WIP: Mid Century Modern Cabinet

BKHam

Bradley
User
Wood is QS WO from our friends at We specialize in Quarter and Rift sawn Oak Lumber, including wide boards! We ship nationwide. - Quartersawnoak.com in New Hill.

I cut the long miters on the case with my tracksaw (Makita cordless). quick comment on that: its tough to get it set perfectly at 45:
-the spring action plunge works against you
-its just a small blade
-the bottom of the saw is irregular

so i got it close and then did some back and forth with my combo square and a plane. not easy work but nice to try (every once in a while). i have a miter shooting board but this was way too big for it.

I used biscuits to align the joints. i glued on temporary cauls and used epoxy as the glue. I see folks on youtube knocking the cauls off with a mallet after an operation like this. i had some major tear out doing that. I'd recommend using the bare minimum amount of a reversible glue and use a heat gun.

mitered feet on the base. I like the look. the doors will be edge banded / veneered plywood. i want a seamless look to highlight the bevel on the front edge of the case.

there will be an upper part of the cabinet with open shelving.
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Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
Looking good, yes miters can be challenging.

Re: epoxy, lesson learned glue on those cauls with wood glue! Knock or saw them off and plane flush.

Another option for miters is band clamping. I've used racheting cargo clamps and corner blocks lined with sand paper.

Do you have a table saw? The long miters would be more accurately done there.
 

BKHam

Bradley
User
clarification, i used epoxy on the joint. i used hide glue for the cauls.

i'll disagree with you on wood glue. the bond is so deep, it would affect the look in those areas. especially in a porous wood like WO.

i have a table saw and i've done miter sleds in the past. they are about as accurate as the track saw in my view. when you are dealing with 18 inch wide panels, its a choice between iffy options.

i use bland clamps for small mitered boxes but for this, i wanted real clamping pressure.
Looking good, yes miters can be challenging.

Re: epoxy, lesson learned glue on those cauls with wood glue! Knock or saw them off and plane flush.

Another option for miters is band clamping. I've used racheting cargo clamps and corner blocks lined with sand paper.

Do you have a table saw? The long miters would be more accurately done there.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Nailed the design.

FWIW, Too much clamping pressure can actually weaken the joints I have been informed.
 

BKHam

Bradley
User
Nailed the design.

FWIW, Too much clamping pressure can actually weaken the joints I have been informed.
thanks. I wasn't putting a ton of pressure, just pressure all the way across the 18 inch miter. it also helps with dry assemblies to have those cauls glued on.
 

pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
i glued on temporary cauls and used epoxy as the glue. I see folks on youtube knocking the cauls off with a mallet after an operation like this

Not knowing any better, all of my cauls have a layer of clear packing packing tape on one face and that has avoided sticking almost always.
 
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BKHam

Bradley
User
Nice work! How is the top attached to the base? Floating joint I guess?
I installed some threaded inserts into the bottom of the case. the attachment is fixed at the front and slotted at the back to account for the case expansion / contraction. my initial thought was to glue the front and leave the back floating. but i think i'm just going to leave it as is, just bolted. the base and case have a small bevel where they meet to create a shadow line. cleaning the glue out of that doesn't sound fun.
 

Robert LaPlaca

Robert
Senior User
Congratulations nice looking cabinet, I love the design. Who would of thought an 18th century splayed French foot would be on a mid century modern piece.
 
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llucas

luke
Senior User
I just love the look! Excellent work!
Did you resaw your own veneer? How thick?
How are the hinges mounted?
This project offers a lot of inspiration to try something similar.
Thanks for sharing.
 

BKHam

Bradley
User
Congratulations nice looking cabinet, I love the design. Who would of thought an 18th century splayed French foot would be on a mid century modern piece.
the splay is a visual trick only, unintentional i must admit. the feet are not splayed but 90 degrees to the floor. the 45 degree joint and angle create the trick.
 

BKHam

Bradley
User
I just love the look! Excellent work!
Did you resaw your own veneer? How thick?
How are the hinges mounted?
This project offers a lot of inspiration to try something similar.
Thanks for sharing.

i do resaw my own. i also use commercial veneers but not in this case. once i resaw at about an 1/8. then i sand until things are cleaned up. usually a fat 1/16. they are still thick enough to be very study and have no fear of sanding thru. I have a 10 inch wide jet drum sander. its a very efficient setup. even though wrapping and keeping sand paper tight on drum sanders is annoying.

i used inset cabinet hinges. i've done knife hinges on some projects but with this having the beveled front edge and the long miters being quite a project in themselves, i went with adjustability and ease. plus my child will be the main user of this and these have a soft close.
 

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