62 Australian Wood Review
TECHNIQUE- Squaring up a carcase assembly
To help assemble a carcase such as a cabinet dead square,
I use what I call ‘the back-panel trick’. The technique starts
with carefully dry-fitting a carcase square, a task that is
usually more stressful to do once glue is applied. Then take
the time to size and cut a panel to fit exactly the back of
the dry-fitted carcase (photo 8).
This method ensures that during the final glue-up, the
carcase is clamped tight and pulled square with the back
panel in place. You can use this squaring trick even if you
have floating panels as the back: you square up the carcase
with a sacrificial plywood panel back and once cured,
replace the plywood back with the floating panels.- Handling glue squeeze-out
Another common gluing trouble is the removal of glue
squeeze-out. Glue residue can ruin a meticulously applied
finish. My usual way is to apply the glue and wait until the
squeeze-out turns rubbery. I then peel off the squeeze-out
with a sharp edge (photo 9).
I also use the wipe-with-a-wet-rag method. As always, don’t
apply too much glue, leaving only a thin bead of squeeze-
out along the length of the joint. Wipe off a glue spot with
the part of the rag that does not already have any glue on it
(photo 10). Expose a fresh part of the rag to wipe off the
next glue squeeze-out and keep the same procedure until
the glueline is cleaned.In some cases, I apply tape at the edge of the joint so the
excess glue will go on the tape. I can then peel off the tape
after wiping off the glue squeeze-out on the tape with a rag
(photo 11).- This wide panel for a tabletop
is made of two sub-panels,
each of which, in turn, is two
boards joined together. - The tail boards sit proud of
the ends and therefore can
be clamped directly to the
pin boards.
7. Stop planing or sanding the tail
board as soon as its surface is
flush with the endgrain.
8. The rectangular panel back
pulls the cabinet square and
also keeps it from racking.
7
865