Tallboy Linen Cabinet Part 1

As all-American as jazz music, the traditional styling of this hefty linen cabinet is a meld of the influences of Gustav Stickley, the Arts & Crafts movement, and Greene & Greene styling.

Morgans are the only truly American breed of horse. 

Jazz, they say, is an original American art form. 

So, what of our heritage in furniture – is there a native style? Can we look at a piece of Colonial or Federal furniture and say that it defines us?

The truth is that every strain of American furniture design began somewhere else, just like most of the people. Our Colonial furniture was born in the hills of Yorkshire England, not the valleys of Vermont. Shaker furniture has its roots in Manchester England, whence came Mother Ann Lee, founder of the order, in 1774. And that truly American art form, Gustav Stickley’s familiar Mission style, is a meld of Spanish hacienda influences and an Arts & Crafts tradition born in Britain of Medieval parentage.

The linen cabinet in this project is as American as it can possibly be. The scale and proportions are reminiscent of tall cabinets found throughout the earlier Shaker colonies in New England. The construction methods and overall aspect of this piece, however, are more in keeping with Stickley’s methodology. He favored quartersawn white oak as the primary species, and his influence can be seen in the flat frame-and-panel doors, the gentle curves of the lower rails and the generous use of mortise-and-tenon joinery.

Another American Arts & Crafts influence, California’s Greene Brothers, supplied the inspiration for the accents – ebonized plugs and art-glass door panels.

Despite its size, this is not a particularly difficult project to build. It requires a degree of patience, access to a thickness planer and some experience with joinery. It’s not a beginner’s project, but anybody familiar with casework should have no problem completing it.

There are, however, a very large number of individual parts that go into this piece. For that reason, I’ve numbered each component – or set of identical components, such as stiles and rails – for easier reference in the construction process.

Getting started

Each side of the carcase is composed of three stiles (pieces 1-3), two rails (pieces 4 and 5) and a couple of panels (piece 6). Begin construction by cutting all of these parts to the dimensions shown in the cut list on page 45. I edge-glued boards to make the panel blanks, then reduced them to the requisite 1/2" thickness on my planer before crosscutting and ripping them to size.

Clamp a couple of scrap hardwood guides parallel to the router base (Fig. 1),  centering a sharp 1/4" straight bit between them. Plow a 1/4"-wide by 1/2"-deep groove in the front edge of each back stile, and the back edge of each front stile (Fig 2). 

These are stopped grooves; you’ll be leaving 1/4" of stock at the top of each cut (Fig. 3), and 21/8" at the bottom (Fig. 4). There’s no trick to this – just mark the locations and stop the router when the bit reaches each mark. Make the cuts in several passes, to avoid stress.

Next, plow two edge grooves in each center stile, and one in the top edge of each bottom rail and the bottom edge of each top rail. All of these are through-grooves, so they don’t need to be stopped.

With all the grooves plowed, lay out the curve along the bottom edge of each bottom rail. Locate the ends and the center of each curve using the drawing on page 43, then bend a strip of 1/4" plywood to describe the arc. A couple of clamps help hold the strip in place while you draw the arc with a pencil. Don’t cut it yet. 

Install a dado head in your table saw to create tenons on the ends of the center stiles (Fig. 5), the top rails (Fig. 6) and the bottom rails (Fig. 7). This is just a matter of setting up the blade height and the fence, then using the miter gauge to guide each cut. I used a clamped-on spacer to prevent any of the workpieces from being jammed against the fence and causing kickback (Fig. 8). Make the first cheek cut with the part lying flat, guided by the miter gauge (Fig. 9). Note the nonskid skateboard tape I’ve applied to the miter gauge to keep the workpiece from sliding. Then cut the shoulders with the part on edge, adjusting the blade height as required (Fig. 10). 

After the tenons are completed, bandsaw the curves on the bottom rails. Clean up the cuts using a drum sander chucked into the drill press (Fig. 11), or an oscillating drum sander.

Next, chuck a 1/2" bearing-guided rabbeting bit into your router (Fig. 12), and mill a rabbet along all four edges of the back of each of the four side panels. This 1/2"-wide by 1/4"-deep rabbet creates a set of tongues that will fit into the 1/4" grooves you plowed earlier in the stiles and rails. Before running the rabbeting bit, size each panel so that there is 1/8" of play in either direction; that is, each panel should be 1/16" smaller on all four edges than the subassembly that houses it. This is because the panels need room to expand and contract as they respond to variations in humidity.

Dry fit all of the components in the sides and, when you’re satisfied with the fit, assemble them with glue and clamps. Measure diagonally in both directions to ensure squareness as you apply clamping pressure. Remember that the panels are not glued in place, since they must be free to move. Keep a damp rag handy to wipe up excess glue as it squeezes out. After the glue dries, mill a 1/4"-deep rabbet along the back edge of each side. (These will eventually house the cabinet back.)

Drawer support frames

Following traditional casework methods, four tongue-and-groove frames are used to create the drawer cavities in this cabinet. Each frame is comprised of a front, a back and three rails (pieces 7- 9). Plow a familiar 1/4"-wide by 1/2"-deep groove in the back edge of the front rail, and another in the front edge of the back rail. Mill tongues on the ends of the three rails using the same dado and miter gauge setup you used earlier. These are not full tenons, just simple tongues with two cheeks and no shoulders. See the parts list on page 45 for all dimensions.

The ends of each frame front and back do receive tenons to help lock them into place during assembly. These are very shallow – each one is just 1/8" deep. Pay special attention to their placement, because they’re not centered on the end of each workpiece. The tenons in the frame backs are 3/4" from the back edge (Fig. 13), while those in the fronts are just 1/4" from the front edges (Fig. 14). This centers them in the 3"-wide stiles of the cabinet sides.

Assemble the four frames with glue and clamps, making sure they’re both square and flat.

On the table saw, rip two lengths of stock to 1/2" x 3/4" (piece 10). These are used to build up the front stiles of the side panels. Aside from their aesthetic function, these strips will solve problems associated with placing hinges later on. Try to match the edge grain to the edges of the stiles, then trim them to length and face-glue them to the stiles (Fig. 15). I used every spring clamp in the shop, but C-clamps would work fine, too. Wipe off the excess glue and, after the clamps are removed, plane or belt-sand the edge.

Dry-assemble the carcase

Using the drawing on page 43, locate the 16 mortises in the cabinet sides that will house the short tenons on the drawer support frames. This is simply a matter of measuring down from each cabinet side (Fig. 16).

Chuck a 1/4" straight bit into the router, set the depth of cut for 1/8" (plus a hair – make it 9/64" or thereabouts) and create the mortises freehand (Fig. 17). They are so shallow, there is little tendency for the bit to wander. Because of the buildups, you’ll need to use a 1/2" spacer under one side of the router and extend the depth of cut by 1/2" to make the mortises near the front of each cabinet side.

From the inside of the cabinet, drill a 1/16" pilot hole for a screw in the center of each mortise (Fig. 18). Locate and drill screw holes in the center stiles, too (Fig. 19). Turn the sides over and chuck a  3/8" Forstner bit into your drill, then counterbore each of the holes in the outside face of each cabinet side (Fig. 20). Drill down to about 1/4", as each counterbore needs to be deep enough to accommodate a screw head and the base of a mushroom-shaped walnut button.

Dry-clamp the frames to the sides, seating the tenons in their respective mortises. I did this on the floor of the shop with the help of a friend. Don’t use any glue yet. Extend the pilot holes, making them large enough and deep enough for the screws, but don’t install the screws for a few more minutes, until the bottom is in place.

The cabinet bottom

This is a frame much like the four you’ve already built, except that it has a sheet of plywood (piece 11) instead of a third rail. I used nominal 1/2" Baltic birch multi-ply for this, because of its strength. Make the frame front and back (pieces 12 and 13) in exactly the same manner as before, creating small tenons on the ends and a groove in the inside edge of each. Then continue this groove in the inside edges of two rails (piece 14), which also have tongues. Use your rabbeting bit to mill a 1/2"-wide by 1/4"-deep rabbet on all four edges of the top face of the plywood (Fig. 21), then dry-assemble the cabinet bottom. When everything fits – the plywood should be able to move 1/8" in either direction – glue and clamp the subassembly together. Remember that the plywood is not glued into the slots.

When the glue is dry, remove the clamps. Then chuck a 1/2" dovetail bit (a 14-degree bit works well) into the router. Center a 1/4"-deep dovetailed groove in the bottom of the top drawer support frame, and the top and bottom of the second, third and fourth frames (Fig. 22). You can also mill one in the top face of the cabinet bottom. These cuts should extend 1/4" into the middle rails of the frames and the same distance into the plywood panel in the cabinet bottom. I clamped a guide on either side of each cut to prevent the bit from wandering.

A small 1/4" x 1/4" groove milled in the bottom of the cabinet bottom can be nibbled away with a standard saw blade (Fig. 23), or plowed with a dado head. The groove is located 1/4" in from the front edge. It houses a tongue on the top of the cabinet’s front bottom rail (piece 15), and this tongue is formed before the curve is cut along the bottom edge of the rail. Use the same table saw setup to create tenons on the ends of the rail (see page 45 for dimensions), then bandsaw the curve and drum-sand the cut edge. Glue and clamp the rail to the cabinet bottom and reinforce the joint with glue blocks (piece 16), as this joint carries the load of all the drawers above. These are simply short lengths of scrap material that are glued into place (Fig. 24). 

Now plow two small mortises for the tenons on the ends of the bottom rail – one in each cabinet side – using a 1/4" bit and a clamped-on guide to direct the cuts.

Carcase final assembly

Dry-fit the cabinet bottom and the drawer support frames to the two cabinet sides. When everything fits, apply glue and clamps. While the glue is still wet, drive home a screw through each of the pilot holes you drilled earlier. (You’ll need to extend these holes into the cabinet bottom first.) I found it easiest to assemble the cabinet with glue and clamps while it lay on its back on the floor, then stand it up and drive home the screws (Fig. 25). Measure constantly to ensure that the cabinet is square.

While the glue dries, you can make up the top of the cabinet. This again is a frame-and-panel construction, but there’s a slight difference. Instead of tongue-and-groove joinery, the corners are biscuited and mitered. Cut the four parts to size (pieces 17 and 18), then plow a 1/4" groove down the inside edge of each. This houses another 1/2" Baltic birch panel (piece 19). Create a 1/2"-wide by 1/4"-deep rabbet on all four edges of the top of the panel, then miter the frame to fit. The panel should be able to move 1/8" in either direction. Create slots for biscuits in the mitered ends, then glue and clamp the cabinet top together. 

After the glue dries, mill a 1/4"-deep rabbet in the bottom back edge of the top. This is a stopped cut on both ends, and it will house the top of the cabinet back. There’s no need to square the corners.

Install the top with glue and screws driven down through the top into the cabinet sides through predrilled, countersunk holes. Then lay the entire cabinet face down on some cardboard or an old rug, and nail the back (piece 20) in place with 5/8" panel pins. 

With that step completed, return the cabinet to its feet. Then step back and take a good look at your handiwork – the carcase of your Stickley linen cabinet is done.

In the next issue, we’ll begin Part 2 of this project by installing drawer dividers, the drawers themselves, the upper and lower doors and all hardware; and finishing this true American original.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2

The following are available at any hardware store or home center:

Screws, #8 x 15/8" (30)
Panel pins, 5/8" (100)
Upper door glass, 101/16" x 173/4" (2)
Drawer slides, 20"

Specialty hardware/supplies:

Optional 20” full-extension drawer slides, #131199, $13.99 (pair)
Mission door hinges 2”x2” w/finials (8), #130403, $7.99 (pair)
Large Mission drawer pulls (6), #123874, $14.99 each
Small Mission drawer pulls (4), #123875, $12.99 each
Mission door pulls (4) , #123876, $10.75 each

Source: Woodcraft Supply Corp
(800) 225-1133
woodcraft.com

Walnut buttons, 3/8" (30), #110-015, $7.49 (pkg. of 100)

Source: Woodworker’s Supply
(800) 645-9292
woodworkerssupply.com

Note: All wood parts are quartersawn white oak, except: BB* indicates Baltic birch plywood, P* indicates poplar or clear pine.