The Art of Woodworking -01- Cabinetmaking

8/17/2019 The Art of Woodworking -01- Cabinetmaking

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POWEROOLS

r

Wear ppropriateafety

ear:

afety

glasses.

ace

shield

orextra

rotect

n.

and

hearing

rotectors

rear

plugs.

f

there

s ro

dust olecton

system. ea'

dust

mask. or xotic oods uch s

ebony, se respirator;hesawdust

ay

cause n

allergiceaction. ear ork

gloves

hen andl ing

oughumber.

.

Donotuse ool f any

part

f

t isworn

or 0amageo.

.

Keep

our

ands e away

rom

turning lade rb i t .

o l ) rano l ho nn ' ro r eo rd , n f a nn r r :h l c l nn l

over

our

hou er o

prevent

t from

getting

n heway nd

bengdamaged.

SAFETY

IPS

.

Concentrate

n he

ob;

do

not ush.

Never orkwhen

ou

re ired,

tressedr

have een r rnk inglcoho

rus ing

medrcat ionshat

duce

'ows iness.

.

Keep

our

work r ea lean nd idy;

clutter

an e ad o accidents,nd

awdust

andwood crapsan

bea irehazard,

HANDOOLS

.

Use

l-eappropriateool

or

the

ob:

do

not ry o make ool

dosomethingor

which

t wasnotdesigned.

.

Clamp own

workpieceo

ee

both

handsoranoperation.

.

Cutawayrom

ourself

atherha n

towardour ody.

r f )n nn l fnrr o r lnn l tn i rpmnvino losq

materal.

or

sharpenhecutting dge,

.

Keep he d ges f cutt ing

ools harp.

ANATOMY FA BOARD

WORKSHOP

UIDE

Aleo

knovrn

e bandc lamp

or

eLrap larnp: lyp icaly

vaiable

with eLra2

15 eeL. n enqLh. or

apply tnq

?re.aL)r .

n

more

Lhan

o - P

)

. p r

t i o n ,

- ,

. c \

)

.

e

c * ?

- o

four

chai r

eqe

L once.

CABINETMAKING

LAMPS

Quick-

action

c t am ?

h60 Know n5

cabineLmaker .e

c

am ? : y ? c a

y

iae a 2/ lhroal AepLh nb,

a

4

- inch

e2an, uL ao avai b le

tn arqer izee.

with deepLhroaLe

or

ex lend,edam2inq

each

? ipe

olamp

SuiLable

or

c l am ?r nq n I e r

Lhan 2 nc hee .

Coneie le

f

awe

al* "achedlo

.

o .

/ ._ c r _a r a1 f i , -

? ? " ,

p ige

enqthcan

becu.Lorntzea

to

f i l

a

parLicu

r .?an,

Spr inqc lamp

Avai

able

n

a

var ie ly

c:f

eizes or ci.am.ptnq

u2

C 4 nc l ,e" ' ' .orne

mode

.

have

?

aglic

t.t?.

Lc,t

rolecL

atock.

Double-s ided lamp

ane

Eil,e

f clanp

eecur

"vo

tNorL

urfaceanAcLh

eiAe r: etr:ck;

ealuree

reach

of tp

to 5a inche

depenAinqn he

rYod,

6a r c l am p

C amge uV u A fuel

in enqlh

avat b le '

more

ornmon

tze

a r e24 , 36 and

48 nchea.

Tr iqger lamp

Avai lablen epane

o f 6 , 1 2 ,

8 , 2 4

a n d

36

inchee:

eei4neA

lo

be

neLal lednd

removeA tiLh ne

hand.TadAed

lawe

proLecL

tock,

Handecrew

f, ao Kncwn a acrew

clamp.Comee

n

var io ls e izeewi"vh

jawe

haL can o?en

up o

16 nc hee i de ,

Webc lamp


3/146

THE

ART OF WOODWORKING

CABINEMKING

TIME-LIFE

OOKS

ALEXANDRIA.

IRGINIA

ST.

REMYPRESS

MONTREAL.

EWYORK


4/146

THE ART

OF WOODWORKING was produced

by

ST.REMYPRESS

PUBLISHER

PRXSIDENT

Series ditor

Series rt Director

SeniorEditors

Art Directors

Designer

Research ditor

PictureEditor

Writers

ContributingWriter

Cont buting IIlu

s rato s

Administrator

Production Manager

SystemCoordinator

Photographer

Index

Proofreader

Kenneth

Winchester

PierreLdveill6

PierreHome-Douglas

FrancineLemieux

Marc

Cassini

Text)

Heather

Mills

(Research)

Normand Boudreault,

Solange aberge

Luc

Germain

TimMcRae

Christopher

ackson

TamsinM. Douglas,

Andrew

ones

StephenHart

RonaldDurepos,

RobertPaquet,

Studio La Perludtenc.

NatalieWatanabe

MichelleTurbide

fean-Luc

Roy

Robert

Chartier

ChristineM.

Jacobs

Iudith

Yelon

THECONSUXTANTS

Mark Duginske,

a cabinetmaker ho lives

in Wausau,

Wisconsin, is

a contributing

editor to F n e W

oodwo king magazine

and he author ofseveral

bookson woodwork-

ing

power

ools.

Leonard Lee s

the

president

fVeritasTools

and LeeValleyTooli,

manufacturers

nd retail-

ersof fine woodworking

hand tools.He s

also

the

publisher

and executive ditor

of Woodcuts

a magazinehat focuses

n the history

and

techniques

f woodworking.

GilesMiller-Mead

has aught

advanced abi-

netmakingat Montreal

echnical

schools or

more han tenyears.A nativeof New Zealand,

he

previously

worked

asa restorer

ofantique

furniture.

foseph

Truini is

SeniorEditor

ofFlome

Mechanixmagazine.

former

Shopand Tools

Edrtor

of

Popular

Mechanics, e has worked

as

a cabinetmaker, ome mprovement

contractor

and carpenter.

Cabinetmaking

p.

cm.-(The

Art of Woodworking)

Includes

ndex.

ISBN

0-8094-9904-5.

trade)

ISBN0-8094-9905-3lib)

l.

Cabinetwork.

L Time- Life Books.

II. Series

TTt97.C2r2

1992

684'.04-dc20

92-11188

CIP

For nformation

about

any Time-Lifebook,

please

all l-800-621-7026,

r write:

Reader nformation

Time-Life

CustomerService

P.O.

BoxC-32068

Richmond,

Virginia

2326r-2068

@1992 ime-LifeBooks nc,

All

rights reserved.

No

part

of this book may

be

reproduced

n

any orm or

by any electronicor mechanical

means,

ncluding nformation

storage nd

retrieval

devices r systems, ithout prior

written permission

rom

the

publisher,

except

that

brief

passages

ay

be

quoted

or reviews.

First

printing.

Printed

n U.S.A.

Published

imultaneouslyn

Canada.

TIME-LIFE

s a trademark

of Time Warner

Inc. U.S.A.

Time-Life Books s

a division

of

Time-Life

nc.,

a wholly

owned subsidiary of

THE TIME INC. BOOK

COMPANY

TIME-LIFEBOOKS

President

Publisher

Managing

Editor

Director

of Editorial Resources

Associate ublisher

Marketing

Director

Editorial Director

Consulting ditor

Production

Manager

Mary N. Davis

RobertH. Smith

Thomas

H. Flaherty

EliseD. Ritter-Clough

Trevor Lunn

ReginaHall

Donia Ann

Steele

Bob Doyle

Marlene

Zack


5/146

CONTENTS

6 INTRODUCTION

12

CABINETMAKING

TECHNIQUES

16

CARCASECONSTRUCTION

18

Anatomyof

a carcase

20 Making

wide

panels

27 Carcase

oinery

39

Edgebanding

4L Shelving

FRAME-AND.PANEL

CONSTRUCTION

Anatomyof a

frame-and-panel

assemblv

Making the

frame

Making the

panel

Puttinq he

panel

n the

frame

Assembling

frame-and-panel

case

Installing

a bottom

panel

Shelving

Installing a

top

Installing

molding

44

46

48

53

57

59

60

6T

64

69

r00

DooRS

I02 Anatomy of a door

104

Frame-and-panel

oors

108 Solid-panel

oors

111

Glass

oors

113 Veneered-panel

oors

115 Hanging

a door

I2O LEGS

L22 Anatomy

of a cabriole

eg

L24 Cabrioleegs

I28

Thpered nd octagonal

egs

131 Inlaysand

detailing

I33

Leg

oinery

I4O

GLOSSARY

I42

INDEX

IM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

72

DRAWERS

74

Anatomy of

a drawer

76

Drawer

oinery

85 Assembling drawer

87

Mounting a

drawer

95

Drawerstops

97

False ronts and

hardware


6/146


7/146

INTRODUCTION

Ian

Ingersoll

n

building

a

SHAKERCHEST

f

remember

hen

firstcame nder

hespell

f Shaker

urniture.

Wandering

he

I

ha[sof theShaker

useum

n

Old

Chatham,

ewYork,

was ransported

o

another

ime,awestruck

t

he eeling

vokedy

hose imple

ieces.

heShakers

ere

a religious,

topian

ociety

hat

lourished

n New

England nd_the

idrvest

n the

19thCentury.

heir urniture

esigns

ere orn

at

east

artially utof a

desireo

lead simpler, ore eligiousxistence.n their

quest,

hey

achieved

purity

of design

rivaled nlybythe

workcreated

or he

Buddhist

emples

f

|apan'_

For ackof a

more escriptive

erm,

have ubbedhe

cupboard

ndcase

f drawers

shown

ere

The

Utility

Chest."

ts

prototype,

hose riginal

urposesno-longer

known,

was uilt

n

Enfield, onnecticut,

round

825-1850.

hesurprising

ff-center

placementf the

wosmall

rawersemonstrates

haker

esign t

tsheight,

gp$g

not only

o a

purity

of

form,but to

theasymmetry

f

humanexistence

s

well.The

originaiunction

f

thosewo

drawers

aybe

ost oday,

ut t

is

sure

o

have een

a

practical

ne.

Theutility

chest

s

built

of

pine

and

measures

7 nches eep,

1

nches ideand

71 nches

igh. tsconstruction

s relatively

imple

ndcan

beaccomplished

sing

a combination

f standard

asework-,

oor-

anddrawer-making

echniques.

ora

projectike his,however,ttention

hould

e

paid

o

the

ayout_ofhedesign.

find

it trilpm to do

a ull-scale

rawing

n either

arge

iece

f cardboard

r

the

rahly

sandedop

of myworkbench

o ensure

hat he

scale

s correct.

Finishing

his

piece

as considerable

hallenge.

ostcabinetmakers

re

not in-

ishers.

t

should

e

pointed

ut

hat he

rick o any

good inish s o build

t

up

grad-

ually

with

multiplehin

coats.

n thiscase,

ight

yellow

aint

lvas

sed

irst, hen

steel

wool, ollowed

ya

wash f

pumpkin

aint,

more teel

ool,

andanapplication

f

orange

hellac

o warm

up he

yellow.

he inishing

ouch omes

ith

a ightcoating

ofvarnish

r

acquero

protectheshellac.

lan

Ingersoll wns

a cabinetmaking

shop

n

WestCornwall,

Connecticut,

sp

cializing

n Shaker

urniture.


8/146


9/146

INTRODUCTION

MichaelBurns alksabout

CRAFTSMANSHIP

he nspirationor

hiscabinet

ameroma small illetof Swiss

ear iven

o

me

seven

ears

go.

felt

hat

t had akenmeat easthat ong o acquireheskills

toworkwith hisbeautiful,utsomewhat

ifficultwood. he

pear

was dark

golden

pink

andhada softappearance.designed

he

cabinet

o highlighthewood's on-

derfi.rl urfacend tsability o stand p o theshaping

f delicatedge

rofiles.

want-

ed o show ffthe awmaterial.

I resawedhe

pear

ntoveneers,scnt %-inchhick,bookmatchedhem, nd

glued

them o a

plywood

ore.

thenedge anded ndshapedhe opandbottom. doweled

thesideso small

Ya-inch

osts,

eedingolidwood or he

oints

with he

egs. ext,

I

doweledhe op,bottom

andsidesogether

recisely,

sing nedowel

er nch.

finished ll he

pieces

efore

luing

p.

The egs,maderom

arrah,

werehennotched,

glued

ndscrewedo thecorners fthe

cabinet.

Pearsas emandings

t is

beautiful.

he

oinery

must

e

ightand

perfect;

light

imperfectionsre erynoticeable.spent

great

eal f imesharpening

y

planes

to

get

heedge

oints

risp

nd hesurfacesnflawed.he

arrah,

n heother

and,

was

pleasure

o

workwith. t

planed

n anydirection,awedndshapedasily,nd

took he

ight

oil

inish appliederywell. finishedhe

pear

withseveralhin coats

of blondshellac,ringing ut tscolorandsurface arkings.

Insidehecabinetre wodrawers,

achmade f Andaman

adauk

nd amphor.

Under

hedrawers,n the

middle

f he

nterior,sa curved helf. madeheL-shaped

knifehinges nddoor

pulls

rom

patinated

rass.

My nspirationomesromseveralources,

ncludingmy

eacher

im

Krenov,

reek

architecture,

apanese

raft ndFrenchabinetmaker

mile

Rutrlmann.

hat s mpor-

tant

n

everything

makes hat he nfluencesre alanced,hecraftsmanship

s he

best canachieve,

nd he esults

leasing.

MichaelBurns eachesabinetmak-

ing at College f

theRedwoodsn

FortBragg,

Califurnia.


10/146


11/146

INTRODUCTION

Terry Moore and

his

WRITINGDESK

eing elf-taught,

rely

on

avery nformal pproacho design.

y urniture ends

to evolve s

proceed

hroughhe

construction

rocess.or

example,eeking

an

alternativeo thecommonapered

eg,and nspired y

1920s

abinetmakers

ules

kleu

andEmileRuhlmann,developed

multifacetedlutedeg.

To

do his, designed

a

ixture or my spindle haperhatallowed

me o

profile

and lute he welve

acets

of the eg.Aftermuch rial anderror, hadoneprototypeeganda wholenewchal-

lenge:

Namely, ow o attachhe eg o a tableor desk

apron.Eventually,madea

mock-up f a desk

with a diagonal orner

ost

andattachedhe

eg o the

post.

Presentinghe

eg

ata

45o ngle

roduced

isually

leasing

etailshatbecame

he

inspiration

or

his

ady's ritingdesk.

Toconstructhedesk, used

combinationf mortise-and-tenon

nddovetail

joinery.

hedrawersrealso ovetailed.

chose ubinga-African osewood-which

is emarkableor tsstrikingigure ndcolor.

hegrain

pattern

n thedeskop

was

achievedy

resawing

plank

nto %o-inch-thick

eneer. wonderful treak f

ight-

coloredapwood

races

ne

edge f he

plank.

When hesapwood

dges ere

lued

together

nto

bookmatched

mirror

mage)

anels,

he

results ere pectacular.

Around he

perimeter

f the

op andwherehesurrounding

ramemeetshe

panels,

I inlaida hin ineof curlymapleo add isualexture nd o emphasizehe rame-

and-panelffea.

Adding

urly

maple

ulls

anda cockbeadroundhedrawers

urther

enhanced

hecolorcontrast.

ll

these

eatures ork ogethero evoke sensef func-

tionalelegance.

While

his

desksobviouslymmplex

iece,ou

should ot eel ntimidated;very

craftsman

as

nce

novice. ou an,with he

ight nstructionalnformation, long

with

patience

nd

practice,

aster llof the echniqueshat

youwill need.Remember,

though,he

museums

an

wait o enshrine

ourmasterpiece,

o

don'tbiteoffmore

than

ou

can hew

ight

away. tart

with simple

rojects

hatallow

ou

o

practise

your

skills

nddevelop

our

design ense. simple

roject

wellexecuted

s ar

better

than

anelaborate

iece

hat

has

een hoddily

ade. here ill be ailures nd

mis-

takes long

heway, ut his, oo,

s

part

of he

process

f

earning. hemainobjective

is o enjoyyour orkanddo hebest oucan.

Originally

romWales,

Terry

Moore

designsnd builds

ine urniture

n

N

ewp rt,

NewHamp hire..


12/146

CABINETMAKING

TECHNIOUE

-l-

h. first

step n anycabinetmaking

I. project

s o

select nd

prepare

our

stock.As shownbelow not all hewood

at a umberyards free

of defects,

o

t

is mportant

o

choose oards arefully.

Whether ou

arebuilding

an armoire

or a toy box, most

stock s readied n

CHO()SING

UMBER

roughly

he sameway.The procedures

illustrated

n

pages

3 to 15

cover he

basicechniques.or rough,or unsur-

faced umbet

first

pass

ne ace

across

the

ointer,

hen one edge, roducing

two

surfaceshat areat

90o o each th-

er.Next,plane

he secondace,making

it

parallel

o

he

irst.

Now ou

are

to rip your

stocko width

andcro

it to ength.ordressed,r surface

ber,

ou

onlyhave

o

oint

oneedge

rip

and rosscut.eforeluing

pa

of urniture,

esureo sand ny

u

that

will

bedifficult

o

reach

fterw

COMMON OOD

EFECTS

Knot,

Cheak

A

dark

whorl

aurcounded

y new

qrowth

ringe;

may fall

out, affect-

inq appearance.Avoid

eawing

9plito acroae qrowDh

ringa,

affectinq

apPearance

through thia

defect.

Pitah

Crook

End-to-endcurve

alon4

edge

Kesin

accumulation

n

aurface;

can affect

Twiat

Uneven

r

irceqular

warping;

makea

board unatable

and

prone

to

further

warpinq

Selecting

tockor

cabinetmaking

Woods

avarlablen

wobroad ategories:

ardwood

nd oftwood.

Although

he erms

rebotanicalather

han escriptive,

ard-

woods,

uch smahogany

nd herry,

re

preferable

or

most

cabinetmaking

rojects

ecause

hey re, n act,

enerally

harder.

efore

uyingumber,xamine

t carefully.

heckts

color,exture

nd

grain atterns,

nd elect

tockhat

ou

ind

visual lyppealing.

umbers

usual ly i l ledn

one f woways:

Quarter-sawed,redge-grainedumber

as

ough urfac

is

generally

table;

lain-sawed,

r lat-grained

umber,

lth

less

xpensive,s

more

rone

o warping

nd hrinking.ha

type fwood

ou

buy, hoose

iln-driedumber,

ndwatch

for

defects.

ome f hose

hown bove

nly ffect

ppea

butothers

anmake

hewood if f icult

o cut,

oint

r

pla

You an

void efects

ybuying

select"

lumber hen

oss

t 2


13/146

CABINETMAKING TECHNIQUES

BOARD

Maintaining

roperressure

on heoutfeedable

Formost perations,eta cutting epth

betweena nd ru nch. o

oint

a board

edge,eed hestock lowlynto hecut-

terhead,

ressing

ts ace

gainsthe

ence

whi le eeping

heedge

at

on he

ointer

tables. esureo eed heworkpieceo

theknives re u t t ing i th he

gra in .

Cont inueeed inghestock n t i l

ou r

right and pproachesheoutfeedable.

Then eversehe

posit ion

f

your

ands

without

toppinghe ut.Gradual lyl ide

your efthand

owardheback f he

workpiece,aintaing

pressure

gainst

the ence

/eff) .

hif t

our

ight and

far ther ack n hestocko maintain

downward

ressure

ust

o heoutfeed

side f heknives. ont inuehese and-

over-handovements

nt i l heoass

s

completed.o

oint

he

ace

f a board,

fo l low

hesame

rocedures,

s ing

ush

blockso

eed

hestock.

Feedingheworkpiecento

hecutterhead

Set cutt ing

epth p o %e

nch.

tand

to one ide f heworkp iecenduse

both

ands

o

eed t

careful lynto he

machine,

eepingheedgesf hestock

oara l le l

o he

p laner

ab le .

nce he

machine

r ips

heboard nd

begins

pulling

t acrosshecutterhead,

upport

its railing nd o keept flat

on he able

(left). henmoveo theoutfeed ideof

the

planer.

upporthe

workpiecei th

both

ands

nt i l

t

c learsheoutfeed

rol ler .

o

prevent

tock omwarping,

avoid

assing

nly ne ace f a board

throughhemachine;nstead,

lane

he

same mount f woodromboth ides.

TOCK

13


14/146

RIPPING W()RKPIECE

Usinghe ip ence sa

guide

Set

heblade eight boul

/q

inch

the

workpiece.

ositionhe ip enceo

wid th

fcu t , hen

ush

he tockn

theblade,

ressing

t against

he e

with

our

efthand nd eeding

ith

thumbs

/eff).

tando one ide f

workpiece

nd traddlehe ence

your

ight and,

akingure

hat

ne

hand

s n inewith he

blade. eeo

ing

heboard nt i l he

blade uts h

i t

completely.okeep

our

ands

r

comingloserhan inchesrom

blade,omplete

he utwith

push

(Caution:

lade

uard artially

etr

forclarity.)

CR()SSCUTTINGTOCK

Usinghemiter

auge

With heworkpieceush gainst

he

miter

auge,

l ignhe utt ing

ark

i th

theb lade. os i t ion

he

io

ence e l l

awayrom

heend f hestocko

pre-

vent

he ut-off

iece

rom

amming

p

a g a in s th eb la d e n d i ck i n g

a ck

toward

ou.

Hookhe humbs f both

hands

verhemiter

auge

o

hold

he

stock rmly

gainsthe

gauge

nd at

on he able,hen eed

heboardnto

the blade

righil. Caution:

lade

uard

partiallyetractedorclarity.)

CABINETMAKINGTECHNIQUES

t 4


15/146

CABINETMAKINGTECHNIQUES

SANDING

Using sandinglock

Clamp top lockso a work ur facet both nds f he

workpieceo hold t s teady.i ta sandinglock i th

piece

ofabrasive

aper

nd andhesurfacef hestock long

the

grain,

pply ingven,moderate

ressure

abovd.

se

long,

mooth,ver lappingtrokesnt i l he ur face

s

smooth.

Repeat i th

a

f iner-grit

aper

ora smootherin ish. o

pre-

vent ounding

heedgesf he

workpiece,

eephesanding

block

lat

on

ts

surface,ndwork p o-but notover-the dge.

THE ELTANDERSPTANER

Using belt ander

Use stop locko keepheworkpiecerommoving.nstal l

a sandingel t

nd rapehe

power

ord ver

our

houlder

to keept

outof he

way.With

hesander

arallel

o hewood

grain,

urn

t

onand lowly

ower

t ontohe ur face,olding

it f irmlywithboth ands

above).

ovehemachineack

nd

forthwith hesameype fstrokes

ou

would

se

with

sanding

block. oavoid

ouging

he

surface,

eep

hesander

lat

and

always oving;onot et hemachineest n

spp

nnt

Smoothing

panel

lf

a

planer

snot

avai lableo even ut

thesurfacef

glued-upanels,

se belt

sander.he iagramsn he eft l lustrate

thecorrectequencefoperations.irst,

s lowly ove

hesanderack nd or th

acrosshesurface

l a

45'angle

o

the

wood

rain

far

eft),

Besureo coverthe

ent i reurface,utdonot et he anding

drum uncompletelyff heedges f he

panel ;

hismay oundhecorners.ext,

make second

ass

ack nd or th

diagonal lycross

he

grain

n

heoppo-

sitedirection

center

efil.Finally,un

the ool longhe

wood

rain

o remove

any cratchesef t

by heear l i e rand-

ing

(near

eft).

\

l 5


16/146

'-d

----tg

\

J


17/146

Usingbiscuit

oints

to assemble

anels

offers wo very

appealingbenefits:

trength nd ease f assembly.biscuit

joiner

cuts emicircular

rooves

nto matingpanek.The

slots re

illed

with

glue

and biscuits

of compressedeech,

then he

panels

arebutted

ogethero

orm

a

perfea

oint.

CARCASE,ONSTRUCTION

he

basic ox-or

arcase-fea-

tured

in

this chapter

has ong

been he starting

oint

of

many

typesof

furniture.The

earliest

examplesere imple offers,

ailed

orpeggedogether,hatservedou-

ble-duty

s hestsr benches.oduy,

thereareseemingly

imitless aria-

tionson hatsame asic

esign. he

smallest xamples

f carcaseon-

struction

eature

elicate

ieces

f

highly

igured,

exotic

woods, uch

asbird's-eye aple,

osewood

r

Hawaiian oa, hat areassembled

with

precise

oints

and delicate

hingeso form

ewelry

oxes ndsilver hests.

arger

ut still

compact oxes

rovide

he ramework

or

drawers.

Once ssembled,he ypeof carcasexaminedn thepages

that

ollowcanbe hebasisor anythingrom a smalldresser

or tool chesto a

floor-to-ceilingabinet r a home-enter-

tainment enter.

he ater

chapters

n thisbook ookat he

subsequentteps-adding

rawers,oors r legs-so as o

turn thebasic arcasento a

inished

iece

f

furniture.

Althoughcarcasesnddrawers redesigned

o withstand

different

ypes nd evels fstress

n

use,here recertain

on-

structionechniques

hatareapplicableo both.

Where

ppro-

priate,

cross-referenceo the

Drawershapter ill be ncluded

to direct

ou

o a drawer-building

echniquehatcould

prove

usefi.rl

or

constructing arcases.

All carcasesonsist f fourpanelsoined ogethero form

a box.

A key equirements

that

hewood

grain

of all the

Drawers, helvesnd aveneered

lywood

back

panel

transforma typicalcarcasento an

elegant ookcase. hedrawers un along

ixed

shelveset

nto dadoes ut n theside

anels.

assemblinghe

panels.

here rea

greatmanytypes

f corner

joints

ou

canuse; ome f hemost ommon

nclude

ovetails,

lockmiters,abbets, iter-and-splineoins,biscuitoints,and

box

and inger

oints.

Becauseovetail

oints

are ighly egarded

for

theirstrength ndbeauty

n

solid

wood,

one

variety-the

hand-cut

hroughdovetail-is

featuredn this

chapter

page

27).It

canalsoecut

more

quickly

with

a

ig

as

shown

n

the

Drawershapter

page

0).In heeyes f

manywoodworkers

awell-made

and-cut

ovetail

oint

svisible

roof

of thecab-

inetmaker'sompetence.

For

plywood

arcases,abbet

page

4)orbiscuit

oints-also

known

as

plate

onts-(page

6)

arebetterhoices. oth

offer

pretfymuch

hesame trength

sdovetail

oints

and,although

less

sthetically

leasing,

heyare

quick

and

easy

methods

f

assembly.heconvenienceactor ecomesmajor onsider-

ation

f you

are

aced ith

producing

arge umber

f carcases.

panels

un in the same irection.

Since

oodexpandsndcontracts,

especiallycrosshe

grain,

he

pan-

els

will expand ndcontractogeth-

er at thesame

ate,

reserving

he

structuralntegrityof the box.

Assembling

carcase

ith

he

grain

ofadjacent

anels

t right angleso

each ther irtually nsureshatone

of the

panels

ill eventuallyplit;

whenwood s readyo move,t is

almostmpossibleo stop.

Much

of

thecharacternd ndi-

viduality

of a

particular

carcase

design erivesrom he

method

f

1 7


18/146

hethert is

a box hatwill house

a couple

f drawersnd

a shelf r

ment s

that

parallel anels

musthave

the

same imensions.

Although panel

anbemaderom

a single

iece

f

umber,

t is

generally

less xpensiveogluenarroweroards

edge-to-edge

o

form

hewide

surface

(page

0).

Once

lued

p, he

panels

re

planed,

ointed

on oneedge,

ut o size,

funel

Uaed

o

form

the top,

bottom and

sidea of the

carcaai, May

be a ein-

6le

piece

of

plywood

or eolid lumben

but panela

are more

commonlymade

from amaller

boarda

qlued

edqe o

edge; dowela may

be ueed

to

help

with

alignment. ndividual

boards

can be of varyinqwidtha,but are

uaually2 to 5 inches wide.

and hen

heirsurfaces

resand

third option-one

which

combine

economy

f

glued-up anels

nd

ease

f solid umber-is

to useh

woodplywood, hichcanbemad

looklike

olidwood,

ytheadditio

banding long xposed

dges

pag

Constructing

arcasesrom

plyw

a china abinet

estinedo grace our

dining oom,

hecarcaseou

buildwill

featuremanyofthebasic lementsllus-

trated

elow. irst,t will have

oursides,

or

panels,

hichare

usuallyhe same

width

and hickness.nother

equire-

Cornerjoint

Securea

he ende

of the

panele

ogether:

rabbet

joint

ia ahown,

but dovetail

and

plate

ointa

are aleo

popular choicea.

This

simple

carcase-framed

abinet

features

edge-glued

aneh

of ashand

rabbeted

orner

oints

cut

ona table aw.

A

fixed

uppershelf s

set n dadoes ut

into he

side

anek;

lower

adjustable

shelfrests n hiddensupports.

Back

Uaually

/+-inch

plywood

piece

nailed

and'glued nto

a rabbot routed

alonq baok

ed1e of the

panela.

thelving

May

be

plywood

or ein7le

pieae

of wood, but

often made

from edge-qlued

boarda. Fixed

ahelveaare

qlued

n dadoes

routed

on the inside

surfaces

of

aide panele;

adjuatable

ehelvea egt

on aupporta.


19/146

does ave

ts

disadvantages,

owever.

It reducesour

lexibiliwwhen t comes

to the

oinery;

ovetaiis,

or example,

simply

will

not work. t also ulesout

such stheticossibilitiesscreating

attractive

rain

patterns

n

the

panels

yedge

luing areflrlly

matchedboards.

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

Ifyou

plan

o addedge anding r

install

helves

page

1

,

youmust ntic-

ipatehose teps efore

luing

he

panels

together.

orshelves,

ou

will need o

routdadoesr boredowel oles n he

inside urfacesf

theside

anels.

Formore

detail

n hecutting,

oint-

ing, sanding nd other

procedures

necesssaryo

prepare

oards nd

panels,

refer o theCabinetmaking

echniques

sectionn

page 2.

Of he

many

oinery

methodshatcanbeusedo connecthe

panelsfa carcase,hischapterocuses

on three

of the mostcommon: he

hand-cuthrough ovetail

oint,

he

plate

oint

and he

abbet

oint.

CORl{EROINTS

Through dovetail

oint

Tapered ine on onepanel

nterlock with

anqled

aila

of

the other: offera

lar1e

qluingaurface. For best appearance,

pino

are

ueuallycut at the enda of

the top and bottom

panela;

aile

are aawnat.enda ofthe

eide

panele.

Stronq, decorative

oint

for

eolid

lum'

ber;

not recommended or

plywood.

Good choice when

eaturinq

oinery

ae an elementof deoiqn.

Plate

or

biocuit

oint

Diecuits of compreaaed

wood it

into slote

in

the

matinq boarda;

qlue

owello he biacuite, atrength'

eninq he

joint.

Toconcealend

1rain

whenviewed

rom the aide

of carcaae, alots are uauallycut

into

end

6rain

of

top and bottom

panela

and

into mating facea of

oide

panele,

tronq

joint

for aolid

lumber or plywood.Not decorative

but

quick

and eaay

to make.

Rabbet

oint

Edge of one board

fita into rabbet

cut

in

the

matinq

board;offers

larqe

gluinq

aurface. Toconceal

end

grain

of top and bottom

panele, he rabbeta are

normally

cut into the aide

panela.

trong

joint

for

aolid

lumber

or

plywood.

Alao

uaed

o

join

carcaee

back

to

panela.

Not ae decorativeaa

a throuqh dovetail,but much

aimpler o

make.

J .

' v#

' ' ' o S

r #

' d

Edge banding

Decorativeveneercommercially

availablebut

can be

made n

the

ahop;

glued

o expoeed

edqeoof

plywoodpanela

and shelvea.

I 9


20/146

MAKING

WIDE

PANELS

\ 7f

ost

woodworkers

ake

up the

IVJ. wide

panelsora

carcaseygluing

boardsogether dge-to-edge.

uilding

a carcasehisway snot

a matter

f cut-

ting costs t the expensef strength.

Panels

fedge-glued

oards re

every it

asstrong sa

single

iece

f umber. n

fact,a

proper

glue

oint

provides

sturdier

bond han he ibers

fa

oiece fwood.

Follow

hesteos etailed

elow nd

on he ollowing

ages

o assemblean-

els.

Apart

rom a

supply f

glue

and

an

assortment

f clamps, llyou need

s a

level

work surface

r a shop-built lue

rack

page

4).To

help keep he

boards

aligned,

omewoodworkers

lsouse

dowelspageS).Formore nformation

on

selecting

lue,

efer

o the

nside

ack

cover

fthis book.

Selectingourwood s

an mportant

part

ofthe

process.

o not

buygreen

wood

or stock hat s

cupped r ftvisted,

andavoidusingwood

with a high

mois-

turecontent, hich

canadversely

ffect

the

glue.

nstead,

uy umber

ha

been ried n a kiln. f

you arewor

from rough

stock,begin prepa

boards y

ointing

a face

nd an e

thenplaningheother ace. ext, r

cut he

boards,eaving

hem oug

inch

onger

han heir inished

en

andjoint

anedge

feach

iece.

ip

stock

o hat hecombined

idth

o

the

boards xceeds

he finishedw

ofthe

panel

y about inch,

hen

thecut edses.

Edge-glued

boards

should create

he

illusion

of a single

piece

of wood rather

than a composite. xperimentwith the

boards n diferent

configtrations

o

produce

a

pattern

that

is visually nter-

estingbut

makesure hat

the

grain

runs

in the

samedirection

on all of the

oieces.

EDGELUING

' l

Arranging

heboards

I Set

wobar lamps n

a

work

urface

and ay

heboardsn hem.

se smany

clamps

s

necessary

o

supportheboards

at

24-

o 36-inchntervals,

o eeo

hebars

frommoving,

lace

hem

n

notchedood

blocks

insef).

se

pencil

o mark

heend

grain

rientat ion

feach oard

sshown,

then rrange

hestock n he

clampso

enhanceheir

appearance

photo

bove).

Tominimizearping,rrangehepieceso

that he

end

rain

fadjacent

oardsunsn

opposite

irect ions.f he

grain

sdif f icu l t

to read,

ampenrsand

heboard nds

o

maket

show pmore

efinitely.nce

ou

have

satisfactory

rrangement,lign

he

stock dge-to-edge

nd se

pencil

rchalk

to

mark

riangle

right).

his

willhelp

ou

correctlyearrange

heboardsf

you

move

them

rior

o

inal

ssembly.


21/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

fillllllll]lllll ll lllllllll illllllllllllil llllllllllll

1HO?

TI?

Two

wayo to

opread

glue

Tosoreada alue

bead

art

oupply

lores.To

leanlhe

rollerafler use, oll I repeaNedly

r)

Applying

he

glue

L fo auoid

arringhe

edges

f he

panel

hen

ou

ighten

he lamPs,

cut

wo

pieces

f

scrap

ood t

east

as ong s heboardso beglued,nd

usehem

s

pads.

eaving

he

irst

board

ace own,

tandhe

other

pieces

nedge

o hat

he

r iangle

marks

ace way

rom

ou.

APPIY

a

hin

glue

bead

o each

oard

/eff),

just

enough

o

coverhe

edge

om-

pletely

henhe

adhesive

sspread.

Too

it t le

lue

wi l l

esul t

na

weak

bond;

oo

much

i l l ause

mess

when

ou

ighten

he

lamPs.

se

small,

t t f f -br ist led

rush

o spread

theglue venlyn heboarddges

(abovd, leaving

o

bare Pots.

o

notuse

our

ingers

orsPreading;

adding

irt

or

grease

o

he

glue

wi l l

weaken

he

bond

nd low

he

dry ing

time.

Move

n o

step

assoon

s

possible

o

prevent

he

glue

rom

ry-

ingbefore

ou

ighten

he

lamPs.

over

a

ocrap

board.

Fora

ohoP-made

alue

preaAer,

eea

6- inch

enqlh f

i/"-inch

dowel

e a

handle

No

holda

2-incheection

of a

broken

r

worn

hackeaw

lade.

se

a backeaw

r

band

sawNo

cuN

shallow

lot'

n

one

endof

lhe dowel,

makinq

t'

'hinenouqh

lo

holdNhe

lade

eection

onu4ly.

iI

the

blade

Neelh-eide-ouL

nt'o

he

sloL'


22/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

Tightening

he lamps

Set

he boards

ace

down nd ine

up he i r

nds ,m ak i ng

ure ha t

he

sides

f he

r iangle

l ign. ighten

he

clamps nderhe boardsustenough

to

but t hem

ogether ,

hecking

gain

fo r

a l i gnment .

vo id

ver t i gh ten in

theclamps

r he

boards ay

buckle

up

at he

oints.

Place

thi rd

c lamp

across

he op

of the boards,

enterin

i t

betweenhe

wounderneath.

in ish

t i gh ten ing

l lo f t he

c lampsn

urn

(left)

until

hereare

no

gaps

between

t he boa r ds

nda

t h i n bead

f

g lue

squeezes

utof he

oints.

Leveling

he

boards

For

adjacent

oards

hat do not

ie

perfect ly

evel

ith

ach

ther, se

C c lamp

o ho ld

hem n

a l ignment .

Protect ingheboards ithwood ads,

center

he lamp

n he

o in t

ear

he

end

f hestock;

lace

strip

fwax

paper

nder

ach

ad

o

prevent

t rom

sticking

o

heboards.

hen

ighten

he

clamp

ntil

heboards

re evel

right).

Refer

o he

manufacturer's

nstructions

for

he

glue's

rying

ime.f

you

re

hort

ofclamps,

ark

he ime

n he

panel

so hat

ou

an

move

n o he

gluing

of henext

anel

ssoon

s

possib le.


23/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

f,

Removinghe

excess

lue

:,f

Use

plastic

utty

nife o remove

as

much f he

squeezed-out

lue

s

oossibleefore

t

dr ies.

he

moisture

f omg lue ef ton hesur face i l lbe

absorbed

y

hewood,

ausingwelling

and

low ry ing ;

a rdeneddhes ive

can l so

log

andpaper ,

u l l

p laner

knives nd

epel ood tain.

nce

he

glue

as r ied,

emovehe

lamps

rom

the opof

heboards,

nduse

paint

scraper

o

removeny

queeze-out

ha t

remarns

/eftl.

Removehe

ower lamps,

then

prepare

he

panel

or

oinery

y

planing

t,

oint ing

nedge

nd ut t ing

the

p iece

o

ts n ished

imens ions.

Use belt andero smoothhesur-

faceshat

wi l lbe

hardo

eachnce

the

carcase

sassembled

"llll

flt"llJ"llf

lll

$

"lfif"1lr1llf".llr'ffi

llll"l$

1HO?

TI?

?revenling

clamp

otains

Themetal bar

of a

clamp

can

be

olainedby adheeive

thal dr ipo

dur in4

luing

operationo. ried luecan

aleo

ntertere

with Ihe

ratchetinq

action

ot

eome lamoe.To

l imi-

nat'eNhe

roblem,

sea

haoksaw r band

eaw

o cut

a roll

of wax

?a?er

nto Z-inch'

wide

mini ' ro l ls .Then,

ach

Nime

you

applya

clamp,tear

ofl a

ot'rip

of

paVer

o wrapover

or under

Nhebar.

23


24/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

GIUE ACK

A

shop-built

ack

maderom

wo

sawhorses

rovides

convenient

way

o hold

he

clampsor

gluing

upa

panel.

o

build

he

ig,

emove

the

cross

iece

rom

your

awhorses.

Cut

eplacements

hesame

idth

and hickness

s

heoriginals,

aking

them

t

east

s ong s

heboards

that

ou

will

be

gluing.

Use

hand aw

ra band

aw

o

cutnotches

long needge feach

cross

iece

t

6-inchntervals.

ake

the

cutswide

nough

o hold

bar

c lamp

nugly

nd

deep nough

o

hold

hebar evel

ith

he op

of he

cross

iece.

ou

analso ut notches

to accommodate

ipe

lamps,

ut

bar lamps

re

tronger.

To

use

he

glue

ack, eat

t east

twobar

clampsn

henotches

o

that

he boards

o be

glued

re

supported

t least

very

4 to

36

inches.

he

est

f he

operation

s

identical

o edge

luing

oards

na

work

urface

sshown

n steps

to

5 on

he

preceding

ages.


25/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

DOWELS:

NAID

T(lALIGNMENT

1

Boringhe

dowel

oles

I Locate

oints

ordowels

n he

board

edges

phoito

bove).

o

avoid

plitting

boards

ith he

pins,

se

rooved

owels

thatare

nomorehan

ne-hal f

s hick

as hestock.

ita dril l

witha bit

he ame

diameters

hedowels,

hen

wrap strip

ofmasking

ape round

hebi t o

mark

the

dr i l l ing

epth,

hich hould

e l ight -

ly morehan

one-halfhe

ength

f he

dowels.

eep

hedrill

perpendicular

o he

board

dge s

you

boreeachhole

righ),

withdrawing

he

bitwhenhe

maskingape

touches

hestock.

Al though

hedr i l l

press

an

also eused

o bore

heholes,

keeping

onger oards

teady

n he

machine's

ablemay

rove

if f icult . )

Marry

woodworkers

sedowelso

help

with the

alignment f

boardsn

a

pan-

el.Oneof the

problems

n using his

technique

s that thewood

ins

have

to

be

precisely

entered n

theedges

of

theboards

o be

oined.

n the

photo

at left,

ocation

oints

have

eenmade

for

the

dowels-one

about3

inches

from

each

ndof the

boards nd

one

in themiddle.

A line s

thenscribed

acrosshe

points

with

a cuxing

auge

set

o one-half

he hickness

f the

stock.

he ines

ntersectt

thecenter

of

theboardedges,

uaranteeing

er-

fect

placement

f

thedowels.

25


26/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

r)

Pinpointing

ating

owel otes

L lnsert

dowel

enterhe

same iameter

s he

dowels

in each

f he holes

above),

hen et

heboardslat

on he

clamps

ith he

riangle arkacing

ou.

l ign

heends f

the

boardsnd

butt he

edge f he

secondoard

gainst

that f he irst.

he

ointed

nds f

hedowel

entersi l l

punch

mpressions

n

hewood,

roviding

tart ing

oints

or

themating

oweloles.

ore

hese oles

o hesame

epth

as n step ,

hen epeat

he

procedure

or

he hird

oard.

Gluingp

he oards

Apply

lue

o the board

he same

wayaswhen

edge

gluing

page

1).fhen

se

pencil

ip o dab

small mou

of

adhesiven

hebottom

feach

owel ole. void

pread

glue

irectly

n hedowels;

hey

bsorb oisture

uickly

nd

wil l

wel l ,

akinghem

if f icu l t

o it nto

heir oles.

nse

thedowels

above),

hen ap

hem nto inal

osit ion

sing

a hammer.

void

ounding

n hedowels;

h ismay

ause

board

ospl i t . lose

p he

oint,

hen

ighten

heclamps

(page

2).

Remove

he excess

lue

page

3).

ilIl

lll ltt

ill ili

lll ll

lll ilt

lt llJ

l[ iltlll

llt

ltljlt

1HO?TI?

lnoerling

dowele

with

a deplh

0au0e

To

avoid

Nhe isk

of oplittin7

boardswhen

nseilinq

dow-

els,

use hie oimple

ehoV-madeepth

qauqe.

ip

a f- inch-

long

board

o a Nhick-

'/'

neee hal

ie

exactly

one-halthe lenqth

f Nhe

dowele.

ore

a hole

haN

s

olightly

wider

Nhan he

t.hick-

ness

of Nhe owele

hrou7h

he

gauqe

ear

one

end.

Then

place

t around

each

dowelwhen

ou

Nap X nNo

its

hole. he

dowelwill

be

aNT,he orrecl

deobh

when

iN s

flushwith

he Lop

of Nhe epth

qauqe.


27/146

CARCASE

OINERY

f

here re

many

ways

f

oining

ar-

J.

case

anelsogether.

he

pages

hat

follow

will examine

hreeof

the

most

popular

choices:

ovetail,

abbetand

plateoinery.Asshownn thephotoat

right, he

nterlocking

ins

and

ails

of

a through

dovetail

oint

giveboth

solidity

and

distinctive

ppearance.

Cutting

uch

oint

with the radition-

al

hand ools

s considered

rite of

passageor aspiring

woodworkers.

t

requires

kill and

practice

o

perfect.

It also

eavesoom

for creativity,

ince

it allows

ou

to choose

he

width of

pins

and

tails o

giveyour

oints

an

esthetically

leasing

ook. The same

joint

can

beexecuted

n far

essime,but

with equal

precision, singa

routerand

a

ig;

that

approach

s demonstrated

in the

Drawers hapter

page

0-81).

You

may also

want to try the

half-

blind

dovetail,

which

s

examined

n

pages 2-84.

If you

prefer somewhat

impler

formsof

joinery,

ry

either he

rabbet

or the plate oint (page 4-37).Both

are deal

or

joining

plywood

pan-

els,which

arenot suited

or dovetails.

Whicheverype

of

joinery

you select,

you must

planahead

or the aterstages

ofyour

cabinetmaking

rojects, uch

as

installing

back

panels,

helving,

dge

banding r

drawers. ome

rawer-hang-

ing methods,

or example,

equire

ou

to rout a

grooven theside

anels

efore

thecarcase

s assembled.

D()VETAILOINTS

thoulder

line

Half-pin

X

X

X / \ X

X X

' l 0utlininghepins

I Markheoutsrde

ace f each

anel

itha big

X, hen et

a

cutt ing

auge

o he

hickness

f hestock

nd cr ibe

l ine

alonghe

ends f he

our

panels

o

markheshoulder

f he

pins

and ai ls .

he

panels

hatwi l l

orm he opand

bottomf

he

carcase

i l lbe he

pin

boards.ecure

ach ne

n urn

n

a

vise

and se

dovetai lquare

o out l ine

he

pins

n

heends f

he

board sshown

n he

sequencebove.

tart

withhalf-pinst

each dge,

akingure

hat he

narrownds f he

pins

re

n

the

outs ide

ace f heboard.

ext ut l ine

he

wasteect ions

adjacento he

half-pins,hen

markhe

center f he

board nd.

Out l ine

pin

at he

enter ark,

hen ut l inehe

emaining

pins

above,

ight),

markingll he

waste ections

ithXs.

(You

an lso

se s l id ing

evel

auge

o

out l inehe

pins;

set

anangle fabout

:6

orsoftwoodr

1:8 orhardwood.)

There re o

igid

uidel ines

or henumber

f

pins

r

or

thespacing

etween

hem.

utevenlypaced

ins

hat re

at

east ne-halfhe

size f he

waste ections

roundhem

make

oranattract ive

nd ol id

oint .

Use

combinat ion

squareo extend

l l he

dovetai l

arks o hat hey

each

the houlder

ines nboth

aces f

heboards.


28/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

r)

Cuttinghe

pins

Z-

Securehe irst

pin

boardn

a vise

so hat

heoutsideace

f

he

panel

s

toward

ou.

Use dovetail

aw o

cut

alongheedgesf hepins, orkingrom

one

ide f

he

panel

o

heother.

ome

woodworkers

refer

o cut

all he eft-hand

edgesirst,

henmove

n o

he

ight-

hand

dges.or

ach ut,

holdhe

panel

steadynd

alignhe

saw lade

ust

o he

wasteide

f he

cuttingine.

Use mooth,

even

trokes,llowing

he

saw o cut

on

the

push

lroke

right).

ontinue

awing

r igh t

o he hou lder

ine ,

making

ure

that

heb lades

perpend icu lar

o

he

line.

Next, se

coping

aw

sfep

) or

a chisel step ) to removehewaste

between

he

pins.

Repeat

he

procedure

at heother

nd f

heboard

nd t both

ends

f heother

in

board.

Q

Removing

hewaste

ith

coping

r-J Stand n heother ide f hepan

andbegin

utting way

hewaste

oo

between

he

pins.

t

he

ide f

each

sl ide

coping

aw ladento

hekerf

rotate

he rame ithout

triking

heen

of he

board.

utoutas

much

f hewa

as

ou

anwhile

eeping

heblade

b

%o nch

bove

heshoulder

ine.

Cut

/

until

ou

each

hekerf

n he

edge f

adjacent

in.

Pare

way ny emain

waste

ith

a chisel

step

).


29/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

Removinghewaste ith

chisel

Set he

panel

uts ideace

pona work urfa ce

nd

clamp na

guide

lock, l igningtsedge bout

%o

nch

o

thewaste

ide f he houlderine.

Using wood hisel o

widerhan henarrowide f hewasteection,utt he lat

s ide

f heblade gainsthe

guide

lock.

old

heendof

thechisel

quareo he ace f he

panel

nd triket witha

wooden allet

left),

coring ine

bout s-inch-deep.hen

turn hechiselowardheend

f he

panel

bout% inch

belowhesurfacef

he

wood

nd have ffa thin ayer

f

thewaste

below).

ontinuehaving

wayhe

waste

n his

fashionnt i l

ou

re bout al fwayhrough

he hicknessf

the

panel ,

henmove n o henext

ect ion. hen

ou

ave

removed

l l hewasterom his

ide,urnoverhe

panel ,

andworkrom

heother ide nt i l

he

pins

re l lexposed.

f,

Final

aring

\, ,

With

he

panel

uts ideace

p,al ign

heedge

ofa

guide

lock i th

he houlderine n

he

panel

and lampt n

place.

utt

he lat ide

fa chisel

againstheblock,

ndusing

our

humb

o

hold

he

blade er t ical ,

ent ly

apon hehandle

o

pare

way

the inalsliver

f

waste

left).

Repeat

he

process

between

heother

ins

nt i l

here

s

nowaste

beyondhe

houlder

ine.

29


30/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

Preparing

ooutlinehe ails

Set

oneof the a i l boards uts id

face

down n a

work

ur face nd

cla

a

guide

block n opof i t wi th

heed

of he b lock lushwi th heshoulderi

T h e n

o l d h ee n do f

o n eo f h e

p i

boards gainsthe

guide

blockwi th

ou ts ideaceaway rom

he a i l boa

Fasten

handscrew

o the

pin

boa

anduse

anotherlamp o hold t f rm

rn

posit ion

/eff).

I

Marking

he ails

/

Usea

pencrl

o outline he Iatls

rrghil,

then

emove

heclamps ndusea combi -

nat ion

quareo extendhe ines nto

he

endof he board. ark hewaste

ect ions

wi thXs,

henout l ineai lson he

other

endof the board ndat

bothends f he

o ther

ane l .


31/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

Q

Cuttinghe ailsand emoving aste

(J

Usea dovetai l aw o cut he ai ls

the sameway

you

cut the

pins

step

2) .

Some

woodworkersnd

hatangl inghe

board , s shown ather han he saw

makes

he cu t t i ng

o

eas ie r .

n

e i t her

case, awsmoothly ndevenly, ndstop

just

a

fraction

f an nchbefore

ou

each

t h e s h o u l d e r

i n e .R e m o v e

h e b u l k

of the wastewi thei ther coping aw

(step

3) or a chisel

step

4),

then

pare

away he nalbi tsof waste

own o

the

shoulderine

(step

5).

Dry-fitting

hecarcase

Beforeluingp he arcase,ssemblet ocheck

the

i t

of al l he

oints.

tand neof he

pin

boards n

a wood l ock ,hena l i gn mat ing

a i lboard

i t h

t ;

supporthe other ndof

the ail boardwitha sawhorse.

Press

he

oint

ogether y hand

as

ar

as

t

wi l l

go,

then ap he wo

ends he

rest

of the way nto

place,

while

protecting

he

workpiece

ith a scrapboard. o

avoid

inding nddamaginghe

pins,

losehe

oint

evenly long

ts whole

englh

left).

oin

he other

pin

and ai l boardshesameway,apping

nlyon he ai l

board. he

oints

hould e ightenough

o

require

l i t t le

ent le

apping, utavoid

sing xcessiveorce.

l f the oint sclear lyoo ight ,mark hespotwhere t

binds,hendisassemblehe

panels

nduse chiselo

pare

way litt lemorewood.

DryJit he carcase gain

andmake ur ther

djustments,f necessary.f

there

s

any

gap

between

pin

anda tail, nsert thin wedge

o

f i l l i I

(page

2).AI this

point , ou

wi l l need

o see

to t he o ther equ i rementsf

yourpro jec t ,

uchas

instal l ing

back

panel

page

& andedge anding

(page

9) , f des i red ,hen

prepar ing

he s ides o r

shelves

page

1) or

drawers. nce hat s done,

lue

up he carcase

step

0).

3 1


32/146

CARCASE ONSTRUCTION

' l

f\

Gluing p hecarcase

I \J ro

apply

proper ressure

he

t i gh ten inghec lamps, se ourw oo

pads

pecia l l yotchedordovetai l

o i

M ake hepads hesame ength s h

carcase

anels

rewide, nd

cut awa

l i t t le r iangularotcheso hat he wo

wi l l

on ly

make

ontact

i th

he a i l sa

notexer t

ressure

n

he

pins.

Apply

th inbead f

g lue

n he

aces

f he

p

and a i ls hatwi l lbe n coniact hen

jo ints

reassembled.sea smal l , t

br ist led rusho spread

he

glue

eve

leaving o bare pots. ssemble

hec

case nd nsta l lwo

barc lamps cro

the aces

f each f the

pin

boards

n

turn.Tightenheclamps l i t t leat im

(left)

unl i l a

litt le

glue

squeezesut o

the

oints.

Removeheexcess

lue

pa

23) , and eep heclampsn

place

n

the

glue

s dry.

lllt]lllll lll llrll]ll litlil lr lltll [ llll lr ll1

]l

jHO?

TI?

Dealingwith a

defeclivedovetail

Even eliqhNrror

in

cuLNinqoveLaile

can esull n

a

smal l

qaVbeNween

Vin

a n da I a i l . l t h e

q a p

o

small, i l l t wilh a thin r ian-

qular

hiV f veneer r a wood hav'

inq

ut t romthe

Vanel

lock.TomakeLhe

wood hip eesobvioue,ut itrso hat ito

qrain

will un

in he same irect ion e hat of he

Vino.

se dovet i l

eaw o eLraighNenut or deepen he

gap,

f neceooary.

AVVIy l iLNle

lue

n

Nhe

aV

and nserl he chip, hich

shouldiN

enualv.


33/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

llll lltll lll ll1lt ll1ll ll ]ltlll

lltllIll lll ll lll lt1

1HO?

TI?

Checking carcaoe or equare

To

Vrevenl

clamp

Vreooure

rom

pul l inq

carcaae ul of oquare

ur-

in4

qlue

u?,meazurehe diaqonalo

beNweenpposiLe ornerl immedi-

atelyafter I iqhNeninqhe clampo.

TheLwo esulf,s

houldbe he

eame.

f

Nhey re noL, he carcaee

ie

out-of equare.

To

correcNNhe

problem,

oosen

he lampe,hen

olide

ne

aw

of each lampaway

fromthe

oint

aL oppooiheorners

ae ehown.Tiqhtenhe

clampe nd check qain or 6quare,

ohi fL in7Ihe lampo

6

neceobary

nt i lNhe arcaoeo oquare.

CARCASE-SOUARINGLOCKS

Unless

ou

are nstallingback

panel

na carcase,t canbediff i-

cult o keephe our ides quare

dur ing

lue

p.A

shop-madear-

case-squari

g

block

right)

placed

oneach orner i l lhelp

great

deal.

or

ach lock,uta

piece

f

3/q-inch

lywood

ntoan

B-inch

square.ita dril l

press

ranelectric

dril lwith

a

2-inch-diameter

ole aw

or

circle utter,henbore nopen-

ing n

hecenter f heblock.

The

holewi l l

preventlue

queeze-out

frombondingheblock

o

he

car-

case.) ext,

utfit

our

able aw

witha dado ead

hat

s

hesame

width

s he hicknessf hestock.

Carcaoe-aquartnq

block

B " x B "

andcut wo

grooves

t rightangles

to one nother,ntersectingt

he

center f heblock.

Touse he

ig,

apply

he

glue

andassemblehecarcase,

hen it

a blockover achcorner

left),

center inghehole

t he

point

where

wo

panels

oin.

Make ure

that hedadoesn heblocksit

snuglyroundheedges f he

pan-

els. nstall nd ighten

heclamps.

J J


34/146

CARCASECONSTRUCTION

RABBET

OINTS

1

Cuttinehe abbets

t -

I Mark cutt ingine or hewidth f

the

abbet n he eadi ngdge f one

side

ane l .

hen,nsta l l dado ead

sl ight ly

ider

han he

abbetnd ower

i t

be lowhe ab le . crewn

auxi l ia ry

woodenceo hesaw's

ip ence

nd

mark

hedepth f he

abbet

n

t;

he

depth houldeone-halfhe hickness

of hestock.With hemetalence lear

of hedado

ead,

osit ion

heauxi l iary

fence verhe able pening.urn n

thesaw.

aise

he

bladeslowlynto he

wood p o hedepthine. urn ff he

saw

nd ine p

he

panel

nd uxil iary

fenceor

cutt inghe

abbet.

lamp

featherboardo he

ence

bovehe

dado

ead

o holdhe

panel

ecurely

againsthe able. urn n hesaw nd

makehecut

above),

hen epeathe

process

or he emainingabbetsn he

side

anels.

Caution:

lade

uard

removedorclarity.)

Quick

andeasyo cutandassem

the abbet

oint

is deal

for

both o

wood

nd

plywood

arcases.

he

o

ismade p ofa board r

panel

ha

intoa rabbet uton itsmating

ie

Thewidthof he abbet hould

equal o the hicknessf thestock.

carcase,he

oint

is

best ut

nto the

panels

o

hat the

end

grain

of the

and bottomwill becovered.ltho

strongerhansimple utt

oints,

a

joints

frequently

equire crews r n

for reinforcement.

fil llt ll lll it tl ]IrIJll lll lll iltlrllt llt lll il

1HO?

Tt?

lnvisiblenailer

To

conceal

aile

driven

nLo

a car-

caoe

panel,

oe

a b l ind a i le r .

The

ommercial

device

works ike

a mini-plane,l i t t-

in7a lh in wood

ehavinq

nder

which nail

an

bedriven.Thehavinq

canLhen e

qlued

iqhl back own o hide he nailhead.

)et up he nailer ol lowinghemanufactrurer'snslruc-

Lions-uoually or a

1

/zz-inch-t ickoh vin

,

And

p

aclioe

on a 6cra?board efore oin7 he nailer n

an aclual

workpiece.he

ehavinq

ou

aieemusl be on4enou4h

to

leN

ou

drive he

nail

comforLably. ebriVof Iape will

hold

he ehaving own

while

he

lue

edrying.


35/146

CARCASECONSTRUCTION

Gluingp he arcase

1- Dry-fithecarcase,henmake ny ther

ecessary

preparat ions,

uch s nstal l ingback

anel

r

prepar ing

thesides

orshelv ing.hen, pply hinbead fadhesive

in he abbetsnd n hecontact ingurfacesf he op

andbottom

anels.

se brusho

spreadhe

glue

venly,

leavingo

dry pots.

ssemblehe arcasend nstal lwo

bar lampscrosshe opand ot tom

anels,rotect ing

theworkpieces

i thwood

ads.

ighten

heclamps

i t t le

at a t imeunt i l

lue

tartso squeezeutof he

oints.

Reinforcehe

oints

i thscrewsbout

inch om

he

edges

f he opandbottom

anels;

oraddrtionaltrengih,

dr ive

ore

crews

n hemiddle.f

you

wishoconcealhe

screw

eads ithwood

lugs,

ore olesn wo tages

using nelect r icr i l l

t tedwith wodif ferentits. irst ,

use spade i t

wide

nougho

make olesor

he

plugs;

then witcho a wist i ts l ight ly iderhan hescrew

shanksormakinglearance

oles. ore

heclearance

holeseep nougho eachhe ide

anels;

nglehedr i l l

slightlyoward

he nside f hecarcaseo ncreasehe

grip

of he

screws. hen, rive hescrewsnto

place

right).

?

Installingood

lugs

r-,1 To ecurehe

plugs,

pply dab

of

glue

o hescrew

eads,

hen nsert

a

plug

nto

ach

ole

/eff l,

l igninghe

grain

ith

hatof he

panels.

ap he

plugs

n

place

i th wooden al let ,

then se wood hiselo r im he

pro-

ject ing

tubslush i th hesurfacef

the

panels.

inal ly ,emove

ny xcess

glue

page

3).

35


36/146

CARCASE ONSTRUCTION

PLATE

OINTS

Although

t lack the

allu'e of luud-ctft

dove-

tai ls, he

plate

or biscuit

oirt

hnsgrown

in

popularity

n

recertt

ears tecause

f its

strength

nd sinrylicity.Tlrc

oint

is ctrtwith

a

plate

oiner,

showrr rr he

photo

nt left. The

toolworks

orrrewhntiken rrirtiotttrc

circrt

Iar

saw,with n retractable

lade hat

plunge

into

mating workpieces.

lue s nppliedand

an oval-shaped iscuit

of corrtpressed

eeclr

is nserted tto rtntching

slots

rreach

iece

Thecarcnse

s therrossentbled.

irtcehe blad

projects

front

the tool orily while

it is ctrttirrg

the

plate

oirrcr

is very safe

o use.Guide line

on

the

base

late

of thennchine rnake

t u sir

ple

nntter

to nlign the

slotsrr nnting board

The

slots re cut slightly

nrger hnn the

bis-

ctrits,

ernt i t t ing

n small rnargin

of error

while stillennn'ing

a

properly

aligrecl

oirtt.

' l

Marking

he ocation

f he

oints

I _

I ldent i fy

heouts ideace f

each

an-

el

wi th

anX, henmark ocat ion

oints

or

the slots long ac h

of the

our

corners.

Star twi thoneof he

side

panels

utside

facedownon a work

ur face nd hold

the op

panel

t a 90 ' angleo t . Use

p e n c i l t o

m a r k i n e s

h a to v e r l a ph e

faceof the

op

piece

nd he endof the

s ide

panel

bout inchesn rom

each

corf l€r ; ake

thi rdmarkmidway long

theedge.Wider

anels

i l l equire

ddi-

t i ona l i scur t s ;n

genera l ,

here hou ld

beonebiscui t very

to 6

inches.

ark

simi lar lot ocat ion

oints

n heother

three orners

f the carcase.

\. i'

'It..

/'

'\..,.

)loL locaLion

ark

36


37/146

CARCASE,

ONSTRUCTION

r)

Cuttingheslots

L Leauinga

ide

anel

utside

ace own n he

work urface,

set he op

piece

utsideace pon

opof t. Offsetheends

f

the woworkpieces

yanamount qual

o he hickness

f he

stock.

Make urehat

mat ing lot ocat ion

arks n he wo

panels

re

perfectly

ligned.

rotectinghe op

panel

ithwood

pads,

lamp

he wo

workpiecesn

place

nd et

n ront f

them suooort

oardhe ame

hicknesss hestock.

his et -

upwi l la l low

ou

ocutal l he lots

orone orner

f hecarcase

without ovinghepanels.ol lowhemanufacturer 'snstruc-

t ions

or

set t ing

hedepth fcut

on he

plate

oiner;

t usual ly

depends

n he size

f biscuit eing sed.

Restinghe

plate

jo iner

n hesuppor t

oard , u t t he

mach ine 'sace

plate

gainstheendof the

op

panel

ndal ign

he

guide

l ineon he

aceplate i tha slot

ocat ion ark n he

stock.

Holdinghe

oiner

i thboth

hands, uta slotat each

mark

( lef i l . fo

ut he

mat ing lotsn heside

anel ,

ut t he

oin-

e r ' s ase

la te

ga ins t

he op

pane l

nd

hena l i gn he

center

uide

ine

on

he base

late

witha slot ocation ark

on he op panel righil.Followhe sameprocedureo cut

slots t heother lot

ocat ion arks.

Q

Gluingp he arcase

r-J

0nce

l l heslots

ave een ut,dry-f i the

panels

and

nstal l back

anel

f hat s

part

f

your

esign,r

make

eadyorshelvesrdrawers.

hen

lue

p hecar-

case: et heside anelsutsideace own nawork ur-

face, nd

queezebead f

glue

nto ach lot nd long

thesurface

f he

panels

etween

heslots,nsertingis-

cuits s

you o

@fl.

Repeator he opand

boftom

anels,

this ime mit t inghe

biscuits.

o

prevent

hewooden

wafersrom xpanding

eforehe

panels

re ssembled,

do

he

gluing

pas

quick ly

s

possible,

i t t inghestde

pane ls

n hebot tom

ane l

nd hen dd inghe

op .

Installwobar lampscross

he opandbottom

anels

and ighten

heclampsxactlys

ou

would hen

luing

upa carcase

ith

abbet

oints

@age

5).

37


38/146

CARCASE

ONSTRUCTION

INSTALLING

BACK

ANEL

'l

Routing

rabbet

or he

panel

I Fi t

he

panels

ogethernd

et he

carcasen

a

work

urfaceith

ts

backside

acing

p; nstall

bar lamp ith

support

oard

crosshe

op

and

bottom

anels,

sshown.

nsta l l

3/s-inch

rabbeting

i twith

ball-

bearing

i lot

n

your

outer,

hen et

hedepth

djustment

o cut%o nch

deeperhan

he hickness

f he

back

anel

ou

wil lbe nstall ing.

tart ing

at one orner,

est

he

outer's

ase

late

n

hesupport

oard ith

hebi t

just

lear

f heworkpiece.

rip

he

outer

irmly

ithboth

andsnd

urn t

on ,

u id ing

heb i t n to

he

pane l .

nce

he

p i lo t

u t ts ga inst

he tock,

pul l he outerlowlyowardheadjacentorner,eepinghebase late

flat.When

ou

each

hecorner,

urn he outer

ff.Reposition

hesupport

board

nd ut abbets

long

heedges

f he hreeemaining

anels

n

he

same

manner

above).

r)

Squaring

he orners

1 tlse pencilnd straightedgeo ma

squareorners

n he ounded

nds

f h

rabbets.

elect wood

hisel

hat swid

enough

o inish

ff hecorners

rth

wo

perpendicular

uts. t

each orner,

tan

the

ipof he

chisel n hemark

hat un

across

he

grain,

making

ure

hat he

bev

faces

he nside

f hecarcase.

se

woo

enmallet

ostrikehechisel

above),

utti

to hedepth

f he abbet.

l ign

he his

with

he

other ark

nd tr ike

hehandl

again.

Making

he

utwith he

grain

rs

may ausehepanelospl i t . )

Q

Installing

he

panel

r-,f

Cut

a

piece

f

plywood

o

it

snuglynto

he ab-

bets n

heback

f he arcase.

lue

p hecarcase

and, t

he ame

ime, pply

hin

glue

ead long

the abbets

or

heback

anel

nd

n hecontacting

surfaces

f he

plywood.

preadhe

glue

venly,

et

the

panel

n

posit ion,

hen se mall

a i ls

o secure

it

at

4-inch

ntervals

/effJ.


39/146

EDGEBANDING

D

dg.

banding

s heusual

wayof con-

Ij

cealing

he

visible dges

f

plyruood

panels ndshelves;

t creates

he

llusion

that he

carcase

s madeexclusively

f

solidwood.Youcanchoose neof two

options:

Commercial

dgebanding,

shown

on

page 0,

s

available

n a wide

varietyof

wood ypes, olors

and hick-

SHOP.MADE

DGE

ANDING

1

Applyinghe

banding

I Use

he able

aw o cut

hinstr ips

of edge

anding

rom board;

esure

o

use oush

tick o

eed he

stocknto he

blade.

akehestr ips

l ight ly

ongerhan

thepanel nd t east swide s hepan-

el

s hick.Gr ip

he

panel

teach nd

n

a

handscrew,

hen lamp

hehandscrews

to

a work urface

o hat

he ront

dge f

the

workpiece

aces p.

Then pply

htn

glue

eado he

edge f he

panel

nd

use

a small,

t if f-bristled

rusho

spreadhe

adhesive

venly.enter

hebanding

long

the

panel 's

dge;o

holdt lat

whi lehe

glue

r ies,

ape t

very rmly t

2- inch

intervals.se

smany

tr ips f ape

s

necessaryo

eliminate

ny

aps

etween

thebandingnd heedge f hepanel .

nesses.nstalling

t issimply

matter f

cutting

offthe

engths

ou need rom a

roll,

setting

he

banding

n

place

and

heating

t with a

household

ron to melt

the adhesivehat bonds t to the surface

ofthe

wood.

Although

somewhat

more

painstak-

ing to apply,

hop-made

dge anding

offers everal

dvantages

ver he store-

boughtsolution.

oucanmake

t from

anv available

ood

species nd

cut it

to whatever

hickness

you choose;

7s-inch-thickandings ypical.The

shop-made

ariety

s

also

ess xpen-

sive-a

consideration

f

you plan

to

usea

ot ofbanding.

r)

Trimming

xcessanding

Z Oncethe

lue

as r ied,

r imany dge

andinghat

projects

eyond

he

panel

dges.

ita

router itha

flush-

cuttrng

i t , hen

esthemachine's

ase

late

n he

panel

edge

i th hebi t

ust

lear f he

excessanding.

olding

the

outerirmly

i thboth ands,urn

on he

motor nd

guide

hebi t nto he

excessanding.

ncehe

bit 's

i lot

butts gainst

he

panel, uide

he

outer lowly gainst

he

direct ion

f bit otat ion

o heopposi te

ndof he

work-

piece.

ake urehat he

base

late

nd

he

pilot

emain

f lush i th he

panel .

ight ly

andheedges

nd nds

f

thebandingo

removeny

emainingnevenness.

39


40/146

CARCASE

CONSTRUCTION

SETF.ADHESIVE

ANDING

1

Applyi

Documents

The Art of Woodworking -01- Cabinetmaking