Secret Cabinet
I made a small wall hanging cabinet with a hidden compartment for my mom for Christmas (2013). This cabinet is meant to display small items and at quick glance it isn't obvious the compartments don't go all the way to the back. I used maple and left it unfinished. This will allow my mom to pick the finish, decide which way to hang it (the drawer can be on either side), and choose how the drawer is laid out. I came up with the idea for this project 2 weeks before Christmas and modeled it in AutoCAD that day. I started it that weekend and finished it on Christmas Eve. This project was done almost entirely with a table saw and crosscut sled. The router table was used for the dados for the shelf and the locking pin channels. I used a jig saw to cut the opening for the drawer.
I cut the main case pieces and the back on the table saw, routed the shelf dados and cut out the opening for the drawer. I glued these up and used nails so I didn't have to wait until the glue dried to remove clamps. I needed to work quickly on this project because I started late and was simultaneously working on the sword case. I then cut the shelf and vertical supports, notched the shelf for the vertical supports and glued them in place. While the glue was drying, I cut all the corner pieces. When the glue was dry, I removed the clamps and glued the corner pieces in place. I used packing tape to keep the 2 pieces for each corner lined up. On the drawer side, I wrapped a few layers of wax paper around the edges of the door and used it to space the corner pieces properly. The wax paper ensured the door didn't get glued in and the multiple layers left enough of a gap to allow the door to slide. All the corner pieces were clamped and allowed to dry.
I measured the case with the corners installed and cut the frame pieces. The horizontal frames needed channels for the locking pins. Originally, I thought about drilling a hole a few inches deep in each end, routing out the middle section and gluing rod supports back in the middle. I decided against this because I didn't know how I would drill straight into the end of a 17" long piece and I would have to make the hole large enough to avoid having the pins bind. I wanted some friction so they stayed in place. I used the router to cut a 1/4" wide groove 3/8" deep. I switched to a 1/2" cutter 1/8" deep. The fence stayed in the same position to ensure the 1/2" groove was centered over the 1/4" groove. I then ripped strips 1/2" wide by 1/8" thick as long as the frames and glued them in the 1/2" groove. This gave me a 1/4" x 1/4" square channel running through the frames. This allowed a 1/4" aluminum rod to slide smoothly with a little friction from the 4 sides. I can always add a slight bend to the rods if I need to add friction.
With the horizontal frames glued in place, I worked next on the vertical frames. The door side frame needed clearance holes for the 1/4" rods and the opposite side needed tapped holes for the rods. The location was critical for smooth operation and to ensure the frames were in the correct position when everything was closed up. I put a piece of 1/4" rod in the lathe and turned a sharp point on one end (a makeshift transfer punch). I clamped one vertical frame in place (dry) at a time and pushed the transfer punch through each horizontal frame until it left a divot in the vertical frame centered with the channel. I drilled the holes and tapped the locking side like it was metal. Maple is quite hard and there is not much stress on the threads, so they should hold just fine. The 1/4" aluminum rods that I had came from something else and already had threads on one end. I screwed them into the locking side, put it in place and marked the correct length. I unscrewed them, put them in lathe and turned them to the correct length. I drilled some holes in the end of the door and the back of the door side frame and used dowels and glue to put them together.
I cut the drawer pieces from 1/4" x 2" maple and cut shallow rabbets for the bottom. I used a 1" forstner bit to created a finger hole to pull the drawer out. I glued the drawer up and then glued the rails in place. I gave the drawer runners quite a bit of thought because they would bind if they weren't aligned perfectly. I first clamped the runners to the drawer with shims between them and the rail for clearance. I glued spacer blocks to the runners and let them dry. This gave me drawer runner subassemblies that were straight and had clearance for the rails. I then centered the rail between the runners with shims and put shims between the runners and the drawer sides for vertical clearance. I placed this whole assembly inside the case and measured between the runners and the bottom (or top) of the case. I got lucky and the measurement (1/2") matched my design. I cut 1/2" wide blocks and glued them to the runners and the case. I did one side at a time and used the drawer to clamp them to ensure the front-to-back alignment stayed correct. When everything was dry, I put a small screw in the top and bottom runners to act as a drawer stop since it isn't as long as the case.
The last item was the back. I finished this the night before Christmas. The back was just a piece of thin plywood. Normally, I would glue a back in place, but I used screws for this project. I need to be able to remove it when I decide on what wall mounting hardware is needed. I also wanted access if the drawer ever gets stuck. I believe I left plenty of clearance for the drawer and runners, but the access is there just in case. I was surprised how smoothly and quickly this project came together. Normally, I run into problems (like the sword case). Other than an extended pause to figure out the drawer runner installation, I had no problems.
Click the pictures for larger images.
I cut the main case pieces and the back on the table saw, routed the shelf dados and cut out the opening for the drawer. I glued these up and used nails so I didn't have to wait until the glue dried to remove clamps. I needed to work quickly on this project because I started late and was simultaneously working on the sword case. I then cut the shelf and vertical supports, notched the shelf for the vertical supports and glued them in place. While the glue was drying, I cut all the corner pieces. When the glue was dry, I removed the clamps and glued the corner pieces in place. I used packing tape to keep the 2 pieces for each corner lined up. On the drawer side, I wrapped a few layers of wax paper around the edges of the door and used it to space the corner pieces properly. The wax paper ensured the door didn't get glued in and the multiple layers left enough of a gap to allow the door to slide. All the corner pieces were clamped and allowed to dry.
I measured the case with the corners installed and cut the frame pieces. The horizontal frames needed channels for the locking pins. Originally, I thought about drilling a hole a few inches deep in each end, routing out the middle section and gluing rod supports back in the middle. I decided against this because I didn't know how I would drill straight into the end of a 17" long piece and I would have to make the hole large enough to avoid having the pins bind. I wanted some friction so they stayed in place. I used the router to cut a 1/4" wide groove 3/8" deep. I switched to a 1/2" cutter 1/8" deep. The fence stayed in the same position to ensure the 1/2" groove was centered over the 1/4" groove. I then ripped strips 1/2" wide by 1/8" thick as long as the frames and glued them in the 1/2" groove. This gave me a 1/4" x 1/4" square channel running through the frames. This allowed a 1/4" aluminum rod to slide smoothly with a little friction from the 4 sides. I can always add a slight bend to the rods if I need to add friction.
With the horizontal frames glued in place, I worked next on the vertical frames. The door side frame needed clearance holes for the 1/4" rods and the opposite side needed tapped holes for the rods. The location was critical for smooth operation and to ensure the frames were in the correct position when everything was closed up. I put a piece of 1/4" rod in the lathe and turned a sharp point on one end (a makeshift transfer punch). I clamped one vertical frame in place (dry) at a time and pushed the transfer punch through each horizontal frame until it left a divot in the vertical frame centered with the channel. I drilled the holes and tapped the locking side like it was metal. Maple is quite hard and there is not much stress on the threads, so they should hold just fine. The 1/4" aluminum rods that I had came from something else and already had threads on one end. I screwed them into the locking side, put it in place and marked the correct length. I unscrewed them, put them in lathe and turned them to the correct length. I drilled some holes in the end of the door and the back of the door side frame and used dowels and glue to put them together.
I cut the drawer pieces from 1/4" x 2" maple and cut shallow rabbets for the bottom. I used a 1" forstner bit to created a finger hole to pull the drawer out. I glued the drawer up and then glued the rails in place. I gave the drawer runners quite a bit of thought because they would bind if they weren't aligned perfectly. I first clamped the runners to the drawer with shims between them and the rail for clearance. I glued spacer blocks to the runners and let them dry. This gave me drawer runner subassemblies that were straight and had clearance for the rails. I then centered the rail between the runners with shims and put shims between the runners and the drawer sides for vertical clearance. I placed this whole assembly inside the case and measured between the runners and the bottom (or top) of the case. I got lucky and the measurement (1/2") matched my design. I cut 1/2" wide blocks and glued them to the runners and the case. I did one side at a time and used the drawer to clamp them to ensure the front-to-back alignment stayed correct. When everything was dry, I put a small screw in the top and bottom runners to act as a drawer stop since it isn't as long as the case.
The last item was the back. I finished this the night before Christmas. The back was just a piece of thin plywood. Normally, I would glue a back in place, but I used screws for this project. I need to be able to remove it when I decide on what wall mounting hardware is needed. I also wanted access if the drawer ever gets stuck. I believe I left plenty of clearance for the drawer and runners, but the access is there just in case. I was surprised how smoothly and quickly this project came together. Normally, I run into problems (like the sword case). Other than an extended pause to figure out the drawer runner installation, I had no problems.
Click the pictures for larger images.