Hello!
It would seem most cabinetry can be laid down in either the "panel frame" camp, that is mortise and tenoned framework with panel infill, or the "carcase" camp, that being the general extent of the piece having its form made up of solid boards joined wither with dovetails, through wedged tenons or sliding dovetails.
My question to all here would be why exactly would one choose one form over the other, apart from aesthetics. Is one form inherently stronger than the other? Does it come down to size? Being only small cabinets fit for carcase type construction and larger pieces needing to be a panel frame design?
From a hand tool perspective it seems the carcase type would be much faster and require less overall man hours, stock dimensioning and joint cutting respectively, and if sufficiently wide boards are at hand, quite large cabinets could be made this way.
I was even wandering if there were some historic reasoning behind one choice or other?
Thanks all.
Josh