I finally have the carcass sides and drawer shelves completed. I did a quick dry assembly and most of the joints are looking good. I have some gaps in a couple of the mortises to the rear, but I have plans on how to fix those or at least minimize the gaps a little.
Next step is a simpler one, but quite important for the final appearance. Under the bottom shelf there will be a piece that will me mortised into the sides and perpendicular to the shelf. This will create an outward face and I will cut a subtle arch into it.
You’ll notice in the image above that the piece has a much different grain pattern than the sides. This was not an aesthetic choice, but actually one of chance. It turns out I had slightly miscalculated the board footage needed so I was a little short. Unfortunately, by the time I realized this, the lumberyard had closed. Thankfully, the nearest hardware store carries Maple so I decided to try my luck. Admittedly, most of their stock consists of pretty bad cuts, ugly grain, and usually pretty twisted. I managed to find a single small board with minimal twist, but the grain was a little wild. Thankfully, the color matched so I made the purchase and hoped for the best.
Like with most boards, I begin with preparation. This means I flatten and smooth both faces, joint the edges, cut to rough width, and plane to final width. This leaves only length still rough. As I’ve mentioned before this is to make sure I get it exactly the length needed based on actual measurements I take rather than from plans. Don’t precut all your boards. I promise the final project will always be a hair off here and a hair off there. Best thing is to cut all the boards needed for a single assembly like the carcass or a drawer and then measure and mark the remaining pieces directly from the project in progress.
Anyway, back to business. Next step is to cut the mortise on the inside of the carcass wall just below the bottom shelf. Since the piece going here is standard 3/4” thickness, I decided the mortise can be half that since it only needs a shoulder on one side. This results in the thickest mortise with the thickest possible space to the front edge. This will help resist splitting as the joint is assembled. The depth will also be the same as the width. You’ll also notice from the image above that the mortise has a ramp on the top side. This is mostly just to prevent the mortise from opening up into the dado cut previously. I don’t think it’s necessarily detrimental, but I like to play it safe and it offers me a tiny bit of vertical movement to help with assembly.
Next is to cut the tenon into the front piece. I cut this the same as I cut other tenons prior. Once I have it cut and the corner fits into the mortise, I can then mark and cut the corner off at the matching angle from the mortise. I make sure not to cut down to a line, but trim roughly then plane down until it fits. This is actually the best way to handle all joints. Under cut them and then slowly cut away until they fit. I take care with this step because any gaps left by the mortise and tenon will be seen from the front. Places where eyes aren’t likely to gaze you can rush and cut corners, but the face of things need extra time and care to get right.
Ok, not done yet. Still need the arch, can’t forget that. I measure in from the ends about 3″ and create a slight arch. At its highest point it only goes up about and inch or two so it is a subtle arch. I grab a long bendy ruler and use that to create and trace the arch. From there, I take the dovetail saw and cut down to the line every couple inches. I then use a chisel to chop away those pieces until I have a rough arch. Then, with the spokeshave, I take lighter and lighter passes until I’m almost done. Then, I’ll take final pass with a card scrape to clean up any undulations left over.
That’s it for now. Next up is the top.
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