Cabinet goes up!

Thanks

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Jim -

Just note to say, thanks. I very much appreciate your posting the progress pics on your cabinet. Even without much prose they're providing interesting snipets of design issues, tool use, assembly and other interesing aspects of the craft.

Besides it fun watching someone making progress on a project. So, even if I don't reply often to your pics, just wanted to let you know that I, for one, am enjoying them.

Regards -

Dave

I keep 'em coming

jim_reed@marietta

>Thanks for your kind words.

Re: Cabinet goes up!

Richard Gillespie

>Jim, I'm also watching with keen interest. I'm trying to understand your statement of "brute force chopping".

Could you explain further please.

Thanks

Brute force chopping

jim_reed@marietta

>The joint is a multiple mortise and the shelf is also let into the front piece. I cut the shelf end according to a pattern, then started whacking away on the side. After letting in the side, I marked the 5 mortises. They are 1" x 2" x 1/2" deep and are too far inside to be done with my mortise machine. First whack outlines the spot. I continue working around to about 3/16" deep. Then use router to hog out waste and define bottom. More whacking to clean up sides and finish bottom. Soft paring on final fitting. The shelf is about 10lbs and I got quite a workout lifting it for fitting (two sides to fit and 50 trials each means I lifted a half a ton!).

Re: Brute force chopping

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Jim,

Firstly, I also enjoy your shop project postings.

Secondly, why so many tenons on the ends of the boards?

Multiple mortise (long)

jim_reed@marietta

>Why six tenons? This is a slab sided box. It could be joined with dovetails, dados and rabbets, a sliding dovetail, or multiple mortise. Plans called for MM, so I thought I would give it a go. Dovetails were a no go because there is a decorative edge on the bottom and the slab projects to the floor, ending in feet. Dados and rabbets would work, but would be a poor choice to prevent *blow out* of sides. Sliding dovetail works best with perfectly flat boards and also weakens the slab side. Good choice for desk where drawers hold papers; poor choice for cabinet which holds a hundred pounds+ of crockery along with a display top. The MM joint is 1" tall, 2" wide, and 1/2" deep. There is a 3/4" spacer between mortises. Wood side is a full 1" thick. That leaves lots of side for strength (I think about 75%). Sliding DT would take much more wood away.

Re: Multiple mortise (long)

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Jim, what I meant was not why mortise and tenons, but why so many. I have never seen a carcass with more than two or three on the end of a horizontal board, and am curious as to the benefits - maybe I should consider more for my next project.