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Ep 2: Laying Out and Rabbeting the Case

Mike Pekovich begins the wall cabinet project, laying out all of the carcase parts, systematically marking where joinery will go, and rabbeting the case on the tablesaw with the help of an L-fence.

Author Headshot By Michael Pekovich Dec 17, 2019

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Videos in the Series

  • Ep 1: Hanging Wall Cabinet with Mike Pekovich–Intro

    December 17, 2019

    Through-dovetailed case, through-mortise-and-tenons, half-blind dovetailed drawer, frame-and-panel door, and a beautiful kumiko panel–Mike Pekovich's hanging wall cabinet video workshop packs a lot of techniques into a small piece.

  • Ep 2: Laying Out and Rabbeting the Case

    December 17, 2019

    Mike Pekovich begins the wall cabinet project, laying out all of the carcase parts, systematically marking where joinery will go, and rabbeting the case on the tablesaw with the help of an L-fence.

  • Ep 3: Dovetailing on the tablesaw

    December 24, 2019

    Mike Pekovich begins his dovetailing master class at the tablesaw, where he creates the tails quickly and efficiently using a sled and a custom-ground blade.

  • Ep 4: Hand-cut pins with a twist

    December 31, 2019

    Behold the power of blue tape! Mike's dovetailing master class continues as he demonstrates his now famous method for cutting consistent and precise pins by hand.

  • Ep 5: Fitting the dovetails

    January 7, 2020

    In this episode, Mike continues on the case dovetails cleaning up the baseline with a router, and paring the pins to a perfect fit.

  • Ep 6: Through mortise and tenon–Blue tape layout

    January 14, 2020

    Break out the blue tape one more time. In this episode, Mike systematically lays out both the mortises and tenons using clever spacer blocks.

  • Ep 7: Drilling and chopping mortises

    January 21, 2020

    Mike heads to the drill press to hog away most of the material before cleaning up the through-mortises at the bench.

  • Ep 8: Cutting the tenons

    January 28, 2020

    In this episode, Mike Pekovich cuts the through-tenons in his hanging wall cabinet and demonstrates his methods for fitting them. He also shares his tips for accurate handsawing and his overall build strategies and how they affect accuracy in everything he builds.

  • Ep 9: Prefinishing and gluing up the case

    February 4, 2020

    Before gluing up the hanging wall cabinet case with only two clamps, Mike prefinishes the case parts with his simple wipe-on shellac method.

  • Ep 10a: Making the door frame

    February 11, 2020

    The door for Mike Pekovich's wall cabinet quickly comes together as Mike creates the frame with stub tenons and grooves at the tablesaw.

  • Ep 10b: Creating the door panel and dry-fitting

    February 11, 2020

    Mike rabbets the door panel and adds grooves for the decorative muntons. Then he uses a shoulder plane to finess the door joinery before dry fitting the door.

  • Ep 11: Sizing the kumiko grid

    February 18, 2020

    Using a tablesaw sled, Mike creates the grid for the decorative kumiko which will then tell him the dimensions of the door.

  • Ep 12: Door glue-up

    February 25, 2020

    In this episode, Mike Pekovich glues up the frame-and-panel door, using shims to keep the panel square. There is even a little drama as Mike chases a gap that many would leave, and later regret.

  • Ep 13a: Fitting the door

    March 3, 2020

    A well-fitting door is something to be proud of. To ensure success, Mike starts off by mounting a hinge strip, and taking the time to make a proper jig for hinge mortising.

  • Ep 13b: Mounting the door hinges

    March 3, 2020

    Once the door is fit in the opening, Mike demonstrates his tricks for mounting the hinges to make sure the fit remains perfect.

  • Ep 14: Door details

    March 10, 2020

    In this episode of his Hanging Wall Cabinet video workshop, Mike Pekovich adds muntins and proud pins to the door, adding even more detail to the cabinet. He also gives some insight into why he includes these subtle details in his designs.

  • Ep 15a: Half-blind dovetailed drawer – part 1

    March 17, 2020

    In this three-part episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking you through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.

  • Ep 15b: Half-blind dovetailed drawer – part 2

    March 17, 2020

    In part two of this episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking your through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.

  • Ep 15c: Drawer grooves and glue-up

    March 17, 2020

    In part three of this episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking your through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.

  • Ep 16: Shiplapped back boards

    March 24, 2020

    In this episode, Mike buttons up the case with a perfectly spaced shiplap back and mounts the french cleat from which the cabinet will eventually hang.

  • Ep 17: Fitting the drawer

    March 31, 2020

    Mike fits the drawer of the wall cabinet, which is not an easy task given how wide and shallow it is. Also, you'll see what happens when a drawer gets stuck in a carcase.

  • Ep 18a: Kumiko–Asa No Ha pattern part 1

    April 7, 2020

    In part 1 of three part episode, Mike uses specialized paring blocks to create the parts that will fill in the decorative kumiko panel.

  • Ep 18b: Kumiko–Asa No Ha pattern part 2

    April 7, 2020

    In part two of this episode, Mike begins placing the kumiko pieces into the grid, creating the beautiful latticework.

  • Ep 18c: Trimming a kumiko panel to size

    April 7, 2020

    Finishing off the panel, Mike trims it to size, and adds a paper backer to the kumiko panel.

  • Ep 19: Simple shellac and wax finish

    April 14, 2020

    Mike demonstrates one of his favorite finishing methods, which allows him to fully finish the cabinet in one sitting.

  • Ep 20a: Installing the shelf supports and hardware

    April 21, 2020

    Finishing up the cabinet, Mike installs the support for the shelf, and talks about hardware choices and how they affect the look of a piece.

  • Ep 20b: Installing a bullet catch–Conclusion

    April 21, 2020

    In the conclusion of this series, Mike installs a bullet catch in a clever, frustration-free way–from the outside of the case.

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About This Video Workshop

I teach quite a bit and this wall cabinet is probably one of my favorite things to teach. It's not that big of a piece, but it packs in a ton of woodworking information. There's dovetailed case construction, through mortise-and-tenon joinery, a traditional dovetailed drawer, and a frame-and-panel door. Between all those things, that's 90 percent of the things that you need to know to build just about any piece of furniture. There are a… More about this Video Workshop

Comments

  1. taffy_nz | | #1

    I'm about to start building this, great timing, can't wait for the rest of the videos. Thanks you from New Zealand, cheers Taff

  2. MChick | | #2

    The quality of the video content just keeps getting better. Great stuff FW. WAs the reason I got an unlimited membership and the reason I will keep it!

  3. user-3161528 | | #3

    ok, I have lines drawn and rabbits cut. Now what

    1. User avater FWW Editor
      BenStrano | | #4

      Plenty more coming every Tuesday till April!

  4. user-3161528 | | #5

    thanks just got the arched table roughed out, now this. Way Cool

  5. user-6780886 | | #6

    I know you will be doing a final surfacing of the whole project (hence I could wait to ask this, but...), does the grease pencil on the carpenter's triangles, etc ever cause any problems with finishing by getting into the open grain of the oak? Loving this so far btw!

  6. AlainPilon | | #7

    Great video series! Funny thing is that I was about to make a cabinet just like that, so timing is great BUT I think you should increase the publishing rate, I wont wait until April to finish mine!

  7. user-7132706 | | #8

    You guys are taking this site to the next level constantly. There is no where better to get information like this, its so valuable and is like having a full day one on one private lesson with a professional. Subscribing to this site is one of the best and first investments a new or seasoned woodworker should make.

  8. Markinlouisville | | #9

    Any way to make these videos playback speed variable? 1.25,1.5,1.75,2 etc...... I really like to watch them more than once and I usually watch them the second or third time a little faster. The videos are awesome.

  9. User avater
    rsetina | | #10

    I've been wanting to build a cabinet for the bathroom for some time and this might be the one I build. I also made the block for Kumiko when Mike made the kumiko video. with this, I'll put those to work too.

  10. User avater
    CrookedHands | | #11

    I took this class from Mike, in Kansas City, last spring. Wonderful class and Mike is a great teacher. I've been thinking of making a couple more of them for gifts and this will be a great refresher course. Thanks FWW.

  11. JPHodur | | #12

    Your videos for this project are great, you can tell you enjoy teaching as well as building! I can’t wait to see future videos for this project. My only comment is please wear better eye protection while using your table saw and other power tools. Your eyeglasses didn’t look like approved safety glasses and appeared to have very little protection for your eyes as they were not close to your face and with no side shields. One errant wood chip or sliver traveling at the speed of sound and it could be lights out, and that would be especially tragic.

  12. BReeves | | #13

    Searched Fine Woodworking for guidance/plans for the L-Fence Mike is using. All I can find is a much simpler design which I already have and wish to upgrade. Please advise...and congrats on a great video series...I'll be eagerly looking forward to the follow-on episodes.
    Brian Reeves

  13. User avater
    OlyWoodTech | | #14

    It would be great to have a blog post on the upgrades Mike Pekovich has made to Bob Van Dyke's rip fence and L fence. I like how Mike has made his L fence an accessory instead a stand alone unit.

  14. user-7052478 | | #15

    I have been a FWW follower for many years and have always been impressed with the professionalism and unlimited knowledge of the craft we all love.
    Awesome video

  15. user-3161528 | | #16

    what other wood besides white oak, would work?

  16. jedoggart | | #17

    Terrific video - is there a way to get the dimensions?

  17. User avater
    chetkloss | | #18

    Is there a place where we can download the plan for this cabinet (materials list, etc)?

  18. DaveRichards | | #19

    There are plans for the cabinet sans kumiko panels here: https://www.tauntonstore.com/project-plans/wall-cabinet-in-white-oak-project-plan.html

    I modified the model of the cabinet used for those plans and added the kumiko panels as I described here: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2016/12/26/drawing-kumiko-panel

    I expect you could do the same.

  19. AlanLillich | | #20

    I'm really enjoying this series and learning a lot from it. Another vote for details on Mike's version of the table saw rip fence and L fence attachment. I get the height adjustment of the main middle part of the L fence, but can't figure out the purpose of the blocks on either end.

  20. EricBarker | | #21

    I was wondering about the blocks on either end of the L fence setup as well. Only thing that I can figure is that maybe they're to help to keep the fence sliding straight up and down when making adjustments rather than racking. But that's just a guess.

  21. DaveRichards | | #22

    It looks to me as if the L-fence is a modification of Mr. Van Dykes rip fence from the article titled Supercharge Your Rip Fence from the Jan/Feb 2013 issue. Looks like the center of the Front Face has been cut out so the L-fence can be inserted. Maybe the ends are left as guides like you guessed.
    https://www.finewoodworking.com/2012/12/06/supercharge-your-rip-fence

  22. user-6001446 | | #23

    First, great series. I provided what I thought was constructive feedback on unlimited and this is exactly the kind of thing I asked for in my comments (and expected when I converted from online) and FW responded. really well done - truly some of the best content out there anywhere - now please keep it coming. It shouldn’t be just every Tuesday until April, - should be every Tuesday of the year! Mike is a natural, but you could rotate around. Anyway, I’ll be making the cabinet for sure and look forward to the next series soon. Second, I too am admiring the L Fence. I made the rip fence attachment awhile back and had thought about somehow adding an L fence even then. So, I’m going to make one. I do think it appears the end blocks just help make up/down adjustment smoother and more aligned. They also shorten the fence, which given the base design is so long, that probably doesn’t hurt. However, I’m struggling with the purpose of the bevel or cove -whichever it is, on the foot of the L. Is that for elegance or functionally necessary somehow? Am I missing something obvious?

  23. Damienol | | #24

    Where do I find the dimensions for the rabbet mention in episode 2 and the front panel thickness?

  24. User avater
    chrisharrell | | #25

    1/2 inch (2/3 the thickness of the stock) by 5/8 inch wide (to allow for back boards that are 5/16 inch thick plus a 5/16 inch french cleat to hang the cabinet.

  25. user-7839567 | | #26

    Crazy that we have to pay an additional $16 for the plans from the Taunton Store!

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