Here's an all but finished (no top coat/shellac) prototype, whose purpose
was to experiment with a rather unusual approach/method of doing the basic
casework for a piece of this size:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/MSB4.JPG

Many of the old wider (66 1/4" in this case) sideboards/buffets you see show
a tendency to sag over time, with the drawers and doors binding to the point
of being unusable, thus the much used 'six legged' design to give that
needed center support.

This method of doing the casework, better described on Projects/page 13 of
my website below, uses a dovetailed box with legs attached, and with the
vertical partitions fitted in dadoes and further reinforced with mortise and
tenons to the top and bottom, resulting in casework with an amazing amount
of structural integrity and resistance to racking/sagging across it's
length.

Although this prototype is completely functional, the hardware, drawer
fronts, and doors will be re-used in the final iteration, with those you see
being replaced with veneered versions so this prototype can be put to use in
another part of the house.

All in all, with a few design tweaks and the many "lessons learned" during
the process, I will probably use the same basic approach to the casework for
the planned version.

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www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 6/1/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)