Curio Cabinet, Part 3: Carcase Joinery and Shaping

Having completed the beading on the side panels, I moved on to the joinery for the carcase.  I cut stopped dadoes into the top and bottom to accept the side panels.

Dado in the bottom

The front of the side panels would extend past the dadoes by about 1/2" and I used the router plane at it's maximum setting from cutting the dadoes to mark the cutout for that.

Marking the cutout depth - being very careful as there was little bearing surface for the router plane

I don't know how it happened, but one joint fit poorly.  It was way too loose.  I ended up having to glue a few shavings to the part of a side panel that would be inserted into the dado.  My two sides are not exactly the same thickness, so I suspect that I used the wrong side piece when sizing the dado.  It's way too easy to make mistakes - checking that you're using the right parts when laying out and cutting joinery is key.

Here is the carcase dry assembled

Next, the top and bottom needed stopped rabbets to accept the back panel.  It's tedious to do this with hammer and chisel, but it goes fairly quickly.

Chopping away some waste

Paring to one gauge line

Then up in the vise and paring to the other line

Came out nice and clean

The sides got a through rabbet using the Recond #778 rabbet plane

The underside of the top was to get a cove moulding on the front and both sides.  This will be the first time I've incorporated this type of detail in a project using hand tools.  I had made a few pairs of H&R's some years ago and used them for this.  First I made a template of the shape.

Used a circle template to mark a quarter round of just under 1/2" radius

Last year after I had bought Matt Bickford's DVD "Moldings in Practice", I practiced making mouldings with some success.  But each one I did was with the grain.  For my current project, the profile on the two sides would be across the grain and I really had no idea how the planes would perform.  So I practiced on a scrap of hardwood (maple) and it came out very nice.

The practice piece with profile on cross-grain and long-grain edges

Then, ...

Used the template to mark the stock

Laid out the rabbet that would remove the bulk of the material

Cut the rabbet with a saw cross grain, chisel to split cut the waste and a wooden rabbet plane to clean up

Then used the moulding plane(s) to shape to the layout lines

Note that I used a backer board to keep the grain from blowing out at the far end

Very pleased with how it turned out

On the upper edge of the bottom, I put a simple 1/4" chamfer on three sides.

And here's the carcase dry-fit

Next I need to make the frame for the door.  I'll be using the mitered bridle joints that I practiced on.  I need those to be RIGHT!  To be continued ...