Handsome corner storage. This corner storage unit is a combination of design elements from several 18th-century examples. It’s also easy to construct.
Scrollwork and a tombstone panel door add a stylish challenge.
A 7-tall corner cabinet is impressive, but can be a daunting project for someone with little shop time. Traditional corner cupboards require a commitment not just of time and resources, but of space in ones home.
Because the eye is drawn to the intersection of two planes (walls), however, the corner of a room is the perfect location to show off a prize piece of furniture. A small hanging cupboard is a logical compromise and has several advantages: It can be just as dramatic as its larger cousin and its dimensions are easily changed to fit in just about any corner.
While the project shown here is my own design, variations of this form were built during the 18th century, some having one, two or three pendant shelves, a door with multiple panels and sometimes even a drawer below the door.
This is a good beginner project because it presents angles other than 90 and can be built in a relatively short period of time, and usually of scrap material at hand. This project also gives you experience in the construction of tombstone panel doors, multi-piece crown molding fabrication, vector clamping, and the fairing and cutting of scrolled edges. The scrollwork on the apron, back and shelves is easily altered for changes in dimensions and aesthetics.
For efficiency, the cabinet can be nested. You can lay the top and bottom of your cabinet on one board. This reduces waste. Note that defects have been avoided. To achieve the desired width, strips have been adhered to each piece’s front edge.
Although this cabinet is an amalgam of details seen on other similar pieces, I borrowed some of the scroll elements from the aprons of tables and case pieces. These elements consist of three basic parts arcs, fillets and ogees (or cyma curves). Because they require material to be removed, arcs can give a piece a sense of lightness. They can also be used to repeat curves, such as a panel from a tombstone, on another piece. Ogees help keep the eye moving as the serpentine outline is traced. Arranged back-to-back, ogees lend a sense of symmetry where there would otherwise be none. Fillets provide beginning and ending points for the other two elements and are useful when a change in direction is needed. These elements can be used together to add visual excitement to otherwise boring pieces.
The Drawing
The project’s center is to a large degree on the top and bottom of the cabinet. All subsequent dimensions and cuts are taken directly from the actual work. Corner cabinets pose challenges because the cabinet’s front is not parallel to its wall.
Angled clamping made simple. These cauls attach to the edges of your face frame and return pressure exactly where it is required.
Any element that is not straight up from the drawing plane, regardless of its elevation, will be foreshortened and thus inaccurate when calculating dimensions or profiles. Also note that while the shelves are drawn as having a 90 back corner, I actually make the angle a degree or two greater due to slightly obtuse inside corners typical of both old and new home construction. This increases the likelihood that the cornice and front sides of the cabinet will fit tightly against the wall when it is installed.
A shimwitted solution. As shown by the Formica samples, the back corners of the top and bottom have been slightly obtuse. This back-cut will reduce the chance that plaster will be used to hold the cabinet’s edges from the wall when it is hung.
The boards for the back may be of the same species as the cabinet or can be stained or painted secondary wood to complement the cabinet.
The Case
With the exception of the back, the two pendant shelves and the crown, all the stock is thick. I begin by cutting my stock to rough length and marking the parts.
A proud panel. This mockup of the door panel construction shows how the panel is held in the door frame groove yet overlays the face of the door.
You can cut corners. Measured from the front edge, the left and right ends of the cabinet tops and bottoms are cut at 135.
The cabinet is built around its top and bottom, so I cut the two triangular pieces that will become the top and bottom. These pieces are nested on the stock that may be glued-up for this if necessary. After cutting the top & bottom, I clamp them together so they are identical. Then, I plane the back corner. I draw a line along the front edge, and then measure the position of the return cuts. The left and right ends of each triangle are then cut 135 inches from the front edge.
Pieces for the face frame and returns are then cut to length. For efficiency, I cut the rails and stiles for the inset door at the same time. The rails of both the face frame and the door are joined to their respective stiles with 3 cm-long tenons (the tenon in the bottom rail, and its mortise, must be adjusted to fit the curved profile). I removed the door pieces and cut and glued the joinery to the face frame.
Joinery preparation. The mortises for the 3 cm door tenons are located at the bottom of the groove and completed with a mortiser.
A careful layout. The cabinet top and bottom are centered left to right in the dados then each corner is marked at the bottom of the dado. These layout lines are used to miter away the sides of your face frame. Now, glue can be used to fix the top and bottom.
After the frame is dry, I make a shallow -deep x -wide dado on the inside of the face frame as well as on the returns in order to index them to the top and bottom of the cabinet. Once the top is centered in the dado I mark the bottom of my dado on the left and right sides. I then set the table saw to make a 22.5 cut and carefully rip to the lines that I made. Because these lines are face down on the table saw, it is best to either sneak up on the final width or transfer the cutlines to the end of the face frame.
Caul me. You can clamp any odd-shaped top or bottom by using a V-notch made from scrap.
Walking a thin grey line. The band saw cuts the top and bottom, following the layout lines as closely as possible.
The decorative scrolled apron of the face frame is laid out, cut at the band saw and cleaned up with files and sandpaper. The areas where the scroll meets with the miters are not cut and will be reshaped later. I then glue the cabinet top and bottom to the face frame. To match the angle of your face frame, the returns can be ripped at 22.5. The scrollwork on the lower edge can also be cut. The returns are glued with the help of cauls that fit over the front frame stiles and the returns, allowing for vector clamping of the mitered joint. I then glue a door stop to the inside of the face frame. The stop should not extend beyond the door opening more than 1.
The Door
Plan for assembly. A shallow dado is made at the inside top and bottom of the face frame, as well as on both returns in order to facilitate layout of the mitered joint and its subsequent assembly.
With the shell of the case assembled, I can now make the door. The tombstone panel is based on one from a Pennsylvania piece. It differs from a standard raised panel in that it overlays the front face of the door frame. Like its raised cousin, the back edge of this panel is protected by a dado.
Arch madness. The radius of the arc of the top door stile is 541 cm less than the radius of the panel arc. Note that the tenons have not yet been haunched.
To make the panel, I first cut a groove that is -wide and -deep. This groove is located at the front of the stiles and rails. For the joinery, I use haunched mortise-and-tenon joints. The mortise is cut with a hollow chisel mortiser centered in the stile groove then cleaned up with a chisel. I cut the corresponding tenon with a dado set. After cutting the joinery, I dry-assemble the door.
I then prepare a door panel blank on which the width is less than the distance between the groove bottoms of the left and right stiles. I then lay out the tombstone shape and cut it with a fillet.
A tight curve. The groove for the inside edge of the upper door stile is cut with the same slot cutter used on the tombstone panel.
Bead it! To rout and fillet the tombstone panel, a 110 cm roundover bit will be used.
The radius of the arch of the top door rail is smaller than the panel arch. The concave and convex arches of the top door rail are bandsawn and filed with sandpaper. I then groove the three straight sides of the panel at the table saw so that the beaded edge of the panel fits tightly to the face of the door. Care is taken to achieve a proper fit the bead should appear to terminate at the door frame, but should not be too snug.
Its an inside job. Because neither the roundover bit nor the slot cutter used to rout the groove around the panel arch is capable of cutting an inside corner, both of these areas must be finished by hand.
The grooves in the arched top rail and in the tombstone portion of the panel are cut at the router table with a -wide slot cutter. The slot cutter cuts material so the dado at the bottom must be cut with a chisel. The door and panel are dry-assembled to check the fit.
Before glue-up, both the frame and panel are sanded.
After the glue has dried the door can be fitted to the opening. Although rattail hinges give the piece a vintage feel, you can also use butterfly or butt hinges. I chose a knob that, when rotated, locks the door with an interior metal finger. Before you finish, the knob and hinges are removed.
Easy hardware. This was my first experience with this style hinge. I was pleasantly surprised that there is relatively little play though my door reveals are about 141 cm.
The Cornice
Dont sweat the glue-up. Because everything has been dry-assembled more than once, glue-up should go smoothly. Be careful not to squeeze too much adhesive onto the face. It is difficult to clean up around the panel, which should not be glued to the door frame.
The cornice of the cabinet is made of two pieces: a crown and a cong, or elongated cove. The stock router bit is used to cut the crown profile, which is a standard ogee and cove. To take advantage of the 7-inch blade’s arc, the cong is cut using an angle feed on the tablesaw. Most of the waste is cut away before setting up the saw for the cove cut. The resultant surface can be scraped and smoothened. A small bead ( diameter) with a fillet below is routed at the bottom of the cove. After all the mouldings are prepared, they can be mitered and attached with glue and nails. I find it easier to install the front moulding first, then fit the returns to it.
The Back & Pendant Shelves
The shiplapped back boards measure 410 cm long x 410 cm thick. They can be either primary or secondary wood. This project uses white pine wainscoting I have on hand. I also used random-width primary timber on a walnut cabinet. To house the pendant shelves, the backboards are -deep and have a dado. Each shelf’s front edge has a decorative profile, which echoes the scrollwork in the cabinet’s apron.
The back itself also has a scrolled outline. The profile should be laid so that any cuts don’t completely sever a portion of the back needed to complete it.
All of the scroll cuts are done on the band saw then filed to remove sawmarks. A few passes with #120-grit sandpaper are then needed to remove the file marks. Before the back is nailed to the cabinet, I finish all the parts. It is much easier to finish the inside of the cabinet now than after everything is assembled.
The Finish
Many happy returns. It is much easier to start at the front when running mouldings around cabinets. First, install the center piece and then attach the returns.
Curly maple’s shape is best when stained with aniline dye. However, most maple dyes produce a yellowish hue that I find unnatural. J.E. is what I use to create my own antique maple shade. Mosers powders. I use three teaspoons of Honey Amber Maple and one teaspoon of American Walnut per quart of water. Spray dyeing larger pieces is something I do a lot of, but for small projects like this I just rag it on. After the dye has dried, I apply three coats of Waterlox original formula, lightly sanding between coats with a fine sanding sponge to achieve a satin finish. I then apply dark paste wax to highlight the mouldings and tombstone panel, further giving the piece a worn appearance.
Completing The Cabinet
A covert operation? A cove is then cut on the tablesaw after removing most of your waste. It is important to secure the fence properly and to make sure that the workpiece does not slip through the fence during feed.
The build-up. Install a built-up or stepped moulding by running each layer thoroughly before moving onto the next. Note that the pine carrier strip of the cong is capped by the crown. Expensive primary wood can thus be conserved.
Strength in numbers. Backboards support the pendant shelves and help to carry the cabinet’s weight when it is attached to the wall. Here 520 cm-wide dados are cut for the pendant shelves.
The back pieces are glued to the pendant shelves starting at the inner corner. Once the back and pendant shelves are assembled, the entire assembly should be nailed onto the back of your cabinet. To protect the cabinet’s finish, I place it face down on a thick blanket or pad and allow the cornice of the bench to hang over the edges. Once the door hardware has been reinstalled, the cabinet can be hung.
The finished hanging cupboard with pendant shelves is a real eye-catcher in any room and the form is ideal for the beginner and seasoned woodworker alike. While the project shown here has many bells and whistles a tombstone panel, a two-piece cornice and scrollwork on the apron, returns, back and shelves it can easily be streamlined to suit the craftsperson who has limited shop time or is still acquiring new skills. You are encouraged to explore the form further.
Mark Arnold is a graduate of North Bennet Street School and the owner of Boston Woodworking Co., Ltd. (bostonwoodworking.com) in Sunbury, Ohio.
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