# Cabinet and Shelf build.



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Under the Pritam and Eames gallery in my http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/some-found-inspiration-46881/ 
I found William Keyser's cabinet shelf that I liked. I decided to build this.

I drew up some plans and measured out the space where it's going. Then I started the project today. I am using some rough old oak I've had for awhile. It has knots, bug holes, spalt, and it's a darker red oak than I usually see. Might be burr oak for all I know. I used walnut for the spacers on the shelf. The cabinet will be built to fit once the shelf is complete. The main shelf is gluing right now. I then have to attach it to the rest of the shelf that will hold the cabinet. Thinking splined miters but not sure yet. 

Here is the shelf material cut. I ended up using 5 of the pieces. Did not want it to be too wide. Unfortunately the cool knot in the middle was weak and rotten in it and those two boards broke in half. Oh well, the other's have lots of character too.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I jointed the boards on a face and side. Then planed them down. Ended up about 15/16th square.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I then spaced out the shelf boards. I wasn't sure how wide I was going to want them. I had an idea about the over all depth I wanted so I used some dogs and a holdfast then used my forstner bits to space the boards till they appealed to my eye. I ended up at 5/8" spacing. I think it looks good.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I then cut a walnut spacer. Crosscut to approximate length, then used my dado set to cut a series of dado's across the board face. I matched the dados to the thickness of the boards going into them with shims on a flat surface. I then made a cut, and used my 5/8" chisel to mark the space and used a square to mark the pencil line. I then lined up and made the dado with the table saw with a backer board to avoid tearout. I did this until I had five spots for the boards. The fit and spacing was perfect. I then ripped the spacer board so I had five spacers to use.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

The spacers in place prior to glue up.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I then spaced the spacers on the main shelf and glued them into place. The spacing on the non-cabinet side was 1" in and the cabinet side is several inches in to account for the future joinery that's going to take place. I used a rockler glue brush to carefully spread the glue in the dado spots then clamped across the face of the shelf. I then put boards over each spacer and stacked three bricks on each to provide the downward clamping force. I then prepped another board for the creation of the remainder of the shelf that wraps around the cabinet. More to come.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Okay, I'm subscribed!!!! Git er done


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Thank god were not in arts class Adam. Lol
Kidding. This is going to look cool when done. My eyes are on this one.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Looking good so far.









 







.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Setting up the TS for miters with the Wixey gauge. Perfect 45. Cut the shelf miters at perfect 45s and the grain is continuous and wraps.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Cut all 5 strips. The miters were done with a fine crosscut blade and my Osbourne miter gauge. Turned out tight. I will make a spline cutting jig tomorrow for cutting out the splines on the miters. Going to use Walnut for the splines.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Here's how the miters will look creating the cavity the cabinet will sit in.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, time to cut the splines slots. I decided to use a 1/4" slot cutter bit and put together this little jig to hold the pieces. Ganged them up and made short work of it. First mistake in plan realized. I shouldn't have glued the main shelf piece yet until I cut the spline slots in the boards. I can't use this jig for getting to the inner pieces. Drat. Adapt, overcome.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, here's the adapt and overcome. I flipped the router jig on its side and built a jig to ride my TS fence. I clamped the router jig to the fence jig and put a 1/4" dado in the TS. I was then able to move the fence and cut the slots on the assembled shelf. NOT as good as the router table unfortunately. Gonna take some chisel work to flatten the little slices made by the dado set. CMT dado set, good price, ok results.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Walnut splines. I cut them oversize and will plane each to a tight fit before glue up. This will take a bit. I'll post later with progress. Thanks for the comments and for watching me. Any input is welcome. :thumbsup:


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, it's gluing up for the first step down of the shelf. I used 18 ga brads on the side of the miter that will be hidden by the cabinet. I used the left over spacers to assist in clamping the pieces on the same plane with the rest of the shelf. Splines are in so I will wait for it to dry before moving forward. I'll start looking for cabinet material in the mean time and glue it up if necessary.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

One more.


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## MapleMoose (Sep 25, 2012)

Nice work-around to the glue-up sequence problem. Looking good!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

It's looking good. Can't wait to see it all put together.


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## GROOVY (Apr 27, 2008)

I like what you are doing there, good use of cement blocks for weight! and "grain is continuous and wraps." thats what makes it special. I can't wait to see it finished


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Continued working today on the cabinet and shelf. It was mostly dimensioning and gluing up the cabinet stock. Prepped with handplanes to S2S, then used the planer and TS to get it S4S. Then clamped the pieces together, ran the jointer across them and glued them up. Once they are done I'll work on the top and bottom. After than it'll be time to cut to size and begin joinery on the cabinet.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

More


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

More.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Cabinet sides, and front glue up. The gnarly one will be the front. I may cut out the empty knot on the side of the gnarly one with the fret saw and use the cut out area as the handle. Thoughts?


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I'm going to redo the shelf. My splined miters are not holding. My mistake of making the primary shelf and gluing it together before attaching the other angles of the shelf that wrap the cabinet are my undoing I believe. I can't get enough clamping pressure on them. I also had two splines break in half in the miter while I was trying to attach the wrap around parts. I am going to redo them and instead of miters use a ship lap joint I think it's called.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Here is a pic of the original shelf. I beveled the ends and sides, through on a coat of shellac and three coats of water based poly and now it's a trivet for our table. I hated to throw the whole thing out b/c the miters failed. So, back to the shelf again. 

Dontcha just love screwing up?


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

OK, started cutting the new shelf joints tonight. They are going to be bridle mortise and tenons. I had to look up the joint. I started with the mortise cuts. Scribed the depth with my japanese marking gauge and then the mortise itself with the veritas dual gauge which excels at this. Locked it down and kept the same for all the pieces. Sawed the sides then cut out the waste with the fret saw. This is my first time using my Moxon vise I made and it makes handsawing joinery, which was already a joy, doubly so. On to the tenon pieces!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

More marking.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Sawing


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

And the fretsaw.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

And this one makes 5. Now some light pairing to clean up saw marks and moving on. More to come.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

keeping the gauge in a dog hole like this....bad idea.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

This is why. Very clean razor cut but very deep.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

This is better.

Think I'll be done for now. Can't apply pressure on this and cut at the same time. It was one of those where you stare at it for a minute marveling at the perfect disecttion, then it starts to bleed. See ya'll tomorow.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Wow. Thats going to leave a mark. I bet it hurt the next day too, huh?


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Great build so far. I'm really enjoying the well documented photos and I'm green with tool-envy!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

rayking49 said:


> Wow. Thats going to leave a mark. I bet it hurt the next day too, huh?


It actually never hurt. These razor cuts, they are more annoying than anything. Especially when I flex the hand and feel it reopen itself. Wasted shop time applying pressure though.


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

Sorry about the cut- I got one just like on index finger with a razor knife about a month ago. I call your new joint a bridal joint-very strong. Nice build but my favorite part is the crayon artwork on the drawers- you must have a cute little one visit you in shop. :thumbsup:


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

mike1950 said:


> Sorry about the cut- I got one just like on index finger with a razor knife about a month ago. I call your new joint a bridal joint-very strong. Nice build but my favorite part is the crayon artwork on the drawers- you must have a cute little one visit you in shop. :thumbsup:


LOL, yep, my daughter is the artist. Turn your back for one second and she's got half a cupboard colored in. I thought about sanding it off or getting a Mr Clean magic eraser. After a bit though, those marks will be there as long as I'm at this house. You dads know why.


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## MapleMoose (Sep 25, 2012)

ACP said:


> ... You dads know why.


:thumbsup:
Best art there is!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Onward to the next leg of the wrap around shelf. Continued making the tenons and mortises of the bridle joint with the handsaw. Did some clean up with the router plane, some with chisel work. It went pretty quickly and was quite relaxing. I love hand tools.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Crosscut the waste off.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Little router work, no eyes, ears, or mask required.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Here's the joint. I was able to cut all five of these and then all five of the other end of this short stretch. I am very close to having the shelf done. I think I'll put a mild chamfer on the corners of the outside pieces of the shelf. Going to handplane the pieces smooth as well. Also have to make the spacers again. I've been toying with a dowel spacer idea as opposed to the prior piece of dadoed wood that I used on my failed first attempt. I think the dowels might be more subdued. Not sure what I'll do yet. More to come.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Still working on this whenever I can. Got all the shelf pieces made and am working on the cabinet. Doing my most favorite thing ever, cutting dovetails in red oak....not. It always looks so easy in pine when the pros do it and the joints compress instead of rive like with oak. I need to practice my DT's more.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Together on the show side. I'm happy with the DT's so far on this one. They came together nicely.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Together on wall side. This one is the one that chipped when going together. Too much "finessing" with the hammer. Since it's wall side I'm going to live with it, lesson learned. Pair a little more and wriggle together a little less. Had this not been oak the two tails that chipped would likely have not done that. This is one of my issues with oak, but I really enjoy working with it otherwise. I would say this is maybe my 5th set of DT's I've cut. I'm improving. Just need more patience.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

This is a fun thread to read. Nice work so far. I'm looking forward to the finished product.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I agree. I'm enjoying the ride.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Just found this thread, don't know how I missed it. The detailed pictures are much appreciated, and I like that you are using so many different hand tools. I'll be watching closely to try and pick up some tips.

Also, I've seen that can of paste wax in the background of a lot of your pictures. I use the same stuff, but usually once a month or so to keep the TS top slick. Are you using it daily for something?


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Thank you. Yes, the paste wax is a daily companion for my saws and planes. It has a rag inside that is thoroughly soaked in wax and I just rub down the saws and planes every so often to reduce friction. The difference between the using wax on a sole or saw plate and not is very noticeable.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Router plane mania! 

I'm done with the case dovetails and am now cutting the stopped dados for the shelves. I use a carcase saw to make the sidewall cuts (some of them) then use my widest chisel (that's worth a damn) to chop the side walls and sever the persnickity red oak fibers. I then used a 1/4" chisel to start my cuts and get me rough out about 2/3 of the way deep. Then follow up with the router plane to the marked depth. First time I've done this, and I suffered some chipping where I didn't sever deep enough and go to aggressive with the router plane. Once in the groove it guides itself marvelously and it works so much safer than a router for stopped dados, which I've always sucked at. Learning as I go and loving it!!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

One more shot.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I've been stricken with plague lately so this has been slow going. I was able to find the strength to rabbet the back with my plow plane, and fit the shelves. I also finished up the main parts with a smoothing plain and scraper for the knotty areas. I did a 3/16 chamfer detail on the door with my block plain, just something to break up the outline a bit. Next step will be to glue up the carcase and plane the dovetail joints as necessary. Then on to putting the door on and back to the finishing the shelf.

It should be noted that the end grain rabbets were cut with a tenon saw and carcase saw. I did clean it up a bit with the shoulder plane. I have actually gotten to use most of my planes on this build which pleases me, even my little 98 side rabbet has seen some action. Makes me feel like they are needed and not just dust collection.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

It's looking good. You have some cool tools man. Makes me jealous, lol. I'm really enjoying this build. I wish I could see it in action.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Here is the cabinet gluing up. Note to self; self, make your dovetail cauls before you glue it together, not after.....

I just cut some scraps to rough size and used double stick carpet tape to put them where I wanted them so the clamps would put pressure in the right spot.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Here's the stopped dado shelf detail. I'm kinda proud of that. First time I've cut a stopped dado by hand. The shelf is allowed to move, it is not glued but trapped with a little wiggle in the rear of it for expansion. The rear piece is also not glued but nailed with holes predrilled with my Goodall Pratt push drill. This allows for movement as well since the backs holes are loose and the nail is tight into the sides of the carcase (I hope). This is ok since nothing heavy is going to be in the cabinet. Otherwise I would have enclosed the back in grooves for great support when it gets attached to the wall.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

One last detail, I had some pretty big chips on the above photo of the dovetails. That was from forcing them together when they were too tight. A later screw up forced me to cut the DT's off and have a do over. I lost an inch of height, oh well. But the second set turned out better. I'll show them off when the glue is dried and I've cleaned them up with a smoother.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, putting on the finish. Here it is with the stain on and 2 coats of dewaxed shellac. Next comes the poly then FIN.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Dovetails look better no?


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

And the DT's on the other side....


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Another view of the shelf/case


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Door. Note small chamfers on edges. Just to give a subtle profile.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Chamfers


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

My son makin' shavins'.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

He's making me a birthday present. :thumbsup:


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

*FIN*

I am done.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Zinc plated butt hinges that I stripped with lemon juice. The knob is from an antique store. I got a bag of them for like $5. I thought they were unique. I put it on the knot to make the knot look like it's coming out.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

More.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Last one and I'm done. I doubt I did the original justice but this is one of the first times I've taken a project from sketch to bench to finish with mostly, (mostly) hand tools. First real project with successful dovetails. First time using pinned through bridle joints. So all in all not a bad project.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

Woohoo! Nice going. That is a handsome looking cabinet. It is always great to try something new on a project and have it turn out. I hope you'll post pics of it installed as well.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Will do! I'm going to hang it tonight when the wife gets home to help me.


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## LearnByDoing (Jan 18, 2012)

Nice work!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

*Cabinet is hung by the toilet with care in hopes that people would soon poop there.*

It's hung, last pic, I'm really really done now. TP, washclothes are in place. Wife just needs to put something on the shelf.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

ACP said:


> It's hung, last pic, I'm really really done now. TP, washclothes are in place. Wife just needs to put something on the shelf.


Looks sharp. For some reason, I imagined it being bigger, but given the use, that looks like it is just the right size and shape. It looks a lot better than the 10 year old MDF RTA POS that I have above my throne...

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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