Colonial Wall Cupboard

Syllabus

This project is one of my favorite pieces for teaching traditional woodworking because it encompasses just about every form of joinery that you will encounter in most furniture that we build. There are dovetails used to join the main case. The shelves sit in dados. The tongue and groove back boards are housed in a rabbet. The face frame utilizes a bridle joint. The door is built with mortise and tenon. The raised door panel floats in a groove. Plus there are several moldings and profiles that will give you the opportunity to try your hand at a bit of simple ornamentation and mitering.

Besides being a fantastic project for learning traditional joinery, this cupboard also provides a ton of utility. It can be used in just about any room in the house to provide a surprising amount of extra storage. They are particularly well suited for bathrooms, and laundry areas, but they also fit in well in a home office, dining room, or even a kitchen. These cupboards are also great for extra workshop storage. I’ve kept one above my sharpening bench for over 10 years.

What You’ll Get

• Detailed project notes with a parts list, suggested tools list, detailed drawings, and patterns.
• A Sketchup file of the project.
• Hours of detailed video instruction showing you how to build the project.

Topics Covered

• How to properly dovetail a case piece to account for applied stresses
• How to make dados by hand
• How to make rabbets by hand
• How to make tongue and groove back boards
• How to build face frames with bridle joints
• How to build and hang a raised panel cabinet door
• How to make and miter various molding profiles
• How to hang a cabinet with a hidden french cleat