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by
Dave Bond
photos: Tracy Cox
illustration: Len Churchill |
BATHROOM WALL CABINET (part 3) |
Drawer
Construction
The drawers are simple boxes with 3/4"-thick fronts and
1/2"-thick sides and backs. The bottoms can be 1/4"-thick
pine or hardboard. I like to use one board for both drawer fronts
so the grain pattern is continuous across them. Cut the drawer
fronts, sides and back 1/16" less in height than the opening
so the drawers will slide smoothly. Label all parts, then plow
a 1/4" x 1/4" dado to accept the drawer bottom. Corner
joinery is simple: a 1/2" x 1/2" rabbet on both ends
of the drawer fronts and a 1/4" x 1/2" rabbet on both
ends of the drawer backs. Cut the drawer bottoms and dry-fit
all drawer parts to highlight any areas that need adjustment.
Check overall drawer width, then glue and clamp the parts together.
A belt sander is an excellent tool for adjusting final drawer
size for a smooth-sliding fit within the openings.
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| The
cabinet's two drawers are ideal for hiding small
items. The drawer fronts are joined with simple
rabbet joints, and feature continuous grain across
both faces |
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Fitting the Doors
The easiest way to fit the doors is to lay the cabinet on its
back, and then place the doors in position. The interior shelves
will hold them up. You’ll almost certainly need to make
adjustments, and a sharp hand plane is the tool of choice for
this job. Aim for a 1/16" gap all around, with a slight
bevel along the hinge side, so the face of each door is slightly
wider than the back. This allows the doors to close without
binding within the sides. Once your planing work is done, install
hinges and hang the doors. I chose simple, mortise-free hinges:
they don’t show much on the finished project, but the
ball tips do add a bit of class to the overall impression of
the project.
Once the doors are hung, final
fitting is done with a sharp block plane to create an even gap
around the doors, and to make sure the two doors don’t
collide with each other in the centre. Take the doors off now
for final sanding.
I bought some V-groove, knotty
pine panelling for the back slats, the kind that comes shrink-wrapped
at building-supply outlets everywhere. Select the best pieces,
then sand and finish them before nailing them in place. You’ll
need to take off the tongue on one back slat so it fits properly
in the 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet you routed earlier in the
sides.
Crown Moulding and Cap
It takes about five feet of crown moulding to cover the top
of the project, and I installed it a little differently than
the usual method. Start by sanding the crown by hand with 180-grit
paper to get rid of the mill glaze and planer marks, then cut
a triangular filler piece for behind the crown. This gives more
support than with most crown installations. Cut, glue and nail
the filler in place, flush with the tops of the sides, and then
prepare the crown. As with the drawer fronts, cut the crown
from a continuous piece of wood so grain patterns wrap around
the project. You’ll get the best results if you leave
the side pieces of crown longer than needed for now, then get
the mitre joints right before trimming to final length at the
back ends. This approach allows multiple attempts to get the
all-important mitres spot-on. A sharp block plane is the ideal
tool for tweaking these prominent joints.
The cap starts with a 3/4"-thick
piece of pine that needs 1/2"-deep rabbets milled on all
four sides. The back rabbet is 1/2" x 3/8" to accept
the back slats; side rabbets are 1/2" x 3 3/4" (to
extend over the crown moulding, triangular fillers and sides);
and the front rabbet is 1/2" x 2 3/8" (to fit over
the crown and the filler). The 1/4" of cap that rises above
the rabbets is best rounded over for good looks. Apply some
glue, then nail the cap down into the sides.
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE ILLUSTRATION |
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Drill
and install your drawer and door hardware, then give everything
a final sanding before cleaning up the shop and getting out
the finishing supplies.
Finishing Up
I chose to stain this cabinet with the old classic, Minwax Puritan
Pine, followed by one coat of Minwax Wipe-On Poly. Let this
dry overnight, then lightly sand the surface with 240-grit paper
and apply a 50/50 blend of Wipe-On Poly and gloss polyurethane.
This creates an attractive, low-lustre finish, while offering
plenty of moisture protection that will stand up well in the
bathroom.
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PART 1 | PART 2 | PART
3 |
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