Fine Woodworking 2007 Building Furniture

I

t is all too easy to sketch something

that looks good, only to discover that

you have no reasonable way to build

it. You either develop overly complex con­

struction methods or sacrifice the design

you really want because it’s too difficult to

build. The solution is to strike a balance

between design complexity and construc­

tion simplicity. It helps to start by thinking

of a piece in its most basic form and then

developing a single construction system

that can accommodate a wide range of

design options.

I tell my woodworking students that a

sideboard is little more than a box with

legs attached. Though it sounds over­

Common-sense approach

to joinery in complex

cabinets

b y W i l l N e p t uNe

Classic Sideboard

Photos, except where noted: Michael Pekovich; this page: Scott Phillips

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