DIY Network

Tool Cabinet: Case Assembly From "Wood Works" episode WWK-503

The finished tool-cabinet.

With the cabinet assembled and the necessary rabbets and dados cut for the doors and back panel, work can continue on the sliding doors from book-matched panels of Hawaiian koa wood. In addition to the doors, the back panel and shelves will also be cut and installed in the cabinet.

Materials:

Cherry stock
Cherry plywood
Jointer
Drum sander
Band saw
Table saw
Sharp chisel
Measuring tape
Hand scraper
220-grit and 320-grit sandpaper
Yellow woodworker's glue
Glue roller
Clamps
Safety glasses or goggles

Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David
Marks through his Web site -- information below under Resources.

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when
working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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Figure A

Sliding Panel Doors, Back Panel and Shelves

• With the koa stock thoroughly dried and acclimated, a face and one edge of each piece can be jointed once again. Then bring all of the pieces to uniform thickness of 1/4-inch using a drum sander. Use chalk to make woodworker's triangles on the matching faces to allow for perfect alignment of grain pattern.

• With the door stock fully prepped, the panels can be edge-glued to create the doors. With the panels held together with clamps, use a glue roller to evenly apply yellow the eges of the panels (figure A).
  

• Align the pieces using the reference marks made earlier, clamp the edge-glued pieces securely with several clamps (figure B).

• While the glue is drying on the door panels, clean up the rabbet and dados in the case that will accommodate the back panel and sliding doors. Use a sharp chisel to carefully chisel the corners of the rabbet square (figure C) so that the back panel will fit snugly.

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  

• With the case assembled and the rabbet complete, take measurements for the exact dimensions needed to make the back panel (figure D).

• Chisel the dados for the doors so that they align perfectly with the sides (figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• To create shelves for the case, use 3/4-inch cherry stock like that used for the side pieces. Rip the shelves to 7-3/8 inches wide at the table saw (figure F). This width will enable the shelves to clear the inside sliding door. Cut them to length at 34-3/8 inches.

• At the table saw, cut the back panel from 1/2-inch cherry plywood (figure G). This will give the cabinet the strength and rigidity it will need if it is to be wall-mounted. When cutting the panel, orient the grain so that it runs vertically to match the sides and koa doors.
  

• Apply yellow glue into the rabbet and position the back panel in place (figure H).

• Apply ample clamping pressure to secure the back panel (figure I) and allow the glue to dry.

• Once the glue on the door panels has dried, the doors can be prepped for installation. Use a hand scraper to remove any excess glue, then use 220-grit sandpaper and a sanding block to sand them smooth. Follow up with some 320-grit sandpaper to make the figure of the koa wood stand out.

  Figure I

  
  

• At the table saw, cut the door panels to final dimensions -- 30-1/4 inches long by 17-1/2 inches wide.

• Ease the edges of the doors using sandpaper (figure J) so that they will slide smoothly in the dados.

• Test-fit the doors in the dados to ensure a proper fit (figure K).

Figure J

Figure K

Figure L

Door Handles

To finish off the doors, create some wood handles. For ours, we used scraps of dark rosewood to create a nice contrast against the koa doors.

• To make the handles, we milled the rosewood at the band saw. Then at the table saw, with the angle of the blade set to 7 degrees, we ripped an angle on both sides of the rosewood. For safety, we made a push-stick and taped it to the handle stock to keep hands well clear of the blade.

• To finish the handles, we set the angle of the blade to 25 degrees and cut an angle on both ends (figure L).

• To attach the handles, drill two small holes for each handle to accommodate brass mounting screws. We positioned the holes to place the handles about 10 inches up from the bottoms of the doors and 1-1/2 inch from the edges.
  

In the segment that follows, accessories are made for the inside of the case, and the wood finish is added.