A Ming-Inspired Cabinet (45)

The continuing account of the design and construction of a pair of cabinets in bubinga and shedua wood.

The first of the dovetailed main carcase units is together:

 

The rear drawer rail sitting atop is acting as a gauge against the inside of the box, to make sure that the box dimension is correct:

A look around the 4 corners of the box, after miters are done:

2:

3:

And 4:

A tiny chip out at the very corner, but chamfering later on should see it gone.

Then box #2 was worked through to the same stage:

Then on to the interior joinery work, starting with the front drawer rails, which are a hair tight to start:

I crept up on the fit for the tenon shoulders by way of a Japanese saw file:

After the housings are to the right width and squared up, the blind mortises were done:

In it goes:

Down:

There’s a tiny gap there at the front, so I’ll have to give the tenon shoulder a little attention later on.

A while later, two rails were in place, along with their related drawer runner supports:

The same process was repeated on the opposite side board, and after that I got to work on the dadoes for the shelf panel tongues:

Following that, housings were cut by router and then squared up by chisel:

Another view:

These housings are time-consuming to make, though I’m pretty much dialed in now with tools and jigs for producing the housings, and the remaining three panels will be done faster I’m sure. Tomorrow I’ll be cutting the double through-mortises which are placed within the housings I have already cut, do some more sharpening and finish planing, and maybe even fit a rail or two, who knows?

Thanks for visiting the Carpentry Way, more furniture making than carpentry of late to be sure. On to post 46.