Building a Sideboard

Sometimes people ask us what our favorite thing to build is. Without hesitation we always answer ‘tables’. Why? Tables are fun. It is relatively easy to fulfill the functional requirements of design with tables; flat, stable surface, correct height off the floor, proper clearance for some chairs, and you’re there. The rest is usually creative stuff. It’s easy to manipulate the aesthetics of a table without worrying too much about compromising function. Tables also tend to have relatively few parts. At it’s most basic, it’s 4 legs, 4 rails, and a top. A dining table may look big and impressive, but it may be the same basic construction as a coffee table.

At the other end of the spectrum… sideboards and cabinets of similar design. These are ‘fun’ in a different way, like a really challenging hike/bike/run etc. where you were in some discomfort, but looking back on the experience you’re really glad you did it. That’s how we feel about sideboards. They’re a real challenge because they are so complex; technically there are many issues to contend with, there are lots and lots of parts, and you have components that have mechanical function (doors and drawers). In our experience nothing consumes hours like a cabinet with multiple doors and drawers. But the pay off is equally big; the last step is complete and you can step back and see something really (hopefully) impressive. I have been known to stand in front of a just completed cabinet and repeatedly pull a drawer open and closed; a Homer Simpson voice in my head saying the words “drawer goes in, drawer goes out”.

This past week we finished a 2 door/5 drawer sideboard, a companion piece to a dining table we made last year. The design was visually quite simple; curved legs that play off the shape of the dining table legs, curved side panels, and a subtle curve in the bottom rail. We relied on the proportioning of the doors and drawers to create divisions that are pleasing to the eye, and then made the cabinet out of some beautiful curly cherry that we’ve been hoarding for quite some time. We ‘garnished’ the finished cabinet with macassar ebony handles.

As is our way we completed the design but didn’t work out any of the construction details until we were ready to start. Okay, I admit it, I started work on it before knowing exactly how I was going to build it. Which is why for the first week of the project I awoke at 5 in the morning visualizing legs and rails, shelves and dividers. When there  are many different components you have to get a good grasp on the overall before committing to any one specific thing. It sounds a bit silly but I often close my eyes and just kind of ‘see’ how the parts come together. It’s an essential skill to visualize in 3D.

This sideboard is made of a combination of solid cherry, some cherry veneer, and a bit of plywood. We usually don’t use much plywood or veneer but in this design it was really the best material for the job. The inside of the case has custom cherry plywood for the internal gables (that’s the sides) and bottom shelf. We veneered the side panels onto a high quality 1/4″ plywood. This enabled us to slide the side panel into a groove that runs parallel to the curve of the leg. What we ended up with was a sort of double side; curved on the outside to compliment the legs, straight on the inside so we could hang the drawers and adjustable shelves. While routing the grooves for the side panels on a Friday evening, Joe broke our last 1/4″ router bit. Luckily we have very good friends, the sort who you can borrow a 1/4″ router bit from on a Friday night… thanks Michael and Pam!

I love twin tenons.  If I had to pick a favorite joint it would probably be a twin tenon. Is that as nerdy as it sounds? For the non wood worker, in a mortise and tenon, the tenon is the sticky-out male bit, the mortise the female bit. A twin tenon is as the name implies, two tenons side by side in the same rail. It is rather tricky business to get two of these guys to fit perfectly, but when you do… so strong! You have to use a mallet to put the joint together because there is so much friction. Is it hot in here? I used twin tenons on most of the rails. It is traditional to use them on the thin rails that divide the compartments (called the web frame).

For the very top rail in carcass (cabinet) construction, a dovetail joint is used. You can’t use a twin tenon because you’re at the end of the leg, a dovetail slides down from the top and keeps the legs from pulling apart. I took a cue from a woodworking great, Garrett Hack, and used two instead of one. Very pleasing!

At one point I was a little concerned about gluing this behemoth up, there were a lot of parts that had to go together in a very specific order. Glue up can be a very stressful time in a relationship, tempers rise, things get said. We have a saying in our shop, “what happens in glue-up stays in glue-up”. Luckily good planning resulted in things going smoothly. It took about 3 days for the entire case to be assembled.

Once the case was assembled, Joe tackled the doors while I took on the drawers. We like to make saddle jointed doors, a saddle joint is a mortise and tenon that is the full width and depth of the door parts. It looks nice because you can see the structure and also makes for a very strong door. For the panels, we made our own veneer. We sawed it at 3/32″ thick on or band saw, and made book-matched panels.

For the drawers, we used edge grain cherry for the sides, and solid walnut drawer bottoms.  We like pulling open the drawer and seeing the nice contrast of the dark brown walnut next to the cherry. The drawers are side hung, meaning we ran a groove in the sides of the drawers and they run on wooden runners.  This method of running the drawers has a nice feel to it and they function well over time.

I have been making a concerted effort over the last few years to improve my skills with hand tools. So, I dovetailed all the drawers by hand, half blind at the front (as in the above image), and through at the back. Our friend Andy stopped by the shop while I was at it and called me a masochist, but there is no other way to get really good at something. It’s all about practice, practice, practice! The reward is well worth the effort. Luckily my boss didn’t care how long it took… oh wait, that’s me!

For the handles, we chose Macassar ebony from our remaining inventory. Ebony is so beautiful, and is a dream to work with but we are committed to not purchasing more due to it’s scarcity. The 7 handles took me about a day to make by the time the shapes were all worked out. There are different sizes for the bottom 2 drawers, door and top drawers to match the scale of the part they were mounted on. They were rather fun to shape.

Once the drawers and doors are made, they need to be fit and hung. Then there are a few picky things left like adjustable shelf supports, drawer stops, door latches, drilling for handles… Then the best part: the first coat of finish. It makes the wood come alive, especially cherry. We used Osmo, a naturally derived oil/wax blend.

And the finished cabinet:

With thanks to Pat and Joe, new sideboard owners.