Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
& Cabinets
Oxmoor
HOUSeat
, Bookcases, Shelves
& Cabinets
Bookcases, Shelves
& Cabinets
CONTENTS
CUSTOM W O O DW O R K I NG
Bookcases, Shelves
& Cabinets
SHELVES
Wall Cupboard.................................................................... 24
One of the interesting pares of this project is che back panel. There are two ways
you can build it that will provide two complete/ y different looks.
Stacking Storage............................................................. 34
Dovetailed Shelf
Perfect for a shop, garage or dorm room, these interlocking "crates" are quick
to build and arrange -as shelves , an entertainment center or a work table.
BOOKCASES
44
CABIN ETS
74
Modular Cabinets
housecan't havetoo many shelves, so thefirst project is a simple wall shelf that you can adapt for a
variety of practical uses. Then there'sa dovetailed
shelf with a clean contemporary look. While you can cut
the pins and tails with hand tools or a router, we include
plans for a set of unique band saw dovetailing jigs.
Next you'll find a tradicional country-style wall cupboard
with a choice of designs for the back panel. You can make
our stacking storage racks in two sizes that can be mixed
and matched for use in the study, a school dorm, or where
you need functional scorage space. Add a sturdy top and
you have a workstation. Finally, che knock-clown shelf
system can literally go anywhere by itself or in multiples.
Versatile Shelf
Designer's Notebook: Mug Rack .......................................... 9
Shop Tip: Using a Keyhole Bit ...............................................11
Designer's Notebook: Quilt Rack/Towel Rack ...................12
Dovetailed Shelf
Shop Tip: Invisible Hanging System ... . . . . . ... . . . . 17
Technique:Bandsawn Dovetails . . .............................. 18
Wall Cupboard
Shop Tip: Beam Compass ........ ...... . .... ..26
Shop Tip: Wood Movement . ... . ........ . ... . . 29
Designer's Notebook: Open-Back Cupboard ..................... 31
Joinery: Tongue & Dado........................................................ 32
Stacking Storage
Shop Tip: Assembl y Jig .......................................................... 36
Designer's Notebook: Workbench ....................................... 37
rsatile Shelf
Here's a weekend project yo u can,customize for a variety of uses - a c/ othes rack for the hall or
kids'room, a mug holder fo r the kitchen, or a towel rack for the bathroom.
SHELVES
wall. With this project I usecl sorne special metal keyhole hangers. (An alternative techn ique is to use a keyholerouter
bit as explainecl on page 11.)
The shelf was designecl so that the
keyhole hangers will fall over wall studs
that are located 16" on center. Toen it's
just a matter of screwing roun dhead
screws into the wall studs ancl dropping
the shelf onto the screws.
WOOD. "Shaker-style" pegs and
dowels are generally available in birch,
oak, walnut, and cherry (see mail order
sources on page 126). So i f you want the
shelf to match the pegs or dowel, purchase your pegs or dowel first, and then
build your shelf from the same type of
wood. The shelf in the photo above is
made from red oak. The one at the left is
made from birch.
FINISH.To gel finish in-between the
slats, it's easiest to use an oil :finish.
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
38W
9%D
X 10
/4H
MATERIAL$ LIST
WOOD
A
Slats (5)
B Cleats (3)
e Brackets (2)*
% x 1% - 38
D Back (l)
% x 5 - 32%
* Cut both brackets from one edge-glued
blank, see F1g. 4 on page 1O.
>(f1
.
....:
% x 11'2 - 9%
3/4 x 87/8- 1
....:
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
_J_
-- .
l7
32%
CUTTING DIAGRAM
% x 51/z - 48 (1.8 Bd. Ft.)
b,,u;zzzzfzzz ,,zzz ;
]
% x SY2 - 48 (1.8 Bd. Ft.)
% x 5\/i - 48 (1.8 Bd.Ft.)
Ec
r\
l...: 5
+
\....:
2Y2
2\/i
1
MUG PEG
The only major change nccessary to turn lhe coat rack into a
mug rack is to use mug pegs
instead of Shaker pegs. Mug pegs
have slighlly smaller heads so it's
easier to fit the mugs on them (see
photo at lower left). Toe mugs rest
on a little concave area of the peg.
....:
>"'4C
>
t.
-e-
--
- so --
32%
>
MUG RACK
SHAKER PEG
VERSATILE SHELF
SHELF ASSEMBLY
CENTER HOLE
ON LENGTH
BRA K T A
1314 ...
SLAT@
-+
- FOURTH: RIP
INTO THREE 1'1.!" WIDE CLEATS
TOP VIEW
CLEAT @
BACK
10 SHELVES
NOTE: EDGE-GLUE
BLANK FROM THREE PIECES
T
BRACKET
BRACKET PATTERN
SY,
7\1,
15
10
'
33/s
\
NOTE:
BE SURE CORNERS
AR E SQUARE
BRACKET
3/s" X
S/s"
STOPPED RABBET
5
STOP RABBET
SHORT OF FINISHED LENGTH,
FINISH WITH CHISEL
Wi
e,?
FIRST: LOCATE
FIRST: CLAMP
CENTER OF BIT
THIRD: LOWER
BRACKET INTO BIT
\'--.
SIAfIT BLOCK
!Ol'ENCE
VERSATILE SHELF
11
Turning the Versatile Shelf into a quilt rack or a towel rack is a very simple procedure .
Just dril/ a coup/e of hales into the brackets and add a dowe/ .
D0M:L ROD
brackets and add 1" (for the two 1/2''deep holes). Since the brackets might
"toe-in" slightly, measure the distance
between the brackets right where the
brackets join the shelf slats.
If you decide to use it as a towel rack,
be sure to finish the dowel with a waterresistant finish such as an exterior
polyurethane or marine varnish.
CHANGES TO MATERIALS
QUILT OR TOWEL RACK:
(1) 1"-dia. dowel, 32 1/i" long
BRACKET
'
MEASURE DISTANCE
BETWEEN BRACKETS
NEAR BOTIOM
12
SHELVES
Dovetailed Shelf
Thedovetails accenting this simple wa/1 shel f may look like they were cut by hand, but they were
actual/y cut using a special technique and a couple of jigs on the band sa w.
13
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
16H
WALL CLEAT
G
36l X 81'16D
DRAWER
SIDE
/D
"\
DRAWER
FRONT
DRAWER STOP @
b l
---
--j
DRAWER DOVETAIL
LAYOUT
FRONT/BACK
l l
LOWER EDGE
[l [l
5!6
-.J
s;,6,
--1 51,6
---j r-- 1
5/G
.j f45/G
1 ---
8Yt6
CUTTING DIAGRAM
MATERIAL$ LIST
SHELF
A Sides (2)
B Top (l)
% x 81/5 - 16
% x 2 13/15- 36
3f. X 8 1/5 - 36
3f. X 81/15 - 35
3f. X 21/4 - 341f.!
Bottom (1)
D Center Shelf (1)
E Back (1)
HANGER
F Wall Hanger (1)
G Wall Cleat (1)
DRAWERS
H Fronts/Backs (6)
1
S1des (6)
J Bottoms (3)
K Drawer Stop (1)
% x 8% - 72 (4.1 Bd. Ft )
hx1
1/a
341
1/i X 213
/15 - 73/a
X 9/i6 - 341/i
14
SHELV ES
d
-v.i -
RIGHT SIDE
MARK
STOP POINT
LOWER
WORKP IECE
ONTO BIT
FRONT
EDGE
_l
s,6
ES
started building the wall shelf by
making the two sides (A). Cu t these
pieces 81/1611 wide (to accommodate the
dovetail layout) and to a length of 161'
(Fig. 1). (The angled fron t edge of
these side pieces will be cut off later.) lf
you don't have flat, wide boards, build
u p the width by edge gluing some narrower pieces.
STOPPED DADO. Before cutting the
dovetail joints, I routed a stopped dado
for the center shelf. This dado is
stopped about 111 from the front edge of
both side pieces so it doesn't show.
There are a couple of ways to cut
these stopped dadoes. You cou ld rout
them with a hand-held router as discussed on page 32. This time I decided
to use the router table.
To do this, mount a 114'1 st.raight bit in
the router table and set i t to cu t 5/15"
deep. Position the fence 37/s" from the
bit (Fig.2).
Since this is a blind cut (the bit is
under the workpiece and you can't see
where it is), I put a reference mark on
the router table fence at the center of
the bit (Fig.f2). Toen I put another mark
on the workpiece 1" from the front edge
to indicate the stopping point for the
dado (Fig. 2).
To rout the dado in
the side piece for the
right side of the shelf, lay
the piece down on the
router table and push it
through the straight bit,
stopping when the two
reference marks are
aligned (Fig.2).
However, for
the
pi ece on the left side,
you have to make a
plunge cut. Turn on the
router and slowly lower
the workpiece on to the
FENCE
DOVETAILED SHELF
15
DRY ASSEMBLE
UNIT,THEN
MARK ANGLED
MARK
80TH SIDES
NOTE:
CHECK
CORNERS
FOR SQUARE
L POINT Y
CROSS
SECTION
---
16
SHELVES
Y16"
CHAMFER
ON ALL
EDGES
CROSS SECTION
NOTE:
CHAMFER
INSIDE
EDGES
- ALSO
STOP DRAWER
"FROM
FRONT EDGE
'-
BACK @
REPEAT PASSES
TO CUT GROOVE
CUT BACK
TO FINAL WIDTH
1
2
WALL
HANGER
F
'. , ,
,
WALL
HANGER
WALL
CLEAT
-wa
SET BLADE
AT 30
DOVETAILED SHELF
17
band saw systern eliminates the hard part -cutting to a line -and allows
me to concentrate on the
final fit of the joint.
CLEAN
INITIAL
CUTS.
SHELVES
AUXILIARY BAND
SAW TABLE
STOP BLOCK
51,s x 214''
m fL [Es
-S
THAN BAND
SAW TABLE
KNOB OR
;.....:
TURN BUTTON
KNOB OR
S/16" WING NUT
>
DOVETAILED SHELF
19
To begin, you should spend a few minutes checking that your band saw is
tuned up.
BLADE. To cut dovelails, I use a 1/4 11
blade with six teeth per inch. Toe blade
should be sharp and lensioned correcUy.
BLADE GUIDES. The most imporlant
th ing lo check is the location of the
blade (side) guides -both above and
below the table. These hold the blade in
line for a slraight cut and should be a
hair away from the blade.
TOCK
ON
so
TAIL JIG
%'-DIA.
HOLE FOR -- "
(-CLAMP HEAD
RUNNER
20
SHELVES
SQUARE UP
__
FR_O_N
_
T_
ED
_G
_E
+
4-
!_
1-
1'
\
1
WORKPIECE
W1TH
OUTSIDE
FACE UP
' 'l
Make sure board for tails is true with
square ends. Then set the marking
gauge to thickness of board for pins.
Mark base fine on both faces and edges.
FIRST:
b\
CUT IS MADE
WITHOUT SPACER
BLOCKS
rr
0
R BL,OCK
SPA
1
!1
--,
L..J
L..J ' A B
1 _._J1J1.._.._1_ _.....1__.......
WASTE
TAIL
P:[,[,[,
CUT IS MAOE
WITH
SPACER
BLOCK
(A)
IN PLACE
THIRD:
._.
c
. .
SECOND:
.1
1 ?.1+1+W
1 h 11+1,1,J
STOP
NOTE:
STOP CUT
AT BASE
UNE
TAIL
REPEAT PROCEDURE
ABOVE, STARTING
WITHOUT A SPACER
BLOCK, THEN ADO
SPACERS IN SAME
SEQUENCE
BAND SAW
BLADE
CUT TO
WASTE SIDE
OF LAYOUT UNE
A B
'
b
l A l Bl C
l ''
\
\ \1
'' \'.
/ 11 1/ 11 11 1
. 'l l l l l , ,
0
'
'B
C D E
l ,o
1/
, \
1
\/ \, \,
11 1
DOVETAILED SHELF
21
JIG
To cut the pins, there's one last j ig to
make -the pin ji g. lt holds the workpiece at an angle to match the tail angle.
CUT TWO SQUARES. Toe j ig is made
from two squares of %" plywood with
angled wedges between them (Fig.1). l
started by cutting the two squares.
RUNNER . Next, cut a 20"-long runner
to attach to the bottom of the jig (Fig.
1). This runner fits in the groove cut
across the auxiliary table.
To hold the runner, cut a 1/4 11-deep
dado centered on the bottom of one of
the plywood squares. Now glue the
runner into the dado so an 811-long
tongue sticks out one end (Fig. 1).
FENCE . After the runner is glued in,
thenext step istoglue a (ence along one
edge of the top plywood square (Fig.
la). This fence keeps the workpiece
and ali the spacer blocks in position.
WEDGES . The last pieces to cut are
the 12"-long wedges. I cut these off a
piece of plywood (Fig. 2).
Note: To cut a light-fitting joint , the
pin angles must be the same as the tail
angles. To make sure they're the same,
set the miter gauge off the tail jig (refer
back to Fig. 2 on page 20).
ASSEMBLY. Once the wedges are cut
to size, glue them between the two plywood squares to create the angled ji g
(Fig.1).
a.
3/.," PLYWOOD,
12"
12"
SET MITER
GAUGE AT 10
22
SHELVES
WORKPIECE WITH
OUTSIDE FACE UP
FIRST:
MAKE FIRST
CUT WITHOUT
SPACER
PIN
BOARD
Note the position of the blade in relation to the layout fine. The blade
should cut in the waste area so the layout
fine isjust barely "saved. "
SECOND:
ADD SPACER
BLOCKS AND
MAKE CUTS
IN THE SAME
SEQUENCE
AS ABOVE
GENTLY TAP
JOINT
TOGETHER
After the pins fit into the areas between the tails, the joint can be
tapped together. Use a backing board for
even pressure and toprevent splitting.
DOVETAILED SHELF
23
Wall Cupboard
One of the interesting part s of this project is how the back panel is constructed.
Here are two ways you can build it that wi/1 provide two complete/y dif ferent /o oks.
24
SHELVES
EXPLODEDVIEW
BACK PANEL
F
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
361/2W
x 90 X 307/sH
SIDE
'1
DRAWER
DIVIDER
CD
( KNOB
DRAWER
SIDE
MATERIALS LIST
J
WOOD
A
B
e
D
E
F
G
H
1
K
L
M
% x 9 - 291h
Sides (2)
% x 41/2 - 35%
Top Shelf (1)
Mid./Bot. Shelv. (2) % X 7 - 353/4
Drawer D1v1ders (3) % X 7 - 51/4
% x % - 35
Stop Moldings (2)
Bk. Panel Pes. (10) 1h x 3112 - 32
cut from waste
Splines
3/4 X 47/16 81/s
Drawer Fronts (4)
Drawer Sides (8) 1/2 x 47/i6 61/2
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
CUTTING DIAGRAM
Yi x 7V.. - 72 (3.6 Sq. Ft. Each)
LnzLra
-+1-H
--+J--
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
WALL CUPBOARD
2S
SIDES
26 SHELVES
3% tr-
1V2
SIDE
(CUT TWO PIECES THIS SIZE)
POINT B
1Yi' R
7%
7%
t-- 4%
POINT C 4" R
OUT ALL
STOPPED DADOES
V." WIDE x 3/s" DEEP
29\1:i
1-
POINT D
%" R
NOTE:
MEASUREMENTS TO
CENTER OF DADOES
!-
3%
--- 7Y
'---
r---
71!,,
BACK EDGE
10
T
7
jJ
"e
TOP SHELF @
(ONE PIECE) B
21/.,
POINT E
6%" R
10Ys
SLIGHTLY
ROUND OFF
RADIUS EDGE
\,_
POINT F
31." R
71/i
FRONT EDGE
MIDDLE/BOTTOM SHELVES
(TWO PIECES)
/
ALL TONGUES
FRONT EDGE
;,- Y,,"-THICK x3/s"-LONG
J CENTERED ON STOCK
Beam Compass
SHELVES
iT
SIDE
PROFllE
DETAil
ROUTER
FENCE
ROUT GROOVES
FOR PLATE STOP
---..i
-
TOP
VIEW
MIDDLE SHELF .,
,Cl...-- ---L
' .
-- _..i;L---
_r
BOTIOM SHELF ._
_,.
BACK VIEW
DIVIDER
DRY CLAMP
TO DETERMINE
SHOULDER
TO SHOULDER
DISTANCE OF
DIVIDERS
FRONT EDGE OF
MIDDLE SHELF
#8 x 1 Fh
WO D-
NOTE:
DIVIDERS FLUSH WITH
FRONT EDGES OF SHELVES
SCREW
NOTE:
PRE-DRILLl/32"
PILOT HOLE FOR
DRAWER CATCH
SCREW BEFORE
ASSEMBLY
27
STOP MOLDING
a.
To complete the shelves, I cut the two
stop moldings (E) that fit in the grooves
routed in the top and middle shelves.
To make these moldings, cut rabbets
on ali four edges of a piece of %" stock,
creating tongues to fit the grooves in
the shelves (Fig. 11).Afler the tongues
are cut, rip %"-wide molding strips off
each edge.
ROUNDING THE EDGES. Now the top
edges of the molding strips can be
rounded to a partial bullnose profile.
This profile is done on the router table
with a 3/s" roundover bit (Fig. l l a).
Before assembling the pieces, I used
the same setup to round over both front
edges of the side pieces and the top
shelf, the top front edge of the middle
shelf, and the bottom front edge of the
bottom shelf (Fig. 14a).
ASSEMBLY. At last, t>verything is
ready for assembly. Start by gluing the
dividers between the micldle and
bottom shelves, making sure that the
ends are square before tightening lhe
clamps (Fig. 12).
When the shelf/divicler unit is clry,
glue this unit and the top shelf between
the sides. As these pieces are clampecl,
be sure to push the shelvesforward just
enough to leave room for the 112"-thick
back panel.
Note: To gel uniform spacing, place
a '12''-thick spacer block between each
shelf and the clamp (Fig. 13).
Finally, cut the moldings to fit between the sides (Fig. 14). Then glue
them into the grooves in the shelves.
BACK PA
BACK
EDGE
...._)
SHELVES MUST
BE ALIGNEDW
FROM BACK EDGE
CROSS SECTION
ROUND
OVER
TOP
EDGE
ONLY
DO NO. SOUND
:J
ROUND
OVER BOTIOM
EDGE ONLY
BULLNOSE
DETAil
ROUTER FENCE
BACK PANEL
(10 BOARDS)
35'8,
f...
............_
L.---""
,,,---r----... ............ ..
35/s 141
,.r--
3 3
LJ
TABLE
SAW
FENCE
32
.J...._
r---
35 -
FACE
SIDE
---i
FIRST DRAW
SHOULDER UNE
/
26 R
--+
10 R
BENCH
EDGE
135/s
TAPE POSTER BOARD SQUARE
WITH EDGE OF BENCH
7%
---J
TRACE PROFILE
\
MARK SHOULDER
UNE POSITION
1
.e
... .
CROSS SECTION
SHOULDER
UNE
0uOG? . .
Every time you use solid
wood for a project, you
have to be aware of wood
movement -the expansion and contraction
of wood during seasonal
changes in humidity.
When the humidity is high,
wood absorbs moisture from
the air and expands. Then
when the humidity is low,
wood releases moisture and
contracts.
'
B
CE
KL
PAN
PIECE
SHELF
\.. COUNTERSINK
SCREWS
'--#8 x 1'
Fh WOODSCREW
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wood M ovement
How much does wood
move? As a generalrule of
thumb you can count on
kiln-dried wood (at about
7% moisture content)
moving about 1/s " per 12 "
inwidth, or 1%.
Movement was a consideration when Idesigned the
back of the cupboard. 1 was
concerned with the wood
expanding and bucklingthe
pieces at each joint.
WALL CUPBOARD
29
DRAWERS
FRONT
(3/.," STOCK)
30
SHELVES
-----,f--
ROUTER
TABLE
FENCE
4r,6
(W SSITDOECK)
CD
a.
.
ROUT
GROOVE
FOR BOTTOM
TO MATCH
PLYWOOD
61'2
NOTE:
CUT WIDTH
AND LENGTH
OF DRAWER
FRONTS Y16" LESS
THAN OPENING
DRAWER
FRONT
CENTER NOTCH
ON LENGTH OF
DRAWER BACK
ROUTER
TABLE
FENCE
BACK CORNER
DETAil
. .. 1%
DRAWER
BACK
STOCK
vJ
l'2
J.
_!_
DRAWER
SIDE
l...
>
CJ
NOTE:
TO REMOVE
DRAWER,
TURN
DRAWER
CATCH
DRILL W'
HOLE,
3/s" DEEP
CENTERED ON
THICKNESS
9
Opening up the back of the Wa/1 Cupboard and adding short dowels as a decorative accent creates a
complete/y different /ook whi/e retaining the overa // shape .
STRUCTION
OPEN-BACK CUPBOARD
35
314
..
t12%
O,
!
j
'*'...-'
OW H':,,ES W D EP
"ji"
2%
t,--
J
W'x 3Vs"
DOWEL
p
1 2
TOP RAIL
NOTE:
FINISHED SPACE
BETWEEN RAILS
EQUALS 21/s"
SHELF RAIL
tk;;=@
2Y..
HARDWARE :
WALL CUPBOARD
31
OPTIONS
In ali of these applications, what you're
doing is cutting a tongue (or a tenon) to
fit in a dado.
FULL THROUGH DADO. But why use a
tongue and dado at ali? liyou're joining
shelves to the sides of a cabinet, why
nol save time and cut the dado to width
to match the thickness of the shelves;
see "Full Through Dado" photo above.
This way you wouldn 't have the extra
step of cutting a tongue to fil the dado.
The problem is that there can be
slight variations in thickness across the
width of a shelf, or it's warped slightly.
Toen the dado is cut to fit the thickest
part of the shelf, or it's cut a little too
wide to accommodate the warp. So
TOGETHER BACK
EDGE TO BACK EDGE
32
SHELVES
(Fig. 3).
TABLE SAW
MTH
ONG
TABLE SAW
FENCE
WOODEN
AUXILIARY FENCE
After the dadoes are routed in the cabinet's sides, the tongues can be cut on
the ends of the shelves. There are actually two problems here.
Toe tongues have to be cut so they fit
snugly in the dadoes. But since tongues
are cut on both ends of the sheli, the
other critica} measurement is the distance between the shoulder of the
tongue on one end and the shoulder on
the other end.
To end up with the correct shoulderto-shoulder length, cut the shelf to
length allowing for the length of the
tongues on each end. Then, as the
tongues are cut to fil the dado, also be
sure to check the shoulder-to-shoulder
distance between the tongues.
STOP BLOCK
WORKPIECE
DADO BLADE SET
WIDER THAN
LENGTH OF ,;r
TONGUE
SAWDUST
RELIEF -
SECOND:
CLAMP STOP _)
BLOCK TO FENCE
CHISEL
PRES$ DOWN
GENTLY TO
FORM
SHOULDER
UNE
CHIP OUT
SMALL NOTCH
ON TOP OF
TONGUE
TONGUE
THIRD: SET
. CHISEL IN
,;NOTCH AND
TAP DOWN
WITH MALLET
NOTCH
TONGUE
FORTH: CHIP
OUT NOTCH
FROM END
WALL CUPBOARD
33
Stacking Storage
Perfect f or a shop, garage, or dorm room, these interlocking "crates "are quick to build and can be
arranged any number of ways -as shelves, a simple entertainment center, or a sturdy work table.
t first look, these storage racks
might remind you o( the old
wooden packing erales farmers
used for shipping Cru its and vegetables.
But look a little closer. The most
intriguing thing about the design is the
way these "erales" stack together. The
slats on the top of one crate interlock
neatly and securely with the slats on the
bottom of the crate above.
SHELVES
EXPLODED VIEW
STILE
B
RAIL
A
BASE
FRONT/BACK
BASE SIDE
----
LARGE CRATE ANO BASE
MATERIAL$ LIST
CUTTING DIAGRAM
LARGE CRATE
1x6 (% X 51/:i) 8 Ft. (4 Bd. Ft.)
D Backs (2)
3/4 X 2 - 1211z
3/4 X 2 - 14
% x % _ 12,12
% x 3 _ 1511z
E Slats (6)
% X 2 - 151/2
F Base FronVBack (2) % x 3 _ 1511z
% x 3 _ 12112
G Base S1des (2)
3/4x 2 _ 15112
H Base Slats (3)
LARGE BASE
1x6 (3/., X 51/:i) 8 Ft. (4 Bd. Ft.)
1
---11 -------..+-H-=-G
G
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
MATERIALS LIST
FOR ONE LARGE CRATE & BASE
WOOD
A
C
D
E
F
G
H
% x 2 _ 1211z
Rails (4)
% x 2 _ 14
Stiles (4)
% x % - l 2'h
Cross Rails (2)
% x 3 _ 31
Backs (2)
% x 2 _ 31
Slats (6)
Base FronVBack (2) % x 3 _ 31
% x 3 _ 1211z
Base S1des (2)
Base Slats (3)
% x 2 _ 31
CUTTING DIAGRAM
SMALL CRATE
1x6 (3/., X SY:!) 8 Ft. (4 Bd. Ft.)
j-;;;;2222J2222izzz zzkzzzz;;;;;fil
SMALL BASE
1x6 (3/.i x SY2) - 6 Ft. (3 Bd. Ft.)
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
STACKING STORAGE
35
END PANELS
Toe first step in building lhe erales isto
make the end panels from %11-thick
stock. Each panel consists of two rails
(A), two stiles (B), and a cross ral (C)
(Fig. 1). Toe %11 x %11 cross rails also
serve ashandlesto lift the crates.
CUT HALF LAPS. Once all lhe pieces
are cut to size, you can begin on the
joinery. Toe end panels are assembled
wilh hali lap joints. Cut the half laps on
lhe ends of ali lhe pieces to the same
width as the matching pieces (211 ) and
half th e thickness of the stock (%11 ).
With the half laps cut, the rails and
stiles can be glued up. In order for the
crates to stack properly, the end panels
need to be perfectly square, so I built a
simple assembly jig; see Shop Tip below.
Once the glue is d ry, centered dadoes
can be cut on lhe stiles for the cross
rails (Fig. 2).Toen the cross rails
are glued in place.
NOTE:
END PANEL
DIMENSIONS
ARE IDENTICAL
] "
1
...
121/i
NOTE:MAKE
TWO END PANELS
FOR EACH CRATE
#8 X 5/s"
Fh WOOD,,--- SCREW
LA
The end panels are con nected by lwo
identical back pieces. These backs (D)
areju sta couple of 3"-wide pieces of3/4"-
a.
&SDD@IP vOCP
TOP VIEW
Assembly J ig
To keep the panels square
during glue-up, build a jig
by screwing four cleats to a
base. (1 used a square to
position the cleats.)
While the panel is in the
j ig, insert a screw in each
comer. Then the panel can
be removed immediately.
b.
END PANEL
..
BACK(Q)
31
#S x 1%"
Fh WOODSCREW
(CENTERED
N WIDTH,
Yi" FROM
END)
36
SHELVES
..
BACK (D)
F RONT
SIDE VIEW
BASE
To lift the erales up off the floor a few
inches, I built a base. It's just an open
box with three slats across the top. And
it uses lhe same interlocking feature
found on the erales.
Toe base is also similar to the erales
in that it can be built in a small size
(151/z'' wide) or a large size (31"wide).
CUT PIECES . Starl by cutting Lhe front
and
back and
pieces
baselength
(F) toassize
(3" wide
to of
thethe
same
the
backs of the crates) (Fig. 5). Toen cut
rabbets on both ends of these pieces to
accept the sides (Fig . 5a). The front
and back pieces of the base end up identical to the backs of the erales.
Next, the base sides (G) are cut 3"
wide and to the same length as the crate
rails (12112'') (F ig. 5). Then the front
and back can be screwed to the sides;
see Figs. 5a and 5b.
MOUNT SLATS. Toe front of the base
projects slightly (1/i'') from the crates.
To create this projection, the first slat is
set back 21/4'' from the front of the base.
Then the oth er two slats are spaced
2 1/4" apart (F ig. 5c).
WORKBENCH
n:
,
-[
=-,,...._
_,;=i;i;.;:
1
1.!/
1 1
r --1
,-_
- "'"
:::if
r 11
.r
--
J.t
- ------
PUmNG A PLYWOOD
TOP ACROss FOUR CRATEs
MAKES A SIMPLE BENCH
OR WORK TABLE
:;;]
1.
. ">-,.....---_
- --
_J
,r,
I-t .. .::;L
: J r
-r-._ :
-._
r,,,
1= 1
,_U
-. - ,4, b.
-.,
J "';-,- - ,
r,
;( i'
i r_J-.
;- ::!:;
V -=-' } ,,_
l
"'
-n .. .r..,.
11 )!i J1 11rr:1
1/
k:
11
/ T 1
- ---...- -- 1.
1 -:--.....
r
.,;-"
:=:::t.;' '
------.... -,. .,,_;
...._,,(
1
15Y2
(31" FOR
LARGE BASE)
BASE
SIDE
TOP
SECTION
VIEW
b.
'h
_.,1.
...J
o
'h
3
iv.. 11
{
#8 X 1!4" Fh
WOODSCREW
_,)
Jt
STACKING STORAGE
37
Knock--DownShelf Unit
The shel ves and end fr ames of this proje ct are held together without using any p ermanent
j oinery or hardware. Yet it's very sturdy, with stiffener s added for support .
SHELVES
CORNER /STIFFENER
-" '\'
, R.
RAIL
\ --@
STILE
2
#8
1" Fh
WOODSCREW
1
3/e"-DIA.
WOOD PLUG
SHELF
STIFFENER
6
STILE
-- /
....
SHELF/DOWEL
6
SHELF STIFFENER
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
STILE
SHELF@
\_
- SUPPORT
DOWEL
CUTTING DIAGRAM
3.4 x 7Y2 96 (5 Bd. Ft.)
E
MATERIAL$ LIST
WOOD
A Stiles (4)
% X 2 - 361/i
B Rails (4)
% X 2 - 131/i
C Sup. Dowels (1O) 1/2 x 1071a
% X 97/16 47 1/i
D Shelves (3)
E Shelf Stiffeners (3) % X 31/2 44 1/4
HARDWARE
(15) No. 8 x 1" Fh woodscrews
(15) 3/s " -dia.wood plugs
39
D
Th is shelf unit is relatively easy to build
-there are on ly two end frames and
three shelves. I star ted by making the
two end trames.
CUT STILES & RAILS.Begin by ripping
four stiles (A) and four rails (B) all to a
uniform width of 211 Then cut the stiles
361/211 long and the rails 131/z" long.
CUT END LAPS.After cutting the stiles
and rails to size, I cut end laps on each
piece to make the end frames. The end
laps are actually wide rabbets on the
ends of ali the pieces (refer to Fig. 4).
The depth of the rabbet equals half the
thickncss of the piece, and the width
match es Lhat of the mating piece (211).
ROUND OVER EDGES. Before assembling the frame, I rounded over the
inside edges of the stiles (A) using a 1/s''
roundover bit i n the router ( Fig. 1).
These edges can't be rounded after the
frame is assembled because the dowels
will be in the way (refer to Fig..5).
To keep from routing into the jo ints
on the stiles, I made pencil stop marks
21/2'' from each end (Fig. 1).
LAY OUT HOLES. After rounding the
edges, I laid out marks to dril! a seriesof
boles down the inside edge of the stiles
to mount the shelf support dowels.
To get the marks aligned on ali four
stiles, stack them on edge so the ends
are flush, then clamp them together
(Fig. 2). Now mark across the edges,
starting 61/4" from an end, then every
611 (refer to Exploded View on page 39).
CENTER BIT. To center the bit 011 the
thickness of the stile, inser t a 1/z" brad
point bit into the chuck, then clamp a 2x4
on the dril! press table for a fence (Fig.
J). Now put the outside face of a
stile against the fence. With the drill
press off, lower the bit so the bit's point
makes a mark in the wood . Flip the stile
around, so the other face is against the
fence and lower the bit again. If the
point on the bit doesn'texactly enter the
first mark, adju st the fence and try
again u nti l you only make one mark.
DRILL HOLES. Once th e bit is centered, drill five holes 3/4" deep into the
inside edge of each stile.
END
CUT SHELF SUPPORT DOWELS. f irst, 1 sti le assembly flat across two pipe
cut the shelf support dowels (C) to clamps so the end laps face up (Fig . .5).
length. To determine the length, mea- Next apply glue to the end laps on the
sure the distance between the shou l- rails and clamp them to the end laps on
ders of the rails (9W') (Fig. 4). Then the stiles using three pipeclampsto pul!
add to this measuremen t the depths of the shoulders tight, as shown in Fig. .5.
two holes in the stiles. Now cu t ten 11z11 - After the shoulders were tight, I added
dia. dowels 1/s" less than th is total so a C-clamp on ea.ch corner to squeeze
they won't bottom out.
the end laps together.
INSERT DOWELS. After cutting the
RADIUS CORNERS . Once the glue
dowels to length, inserl them between dried, I cut a 1" radius on ali corners,
two stiles. (Make sure the lap joints on refer to the Shop Tip on the next page.
both of the stiles face the same direcROUND OVER EDGES. After cutting
tion (Fig.4).
the radius corners, finish rounding over
ASSEMBLE END FRAME. To complete the inside and outside eclges of the end
the assembly of the end frame, lay the
frame (Fig. 5a).
STACK
STILES
ON EDGE
NOTE:
FOR DOWEL
LENGTH ADD
DISTANCE
BETWEEN
SHOULDERS
PLUS HOLE
DEPTHS 9\/i
ASSEMBLY
THIRD:TIGHTEN
After drilling ali of the holes for the support dowels, the next steps are to cut
the dowels and then assemble the end
frame units.
40 SHELVES
PIPE CLAMPS
SE\gN :p
\
\
,
gpN
i::,,._
1
FFENE
,/-'use DOUBLE-SIDED
<'
,
CARPET TAPE
- ( R
-+
,.- <.
FLUSH
TRIM BIT
ON ROUTER
MAKE SEVERAL PASSES
TABLE
UNTIL RADIUS IS COMPLETE
a.
1Ys
1--
1---+-
--.
Yi" DADO
BLADE
RUN GUIDE
BEARING
ALONG
TEMPLATE
DRILL HOLES. Next, to fasten the stiffeners to the shelves, lay out a series of
holes 7/s" clown from the top edge of
each stiffener (Figs. 7 and 7a). Now
drill 3/s"-dia. counterbore holes 1/411
deep, then 3/16" shank holes at each of
the marks.
FASTEN STIFFENER . After drilling the
holes, the stiffener can be screwed to
the shelf. I found the easiest way to do
thiswasto lay the front of the unit down
flat (Fig. 7).
."
2
=--
ROUND OVER
ALL EDGES ON STIFFENER
WITH Ya" ROUNDOVER BIT
LAY UNIT
FACE DOWN
41
JKsDGtJ@f7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EndLaps
here's a common belief that cutting
a half lap is easy, certainly much easier
than cutting a mortise and tenon joint.
But what you're actually doing when
you make a half lap (or end lap as it's
called if it joins the ends of two
boards) iscutting two tenons.
The tenons you're cutting are barefaced tenons. That is, there's only one
shoulder -the other face is "bare" (no
shoulder). And, just as with tenons,
thcre are two ways to go about cutting a
half lap.
One method isto use a dado blade to
make multiple passes on the end of a
workpiece; see below. The other based on two things: its ability to hold
method involves two cuts: a shoulder together, and its overall appearance.
The second method (using the tenon
cut, and then a face cut that's made wilh
the aid of a tenon jig; see opposite page. jig) wins in both cases. The adjoin ing
Which is easier? Which produces a faces of the half laps are much
better joint? The quality of the joint is smoother using this method. The
ULTIP
One of the fastest ways to set up for cutting half lap joints is to make multiple
passes over a dado blade.
SET RIP FENCE. To set u p the cut,
mount a dado blade in the saw. Toen I
use the rip fence as a stop to establish
the posilion of the shoulder on the
workpiece. Use one of the mating
pieces as a gauge to adjust the fence
until the edge of the workpiece is
aligned with the outside edge of the
blade (Step 1).
SET DEPTH OF CUT. Next, set the
height of the dado blade so it's ju st a
:n.
(Step 4).
CHECK FIT BETWEEN
CUTS UNTIL FLUSH
SHELVES
FINAL CUT
G END L
1/16" less than half the thickness of the
stock . (I set up the cut like this so the
points of the blade don't cut too deep
into the workpiece. Since it'seasy to cut
too deep, I set the initial culs a little
shallow and clean up the cut later.)
Now make a shoulder cut in ali Lhe
rails and stilcs. And also make shoulder
cutsin a couple of test pieces.
CUT THE FACE. The face cut is made
with the aid of a tenon jig (see the plans
below) . First, raise the blade so it cuts
inlo the shoulder cut (Step 2). l set the
blade a hair less than the top surface of
the should er cut so the points of the
(Step 1).
Next, I raise the blade so it's about teeth don't cut into the shoulder.
OUT
r-:CUT
WASTE
ILTTENON CUTTI
against the fence when the face pieces difficult to adjust when sneaking up on
Toe jig I use to make the face cut for an
are added. If the pieces are a hair too the face cut.
end lap is the sameone I use for cutting
ADD SHIMS. How do you gel it pertenons. Itswhole purpose is to hold the narrow, the jig will bind on the rip fence.
fect? I try to get the pieces right on the
If the cross pieces are too wide, the
workpiece vertical.
money. But if I'm off, I try to err by
jig will be loose on the fence. Toen it's
The j ig shown here is designed to
making them a little narrow.
straddle a rip fence. This
Then I shim out with paper
holds it in position and also
or old playing cards.
provides a way to adjust its
After cutting the cross
position in relation to the
pieces, cut the face pieces
saw blade.
CROSS
CUT PIECES.'
The ji g conabout 611 by 12". Screw all
PIECES
sists of two faces held
these pieces together and
MATCH
FENCE
together with cross pieces.
test the fil over the fence.
THICKNESS
There's also a vertical stop
Toen add shims if necessary.
l_
al the end of thejig.
ADD VERTICAL STOP.
To make the tenon ji g,
When the jig slides easily
first rip two cross pieces
butiinnly, add a stop on the
back end. As this stop is
from %11 plywood to width
added, check that it's verto match the thickness of
your rip fence. This width is
tical to the saw table. And
JIG SHOULD BE
FACE PIECE
FRICTION FIT OVER FENCE
fairly critica] because you
make sure the screws are
want a good friction fit
above the path of the blade.
KNOCK-DOWN SHELF UNIT
43
Tower Bookcase
Shop Tip: Trimming Edging Flush ..................................... 49
Shop Tip: Aligning and Clamping Edging ............................ 50
Designer's Notebook: Plant Stand or Short Bookcase ...52
Oak Bookcase
Shop Tip: Routing lnside Chamfers ....... ......... 57
Shop Tip: Clean Rabbets ....... . ............. ..59
Designer's Notebook: Shelf Materials, Spans,
and Reducing Sag ........................... . .62
Classic Bookcase
Shop Tip: Relief Cuts For A Tight Fit..... . ............ 67
Shop Tip: Drawing An Oval ... . . ............. . .69
Designer's Notebook: Alternate Top.... . ........ . . 72
Shop Tip: Fluting Jig . . . .. . ... ... . . .................... 73
Tower Bookcase
Sometimes smal/er can actual/y be
better. The narrow design of this
bookcase means it wi/1 fit j ust about
anywhere. And if yo upre fe r a shorter
version, we '/1showyou how to make
a p/ant stand or a smaller bookcase
with a fr ame and pa nel or so/id top .
ho couldn't use a little more storage
space around their home? Especially
when you don't have to sacrifice a lot of
floor space to get it. That's the idea behind the
simple design of this tower bookcase.
It takes u p less than two square feet of loor
space because everything is stored vertically. Yet
the six shelves (four of them adjustable) can store
or display a variety of items.
FEATURES. One neat thing about the adjustable
sh elves is how they're held in the case. Dowel
pins fit into grooves on the ends of the shelves. So
when the shelves are installed, the dowel pinsare
completely hidden.
There are a couple of other features I li ke
about this bookcase. First of ali, it's mobile. The
compacl size and light weight make it easy to
move the bookcase anywhere extra storage space
is needed.
Second, this is an easy project to customize to
fit your needs. Need a plant stand orjust a shorter
bookcase with a solid top? In the Designer's
Notebook on pages 52 and 53 you'll learn how to
make it shorter and build thrce different designs
for the top.
JOINERY. No matter whether you build the tall
or the short version of this bookcase, tongue and
groove joints are all that are needed to hold the
case together. And building the top and bottom
molding and attaching them to the case isjust as
straightforward.
WOOD. I bu i lt the sides an d shelves of this
bookcase from %11 cherry plywood (one 4x8
sheet is more than enough for these parts). The
back of the bookcase is made from a half sheet of
%11 cherry plywood .The sides and shelves are all
edged with solid cherry. (See the Shop Tip box
with sorne tips on trimming the edging flush on
page 49.)
FINISH. I used a deep cherry stain for this project. Once the stain dried, l topped it off with two
coats of satn polyurethane.
46
BOOKCASES
!!
EXPLODEDVIEW
SIDE VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
773/sH X 20W x 14D
ADJUSTABLE
SHELF
1
FIXED SHELF
' ' 1
11
CASE SIDE
A
SHELF
HOLE
SPACING
235/s
115/s
CASE BACKS
i 1
1.
'.
( 2
1 1
11
1
1
\
I/
1
'----_/
235/s
: .'"\
BASE
MOLDING
1,
V."-DIA.
HOLES,
3/s" DEEP
11%
MATERIAL$
LIST
CUTTING DIAGRAM
%" CHERRY PLYWOOD 48 x 96
WOOD
'.
_/
"
_ _ 7 _ _ / r_ 7 7 7 7 7 _
B, D, J
TOWER BOOKCASE
47
CASE
The case is the heart of this project. It's
just an u pright box with three fixed
shelves installed between two ver tical
sides (Fig. 1).
CUT CASE SIDES. The vertical case
sides (A) are firsl cut to size. They're
ripped from a sheet of %" plywood.
Note: When cutting the pieces to
length , it's a good idea to use a plywood
blade or a crosscut blade with at least 50
teeth. It will help reduce the amount of
chipoul on the ends.
CUT DADOES. With the sides cul to
size, the next step is to cut 1/411-wide
dadoes at both ends and across the
middle. Later these dadoes hold the
fixed shelves.
To cut the dadoes, I used a 1/4"
straight bit in a router. I was tempted to
u se a dado blade in the table saw. But
the pieces are just too long to handle
easily. Especially when you're trying to
cut the dadoes near the ends.
The easiest way to rout the dadoes is
to lay the sides edge-to-edge with the
inside faces u p (like an open book)
(Fig. :2). Then rout each set of dadoes in
one pass using a straighledge to guide
the router.
EDGE PLYWOOD . With ali three sets
of dadoes cut, the front edge of the plywood sides can now be covered to hide
the plies and "stop" the dadoes.
To do this, I ripped two long strips of
1/4'1-thick case edging (B) from a piece
of 13/1511-thick hardwood stock.
Note: Whenever possible, I'1I use
edging slrips trimmed off lhe edge of a
piece of 13/16"-thick stock. Since that's a
little thicker than the %" plywood,
alignment with thc plywood isn't critica!
(refer to Fig. .'la). It can be trimmed
Oush laler.
Another tip to make installing the
edging a little easier is to use spacers
(strips of W'-thick hardboard) under
the plywood when gluing (Fig. 3).They
raise the plywood off the clamps so you
can keep the edging centered (Fig. 3a).
The spacers also help create more
direcl pressure when clamping. Raising
lhe plywood pieces pu ts them in Iine
with the screw on the clamp.
I also like to use a pressure block
between the clamp head and the
edging. It helps distribute the clamping
pressure, so fewer clamps are needed
(Fig. 3). In addition it also protects the
edging from getting dents and
48 BOOKCASES
a.
'
1
1
,,
1
11
'11
1;
,) 1
FIXED
SHELF
'.(
',
\
'
11
1
CASE
SIDE
11
1
PLYWOOD
THICKNESS
TOP
SHELF
b.
765/s
MIDDLE
SHELF
. 1
c.
398
\
'''1
1
1
3a
'\
113/.i
THICKNESS OF
%" PLYWOOD --,\f
LAY SIDES
EDGE-TO-EDGE
TO ROUT 80TH
DADOES AT
SAME TIME
a.
BOOKCASE
SIDE
BLOCK
FILLER
STRIP
r PRESSURE
000. . . .
Once the edging was glued on
the sides of the tower bookcase, it needed to be trimmed
flush. To do this, 1 used a router
with a flush trim bit.
To prevent the bearing from
dropping in the dadoes in the
sides, 1 filled in each dado with
a filler strip that was just thick
enough to fit flush with the
face of the plywood (Fig. 7).
The trick to keeping the
router from tippingwhen
working on the thin edges is to
clamp both side pieces
EDGING
e;>
SECOND: ROUT
EDGING FLUSH
USE
CHISEL TO
TRIM END
OF EDGING
FLUSH
----- ---NOTE:
DIRECTION
OF ROUTER
TOWER BOOKCASE
49
'I
''
) 363/s
b.
' \
'
"
b,
1 1
,1
,W
USE GLUE AND
BRADS TO ATTACH
BACK PANELS
1/
:\1
1
\
'
'
CASE BACK
50
BOOKCASES
FIRST: CUT
EDGING TO
FINISHED SI
ZE
SECOND:
USE BLOCKS
TO KEEP
EDGING
ALIGNED
THIRD:
APPLY GLUE
AND HOLD
EDGING IN
PLACE
WITH TAPE
MOLDING
a.
With the case complete the next step is
to add the decorative molding atthe top
and bottom.
BASE MOLDING. The easiest way to
make the base molding (G) is to start
with one long board and rip it to finished width (Fig. 6). Next, rip or rout a
45 chamier along one edge (Fig. 6a).
Now this blank can be milered into
three pieces to filaround the base.
Before attaching the base molding to
the case, a half ellipse is cut in the front
piece to add a decorative detail.
To create this shape, first enlarge the
half pattern in Fig. 7.It isn't critica! that
you match the pattern exactly. But what
you want to end up with is a design that
looks balanced on the front piece.
Toe way I went about doing that is to
first find the centerline of the front
piece. Toen position the half pattern on
one side of this line and trace around it
to draw one half of the partial ellipse
(Fig. 8). Now by flipping the pattern
over, the other half of the ellipse can be
drawn next. When you're finished, the
ellipse will be automatically centered.
Now cut out the shape and use a
drum sander to sand the ellipse
smooth. Finally, ali three pieces can be
glued and clamped to the case.
TOP MOLDING. To complete the
molding for the case, top molding (H) is
added next (Fig. 9). This is made in
much the same way as the base
molding. First, a blank for ali three
pieces is ripped to finished width. Next,
a 12 bevel can be ripped on one face
(Fig. 9a).
Now miter the ends of the pieces to
fil around the top with a 2" overhang.
Each piece can be glued and screwed in
place to form a U-shaped frame to silon
top of the case. Finally, plug the screw
holes to fill in the openings.
lf
:)
12%
11.i
'h"
CHAMFER
ON TOP
EDGE
(/
W
2 SQUARES
1
l
_i..- l...,,/'
(
1-
614
PATIERN FOR BASE
MOLDING CUTOUT
:
'
1Ys
CASE OUTLINE
- - <Br
roP
MOLDING
,_
..
20
I1....-3/s -
PLUG
- '
.,
f ''
12
BEVEL
3 >O
-111_=,-:,-=
._c -1-----d
#8 x1Y.i"Fh
WOODSCREW
a.
r-
14"-DIA.
DOWEL
(%"LONG)
TOWER BOOKCASE
51
The Tower Bookcase can be reduced in height and turned into a plant stand orjust a shorter bookcase.
Here are three options for building a top for a shorter case.
52
BOOKCASES
CHANGES TO MATERIALS
AND HARDWARE
PLANT STAND/SHORT BOOKCASE
A
B
C
D
E
@ CASE SIDE
TOP FRAME
% x 14 - 20
(SIDE VIEW)
(CROSS SECTION)
.J
14
2%
-----1
(
NOTE: APPLY FRONT
CENTER GROOVE
ON STOCK
EDGING AFTER
CUTIING DADOES
'1
>
#8 X 114"
Fh WOODSCREW
E QUALS
THICKNESS OF
3/.i" PLYWOOD
- /
CASE BACK
14" PLY - 1SY2" x 36%"
rnm
%" TONGUE
(D14"
T...,..
_!_rl..._ ----L-% HARDWOOD
14
(TOP VIEW)
1514-
!l li
1
1l3/i
115/s:
2%
r-
J SHELF EDGING
405/s
1
+
2814
(I)ADJUSTABLE SHELF
_y_
1
1
+-
--+-
B CASE EDGING
EOGING
1614
C FIXED SHELF
T
I !
-
EDGING
l_
y_
3'Vs
1.....,.
12%
-
..j
36%
TOWER BOOKCASE
S3
Oak Bookcase
Designed with frames and p/ywood panels and a variety of different joinery techniques, this project
offers an interesting set of chal/enges to any home woodworker.
BOOKCASES
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
TOP SIDE
EDGING
SIDE TOP
RAIL
cr;
TABLE
TOP
FASTENER
'
1,
" 1
SIDE STILE
A
SIDE
PANEL
#8 X 11/i" Fh
WOODSCREW
I ',
'
\'
'\
SIDE BOTIOM
RAIL
MATERIAL$ LIST
HARDBOARD
SPLINE
WOOD
% x 2 - 241/2
%x2-8
% x 21/z - 8
1/4 ply - 8 X 21
% X 2 - 241/2
% X 2 - 32
% X 2 1/z - 32
1/4 ply - 32 X 21
%
X 2 - 351/4
% x 1%- 11%
3/4 X 1%- 371/2
% ply - 10 X 341/z
%x 1%- 12
% x 1% - 38
3/a ply - 101/4 X 35
% X 3 - 371/2
% x 3 - 11%
CUTTING DIAGRAM
% x 7\, 96 (4.8 Sd. Ft.)
34 x 51/i 72 (2.8 Bd. Ft.)
jt
34 x 7Y 72 (3.6 Bd.Ft.)
% ply X 2 - 11
% ply X 91/4 - 343/g
% X 1 - 343/a
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
OAK BOOKCASE
SS
i.--
_.
- _,e-
q_ - ...-..-
TOP RAIL
...
L /4- 7
' -
--@
'
STILE
A
,2
STILE
SIDE
FRAME
PANEL
-P
1
1
1
1
CUT STUB
TENONS TO
FIT GROOVES
32
""'
1
1
21
--l'
32
- 31
8-
241h
--
SIDE TONGUE & GROOVES. After cutting the grooves on the inside edges,
another set of grooves is cut to join the
back frame to the side frames. These
grooves are cut on the inside face of the
sideframe's rear sliles (A) (Fig. 4).
It's important that these grooves be
positioned so th e distance from the
back edge of the stile to the far side of
the groove is equal to the thickness of
the back frame's stile (Fig.4a).
Once th e grooves are complete,
matching tongues can be made on the
1
1
AL L GROOVES
CENTERED
ON STOCK
BACK
FRAME
PANEL
21
r-- Y2DEEP
241h
- PANELS CUT
"-- FROM 14"
PLYWOOD
1
1
'l
2'h
,l-----,
FIRST CUT
SLIGHTLY OFF
CENTER
't
BOTTOM
RAIL
21h
o --- ---
-BOTTOM RAi"L@
U-----------'=--------....l.J
BACK FRAME
OPPOSITE
SIDE AGAINST
FENCE FOR
COND CUT
SEE FIG, 12
FOR GROOVE
DETAil
SIDE
FRAME
1
\ .,.
"
X
'
'
'\
SEE DETAil
FOR BACK
CORNER JOINT
-tREPEAT PROCESS
TO WIDEN GROOVE
-t
--f'
\
A LL SHELF
"-.._ SUPPORT HOLES
14" DIA, 1h" DEEP
BACK
FRAME
a.
BACK CORNER
DETAil
\ v., ',
PLYWOOD
PANEL
STILE
S6
BOOKCASES
-,
1 GROOVE EQUALS
'--THICKNESS OF
PANEL 1h" DEEP
CENTERED ON STOCK
BACK
FRAME
STILE
back frame stiles (E). I did this by cutting a rabbet on the back edge of each
sti le. Sn eak up on the cut until the
tongueju st fitsthe grooves (Fig. 4a).
STUB TENONS. Toe tongues that connect the endsof the railsto the stiles are
actually stub tenons that fit in to the
pan el grooves (Fig. 8). I made these
with multiple passesover the saw blade.
PLYWOOD PANELS . After the stu b
tenonsarecut, dry assemble the frames
and take measurements for the plywood pan els. Then cut the panels to
size, making sure the grain runs the
height of the case (Fig. 1) .
ASSEMBLY. Now each of the three
frame and panel assemblies can be
glued up.As I wasgluing up the frames,
I glued the panels into the frame
groovesfor maximum stability.
CHAMFERS. After the assemblies are
dry, there are a few more steps. First, I
routed 1/s"-wid e decorative chamfers
around the inside edges of the stiles
and rails; see the Shop Tip box below.
SHELF HOLES. Next, drill holes for the
shelf pins that su pport the center shelf
SHELF
SUPPORT
, :p ,
DRILL
Y,HOLE
-1./s
SIDE
INSIDE EDG \
OF STILE J
a.
STOPPED DOVETAIL
DETAil
FRAME
INSIDE
FACE
FRONT
ED
chamfering bit. lt
keeps the bit a
uniform distance
from the edge
being
maintain a
uniform
chamfer
and stop
the cut
exactly
%" from
the corners (Fig.
2).
OAK BOOKCASE
GUIDE
DETERMINES
START A ND
STOP POINTS
OF CHAMFER
57
the apron equ als the shoulder-toshou lder length of the back frame
(wilhout the tangues), plus% 11 (for the
two %11 dovetail tangues).
ROUT DOVETAIL TENONS.To hold the
apron securely while forming the dovetail tenons, I clamped it in a hand crew
ON
After the frames and panels were complete, I started work on the front apron
(refer to Fig. 13) .
CUT TO SIZE. Begin by cutti ng the
apron (1) 2" wide (Fig. 8). Toe length of
f 't- ---
APRON
/
----'
i-
"y
NOTCH
WITH
CHISEL
1" RADIUS
>
i'
2314
---!
a.
APRON
STOPPED
DOVETAIL
CLAMP
FENCE
NOTE:
MAKE
MULTIPLE
PASSES TO
ACHIEVE
FINAL FIT
NOTCH
TENON
WITH
CHISEL
_)
\.
BACK FRAME
BULLNOSE
\\
o
SIDE
FRAME
>
5/16
BULLNOSE
.,)
Vi" ROUNDOVER
BIT
BULLNOSE DETAil
58
BOOKCASES
STRIP
r/(((CUTV.." TRIM
FROM SCRAP)
13"
ROUGH
LENGTH
11
10 93/.,
11
SIDE
EDGING
<D
+4
34\li
FRONT EDGING:@
-'.\-
1%
--
-;:,
35
/ _,
34\li
SIDE
EDGING
E\
P)'\
11
OM
----
a.
11
- .:,.._..::
t--
,.---
TOP
FRAME (D
PANEL
(3/,' PLYWOOD}
10v.
TOP AN
l
%-,
TONG UE
PLYWOOD
PANEL
RABBET
TOP FRAME
EDGING
ONLY
L-----
FRONT EDGING
3f.,
J_ L
-':-
_)
--4-J
CUT MITER
SO INSIDE
EDGE ALIGNS
WITH CORNER
OF PANEL
__.j........b========::===:====4
IP . . . . . . . . . Clean Rabbets
Cutting a rabbet across the grain
on plywood almost always results
in tearout along the shoulder line.
The way to eliminate this is to
score the edge before routing.
WIDTH
OF
RABBET 7
r--
STRAIGHT
BIT
OAK BOOKCASE
59
EDGE PROFILE
To dress up the edges of theseframes, I
wan ted to make a fancy profile with a
roun dover bit and a core box bi t.
However, I ran into problems on the
rou ter table because the shank of the bit
had to be pullcd too far out of the collet.
A safer alternative is to work with a
hand-held router so the collet can get a
full grip on the bit. Toe problem is thal
when the bit projects full depth, lhere
isn't anything for the pilot to ride on.
To solve this problem, I cut some 114''
hardboard and fastened il wilh carpet
tape to the underside of lhe frame flush
with the edges (Fig. 17). When the bit
reaches full depth, lhe pilot rides along
the hardboard (Fig. 17a).
To complete the profile, I routed a
small cove on the shoulder of the
roundover (Fig.18).
TAPE HARDBOARD
GUIDE FLUSH WITH
BOTIOM EDGES OF FRAME
A E
Toe base of the cabinet isa frame joined
with splined miter joints.
CUT TO SIZE. To begin, cut the sides
(Q) and front and back pieces (P) 3"
wide and to rough length (Fig. 19).
CUT RABBETS.Toe base is attached lo
the case with three cleats. I found the
easiest way to mount the cleats was to
cut a rabbet on the inside top edge of ali
the base pieces (Fig. 19a).
MITER ENDS. After the rabbels are
complete, cut Lhe pieces to final length
with a 45 miter on each end.
Note: The length of the pieces is
determined by the size of the bottom
frame. Toe base should set back 114'' on
the fronl and sides and be flush on the
back (refer to Figs. 23 and 27).
To strengthen the corners and help
keep them aligned while gluing, the
mitered joints are splined with strips of
1/a'' hardboard. I cut lhe kerfs on the
table saw (Fig.'20).
Note: If you have a biscuit (plate)
joiner, you could use biscuitjo ints here.
CUT BOTTOM PROFILE. N ext, a
curved pro.file can be made on the front
and back pieces (Fig. 21). I did this the
same way as I did the apron (I).
MAKE CLEATS. Now dry clamp the
base and measure between the rabbets
for the cleats (R) (Fig. 19).
ASSEMBLE BASE. The base frame is
assembled by gluing the corners
together with the splines in place. While
the glue iswet, glue the cleats in place.
60 BOOKCASES
CLEAT
BASE
FRAME
%" PLYWOOD
(3 PIECES)
31,6"
FRONT
SHANK
HOLES
SPLINE
Va"HARDBOARD
Yi X 211.i"
USE TABLE
SAW FENCE
FOR STOP
...
TILT
SAW BLADE
45
APt ox)
SAW KERF
Ya
MITER
GAUGE
L-1
----.
SIDE
BOTTOM VIEW
#8 x H" Fh
WOODSCREW
USE CENTER
MARKS FOR _,,
ALIGNMENT
1
\
BOTIOM FRAME
FLUSH WITH EDGE
OF BACK FRAME
SHELF
The shelf starts as a piece of plywood
10" wide and 1/s'' less in length than the
inside of the bookcase (Fig. 26).
To keep the shelf from sagging, I
added reinforcing strips (T) into l/4'1
grooves on lhe front edge and bottom
face (Fig. 2(J).
After cutting the grooves, rip 111-wide
strips and cut rabbets to produce a
tongue that matches the grooves (Step 1
in Fig. 25).
To complete the strips, rout a bullnose profile on the other edges (Step 2).
Finally, glue the strips in place.
CLEAT
#8 x 1Y." Fh
WOODSCREW
AUXILIARY
FENCE
TOP FRAME \
NOTE:
DRILL %2"
PILOT HOLES
BASE
FRAME
=== CUT
TONGUE
TO FIT
CROSS SECTION
GROOVE
,
TOp
FRAME
'
STEP 2
WOOD
SCREW
APRON
FENCE
BACK
FRAME
(
Vi" ROUNDOVER BIT
\_
o
SHELF
SIDE
FRAME
:-...:
""{
REINFORCING
STRIPS
Y/ l"'!: Jo
BOTIOM
FRAME
\
,'t=--.:
''
REINFORCING
STRIPS -
'
- - - -=
BASE FRAME
\
\
OAK BOOKCASE
61
How doyou keep your bookcase 's /oaded -up shelves from sagging like a swayback horse?
Here are sorne practica / suggestions far adding stability where it's needed most.
SHELF MATERIAL
One of the first things we considered
when we designed the bookcases featured in this book was how to keep the
shelves from sagging when loaded up
with a full set of books.
Books are heavy. The book you are
holding weighs about 1lb. 5 oz. lf you
completely filled the center sheli of the
bookcase shown on page 54 with these
books, they would weigh over 90 pounds.
Will the shelf sag under that much
weight? Not if the proper material and
design are used.
There are three materials commonly
used for shelves: particleboard, plywood,
and salid stock. Each sags differently
(see the test resultsbelow).
PARTICLEBOARD. For most situations
the worst material for shelves is particleboard. The wood fibers in particleboard
run every which way. This helps keep
particleboard from expanding and contracting, bul does little to prevent sag.
62
BOOKCASES
42 LBS. OF BRICKS
ON 10"X 36"SHELF
AMOUNT
OFSAG
RECOMMENDED SPANS
In addition to the material used to build
the shelf, there area couple of otherfactors you should consider when
designing a shelf for a bookcase: the
load you expect to put on the shelf, and
how that load is distributed on the shelf.
Once you know both of these factors,
you can determine how great a span the
shelf should be able to stretch across
without sagging.
EXPECTED LOAD. A running foot of
average-size books weighs about 20
pounds. So a three-foot shelf filled with
average-size books would have to support about 60 pounds.
Ifyou want to prevent shelves from sagging, solid stock is the best material to
use. But there are times that plywood or
particleboard might be a better choice
for the overall d esign of the bookcase.
That's because they aren't as likely to
warp or expand and contract with
changes in humidity.
Is there any way to still use these
mate1ials and reduce the sag?
DECREASE SPAN. First, determine if
there's a way to design the cabinet to
decrease the span of the shelf by adding
one or more center supports. If you
reduce the span, you can reduce the sag.
A rule of thumb is if you cut the span in
half, the sag will be one eighth as much
as the original.
For example, a shelf that's 36" long
may sag 1/s'' atthe center. Iit's supported
so each half is 18" long, the sag on ea.ch
half will be reduced to 1/64'1.
INCREASE THICKNESS. Another solution is to increase the thickness of the
shelf. A thicker shelf will dramatically
increase the shelfs rigidity.Ifyou double
the thickness, you can reduce the sag to
one-eighth of the original.
One of the tests I did (shown in the
chart on the opposite page) was to use a
piece of 15/16"-thick white oak. When the
bricks were piled on, the delection was
only a little over 1/6411 , which compares to
1/16" for %11 stock.
ADD REINFORCEMENT. Supporting the
center of a shelf, or making the shelf
thicker may not be realistic solutions to
the overall design of lhe bookcase. A
better approach to reducing sagrnight be
to add reinforcement to the edges or
under the shelf. lt's common to see
V-:tE.:...2:..
1
---
LJ_j
%" particleboard
24 "
3/4"
30 "
plywood
36"
60
;=.
:=:;.._
--===-=
11
-J
-- ,
__ i
63
Cl
ic Bookcase
Separa te components and knock-down hardware make this fo rmal cherry bookcase easy to assemble
and convenient to move. And you can customize the top design to suit your taste.
've always wanted to build a large,
formal-looking bookcase. But I had
visions of wrestling it around my shop
when lhe time carne to assemble
and finish it.
The design of this bookcase
changed aJI lhat. A simple, straightforward system breaks the project clown
into manageab le-sized pieces that are
easy to handle.
To see what's special about the
design, you need to look inside. Here
you'll find a "knock-clown" system using
bolts and nuts to hold lhings together.
Not something you'd expect on aclassic
piece of furniture.
What makes this system work are
the individual components used to bui ld
the bookcase. Toe base, sides, and top
are ali built asseparate units. Once completed you just bolt them together.
And it's just as easy to take apar t.
You won't need to hire a moving crew if
you gel tired of it in lhe living room.
Another benefit to using components is being able to change the overall
appearance. By building a different top
assembly, the project takes on a completely new Jook. For example, the
classic top with the oval can be replaced
with a straight one (see page 72).
wooo. A classic project requires a
classic wood. And tight-grained cherry
an d cherry plywood, with its subtle
grain pattern, is perfect. For the back
panel I used 1/4" cherry plywood.
FINISH.When it carne time to apply a
finish I decided to use a cherry stain. I
wanted the rich reddish-brown color
without waiting for the aging process.
And using stain wou ld even out the
color dif ferences between the lighter
sapwood and darker hardwood .
I stained with a dark red cherry gel
stain. A gel stain doesn't penetrate as
deep as other stains so it isn'tas likely to
leave dark blotches.
After the stain dried, I brushed on
three coats of varnish.
64
BOOKCASES
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
91H x 427/sW X 1311/15D
MATERIALS LIST
WOOD
A Lwr. Case Frt (1)
% x 6%- 39%
B Lwr. Case Sides (2) % x 6% - 1113'16
e Upr. Case Frt. (1) % x 4% - 395/s
D Upr. Case Sides (2) % x 45/a - 1113'16
E Top/Btm. Panls. (2) % ply - 113/15 x 3971s
F Lwr Case Blks. (2) % x 35/s - 65/s
G Upr Case Blks.(2) % x 35/s - 45/s
H Filler Pieces (4) 31a x % - 2 1/a
1 Lwr Crnr. Blks. (2) % x 5 - 9 rough
J Upr. Crnr. Blks. (2) % x 4 - 6 rough
K Bead Molding (1) 31a x 5/s - 14feet
L Leveler Blocks (4) % x 5% - 21/a
M Top Molding (1)
% x 1% - 78
% x 1% - 78
N Cleat (1)
% x 6 - 44 rough
O Top Front (1)
% x 3 - 14 rough
P Top Sides (2)
Q (ove Mold1ng (1) % x 13/a - 78
% x 33/4 - 84 rough
R Fluted Caps (2)
S Interior Panels (2) % ply - 11112 x 72
T Exterior Panels (2) % ply - 11% x 72
% ply - 2 X 111/4
U Ribs (8)
% ply - 11/i x 111/4
V Align. Blocks (4)
1/4 ply - 381/2 x 731'2
W Back (1)
% ply - 101/2 x 3315/6
X Shelves (5)
% x 1 1/4 - 33151,6
Y Trim Pieces (5)
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
_)
CUTTING DIAGRAM
%" x 48' x 96' CHERRY PLYWOOO
8
J
T
T
ON L..
fzzzzzzzzzzhzzzzzzzvffi0W
ffi/
rnET
K.Zb ti
CLASSIC BOOKCASE
65
BOOKCASES
CPASEER f:)
U
SIDE
11%
r:===
6S/s
' _l
NOTE:
ALL STOCK
%'THICK
LOWER CASE
SIDE
FIRST:
CUT DADO
IN SIDE PIECES
@@
--TOP/BOTIOM
-
PANEL
3A
@=--:r
-
LOWER
CASE
ASSEMBLY
a.
LEVELER BLOCK
INSTALLED UP AGAINST
PLYWOOD PANEL
LEVELER
AND T-NUT
CROSS SECTION
NOTE:
LEVELER.
BLOCK
-- p
CROSS SECTION
'1
''
\\
1
So Icut a shallow
channel across the back
side to create relief behind
the block (Fig. 2). Note: In
order to avoid weakening
the block, only cut the
channel 1/16" deep.
a.
'
CUT RELIEF
l6"-DEEP
LEAVING
Yz"-WIDE
SHOULDER
CLASSIC BOOKCASE
67
a.
CROSS SECTlON
SQUARE UP
CORNER WITH
A SHARP CHISEL
a.
CROSS SECTION
CASE MOLDING
At thispoint, lhe lower case assembly is
done, and you can star t work on the
upper case. lt's built in severa( layers.
TOP MOLDING. Toe first ]ayer is the
top molding (M) (Fig. 11).The molding
starts out as a single workpiece cut into
three pieces. It's the base for the rest of
the molding.
Installing the molding is pretty
straightforward. Simply miter the
pieces so the molding overhangs the
sides and the case blocks on the front
by l/4" (Figs. 11a and 11b). Toen glue
and screw them in place.
CLEAT. Toe next "!ayer" to add is the
cleat (N) (Fig. 12). Toe 11/4"-wide cleat is
installed so itsback edge is flush with the
back edge of the top molding (Fig. 12a).
This creates a 1/z"-wide "shelf" for the
next ]ayer of molding.
TOP FRONT. Now the top fron t (O)
can be added (Fig. 13). (For an alternate design, see page 72.)
The top front is a beveled piece of
molding with two tapered sides and an
oval cut out of the middle. I cut the
beveled endsfirst (Fig. 13a).
From the center of the top front I
drew an oval (see th e Sh op Tip box
68 BOOKCASES
#8 X 1\4" Fh
TOP MOLDING
C WOOOSCREW
,._
CASE BLOCK
r"0
MOLDING OVERHANGS
THE SIDES AND
CASE BLOCKS AN
EVEN AMOUNT
#8 x 1\4Fh
WOODSCREW
CROSS SECTION
,. ,. ,. ,. ,.
. ,. ,. ,. ,. . ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. . ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. . ,. . ,. ,. Drawng An Oval
CENTERLIN
1Y2
r --r
L
-t
an oval.
1
\
First. only four
1Y2
e
3Yi
points need to be
'f 1Vi
\. 1Y2
drawn.Then all
you have to do is
From the center of the oval,
draw two circles
measure and mark the cenand two ares with
terpoints A, 8, C, and D.
a compass .
b.
TOP FRONT
CASE
BLOCK
TOP
FRONT
1%
NOTE:
'
.../
CROSS
SECTION
6l
6l
TOP VIEW
(OVE MOLOING
#8 X 1%" Fh
\ WOODSCREW
t" \
COVE MOLDING
FOLLOWS BEVEL
ON UPPER EOGE
OF TOP SIDE
TOP
SIDE
CLASSIC BOOKCASE
69
E ASSE
Once the top ancl bottom assembl ies
were complete I started work on the
side assemblies. Their unusual doublewall construction not only adds rigidity
but h ides the knock-down hardware.
This hardware connects the sides with
the top and bottom assemblies. The
fluted cap on the front adds a touch of
elegance and also hides the hardware.
FLUTED CAP. I began to work on the
side assemblies by making the fluted
caps (R). They have evenly spaced
flutes on the face and half .flutes on each
edge. To help space the flutes evenly, I
used a flutingjig (see page 73).
I used an oversized blank to make
each cap (Fig. 17). They were longer
than needed so stop blocks could be
FLUTED
CAP
(3%" x 84" ROUGH)
72
c.
%"-WIDE x 3/16'-DEEP
FLUTES %' ON CENTER
a.
72
CROSS SECTION
/,.
OUTSIDE FLUTESj
l
RIPPED ON CENTERUNES
70
BOOKCASES
d.
3
/,6
USE HOLES IN
RIBS TO MARK
HOLES IN
ALIGNMENT
BLOCKS
a.
CROSS SECTION
s
FIRST: DRILL
OVERSIZED
HOLES
THROUGH
TOP/BOTTOM
PANELS
'I BACK
Wx 38\/i" x 73W
'--1 @ \
"\,
'
' \
'
u-\
H'a r:-
ASSEMBLIES OVER
ALIGNMENT BLOCKS.
SECURE WITH V.." x 3"
BOLTS AND WASHERS
ATTACH BACK
WITH #8 x 114.'
Fh WOODSCREWS
1
1
SHELF
(3/.,"-THICK
PLYWOOD)
a.
INTERIOR
PANEL
The last step is to make the five plywood shelves (X) (Fig. 23).They're cut
to fit between the standards.
To strengthen the shelves and hide
the edges of the plywood, I added trim
pieces (Y) to the front of each shelf
(Fig. 23b). Glue and clamp the trim
pieces i n place so they're flush with the
top of the shelves.
CLASSIC BOOKCASE
71
5imply changing the design of the top assembly on the Classic Bookcase will dramatically change
the whole appearance of theproj ect.
ALTERNATETOP CLASSIC BOOKCASE
<::
1
,
....
'T
l -11...f-=1
CONSTRUCTION NOTES:
\'\ \
P.-
CHANGES TO MATERIALS
ALTERNATE TOP BOOKCASE:
O TopFront (l)
P Top S1des (2)
% x 21/4 - 44 rough
% x 21/4 - 14 rough
1
1
1
CROSS SECTION
SIDE VIEW
CLEAT
N
2!4
SIDE
---
TOP MOLDING
COVE MOLDING
(FROND
TOP
FRONT
72
BOOKCASES
, , , , , , I
Flutnq Jq
WORKPIECE
(Fig. la).
BASE PLATE. Toe base plate should be
cut long enough to accommodate the
strips on either side of the bit plus the
width of the workpiece (Fig. 2).
Then cut two slots parallel to the
long edge of the plale. These are for
securing the strips (Fig. 1).
SET-UP. To set u p the ji g, start by
positioning the spacer strips in relation
to lhe bit (first drawing in Fig. 2).
Toen the clamping strip needs to be
positioned so it rides along the other
edge of the workpiece (second drawing
in Fig. z).
Now the router bit can be adju sted to
the desired depth of the flutes, and the
WORKP IECE
SPACER STRIPS
SUDE OUT
OF WAY \
CROSS
SECTIONS
TIGHTEN
THIS END
\
POSITION FIRST
'-- SPACER IN RELATION
TO FLUTING BIT
SUDE ANO
TIGHTEN AGAINST
WORKPIECE
73
Collector's Cabinet
Designer's Notebook: Display Case ......................................79
Joinery: Face Miter with Spline ............................................ 81
Corner Cupboard
Finishing Tip: Preventing Blotchy Stain ........................... 84
Shop Tip: Routing a Plate Groove .........................................85
Shop Tip: Mitering Crown Molding......................................89
Technique: Edge-Gluing Panels ............................................92
Modular Cabinets
Shop Tip: Plywood Edging .....................................................96
Shop Tip: lnstalling Glass Panels .......................................100
Designer's Notebook : Buffet Server ...................................102
Hardware: European Hinges ..............................................104
Cherry Armoire
Shop Tip: Burnishing a Miter .............................................. 112
Shop Tip: Using a Rub Arm for Raised Panels .................. 117
Technique: Floating Panels ................................................. 119
Designer's Notebook:Entertainment Center ..................... 120
J oinery: Mortise & Spline .................................................... 122
Shop Jig: Mortising Table ................................................................. 123
Collector's Cabinet
The beauty of ths cabnet s n the removable d vder un ts. You can eas ly pos ton them to f tyo ur
current needs -and rearrange them n the f uture asyour col/ecton changes orgro ws.
76 CABINETS
part of the cabinet, are the most challenging. The problem is collections
change over time, and require different ners. However, the kerfing technique is
divider locations.
slightly different. It'sfeatured in a techTo solve the problem, the cabinet di- nique section on page 81.
viders are not glued in place, but inMATERIALS.To keep the items in the
stead are h eld by a "friction fit" in cabinet from getting lost in the
shallow dadoes. This allowsyou to con- shadows, I wanted a light background.
figure the inte1ior any way you like. By So l built the case and ali of the dividers
eliminating the vertical dividers, the out of hard maple. Then I used 1/4'1
collector's cabinet can even become a maple plywood for the back panel.
display case, see the inset photo and the (Anoth er good choice for the back
Designer's Notebook on page 79.
panel would be birch.)
DOORS.'fl1e third part of lhis cabinet
FINISH. To finish the cabinet and diis the doors. Here again I used splines viders I wiped on two coats of a tung oil
to align and strengthen the mitered cor- and urethane combination finish.
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
2S1/4W x 181/4H x 4D
CASE TOP
A1-
MAGNETIC CATCH
HANGER STRIP
E
DOOR TOP
HINGE
DOOR
SIDE
=CASE SIDE
J
CASE BOTIOM
CENTER
%'-DIA. WOOD
KNOB ON
DOOR FRAME
DOOR
r1
STRIKE PLATE
FRAME
GLASS PANE
CROSS SECTION
MAGNETIC
CATCH
DRILL
HOLE TO
:--..._ MATCH
"- CATCH
LONG
HORIZONTAL
DIVIDERS
HANGER STRIP
GLASS STOP
WALL CLEAT
MATERIAL$ LIST
GLASS PANE
WOOD
A
B
D
E
F
G
H
1
K
L
% x 2% - 171/s
1/4 ply - 171/s x 241/s
CUTTING DIAGRAM
% x 4 - 48 (Two Boards @ 1.4 Bd. Ft. each)
A
% x 3 48 (1 Bd. Ft.)
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
(4) 1 11,6"-wide x 1%"-long butt hinges
(2) %"-dia. wooden knobs
(2) Magnetic catches with strike plates
(2) 1/8"-thick glass, cut to fit
77
CASE
a.
The dimensions of this cabinet are
based on the divider layout shown in
Fig. 4 on page 79. In fact, to make this
project fit this divider layout, you want
to make sure the inside dimensions of
each half of thefinished case are exactly
111/211 wide by 16%11 high. If you change
these dimensions, you will have to
change the divicler layout as well.
TOP, BOTTOM, ANO SIDES. Start by
cutting the top/bottom (A) from 3/411
stock to a rough length of 2711 Toen cut
the sides (B) to a rough length of 2011
Now rip ali four pieces to a finished
width of 31/z'' (Fig. 1).
Next, the ends of these pieces are
mitered to length ancl joined together
with hardwood splines. To m iter the
pieces to length, tilt your saw blade to
45 and mi ter one end of f each of
the four pieces. Toen miter the other
end of the top and bottom pieces (A) to
a finished length of 251/4'' Oong point to
long point) .And miter the sides (B) to a
finished Iength of 181/4'' (Fig. 1).
SPLINED MITER. Once the pieces are
cut to length, I cut kerfs in the mitered
ends to hold splines ( Fig. 1a). Then I
cut splines from scrap hardwood to fit
the kerfs.
BACK GROOVE. Next a groove is cut
in the top, bottom, and side pieces for
the plywood back. Toe front edge of this
groove is located %11 in from the back
edge of ali four pieces (Fig. 2a). The
reason I set the plywood back panel in a
fu ll 1h11 was to conceal the wall-cleat
system that holds the cabinet on the
wall (refer to Fig. .J).
DIVIDER. The next step is to cut dadoes to hold the %11-thick case divider
(C) (Fig. l b). These dadoes are centered on the length of the top/bottom
pieces (A) and are cut to the same width
as the th ickness of the divider (%").
With the dadoes completed, the divider (C) can be cut to a finished width
of 2%". To determine the length of the
divider, dry-assemble the case and cut
the divider to fil betwecn the dacloes.
ASSEMBLY . Before glu i ng u p the
case, I cut a piece of 1/4" plywood to use
as the case back (D).Then you can glue
and clamp the case with band clamps
(Fig. 2).
Note: To provide even clamping pressure and protect the corners of the case,
I macle small clamping blocks from
pieces of 2x2 stock.
78 CABINETS
1/
CORNER
JOINT
HARDWOOD
SPLINE
DIVIDER
17Ys
------
CENTER DADO ON
b. LENGTH
OF TOP/BOTIOM
DIVIDER
TOP
A
V,PLYWOOD BACK
8,
CROSS SECTION
!--"-<"-
-.---.--,
%"
11/.,
DRILL
COUNTER
SUNK
SHANK
HOLES IN
CLEAT
l:=1
WALL
CLEAT
3/s
DIVIDER UNITS
The nexl things to make are the divider
units -one for each side of the case.
The key to making the dividers removable is to cut the pieces to thickness so
they fit a 1/4"-wide dado. The dividers
should fit snug, but not overly tight. To
get the correct fit, I cut a 1/4" dado in a
test piece. Toen I resawed and planed
2%11-wid e stock until it fit the test dado.
SIDE PIECES.To make the two divider
units, cut four sides (G) to fit the height
of thecase openings (Fig.5).Toen cut a
1/16"- deep rabbet on the ends pf these
pieces (Fig.5a).
LONG HORIZONTAL DIVIDERS. Now
you have to decide where you want the
dividers. I used the layouts in Fig. 4.
My layout starls out by positioning
two 1/1511-deep dadoes on the divider
sides (G) to create three equally-spaced
horizontal sections (Fig. 5).
After these pieces are dadoed, place
them in the case. Toen cut the long horizontal dividers (H) to fit between them.
Note: If you want to display large
items, don'l divide the case any farther
(see the Designer's Notebook above).
LAYOUT GAUGE. To help divide the
case into smaller sections, I made a layout gauge from scrap wood (Fig. 6).
The size of the gauge is determined
by dividingthe main horizontal sections
into six equal-sized compartments
(21/z'' high by 31/z'' long; refer to Fig. 4).
MORE DIVIDERS. To locate the dadoes
for the ver tical dividers (I), place the
gauge tight against one of the divider
sides (Fig. 6). Mark the locations and
cut 1/16"-deep dadoes al the marks.
Toen cut the vertical dividers to fil.
Next, short h orizontal dividers CT)
can be installed. Again I used the gauge
to determine their locations (Fig. 7).
r:-
I Ir
DISPLAY CASE
-,
h ,r
.--,
, 1
lJ== Ll
.
.
.
f T -,J
I rl
1---.:::1
1 1
-_p 1
..e:;:::/ ----
LARGE ITEMS
:: - J 1
--------
1 1
-, 1
'
------
.-'-
21/z
31/z -
v.
LONG
HORIZO NTAL
DIVIDER
51/z
ar)
SHORT
HORIZONTAL
DIVIDER
VERTICAL
DIVIDER
51.4
f-
@-/
LONG
HOR IZONTAL
DIVIDER
v.
163
51.4
51/z
51.4
!,
v.1
'
-11Ys
- 1 11/z
USE LAYOUT
GAUGE
TO MARK
DADO
EDGES FOR
VERTICAL
DIVIDERS
MARK
DADO
EDGES FOR
SHORT
HORIZONTAL
DIVIDERS
CD
COLLECTOR'S CABINET
79
DOORS
To make the doors, start by resawing
stock to 112" thick for the 11/4''-wi de
top/bottom (K), and sides (L) (Fig.8a).
Toen cut all of the pieces for both doors
to rough length.
Now cut a rabbet on the inside face
of the pieces for the glass (Fig. Bb).
MITER TO LENGTH. Next, the top,
bottom, and side pieces are mitered to
fin ished length (Fig. 8). To determine
the length of the tops/bottoms (K),
measure the width of the case (251/4'')
and divide in half (12%"). Toe sides (L)
are the same length as the height of the
case (181/4'') (Fig. 8).
KERFTHE ENDS. Now kerfs can be cut
in the mitered ends for the splines
(Fig. 9). For more information on cutting the kerfsand splines, see page 81.
ASSEMBLE THE DOORS. After the
miters and splinesarecut, the doors are
ready to be assembled. To make sure
the doors fil the case correctly, I used
the case as a guide (Fig. 10).
When the glue on thedoors is dry, the
splines can be trimmed flush (refer to
Step 6 on the opposite page).
MORTISE FOR HINGES. Toe next step
is to attach the doors. To do this, I mortised four 11/4''-long brass butt hinges
into the case and doors (Fig. 11).
Start by scribing the mortises with a
sharp knife, 211 in from the top and
HARDWOOD SPLINE
,v..
DOOR SIDE
Cf)
a.
(Fig.11a).
To
complete the doorsyou ju st
have to instan the glass and
glue in the glass stops. To
determine the size of the
glass, measure the rabbeted opening of each <loor
and subtract 1/16" to allow
for easy clearance.
Once the glass is cut, the
glass stops (M) can be
made. These stops are
hardwood strips that are
glued into the rabbets
RESAW DOOR
STOCK TO Vi" THICK
(SEE FIGURE a.)
T//
FENCE
1sv..
CUT DOOR PARTS
TO ROUGH LENGTH
SEFORE MITERING
ENDS
,v..
b
DOOR
SOTTOM
K
(Fig. 12).
DOOR
FRAME
STOCK
RABBET FOR
FENCE
GLASS
</\2
Vi
r-_J
-J REMOV
WASTE
WHEN
JOINT
CENTER KERF ON
DRIES
THICKNESS OF
DOOR FRAMES
CROSS SECTION
PLANE GLASS
STOP FLUSH
CROSS SECTION
80
CABINETS
'
'
4\li" SQUARE
HEIGHT OF RIP
FENCE PLUS 2'
TRIM OUTSIDE
WASTE WITH
HAND SAW
COLLECTOR'S CABINET
81
Comer Cupboard
A unique design a/lows this classic
cupboard to be built without a lot
of complex joinery or angled
measurements. But withglass,
raised-pan el doors and shop-made
moldings, the f inished product will
enhance any home.
orner cabinets usually involve a lot
of angled cuts and complexjoinery.
Typically, you would try to figure
out ali the angles first, then build the case,
and finally add the shelves. But to make
construction easier, I did this whole
process backwards.
I made the shelves and top and bottom
first, and then built the sides of the cupboard around them. This way you can lay
out and cut the angles on flat pieces.
JOINERY . Toe design of this cupboard
also keeps any complex join ery to a minimum. There are long splines thal join the
sirles and front stiles. But the rest of the
case is simply screwed together. The
screws are ali hidden by moldings.
MOLDINGS. That brings up another
thing I like about this project. You can
combine a number of simple moldings
(that are cut on the router and table saw)
and come up with what look like rather
complex base and top moldings. For
example, the top crown molding has a
cove that's an easy cut on a table saw.
DOORS. One more thing should be said
about the design. I added glass upper
doors and raised panel lower doors. You
could leave off the upper doors completely.
lf you do build glass doors, they're usually made with small panes, and top panes
that have to be cut in an are.
I took a different approach. The glass in
each door is just one big pane. Toen the
horizontal muntins (dividers) lay on top of
the glass, but they're still tied into the door
stiles with an offset mortise and tenon
joint. This way the only areyou have to cut
is on the top railsof the door, not the glass.
82
CABINETS
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS :
TOP CROWN
MOLDING
TOP
RAIL
GLASS
PANE
BACK
PANEL
@
@
SIDE
PANEL
TOP
SHELF
DOOR
CATCH
ON
LEFT
DOORS
ONLY
@
CABINET
STILE
UPPER
DOOR
STILE
MIDDLE
SHELF
STANDARD
--... GLASS
"STOP
CABINET
SIDE
DOOR
CATCH
,)
KEEPER
STRIP
BASE
LOWER
DOOR
STILES
['-1<,'i,..,-;::
---
DOOR
STOP
MUNTIN
- DOOR
CATCH
BRACE
LOWER
DOOR
PANEL
@
BOTTOM
COVE MOLDING
83
MATERIALS LIST
A Top/Mid./Btm. (3) % X 133/s - 401/2
B Adjust. Shelves (3) % X 133/s - 401/2
% x 7 1/4 - 72
% x 2 1/i - 72
Shelf Std. (Btm)(2) % X J3/4 - 301/4
Shelf Std. (Top) (2) % X 1%- 391/i
1/4 ply - 12 X 72
Side Panels (2)
Door Stops (3)
% X 11/2 - 325/s
Top/Btm. Ra1ls (2) % x 2 - 26%
Middle Ral (1)
% X 11/4 - 263/4
Back Panel(1)
% ply - 23 1/i X 72
Btm Cleat (1)
% x 11/2 - 60
Cab1net Base (1)
% x 41/a - 60
Cabinet Sides (2)
o Braces (4)
p
3/4
Rear Support ( 1)
E
F
G
H
1
J
K
L
X % - 60
X 4% - 41/4
% X 4%- 23 1/4
% x 2 - 60
% x % - 60
% X 3 - 60
1
% X 1 /2 - 29
% X 2 - 381/4
% X 2 - 273/4
% x 41/2 - 1 P/a
% x 2 - 113/a
% x % - 113/a
% x 97la - 117/a
3/4
AA Keeper Strips
BB Glass Stops
% X 3/4 - 16 ft.
1/4 X 3fs - 16 ft.
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
CUTTING DIAGRAM
31,, x 9V.. - 96 (6.7 Bd. Ft.)
H
e
E
1
E
1
31,, x 9V.. - 96 (6.7 Bd. Ft.)
e
1
31,,
i.-
D
1
- 41\!;'
ROUGH
.,.
,2w_Tm
ROUGH
i
w
FOUR BLANKS
REQUIRED
84
CABINETS
TOP
T OM AND SH
DRAW A 45 ANGLE
FROM FRONT
REFERENCE MARK TO
END OF SHELF BLANK
(MAKE SIX)
14-
--
45
- 133/s
6)45
GUIDE
BUSH ING
,)
CORNER CUPBOARD
85
ES
Once the top, bottom, and shelves are
ali cut to shape, work can begin on the
cabinet sides and stiles (the vertical
pieces on the front of the cabinet).
These pieces are join ed together with a
splinejoint.
CUTTO SIZE. Start by cutting two cabinet sides (C) and two cabinet stiles (D)
to a common length of 7211 Toen setthe
saw blade to 22112 and rip one edge of
each piece so the cabinet sides (C) are
71/4'' wide (to the long point), and the
stiles (D) are 2112'' wide (Fig.3).
MAK E SPLINE JOINT. The purpose of
the spline between the sides (C) and the
stiles (D) is to help align the pieces
when gluing. (It doesn't add signi.ficant
strength to the joint.)
To make the joint, start by cutting a
1/s'' kerf into the bevels on the edges of
both the cabinet sides (C) and stiles
(D). To do this, keep the saw blade
tilted at 22 1/z . Then run the pieces
through the saw on edge with the
bevels down (Fig.4).
Then cut a spline to fit loosely within
the kerf (Fig. 5).
Note: Toe spline could be 1/s'' hardboard, but if it fits too tight, assembly
will be difficult. Also, the spl ine can be a
series of pieces, not one 7211-long piece.
CUT RABBET . Before assembling the
pieces, I cut a rabbet along the back
edge of the cabinet sides (C) to accept
the side panels (G). Cut this rabbet so
the distance from the short end of the
bevel to the rabbet matches the length
of the angled front edges on the top and
bottom pieces (A). (In my case, th iswas
6%11 ; refer to Figs.1 and 3.)
ASSEMBLE THE JOINT. To help
assemble the joint, I clamped a couple of
straight boards to my bench parallel to
each other and about 91/z'' apart (Fig. 6).
Toen I wedged a cabinet side (C) and
stile (D) together between the straight
boards (with the spline in place). When
pressure is applied on top of the pieces
the jo intdoses up.
Note: Test clamp this setup dry
before glu ing. The distance between
the straight boards may need adjusting.
Once the joi nt is tight down i ts
length, glue it up and hold the pieces
down with severa!strips of duct tape
while the glue dries (Fig. 6).
SIDE/STILE
UNIT
NOTE:
ONLY ONE SCREW
INTO MIDDLE SHELF,
%" FROM INSIDE EDGE
'\..
NOTE:
"'---.CENTER SCREWS
ON SHELF THICKNESS
86
CABINETS
$E A
MBLY
SHELF
STANDARDS
TOP VIEW
DRILLING TEMPLATE
1
L
MAKE SHOULDER
CUT FIRST, THEN
REMOVE WASTE
SH F TANDARD
Toe shelves are supported by shelf supports that fil into holes drilled in shelf
standards and in the case (Fig. 12).
CUT STANDARDS . Start by cutting the
four shelf standards to fit in the top and
bottom sections of the case. In my case,
the two bottom standards (E) were
301/4'1 long and the two top standards
(F) were 39112'' long.
Next, cut a 45 bevel off one edge of
ali four standards (to fit against the back
of the cabinet) and then trim them to a
common width of 13/411 (Fig. 9). Now cut
a rabbet opposite the bevel to fit around (Fig. l l a) .
the side panel (Fig. 10).
ATTACH STANDARDS. After the rabT PS AND
bets are cut, glue the standards to the
The next step on the cabinet is to add
inside of the cabinet (Fig. 11a) .
the <loor stops, rails, and a front ledge.
DRILLING TEMPLATE. I found the easSTOPS. There are three door stops
iest way to keep ali the pin support
boles aligned was by making a drilling (H) -one at the top of the upper sectemplate (Fig. 12). To make the tem- tion and two in the lower section. Start
plate, cut a piece of W' plywood to the by ripping the stops 11/z'' wide.
same width and length as the bottom Determining the length of the <loor
shelf standard (E). Toen drill 1/4'' holes stops is a little tricky. The stops fit
centered on the width and positioned as behind the stiles (D), and I wanted to
bevel both ends at 45 to match the
shown in Fig. 12.
,,.fRONT LEDGE
/ SHELF,
CORNER CUPBOARD
87
RABBET DETAil
GLUE
RABBET
IN CABINET
BASE TO FACE
OF CLEAT
4Ya
SLIGHTLY
ROUND
OVER
SHARP
EDGE
BASE
' MOLDING
\
BASE
'
CROSS
SECTION
--!
88 CABINETS
CROWN MOLDING
SHELF
STANDARD
BACK
PANEL
PLYWOOD
SET BACK
CORNER CUPBOARD
89
DOOR STILES
After the case of the cupboard was complete, I built the doors. I made glass
u pper doors and paneled lower doors.
(You could leave off theupper doors.)
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS. Toe basic
construction of both the upper and
lower doors is the same. They're built
as open trames (Fig. 26).Toen I put one
large pane of glass (or two raised
panels) into rabbets in the back of each
<loor. The glass and raised panels are
held in place with stops and keeper
strips (refer to Fig. 36) .
To build the doors this way, I had to
come up with a slightly different mortise and tenon joint (Fig. 27). Since the
muntins are mounted in front of the
glass and panels, the joint for the
muntins must be offset slightly towards
the front. Once I was set up to cut these
offset mortises, it was easiest to cut the
mortises for ali of the rails this way.
CUT OUT STILES. Start making the
doors by cutting ali of the stiles (vertical
pieces) to a common width of 211 from
%11-thick stock (Fig. 28).
To determine the length of the stiles,
measure the height of the cabinet openings. Cut the stiles {U, V) to length so
the doors will fit tight. (After the doors
were built, I planed them down for a uniform 1/1511 gap ali around.)
LAY OUT MORTISES. Next, lay out the
location of the mortisesalong the inside
edge of the stiles (Fig. 28). Toe mortises for the rails are 11/4'' long. Those
for the muntins are W' long.
CUT MORTISES. I drilled out the mortises on a drill presswith afence (Fig. 29).
(If you don't have a fence, clamp a
straight board to your d1ill presstable.)
To cut the mortises, first insert a 3/1511
brad point bit in the dril! press and set
the speed to abou t 2000-2500 RPM.
Toen tighten the fence down so it's 3/16"
from the inside edge of the bit. To get
31\6"-WIDE
MORTISE
31,6 -i t
16
\
\
90
CABINETS
OFFSET
MORTISE
ANO TENON-,...
.,H-r
LOWER
DOOR STILE
;-, 5fr
--- --. 1v
1r
v.. _
,- =
_1,m
J
= _-:
:
UPPER
DOOR
STILES
l!,
135/s
141
s
38Y-I
,-_.
27%
Yi
NOTE:
ALL DOOR STOCK
NOTE:
WHEN SIZING GLASS,
ALLOW \'16 CLEARANCE
ON ALL FOUR SIDES
: :, J
NOTE:
ALL MORTISES
ARE CUT
1Y,6 DEEP
DOOR RAILS
Next, I made the rails and muntins. To
determi ne their length, measure the
distance between the cabinet stiles (D)
and divide by two (for two doors). Then
subtract 4" (for the two door stiles), and
add 211 (for the 111 tenons on each end.)
Now, cut the two top upper <loor rails
(W) 41/z'' wide, the other six rails (X) 211
wide, and the six muntins 00 %" wide.
Toe muntins are mounted so they're
in front of the glass and raised panels.
So they have to be resawn to 3/s" thick.
CUT THETENONS. Next, to avoid confusion when cutting tenons, I marked
the front and back face of ali the pieces.
On the rails (but not the muntins), cut
a 3/s"-deep rabbet at the ends on the
back face (Fig. 3J). Toen, cut a rabbet
on thefront face to create a tenon that
fits the mortise. Also cut this same
rabbet on the front face of the muntins.
Note: The rabbet on the front face is
wider than the one on the back so it fits
in the rabbet on the <loor stiles.
CUT TO WIDTH. To permit the tenons
to fit in the mortises, trim the shoulders
by cutting 3/s" from the corner of the
rails and 1/s" on the muntins. Toen cut a
11/4''-wide notch in the upper rail tenon
to create two tenons (Fig. 32).
Note: Two tenons are used here to
limit the amount of expansion and contraction with changes in humidity.
Next, there's a little area u nder the
outside corner of each rail that has to be
cleaned outwith a chisel (Fig. 32).
CUT RABBET. After ali of the tenons fit
the mortises, cut a rabbet on the back
inside edges of ali the rails (but not the
muntins) to accept the glass or panels.
This rabbet is 3/s" wide on the six rails
(X) (Fig. 32). However, the rabbet on
UPPER
DOOR RAILS
(TWO REQUIRED)
NOTE:
UPPER RAILS
MUST BE A
MIRRORED SET
(LEAN OUT
SHADED AREA
WITH CHISEL UNTIL
TENON FITS MORTISE
MUNTINS
END VIEW
TENONS
SIDE VIEW
BACK
FACE
FRONT
FACE
, STOPS
To make the raised paneIs (Z) that fit in
the lower doors, start by edge-glu ing
four panels. Toen cut the panels to fit in
th e rabbets on the doors. (Don't fit
them too tight. They may expand with
changes in humidity.)
COVE. Now, rout a cove around the
front edge of each panel (Fig. 85). To do
this, make a series of passes (move the
UPPER DOOR
b.
NOTE:
TRIM DOORS
TO FIT CABINET
OPENING
#6 x %"
Fh SCREW
ROUT ENDS
3/s FIRST TO
PREVENT
CHIPOUT
'
CORNER CUPBOARD
91
. . . . .. Edqe-G/uinq F:ane/s
t seems like such a
simple thing-gluing up
a bunch of narrow boards
to mak e a wide panel of
solid wood. But there's
more to this procedure
than meets the eye.
The panel needs to look
like a single, wide piece of
wood. Which means the
color of each board should
match. And the grain
should blend from one
board to the next so the
jo int lines almost disappear.
Besides looking right, the
panel also needs to be
glued up perfectly flat. And
just as important, it has to
stay flat with changes in
humidity.
But getting a flat panel
where the joint lines virtually "disappear" doesn't
just happen when it's time
to glue up the boards. It starts when you
select and lay out the lumber.
EC
As you sort through a pile of lumber,
take sorne time to find boards that are
NOTE :
CUT BOARDS AT
LEAST 2" LONGER
THAN FINISHED LENGTH
OF PANEL
NOTE:
COMBINED WIDTH OF
BOARDS IS 1" WIDER THAN
FINISHED WIDTH OF PANEL
a.
- =-;>;<t:----::=-:?k'----:::3
92 CABINETS
NOTE :
$PACE CLAMPS
ABOUT 6" APART
TO PRODUCE
EVEN PRESSURE
ARRANGE CLAMP$
ON TOP AND BOTIOM
TO (REATE A FLAT PANEL
a.
APPLY GLUE
TO ONE EDGE ONLY
BEADS OF
GLUE INDICATE
EVEN PRESSURE
USE MALLET
TO ALIGN
BOARDS FLUSH
SNIPEON EDGE
OF BOARD
(REATES GAP
IN JOINT UNE
UNEVEN CLAMPING
PRESSURE CAN
RAISE BOARD
OFF PIPE
EDGES AREN'T
SQUARE
CORNER CABINET
93
Modular Cabinets
Thisprojec t is designed for flexibility and portabilit y. Standardized units can be mixed and matched to
create your own custom cabinets, and they are easily disassembled for transport or storage.
W
94
CABINETS
EXPLODEDVIEW
OIMENSIONS:
Standard Cabinet:351/4H x 31W x 11%0
Oeep Cabinet:35%H x 31W x 15%0 Overall
Height (two cabinets,top,base): 76
TOP
FRONT
N
1 1
'
E
SHELF
BACK
SIDE
1'
11
C
COUNTER
BACK
JR
e-=
r
-=>
='r========;,;;
COUNTfR CLEA
COUNT
NT
ffi
BOTIOM
FACING
1 1
COUNTER
; : i=
w
SIDE
/ Ir 'I
,' \
'
1!
CLEAT
DEEP TOP
LL--J
l..
DOOR ,
PANEL
L
I)
1
1 1
1
'
'
'I
!
DEEP
SIDE
O>
J 1
\ \'
1 ',
' 1
1 .I
1
'
, 1
/ )
/
DOOR
RAIL
K
DEEP BASE
CLEAT
MODULAR CABINETS
9S
MATERIALS LIST
STANDARD CABINET
A Sides (2)
% ply - 113/4 X 351/4
B Top/Btm. (2)
%ply - 111/4 X 29 1/2
e Top/Btm Facings (2) % x 1 1/i - 291/i
D Back (1)
%ply - 30 x 32%
E Shelves (2)
%ply - 1O% x 293/s
F Shelf Faongs (2)
% x 11/2 - 293/s
DEEP CABINET *
G Dp. Sides (2)
%ply - 15% x 35 1/4
3/4ply - 151/4 X 291/i
H Dp. Top/Btm. (2)
1
Dp. Shelves (2)
%ply - 14% X 293/s
DOORS
J
St1les (4)
% X 2 1/2 - 33%
% x 2 1/2 - 107/s
K Rails (4)
L Panels (2)
%ply - 10% x 291/s
1/4x 31s - 16 lineal ft.
M Glass Stops
TOP
N Front/Back (2)
% x 11/2 - 31
% X 11/2 - 11%
o Sides (2)
1/4ply - 11 X 30 1/4
P Panel (1)
3/4 X 3/4 - 101/4
Q St1ffeners (3)
STANDARD BASE
Front/Back (2)
Sides (2)
T Panel (1)
DEEP BASE
U Dp. Front/Back (2)
V Dp. S1des (2)
W Dp. Panel (1)
COUNTER
X Front/Back (2)
Y S1des (2)
Z Panel (1)
CLEATS
AA Cleats (4)
B B Counter
Dp. Cleats
(2) (2)
ce
Cleats
CUTTING DIAGRAM
(Standard Cabinet)
(Both Cabinets)
ttk_k ;_z5zz
% x 4 - 31
% x 4 - 11%
1/4ply - 11 X 30 1/4
%x 4 - 31
%x 4 - 15%
/4ply - 15 X 301/4
<:..: 1 t
3/4 X
l1/i - 31
% X l1/2 - 4
1/4pJy - 3 1/4 X 30%
o' zzz
fl77h7ZZ7flT
c!LK--+--K
(Deep Cabinet)
lzzazzzzzlzzzzzzzzzzJa
CABINETS
To seeju st how easy these cabinets are
to build, take a look at a single standard
cabinet (Fig. 1).
Each standard cabinet is made up of
a pai r of sides, top, bottom, and 114'' plywood back. The sides are identical. So
are the top and bottom; one is simply
flipped "upside clown" (Fig. lb).
You can also bu ild deep cabinets.
The only difference is that the sides,
top, and bottom are 4" deeper (Fig. la).
SIDES.To build the cabinets, l star ted
by cutting the sides (A) to size from 3/4"thick plywood. Then I covered the
exposed plywood edges of the side
panels-top, bottom, and front -with
vencer edging.
Note: You can buy veneer edging,
but the color may not match you r plywood. For a perfect match, I made my
own veneer edging from sorne leftover
pieces of plywood (see the Shop Tip on
the opposite page).
TOP & BOTTOM. With the exposed
edges veneered, work can begin on the
top and bottom panels. I cut the top and
bottom (B) to Iength, but cut them a
little wide at first (111/2')1 . Thisway they
can be cut to match the width of the
sides after the facing (C) isadded Iater.
Unlike the side panels, the top and
bottom panels have edging applied to
their front edges only. And this time, I
used %"-thick hardwood facing (C) that
I ripped 1112'' wide (Fig. lb). Thisfacing
does more than just hide the plywood ; it
also adds strength to th e panels and
prevents them from sagging.
To help align the facing Ou sh with
the panels, I cut a 1/4" x 114" groove in the
facing and a mating tongue on each of
the panels (Figs. 2 and 2a). Then I
glued them together.
After the glue is dry, rip the top and
bottom panels to width. The important
thing is that they match thewidth of the
edged side panels (Figs.3 and 3a). The
final width of a standard cabinet is
11314'1 A deep cabinet is to be 153/4 11
wide (Fig. la).
BACK GROOVE.The next step isto cut
a groove on all the pieces to hold the
back (Figs. 1 and 1b). This groove is
1/4'' deep and just wide enough to hold a
W' plywood panel.
Note: If you want to hang a cabinet
up on the wall, set the back groove in
%" and use a %" cleat-and-h anger
system similar to the one on page 17.
TOP
B
a.
e
FACING
mTI
.....LWANDARD
rfTCIABINET
SIDE
/
"%
SIDE
VENE ER
EDGING
LlJ) DEEP
-i hi.-_
CABINET
1S:% .J
. 11
I
' \
a.
TOP/BOTIOM
,.,
NOTE: CUT
TONGUE TO
FIT GROOVE
a. ,'., '
. j
,
l ,\1
l
' /
\ i
.SIDE
, i
.
. \
\ ,/
./ '
' I
1( \ '
--
- 1131.
TOP/BOTIOM
MODULA R CABINETS
97
TEMPLATE
l/s
I6"
HOLE
,-:-
15/16
j_
7%
11%
,TOP/BOTIOM/
/
/
(Fig. 6a) .
BACK . After the knock-down hardware is installed, the next step is to dry
assemble the cabinet to measure for the
back panel (Fig. 7) . Itfitsin the grooves
you cut earlier (Fig. 7b).After the back
(D) is cut to sizc, the cabinet is ready to
be assembled. But you won't need any
glue. Because of the knock-down hardware, the cabinet goes together with
just a Phillips screwdriver (Fig. 7a).
SHELVES. Finally, I added the shelves.
These shelves rest on spoon-style supports. So first, I drilled a series of hales
to accept the supports (Fig. 7c).
Note: To keep the hales consistent
and accurate, I made a template from a
piece of scrap hardboard .Toen I drilled
through the template 112" deep into the
sides of the cabinet.
Toe shelves (E) and shelf facing (F)
are built similar to the top and bottom
panels. But there are a couple of differences. They don't have any grooves at
the back, and they're sized to fit inside
the cabinet. In my case, the finished
size of a standard cabinet shelf (with
facing) was 111/4'' wide and 293/s" long.
98 CABINETS
Q.
1,
JI
1h
l
l
SIDE
1
1% 1
F
SHELF
FACING
DRILL %' )
HOLE Yi" DEEP
Bh
BACK
04" PLY.- 30' x 32%')
BOTIOM
_:1.
DOORS
Like the cabin els, I kept the doors
simple.Just a hardwood frame around a
panel, ali held together with stub tenon
and groove joints. And you can choose
either 1/s''-thick glassor W' plywood for
the panels. (For more on the glass
panels, see page 100.)
Even hanging the doors is easy. I
u sed European-style hinges that snap
on an d off. And they're adjustable, so
after the doors are installed , you can
fine-tune the fit, if needed. (For more
information about these hinges, see
pages 104 and 105.)
STILES & RAILS. To build the doors, I
began by making the stiles (J) and rails
(K) from 3/4"-th ick stock (Fig. 8). Th e
width of ali these pieces is 21/z''. But the
stiles and rails are different lengths. To
find the lengths, you need to determine
the overall size of the doors.
v..
STILE
l
l
( ',\ ,. )
1
, ,r
/
CD
PANEL
3 %
'
'.
V.6"
o o
SHOULDER
153/s
,1
. \
1
\J '
,
I
( ./ ' \ <''
STILE
\11
L
NOTE: ALL RAILS
A ND STILES %"THICK,
2\/:z " WIDE
CUT GROOVE
AND TENON TO
MATCH Y." PLYWOOD
STILE
MODULAR CABINETS
99
- - -------
SQUARE UP
CORNERS WITH
CHISEL J
a.
(Step 2).
100 CABINETS
a.
a.
,,
#8 x 1\1.," Fh
WOODSCREW
I.
NOTE:
CENTER KNOBS ON
MIDDLE DOOR STILES
STIFFENER
a.
"---
%"PLY.
--
45/s10%
--;.-...1
COUNTER
DETAil
\-
WPLY.
J
CLEAT r---.......-
1 _j
Ye ' x Va'
RABBET
2112
'\ '
--1
34
f-- 2112 -!
\J ,
COUNTER
CLEAT
1112
"-@ .
COUNTER
J CLEAT
_j_
1
1
DEEP BASE
DETAil
/s
CLEAT
'
.L
1112
1
DEEP
BASE
SIDE
'
45/s
14%
lt's easy to make a Buffet Server from the basic design by simply connecting two of the standard lower
Modular Cabinets and adding a hardwood frame and plywood panel top.
\
=
1
r:------ j-----
1 b-
--1
...---.-:--BUFFET SERVER
CONSTRUCTION NOTES:
Start by connecting two standard
modular cabinets and bases side-byside. They can be screwed together or
attached with connector bolts (see box
on the opposite page).
To determine the width to cut a %" plywood top panel (DD), measure the distance from the back of a cabinet to the
in.side of the top facing (C) and add %11
My panel was 113/s" wide (Fig.1).
To determine the length of the panel,
102 CABINETS
2Y2->j
_r_
o_
P_
FRAM
_E & PAN_E_
L_
E_
xP
_L_
_
_
E
:ii--
61
TOP PANEL@])
"-THICK x 3/s"-LONG
TONGUE CENTERED
1l3/s
CUT GROOVE TO
MATCH TONGUE
- _ ' , _ - -
l _
FRAME FRONT E E
MOUNTING BLOCK LOCATIONS
FRAME ENDCE1)
<I:D
MOUNTING BLOCKS
%" 1.D.THREADED
INSERT CENTERED
ON STOCK
l,
END MOLDING
CONNECTING THE
Each Modular Cabinet is built separately, but they can also be lined
up side-by-side (see the photo on
page 94 and the drawing on the
opposite page).
The cabinets can be screwed
together, but I used connector
bolts. These bolts make it easy to
disassemble the two cabinets, and
they are more forgiving when
aligning the cabinets.
A connector bolt consists of a
bolt and a threaded cap
nut. 1 fit them in holes
drilled through the lips
that run around the
top and bottom of
each cabinet (see
drawing below).
Since the hole in the cabinet is a
little larger than the bolt, the two
cabinets can be adjusted to align
across the front and top. Once
they align, the bolts and caps are
tightened with Allen wrenches.
CROSS SECTION
(SIDE VIEW)
CROSS SECTION
(FRONT VIEW)
3/s" -DIA.
HOLE
I ''
S/16" COUNTERSUNK
SHANK HOLE
CHANGES TO MATERIAL$
BUFFET SERVER:
DOOR FRAME
# #
# #
. EuropeanHnqes
AOJUST TO OPEN
OR CLOSE GAP ,
BETWEEN OOORS \
.J
AOJUST TO ALIGN
OOOR WITH SIOE
OF CABINET
\"
,
1
'
"\ /
\ 1
IN-ANO-OUT
AOJUSTMENT
SCREW
o o
; 1
/
.\
1
1
I UP-ANO-OOWN
'-- AOJUSTMENT
SCREVV
SIDE-TO-SIDE ADJUSTMENT
1 [
'
) r '
/ '
//
'
,/
"-' '
\
\..
11
cr:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=:==:=:==:==::::::cJ
UP-AND-DOWN ADJUSTMENT
/,r, /
TOP VIEW
AOJUST TO OPEN
OR CLOSE GAP
------------c======r=====:::::j
IN-AND-OUT ADJUSTMENT
104 CABINETS
NOTE:
HINGES ALLOVV Ya' MOVEMENT
IN EACH OIRECTION
(ORAVVINGS EXAGGERATED FOR CLARITY)
LAYOUT JIG
NOTE:
LAYOUT JIG
SHOULD
MATCH
HEIGHT
OF DOOR
CABINET
SIDE
\._
DOOR
STILE
MOUNTING
PLATE.-----,,
1
r.
'
t /
' 11
ATIACH BACK
SCREW ONLY
Position the hinge in the round mortise drilled in the door stile so the plate
is para/le/ with the edge. Then screw it in
place with two screws.
,1
'
SECOND:
SECURE MOUNTING,
PLATE
Cherry Armoire
Thisproj ect can be built as either a traditional armoire f or clothes and accessories or a modern
entertainment center. lt's a timeless piece that's sure to become an heirloom.
11 '
1
11
'i
1
(y)
(U)
([w
BRASS
KNOBS
BACKPLATES
EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
84H
x 511hW x 22D
MATERIAL$ LIST
CASE
BASE
% ply -191/2 x 73
Sides (2)
% ply - 191/4 x 67%
Divider (1)
C Top (l)
%ply - 19 x 46112
3/4 ply - 191/4 x 46112
D Bottom (1)
E Back (l)
1/4 ply - 47 x 73
% x 3 - 74 rough
F St1les (2)
% x 41/2 - 411/i
G Bottom Rail (1)
H
Arched Top Rail(1)* % x 131'2 rough- 411/i
1
Divider Cap ( 1)
%x 11/4 - 69 rough
J
Ogee Frt. Mld.(1) % x 25/s - 49
K Ogee Side Mld. (2) % X 25/s - 203/4
L
(ove Frt. Mld. (1) 5/s X 5/s - 501/4
M Cove Side Mld. (2) 5/a x 5/s - 21%
A
B
O
P
Q
CROWN MOLDING
S
T
U
V
SHELVES AND ROO
W Shelves (7)
X
Y
Z
%x 3% - 511/2 rough
% x 3% - 22 rough
3/4 x 1Va - 511'2 rough
% x 11/4 - 22 rough
DOORS
AA lns1de Stiles (2)
% x 3 - 69 rough
BB Outside Stiles (2) % x 3 - 64 rough
ce Top (Arch) Rails (2) % x 3 - 145/s
% X 41/2 - 145/a
DD Middle Rails (2)
% x 3 - 145/a
EE Bottom Rails (2)
FF Top Panels (2)*
% x 15% - 36 rough
GG Bottom Panels (2)* % x 151/4 - 243/a
HARDWARE SUPPLIES
CUTTING DIAGRAM
% x 7'h96 (5 Bd. Ft.)
% x 6 - 96 (4 Bd. Ft.)
R
p
% x 61/i - 96 (4.3 Bd. Ft.)
-------'='------+-----'-'----11 1
--- ---"'-------"'---'L..
FF
ce
FF
j1
% x 6 96 (4 Bd. Ft.)
.....
.L.L.L..<...<...<..<J.J
H
1---._
Fv!_
X _:::;
s u
F_
F
_.,
_
FF
_.,__ ce
.,. _.
.1....
FF
FF
__._
ce
..,_,,
% x 6 96 (4 Bd . Ft.)
M :::;'
....
% X 6 - 96 (4 Bd . Ft.)
=
G====;==l-=====;Jl:=i==M
=::::::lc==;@
:7)1]
ce
EE
% x 6 96 (4 Bd. Ft.)
l,mz-;;-;]
GG
GG
GG
% x 6 96 (4 Bd . Ft.)
GG_--L.J.__G_
G
GG_-1z
_
L=
,u==
zza,.,
*PARTS S, U ARE CUT FROM ONE GLUED-UP BLANK (SEE PAGE 113)
%" PLYWOOD 48 x 96
%" PLYWOOD 48 x 96
w
SEE
FIG. 3
w
14"-DEEP
RABBE T FOR
@
DIVIDER
14" PLYWOOD 48 x 96
%" PLYWOOD 48 x 48
108 CABINETS
73
SIDE
67%
SIDE
%" PLYWOOD
TOP
%" plywood
\'
#8 X 11/i" Fh
WOODSCREWS
1c_-..--....
a.
v..
PLYWOOD
BACK
y., x %"
SIDE
TONGUE
TONGUE DETAil
#8 x 1Yi" Fh
WOODSCREWS
NOTE:
DIVIDER IS CENTER ED
BETWEEN SIDES
FACE FRAME
Now that the plywood case is assembled, the front edges can be faced.
STILES.Start by cutting two stiles (F)
31/16'' wide and 1" Jonger than the side
pieces. After assembly, the stiles are
trimmed to length and flush with the
side of the case (Fig. 8a).
Next, cut a groove on the inside face
of each stile to fit over the tongue on the
side (A) (Fig. 7). Position the tongue
5/16" from the edge of the stile. (This
leaves a 1/16" overhang for trimm ing.)
After cutting the grooves, rout a V4 11wide mortise centered on the inside
edge of each stile at the top (Fig. 8).
This mortise will accept a spline to join
the stile to the arched top rail (H).
Note: I cut the mortises with the
mortising table shown on page 123.
Before you can glue on the stiles,
you have to trim back 21/4'' of the tongue
on the front of the bottom (D) (Fig. 6).
BOTTOM RAIL. With the stiles glued
on, measure between them to determine the length of the bottom rail (G).
Toen cut the rail to this length and 49/is"
wide. (lt'strimmed to 41/z'' later.)
Next, cut a groove i n the rail to fit
over the tongue on the bottom (D).This
groove is like the one on the stile
(Fig. 7). Toen g!uethe rail in place.
TOP RAIL. Toe most dif.ficu lt piece to
make is the arched top rail (H). To
make the job easier, I made a template.
This template will also be u sed later to
make the moldings that are glued on
top of the rail.
TEMPLATE. I made the template out of
'1
OIVIOER
@
\
\
\
SIOE I
1
CD
OIVIOER
CAP
'1
F
STILES
CUT FLUSH
WITH RAIL
GLUE STILE
FLUSH WITH
BOTIOM ENO
OF SIOE PIECE
7S/a
TRIM BACK
TONGUE
SO STILE FITS
STEP 3
LAY OUT
CENTERLINE
Y,611
_)
STEP 1
13'1:!
OVERHANG
SPREAO GLUE IN
MORTISES. THEN
POSITION RAILS
BE1WEEN STILES ANO
INSERT SPLINES
'-...
TEMPLATE BLANK
(%" HAROBOARO)
0TH
STILE (3')
WIOTH OF CABINET
511/:i
PIVOT POINT
STEP 2
36' BE1WEEN
ENCIL NOTCH ANO
PI
VOT POINT
/
PENCIL
./
NOTE:
110
CABINETS
a.
--
CUT Ya"
OUTSIDE "
PENCIL UNE f
CLAMP BLANK
TO BENCH
SCRIBING
STICK
FILLER
STRIP
(CUT LENGTH TO FID
b.
CHECK
CORNERS
FOR
SQUARE
DRILL %2"
PILOT HOLES
IN TOP OF
KICKBOARD FRAME
KICKBOARD
FRONT
NOTE:
BULLNOSE FRAME
OVERLAPS KICKBOARD
Yi' ON FRONT
ANO SIDES ONLY
length, use the rou ter table to rout a bullnose edge on the pieces. First, rout a 1/z'1
roundover on the top edge (Step 1 in
Fig. 15). Toen, rout a 114'' roundover on
the bottom edge (Step 2).
After the pieces are routed, miter
both ends of the front piece (N) 411
longer (51112'') than the width of the plywood case. Toen miter the front end of
each side piece (O) and cut the back
end square so it's 211 longer (2211) than
the depth of the plywood case.
Before gluing the bull nose pieces
together, I drilled a series of countersunk screwholes through each of them
(Fig. 14a). Flathead screws will be used
to mount the bullnose frame down to
the kickboard frame and u p to the
bottom of the plywood cabinet (Fig.16a).
Now glue lhe mi ters logether to form
the three-sided frame. Qust hold
the pieces until the glue sets.)
KICKBOARD.Toe rest of the base consists of a kickboard front, back (both P)
and two sides (Q). Rip these pieces to a
width (height) of 41/4'' (Fig. 14).
Then miter both ends of the kickboard front and back pieces (P) so the
length of each is 1" sh orter than the
bullnose frame (501/z''). Next, miter
both ends of each side (Q) so the length
is 112" shorter than the bullnose frame
sides (21112'').
#B x H" Fh
WOODSCREWS
#6 xS/e' Fh
WOODSCREWS
. . Burnsh ng a Mter
As I was building the
armoire, 1 ran into a
problem at one comer of
the base -the miter joint
had a slight gap in it.
Should I start over and
cut new pieces to make it
perfect? Or is there an
easy way to fix it?
112 CABINETS
ARCHED MOLDIN
On the armoire, the arched top rail
(explained on pages 110-111) serves as a
foundation for the arched molding. The
molding itself is made from two pieces
glued together -a base piece (S) with a
Ro.man ogee and a trim piece (U) with a
roundover (refer to Fig. 21 on page 114).
CUT OUT BLANK. Both pieces can be
laid outand cutfrom one large 3/4"-thick
edge-glued blank (Fig. 17). After the
glue dries and it's planed flat, draw a
vertical centerline on the blank.
TOP EDGE. The process for cutting
the top edge of each piece is exactly the
same as on the top rail. I used the same
template and cut the top edge slightly
oversize (refer to Fig. 10). Next screw
the template to the blank (Fig. 11) and
trim the piece flush (Fig. 12).
BOTTOM EDGE. To cut the bottom
edge, you could use the same process
as on the top ral. But I tried something
a little different here. Since both pieces
are narrower, I used the band saw.
To do this, clamp a pointed guide
block to the band saw table so the distance between the blade and the block
is about 1/16" wider than the finished
width of the molding (Fig. 18). (The
l/16" will be sanded off later.) For the
1
TRIM to"l\
MOLDING
--
- 51!/:z
FEED DIRECTION
MITERING
CARRIAGE
a.
CARRIAGE
FENCE
NOTE:
ENDS OF CARRIAGE
ARE MITERED LATER
(SEE FIG. 23)
THIRD:
/,
114 CABINETS
-CLAMP MI
TER GAUGE TO CARRIAG E-
O HER M
INGS
-.
15/,6
1_
#B x 1Y4'
Fh WOODSCREW
SIDE VIEW
HOLES SPACED
2' APART
GLUE COVE
MOLDING
IN PLACE
FRONT
KICKBOARD
OGEE FRONT
MOLDING
11S
DOOR FRAMES
TOP (ARCH) RAIL (3" WI DE)
Dl
0
._ 145/s ---1
ALL RAILS AND
STILES %" THICK
64
RO UGH
OUTSIDE
STILE
INSIDE
STILE
BB
MIDDLE RAIL
r_
L....--
145/s
l D J
---1
116 CABINETS
% :1% b_
.1----r
e4 -ffi 1
MIDDLE RAIL @Q)
ti,.- 4'12
3
16
BOTTOM RAIL
MOA
RLTLISES
:wDE,oEP,
%
68Vs
3,
1-i:-:.-:--i - 1,
3
CAROBOARD
TEMPLATE
(Ll)_1
34,
26%
j %
TRANSFER MORTISE
MEASUREMENTS
FROM RAILS
TO STILES
TOP
PANEL
NOTE:
145/s
TO ALLOW
FOR TONGUES,
CUT PANELS
5/s" WIDER
ANDS/s"
LONGER
(HIGHER)
THA N
OPENINGS
IN DOOR
FRAME
crv
15%
1
36
ROUGH
ROUTER TABLE
FENCE
FINAL
PASS
1
1
BOTTOM
PANEL
23%
@:ID
1
243/
STEP 3
._ ,sv.--1
'"'" a
L=-__
ROUT INSERIES OF
' PASSES MOVING ARM AWAY
FROM BIT BETWEEN PASSES
FEED
DIRECTION
REFERENCE
UNE
/
NOTE:KEEP HANDS
CLEAR OF BIT
( I
/ /
CHERRY ARMOIRE
117
CROSS SECTION
CABINET
STILE
'
/
/'
3/s" X 3/s"
CABINET
SIOE
Ys" ROUNOOVER ON
FRONT FACE
RABBET ON
BACK FACE
SHELVE
EMBLY
Now the doors can be assembled. Glue
up the mortise and spline jo ints, but
don't put any glue on the pa11els or in
the slots. Toe panel needs to be able to
expand and contract within the frame.
(See the Technique section about
"Floating Panels" on the next page.)
ROUNDOVER AND RABBET.There are
two more steps on the doors. First,
round over the front edges with an W'
roundover bit (Step 1 in Fig. 36a).
Then, to allow a tongu e 011 the door
to lie over the frame, rout a %11 rabbet
around the back edges (Step 2).
MOUNT DOORS- Now the doors can
be mounted on the cabinet using offset
hi nges screwed to the outside stiles.
(Figs. 37 and 38). First position hinges
4112'' from the top and bottom of each of
the doors. The11 mount a third hinge
centered 011 each outside stile.
MOUNT KNOBS & CATCHES. Next,
screw the knobs and decorative backplates to the inside door stiles (F ig. 38).
(Also refer to the Exploded View on
page 107.)
Finally, mount the adjustable ball
catches behind the doors 011 the side of
the divider cap (I).Th en position the
matchingstrikeson the back of the door.
a.
r
1
.L
V..- x V..-
TONGUE
118 CABINETS
4Y2
HINGE
LOCATION
POSITION
OOOR
STRIKE
ANO CATCH
BEHINO
KNOB
CENTER
CENTER
KNOB ON
RAIL ANO
STILE
HINGE
ON
OUTSIOE
STILE
HINGE
LOCATION
l_
4Yi
T
"escape" area for the rod to be removed
above one of the holes (Fig.40a).
Now drill holes and mou nt 1/411 dowel
pinson the back side of each support to
align with the holes in the cabinet.
Finally, cut a 1"-dia. dowel so it wedges
between the supports (Fig.40).
.'
a.
V.." OOWEL PINS
MUST ALIGN
WITH SUPPORT
HOLES IN CABINET
z
ROO
SUPPORT
, , , ,,,,,, ,
aised panel doors are
beautiful. But if they're
not built correctly, you're
going to be faced with sorne
surprises once the humidity
changes in your house.
PROBL EMS. One problem
that can occur is that the
door frame joinls can blow
apart. This might happen if
you built the door when the
humidity was low (usually in
the winler), and you cut the
panel to fit tighl into the
grooves in the frame.
Once the humidity increases, a solid wood panel
will expand- mostly across
its width. And then thejoint holding the
door frame together might split apart
from the pressure in the wood.
Toe other problem isn't as dramatic,
but it may be a little more common. The
panels can become uncentered and
Floatnq Hinels
rattle around in the frames. This happens if you build the doors when the
humidity is high. Then, once the
humidity drops, the panels shrink.
SOLUTIONS . There are a couple of
things you can do to prevent these prob-
DS
One way to secure a solid wood panel in
a frame is to pin the panel with brads
(see drawing al right).
Before nailing, check that the panel
is centered in the frame. Toen drive a
single brad centered at the top and
bottom of each panel (not the sides).
The brads should go through the
tongue and into the ral on the other
side of the groove (see detail).
With the panel nailed at the center of
the frame, it can expand and contract in
both directions from the center.
NAIL ONLY AT
CENTER OF PANEL
'
SET FINISHING
BRAO ANO
FILL HOLE
PANEL
BRAO SHOULD GO
THROUGH TONGUE
ANO INTO FRAME
FOAM
Another method to keep a panel from
rattling in a frame but still allow it to
expand and contract is to use foam
rubber in the grooves (see drawing).
Putting foam rubber in the grooves
keeps the panel centered, and when the
panel expand s, the foam compresses.
I've found 114''-wide foam weatherstripping tape with an adhesive back fits
perfectly in a 1/4'' groove. And you can
build u p as many layers as you need
Qust be consistent so the panel stays
centered; see detail).
V.."-WIOE FOAM
WEATHERSTRI PPING
TAPE
Here 's how to open up the design of the traditional Cherry Armoire and turn it into a convenient
Entertainment Center that wi/1 highlight your te/evision or sound system.
NSTRUCTION NOTES:
To hold most standard televisions, the
cabinet will have to be 41/z'' deeper. So cut
the side pieces (A) 2411 wide (Fig. 1) .
Toen cut the top (C) 23112'' wide, and the
bottom (D) 231/4'' wide.
Cut the dadoes, rabbets, and tongues
on these pieces as before. But to accept
a fixed shelf for the television, rout an
additional dado 2811 upfrom the bottom of
each side piece (Fig. 1).
Cut a fixed shelf (HH) from %11 plywood, 2311 wide (deep) and 461/z'' long. If
120 CABINETS
you plan on having electronic components (such as a VCR) below the shelf,
cut notches in the back edge to allow
cords to pass from the top of the cabinet
to the bottom (Fig. 2).
To support the shelf, cut a divider (B)
from %11 plywood, 2311 wide (deep) and
231/41' long (high).
Cut a 1/411 x 1/4' 1 centered tongue on
each end of the fixed shelf (HH) to fit
the dadoes in the side pieces (Fig. 2).
Then cut another 1/411 x 1/411 tongue on
thefront of the fixed shelf (HH) and thefront of the divider (B) to accept edging
SIDE @
rc-
24
NOTE:
DIVIDER
23'x 23Y
SHELF SUPPORTS
ARE 3/a'' DEEP
CUT TONGUE
SHORT OF
FIXED SHELF
EDGING
Y.,'' RABBET
FOR BACK,
Vi' DEEP
DIVIDER
SIDE
\.._
4
\.V.x
TONGUE
73
CROSS SECTION
TOP VIEW
101-'i
V.xV. DADO
rc:
J
4
28
Y x Y4 DADO
81-'i
rtL
t %,,_j
.I_'ls
ASTRAGAL 1
/s
" GAP')
CHANGES TO
MATERIALS
NEW PARTS :
3/4 ply -23 x 46112
HH Fixed Shelf (1)
11 Fixed Shelf Edg. (1) % x 11/4 - 46
J J Large Shelf (1)
% ply -21 x 457/8
KK Lrg. Shelf Edg. (1) % x 1 - 457/8
3/4 x 2 - 69 rough
LL Astragal (1)
MM Door Trim (1)
3/s x 3/4 - 69 rough
PARTS NOT NEEDED :
W Shelves (Only 2 of 7 required)
Y
Clothes Rod
Z Rod Supports
HARDWARE:
Only 12 pin-type shelf supports required
1/4" -dia. dowel pins not needed
CHERRY ARMOIRE
121
The connecting spline of this joint provides a large gluing surface. Plus the size
can be varied to fit many applications.
122 CABINETS
0XJ@CP DO@
MortJsng Tb/e
FR
To make the base, start by cutting the top (A) and bottom
(B) from 3/4 11 plywood, 11112''
wide and 15%11 long (Fig. 1).
SIDES ANO DIVI DER. Next,
cut two sides (C) 41/4'' wide by
ll1h" long. I also cut a 3%11 wide by 111/4''-long center divider (D) to
form an enclosed box so I could use a
vacuum to remove chips (Fig.1).
lf you're using a shop vacuum, cut a
hole in one of the side pieces (C) to
accept the end of the hose. If you're not
going to use a vacuu m, leave out the
center divider.
Now cut W'-deep dadots in the top
(A) and bottom (B) to accept the sides
(C). Then, if using the center divider
SCREW BACK
TO BOTIOM
ANO TOP
.-_
NOTE:
USE 3,4 ' PLYWOOD.
SOFTEN ALL
EXPOSED EDGES
NOTE:
ALL DADOES
14' DEEP
a.
Y4' X v.i
b.
71/.
HOES FOR
THREADED
/
INSERTS SEE DETAi)l
1
(
SAWDUST OPENING
9% --
,tf 'v
2'Vs
SAWDUST
RELIEF
SAWDUST
RELIEF
#8 X 114"
WOODSCREW
DRILL
1'-DIA.
HOLE
TOP
CROSS SECTION
CHERRY ARMOIRE
123
plate, cut a 3/s"-wide adjustment slot in tects you r fingers, and is needed to
the base plate (Fig. B). This slot pro- align your cuts (Fig. 7).
After completing the baseframe, I mad e vides a simple and accurate way to
UPRIGHTS. To make the guard , cut
a new base plate for my rouler. This adjust the position of the router.
two uprights (G) from 1/4''-thick hardbase plate provides a large surface lo
I cut this arched slot on a dril! press board, and then cut a 112" slot in each
hold the router to the back panel (E).
by using the 1/4 11 mounting hole as a
u pright for knobs (Figs. 6 aud 7). To
CUT TO SIZE. To make the base plate pivot point (Fig. 4).To do this, first drill
attach the guard plate, glue a 1/z''-thick
(F), I started with a 114''-lhick piece of a 1/4''-dia. hole in a scrap piece of ply- block (H) to the bottom of each upright.
hardboard and cut it 7%" wide and wood and push a 1/4" dowel into this
GUARD PLATE. Next, I cu t a guard
11%" long (Fig. J).
hole. Then slip the mounting hole in the plate (I) from 114''-thick acrylic plastic
Note: You could also use 1/411-thick base plate (F) over the dowel.
11/2" wide and 71/z'' long. (Note: If you
plastic such as acrylic or phenolic for
Next, mount a 3/s"-dia. drill bit and can't find 114'1-thick clear plastic, you can
the base plate.
position the plywood so the distance glue togelher two pieces of 1/s"-thick
After the base plate iscut lo size, drill from the center of the dowel to the plastic.) Toen I sanded a 1/z'' radius on
a 1%"-dia. hole in the center for the center of the bit is 9%".Toen clamp the the two outside corners and lightly
router bit to fit through. The hole plywood to the drill press table.
sanded the Cront edges.
doesn't have to be perfectly round, so if
Now drill a series of overlappi ng
To mount the plastic guard plate to
you don't have a hole saw or a large drill holes to create an arched slot (Fig. 4). the u prights, drill countersunk holes on
bit you can cut it wilh a sabre saw.
Toen remove the base plate and clean the bottom side of the pla te and screw it
Next, dril! and countersink holes in oul the slot with a file.
to the blocks (Fig. 6a).
the plate so you can attach it to your
With the slot finished, I mounted the
When the guard is screwed together,
rouler. To lay oultheboles, use the plastic baseplale (F) to the back panel with two posi tion it over the bit (Fig. 7). Then
base from your router as a template.
plastic knobs and washers (Fig. 5).
mark the location of two lines on the
DRILL HOLE. To moun l the plate to
Note: You could use 3/4"-long hex bottom of the guard to align with the bit
the vertical back panel, first drill a W'- head bolts and washers instead of the (Fig. 7a).Now usea utility knife to scribe
dia. mounting hole 3" clown and 111 in plastic knobs.
the lines on the bottom of the plastic. By
from the right side of the base plate to
using the Unes as a guide, I know exactly
align with the corresponding hole in the
where to slart and stop a cut.
back of the mortising table (Fig. 3).
Note: A complete kit of all of the
CUT ADJUSTMENT SLOT. Now that the Ali thal remains to complete the jig is a
hardware and plastic parts for the mormounting hole is drilled through the guard . Don't leave thisguard off. It pro- tising table is available (see page 126).
BASE PLATE
1.-
('/4" HARDBOARD)
1I
1 _
T
43/e
.. f 1'&
:-&_j
0% 0
1 \
,,31.i
DRILL HOLES TO
FIT YOUR ROUTER
DRILL
OVERLAPPING
3/e "-DIA. HOLES
J
7
\ ..
" MOUNTING
HOLE
a.
COUNTER
SINK
SHANK
HOLE
124 CABINETS
!
11.!"
/
11h" x 7Yi "
CLEAR
PLEXIGLAS
SET BIT TO
DEPTH OF CUT
CLAMP MORTISING
TABLE SECURELY
TO BENCH
ADJUST BIT
TO CORRECT
H EIG HL
l.
TOP VIEW
CROSS SECTIO N
ROUT OUT
WASTE WITH
SHALLOW
PASSES
e:)
FEED
DIRECTION
ROUND
OVER EDGES,
THEN CUT
TO LENGTH
To complete the mortise, make severa/ shallow cuts while moving the
workpiece from /eft to right, and pulling
the workpiece away between passes.
Cutspline material into strips 1/s" narrower than length of mortise. Round
over edges. Cutsplines to length 1/s" less
than combined depth of mortises.
ADJUST PIECES
UNTIL THEY RE FLUSH,
THEN TIGHTEN CLAMP
CHERRY ARMOIRE
125
SOURCES
One of the first things we take into consideration when design ing projects at
Woodsmith is the hardware. Does it
complement the project and is it appropriate? Is it affordable? And , most
important, is it cornmonly available?
You 'II probably be able to find most
of the hardware and su ppl ies for the
projects in this book at your local hardware store or home center. Sometimes,
though , you may have to order the hardware through the mail . Listed at right
are sorne national mail order sources
with toll-free phone numbers.
Note: We strong ly recommend that
you get ali of you r hardware and supplies in hand befare you begin bu ilding
any project. There is nothing more discouragi ng than completing a project
and then finding out that the h ardware
is no longer available.
WOODCRAFT
CONSTANTINES
126 SOURCES
INDEX
Armoire, 106-125
Band saw
Auxiliary table, 19
Tune-up,20
Bandsawn dovetails, lS-23
Beam compass, 26, 110-111
Biscuit (plate) joints, 60, 122
Buffet Server, 102-103
Cherry Armoire, 106-125
Classic Bookcase, 64-73
Collector's Cabinet, 76-81
Corner Cupboard, 82-93
Cove cutting on table saw, 8&-89
Crown molding, 8&-89, 115
Cupboard
Corner, 82-93
Open-back, 31
Slatted-back, 24-30
Dadoes
Full through, 32, 48, 70, 109
Stopped, 15, 26, 27, 32-33
Display Case, 79
Door
Catches, 77
Glass, 80, 90-91, 100
Making, 80, 90-91, 99, 116-118
Mounting, 80, 91, 100, 118
Panels, 90-91, 117-119
Raised Panel, 117-119
Stops, 87
Dovetailed Shelf, 13-23
Dovetails
Bandsawn, lS-23
Design, 13, 14, lS-19
Pins, 18, 22-23
Stopped, 57, 58
Tails, 18, 20-21
Dowel joints, 122
Drawers, 16-17, 18, 30
Catches, 27, 30
Dividers, 27
Edge-gluing
Panels, 92-93
Troubleshooting, 93
Edgingplywood, 48, 49, 50, 51, 59, 61,
63, 71, 96, 97, 103, 118
Entertainment Center, 120-121
European hinges, 100, 104-105
Face miter w/splinejoint,81
Flush trimming, 111
Fluting, 70, 73
Frame and panel
w/plasticlaminate, 52-53
w/plywood, 52-53, 56-57, 59, 99,
102-103
Glass
Doors, 80, 90-91, 100
Stops, 91, 100
Gluing up panels, 92-93
Groove & spline joint , 2&-29 , 86
Half laps, 36, 40, 42-43
Hanging systems
Invisible, 17
Keyhole router bits, 11
Metal keyhole hangers, 10-11
Hardware
Connector bolts, 103
Knock-down , 70-71, 98, 103
Sources, 126
Hinges
European, 100, 104-105
Layoutjig, 105
Offset, 118
Jigs
Band saw
Dovetail pin jig, 22-23
Dovetail tail jig, 20-21
Router
Flutingjig, 73
Mortising table, 123-125
Table saw
Kerf cutting, 81
Mitering arched molding, 114
Mitering crown molding, 89
Tenon cutting, 43
Keyhole hangers, 10-11
Keyhole router bits, 11
Knock-down hardware, 70-71, 98, 103
Knock-Down Shelf Unit, 3&-43
Levelers, 66-67
Locking rabbet joint, 66
Miter joint w/spline, 60, 78, 81,86, 89
Modular Cabinets, 94-105
Moldings, 28, 51, 68, 69, 82, 88, 89, 112,
113-114, 115
Mortise & spline joint, 110, 116, 122,
125
Mortise & tenon joint, 90-91
Mortising table, 123-125
Mug Rack, 9
Oak Bookcase, 54-63
Oval, drawing, 69
Panels
Door, 90-91, 99, 117, 119
Edge-gluing, 92-93
Raised, 117, 119
Plant Stand, 52-53
Plastic laminate top, 52-53
Qxmoor
HOUSe.
President & Publisher: Donald B. Peschke
Exccutive Editor: Douglas L. Hicks
Art Director: Steve Lueder
I SBN : 0-8487-2675-8
Printed in thc Unitcd Statcs of Amcrica
9 O O O O>
9 780848 726751