42 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING
Magazine Cabinet
Clamp the two sets of rails
together so that the bottoms of the
top rails and the tops of the bottom
rails are both facing up (the out-
sides are facing one another). Then,
mark the rails for mortises. The
fi rst mortise is centered and the
other two are located on 1^1 / 2 " cen-
ters on either side. Rout centered
(^5) / 8 " thick x (^3) / 8 " wide x (^3) / 8 " long mor-
tises with a plunge router.
Mark mortises for the keyed ten-
ons in the side rails. The mortises
are 3" x^3 / 4 " and centered on the
rails. Hog out waste on the drill
press and clean up with a chisel. Be-
cause this is a knock-down design
and all parts will be fi nished before
fi nal assembly, the keyed tenons on
the top and bottom shelves should
move freely, though not sloppily,
through the mortises in the rails.
Keep a scrap the same thickness as
the shelves handy for testing.
After the balusters are fi t and
the rail mortises are cleaned up,
Dry fi t the entire side assembly to
spot any potential adjustments that
need to be made before glue-up. At
this point the two sides should be
identical. Disassemble and break all
edges of the legs, rails and balusters
with an apron plane.
Before glue-up, lay out all parts
in a logical order as they will go
together. Start with the balusters.
Apply glue to the baluster mortises
and fi t them between the side rails.
Apply glue to the rail mortises and
the cheeks of the tenons before
sliding the central assembly into
the mortises in the leg. Add glue to
the mortises in the second leg and
slide it on top. Check for alignment
before adding clamps. Measure
from the top rail to the bottom
against both legs to assure they are
parallel, and make sure that tenon
shoulders pull up tight. A long
clamp across the top and bottom
rail spanning the length of the bal-
usters keeps everything in place as
fi nal clamping pressure is applied.
Glue up the other side in the same
manner and set aside to dry.
10
10 The mortises for the balusters
are routed in pairs (one top rail and
one bottom rail).
11-12 With all of the mortises
cut for the cabinet sides, add glue
and assemble, starting with the
balusters.
11
12