On 1/8/2013 1:18 AM, Bill wrote:
Swingman,
You posted a SU drawing of assembled rails and stiles a short while back
(from your DC-WallCabinet).
I assume you knock down a wall in each of the stiles (so that the groove
is not obstructed by the side of the stile).
I assume you do this with the TS, carefully, while you're cutting the
other grooves,
as your machine will already be set-up for it after you cut grooves in
the respective rails.
No, and AFTER assembly of the faceframe ... I almost always use my
laminate router to join the grooves in the rails with the grooves in the
stiles, and I almost always do it by hand, simply marking the lines with
a square as extensions of the existing dadoes, and routing to that line.
You can make a jig, and, IIRC, that is what Leon does, but I find I can
do it much quicker with almost the same accuracy (this operation doesn't
have to be the picture of perfection unless it is visible, in which case
I will use a chisel to mark the edges of the joining groove, then either
chisel it out or use the router by hand ... this latter method keeps the
edges nice and crisp if they are going to be visible, which they rarely are)
If I understand your suggestions,
Not "suggestions" ... this is a concise method/methodology, just as a
"method engineer" would dictate in a factory setting as a sequence of
events for fabrication of any part, including the whole.
I think a reasonable sequence of
operations (omitting the cabinet doors) is:
1. Glue faceframe parts together.
Cut your dadoes and grooves in the face frame stiles and rail BEFORE you
assemble the face frames (with the exception of the above).
When making a "cabinet", you will find assembling the cabinet's face
frame's with pocket hold joinery provides more than enough strength, and
is a quick and elegant method.
2. Cut the sides, top, and back of the cabinet to fit the face frame.
Cut ALL your end panels (sides) and floors (top and bottom, usually the
same dimension) at one time. Then
Cut all dadoes/grooves in your end panels, then
3. Glue the pieces from Step 2 together and into the face face
Lay the face frame face down on a suitably flat surface. Glue and
assemble the end panels and floors to each other, and to the face frame.
Clamp, nail, screw as needed.
4. Once the above casework is assembled (without the back), double check
your measurements for the back; cut backs to size; and glue, screw, nail
in place as desired.
Please correct me if anything looks amiss! Your drawing will certainly
result in my making the "lip" on the bottom smaller
(and more sophisticated-looking)--1/8", then I would have made it. A
nice touch..
I like having that 1/8" "lip" between the top of the bottom rail and the
floor of the cabinet, and I use it all the time, in every cabinet I
build, but it is optional ... some folks don't like it. I do.
Why? That "lip" forces the floor of the cabinet to be perfectly flat,
which can be difficult to do without the lip ... and, no matter how well
you choose your stock, plywood is not always flat, and Murphy guarantees
that the only non-flat part of the cabinet will end up where it looks
the worst.
Cheers,
Bill
By the way, to my surprise I found I can get a 1/4" Cherry dowel at
Rockler for a few bucks. If I slice some notches (to avoid
glue-squeezeout) on the bottom 5/4" of a length of a dowel, will this
give me a suitable dowel for my casework joinery? I intend them for the
top and bottom in addition to the dado.
That will work, but it is unnecessary. A properly sized, glued and
clamped dado joint will suffice. Most of the time, where you may need
some other type of mechanical fastener (screws, dowels, nails, brads),
it may well be in area that will covered by trim on the outside of the
cabinet ... in that case use an appropriately sized finish nail or brad.
Another trick to reinforce a dado joint in a cabinet is to toenail a
brad though the horizontal piece and into the vertical piece in such a
manner that is almost invisible, and being careful to not breakthrough
to the other side of the vertical pieces.
I'm not sure it I need dowels
to secure the faceframe.
Gluing the face frame to the casework will usually suffice.
I would prefer not to put dowels down the
front of the work unless it is suggested to help support the (heavy?)
cabinet doors. The impression I have is that glue is up to the task.
It is.
That said, I am one of those folks who, after handling, viewing and
observing some beautiful antique furniture from both the US and Europe,
have NO problem whatsoever using a strategically placed mechanical
fastener (finish nail/brad) in a visible part of a piece of furniture
.... what was done by the old masters is good enough for me.
I do take great care, as they did, in orderly, even placement of any
fastener, respecting the direction of the grain, and using an
appropriately colored filler that will make it almost indistinguishable
for other elements of the natural wood.
So be it ... in sixty years of making things out of wood I've not had a
single remark in that regard
And,for your Faceframes, by all means, spring for a Kreg pocket hole kit
.... you will be glad that you did.
--
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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)