Figure 1: The big iron Besse clamps are indispensable it seems to me
This page starts the next project, which is the build-out of the north dining room wall with glass-case (and other) cabinetry. The purpose of the cases is to display a significant collection of antique Tiffin glass (circa 1870 – 1925). It’s quite beautiful, so needs cabinetry to match. This may be a tall order for a novice woodruiner, but I’m gonna give it a fly.
Note in figure 1 the huge Besse clamps. One thing I did pick up from the local woodworker’s gathering spot – and that’s the importance of the clamps. My first shell glue-up has proven that to me.
Figure 2: The middle shelf has maple edge binding applied with an iron.
Temporary face pieces have been tacked into place (these will be replaced when the individual units are set into position, so as to eliminate the seams that would ordinarily be seen between each cabinet, by using wall-width pieces. The temporary facing pieces have not been joined with anything, so are not cabinet grade yet. Cabinets are just boxes with one side open (the front). They are normally not very elaborate or exciting in themselves, and the glitz is added mostly to the face pieces and the doors.
The parts are all held together with dado cut mortises, and router cut tenons, reinforced with nail pinning. The shelf is dadoed as well, so that it will provide some structural support when we are replacing the front facing pieces (which will all be maple hardwood). The sides and back are made from maple plywood.
So, the mundane cabinets need some good looking doors. We’ve decided to use the traditional frame and panel doors, and to omit the vertical center pieces in each cabinet. This is to afford more visibility through the glass so as to make a fuller display for the antiques.
Figure 3 : A cabinet is just a box with one side open.
So, today we’ll saw up some frames pieces for a prototype door.
Usual disclaimer: These pages are written by an amateur woodworker, so are not recommended for any best practices or project advise or tutoring. The pages simply detail what I’ve been doing (a journal of sorts), and may include a ton of mistakes and bad ideas. Hopefully, some of the problems disappear by the end of the project.
Woodworking Miscellany 