Craftsman Curio Cabinet

This curio cabinet combines all the features that make up a true Craftsman classic -- mortise and tenon joinery, quartersawn white oak, and period hardware. But it's the beveled glass that really makes this project shine.

What sets this curio cabinet apart from other Craftsman projects I’ve built is clear — it’s the glass. To allow you to see what’s stored inside, this cabinet has beveled glass panels in the doors and on each end. Even the shelves are made out of glass so you can see clearly from top to bottom. Glass doesn’t make a project any harder to build. But large panels of glass are heavy, and I wanted to be sure these had plenty of support. This meant building strong, sturdy frames. Nothing tricky, just traditional mortise and tenon joinery to connect the frames. And a simple rabbet to hold the glass. Once the four case frames are complete, they have to be assembled into a single unit. Here, I tried a “new” technique to hide the joint lines between the frames. I cut deep rabbets in the front and back frames to hold the ends. Then to camouflage the joint line, a chamfer is routed down the edge. It’s a small detail and one only a woodworker would notice. But it’s another feature that makes this curio cabinet as worthy of attention as the display items inside.

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What You Get:

  • 12 pages of step-by-step instructions
  • More than 65 full color photos and illustrations
  • Tips & Techniques from the Editors of Woodsmith Magazine

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