Wall 1/2" x 11/2" in sides of cabinet Back BUILT-IN Side Shelf BASICS Back Rabbet Detail Plan view aking built-in furniture ably noticed that your rooms aren’t isn’t tough. I’ve seen all and your walls aren’t Mlots of first-time - all plumb. This is usually the Wall workers build bookshelves that result of your house settling. It’s fit in the nooks by their fireplace. also possible your or dry- But making built-ins that hug wallers were sloppy. the wall, sit level and are anchored Either way, don’t build your Side firmly to the house requires a lit- cabinets crooked to fit a catawum- tle more know-how. pus corner or sloping wall. Always Shelf build your projects square and add a couple features to allow them Making a built-in is easy to fit in an irregular space. There are two tricks to accommodating 3/4"x 1" fitting strip once you understand glued to side of cabinet out-of-whack walls: oversized back scribing, fitting strips and and fitting strips. Simple fitting strip Big Back Rabbets French cleats. Here’s a solid All cabinets should have a back Plan view that rests in rabbets in the sides lesson in all three. of the case. This ensure a tight fit between the back and sides. With Luckily, with a little planning freestanding furniture, if your back

Wall 1 and a few modifications to the is ⁄2"-thick, then the rabbets for 1 plans of almost any cabinet, you that back should be ⁄2" wide. This can make it a built-in. After try- is not so with built-ins. Side 1" ing different systems for making You need to cut a rabbet that built-ins, this is the one that I is significantly wider. How wide? 1 prefer. It’s simple, rock-solid and I usually make it between 1 ⁄4" 1 Shelf Backing almost foolproof. and 1 ⁄2", depending on how out strip of kilter the wall is. Cabinets in a Crooked House What this large rabbet does is 11/2" If you’ve ever hung a cabinet or it creates two long tongues on the Biscuits press-fit built in a few shelves, you’ve prob- back of your cabinet that can into slots (no glue) to hold fitting strip by Christopher Schwarz Comments or questions? Contact Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 1407 or Complex fitting strip [email protected]. Plan view

54 POPULAR February 2003 WEEKEND BOOKCASE You can build the bookcase unit I’m installing on the left using just one 3 sheet of ⁄4" and one-half 1 sheet of ⁄2" plywood. Best of all, you can build this unit in a weekend. I know, I know – you’ve heard this story before (“Chippendale Highboy in a Weekend!”) but it’s true. I built this bookcase in one day and finished it the next.We’ve included plans and a cut list later on in the article that show you exactly how to do it. Photos by Al Parrish Photos by be scribed to fit almost any wall. Fitting strips are attached to the What’s scribing? This is when cabinet sides and are cut to fit you cut the edge of the cabinet against a wall. Typically you cut so it matches the shape of your a 45° angle on the backside of the 3 wall and fits tightly against it. ⁄4" x 1" fitting strip so when you Scribing isn’t difficult, and I’ll scribe it there is a lot less mate- show you how I go about it later. rial to cut away. There are a va- riety of different ways to attach Fitting Strips, Scribe Stiles a fitting strip to a case. Whatever “Fitting strips” and “scribe stiles” method you use, avoid using metal are two other weapons in your ar- fasteners because they could get senal against the crooked wall. in the way when you scribe and They are a lot like the large rab- then trim the fitting strip to size. bets on the backside of your cab- If the case is small, you can inet, except they help fit the sides simply glue the fitting strip to the There are a wide variety of cabinet levelers you can buy, but they all basically work of your cabinet to a wall or to an- side of the case. If the case is large, the same way. Many of them are adjustable at both the foot and from above through an access hole you in the cabinet’s bottom.This feature is a huge other adjacent cabinet. you should come up with an al- convenience when leveling your cabinet on an uneven floor. If you are building and in- ternate plan. It’s no fun turning stalling a face frame cabinet, your a big case on its side, trimming a best bet is incorporating a scribe little more and then setting it Attaching it to the Wall cabinet to the wall. This is a com- stile into your design. With this back up over and over again. The other big issue when installing mon way to hang kitchen wall technique you make your face- One solution is to glue a back- a built-in is how you actually at- cabinets, but I’ve found it’s great frame stiles (the vertical pieces ing board to the cabinet behind tach it to the wall. There are a for hanging cabinets that go to of the frame) wider so they ex- the fitting strip that is a little nar- number of ways to do it. Some the floor, too. And I’ve come tend out over the sides of the cab- rower. Then you attach the fit- people simply run some long screws up with a method that makes it 3 inet by ⁄4". Cut a rabbet on the ting strip to the backing board through the back and into the easy to do. But before you can in- backside of the stiles, which makes using several biscuits but no glue. studs. This works, but the screw stall any cabinet, the first thing them easier to scribe to fit, and This allows you to set the cabi- heads are visible inside the cab- you have to do is get it sitting you then have a seamless way net against the wall, mark your inet, and you must use really long level on the floor. of attaching your cabinets to walls scribe, cut it and then put the screws to reach into the studs or to other cabinets. cabinet in place. Then you fine across your big back rabbet. A Word About Cabinet Bases If you are building a cabinet tune the fit by pulling the strip Another solution is to install When building large cabinets, it’s without a face frame then you out for more trimming. See the a hanging strip inside your cab- best to build a separate base from should turn to the fitting strip. drawing on the previous page. inet. The hanging strip is usual- the cabinet itself that is about 3" 3 ly a piece of ⁄4"-thick material to 4" in height. You can then set that is about 3" wide and is nailed the base in place and level it using or biscuited between the sides – wooden shims or leveler feet. Top right beneath the top. With this Leveler feet are a piece of hard- system, you attach the cabinet to ware that attaches to the inside Screw top the wall through the hanging strip corners of your base and have feet cleat to Wall using countersunk screws, which that screw up and down. You ad- cabinet you can then plug to hide them. just the feet until the base is level The system I prefer uses a and then set the cabinet on top French cleat. It sounds compli- of the base and move on to the Screw through cated at first, but once you get section on scribing. bottom cleat it straight in your head you’ll see With smaller cabinets, such into studs it has some advantages. as the bookcase shown here, you The French cleat uses two can skip the separate base and in- Side Back cleats, each with one long edge stall the leveler feet under the beveled at 45°. One of the cleats bottom shelf or use shims to level is screwed to the wall and the the entire cabinet. Either way, other is screwed to the back of you must get the cabinet level French cleat detail the cabinet. The two 45° an- left-to-right and front-to-back Profile view gles nest together, locking the before you proceed.

56 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2003 To set your scrib- ing , use a ruler to find the biggest gap between the back edge of your cabinet side and the wall. Set your scribe to span this distance exactly. Now run the scribing tool up the back edge of your cabinet – being sure to maintain contact with both the wall Largest gap and cabinet.The between wall pencil will draw and cabinet your cut line on Once the cabinet is level front-to-back as well as left-to-right you can plug the holes the back edge of you drilled to access the leveler hardware. Many brands of levelers come with their the cabinet side. own plugs, though a shop-made tapered wooden plug works just as well.

Scribing Profile , and it is available Scribing isn’t difficult, but it re- from Diefenbacher , 800- quires practice. The first thing to 326-5316 or diefenbacher.com. do is take a look at your cabinet. Ask for item # 663-1000. If it is going in a corner, then you Once you’ve drawn your scribe should remove the big back rab- line, trim the back rabbet to that bet that goes into the corner – it’s line. You can use a followed only going to get in the way of by a hand , a belt or scribing the other rabbet and the even a hand-held power planer. fitting strip (if you have one). Test the fit of your scribe line to Now push the cabinet back the wall and make any necessary against the wall or walls until corrections. some part of the cabinet meets Once the back is fit, scribe the the wall. It’s time to mark a scribe fitting strip (if you have one) line on your back rabbet. Get a where the front of the cabinet that allows you to lock meets the wall. Once everything the swinging arm. Using a ruler, fits snugly, attach the case to the find the biggest gap between your wall using your French cleats. wall and cabinet. Set the distance between the pencil and the point Installing French Cleats of the compass to this distance. It’s simple to get a perfect fit with Now trace the shape of the these cleats if you follow these wall onto the back edge of the steps. I like to use plywood or any cabinet. Use the point of the com- tough such as pass to follow the wall and let the for the cleats. First rip your two pencil draw that shape onto the cleats to about 3" wide and cut cabinet. Keep the compass level. them to length so they’re about Scribe line In the photos, you’ll see I use 1" shorter than the width of the a European-style scribing tool in- back of your cabinet. If your back 1 stead of a compass. This piece of piece is 23 ⁄2" wide, then cut the 1 red plastic costs about $8 (ouch), cleats to 22 ⁄2" long – this gives Many professionals use a to remove the material down to the scribe but it’s a lot easier to handle than you some left-to-right play dur- line. Belt are a little too speedy for my tastes. I prefer to use a jigsaw to cut a compass. This scribing tool is ing installation. right up to the line and then clean up the cut with a . It’s still quick, and sold as the McGrath Scribe and The first step is to install a there’s little chance of obliterating your scribe line.

popwood.com 57 Cleat for cabinet

Mark where the back and cleat meet

Rip cleat to this line exactly

Install the first French cleat to your wall using the longest screws available.These screws must anchor the cleat into the stud wall of your house, or the cabinet could come toppling down if someone tries to climb it. cleat on the wall so it’s perfect- cabinet rocks a bit on the cleat, 1 ly level and about 2 ⁄2" below add a short strip or two of mask- where the top of the cabinet will ing tape to the bevel on one cleat touch the wall. Screw the cleat and that will tighten things up. to at least two studs in your wall There’s another type of cleat using #10 x 3" screws. that some prefer. Instead of rip- With the back rabbet scribed and a cleat screwed to the wall, push your cabinet Now push the cabinet in place ping a 45° bevel on each long in position and drop the second cleat in place behind the cabinet back. Using a against the wall and use a steplad- edge, cut a rabbet on each long sharp pencil (top), mark a line on the cleat where the cabinet back and cleat der so you can work on the top of edge. The rabbet should be ex- meet. Remove the cleat (bottom) and rip it to width. If you had to scribe near the cabinet. Take the other cleat actly one-half the thickness of the top of your cabinet, you might have to plane down your cleats a tad, too. and drop it behind the cabinet the cleat so that the cleats nest with the bevel facing the back of together like a shiplap joint. the cabinet. It should drop into Install the first cleat against 1 place with ⁄2" or so sticking above the wall. When you attach the the top of the cabinet. Mark a second cleat to the cabinet, nudge 1 line on the cleat where the back it up ⁄8" and then screw it in place. and cleat intersect. Lift the cleat This will prevent the rabbets from out and rip the cleat to width ex- bottoming out when they nest actly to your line. and will give you a little play when Pull the cabinet away from the the cabinet rests on the floor. wall and screw the cleat to the backside of the cabinet so the top Cleaning Up edge of the cleat is perfectly flush With the cabinet in place, you to the top of the cabinet. might have to screw one of the With the help of an assistant, side pieces to a wall to pull the lift the cabinet a few inches and cabinet tight against the wall. place it on the cleat on the wall. The cabinet is now complete, Cabinet back The cabinet should sit flush against except for any trim around the the wall, flat on the floor and re- base and crown. To finish the run fuse to rock or move. of cabinets shown at the begin- If the cabinet doesn’t sit on ning of the article I still need to the floor, remove one cleat and build and install another large your cleat to the back of the cabinet with the top edges of the cleat and shave off a tad from the bevel with unit with drawers and doors. Then cabinet back perfectly flush. If they’re out of kilter you’re going to make trouble for a hand plane or a . Or you comes the trim moulding. And yourself, so take care. Screw the cleat to the cabinet using long screws that you can adjust the leveling feet. If the then comes a cold beer. PW into the cleat.

58 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2003 THE ONE-WEEKEND

See French cleat detail BOOKCASE See back rabbets detail

hen I build a project for my There’s nothing fancy about Wfamily, I’ll come up from this basic bookcase unit, but it the shop and the first words out does hold a ton of stuff, is inex- of their mouths are usually some- pensive to build (about $70 in 113 / 4 " thing like: “Aren’t you done mak- materials) and goes together as ing my (corner cabinet, enter- fast as a highboy on “The New tainment center, Morris chair, Yankee Workshop.” Well, OK, carved weasel) yet?” it’s not quite that fast. Well this time the joke was Follow the photos and draw- really on them. I went down to ings to build your own. But be the shop at 8 a.m. one morning forewarned. Once you build some- and by 5 p.m., this bookcase was thing this fast, your family is going sanded, assembled and ready for to think you spend most of your 40" Adjustable finishing. They were shocked. time in the shop just goofing off.

See fitting strip details for scribing to wall

91/4" Back rabbet

91/4"

33/4"

1 Exploded view 1 1 Begin by cutting the big 1 ⁄4" x ⁄2" back rabbet on the back edge of the sides.The most accurate way to make this rabbet is by using a stack in THE ONE-WEEKEND BOOKCASE your table . Make a couple passes NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS T W L and be sure to keep even downward 3 1 1 ❏ 2 Sides ⁄4 12 80 Plywood ⁄2" x 1 ⁄4" rabbet for back pressure. 3 3 1 ❏ 2 Top and bottom ⁄4 10 ⁄4 22 ⁄2 Plywood Biscuited into sides 3 1 1 ❏ 3 Fixed shelves ⁄4 10 ⁄2 22 ⁄2 Plywood Biscuited into sides 3 1 3 ❏ 3 Adjustable shelves ⁄4 10 ⁄2 22 ⁄8 Plywood 3 3 1 ❏ 1 Kick ⁄4 3 ⁄4 22 ⁄2 Plywood Biscuited into bottom 1 1 ❏ 1 Back ⁄2 23 ⁄2 78 Plywood 3 ❏ 1 Fitting strip ⁄4 1 80 Plywood Use if unit goes in corner 3 1 ❏ 2 French cleats ⁄4 322⁄2 Plywood 45° bevel on one long edge You can download an optimization chart for this project at: popwood.com/features/mag.html

popwood.com 59 Template helps lay out biscuit locations

2 3 To lay out the location of your shelves, clamp the two sides together and use a square to mark the All the permanent shelves are attached to the sides using shelf locations. Use the drawing to lay out the locations of the fixed shelves, top and bottom pieces. biscuit joints. Clamp the shelves at the location where they will join the sides. I then made a simple template to lay out the locations of my biscuit slots.This saves a lot of measuring. If you work in a small shop (like If the sides of your bookcase I do) the No. 1 challenge with aren’t going to show (or you don’t a piece of furniture like this is cut- mind the look of plugs) this is a ting down the plywood into man- solid way to make a bookcase. ageable sizes for my . One final option I’m fond of Luckily, Nick Engler showed with large cabinets is to use both me how to do it quickly and ac- biscuits and pocket screws to- curately. Engler made a simple gether. This hybrid system is about platform from 2 x 4s that you place the fastest and most accurate way on two sawhorses in your drive- I know to build a case. way. Using a special shop-made First cut the biscuit slots, then and a you can cut the pocket holes on the un- make perfect cuts in sheet goods. derside of the shelves. Glue up The original article appeared the case and then drive the screws in the April 2001 issue. If you home. The biscuits line up all don’t have that back issue, we’ve your joints perfectly, and the screws posted this article on our web site allow you to do this all without at popularwoodworking.com. any clamps at all. PW When you get to our home page, click on “Select Articles,” scroll down and you’ll see the article ti- tled “Sawing Plywood and SUPPLIES Particleboard.” I’ve built many cabinets using Lee Valley Tools this simple and highly rec- 800-871-8158 ommend it. leevalley.com Cabinet Levelers, One-ton Glide Screws or Biscuits? Each glide is rated for 2,000 I built this project using biscuits pounds. Foot adjusts over a 1 1 and a ⁄2"-thick back, which makes range of 2 ⁄4". the case quite rigid. Another pos- Item # 01S08.01, $3.70 each 4 sible approach is to screw the fixed Nickel-plated Shelf Supports shelves in place through the side Item # 94Z04.02, $3.50 for a Take the fence off your biscuit (or retract the tool’s fence fully into the fence pieces using #8 x 2" screws. package of 50. assembly). Cut three biscuit slots in the shelves as shown. I used #10 biscuits because I was out of #20s.

60 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2003 Files cut on 6 the push Iron on some adhesive edge-banding to cover all the visible stroke plywood edges. Use a household iron set on “high.”After a couple minutes of ironing, take the iron off the tape and use a 7 5 sizable block of wood to rub the edging down.The wood acts Now turn the on its head and cut the slots in the as a heat sink to cool the adhesive and set the edge-banding Use a file to trim the overhang of the sides pieces of the cabinet. in place. edge-banding. Remember that files cut only in one direction. Move them the other way and they’ll cut poorly and dull quickly. Now sand all your parts at 150 grit and then 220 grit.

9 Drill your shelf pin holes every 2" on center.You can use a commercial jig like 8 the one shown or make your own from scrap.Then attach the kick to the Always do a dry run before gluing up your case. Once you’re sure everything works, use a slow-setting bottom using glue plus biscuits or glue. I have become quite fond of the new Titebond Extend glues.They are very strong and give you just pocket screws. I finished the bookcase enough working time to get a big case together by yourself. Once the glue is dry, cut the back to size. with two coats of spray lacquer in the You want a perfect fit because the back will keep the cabinet square once it’s screwed in place. backyard on a nice breezy day.

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