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Thread: How to join frames into a cabinet?

  1. #1

    How to join frames into a cabinet?

    Here's a question for some experienced cabinetmakers.

    I'm building a traditional-style (close to Stickley) bookcase of red oak with glass doors and frame-and-panel cabinet construction. The basic plan calls for a back frame, two side frames, a bottom frame and a top frame. The front of the cabinet has a rail across the bottom with the glass doors above it.

    You can see an exploded view of the design posted on 19 May, 2007, titled "Bookcase exploded view" at alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking.

    Each frame is made with mortise and tennon joints with a panel free (unglued) inside the frame. I have no questions about how to build the frames. My question is about attaching the completed frames together to make the cabinet case. The plans call for joining the frames together to form the case with only a very few screws. The only glued joints holding the case together are mortise and tennons at the ends of the very narrow rail across the front of the cabinet.

    I think the cabinet needs more than a few screws to hold it together. I want to glue all the frames together, possibly using biscuits. My understanding is that the frames in a cabinet move only a negligible amount. What would be wrong with glueing the back frame to the side frames and the top frame to both the side and back frames?

    My question is: Will it hurt anything if I glue the completed frames together to make the cabinet case?

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Manchester, England
    Posts
    63
    Tom,

    All the pieces that you are fastening together have the grain running in the same direction. You have taken care of the problem of wood movement by your use of the floating panel system. You can do no more.

    I'd use biscuits and PVA glue and get it clamped up tight.

    You might want to think about running a v-groove or bead down the glue line before clamping up to accentuate it. Believe it or not, this looks much better than trying to hide it with filler!

    Unless of course, you get it absolutely perfect, in which case you're a better man than me!

    Cheers
    Brad

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Brad Naylor View Post
    Tom,

    All the pieces that you are fastening together have the grain running in the same direction. You have taken care of the problem of wood movement by your use of the floating panel system. You can do no more.

    I'd use biscuits and PVA glue and get it clamped up tight.

    You might want to think about running a v-groove or bead down the glue line before clamping up to accentuate it. Believe it or not, this looks much better than trying to hide it with filler!

    Unless of course, you get it absolutely perfect, in which case you're a better man than me!

    Cheers
    Brad
    Brad,

    Thanks for your reply. I'm getting convinced that the instructions for joining the frames to make the cabinet were just accidentally left out of the plans and that I should glue the frames together.

    I don't quite understand your suggestion about running a v-groove or bead down the glue line. What is the intention, i.e. what am I trying to hide? When you say the glue line, do you mean the actual line where the two boards meet and the glue squeezes out?

    Thanks again,
    Tom

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Marchner View Post
    Brad,

    I don't quite understand your suggestion about running a v-groove or bead down the glue line. What is the intention, i.e. what am I trying to hide? When you say the glue line, do you mean the actual line where the two boards meet and the glue squeezes out?

    Thanks again,
    Tom
    I think this is what he was talking about. http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1022 When trying to glue two pieces together like you are talking about sometimes it's difficult to get a perfect joint and the grain might not match well. Instead of just living with this flaw or trying to cover it up you could use this bit to accentuate it and make it a design element. It's not my favorite look though. To me it's almost as strange as leaving the layout marks on hand cut dovetails on the finished piece. Instead I try to make the joints as invisible as possible and I've had good success. I suppose it also depends on the design of your project too.

    An alternative would be to just use a standard flush trim bit without the V-groove. This would smooth out the joint perfectly if your glue up didn't go exactly as planed.

    Bruce
    Last edited by Bruce Benjamin; 05-20-2007 at 3:01 PM.

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