Carcase Construction

Choosing and making the right joints

by Tage Frid

Furniture construction is broken down into two main The lock miter is used for either solid wood or plywood. Its
categories: frame and carcase. In frame construction, advantages are that it is hidden to the outside, and that it
relatively narrow boards are joined—usually with a mortise requires clamping in only one direction, because of the built-
and tenon joint—as in a chair or table base, or in a frame and in locking action. The "double-tongued" lock miter is the
panel door. (See Fine Woodworking, Summer 1976.) In best and fastest production joint for plywood but it requires a
carcase construction, boards are joined end to end using shaper with special knives, (available from Woodworkers Tool
dovetails, tongue-and-groove joints and the like, as in a Works in Chicago; see page 62). Only one shaper setting is
drawer or hutch. When designing a carcase, the beginner may required—the first piece is run through vertically, the second
find it difficult to know which joint to choose. Some joints are horizontally. The same clamping benefit holds true here. I
excellent in plywood but weak in solid wood, and vice-versa. use this joint only in plywood. In production work, the time
Many beginners are so concerned with the "craft" aspect that saved pays for the relatively high cost of the cutter.
they design in the most complicated techniques. They use a
complex joint where a joint easier to make would work just as
well. I always choose the strongest but easiest joint to
construct. I cannot see spending time over-constructing a
piece. And I expect my furniture to last long after I do.
Most carcase joints can be made by hand, but are usually
more easily and precisely made on a circular saw. I would
advise people who don't own a circular saw to buy a table saw
and not a radial arm saw. The latter is limited in function and The spline miter really lends itself to plywood, but can be
not as accurate or flexible. It was designed for cross-cutting used in solid wood on smaller pieces such as boxes. The grain
rough lumber to lengths, and even then is limited to a certain direction of the spline must follow that of the pieces being
width. Many of the joints described here would be dangerous joined. The spline should be placed 1/5 to 1/6 of the way in
and impractical to make on a radial arm saw. I prefer at least a from the inside corner so as not to weaken the corner. Because
ten-inch table saw, and it does not cost that much more than of the 45-degree angle, all pieces must be glued up simul-
an eight-inch. Buy one with at least a 1-hp motor, as an un- taneously, a real disadvantage in a piece with many parts.
derpowered machine is much more dangerous to work with. Also, a lot of clamps (in all directions) are required to ensure
tight glue lines.
Joints at corners A lesser-used spline miter with a parallel spline has several
advantages but can be used only in plywood. This spline is
In the article on dovetails, (Fine Woodworking, Spring just as strong as the diagonal one. The spline slots are
1976), it is stated that dovetailing is one of the strongest and minutely offset (about 1/32 in.). Clamps are needed only
most attractive methods of joining the ends of boards parallel to the spline, and the offset pulls the pieces tightly
together. This is true if you are going to make joints by hand. together. The ease of clamping this joint is a real advantage.
But most carcase joints lend themselves to machine fabrica- You can glue the inside members and sides first, and when
tion. The closest machine joint to a dovetail is a finger or box they dry, glue on the top and bottom.
joint. Because of the greater number of pins and the resulting
total glue surface, it is stronger than a dovetail, far easier to
make, and just as attractive.

A corner tongue and groove, rounded or square, is good for

Tage Frid teaches furniture design and construction at the either type of wood. In plywood the grain of the corner piece
Rhode Island School of Design, and has been a professional must run lengthwise along the edging. However, in solid
woodworker for close to 50 years. woods, the grain must run in the same direction as the grain
 Making a Lock Miter
Set the table saw fence to just inside the board thickness. Set a the first piece. Set a single blade to the height of the top edge of
single blade to a height 1 / 5 to 1 / 6 of the thickness. Make the the dado. Saw to make the second tongue (3). Cut off the tongue
first cut using a miter gauge (1). Set the dado blades to the de- on the dadoed piece to the right length (4). Tilt the blade to 45
sired width (about 2 / 3 the thickness). Mark off the blade height degrees and miter the mating tongues (5 & 6). Keep checking
from the other board and cut the dado. A tenoning jig is much back and forth between pieces as you make each cut to test for a
safer here than using the fence (2). Scribe the other dado side to good fit, or make a scrap set as you go along.

Making a Spline Miter

To make a spline miter set the blade at
45 degrees and cut the pieces using the
miter gauge (1). Lower the blades, move
the fence to the opposite side of the blade
and cut the two spline slots (2). This
method keeps the cuts parallel to the edge
and prevents the pieces from skewing.

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 Making Multiple-Spline Joints
The mock finger joint is made using a simple jig on the table saw. The carcase pieces
are first mitered and glued. A jig with a 45-degree vee cut out of it is made and a dado
cut is sawed into the jig. A spline is fitted into the cut. The jig is screwed to the miter
Mock Finger Joints gauge. A cut is made at the desired arbitrary distance from the spline (1). The pieces are
set in up against the spline and the first cut is made. The first cut slips onto the spline
and the next slot is made (2). The process is continued down the length (3).

Mock Dovetails
For a mock dovetail the jig is exactly the
same as in the mock finger joint. A fence
is set up on the router table that is no
higher than the bottom of the vee on the
jig. A board is attached to the back of the
jig to provide a greater surface running
against the fence (1). The process is exactly
the same as the mock finger joint (2,3).
The length of spline is angled on both
sides to fit into the dovetail slots (4).

The first piece is lined up with the left side of the jig and the second with the right so
that the two align properly. Or a piece of plywood can be made to serve as a guide. If the
Full-Blind Splines joint is made with a dovetail jig the splines will have to be rounded on two edges. Or the
splines can be made smaller and left square since there is plenty of glue surface. The
joint can also be made on a mortiser, using a jig just as in the mock spline joints.

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of the sides so that expansion is constant. The grain should If the splines are to be hidden, the spline slots can be cut
run diagonally from tongue to tongue. Any shaped corner using a router with a machine dovetail jig. This joint is
molding can be used. The inside is shaped first, the pieces are considerably stronger than a full-blind dovetail because of the
glued together, and then the outside is shaped. greater glue surface.

The doweled miter is used where structure is not crucial— The tongue and rabbet is not the strongest joint but is good
in small boxes, knickknack cabinets, spice racks, etc. It is easy enough for the back of a drawer (although not as strong as a
to make, and aligns itself correctly for gluing because of the dovetail). It is very easy to make. The proportions must be
dowels. A dowel center is useful for transferring the position strictly adhered to, as they are determined by factors of
of one hole to its corresponding hole. This joint works in solid strength. The groove should be no deeper than 1/4 to 1/5 of
wood or plywood. the board's thickness.
I generally do not use a butt joint with dowels, but when I The half-blind tongue and rabbet is made like a lock
do, I find it advantageous to angle the dowels. This adds miter but without the miter. It is particularly good for drawer
needed strength to the joint. fronts, but in that case be sure to put the drawer stop
somewhere other than in the front because of the limited
joint strength. This joint can also be made with a router.

Machine-cut dovetails made with a router and dovetail jig

are useful where great quantities must be cut, or where the
extra strength of a hand-cut dovetail is not needed. I use
them when I have stacks of drawers to do for kitchens. Other-
Several joints are made by cutting a miter, gluing the wise, I prefer hand-cut dovetails for their strength and looks.
corners together, and then cutting slots to receive splines. Besides, when you've made them for many years you'll find
Water-based animal glue in an electric glue pot is perfect for them easier to do than setting up the router.
gluing the miters since the glue is strong and dries in just a The through and half-blind hand dovetails are explained in
few minutes so you can then finish cutting the joint. These the dovetail article in the Spring 1976 issue of Fine Wood-
joints have great strength and pleasing decorative qualities. working. The full-blind dovetail (and similarly the machine-
With jigs, they can be made extremely fast. The first is a made, full-blind spline joint) is not used to be "crafty," but
mock finger joint—it resembles a finger joint without the is used where strength is important, as in a freestanding cab-
alternating fingers. For the same effect in a small piece, thin, inet without a back, or in a cabinet with glass doors.
handsaw kerfs are spaced down the joint. Pieces of veneer are
hammered to make them thinner, and glue is squeezed into
the saw cut. When the veneer splines go into the slots they
swell from the moisture of the glue. (A loose through dovetail
can be repaired in the same way, by evening out the gap with
a saw cut and diagonally inserting a veneer strip.) A mock
dovetail is made similarly, but using a router mounted in a
table. If desired, a contrasting wood can be used for splines as
a decorative detail.
Joints not at corners Another strong joint is a series of small mortise and tenons.
For extra strength, the tenons should run through the sides
A simple tongue and groove can be used for any type of and be wedged from the outside at assembly.
wood except composition boards. At the ends of boards the
tongue is set off center so that the outside shoulder isn't too
weak. Fiberboard and particle board are made of waste
materials and so there is no grain strength. Since a tongue
would break, a spline must be used with these materials. The
spline should go into the carcase side about 1/4 of the side's
thickness, and twice that amount into the perpendicular
piece. Setting the spline further into the side will weaken it, The sliding dovetail is an excellent joint for perpendiculars.
and keeping it shorter in the perpendicular piece will not add The double-shoulder version is machine cut with a router and
enough strength. a dovetail bit. The single-shoulder joint is cut by hand with a
I would never use a fully-housed dado joint. There are no dovetail plane and its corresponding saw, and with a router
shoulders to lock the wood and help resist sideway stresses. plane. The machine version is excellent for production. If
Also, if the wood is sanded after the joint is cut, the piece
becomes too loose. If there are imperfections in the wood, the
piece will not fit tightly.

Making a Finger Joint

A simple jig on a miter gauge makes
cutting this joint very simple. A correct fit
is solely dependent on how accurate the
jig is. Raise the blade a hair higher than
the thickness of the boards: It is easier to
sand a little off the ends of the joint than
to plane the whole side. Make a cut in the
board with the dado blades. Then make a
spline that is exactly the same size as the
slot and fits into it snugly ( 7 ) . Line up the
blade to a position precisely one spline
thickness over from the first cut. Screw the
jig to the miter gauge. With the spline in
the slot, cut the first finger with the board
edge up against the spline (2). Slip the
finger slot onto the spline and continue
down the board, moving over one each
time (3). Start the second piece lined up
to the open sawcut so the first cut makes a
slot (4). Continue down the board (5) and
the two should fit together perfectly (6). I
recommend you do a small test to check
the accuracy of your jig before cutting the
final pieces.
 Making a Full-Blind Dovetail
The pieces are marked and the excess above the pins and tails is removed. The
remainder that will form the top miter must be a square. A 45-degree angle is cut at the
edge (or at both edges). The pins are marked, cut and chiseled out. The tails are marked
from the pins, sawed and chiseled out. With a little luck, they might fit. If for some
reason the corner is slightly open, hit it lightly with a hammer when the piece is being
glued. This will bend the fibers over and close the imperfection. For a round corner the
dovetail is made exactly the same but without the upper miter.

Making Hand-Cut
Sliding Dovetails
Hand-cut sliding dovetails require the
special dovetail plane and saw (7). The
position for the groove is marked with a
framing square and scribed. The angle of
the taper is drawn in. For lumber 3 / 4 in.
or thicker I use about a 1/8-in, taper. If
the groove is to be stopped in the front I
mark off where the joint ends. All lines
are scribed and scored deeper with a
chisel. This is important since the cutting
is across the grain. A slight vee is pared off
of each line the whole way down (2). If the
joint is to be hidden the end is chiseled
out. This stops the groove and provides an
opening to start the saw in. The straight
side is sawed at 90 degrees and the tapered
side is sawed at an angle using the saw
shoulder as the guide (3). The router
plane cuts out the mass of material and
the groove is finished (4). The depth of
the dovetail is marked onto the edge of
the other board with the arrow-shaped
blade in the dovetail plane which is avail-
able from Woodcraft Supply (5). I make
the dovetail 1 / 3 2 in. shorter than the
depth of the groove. The planing is con-
tinued until the piece appears to be the
right size (6). It should slide in easily at
first and become very tight in the last fifth
of the groove. One or two more passes
with the plane with testing in between
should result in the desired fit. If the joint
is hidden, the front of the dovetail is
pared off.

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only a few sliding dovetails are required, the hand method is
preferred. It is extremely simple and much faster than one
would expect. In the hand version the track is tapered so that
the dovetail slides in easily at first and locks at the end as it is
hammered into place. Consequently, as the dovetail is forced
in tight, a small shoulder is pressed into the straight side and
increases at the narrow end. In the machine version, the
pieces should mate exactly and thus will require a lot of force
to assemble. This is especially true if glue is used on a long
dovetail, because the glue will swell the grain, making the
piece increasingly difficult to slide in.
With both types of sliding dovetails, glue is not necessary,
although a spot can be put at the front to fix it in position, or
the whole length can be glued. If two different materials are
used (e.g., plywood shelves into solid sides), only the front
should be glued so that as movement occurs, the front will
remain flush.
In a chest of drawers or similar carcase higher or wider than
two feet, some sort of strengthening brace will be required. I
use a sliding dovetail in the center brace, and if additional
bracing is needed, a tongue and groove out to the sides. The
sliding dovetail holds the center in tight.
If you wish to keep joints from showing through in front,
you can stop the joints before the front or else cover them. In
solid wood I sometimes cut a half-inch strip off the cabinet,
run the joints through, and reglue the strip. In plywood I run
the joints through and add a facing for the same result.
Backs for carcases

The back of a carcase is an important strength-determining

factor. Various methods for inserting backs will require
differing assembly sequences, which must correspond to that
of the particular carcase joint used. This is an important
relationship that must be decided at the design stage.
The easiest and most common way to insert a back is to
make a rabbet around the four sides and screw on a piece of
plywood after the carcase is glued. This method gives you a
second chance to square a cabinet that has been glued slightly
out of square. The plywood can be made square or slightly
out-of-square the opposite way and this will counteract the
mistake. This type of back is fine if the cabinet is designed to
go against a wall. Most antique furniture was designed to be
placed against a wall, and so the backs were usually crudely
made and left rough. Today furniture is used much more
flexibly, e.g., as room dividers, so it is advisable to design a
piece with the back as nice as the rest of the cabinet. The cost
and effort of sanding and finishing the back are minimal in
light of the time spent designing and executing the piece. Of
course, if the piece is designed to be fastened to the wall, the
back must still be finished, but not to the same perfection.
A good method for a freestanding piece is to make a groove
for a piece of plywood or solid wood which is inserted at the
same time the cabinet is glued up. If solid wood is used, be
sure the back is free-floating to allow for movement. You may
pin or glue the back just at the center points, which will allow
the wood to expand equally out to both sides. Leave a little
space in the groove on each side to allow for expansion.
If the sides of the cabinet are frame and panels, a set-in flat
back would look out of place. To keep your design consistent
you can make a frame and panel back that is inserted using
either of the assembly sequences described for a plywood
back.