WOODWORKING
Chapter 17CONSTRUCTION METHODS
Introduction
Regardless of whether you build a stereo cabinet or dresser, a kitchen
cabinet or bathroom vanity, basic cabinet construction is the same. A cabinet or
furniture piece consists of the carcass or case with two sides, a bottom, a top, a
back, and a front. The front may contain drawers, doors, or shelves, or
combinations of the three. Several variations may be used in the construction.
Carcass construction can be separated into three types: leg-and-rail, frame-
and-panel, and box or case.
Leg-and-rail construction, consisting of vertical legs and
horizontal cross-members connecting the legs, can be found on
chairs, tables, benches, stools and on some types of furniture, such
as chests.
Frame-and-panel construction is made of vertical side members called styles
and horizontal pieces called rails, which frame in a panel of some sort (i.e. glass,
wood, cardboard, etc.), much like a picture frame. These panels are made
separately and then connected together to build the carcass. These “component
parts” may be found in many types of furniture including the sides of cabinets,
cabinet doors, and interior web frames between drawers to function as dust
panels.
Box, or case, construction is the basic design of dressers, buffets, desks and
chests, as well as kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Sides and backs are
constructed of wood while the front is fabricated with rails and styles.
A simple cabinet fabricated with case construction is a box made of
plywood, either softwood or hardwood. To keep the cost low, particle board,
laminated on one or two sides, is commonly used, especially in cases where a
finished look inside the cabinet is desired. Cases can also be constructed of solid
wood, though the cost of doing so is much higher.
The type of joint used to construct the carcass will vary.
Leg-and-rail Construction
Leg-and-railFrame-and-panelBox or caseLegTop railBottom railLegRailUnit IV: Cabinet Construction