Build a Hanging Wall Cabinet: Watch the Construction Step-by-Step
with Mario Rodriguez
Join woodworker, teacher, and author Mario Rodriguez in this video workshop, building this hanging wall cabinet. It’s a great project for beginning and intermediate woodworkers. The construction involves making several types of joint: dovetails, mortise-and-tenon, dadoes, biscuits. Rodriguez makes this cabinet from cherry, but you could use maple, oak, or other hardwoods. Highlights include:
-More than 30 minutes of video instruction.
-Watch how to use two Leigh router jigs to make the dovetailed drawer and mortise-and tenon door frame.
-Get a quick course in how to use a biscuit joiner to make a simple but strong joint.
-Download the woodworking plan and talk to the author in the Ask The Experts forum.
For beginning woodworkers, this project will help you improve your skills. For those who are more advanced, this is an opportunity to sharpen your joinery technique or to learn some new techniques.
About the Instructor: Mario Rodriguez
I’ve been a professional woodworker for more than 30 years, with much of that time spent teaching at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. I’ve also taught at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, and the Northwest Woodworking Studio. Now, I teach at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop.
A former contributing editor to FWW, I’ve also written articles for Fine Homebuilding, Fine Gardening, and other magazines, and I’ve produced a number of books for The Taunton Press.
If you have a question about this episode send an email or become a member of FineWoodworking.com to chat with me and ask questions about this project in the Ask The Experts forum.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by: Tom Olivares
Construct the Case
Begin by milling the pieces to their final dimensions. Use the cutlist on the plan (coming soon) to find all the dimensions. Mario Rodriguez also notes that it’s a good idea to have some extra pieces on hand for test cuts or if you make a mistake in cutting a joint on a piece. Rodriguez also demonstrates some useful strategies for doing the glue-up neatly and efficiently.
The notes that follow go step-by-step through the process in queue with the video. Use the time codes to find the corresponding section in the video.
Step One: Profile the edges of the top and bottom
Time: 1:02
These pieces have a slight curve, or arris, on their fronts and sides. Rodriguez shapes that profile at the router table, centering the stock on a 3/4-in. bullnose bit. By using only a portion of the bit, he gets the desired profile in one pass.
Step Two: Cut the dado for the shelf
Time: 1:28
Using a stacked dado set in the tablesaw, Rodriguez cuts across each side piece to form the dado that holds the shelf in place. He makes a test cut on scrap to check the width and depth of cut; when everything looks right, he makes the final cuts. Note that he uses a push pad to move the wood over the blade, a technique to keep his hand safely away from the blade.
Step Three: Rabbet the sides
Time: 2:27
With the same dado set in the tablesaw, Rodriguez cuts rabbets on the rear of both side pieces, forming a recess for the back panel and the French cleat that will hold the cabinet on the wall.
Step Four: Cut slots for biscuit joints
Time: 3:06
Next, Rodriguez uses a biscuit joiner to cut slots in the ends of the side pieces and in the top and bottom. These slots hold biscuits, flattened wood discs that work much like the tenon in a mortise and tenon joint to add strength. To ensure that the slots align properly on all the pieces, Rodriguez first makes a template, simply a piece of scrap with the center of each biscuit slot marked on it. Guides on the front fence of the biscuit joiner align with his marks on the template. Finally, he dry-fits the case and for the first check of the fit.
Step Five: Cut a stopped rabbet in the top and bottom
Time: 5:46
Back at the router table, Rodriguez cuts a rabbet on the back edge of the top and bottom. This will align with the rabbets in the side pieces. However, it doesn’t run the full length of the top and bottom: It stops before reaching the edges. Rodriguez shows how to make this type of cut by pivoting the work into the spinning blade and pivoting it away from the blade at the opposite end. He cleans up the ends of the cut by hand, using a chisel.
Step Six: Glue up the case
Time: 7:54
Rodriguez rehearses the glue-up by clamping the case together before applying glue. That way, he knows where he needs a clamp and can have one ready without having to rush before the glue begins to set. He removes squeeze-out with a wet rag, using a chisel to work the rag into tight corners.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by Tom Olivares
Attach the back and French cleat
Step One: Cut the back to final size
Time: 0:30
Now that you have glued the case together, you can measure and cut a piece of thin hardwood-veneer plywood to fit in the recess in the back. Like the interior shelf, the back also helps to hold the case square.
Step Two: Cut the French cleat to length
Time: 0:49
Rodriguez cuts the top half of the cleat, which fits on the cabinet, so it will fit tight into the recess on the back. But he makes the bottom half of the cleat, which attaches to the wall, slightly shorter. That allows you to adjust the cabinet side to side when you hang it.
Step Three: Attach the back and cleat
Time: 1:09
Rodriguez uses only brads to attach the back. Then he fastens the French cleat to the case with four screws.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by: Tom Olivares
Construct the drawer with a dovetail jig
Step One: Dovetail-jig basics
Time: 0:58
Rodriguez introduces the jig he will use to make the half-blind dovetail jointls for the front of the drawer. He explains the basic workings of the jig: how a router fitted with a guide bushing moves around adjustable metal fingers to cut the pins and tails.
Step Two: Shaping the tails and pins
Time: 2:01
One he’s set up the jig, Rodrigues cuts the tails. Then he flips the fingers on the dovetail jig, to access a complementary set of fingers, and routs the pins.
Step Three:Checking the drawer fit
Time: 4:07
With the half-blind dovetail joints dry-fit, Rodriguez slides the assembly backwards into the drawer opening to gauge the length of the sides. Why backwards? To make it easier to mark the side pieces for length and to remove the assembly.
Step Four: Cut the remaining joints
Time: 4:57
Rodriguez goes to the tablesaw to cut the dado holding the drawer back in place and the for the drawer bottom. He also rips the back piece to be narrower than the sides, so that he can later slide the bottom in place.
Step Five: Make a finger pull
Time: 6:20
At the drill press, Rodriguez uses a large-diameter Forstner bit to cut a finger pull in the drawer front.
Step Six: Glue up the drawer
Time: 6:44
Rodriguez explains that the dovetail joint holds together tightly on its own. So, when gluing up the drawer, you don’t need to use many clamps to pull the pieces together.
Step Seven: Refine the fit
Time: 8:13
Once the drawer has dried completely, Rodriguez does a series of test-fits, planing the top of the drawer after each one, to make sure it slides smoothly in its opening. He uses a block plane, which is easier to hold square on the narrow drawer edges.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by: Tom Olivares
Construct the door with a mortising jig
Step One: Cut the tenons
Time: 1:47
Rodriguez uses a commercial router jig to cut both the mortises and tenons for the joints in the door frame. The jig has its own router base, with a pair of guide pins; one pin moves in a slot on the jig, while the other moves around a guide template to shape the tenon. A light climb cut establishes a clean shoulder. Then a series of normal cuts quickly shape the tenon.
Step Two: Cut the mortises
Time: 2:21
The guide template on the jig that helped shape the tenon also shapes the mortise. This time, one pin in the router base travels in a slot in the center of the template. Rodriguez makes a series of plunge cuts to cut away most of the waste, then finishes with a full-depth cut to level out the bottom of the mortise.
Step Three: Plow the groove for the door panel
Time: 4:11
Rodriguez uses a slot-cutting bit at the router table to cut a groove on the edges of the stiles and rails for the door panel. The groove runs the full length of the rails. On the stiles, however, Rodridugez has to make a stopped cut. He shows how to hold and pivot the workpiece into the bit to start the cut, and how to pivot it away at the end.
Step Four: Sand, then glue
Time: 5:33
The best time to do the final sanding on the pieces for the door is before they’re glued up. That way, you never have to work the sandpaper into tight corners. Glue-up is very straightforward, with clamps at the top and bottom to draw the joints together and keep the door flat.
Step Five: Refine the fit
Time: 7:30
Rodriguez finishes the door by refining its fit. He lays it on the front of the cabinet and checks to see that the space at the top and bottom are uniform. To refine the fit, he uses a block plane, working from the edge toward the center to avoid tearout.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by: Tom Olivares
Attach the hinges and door pull
Step One: Mark and cut mortises in the case
Time: 0:53
Using a marking knife and marking gauge, Rodriguez scribes the location of the hinge leaves on the case. He uses a 3/4-in. chisel to cut the mortise by making a series of shallow cuts across the grain, then paring away the waste. After checking their fit, he screws the hinges in place.
Step Two: Position the door and mark hinge locations
Time: 2:38
Rodriguez lays the case on its back and rests the door in place. He adjusts the door for an even reveal top and bottom, then uses the marking knife to transfer the locations of the hinges from the case to the door. Then he cuts hinge mortises in the door, just as he did in the case. He attaches the door, using only one screw in each hinge, to test the fit.
Step Three: Attach the door pull
Time: 4:25
Rodriguez drills a mounting hole in the door for the pull. He also shows how to chuck the knob in the drill press and give it a light sanding to improve its finish. And he shows how to push the knob in place using a clamp, to avoid marring either the knob or the door. With the knob in place, Rodriguez attaches the door for the final time.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by Tom Olivares
Wipe on a finish
In this brief episode, Rodriguez explains how to wipe on an oil finish and smooth the wood with fine steel wool between applications of oil. He also underscores the need for safety, explaining the proper way to deal with oily rags and avoid spontaneous combustion.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by Tom Olivares
Conclusion
A brief recap of the steps involved in constructing the case, the joinery used, and the finish.
Produced by: Gina Eide, David Heim
Video by: Gary Junken; Editing by: Tom Olivares
