Cabinets & Storage Solutions E-Book

Bill Hylton

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 290

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Beschreibung

Do you wish you had more space in your home? Don't move! Don't expand your home! Try these fabulous furniture solutions to storage problems. With the help of the experts at Woodworking Journal, you can add space to every room of your house with these creative and beautiful solutions: *Heirloom Collector's Cabinet *Blanket Chest *Your Own Steamer Trunk *Angler's Cabinet *Early American Dresser *Scandinavian-Style Sideboard *Weekend Joy Box *Flat-Screen TV Cabinet *And more! Practical, versatile, and just plain fun to build, cabinets are among the most popular of woodworking projects. Now, Cabinets & Storage Solutions brings you 16 of the best designs from some of the finest woodworkers in the country, all selected from the pages of Woodworker's Journal, the most trusted name in woodworking. Each project comes with clear-as-glass instructions and beautiful color illustrations. So don't wait to make your home less cluttered and more beautiful. Start one of these fabulous projects.

Leseprobe

Compilation Copyright © 2007 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.

Text and Illustration Copyright © 2007 by Woodworker’s Journal. Woodworker’s Journal is a publication of Rockler Press.

Cabinets & Storage Solutions: Furniture to Organize Your Home is a compilation first published in 2007 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by Woodworker’s Journal.

Our friends at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware supplied us with most of the hardware used in this book.

Visit rockler.com. For subscription information to Woodworker’s Journal magazine, call toll-free 1-800-765-4119 or visit www.woodworkersjournal.com.

Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.

President: Alan Giagnocavo

Publisher: J. McCrary

Acquisition Editor: Peg Couch

Editor: Gretchen Bacon

Associate Editor: Patty Sinnott

Series Editor: John Kelsey

Creative Direction: Troy Thorne

Cover Design: Lindsay Hess

Woodworker’s Journal

Publisher: Ann Rockler Jackson

Editor-in-Chief: Larry N. Stoiaken

Editor: Rob Johnstone

Art Director: Jeff Jacobson

Senior Editor: Joanna Werch Takes

Field Editor: Chris Marshall

Illustrators: Jeff Jacobson, John Kelliher

Print ISBN 978-1-56523-344-7

eISBN 978-1-60765-041-6

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cabinets & storage solutions : furniture to organize your home / from the editors of Woodworker's journal. -- East Petersburg, PA : Fox Chapel Publishing, c2007.

p. ; cm.

(The best of Woodworker's journal)

ISBN: 978-1-56523-344-7

1. Cabinetwork. 2. Storage cabinets. 3. Furniture making.

4. Storage in the home. 5. Woodwork--Patterns. I. Cabinets and storage solutions. II. Woodworker's journal.

TT197 .C33 2007

684.104--dc22 0710

 0710

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 1-800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

Note to Authors: We are always looking for talented authors to write new books in our area of woodworking, design, and related crafts. Please send a brief letter describing your idea to Peg Couch, Acquisition Editor, Fox Chapel Publishing, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.

Introduction

Cabinets and storage furniture have been benchmark projects since our forefathers first applied steel to wood. Why? For one, they’re an excellent blend of form and function. The basic box—just six parts, a few hinges, and a handful of nails—effectively moved nearly everything our ancestors had from one continent to another. Cabinets are also versatile: Whether fixed or portable, built for security or designed for show, storage boxes adapt readily to the purpose.

Of course, it’s certainly a plus that cabinets are also just plain fun to build. A simple box and doors can welcome you into woodworking, while more sophisticated designs laced with intricate joinery can keep you challenged long after that first project fades from memory.

Cabinet and storage projects continue to appeal to Woodworker’s Journal readers, and they always will. We’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the best cabinetmakers in the country—Rick White, Mike McGlynn, Bruce Kieffer, and Bill Hylton, to name just a few. This new book highlights 16 of their finest projects for you to build.

If you’re just getting comfortable with woodworking tools, start with David Larson’s barbecue cart, Mike McGlynn’s toy box, or Rick White’s blanket chest, so you can ensure your success and end up with a charming project when the dust clears.

Maybe you’d like to dabble in traditional hand-tool techniques or build an authentic reproduction piece. Several projects here will satisfy that goal. Set your sights on the early American dresser, the jelly cupboard, the Arts and Crafts hutch, the collector’s cabinet, or one of Mike McGlynn’s masterpieces—the Greene and Greene–inspired dresser or the Ruhlmann cabinet. They’ll present a sporting challenge, to say the least, with heirloom results.

If it’s storage you’re after, you’ll find some gems. Rick White shares several, including a steamer trunk, an angler’s cabinet, and a Scandinavian-style sideboard. You can also make a discreet home for your new flat-screen TV, or you can challenge your routing savvy with Bill Hylton’s Eastern Shore chest.

So, grab hold of woodworking’s collective torch and embark on some fine cabinetry projects. You’re in excellent hands.

Larry N. Stoiaken, Editor-in-Chief

Acknowledgments

Woodworker’s Journal recently celebrated its 30th anniversary—a benchmark few magazines ever reach. I would like to acknowledge both the 300,000 woodworkers who make up our readership and Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (rockler.com), which provided most of the hardware, wood, and other products used to build the projects in this book. Our publishing partner, Fox Chapel, did a terrific job re-presenting our material, and I am especially grateful to Alan Giagnocavo, Gretchen Bacon, John Kelsey, and Troy Thorne for their commitment to our content.

Larry N. Stoiaken, Editor-in-Chief

CONTENTS

Heirloom Collector’s Cabinet

by Dean Holzman

Set aside a weekend and some clear maple lumber for building this old-fashioned piece. The mullioned door and batten back add authenticity.

Blanket Chest

by Rick White

This charming cherry chest bypasses mortise-and-tenon joints in favor of rabbets and laps, making it easy to build without compromising strength or capacity.

Your Own Steamer Trunk

by Rick White

You’ll probably never use this sturdy, handsome trunk for an ocean voyage, but it’s the perfect accent piece at the foot of the bed for storing winter blankets.

Eastern Shore Chest

by Bill Hylton

Here’s the perfect project for expanding your routing skills. It combines cope-and-stick joints with sliding dovetails and raised panels.

Jelly Cupboard Reproduction

by Tim Johnson

To learn furniture design, reproduce an antique. The original of this piece was built entirely with hand tools, so for a real trip back in time, try doing the same.

Angler’s Cabinet

by Rick White

If you love to fish, you’re sure to have a closet full of fishing gear to contend with. This handsome pine angler’s cabinet provides plenty of storage for rods, tackle boxes, and waders.

Early American Dresser

by Stuart Barron

Walk a mile in the shoes of a colonial cabinetmaker, and you’ll learn a lot about how an heirloom is made. This piece even has a not-so-secret drawer.

Scandinavian-Style Sideboard

by Rick White

A short base and a broad, low cabinet define a sideboard. This one has flush-fit drawers and doors and a beveled top for that Scandinavian flavor.

Bowfront Bureau

by Rick White

Bending wood can be challenging, but these graceful curves can be managed with simple jigs and bendable plywood.

Backyard Barbecue Cart

by David Larson

You can wheel this sturdy, Corian-topped cart around on the deck or patio, and it’s roomy enough to store all your outdoor cooking utensils plus a couple of bags of charcoal.

Arts and Crafts Hutch

by Bruce Kieffer

Building an exquisite piece like this is a labor of love. This hutch is not a reproduction, but a totally new design based on traditional mission-era furniture.

Cherry China Cabinet

by Rick White

This china cabinet features classic clean lines, gentle arches, and hidden hardware. It’s amply sized to store all your table finery, with glass upper doors for displaying your treasures.

Greene and Greene–Inspired Dresser

by Mike McGlynn

This chest of drawers has an extraordinary number of parts, and putting them together requires logic and care—but the results will be well worth the trouble.

Weekend Toy Box

by Mike McGlynn

Safe and sturdy, stylish and practical, this weekend project is easy to build, and it will remain useful as a keepsake chest or a bench long after the kids have left home.

Flat-Screen TV Cabinet

by Mike McGlynn

Here’s a modern cabinet with a tricky motorized lift for your flat-screen TV set. It’s a slick way to make that dead-black box go away when you aren’t watching it.

Ruhlmann Cabinet

by Mike McGlynn

This entertainment center is likely to be the trickiest project you’ll ever tackle, but it’s also likely to be one of the most rewarding.

Heirloom Collector’s Cabinet

Set aside a weekend and a few feet of clear maple lumber for building this old-fashioned collector’s cabinet. The mullioned door and batten-style back lend an aged authenticity to the project. Follow up with an amber-toned, faux shellac finish.

by Dean Holzman

Most of my woodworking is for the theater—things such as stage sets, chairs made at unusual angles, and cabinets painted in outlandish colors. But every once in a while, I get to build a project that will last a lot longer than the run of the latest play in town.

The woman who had me build this small cabinet needed a place for displaying her collection of figurines, although it could be used for many other purposes, as well. If you like the country look, you’ll appreciate the mullioned door and the traditional choice of maple for the cabinet’s construction. Maple was often used in American country furniture, and glass-paned doors were a common feature.

Getting Started

To begin, select maple stock for the cabinet sides, top, and bottom (pieces 1 and 2), and rip it to width (see the Material List on page 2). Then, crosscut the pieces to length by stacking each pair and cutting them at the same time (see Figure 1). This is a practice that helps to guarantee square assemblies.

Next, using a combination square and a pencil, lay out the dowel locations on the sides, as indicated in the exploded view drawing on page 2. To drill the dowel holes, I recommend using a drilling jig and drill press. The Dowl-it jig is particularly effective because it’s accurate and simple to use. Before drilling holes in your actual project pieces, however, drill some ⅜" holes in scrap wood to make sure the dowels (pieces 3) fit properly. You may have to try several bits before you get a good fit. Once you settle on a bit, drill the four holes in the ends of each side piece with the help of the jig, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1:Stack any pieces that need to match, and crosscut them to length at the same time. This will ensure a square cabinet assembly.

Figure 2:Lay out the dowel locations on the cabinet sides, and then position your jig. Slipping a stop collar onto the drill bit will limit the depth of the holes.

Accurate Holes without a Drill Press

Don’t have a drill press? The Dowl-it jig can be an inexpensive substitute (www.dowl-it.com, 800-451-6872). Spread the plates of the jig far apart to create a wide, stable base, and chuck a bit in your drill. Slip the bit into the appropriate hole in the jig, and position the setup precisely over your drilling location. Now you can bore an accurate, straight hole that’s perfectly square to the surface of the panel.

Transferring the hole locations from the sides to the top and bottom is extremely easy with the help of steel dowel centers (see Figure 3 on page 4). To help position the sides, clamp a fence 1½" from each end of the top and bottom, slide the sides next to the outside edge of each fence, and press down on the sides to form imprints with the dowel centers. Now, use your drill press and the ⅜" bit to bore the holes. If you don’t have a drill press, try the Dowl-it jig technique described in Accurate Holes without a Drill Press at left. After completing this step, chamfer the rim of each hole with a countersink bit.

Before assembling the box, there are four small steps to complete. First, drill the ¼" holes in each side for the shelf supports (pieces 4), as shown in the carcass elevation drawing on page 6. Second, lay out the mortises for the hinges (pieces 5), and use a chisel to clean out the waste (see Chopping Hinge Mortises by Hand on page 5). Third, drill the hole in the bottom for the bullet catch (piece 6). And fourth, rout the ends and front edge of the top and bottom with a ½" roundover bit.

Material List

T x W x L

1

Sides (2)

¾" x 5¼" x 24"

2

Top and Bottom (2)

¾" x 6¾" x 18"

3

Dowels (32)

⅜" x 1½"

4

Shelf Supports (8)

¼" Pegs (Brass)

5

Hinges (2)

1½" x 1½" (Brass)

6

Bullet Catch (1)

¼" Dia. (Brass)

7

Back Rails (2)

¾" x 2" x 11"

8

Back Stiles (2)

¾" x 2" x 24"

9

Door Rails (2)

¾" x 2" x 12½"

10

Door Stiles (2)

¾" x 2" x 23⅞"

11

Glass (1)

⅛" x 13⅛" x 20½"

12

Battens (4)

7/16" x 2½" x 20½"

13

Batten (1)

7/16" x 2¾" x 20½"

14

Screws (6)

#8-1½" (Brass)

15

Mullions (4)

7/16" x ¾" x 22"

16

Shelves (2)

½" x 4¼" x 14⅞"

17

Retaining Strips (4)

¼" x 5/16" x 22"

18

Brads (16)

#17 Wire Gauge

19

Flush-Mount Hinges (2)

1½" x 1⅞" (Steel)

20

Bumpers (2)

½" Dia. x ⅛" Thick

21

Knob (1)

¾" x 1¼" Oval (Brass)

Now, join the top and bottom to the sides with glue and dowels. It’s a good idea with dowel joints to tap the dowels into place and then close the joints slowly with clamps. Clamping too quickly, or hitting the dowels sharply with a hammer, could cause the wood to split or the dowel pins to crush as pressure builds up in the holes. Check the box for squareness several times before letting the glue dry overnight.

Making the Back and Doors

While the carcass sits in the clamps, rip some ¾"-thick maple for the back and door frames (pieces 7 through 10). Cut the stock to length, once again stacking the pieces so you end up with identically sized parts. Next, lay out and drill the dowel holes, as shown in the back and door elevation drawings on pages 6–7. Dry fit the frames to check the fit of the joints, and with your router and a rabbeting bit, rout 5/16" x 5/16" rabbets on the back of the door frame for holding the glass (piece 11). Square the corners of the rabbets with a chisel, and then take the frames apart.

Next, chuck a ¼" straight bit in your router table, and prepare to rout grooves in the back frame pieces for holding the battens (pieces 12 and 13). Draw starting and stopping locations on the router fence for routing the stiles, and then plow all the grooves.

The stock for the battens and mullions is 7/16" thick. If you have a planer, you can easily mill some ¾" material to the right thickness; if you don’t have access to a planer, you can accomplish the same results by resawing thicker stock on a band saw or table saw, as shown in Figure 4 on page 4. Once the pieces are properly sized, install a ¼" dado blade in your table saw, and form the ¼" x ¼" tongues on one edge and both ends of four of the battens, as shown in the back assembly detail drawing on page 7. One batten (piece 13) is slightly wider than the others and features a tongue on both edges. After forming the tongues, reset your blade height and fence, and plow a groove in the second edge of the appropriate battens.

For decoration, chamfer the edge shoulders of each batten, as shown in the batten detail drawing on page 2. Cut the chamfers with a standard table saw blade tilted 45° and set low enough to avoid nipping the tongues. When the back frame is assembled, the chamfers will form V-grooves—a feature seen on many old cabinets.

Figure 3:To transfer the dowel hole locations, insert steel dowel centers in the sides, and press them into position on the top and bottom pieces.

Figure 4:To resaw 3 4" stock, use a push stick to make a number of 1 2"-deep passes until the blade breaks through the top edge of the stock.

Figure 5:After cutting the mullions to length for your door, cut exactly halfway through your stock with a 5/16" dado blade to form the tenons.

Now, glue the back frame around the battens, leaving the battens unglued to allow for wood expansion. While you’re at it, glue up the door frame, as well. After the glue has dried, trim the back frame to fit into the cabinet, drill three countersunk pilot holes through the top and bottom into the frame, and drive brass screws (pieces 14) into the pilot holes.

Making the Mullion Frame

Use the rest of your 7/16"-thick material for the mullions (pieces 15). Rip the stock a little wider than the Material List calls for, and then hand plane the edges down to the ¾" dimension. Check your planing progress often to make sure the edges remain square.

Since your door is bound to be a little different from mine, be sure to measure the door opening before cutting your mullions to length. After crosscutting the strips, install a ¾" dado blade, raise it 7/32", and cut the half-lap joints (see the half-lap detail drawing on page 3). Make test cuts in scrap stock, and adjust the blade height until the joint is right on the money. Then, lay out and cut the half laps in your mullion stock, as shown in the door elevation drawings on page 7. Next, use a 5/16" dado blade, the table saw’s miter gauge, and a setup block clamped to the fence to cut the tenons on the half laps (see Figure 5).

Assemble the mullion frame, and use it to mark the mortise locations in the door. Trace around each tenon with a utility knife, and clean out the mortises with a chisel, just as you did earlier when you formed the hinge mortises.

Test the fit of the mullion frame in the door, make any corrections, and then glue the frames together. A drop of glue in each mortise and half-lap joint is all it takes.

Carrying Out the Final Fitting

Fitting an overlay door is much easier than fitting an inset door, which is one reason this project is so cabinetmaker friendly. Plane the edges of the door flush with the sides of the cabinet, and trim the door’s ends using the table saw to get 1/16" gaps. Using the table saw works only if the doors and cabinet are square; if your project is out of square, you’ll have to hand plane all four door edges to fit.

Now, use a square and knife to transfer the hinge mortise locations directly from the cabinet to the door. Remove the waste using the technique described in Chopping Hinge Mortises by Hand. Then, mark and drill the pilot holes for the hinge screws. Mount the door in the cabinet to check its swing and fit, and then remove it for installing the glass.

Cut shelves (pieces 16) for your cabinet, and rip retaining strips (pieces 17) for holding the glass in the door. Miter the retaining strips to length, and drill pilot holes for the brads (pieces 18). Don’t fool yourself into thinking the pilot holes are unnecessary—without them, you’re bound to split the strips or bend the nails.

Sand the cabinet to 150 grit, and then select your stain and topcoat. To make the cabinet look old, I colored the wood with medium-amber-maple aniline dye stain. Mix the water-based stain full strength, and apply it with a sponge. After allowing it to soak in for several minutes, wipe off the excess. If the color isn’t dark enough for you, apply more stain; if the color is too dark, wipe the cabinet with a damp rag to remove some of the stain. Wiping on four coats of an oil finish after staining will create a pleasant sheen and a fitting topcoat for this cabinet.

Completing the Final Details

Secure the back assembly in the carcass, and install the flush-mount fasteners (pieces 19), as shown in the back elevation drawings. To keep the cabinet hanging plumb after installing the flush-mount fasteners, stick small adhesive bumpers (pieces 20) to the bottom back corners. Next, drill a pilot hole in the door for the knob (piece 21), and install the glass with the retaining strips and brads. Hinge the door to the cabinet, and tap the bullet catch into its hole. Drill a corresponding hole in the bottom edge of the door, and install the strike plate for the catch.

As you can see, this is a simple cabinet, but to really do it justice, you must still take care with the building process. Learning a few tricks of the trade on projects like this will make it easy to step up to more complicated designs later on.

Chopping Hinge Mortises by Hand

Step 1:Make several passes around the hinge with a knife to cut deep lines.

Step 2:Chamfer the mortise outline to relieve the edges and define the depth.

Step 3:Chop the mortise with a mallet and chisel, and then pare off the waste.

A sharp chisel and a steady hand can make short work of chopping out a mortise for a hinge, and it’s more efficient than setting up a router and jig if you only have a few mortises to do. Begin by holding the hinge in position and outlining the mortise with a utility knife (Step 1). Next, use a chisel to make chamfering cuts around the outline that define the depth of the mortise (Step 2). Wrap up the procedure by making a number of vertical chopping cuts to loosen the waste and cleaning out the mortise to the depth of the chamfers (Step 3).

QuickTip

Instant Edging Clamps

Edging clamps are a useful item, but you may need them so seldom that you’re reluctant to give them shop space or spend money on them. So what do you do when you have a job that requires edge clamping? Improvise with small C-clamps and wooden wedges, as shown. For very small jobs, where little pressure is required, 1" strapping tape works fairly well.

A C-clamp and some folded wedges create quick and easy edge clamps.

Blanket Chest

You’d never know by looking at it, but this charming cherry chest bypasses traditional mortise-and-tenon joints in favor of a unique combination of rabbet and lap joints, making the chest easier to build without compromising its strength. A finishing scheme of both paint and clear finish also lends a handsome effect to this piece, which is sure to become a family heirloom.

by Rick White

Winters can be just a bit chilly up here in Minnesota. Thankfully, modern housing keeps us warm and cozy, but our ancestors weren’t so lucky. When the first hoarfrost settled on the cottonwoods, those hardy folks reached into Grandma’s old blanket chest for another layer of warmth.

This chest follows in that same tradition, providing attractive and functional year-round storage for winter blankets. It combines the warmth of natural cherry with a historically authenticated Windsor green water-based enamel paint. Where it surpasses the original is in its hardware, which includes a pair of inexpensive but effective lid supports that are designed to protect children’s fingers from pinches.

Making a Flat Panel

To create this family heirloom, the first step is to choose some top-quality stock for the lid (piece 1). The appearance of the solid cherry lid is one of the most critical features of this chest. If you’re not used to creating wide panels, here are some pointers to help you over the hurdles.

Several narrow boards, rather than a few wide ones, make for the most stable panel, and some woodworkers will even rip and reglue wider boards to achieve this. The key is to have an uneven number of boards (or an even number of boards of varying widths) so the panel doesn’t have an eye-catching joint running right down the middle. Some would also alternate the grain patterns by looking at the ends of the boards and making sure that every other crown points down. Biscuits or dowels are helpful to keep everything in line when clamping large panels like this. A center clamp will exert pressure on the center of a panel to keep it flat while clamping (see Figure 1).

If you own a planer, you can make two small panels first, plane them, glue them up, and then belt sand the last joint. But for a professional look, I recommend gluing up 4/4 stock and having a local cabinet shop run it through their wide belt sander.

The bottom of the chest (piece 2) is also a glued-up panel. Make this from poplar rather than cherry; it will be painted anyway, and poplar is less expensive. Making the lid and bottom together will save time on setups. While you’re at it, go ahead and glue up some of your nicer cherry stock for the eight decorative panels.

Figure 1:A center clamp slides along the pipe of a standard clamp and applies pressure to the center of larger glued-up panels.

The skeleton of my blanket chest is poplar, an old favorite of cabinetmakers and furniture builders. It’s a fast-growing hardwood with fine, closed grain, so it’s commonly used as a base for veneers or as hidden or painted structural members.

Each side of the blanket chest carcass can be treated as a subassembly—a frame that contains panels. The front and back frames are identical, as are the two side frames.

The first step in building these frames is to cut the parts to size, referring to the Material List on page 10. All the cuts are square except for the short taper on the lower ends of the stiles (pieces 3 and 4). This taper can be laid out using the dimensions given in the stile detail drawing on page 10 and then cut to size on your band saw.

Material List

T x W x L

1

Lid (1)

¾" x 17¼" x 38"

2

Bottom (1)

¾" x 15¼" x 35"

3

Front and Back Stiles (4)

¾" x 3½" x 19¼"

4

Side Stiles (4)

¾" x 3¼" x 19¼"

5

Front and Back Rails (4)

¾" x 3½" x 30"

6

Side Rails (4)

¾" x 3½" x 10¼"

7

Interior Stiles (4)

¾" x 3½" x 10¼"

8

Front and Back Panels (6)

¾" x 7⅞" x 10⅛"

9

Side Panels (2)

¾" x 10⅛" x 10⅛"

10

Front and Back Horizontal Moldings (12)

⅜" x ½" x 8"

11

All Vertical and Side Horizontal Moldings (20)

⅜" x ½" x 10¼"

12

Solid-Brass Hinges (3)

1½" x 2"

13

Lid Supports (2)

14

Windsor Green Enamel Paint (1 Quart)

Raising Panels on the Router Table

Vertical-style panel-raising bits are the only way to go these days. They are safer than big horizontal cutters, are easy to use, and provide the home woodworker with plenty of profile options. The key to using these bits is to always support your workpiece vertically with an appropriately sized auxiliary fence.

For best results, your router should have at least a 1½ horsepower motor. The load exerted on these long cutters is substantial, especially in denser hardwood stock. That is why vertical panel-raising bits are generally not available with ¼" shanks.

Routers featuring variable-speed controls are recommended by the bit manufacturers. Variations in both the speed of the router’s motor and the rate of feed can have a strong impact on the quality of the cut. Wood that is cut too quickly across the grain will have torn fibers, and an overly slow cut can leave you with burn marks. You can improve the quality of your work and reduce strain on the router bit by taking six or seven passes on each edge of a panel, moving your fence after each pass. To minimize tearout, rout the end grain first and then the sides. Chatter and chipping are two good indicators that your cut is too deep and that you should adjust your fence.

The keys to using vertical panel-raising bits are to support them with an auxiliary fence on your router table and to take multiple light passes.

I used lap joints on the front, back, and side frames, and rabbet and dado joints on the corners, as shown in the corner detail drawing on page 10. There are two reasons for using lap joinery: It does a great job of securing the stiles to the rails, and at the same time, it creates recesses for the cherry panels. Since I’m using molding to hold the panels in place, a traditional mortise is not necessary.

To make the lap joints, insert a dado head in your table saw, and set the blade height and the fence for a ½" x ½" cut. Mill rabbets on both edges of the side stiles and on the tapered edges of the front and back stiles, as shown in the detail drawing.

This same rabbet is milled on one edge of the front, back, and side rails (pieces 5 and 6) and on both edges of the interior stiles (pieces 7). The second half of the lap joint is a ½"-wide tongue that is milled on the ends of the rails and interior stiles. To make this tongue, decrease the blade height to create a ¼"-deep cut, and use your miter gauge to maintain squareness.

With the dado head set up, you can now create the tongue, which runs around the edge of the bottom panel. Set the depth of cut to ⅜", and form the ¼"-wide tongue. There’s one more operation you can perform with the dado set installed: forming the grooves in the front and back stiles to accommodate the tongues you just milled on the side stiles. The grooves will require an adjustment in the kerf width, so remove the dado head and reset it to ¼". Now, set the height to ½", align your fence ½" away, and create the grooves (see the stile detail drawing on page 10).

Assembling the Frames

With all the initial machining done, it’s time to assemble the four frames. Gluing the lap joints can be tricky because the joint tends to buckle as the clamp applies pressure. One way to avoid this problem is by using C-clamps to hold a short length (about 8") of scrap on either side of the joint. Set the C-clamps so they’re finger tight only; that way, you can still close the joint under pressure from the pipe clamps. Slip a piece of wax paper between the scrap and frame so excess glue won’t secure the scrap to your workpiece. When the pipe clamps are snug, tighten the C-clamps fully to hold the two cheeks of the lap joint together while the glue cures. As you assemble the frames, check for squareness by measuring diagonally across the faces, and adjust your clamps accordingly.

With all four frames glued up, you can now run the grooves that hold the bottom panel. This task is best done with a router rather than a table saw because two of the four grooves are stopped before they emerge from the end of the frame.

To make the two stopped dadoes, equip your router table with a ⅜" straight bit, and set the depth of cut to 5/16". Stick some masking tape to your router table fence, and mark the location of the router bit on it. You’ll have two marks ⅜" apart showing the points where the bit enters and exits the workpiece (see Figure 2).

The top rail of each frame will run along the fence, which should be set 15½" from the bit. Using the marks on the masking tape as a guide, slowly push the piece down on the bit so the leading edge is ½" beyond the left-hand mark. Feed the piece from right to left, stopping when the right edge is just ½" to the right of the two marks. Square up the stopped dadoes with a sharp chisel.

Figure 2:Align marks on your router table fence and the stiles to locate the two stopped dadoes that will hold the bottom panel.

QuickTip

Sawing Thin Wood

When you want to rip veneers or other thin pieces of wood on the table saw, you need a safe way to hold them down. This L-shaped hold-down does the job. To use it, lower the saw blade, and install a zero-clearance table insert. Next, position a piece of the thin stock under the hold-down, and clamp it in place, as shown. Then, remove the setup workpiece, turn on the saw, and raise the blade until you hear it just touch the hold-down. Back the blade off a hair, and you’re ready to start sawing.

If you find the thin workpieces slipping under the regular saw fence, mount a wooden auxiliary fence that you can tighten down to the saw table, closing the gap.

Assembling the Carcass

Now, it’s time to start bringing the chest together. Begin by laying the back frame flat on your workbench with the outside face down. Rotate the frame until the ends extend beyond the edges of your worktop (so you can clamp it later), and then drop the bottom panel into its groove. Don’t glue the panel in.

The two side frames do get glued in, and they’re inserted next, followed by the front frame. Then, clamp everything together. If you are a relatively new woodworker, you should be aware that many people tend to overtighten clamps, squeezing too much of the glue out of the joints. Try to resist those last two turns on the crank; simply make the joint snug while the glue cures. Be sure to check and recheck your diagonals now, adjusting as necessary to keep everything square.

Installing the Panels

With the carcass assembled and waiting for its cherry panels (pieces 8 and 9), this is an excellent time to apply paint to all the poplar areas. Doing so now eliminates the need to apply masking tape to the panels later. While you have the paint out, you should also coat the embossed moldings (pieces 10 and 11).

Your panel stock should be ready by now, so go ahead and trim the eight panels to size, lightly marking the best ones for the front and sides. The raised panel is created using a vertical panel-raising bit in the router table (see Raising Panels on the Router Table on page 12). Make a number of passes, moving your fence 1/16" farther back each time, until you have ¼" of stock left on the lip. Rout the end grain first, and then the long grain, to help minimize short-grain tearout.

Finishing Up