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Rolling Island Cabinet Carcass A woodworking student takes on the construction of a rolling island carcass. From "Trade School" episode DTRS-403

In this session of Trade School, student Gustave Anderson learns cabinetry basics at Red Rocks School of Woodworking. With the guidance of instructor Neil Scherrer, he begins work on the structural interior of a rolling island cabinet known as the carcass to add more workspace in his kitchen. A carcass consists of both plywood and hickory-veneered medium-density fiberboards (MDF).

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Materials:

table saw
stacked dado set
glue
clamps
nail gun
power drill
clothes iron
roller
band saw
hardware for drawers and doors
angle driver
drill press

Steps:

1. Gustave uses a table saw to cut all the boards to size from 4x8 sheets.

Figure A
Figure B

2. Before joining the boards together, he needs to use the table saw to cut dado and rabbet grooves into select boards. For both types of cuts he removes the single blade and assembles a stacked dado set, which makes a wide uniform cut halfway into the thickness of each board. Dadoes run through the middle of a board, while rabbets run along the edge (figure A).

3. Before permanently joining the boards, Gustave tests the fit of all his cuts by hand and then mocks up the carcass in halves with clamps.

4. To permanently form the carcass halves, he applies beads of glue to each joint and presses the boards together using several clamps (figure B). To further strengthen the structure, he drives screws into and along each joint.

5. To disguise the exposed edges of MDF, Gustave tacks down thin wood laminate strips using a clothes iron and follows up with a rubber roller.

6. With the carcass halves basically complete, he prepares to join them together by first running a bead of glue along the edge of one side. He stacks the other half on top and joins them together using a nail gun. He further bolsters the connection by driving in screws.

	Figure C
	Figure D

7. Next, Gustave creates a base for the cabinet. Before attaching the boards to the cabinet, he cuts an arch into each. He cuts the top of the arch on the table saw by raising the rotating blade into the stationary board. He completes the arch using a band saw to angle in and remove the section of wood (figure C).

8. Then, after hand-sanding the cut edges, he aligns and then attaches the baseboards to the carcass with glue and nails (figure D). To finish out the carcass, he adds mobility to the cabinet by installing casters, which are intentionally hidden behind the baseboards.

Next up, Gustave finishes his island cabinet by crafting drawers and faces and then installing the necessary hardware.

RESOURCES :
Red Rocks School of Fine Woodworking and Lutherie
Website: www.rrcc.edu/finewood