I’m a newby at furniture carpentry who has always been good with tools and has a number of home renovation projects under his belt.
I am planning to shortly commence building a built-in bookcase with cabinetry bottoms and have been considering what the best (read “easiest, quickest and most idiot-proof”) method of joining the carcases together would be. Namely,
- should I use glue and clamps
- should I use biscuits
- should I use pocket screws (do i still glue and clamp?)
- should I use brads (do I still glue and clamp?)
- if I route rabbets and dadoes, can i still use biscuits, or does the reduced thickness of the formerly 3/4 ” plywood no longer allow for them?
- etc…
It might be helpful to know that as the unit will go from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, none of the face sides will show – this might allow for a greater number of joinery options.
Your expert advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Marc.
Replies
Oh my....where to begin?
Biscuits are my favorite, only because they are quick, nearly foolproof (I should be proof enough of that) and the tools have become more affordable, even for the weekend warriers.
Rabbit joints are more purist I think. You can't use biscuits in that case. Your guess of thickness problems is correct.
No matter if you use finish nails, brads, pocket screws or dowels....glue is essential. AND CLAMPS! GOOD bar clamps or pipe clamps!
The most important thing is accurate measurement of the parts, square ends, freshly milled edges, and fresh glue (yeah, it has a shelf life. I tend to throw the bottle away if it's been in the shop more than 4 months). You will never have enough clamps so just buy a bunch anyway, even if you think you have enough (you old timers know what I mean...LOL)
And even more important than all that, relax, have fun, and enjoy the result!
Edited 8/7/2005 11:01 pm ET by Dave
Thank you.
Are biscuits stronger than pocket screws or than rabbets? My kids are really active and some like climbing up on the furniture.
Marc
My personal preference would be the dados and glue/wood screws or nails since none of the faces will show in this case. the Dados would be for the added finish touch. It simply shows the detail of the build in my humble opinion.
Thank you Theresa.
Would the dado be visible as a finishing touch (being that there are cabinet doors over the front of the bottom units) or is it more a matter of "doing it right"?
Marc
When I said Datto i assumed that there is a facia on the front so in reality the datto will not be visible, but it is added strength in my opinion and well as my great-grandpa (my woodworking idol) always said dont do it half way.
Now if you are leaving the fron totally open and isible, well the dattos are gonna be visible but again the datto is going to add to the look not distract from it.
I have used this method repeatedly with bookcases built in and stand alone and even my book collector hubby CANNOT make those shelves give even a quarter of an ich in 5 years and he flat dont understand that there is a limit on how many books you can put on one bookcase.
Just my 2 cents but if you doing it do the full job and save yourself time and frustration.
If you want to see something really interesting get Mark Sommerfeld's DVD about cabinet making ~$10.00. He uses a combination of router cut T&G with pocket screws. I've tried it and it is just about idiot proof.
Where could I get a copy of this DVD? It sounds good.
Marc
Here it is:
http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/products.asp?id=4
A little bit of an infomercial but well worth the money if you aren't an expert.
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