but the panels are free to float in the frame grooves. A loose wood panel can be anchored to prevent it from rattling in the groove. Center the panel in its frame, and then drive a 20-gauge brad through the frame and the panel tongue, centered at both the top and bottom of the panel.
Installing; the Back Panel Before installing the assembled back frame and panel into its rabbet in the completed carcase, I trim the panel assembly square to fit snugly into the rabbet, using the table saw, jointer and a block plane.The carcase rabbet should be An in. deeper than the thickness of the back. To make it easier to slide the back frame into the rabbet, I chamfer the edge along the inside face of the frame with the block plane. I also mark the locations of all
f
the carcase路s fixed dividers and shelves and the bottom, so I can nail through the back frame into these components to further strengthen the carcase . .lust prior to installation, I sand the back panel to 32(.1-grit on the inside face and ease all the sharp edges. Finally, I glue the back into place, spreading glue thinly on both faces of the rabbet as well as the edge of the back. After forcing the back into the rabbet, I clamp top to bot-
A FRAME-AND-PANEL back with flush panels is built like a door with stiles, rails and panels and is glued into a rabbet in the carcase. It provides racking resistance and keeps dust and air out.
tom first and then side to side.There should reduce wood movement. Quartersawn stock moves roughly halfas much as plainsawn stock. By keeping the frame members
VA in. to VA in. wide, the overall movement is limited to under %\ in. (for quartersawn cherry) no matter how wide the back. This amount of movement is easdy handled by the compression of the wood fibers and wdl not push apart the carcase or break the rabbet joint. If the bottom rail of the frame is not cap-
be no gaps between the back frame and the rabbet. Because the back has been squared, it will automatically correct a minor out-ofsquare carcase as the back is clamped into place. When the glue is dry, I remove the clamps, drill holes at the previously marked dividers, shelves and bottom and nail the back with 4d finishing nails. I countersink the nads about A in. and then plug the hole with small, X-in.-sq. pegs of the same species wood as the carcase. I trim the end-grain
tured in a rabbet, as shown in the photo
plugs flush, plane the carcase flush to the
above, like all other secondary stiles and rails,
back, sand the entire back to 320-grit and,
can be made as wide as desired.A wider bot-
again, ease all frame and panel edges.
tom rail allows larger mortise-and-tenon
94
joints and makes a stronger back frame. The
CHRISTIAN BECKSVOORT is a contributing editor
mortises and tenons are glued and pinned,
to Fine Woodworking magazine.
CONSTRUCTION BY DESIGN