshouldbe aslong as
usedto build thesidesoffurniture, the width of the door, including two t
theframe-and-panel doorfeatures tenonsat eachend,minusthe stilewidth.
a sturdyframe of raik and stiles The tenonstypicallyare cut about I
encasinga decorative
floatingpanel. 7+inchlong.
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MAKING
A FRAME.AND.PANEL
D()OR I
1 Cufting thetenons
I I n s t aal l d a d oh e a ds l i g h t lw y ider
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t h a nt h et e n o nl e n g t h o ny o u rt a b l e I
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 I
of cutequalto the lengthof thetenon
to cut thetenoncheeks;
cuttingheight
adjustthe I
to aboutone-third the
thickness
against
of thestock.Butting
thefenceandthemitergauge,
therail t
feedthe stockfacedownintothe
blades. Turnthe railoverandmake
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thesamecutontheothersideof the
tenon.Thenrepeat the orocess at the
I
opposite endof the rail (left,above) I
a n dw i t ht h es e c o nrda i l .T oc u tt h e
tenonshoulders, settheheight of the I
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 I
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 f
overandrepeat on theothersideof
thetenon.Cutthetenonshoulders at I
theopposite endof therailthesame
way(left,below).Repeatthe process I
withthesecond rail.Toaddintegrated
molding, f it a routerwiththeappropri- I
atebitandmountthetoolin a router
table. Cutalong theinside edges of the I
railsandstilesasyouwouldformaking
a veneered-panel door(page113). I
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I DOORS

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I r) Preparing therailsforglueup
I Re.ouetheauxiliarv fenceand
I adjust theblade angle to45".Make a
testcut in a scrapboard andmeasure
a thecutendwitha combination square,
adjusting thebladeangleif necessary.
I Tosetthewidthof cut,marka lineon
themolded edgeof a railthesamedis-
I tancefromthetenonshoulder asthe
molding width.Alignthemarkwiththe
I bladewhereit exitsthetableopening,
thenbuttthefenceagainst therail.
I Adjust thebladeheight untilonetooth
Moldinq justprotrudes beyond thetenonshoul-
I profile
der.Tomakethecuts,butttherarl
against thefenceandholdit flush
I against themitergauge to feedit mold-
ed-edge downintotheblade. Repeat
I to cut theotherendof the rail (left)
andbothendsof thesecond rail.
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I Readying thestiles
Before preparingthestilesforfinalassembly,
routa decorativestopped moldingif youwish
I (page107).Thenmarka lineonthemolded edgeof eachstilethewidthof a railaway fromthe
endof theboard. Withthetablesawbladeangled at 45', alignthecuttingedgewiththemark
I andcut intothemolded edge; stopthecutat thepointwhere themolding endsandthefaceof
thestilebegins.Next,sliceoffthestripof molding
between the45" cutandtheendof thestile
I witha bandsaw.Then,smooth thecutedgeusingthetablesaw.Moving theripfenceoutof the
way,holdthethestileflushagainst themitergaugeandslidethestockbackandforthalong the
I mitergauge(above, right).Makesureyoudo notcut intothemolded edgeof thestile.

I
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DOORS I
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mortises
Cutting I
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 I
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 I
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
t h ec h i s eal n db i t .S e tt h ed r i l l i n gd 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 I
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). I
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f,
Preparing theframefor a panel I
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 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
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 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
s e c u r e l yF.i t a r o u t ewr i t ha % - i n c ht h r e e , w i nsgl o t t r n cgu t t e r 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 ) .
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 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 . I
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 lMake a raisedpanelto f it the f rame(page53) andthendisas-
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 s e m b l teh ef r a m e . t
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I DOORS

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

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ADDING
DECORATIVE
MOLDING
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profile --.,
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I Cutting molding intothestiles
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
I n s t aa farthestfromyou.Keeping thestileagainst thefence,lowerthe
I choice; a beaddesignis shown(above, left).Crank thecutters stockontotheblades. 0ncethestockisflatonthetable,feed
to % inchabove thetable,center onestileoverthem,thenbutt it forwardwhilepressing it againstihe fence.Slideyourleft
I theripfenceagainst thestock.Marktheplaces onthetable handalong thetopof thestileandhookyourfingers around the
insertwherethemolding headstartsandstopscutting. Then faredgeof thetable.Oncethebackcuttinglinereaches the
I markthepoints oneachstilewhere themolding willbegin and markonthetableinsert closest to you,liftthestileoffthecut-
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 , ters (above,right).Fora deeper cut,makeasmanypasses as
I aligningthe frontcuttinglinewiththemarkonthetableinsert necessary, raising
themolding headr/ainchat a time.

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DOORS
SOLID-PANEL I
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Q olid-panel doorsofferthesamecom- the length of the rails-without the I
rJ binationofstrensthandcharmas tenons-added to thewidth of the stiles.
theirframe-and-paneimunteqparts.
This In buildinga board-and-batten door, I
section features
twostyles:tongue-and- somewoodworkersusetwo horizontal
grooveandboard-and-batten doors. battensinsteadofthe standardZ-shaoed I
Sizingstockfor a board-and-batten pattern;for addedstrength,the two
doorisamatterof makingthelengthof piecesarerecessed in dadoescut into the I
theboardsequalto thedoorheight;their back of the door. A more elaborate
combined widthshouldeoualthedoor method is to rout a sliding dovetail I
width.Dimensioning stockioratongue- acrossthe backand fit the battensnug-
and-groove doorrequires makingthe ly into it, securingthe supportpieceof t
Iengthof thestilesthesameheightas wood with a singlescrewin the center
thedoor.Thewidthof thedoorwill be ofthe door. I
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A modern,European-style door(nearleft) is assembled I
from raik and stiles
that interlockwithtenonsand tongue-
and-groove joints. Forthemorerusticboard-and-batten I
door(far left), boardsarejoined with rabbetjoints rein-
forcedby battensscrewedto thebackof thedoor. I
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MAKING
A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE
D(l(lR
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1 Milling thestock
I Toprepare therailsandstilesyouwill
haveto cuta series of grooves,
tenonsand
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tongues. Beginbysawing a groove
oneedgeof eachboard,exceptfor the
along t
bottom rail.Install
a 7+-inch-wide
on yourtablesawandsetthe cutting
dadohead t
heightat Vzinch.Center
theblades,
a boardedgeover
thenbutttheripfenceagainst
t
thestock;clampa featherboard to thetable I
for support. Tocut eachgroove, feedthe
stockintotheblades, pressing
theboard l,
against thefence(farleft).Thencut a
tenonat theendsof eachrailthesame I
wayyouwouldfora frame-and-panel door
(page104),butdo notmaketheshoulder I
cut.Finally, cuta tongue alongthenon-
grooved edgeof eachrail,exceptforthe I
toppiece.Installandnotchanauxiliary
fence(page4B).Setthecuttingheightat I
Vqinch,thenclamponefeatherboard to
thefenceabove thedadoheadandinstall I
a second featherboard onthetable.Tocut
eachtongue, usea pushstickto feedthe I
railintothedadohead.Turntheboard
overto complete thecut (nearleft). t
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I DOORS
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r) Gluing upthedoor
I Z fitthe partsof thedoortogether,
I t h e nn u m b eera c hr a i lt o h e l py o u
reassemble thedoorforfrnalglueup.
llflllllllllllltllllIIJlllttlljilIltlllllllIllJ
lrJill]rlllilllllllrlll
lf anyjointis tootight,usea wood
I chiselto paresomewoodfromthe 1HO?Tt?
edges of thetenonorthegroove, as
I required. Onceyouaresatisfied with
?reventing -
oanding -6\S
thefit, takethe pieces apartand
I s p r e asdo m eg l u eo nt h et e n o n s ,
ocrat'aheo
1andinqthe
tY-

I Reassemble thedoorandolaceit on sbileeof a eolid- N$

twobarclamps, propping themup frame door may ,,\\\
\f
withnotched woodblocks. Protect- c a u o ec r o e e - q r a i n \ \ ' : \ \ \ i
I ingthestockwithwoodpads,tight- scralcheeon lhe raile.
entheclamps untilgluesqueezes An eaeysolutionie No
I fromthe jotnls(abovd.Oncethe sand NherailefireL,Nhen
hasdried,remove apVlyetripeof maekinq
adhesive the
I excess witha paintscraper.
LapeIo the rails,aligning
Nheedqeof the tape wiLhthe
I ioints belweenLheraileand,
-sIilee.
TheneandLheetilee.
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DOORS I
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BUILDING
A BOARD.AND.BATTEN
D()()R I
1 Cutting therabbets I
I Onvourtablesawinstall a dadohead
one-halfaswideasthestockthickness. I
Attachandnotchanauxiliary fence(page
48),thensetthecuttingheight-again, t
one-half
thethicknessof theboards. To
securetheworkpiece,clamptwofeather- I
boardsanda suooortboardto thetable
sawasshown. Feedthestockintothe I
bladesusinga pushstick.Thenflipthe
board
nlhpr
overandrepeat
pdsp
thecutalong
(lpft'l
the I
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Assemblingthedoor I
Dry-clamp
thedoorinside-face up usingthesamesetupas where thescrew willlointhebatten to anoutsidedoorboard.
door(page109).Then
for a tongue-and-groove cuttwobattens Then,holding thebatten square to theedgeof thedoor,drive I
slightlyshorter
thanthedoorwidthandnarrower thanthedoor in eachscrew(above, left).Cuta thirdbattento fit diagonally
boards. Positionthetwopieces of woodacross thetopandbot- between thetwoalready in placeandscrewit in position.To I
tomoftheassembly. Thenfit anelectric
drillwitha combinationconceal thescrews, applya dabof glueto theirheads, then
bitandcounterbore holesforscrews andwoodplugsat 2-inch insertplugsin theholes. Tapthemin placewitha wooden I
intervalsalong
thebattens, alternating
between thetopandbot- mallel(above,right),Ihenusea chiselto trimtheprojecting
tomof eachboard. Makeclearance holesexcept in theplaces stubsflushwiththedoorsurface. I
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110 I
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GLASSDOORS
I
I f) opularfeatures of largecabinets, panels,eachholdingits ownpane.In
I hutches, andshelving units,glass additionto its aestheticappeal,this
I doorsareconstructed in muchthesame designmakesthe glasslessproneto
wayasframe-and-panel doors(page breaking andalsocheaper to replace.
I 104).The frameisheldtogether bymor- Glassis available
in variousthick-
tise-and-tenon joints;adecorativemold- nessesandtypes.Fordoor-making pur-
t ingadornsitsinneredges. Thedifference poses,themostcommonly usedvariety
isthatonaglass doorthemoldingisnot is sheetor windowglass, in
available
I routedintotheframe;instead, a rabbet thicknessesup to %inch.
is cut,thena separate glass-stopmold-
I ingis nailedin place.Theadvantage of
thisdesignis thatthemoldingcaneas-
I ilybepriedoffshouldtheglass break. Glassdoorssolvetheproblemof
In largerpieces
of furniture,thedoor shieldingthecontentsof a piece
I is oftendividedby horizontalrailsand offurniturefrom dustwhile still
verticalmullionsinto several smaller allowingthemto bedkplayed.
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I CONSTRUCTING
A GLASS
D(l(|R
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1 Cuftinga rabbetto holdthepaneof glass
I I Clamptheframeto a worksurface, usinga woodpadfor routerandguidethebit intotheinsideedgeof thedoor.Move
protection.
Theninstalla3/a-inchrabbetingbit ona routerand therouterclockwisealongthe edges(above,left)unlilthecut
I setthedepthof cutto thecombined thickness of theglassand is completed.Square thecornerswitha wooden malletanda
themolding.Holdthetoolfirmlywithbothhands whileresting woodchisel(above, right).Makethecutswiththegrainfirstto
t thebaseplateontheframenearonecorner, thenturnonthe avoidsplitting
theframe.
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I 111

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DOORS I
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Routing
themolding I
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. I
Choose a boardlongenough to produce
thelength of molding youneed. Tosecure I
thestock,install twofeatherboards onthe
router table-onepressing theworkpiece t
toward thefenceandonepressing down
directly above therouter. (Here, theupper I
featherboard hasbeenremoved forclari-
ty.)Turnonthetoolandfeedthework- I
piece intothebitwhilekeeping theboard
flushagainst thefence.Finish thepass I
using a pushstick.Repeat thestepto rout
a second molding in theopposite edge I
of theworkpiece (left),thenrip thetwo
fromthestockwitha tablesaw.Sawthe I
molding to theproper length, making 45"
mitercutsat theendsof eachpiece. Cut )
a n df i t o n ep i e c a
e ta t i m e m
youalignthemitercutswiththecorners
, a k i nsgu r e
r
of therabbets.
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Finalassembly
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r.,f Setthe frameandthe glasson a worksurface, thenplacethe moldingin position.
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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 I
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 t
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). I
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I DOORS
VENEERE,D.PANE,L
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I I s ornamentalas the frame-and- Sinceplywood is not affectedby
A paneldoor,theveneered-panel door humidiry no allowancehasto be made
I is muchsimplerto make.Firstof all,it for changesin the sizeof the panel.
doesnot recuiremortise-and-tenon Therefore, it doesnot needto havea bev-
I joints.In fact,theframeaddsno strengh el cut alongits edgeto fit into a groove
to thedoorat all;thefour sidesaresim- on theframe.Theplywoodsimplyrests
I ply miteredat eachend.The assembly in a rabbetcut in the frame.
is held togetherby biscuitjoints that
I affixit to a plyvood panel,whichserves
asthe structuralbackboneofthe door.
I The veneeredplyuood is formedby
up to nine pliesof thin veneerglued Thepanelof a veneered-panel
I together.The outerskin is typically%s door- with its typicallydark-
inch thick for hardwoodsand %oinch huedwood-offersa visualcon-
I thick for softwoods. trastto thelighter-colored
frame.
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D()()R
A VENEERED.PANEL
MAKING
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I 'l Routing a moldingintheframepieces
I Ripthefourframepieces to width,
I thencrosscut themslightly longerthan
theirf inished length.Fita routerwitha
I decorative molding bit,theninstallthe
machine in a router
table.Foreachcut,
I feedtheworkpiece good-face downinto
IhebiI (abovd, usinga featherboardto
I bracethestockagainst thefenceanda r) Cuttinga rabbetandsizingthestock
pushstickto complete thepass. L Cutarabbet justasyouwouldto makea board-and-batten door(page110).
t Setthecuttingheight at thethicknessof the panel; the widthshould beone-half
thestockthickness.Clamp featherboardsto the saw table
to support the workpiece.
I Inserta shimbetween theverticalfeatherboard and thefence to keep the pressure
part
offtherabbeted of ihe stock.Feedthe workpiece good-face up intothe dado
I head (above).Thencuttheframe piecesto size, making 45" miter cuts at eachend.
Dry-assemble theframe, thencutthe panel to fit. ldentify
the panel edges andtheir
I mating framepieces to helpyoucorrectlyassemble thedoorforglueup.

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DOORS I
I
Preparing theframeandpanel I
forglueup
Marka lineacross theoanel andthe I
framepieces about4 inches fromeach
edgeandat 6-inchintervals in between. I
D i s a s s e mtbhl ed o o ra n dc l a m po n e
framepieceio a worksurface, protecting I
thestockwithwoodpads.Adjustthe
depthof cutona platejoiner, thenset I
thetool'sbaseplateonthebottom of the
rabbet intheframepiece. Witha support I.
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 I
slotlocation mark.Holding thejoiner
withbothhands, cut a groove at each I
mark(left).Repeat for theotherframe
pieces, thencutthemating slotsin the I
panelthesameway.
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Gluingupthedoor I
Oncealltheslotshavebeencut,glueupthedoor.Settheframepieces andthepanel
good-faceupona worksurface andsqueeze glueintoeachslot,inserting biscuits asyougo. I
To preventthewafers fromexpanding before is puttogether,
everything assemble thedooras
quicklyaspossible,fittingtheframepiecesto thepanel(above, /eff).Next,setthedooron I
twobarclamps ona worksurface. Withwoodpadsprotectingthe frame, tighten theclamps
justenough to closethejoints.Install
twomoreclamps across thetopof thedoor,placing I
themperpendicular to thefirsttwo.Finish
tighteninguntilgluesqueezes outof thejoints
(above,right).Oncetheadhesive hasdried,remove anyexcess witha paint scraper. I
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I HANGINGADOOR
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I f astin metalsrangingfromwrought-
U ironto brass, doorhingescomein HINGES
DOOR
I a wide arrayof stylesto complement
virtuallv anv door.Most fit into one of
t four basiccategories shownat right.
Clock-case hingesare bestsuitedto
I doorsthatoverlaytheiropening,Com-
Cloak-caaehinge
Fivota on a pin, which
Eutt hinge
Availablein iron
monly usedfor flush-mounteddoors, allowa the door to be or bra99
I butt hingestipically sit in shallowmor- lifted off
tisescut into thedoor andcase.Surface-
r mountedhingesareidealforimparting
an antiqueor rustic look to a door.
I Concealed hinges,suchastheEuropean
cabinethinge,arecompletelyhidden
I whenthe door is closed.
Beforeinstallingthehinges,readthe
I manufacturer's instructionsregarding
hingeplacement. Ifyou areworkingwith European cabineb hinge
I fine woods,tap the stock for brass Commonlyused in kitchen 5utfaae-mounted hinge
machinescrewsafterdrilling pilot holes oprin7-mounted.Can be adjuated A decorative hinge
I to reducethechance of splitting.A spot after inatallation to correat minor installed on the outaide
mountinq inaccuraciea face offluah doora
of glue in the hole will improvethe
I holdingabilityof the screw.

t
EUROPEAN
INSTALLING HINGES
CABINET
I thehingebodies
1 Attaching
I I Onyourdrillpress, install a Forstner
bitthewidthof thehingebody-typical-
t ly,35mm.Setthedooroutside-face
downonthemachine's table, thenalign
I thebitwithoneof thetwomarks
lf youarehanging
for
several
thehinges.
I doors, clampstopblocks against the
edgeandendof thedoor.Setthedrilling
I 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
I thestopblocks, feedthe bit intothe
door(left),lf youareworking withmore
t thanonedoor,drilltheotherones, too.
Thenalignthemarkat theotherend
I ofthedoorunder thedrillbit.Reposition
thestopblocks andborethehole;repeat
I foranyotherdoors. Setthedooron a
worksurface andscrewthehingebody
I in placeInseil.

I
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I
I 115

I
 I
DOORS I
I
r) Aligningandattachingthe I
Z- mounting plates
Havea helper holdthedoorin itsopen I
positionagainstthecase.Extend the
hingearmsto buttthemounting plates I
thepanel.
against Marka reference line
aroundtheplates, thenunscrew them I
fromthehingearms.Placetheplates
in position
onthepanelinside thecase I
anddrivein thescrews (/eff).
I
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I
I
I
a
I
I
Q Hanging thedoor I
r-,1 Slidethearmsontothemount-
ingplatesandscrewin place?ight). I
Close thedoorandcheckits oosr-
tionon thecase.Youcanadjust I
theheight, position
depthor lateral
of thedoorbyloosening ortighten- I
rngtheadjustment screws onthe
hinse arms. I
I
116 I
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I
I DOORS

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

I
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I
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I
I
I r) Hanging thedoor
L Wntl"a helper holdsthedooragainst
I thecasein its openposition, buttthe
hingeleaves against the insidefaceof
I thecase.Making surethatthehardware's
pin projectsbeyond theedgeof the pan-
I el,usea pencil to outlinethehingeleaf
(farleft).Placethecaseon itssideand
I routthemortises, followingthesamepro-
cedures described in step1. Thenscrew
I thehinges to thecase(nearlefil.

I
I I17

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 I
DOORS I
I
INSTALLING
CLOCK-CASE
HINGES I
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t
I
9andpaper
t2, I
t
I
Hinqe
ww/pin- I
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I
1 Positioning thehinges
I Setthecaseon its backandfix stripsof masking tape I
acrossthecorners of thedooropening. Placesmallsandpa-
pershimsontopof thepieces of tape,thensetthedoorin I
place.Onceyouaresatisf iedwiththepositioning,markthe
doorcornersonthetapewitha pencil. Next,buttthehinges I
againsttheedgeof thedoor;usea tapemeasure to make
surethattheyareequally spaced fromthetopandbottom I
of thedoor(above).Holding theupperhalfof thehingein
place,slipoffthebottom halfandthehingepin.Thenmark I
thescrewholesonthedooredse(inscf)
I
I
I
I
r) Mounting thehingesonthedoor t
I Secure thedoorto a wornsur-
facewithhandscrews andclamos. I
thenborepilotholesat eachmarked
point.Holdthetophalfof eachhinge I
square to thedooredgeandscrew
tt in place(right). I
I
118 I
I
I
I DOORS

I
I Q Hanging thedoor
r - ) R e a s s e m btlhee h i n g ea n d r e p o s i -
I t i o n t h e d o o ro n t h e c a s e C . h e c kt h a t
thecorners of thedoorarealigned withthe
I 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
the bottomhalfof oneof the hinges, dis-
I 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
I 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
t of eachhingeto the case(/eff,). Remove
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
I in the bottompartof the hingeandthen
o l a c et h e d o o ro n t h e c a s e .
I
I
I
I
3
HINGES
SURFACE.MOUNTED
ADDING
I
Mounting thehinges
I Withthedoorgood-face
position
up on a work
surface, thehinges onthedoor,
I m a k i nsgu r et h a tt h ep i n se x t e njdu s t
beyond theedgeof thedoor.Alsocheck
I t h a tt h eh i n g eas r et h es a m ed i s t a n c e
fromthetopandbottom of thedoor.
I Markthescrewholesonthedoorwitha
pencil, thenborepilotholes. Screw the
I hinges to thedoor.Tomountthehinges
to thepieceof furniture, setthecaseon
I its back.Holdthedoorin thecaseand
placea pieceof sandpaper between the
I twoto serveasa shim,Withthehinge
pincentered overtheedgeof thedoor
I opening, markthescrewholesonthe
c a s eB , o r ep i l o th o l e sa n dd r i v ei n
I the screws(right).

I
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I 119

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,:qfrr*

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t

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I LE,GS
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t
iketheircounterparts in human In general,legs should be
I anatomy, legsin cabinetmak- attached to furniturewith the
ing servemainlyassupports. But strongest ofjoinerytechniqu es(page
|, furniture legs play an equally 133), such as the mortise-and-tenon
importantesthetic role,comple- or thedoweljoint.Anotheroption
t mentingandsettingofffor display isleghardware, whichis commer-
arythingfroma carcase to a chair. cially available but canalsobeeas-
I Whatever thestyleof legs,thechal- ily made in the shop. This alter-
lenges of makingthemareseveral: native allows a leg to be detached,
I shape andproportionmustbe per- but it is usually only appropriate
fectlyin balance with therestof the whenthepieceis largeenoughto
I pieceof furniture,andthelegmust The cabriole leg harkens back to the makedetachable legsanadvantage
alsoprovideadequate support.The time-honored art of shapingwood with hand during moving.
I goalisto achieve abalance between tools.Here,theleg\ unmistakable contours Formostlegprojects, youwill
strengthandbeauty. arerevealed and smoothed by a spokeshave, need thicker stock than is com-
t Thischapter will showyouhow traditionalcousin ofthe hand plane. monly available. You can either
to makefour popularlegtypes: order proper-sized wood from a
I cabriole, tapered,octagonal andsquare legs.Several methods specialized supplier, or make your own leg blanks from thin-
ofattachinglegsarealsopresented. Takentogether, theseleg nerstock,usinga process calledface-gluing. Startby prepar-
I typesand joinerytechniques offerattractive alternatives for a ing the stock slightly larger than the final size of theleg:To
widerangeof furniturestyles. make a leg whose finished dimensions will be 3by 3by 29
I Amongthemostdistinctive of designs forlegs,thecabriole inches, cut three I %-inch by 3 t/rinchby 30-inch boards. To
is bestsuitedto traditionalstylesof furniture,suchasQueen ensure a seamless fit, joint the mating surfaces. Then glue up
I AnneandHepplewhite. ButasAmericanfurnituremakers have theboardsfaceto face,alternating theendgrainofthepieces
shownsincethe 19thCentury,accomplished craftsmanship andarranging the stock to maximize grainandcolor.
I cankeepthisdesignfreshandappropriate. Asyouwill see,the The process is identical to edge-gluing boardsinto panels
cabriole legdoeshavecertaindesign requirements thatshould (page20),except that more clamps should be used.Before cut-
I (page
berespected na).Thecharacteristic contours of theleg tinginto your leg blank, joint a face and an edge to create
two
aremorethansimplyrandomshapes. Incorporating animal surfaces thatareat 90o a angle to one another, then use the
I profilesin thedesign, for example, hasalways beena feature. planir or thetablesaw to bring the blank to its finalwidth
TheItalianwordcapriolarq anantecedent of theEnglish term, andthickness. Lastly,crosscut thelegto length.Referto the
I refersto ananimalleapingintotheair,anactionwhichmany Cabinetmaking Techniques chapter (page12)for information
versions ofthelegarecalculated to suggest. onthesebasicwoodworking operations.
I
I
I
A router etchesa rectangulargroove
I for an inlay into a squareleg.

I t2r
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 I
ANATOMYOFA CABRIOLELEG I

"|a h. illustrationbelowshowsoneof I
I the commonwaysa leg-in this
case, a cabrioleleg-is joinedto a piece I
of furniture,suchasa simplecarcase.
Beforeattaching thelegto therails,you I
will needto cuta rabbetalongthetop
of therails.Afterassembly, thetop of I
thelegistrimmedto thelevelof therab-
bet.Next,glueisappliedto therabbets, I
thenotches andthecontacting surfaces
ofthecarcase, andthecasework isseat-
Poat block
1ection of le7
I
ed on theleg-and-rail assembly. The joined to rail;
weightof thepieceeliminates theneed len4th equala I
for clamping. width of rail;
width typically I
There are many waysof joining one-halfto two-
legsto rails,includingthefour tech- thirda aa wide
niquesshownoppositeandfeatured ao le7 blank I
in thischapter.Themortise-and-tenon
anddoweljoints aretwo alternatives I
designed to lastthelife of a pieceof
furniture.Ifyouchoose themortise- I
and-tenon, remember thatthetenons
arealwayscutattheendsof therails, I
whilethemortisesarealwayschis-
eledoutofthelegs. I
Whetheryou buy hardwarefor
attachingthelegsor buildyourown I
in theshop,it offersthestrengthand
durabilityof traditionaljoinery, I
with theaddedbenefitof easeof
disassembly-an optionimpos- t
siblewith a gluejoint.
I
Rail
Rabbet cut in top
ed4eprovidea lip
I
to cradle piece of
furniture I
I
I
Toe I
Ankle Typicallyabout
At narrowest
3/+to 1inch from
bottom of leg
I
point, about two-
fiftha the width
of le7 blank
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I LEGS

I
JOINTS
LEG-TO-RAIL
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Rail
I Rail

I
\,", Tenon
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LEGHARDWARE
I Commercialhardware thop-made hardware
I Notch Rail Notah Rail
CUL tn le7 to Flanqeof mounLtn7 Cul;in le7 Groove cuL
I hold mount- ,-
\
plaLe fite tnto groove
cut near end
to accePt \
cornerblock
-:
near end
arrenla anline
inq plate
I
I
I ''-:'

I
I
Spline
I Mounting
plate
I Cornerblock
Orooveecut
Hanger
in endeaccept
I bolt
epltnee

123
 I
CABRIOLELEGS I
I
I lthoughits originscanbe traced straight.Themostcommonelementof the bottom;the line I
A backto woodworkers of classical cabriolelegsistheS-shaped curve,which should fall within
times in China,Egypt,Greeceand is meantto suggest the graceand ele- the leg outline at I
Rome,the cabrioleleg hasbecomea ganceof a horse'sleg. everypoint.
ubiauitousfixture of Westernfurni- The designshownbelowwill yield I
turiin the past200years,The best an attractive,well-proportionedleg
knowndesigns includethestaidQueen strongand stableenoughto supporta I
Anne leg with its spoon-shaped foot pieceof furniture.You can alterthe
and the ornateball-and-claw foot of patternto suit your own projector I
the Americancolonialdesign.Due to copythe designofan existinglegthat
the leg'swidespread popularity,every appeals to you.However,do not exag- I
generationhasaddedits own touches geratethe curvestoo muchor you risk
or variedold ones,so that thereis no makingthe leg unstable.Beforecut- t
standardpattern.Designsrangefrom ting into the block of wood, perform
legswith exaggerated curvesto others thissimpleteston your design:Drawa I
that arealmostknee-lessandvirtually straightline from the top of the legto A cabrioleleg.
I
MAKING
A CABRI()TE
LEG I
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t
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t
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I
1 Designing a cabriole
leg
t
I Fora template, cuta pieceof stiffcardboard or hardboardat its narrowestpoint,thediameter of theankleshouldbe
to thesamelength andwidthasyourlegblanks. Todrawthe abouttwo-fifths thestockwidth.Moveonto theknee,sketch
leg,startbyoutlining thepostblock.Makeits length equalto inga gentlecurvefromthepostblockto thefrontedgeof the I
thewidthof therailthatwillbeattached to theleg;thewidth template about2 to 3 inchesbelowthe block. Thenjointhe
should beadequate to acceptthetenonof therail(one-half to kneeto theanklewitha relativelystraight line.Complete the I
two{hirds thewidthof thestockistypical). Next,sketchthe outline at thebackof theleg,connecting thebottom of the
toe;fora legof theproportionsshown, it shouldbeabout% to legwiththebackof theankle. Thensketch a curve
fromthe I
1 inchfromthebottom of theleg,Thendrawa curveonthe ankleto the bottomof the postblock(above). Experimentwith
frontof the legfromthetoeto theankleusinga french curve; theoutlineuntilyouhavea satisfactorydesign. I
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r24 t
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I LEGS
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r) Transferring thedesign
I I nme legblank

I Illllllllltlllllll llltillilltlll]ili lll1

filtllllll|lI]I1
illlllltfiIl Cutoutyourtemplate
thensandtheedges
ona bandsaw,
upto themarked
outline. Holdthetemplate flatononeof
t 1HO?Tt? theinside facesof thelegblank, mak-
ingsurethattheendsof thetemplate
I Copyingt'hedeei1n
andtheblankarealigned andthatthe
of a aabrioleleg
ToLransferNhecontoureof an exieLinq backof theoostblockisflushwiththe
I leqontroa temVlate,ueethis ehop-made insideedgeof theblockof wood.Trace
Iracin7quide.CULa 2-inchcubefrom a alongtheedges of thetemplate to out-
I ocrapblock,lhen useyour trablesawNo l i n et h el e g T
. u r nt h eb l a n ko v e a
r nd
torm aV in one ed4e.1aw off the bot|om repeat theprocedure ontheotherinside
I half of Nhewedqe.Remove Nhecatbrid4e face(above). At thispoint,somewood-
from a ball-pointVenand uoeepoxyqlue workers preferto makepreparations for
I Nobondit to Nhecubejuel Io onesideof thejoinery before cutting theleg.(lt is
lhe Y;Ia?e NhecarLrid^eLo Lheblockwhilethe
easier to clampandcuta mortise in a
I glueie dryinq.To ueeNhequide,holdthe iemplate
rectangular legblank, forexample, than
flaLaqainoLoneeideol the leg.Then, quidelhe pen
to carryoutthesameprocedures in a
I alonqthe backand fronLof the leg,makinqsurethe
legwithpronounced contours.) Other
VoinLof Ihe V ridesaqainotLheedgeof the leg.
woodworkers cutthe legfirstandthen
I dotheioinerv.
I
I 125

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LEGS I
I
Q
MakinS thecutsononefaceoftheleg I
r../ Setthe lesblankonthebandsaw
tablewithon.of th. marked outlines fac- I
ingupandthebottom of thelegpointing
awayfromyou.Aligning thesawblade I
justto thewaste sideof themarked line
forthebackof theleg,feedthestockinto I
theblade. Turnoffthesawabouthalfway
through thecutandremove theworkpiece. I
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 I
piece fromtheblankandlosing themarked
outline ontheadjacent face,stopthecut I
aboult/zinchfromthefirstkerf,leaving a
shortbridgebetween thetwocuts.Retract I
theworkpiece, thencutalong thelinefor
thefrontof Iheleg(left). t
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I
Making thecutsontheadjacent face f, Cuttingthebridges
I
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 theblanksothatthefirstfaceyoucutfacesup.
r-,t Rotate
adlacent sideisfacing up.Cutalong themarked lines, begin- Withthesawoff,slidetheblankforward to feedtheblade
ningatthefoothbove). Thistime,complete thecut,letting intothekerfat thebackof theleg.Turnonthesawandcut I
thewaste fallaway. throughthebridge thewastepiece(above).
to release Thencut
throughthebridge between thekerfsat thefrontsf theleo I
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t26 I
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I LEGS

I
I 4i
Shaping andsmoothing the leg
\ , 1 T o f i n i s hs h a p i n g t h e c a b r i o l el e g
I 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
I 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
t 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
I 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
I 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
I 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 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
I 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
t 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, usingprogres-
I s 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.
I
I
I
I illltllllllllll lll lllllltlrjlltlllll]lilllilIllllllll1
lll ltiltl]lilil
I
9HO7Tt?
I
Sandinga aabrioleleg
I )mootrhinglhe curved
eurfacesof a cabriole
I legueinqonlya
eheeLof eandpaper
o r a e a n d i n qb l o c k
I riekecrealinqbumpeor
valleyeor flaXlening oul
I Ihe curvesif excessive
?ree6ure io apVlied, Ueea
I 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
I 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 |
I 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
I ?reboure, lhere is no nek of overaandinq.
I
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I t27
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TAPEREDAND OCTAGONALLE,GS I
I
f abinetmakers taperlegsstrictly productwithout cuttinginto your leg I
\-.r for visualeffect.A taoeraddsno blank.Experimentwith differenttapers
strength,but neitherdoei it takeany by simplymaskingoffthe part to becut I
away.Its principaleffectis to reducethe awaywitha pieceof light-colored card-
stolidheaviness of a leg,impartinga board.Thereareno prescriptions for the I
sleekappearance to furnitureasdiverse idealamountof taper,but asa general
astraditionalEnglishandcontemporary rule,thethickerandlongertheleg,the I
Scandinavian designs. greatertheangle.
A legcanbe taperedon one inside Anotheroption well-suitedto many Cut on a tablesaw I
face,on two outsidefaces,or, asillus- furniturestylesis the octagonalleg. fitted with a mold-
tratedbelowandon page129,onallfour Despiteits appearance of intricacy,it is ingheadand cut- I
sides.Beforesettlingon the amountof easyto createusinga tablesawasshown ters,a beadprofile
taper for a leg-expressedin either on page130.For eitherstyleofleg, be adds a distinctive I
degreesor inchesper foot-you can sureto sandthestockthoroughlybefore decorativetouch to
evaluate thevisualimpactof thefinished preparingit for joinery. this taperedleg. I
I
J()INTING
A TAPERED
LEG
I
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I
'l Setting upandstarting thecut
I Usea cuttinggauge to outlinethetaperon the bottom stopblockagainstthe legasshownandclampit to the I
endof thelegblank(inset). Thenmarklinesonthefourfaces infeedtable.Tostarteachpass,
caref ullylower
theblank
of thestockneartheopposite endto indicate where thetaper ontothecutterheadwhileholding
it f irmlyagainst
thefence I
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
s f e etda b l et o h o l d withyourlefthand(above).
Straddlethefencewithyourright
theguardoutof thewayduring theoperation. Setthedepthof hand,usingyourthumbto keeptheblankflushagainst the I
cutfor 7ainchand,holding theblankagainst thefence,align stooblock.Makesurebothhands areovertheinfeed side
thetaperstartlinewiththefrontof theoutfeed table.Butta of thecutterhead. I
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I
t LEGS

t
I r) Jointingthetaper
L feeathe lesacross thecutterhead
I witha pushstic-k,pushingdownonthe
trailingendof thestockwhilepressing
I it flushagainstthefence(left).Keep
yourlefthandawayfromthecutterhead.
I Makeasmanypasses asnecessaryuntil
youhavetrimmed thestockdownto the
I taperoutline,thenrepeattheprocessto
shape theremainingfaces.
I
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I ADDING MOLDING
DECORATIVE
t
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t-"'

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I Cutting molding intoa leg
Onyourtablesawinstalla molding headwiththeappropri- buttthe ripfenceagainstthe leg.Tocut thefirstmolding,
I atecutters; a beadprofileis shown. Marka cuttinglinefor press themitergauge
the legfirmlyagainst andthefence,
eachmolding ononefaceof theleg,thenholdthelegagainst whilefeeding thestockintothecutters. Repeatthecut on
I themitergauge. Fora tapered leg,youwillhaveto adjust theadjacent face,thencontinuingin thesamemanner until
theangleof thegauge. Usea carpenter's square to make youhavecutthemolding onallfoursides.Fora deeper cut,
I surethatthesquare partof thelegis perpendicular to the makeasmanypasses asnecessary,raising
themolding head
miterslot.Crank thecutters to 7ainchabove thetableand 7sinchat a time.(Caution:
Bladeguardremoved forclarity.)
I 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
I
I t29
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LEGS I
I
AN()CTAGONAT
SHAPING LEG I
1 Setting
upthecut
I Unplug
t
thetablesaw,crankthe
bladeto itshighestsettingandadjust I
thecutting angleto 45". Move therip
fenceto theleft-handsideof theblade I
Layonefaceof thelegblankonthe
bladewitha corner restingonthesaw I
table,thenbuttthefenceagainst the
stock//eff.). I
I
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I
I
I
I
Cuttingtheleg I
Buttthestockagainst theripfence
a fewinches in frontof theblade. Adjust I
thecuttingheightuntilonetoothjust
protrudes beyond thefaceof thework- I
piece.To makethef irstcut,feedthe
blankintotheblade, straddling
thefence I
withyourlefthand.Rotate theleg90"
clockwiseandrepeat thecutontheadja- I
centface.Continue in thissamemanner
untilallthesidesarecut I
I
130 I
I
I
I INLAYSANDDETAILING
I
I I ddinginlayto a legcantransform Standard practiceis to rout a groove
A an easilyoverlookedsquareor for aninlavfromthetopto thebottomof
I octagonalblock of wood into the eye- a leg.However, beforecuttinginto your
catchingfocusof a pieceof furniture. leg,holdpiecesof inlayof differentlengths
I Whetherthegoalis to createa contrast up againstit andselectalengthor arrange-
with the legstockor to complementa ment that oroducesthe besteffect.
I leg'soutlines,you canchoosefrom a Anotheidecorative optionis to rout
widevarietyof inlaymaterials,
including a moldinginto a leg.Althoughit does
I metals,woodveneers, marquetryand- not standout asboldlyasinlay,mold- An inlay of mar-
asshownbelowandon page132-solid ing canaddits own distinctivetouchto quetry createsa
I hardwood.Eachtvoeof materialcanbe a oieceof furniture.Youcanalsoinstall vivid counterpoint
preparedin theshop,but mostarealso a moldingcutterheadon your tablesaw to the understated
I available in variousdiameters at fine and carveout a pattern,much asyou grain pattern of
woodworkingstores. would on a door frame(page107). an octagonalleg.
I
I ADDING TOA LEG
INLAV
I
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I
I 'l Cuttingandroutinggrooves
I Tocut a straight groove,useyourtablesawwiiha dado cut,usea router. Startbysecuring all fouredges of the leg
I headthesamewidthastheinlay;setthecuttingheight to withstopblocks. Theninstalla straight-cutting bit onyour
lessthanitsthickness.
slightly Makea cut in a scrapboard routerandsetthecuttingdepthto slightly lessthanthethick-
I andtestthefit; adjustthewidthandcuttingheight of the nessof theinlay.Outlinethegrooveontheleg,thenadjustthe
blades, Next,marka lineforthegroove
if necessary. onthe edgeguide
tool's to alignthebitwithoneof thelinesthatrun
I leadingendof thelegandalignit withthedadohead.Butt acrossthegrain.Gripping therouterf irmly,cut thegroove,
theripfenceagainst thestock,thenfeedit intotheblades moving thetoolagainstthedirection Repeat
of bit rotation. to
I (above,lefil.f o makea groove
withmorethanonestraight cuttheothergrooves, thensquare thecorners witha chisel.
I
I 131

I
 I
LEGS I
I
r) Setting theinlayinthegroove I
L Cutthe inlayto fit in thegroove witha
tablesaw,a backsaw andmiterbox,ora wood I
chisel. Fortherectangular groove shown, make
45" mitercutsattheendsoftheinlaypieces. I
It is easiest to cutandfit onepieceat a time,
making sureyoualignthemitercutswiththe I
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 I
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). I
Oncethegluehasdried,gently sandtheleg
to remove anyexcess adhesive andto trimthe I
inlayperfectly f lushwiththesurface of the
wood.lf youareusingmetalinlay, cut it with I
a hacksaw andsandthesurfaces thatwillcon-
tactthegroove to improve adhesion. Then I
bondthestripin placewithepoxy glue.
I
I
I
DETAITING (lFA tEG
THESURFACE I
Routing detailing I
Holdthelegin placewithstopblocks
screwed to a worksurface. Marklines I
onthelegforthebeginning andendof
thecut.Theninstall a decorative biton I
yourrouter; a covebitwitha ball-bear-
ingpilotis shown. Seta cuttingdepth I
appropriate to theprofileyouwantto
make, thenalignthebitwiththestart I
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 I
legagainst thedirection of bit rotation,
stopping whenyoureach theendline. I
Repeat to routthedetailing ontheother
cornerof the leg(left). I
I
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I
I
r32 I
I
t
I LEGJOINERY
t
I f his sectionfeaturestwo time-test-
I edmethodsfor permanently joining
I legsto the railsof a pieceof furniture:
the mortise-and-tenon joint and the
I doweljoint. Two more contemporary
waysarealsofeatured;both involveusing
I knock-downleghardware-suitable for
furniture that must be takenapartand
I reassembled periodically.
To someextent,the type of leg will
I dictatethe wayyou join it to the rails.
Youwould be unlikely,for example,to
r usea hangerbolt to fix a cabriolelegto
a fine frame-and-panel cabinet.A mor-
I tise-and-tenon joint would be a more
appropriatechoice.
I Thereareseveral techniques for mak-
ing the mortise-and-tenon. Youcanuse
I a tablesawto cut thetenons(page104);
Thetenonat theendof a railfi* snugly
in a mortisecut out of a squareleg,
creatinga sturdy,long-lastingjoint.
the mortisescanbeboredwith a router
(page50)or a drill press(page106).Yott,
mayalsochooseto usehandtools.As
shownbelowandon page134,tenonscut
with a handsawand mortiseschopped
out with a chiselaretraditionalmeth-
odsthat manywoodworkers consider
particularlysuitablefor thecabrioleleg.
Whatever method you choose,the
strengthof the joint will be enhanced
by its largegluingarea.
As a rule of thumb,thelengthof the
tenonshouldgenerallybe aboutthree-
quartersthe thicknessof the leg.The
tenon is typicallyabout one-third as
thick astherail,but manywoodworkers
basethetenon'sthickness insteadon the
width of the chiselwith whichtheywill
chopout themortise.

I
J()INTS
MORTISE.AND.TENON
HAND.CUT
I
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I
I
I
I
I
I
1 Cutting thetenons
I I 0 u t l i n et h et e n o n os n t h er a i l st,h e ns e c u roen eo f t h e rail;turnoverthestockandrepeat theoperationontheother
workpieces e n d - u i
p n a v i s eC. u ta l o n g t hlei n e so nt h ee n d sidebbove,right).Tocut awaythewasteontheedgesof the
I of the rail with a backsaw; tilt thesawforward andcut to the tenon, securetherailend-upagain andsawalong theedges
line
shoulder of the tenon (above, lefil.fhen complete thecut clamptherailedge-
line,Finally,
of thetenonto theshoulder
I withthesaw level. To remove the waste from the tenon cheeks, up andcutthrough theshoulder lineson bothedgesof the
clamptherailface-up to a worksurface, protecting thestock rail.Reoeatto cutthetenonsat theotherendof therailand
I witha wood pad. Cut alons the shoulder line on the face of the at bothendsof theotherrails.

I
I r33
I
 I
LEGS I
I
r) 0utliningthemortises I
L lttar*mortise outlineson eachleg
in twosteps,usingoneof therailtenons I
asa guide.First,holdthecheekof the
tenonflushagainsttheleg,withthetop I
of therailalignedwiththeendof the
leg.Drawa pencilalongtheedges of I
thetenonto outlinethe lengthof the
mortise, thenusea try squareto con- I
tinuethelinesacross theleg.Tomark
thewidthof themortise, holdtheedge I
of thetenoncentered flushagainstthe
leg(left).Extend
themarksalongthe leg I
untilthetwooutlines intersect.
Repeat
to markanother mortiseontheadjacent I
faceof thelegfortheadjoining rail.
I
I
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I
I
I
I
I
I
Chiseling themortises
Foreachof themortises, clamothe I
legto a worksurface, protecting thestock
witha woodpad.Then,starting at one I
endof anoutline, holda mortising chisel
square to thefaceof the legandstrike I
it witha wooden mallet. Usea chisel the
samewidthasthetenonandbesure I
thatthe beveled sideof the bladeis fac-
ingthewaste. Makeanother cut 7einch I
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 I
outthe wasteto a depththatslightly
exceeds the lengthof thetenon.Test-fit I
thetenonandwidenor deeoen themor-
tiseasrequired. I
I
134 I
I
I
I LEGS

I
I upthelegandrail
Gluing
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
I 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
I 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
I 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
I 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
I 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 pro-
I c 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^^^^+ {^^^ ^+ +hn laa and fn olrrp trn
duldLtrilL rdLU ur Llltr 1tr5 u"-

I 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 .

I
I
I
I
JOINTS
DOWEL
I
1l Locatins
-
dowelholes
andborins
I 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
I 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
I 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
e n do f t h e b o a r dW . i t ht h e g a u g ea t a
I 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
I firstline(ighil.Io avoidsplittingthe stock,
usegrooved dowelsno morethanone-half
I t h et h i c k n e sosf t h e r a i l s F . i t a d r i l lp r e s s
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 -
t 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
I 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
I 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 .
I
I
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I
I 135

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 I
LEGS I
I
r) Pinpointing mating dowelholes I
L lnsertdowelcenters in the holes.
Thenalignthetopof therailwiththetop I
of the leg(right), andswingtherailupso
thatrtsoutside faceisflushwiththeedge I
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 t
thedowelcenters willpunchimpressions
on the leg,providing starting pointsfor I
b o r i n tgh em a t i n gd o w ehl o l e sR. e p e a t
fortheotherrailsandlegs. I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Boring
themating
dowelholes
andgluing
up I
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). I
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 I
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 - I
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 I
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 . I
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 I
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
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 I
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 , I
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 - I
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 . I
I
r36 I
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t
I LEGS

I
I LEGHARDWARE
C()MMERCIAL
I 1T Preparing
'
therails
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 -
I 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 nFs .o rt h e t y p es h o w n
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
I 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
of theplate
. 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
I 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
I mitergauge(/eff).(Caution:Bladeguardremovedfor clarity.)
I 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
I 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 .

I
I
I
I r) Preparing the leg
I L Fust,cut a notchout of the legfor the
mountinp g l a t eS
. t a n dt h e l e gu p a n dh o l d
I 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 -
I 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 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
I 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 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
I 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
I 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 . eed
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 ,
I 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
t 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
a n d r a i l - a n d - p l aat e s s e m b layg a i na n d
I 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
I 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
I ltg (inseil.

I
I
I r37
I
 I
LEGS I
I
Fastening thelegto therails I
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 I
theleg.Unlike otherfasteners, a hanger
bolthastwotypesof threads: screw I
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 t
nutsontotheboltlhread endandtight-
enthemagainst eachotherwitha wrench, I
formrng a temporary headonthebolt.
Tighten theboltwithoneof thewrenches I
to drivethescrewthreads completely
intotheleg,thenunscrew thenutsfrom I
thebolt.Sliptherail-and-plate assembly
overtheboltandscrew a nuton it, mak- I
ingsurethattheflanges arein theirslots.
Keeping thetopof therailsflushwiththe I
topof the leg,tightenthe nut (left).
I
I
SHOP-MADE
LEGHARDWARE I
1 Cutting
I Toattach
thecorner block
therailsto a legusingshop-
I
madehardware,
a pieceof woodnarrow
firstmakea corner
enough
block.Rip
to drivea hang-
I
er boltthrough it intotheleg.Thenmake45'
mitercutsat bothends.Next,cutgrooves for
I
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
I
a widthandcuttingheight
thethickness of therails.Screw
equalto one-third
a board to the
I
mitergauge asanextension,
pointof oneendof theblockwiththeblades.
thenalignthemid- I
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
I
the
workpiece to serve
it to theextension.
asa stopblockandclamp
Feedthestockintothe
t
blades, thenturnit overandcutthegroove
in the otherend(right). Test-fitthe block
I
a g a i n st h
grooves.
t er a i l st,h e nm a r ka n dc u tt h e
Next,cuta splrne foreachgroove.
I
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 ,
I
remembering
forclearance.
to cutthem%eshortto allow
Formaximum strength,
I
make
surethatthegrainof thesplrnes
theirwidth,rather thanalong
runsacross I
theirlength.
I
I
l38 I
I
I
I LEGS

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

I
I
I
I
I
I
I Q Fastening
r-J First,fasten
thelegto therails
thecorner blockto therails:
I Spread somegluein thegrooves
therails,thenfit thesplines
in theblockand
intothegrooves in the
t 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
I snugly against
rails(lefil.Prepare
theblock,screwtheblockto the
thelegasyouwouldforcom-
(page137),cuttinga notchout
I mercial hardware
of thetopforthecornerblockandboring a clear'
I anceholefora hanger bolt.Fasten thelegto the
railswiththebolt(page138),slipping a washer
I between thenutandthecorner block. Tighten the
nuIbelow)untilthelegandrailsf it snugly together.
I
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I
t
t
I
I
I r39
I

A-B
Ankle: The narrowest part of a cabri-
ole leg, typically about two-fifths as
wide as the widest part of the leg.
Auxiliaryfence: A wood fence
screwed to the metal rip fence of a
table saw, usually to avoid accidental
damage to the fence when the blade
will cut close to it.
Batten: A board screwed acrossthe
back ofa board-and-batten door to
provide reinforcement.
Bench dog: A pin that fits into a slot
on a workbench to help keep a work-
piece in place.
Biscuit joint Seeplate joint.
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 character-
izedby 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 cut-
ting 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-tenonioint,
the part ofthe tenonperpendicular
to the shoulder.
Carcase:A pieceof furniture with a
box-likeconstruction;madefrom
solidpanels.
I
GLOSSARY I
I
Copingbit A router bit that cuts a Featherboard: A piece ofwood cut
"felathers"
I
decorative molding and a tongue at with fingers or at one end;
the end or edge of a workpiece, allow- used in conjunction with clamps to I
ing the stock to be joined to a board hold a workpiece against the fence or
with a matching groove. table of a saw or a router table. I
Crossgrain: A lumber defect appear- Fence: An adjustable guide to keep
ing as an edge-to-edgecurve, produc- the edge of a workpiece a set distance I
1n8a concavetace. from the cutting edgeof a tool. Also
called a rip fenceon the table saw. I
Cup: A lumber defectappearingas an
edge-to-edgecurve, producing a con- Forstner bit: A drill bit with a razor
rim and cutters for boring perfectly
I
cavetace.
Cutting gauge: A marking tool fea-
flat-bottomed holes.
I
turing a handle, a fence and sharp Frame: An assemblyof horizontal
cutting edge for scribing a line on a rails and vertical stiles: used to form I
workpiece parallel to its end or edge. a door or one side of a frame-and-
panel piece of furniture. I
D-E
Dado: A rectangular channel cut into
a workpiece.
G-H-I
Glass-stop molding: Decorative
I
Double dado joint A method of
strips of wood used to hold a pane of
glassin place in a door. t
joining wood at corners by means
ofa tongue in each piece that inter- Grain: The arrangement and direc- I
locks with a groove in the other; also tion of the fibers that make up wood.
known as a concealeddado-and- I
tongue joint. Half-blind dovetail Similar to the
through dovetail joint, except that
Dowel center: A metal cylinder that the pins are not cut through the
I
is inserted into a dowel hole to pin- entire thickness of the workpiece,
point a matching hole in a mating thus concealing the end grain of the I
worKprece. tail boards.
I
Edge banding: Decorative veneer Hangerbolt A bolt with no head;
glued to the exposed edgesofa ply-
wood panel in a piece of furniture.
one end ofthe bolt has screw threads
while the other end features machine
I
Edge gluing: Bonding severalboards
threads.
I
together edge-to-edgeto form a panel. Haunched mortise-and-tenon:
Similar to the standard mortise-and- I
End grain: The arrangement and tenon, except that one edge ofthe
direction of the wood fibers running tenon has a notch cut out ofit. I
acrossthe width of a workpiece when
viewed from the ends. Inlay: A decorative strip of metal,
hardwood or marquetry that is glued
I
F in a groove cut into a workpiece.
Facegluing:Similarto edgegluing, I
except that boards are bonded I.K-L
together face-to-face. Kerf: A cut made in wood by a saw I
blade.
I
I
t
I
t40 I
I
I
I
t
I Kickback The tendencyof a work-
pieceto be thrown backin the direc-
t tion of the sawoperatorby a moving
bladeor cutter on a woodworking
I machineor tool.
I Ledgerstrip: A short,narrowpiece
of wood usedto supportthe top and
bottom of a pieceof furniture.
I Tearout:The tendencyofa bladeor
Legblank A solid pieceof wood
I madeof severalthinner boardsface-
gluedtogether;usedasthe basisofa
I furniture leg.
I M-N
Miter gauge:A devicethat slidesin a
slot on a sawor router table,provid-
I ing support for the stockasit moves
pastthebladeor bit.
I edgesof a frame-and-panelassembly.
Molding: Decorativestripsof wood
I that canbe carvedon a router or
tablesaw.
I Mortise: A rectangularhole cut into a
pieceof wood.
I joint, the part ofthe tenonperpen-
Mortise-and-tenonjoinfi A joinery
I techniquein which a projecting
tenon on one board fits into a mor-
I tiseon another.
Mullion: A verticalmemberbetween
I the stilesof a frame;alsocalled
muntin.
I Spokeshave: A plane-likehand tool
O-P-R
I Ogeebit A decorativerouter bit or
stationarysawmolding headcutter
that producesan S-shapedprofile.
I forcedfrom a gluejoint when clamp-
Platejoint A method ofjoining
I wood in which biscuitsof wood fit
into slotscut in mating boards.
I decorativemolding and a grooveat
Pockethole: An angledholebored
t into the faceof a workpieceand exit-
ing from its top edge.
Pushblock or stick A deviceusedto
feeda workpieceinto a blade,cutter
or bit to protectthe operator'sfingers.
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 open-
ing of a pieceof furniture designed
to supporta drawer.
Rail cutter: Seecopingbit.
Raisedpanet A pieceof wood that
fits into groovescut into the inside
Bevelingthe edgesofthe panelcre-
atesthe illusion that the middle por-
"raised".
tion is
S-T-U
Shoulder:In a mortise-and-tenon
dicular 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.
with an adjustablecutter for shaping
curvedsurfaces.
Squeezeout The excess gluethat is
ing pressureis applied.
Stickingbit A router bit that cutsa
the end or edgeof a workpiece,allow-
ing the stockto bejoinedto a board
with a matchingtongue.
Stile: A verticalmemberof a frame-
and-panelassembly.
Stile cutter: Seestickingbit.
Stop collar: An electricdrill accessory
that fits around a bit to stop a drilling
operationat a certaindepth.
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.
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
cope-and-stick joint,a protrusion
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-by-
sidemortises.
TWist:A lumber defectcharacterized
by unevenor irregularwarping.
V-W-X-Y-Z
VeneeredpanehA panelwith a thin
layerof decorativewood laid onto
or overit.
Wood button: A small,square-
shapedblock with a rabbetat one
end that fits into a groove;usedto
securethe top of a pieceof furniture.

I
I
I
I
I
I r4l
I
 I
INDEX t
I
Pagereferences in italicsindicate Springboards for clampingedge side-mountin g, 75,87-88,89,92 I
an illustrationof subjectmatter. banding(ShopTip), 40 sliderunners,73,75,87,93
Pagereferencesin bold indicate Clamps,front endpaper slides,73,74,75 I
a Build It Yourselfproject. SeealsoClamping Pullsand handles,97,99

A-B
Clock-case
Concealed
hinges,115,118-119
dadoand tonguejoints, 26,
singlepulls for drawersalready
built (ShopTip), 98 t
Adhesives, backendpaper 78-79 Repair
Bar clamps,y'ont endpaper Cope-and-stick
Craftsmanship,
joints,44,46, 48,5l- 52
6-11
fixing a boweddrawerside
(ShopTip), el
I
belt sanoers.-t5,5,/
Beveledpanels,' SeealsoHand-crafting fixing a loosedrawerbottom
5j-54, 55,56
Biscuitjoints.SeePlatejoints Crosscutting,I4 (ShopTip), 86 I
Blind nailers: Stops,95-96
ShopTip, 34 D
Dadojoints:
Drill presses:
Poiket holejigs,68
I
Board-and-batten doors,102,108,110
Build It Yourself: Drawers, 75,76,78-79
Carcaseconstruction Dado-routingjigs,89 E-F I
carcase-squaring blocks,33 Decorativetechniques: Edgebanding,19,39-40
glue racks,24
Drawers
lnlays,120,131-132
Moldings
Springboards for clampingedge
banding(ShopTip), 40
I
dado-routingjigs for drawer aoofs. Lu/ Edge-gluedboards,20-26
supports,89 legs,izs, i2g,t3t,132 Clamping,22 I
Frame-and-oanel construction shelves,63 glueracks,24
jigs for culting raisedpanels,55
pocketholejigs,68
Depthgauges:
Insertingdowelswith a depth gauge
preventingclampstains
(ShopTip), 23
t
.(ShopTip), 26 Dowels,25-26
Burns,Michael,8-9
Butt hinges,115,117 Doors,101 insertingdowelswith a depth gauge t
Buttons(rabbetedblocks),47,64-65 Board-and-batten, 102,108,110 (ShopTip), 26

C
Decorativemoldings,107
Frame-and-panel, 101,102,104-107
Sanding,l5
Two waysto spreadglue
t
Cabinetmaker'sclamps,/ront endpaper Glass,l0l, 103,1 11-112 ( S h o pT i p ) , 2 1
Cabinets.SeeCarcases; Frame-and-panel H i n g e s1, 0 1 , 1 1 5 - 1 1 9 European cabinethinges,115-116 I
construction Mounting,103,115-119 Face-gluing,121
Cabriolelegs,121,122,124-127
Copying the designof a cabrioleleg
Tongue-and-groove,
preventingsandingscratches
102,108- 109 Frame-and-panel
46-47,53
construction, 45, I
(ShopTip), 125 (ShopTip), 109 Assemblv.52-59
Sandinga cabrioleleg (ShopTip), 127 Veneered-panel, 10i, 113-114 Cabinets I
Carcases,17,18-19 Doubledadojoints,76,78-79 alternativemethod for clampingon
Assembly,3l-32, 35,37,43
Backpanels,38
Double-sidedclamps,front endpaper
Dovetailjoints:
moldings(ShopTip), 7l
bottom panels,47,60
I
Carcase-squaring blocks,33 Carcases, 17, 19,27-32 drawers,92,96
Checkinga carcase for square Drawers,75,76,8U84 moldings,47,69-71 t
(ShopTip), 33 Hand-cut,27-32,82-84 shelves, 47,61-63
Toinerv
dovetailjoints,17,19,27-32
dealingwith a defectivedovetail
(ShopTip), 32
top panels,64-67,68
Cope-and-stick joints,44,46,48,
I
platejoints, 16,17, 19,36-37 Doweljoints, 123,135-136 51-52
rabbetjoints, 19,34-35 Dowels: Doors,l0l, 102,104-107 I
SeealsoEdgebanding;Edge-glued Edge-gluedboards,25-26 Haunchedmortise-and-tenon joints,
boards;Shelves
C clamps,front endpaper
insertingdowelswith a depth gauge
(ShopTip),26
46,47,48-s0
Raisedpanels,5i- 54, 55,56
I
Clamping: Drawers,17, 72,73,74-75
Carcases, 32,35,37,43 Assemblv.85 -86 G t
checkinga carcase for square Bottompanels,73,74, 85-86 Glassdoors,101,103,111-112
(ShopTip), 33
Doors,107,109,114
Falsefronts,74,97-98
Fitting, 91,94
Glossarv.140-14l
Glue racks.24
t
Drawers,86,98 Flushfronts, 74 Glues,backendpaper
Edge-gluedboards,22 Jolnery, / J, /J, /O Gluing: I
preventing clampstains dadojoints,75,76,78-79 Carcases, 32,35,37,43
dovetailioints,75,76,80 -84
(ShopTip), 23
Frame-and-panel construction,45, rabbetjoints,75,76,77
carcase-squaring
Doors,107,109,114
blocks,33
I
58,59 Lipped fronts,74, 87 Drawers,86,98
Glue racks,24 Mounting,86 Edge-glued boards,21-23,24 I
Moldings, T0-71 bottom-run,75,90-91 preventingclampstains
positioningjig for sliderunners (ShopTip), 23
an alternativemethod for clamping
on moldings(ShopTip), 71 (ShopTip), e3 spreadingglue(ShopTip), 21 I
t
t42 I
I
I
I
t
I Face-gluing,l2l Lipped rabbetjoints, 76, 77 S
Frame-and-panel construction, 58, Lumber.SeeWood Safetyprecautions, front endpaper
I 59, 107
M.N-O
Sanding,15
Cabriolelegs(ShopTip), 127
H Miter gauges,14,52
I Half-blinddovetailjoints, 75,76,82-84 Moldings:
Frame-and-panel construction,57
Preventingsandingscratches
Hand-crafting: Frame-and-panel construction,47, (ShopTip), 109
I Dovetailjoint s,27-32,82-84
Mortise-and-tenon joints, 133-135
69-71
G l a sd
s o o r s ,1 0 1 1
, 11-112
Screws:
Concealment
Handscrews, front endpaper SeealsoDecorativetechniques:
I Hardware: moldings
invisiblenailers(ShopTip), 3a
wood plugs,35
D o o r s ,l 0 l , 1 1 5 - 1 1 9 Moore,Terry,10-11 Shelf-drillingjigs,4J
t Drawers,74
pulls and handles,97, 99
Mortise-and-tenon
Frame-and-panel
joints:
construction, 46,47,
Shelves,18-19,41-43
Adjustable,41- 42, 6I - 63
pullsfor drawersalreadybuilt
t (ShopTip), 98
48-50,59
Hand-cut,133-135
Edgebanding,39-40
Frame-and-panel cabinets,6l-63
sliderunners,73,75,87,93 L e g s1, 2 2 1, 2 3 , 1 3 3 - 1 3 5 ShopTips:
I Legs,121,122,123,137-139
Metal top fasteners, 64
Nails:
Concealment
Carcase construction,21,23,26,32,
33,34,40
Haunchedmortise-and-tenon joints, invisiblenailers(ShopTip), 34
t 46,47,48-50 wood plugs,35
Doors,109
Drawers, 86,91,93,98
Hinges,107,115-119 Octagonallegs,128,130 Frame-and-panel construction,52, 71
I I-I-K P-Q-R
Legs,125,127
Sliderunners,73,75, 87,93
Ingersoll,Ian,6-7 Panels:
I Inlays: Carcases, l8
Springclamps,front endpaper
Squareconstruction:
Legs,120,131-132 Frame-and-panel construction,45, checking,33, 59
t Invisiblenailers:
ShopTip, 34
46,53
raisedpanels,53-54,55,56
Surface-mount hinges,115,119
figs: Veneered-panel doors,103,1I 3-I 14 T-U-V-W
t Drawersliderunners SeealsoEdge-gluedboards Tablesaws,14
positioningjigs for sliderunners Pipeclamps,/ront endpaper Raisedpanels,53-54,55
I (ShopTip), 93
Drill presses
Planing,13
Platejoiners,l6
Taperedlegs,128-129
Through dovetail joints,27-32, 75,76,
pocketholejigs,68 Platejoints, 16,17, 19,36-37 80-81
I Routers Veneered-panel doors,103,I13, 114 Tongue-and-groove doors,102,108-109
dado-routingjigs for drawer Plywood: Preventingsandingscratches
I supports,89
Shelf-drillingjigs,4l
Edgebanding,39-40
J o i n e r y1, 7 ,1 8 - 1 91, 1 3 Tools:
(ShopTip), 109
Tablesaws Veneered-panel doors, 103,1 13-114 Cl,amps,fr ont endpaper
I raisedpanels,55 Pocketholes,64, 66-67,68 Safetyprecautions, front endpaper
foinery: Powertools: SeealsoPowertools
I P l y w o o d1, 7 ,1 8 - 1 9l,1 3
SeealsoDadojoints;Dovetail
Beltsanders,15,57
Drill presses:
Trigger clamps,front endpaper
Veneered-panel doors, 103,113-114
joints;Mortise-and-tenon joints; Pocketholejigs,68
t Platejoints;Rabbetjoints Platejoiners, l6
Web clamps,/ro nt endpaper
Wood:
lointing,l3 Safetyprecautions, front endpaper Anatomyof aboard,front endpaper
t L
SeealsoRouters;Tablesaws
Pullsand handles,97, 99
Defects,12
Face-gluing,121
Ledgerstrips,47, 60, 64, 67 Singlepulls for drawersalreadybuilt Grain
I Legs,l2l (ShopTip), 98 carcases, 17,20
Cabriolelegs,121,122,124-127 Quick-action clamps,front endpaper Preparation ofstock,12, 13-15
I copyingthe designofa cabrioleleg
(ShopTip), 125
Rabbetjoints:
Carcases, 19,34-35
Selection,l2
carcases, 20
sandinga cabrioleleg Drawers, 75,76,77 legs,121
I (ShopTip), 122 Rip fences,.14 Shrinkingand swelling,101
Decoration, 128 Ripping,14 T1pes,backendpaper
I inlays,120,131-132
moldings,128,129,l3l
Routers:
Dado-routingjigs for drawersup-
SeealsoPanels;Plywood
Wood plugs,35
Detachable legs,12l, 122,123, ports,89
I 137-139 Dovetailjoints,80-81
Joinery,I2l, 122,123,133-139 Raisedpanels,56
Octagonal,128,130
I Tapered,128-129
Shop-builtmiter gauges
(ShopTip), 52

I
I r43
I
 I
I
I
ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
I
Theeditorswish to thank thefollowing I
CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES I
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; HitachiPowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA
I
CARCASECONSTRUCTION
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,
I
A.G.SwitzerlandiColonial
Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Steiner-Lamello SawCo.,
Kingston,MA; VeritasToolsInc.,Ottawa,Ont./Ogdensburg, NY I
FRAME-AND-PANELCONSTRUCTION
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
I
Cable,Guelph,bnt.; FreudiVestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.;
RichardsEngineeringCo. Ltd., Vancouver,BC; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuck I
and Co.,Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc.,Montreal,Que.;StanleyTools,Divisionof the StanleyWorks,New
Britain,CT; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY I
DRAWERS
AdjustableClamp Co.,Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; BelwithInternational,GrandRapids,MI; I
DeltaInternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.;
HafeleCanada,Mississauga, Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; LeighIndustriesLtd., Port Coquitlam,
BC;MohawkFinishingProductsInc.,Amsterdam,NY/Montreal,Que.;SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,
I
Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Divisionof the StanleyWorks,New Britain,
CT; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY I
DOORS I
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Freud
WestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.;LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.;MohawkFinishingProducts
Inc., Amsterdam,NY/Montreal,Que.;RichardsEngineeringCo. Ltd., Vancouver,BC; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,
t
Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.;StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT;
Steiner-LamelloA.G. Switzerland/ColonialSawCo., Kingston,MA; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, I
NC and Louisville.KY

LEGS
I
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Anglo-AmericanEnterprises,
Corp.,Somerdale,Nf; DeltaInternational
Machinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd., I
Co. Ltd.,Vancouver,BC;Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Vermont
Ottawa,Ont.; RichardsEngineering
AmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY I
Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted
in thepreparatton I
ofthis book:

RenaudBoisjoly,LorraineDor6,GraphorConsultation,
t
JosdeLaperridre,G€rardMariscalchi,
JenniferMeltzer,JamesTh6rien I
I
PICTURECREDITS I
Cover PaulMcCarthy/Au Puitsde Lumiire
6,7 PaulRocheleau I
8,9RobertHolmes
l0,ll ThomasAmes,Jr. I
I
I
r44 I
I
T
t
I WORKSHO
GPU I D E
()FLUMBER
t TYPES
WPE CHARACTERISTICS
t S0FTW00D Pine Whiteto paleorred-brown,
withredstreaks;
fineto coarse, grainr Skong;lowshrinkage
skaight andwarpage
. Mosttypeseasyto shape; wellt Glueandclearfinishbondwell
t whendried;lightto heavy holdsfasteners
HARDWOOD Ash Whiteto darkbrown;
coarse,
uneven,
straight
orwavygrain. Strongwithexcellent qualities;
bending heavy
and
I hardo Easyto shape;
holds well. Glueandclear
fasteners finishbondwell
Birch Whiteto palebrown;
fine,uneven,
skaight orwavygrain. Strong
withgoodbending
qualities;
heavy
andhard
t . Easy holds
to shape; fasteners
well,butoftensplits
whenscrewedo Glueandclear
finishbondwell
Cherry oftenwithhintsofgreen;
Paleto darkred-brown, grain. Strong
t qualities;
moderately andhardo Easy
heavy
fine,uneven,
to shape;holds
straight
orwavy withmediumbending
wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell
fasteners

t Mahogany Brown
to darkred-brown;
qualities;
moderately
heavy
grain,oftenwithvivid,flecked
fine,even,straight
andhard. Easy
. Strong
patterns
buttendsio scuffwhenplaned;
to shape,
withgoodbending
wello Glue
holdsfasteners
andclearfinishbondwell
I Maple Whiteto palered-brown;
fine,even, grain,
straight oftenwithbird's . Exceptionally
eyeorburlpatterns strong
with
goodbending qualities;
heavyandhardo Easy
to shape;holds wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell
fasteners
I
0ak Palegrayto red-brown;
coarse, grain. Strong
even,straight withgoodbendingqualities;
heavy
andveryhard
I . Hardtoshape;holds
fasteners
well,butoftensplits
whennailedr Glueandclearfinishbondwell

Walnut Gray- oftenwithhintsof purple;

to darkbrown, coarse,
even grain. Exceptionally
straight strongwithgoodbending
I qualities;
moderately
heavyandhardo Easy to shape;
holds wello Glueandclearfinishbondwell
fasteners

to black,oftenwithhintsof darkpurple grainwithhighly

t EXOTIC
W00D Rosewood Darkbrown
o Exceptionally
patterns withgoodbending
strong
orstreaks
qualities;
of orange;
coarse,
uneven
hardandveryoilyr 11ur6
heavy, to shape,
figured
tending
to
dullblades;
holds well. Gluebonds
fasteners well;usually withpenetrating
finished oil
t Teak lVledium oftenwithhintsofyellow;
to darkbrown, coarse,even, grain! Strong
straight withgoodbending
qualities;
veryhardandoilyo 53.ttoshape,
heavy, buttendsto dullblades
andsuffer
burnmarks frompower
tools;
holds
T well. Gluebonds
fasteners well;usually withpenetrating
finished oil
andhardo Easy o 61u.bonds
poorly
T MANUFACTURED
PANELS
HardboardBrittle;
fairlyheavy tocut,buttends holds
to shred; fasteners well
Plywood Strong; heavy andfairlyhardr Easy
tocut;holds wello Gluebonds
fasteners well
I
t ADHESIVES
CABINETMAKING

TYPE CHARACTERISTICS usEs

I White Polyvinyl-acetate-based;
nottoxicorf lammable. Skongbonding;working
time3 to 5 minutes General
woodworking
glue r Setting
timeabout
30 to 45 minutes;cures o Dries
fullyin 24Io72 hours clearandcolorless
I o Doesnotsandaswellasyellowglue
o Better
I Yellow
glue
Aliphatic
working
resin-based;
nottoxicorflammable
. Setting
time3 to 5 minutes timeabout
30 to 45 minutes;
grabthanwhiteglue;
wettackforfaster
curesfullyin 24Io72 hours
General
woodworking
. Dries
opaque(fadedyellow);
moreheatresistant
forbetter
sandingproperties
thanwhiteglue
I Contact Solvent-based;
maybetoxicandflammable . Drying o Afterdrying,
time10to 20 minutes instant Bondingdissimilar
materials
cement bondoncontact; . Non{oxic
curesfullyin 72 hours water-based
contact
cements alsoavailable, suchasplastic
laminate
t properties
withsimilarbonding butslowerdrying;
water-based
maycause thinveneersto warp
and
to woodandplywood
veneers

t Epoxy
glue
Resin
andhardener
waterproof
typically
bonding;
mixed
working
together
time5 minutes
to 2 hours
butmaybetoxic. Strong, Bonding
priorto use;notflammable
ontype). Setting
(depending time5
acidicwoods
oakandmahogany;
suchas
other
exotic
minutes (depending
to 2 hours ontype);
curesfullyin 24 hours woods toglue
difficult
t Hideglue Protein-based, ingranular
available . Strong
orliquidform;nottoxicorflammable bonding;workingCabinet construction,
antique
r Setting
time3 to 5 minutes timet hour;
cures o Sandable
fullyin 24 hours anddriesa darkcolor restoration
andveneering
t r Notwater-resistant:
gluebondcanbesoftened withwaterfordisassembly

I Casein
glue
Milk-based, in powdered
available
o Setting
15to 20 minutes
form;nonflammable
time15to 20 minutes;
o Average
cures
bonding;
workingtime
o Highresistance
in8 to 12 hours to
0ilywoods
other
thatbondpoorly
glues(teak,
yewand
with
water
anddriesanopaque color;
sandswell,butstains
acidic
woods lemonwood); laminating
I
t
I