by Daniel Diehl
Like all the other components, the top boards are rabbeted to fit into the cabinet frame, so it is easiest to cut the rabbets while the boards are still square. As shown in detail A, the front edges of the top boards are cut with ½-by-½-inch rabbets. The end boards require similar rabbets where they fit into the side panels. The rear edge, however, should be cut with a ½-by-¼-inch rabbet, the ½-inch dimension being visible on the board’s edge. Cut all the rabbets and begin to fit the top boards in place. It will probably be easiest if you place the end boards, both of which are square, on the cabinet and fit the boards between them one at a time. Make any necessary adjustments to the final board before it is set in place.
The front of the ambry is not the most stable structure; it is advisable to peg the top boards together before fitting them permanently. Peg the boards according to the instructions on page 2. When the top has been pegged together, make minor adjustments if necessary to fit it in place on the ambry. Glue the rabbeted area around the edges of the top, set it in place, and clamp it to the frame. Drill and dowel through the top molding as shown in the front view drawing.
Finish
The rather mottled look to the cabinet in the photograph probably indicates that at some time in its life the cabinet was painted. Though much medieval furniture was painted, this cabinet appears to have been painted white, an unlikely medieval color. A natural finish will best complement the ambry. Addition of a stain to darken the piece is entirely up to you. It is likely that the carved door panels were originally backed with cloth to prevent anyone from seeing directly into the cabinet. Choose a color that contrasts well with the finished wood, and tack the fabric into place around the inside face of the door frame. Be careful not to nail directly into the delicate carved panel. The frames of the doors are also delicate; have someone apply back pressure with a wooden block before you tack the material onto the door frame.
PROJECT 18
Cathedral Cabon
Cathedral Cabon, English, circa 1530. Oak, 78½ x 64¼x 295/8 inches. Collection of York Minster, York, England. Reproduced by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of York.
Cabon was the medieval word for closet. If a cabon was large enough to serve as a private meeting room, it was referred to as a cabonette, which has come down to us as cabinet, meaning a ruling council (as in a cabinet ministry). More commonly, cabons were simply cupboards set into a wall. Like many early cabinets, this cabon was built directly into the stone wall of a building to keep its contents as secure as possible. During the Middle Ages, cabons and ambries were designed to hold the treasures of both churches and noble households. At the time, treasures included not only gold and silver plate, but also richly worked clothes and ecclesiastical vestments. The poor had little need of closets and cabinets.
The magnificent oak cabon pictured here is located in the Zouche Chapel in York Minster Cathedral in York, England. Begun in 1350, the chapel was intended to be used as the tomb of Archbishop William de la Zouche, but when he died two years later, it was only partly built. From its completion in 1394 until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, the chapel was used as a chantry house where monks prayed for the souls of the dead. After the Reformation, the chapel was turned into a vestry, or sacristy, a church’s storage area for ecclesiastical vestments and sacramental silver and gold plate. Closets were built here during this period.
This cabon is one of five similar cabinets that line two walls of the chapel. The cabinets, all of the same height and design, are made of English oak, but two are slightly narrower than the one shown here and the other two are considerably wider, extending just over 11 feet. These larger cabinets have only two ranks of doors, rather than the three seen here. By examining the door at the far right-hand side of the middle row, we can closely date the construction of these cabinets. Here we find that a crown above a pair of crossed keys has been burned into the door’s wooden panel. This symbol, the “new” arms of York Minster, was designed in the 1530s by Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s chief minister of state and the papal legate in England, shortly before his own downfall and the final dissolution of the monasteries. Although it has been repaired and slightly altered over the centuries, this closet looks much as it did when it was built in the early sixteenth century.
Construction Notes
This handsome cabinet was built as two separate units: the interior case and the face. We will approach construction in the same way, first building the interior case, which is no more than a simple crate with two shelves and one divider, and then the elaborate facade. The construction of the interior case, the doors, and even the facade’s frame is extremely simple, but carving the elaborate columns will challenge even the most experienced woodworker. Adapting the cabinet’s front to an existing cabinet or closet will handsomely alter it without the need to retrofit the interior case into an existing wall.
Materials
The cabon is constructed entirely of oak, but the interior case could easily be made of a lesser wood, such as pine or fir. The original case is constructed of 1-inch-thick material; standard ¾-inch wood would serve just as well.
Interior Case
The interior of the case is 56¼ inches wide, 71½ inches high, and 24 inches deep. To begin construction, separate the boards listed on the materials list according to their location—back, sides, top, and bottom. Arrange the five back boards next to each other (the exact order makes no difference), and mark the locations where the two shelves will be rabbeted into the back, as indicated in the interior of case, cabinet section, and detail A drawings. Cut the rabbets 1 inch wide and ½ inch deep. Repeat the rabbeting process on the side panels.
Next, locate and cut the rabbets for the divider panel that sits on the lowest shelf. This panel is rabbeted only into the cabinet’s floor and the bottom face of the lowest shelf; it is not rabbeted into the back wall. After all the rabbets have been cut, lay the back boards facedown on your work surface. To ensure proper alignment of the panels, cut two ½-by-1-by-60-inch strips of wood and insert them into the shelf rabbets. Properly align and square the back panel. Place one of the 58¼-inch-long batten boards across the bottom of the back, allowing 2 inches of the board to extend below the bottom edge of the back boards. Place the other long batten across the top of the boards, allowing 2 inches to extend above the top of the back panels. Nail these two boards in place with 1¾-inch nails.
Now set the bottom boards on the 2¼-by-4-inch skids, as shown in the drawing labeled interior of case. Allow the two outermost skids to extend 1 inch beyond the edges of the bottom, as shown in detail B. Place another of the skids directly beneath the rabbet that will hold the divider panel. The final two skids should be centered between the first three. Nail the bottom boards to the skids with 2-inch nails.
The next step is to assemble the left and right sides. Lay the side boards facedown on the work surface, using the wooden strips to ensure that the rabbets are aligned. Position the battens on top of the side panels, making sure that the panels are properly aligned and square. The lower batten should extend 1 inch below the bottom of the side boards, and the top batten should extend 2 inches above the top of the sides. Nail the sides together using 1¾-inch nails, then nail the battens along the front and the rear edges of the sides. The rear batten extends 2 inches beyond the side panel’s back edge, but the front batten is flush with the front edge. Be certain to make a left and a right side panel. Lay out and assemble the top panel, keeping all four of the battens flush with the panel’s edges.
Final assembly of the interior case requires the aid of several helpers. Before beginning assembly, move the components to the room in which the cabinet will be installed; it will prove nearly impossible to move the case once assembled. Stand one side on the bottom of the cabinet as shown in detail B and nail it to the bottom. Have someone hold this side upright while you nail the second side in place. Set the top panel onto the sides and nail it securely. While gently supporting the structure of the cabinet, slide the
shelves and divider panels into place. Be sure that the shelves and divider are flush with the front of the case before nailing them. The back panel should set easily in place, and the shelves should slide into the appropriate rabbets. After checking that the case is square, nail the back into place.
Framing the Cabinet
Cut the rails and stiles to the sizes indicated on the materials list. Lay the seven pieces—left and right stiles, top and bottom stiles, two shelf divider rails, and the divider stile—on a work surface in their proper arrangement. The top and bottom rails and two shelf divider rails all sit between the stiles; in other words, when you look at the edge of the cabinet face, you will see only the edge of the left or right stile. The stiles and top rail are no more than flat boards that serve as a backing on which the columns and cornice are mounted. Mark the face and interior edges of each board so that you can relocate them in their proper positions as necessary.
Mark out the rabbets around the faces of the openings into which the doors will be recessed. Front views of these rabbets are shown in the construction detail of the left side of the cabinet front; front and side views are shown in the cornice and cornice profile drawings. The rabbets are interrupted at the points where the divider rails join the left and right stiles, as shown in the cabinet front drawing.
The rabbets in the top and bottom rails stop 4 inches short of the ends of the boards, as shown in the construction detail of the left side of the cabinet front. This drawing also shows that only the top edges of the shelf rails are rabbeted. The divider stile that separates the bottom row of doors must have rabbets on both front edges to support the locking edges of both the left and right doors. All these rabbets are 1 inch wide across the face and ¾ inch in depth. After all the rabbets have been marked and cut, set the pieces back in their proper order to verify the positions of the rabbets.
Now cut the mortise and tenon joints that hold the face of the cabinet together. These are open mortise and tenon joints, which are simply interlocking rabbets. Study the construction detail of the left side of the cabinet front to see how the finished joint should appear. If you remove the left stile from this drawing and look down onto the top edge of the bottom rail, as shown in the top view of the bottom rail, you will see how the pieces fit together. The drawing labeled left stile, interior edge with rails removed illustrates the opposite member of this particular joint. All four main corner joints are constructed the same way. After these have been marked and cut, the four main framing members should fit together so that the frame appears the way it will be when the cabinet is complete.
Lay the frame on a level work surface, making sure it is square. Identify the positions of the shelf rails. Their locations should be clear because of the interruptions in the rabbet around the cabinet’s face. Looking at the drawing labeled left stile, interior edge with rails removed, you can see that the shelf rails fit into the frame with simple mortise and tenon joints. It is not shown in the drawings, but the tenons on the divider rails are 1½ inches in length and the mortises are of a corresponding depth. After locating and marking the positions of the shelf rails, cut the mortises and tenons to fit snugly. Repeat the process with the stile separating the bottom row of doors.
Now lay out the face of the cabinet on a level work surface and completely assemble it, fitting the joints snugly and squaring the face. Drill and dowel the face together according to the instructions on page 1. The locations of the ½-inch-diameter dowels are shown in the construction detail of the left side of the cabinet front. Move the cabinet face to the room in which it is to be installed before final assembly, because the size of the unit will make it almost impossible to move through doorways once it is assembled.
Mounting the Case and Frame
The completed frame is ready to mount on the cabinet’s front, but first the cabinet must be recessed into a properly prepared alcove. First, select an appropriate location for the cabon. With its 78½-inch height, it can appropriately be set at floor level, but the original cabinet actually sits on a stone ledge 22 inches above the chapel’s floor. Raising your cabon 8 to 10 inches above the floor may make it more convenient. If it is raised above floor level, however, a platform will have to be built to support the cabinet. In either case, to mount the cabinet in the wall, you need to cut an opening into which the case can be fitted. When cutting an opening in an existing wall, make the opening as near the size of the cabinet as possible, as the frame is only 3 inches wider than the exterior dimensions of the cabinet. Care in cutting will avoid the need for excessive plasterwork.
After the opening has been cut, build a sturdy frame around the interior edge of the hole—a surface on which to anchor the cabinet. The frame should be plumb and square, 1 to 2 inches wider than the cabinet, and ½ to 1 inch taller. Also make sure the floor or supporting platform is level; shimming the cabinet to level will be almost impossible after it has been eased into place. Once you are satisfied that the appropriately dimensioned opening is well framed, plumb, square, and level, slide the cabinet into place. Make sure that the front edge is flush with the surrounding wall, and nail the cabinet to the frame. You will undoubtedly have to fill gaps between the cabinet and frame; use scraps of wood or shims.
The face can be mounted on the front of the cabinet after it has been secured to the wall. Nail through the front of the face into the front edge of the case. Drive a few nails directly into the frame surrounding the cabinet to ensure a snug fit against the wall. Position the nails so that they will be hidden by the decorative columns.
Constructing the Doors
Each door is made from several ¾-inch-thick oak boards. The height and width of the doors are shown in the cabinet front drawing. Construct the face of each door by doweling two or more boards together, following the instructions on page 1. The grain on all the doors should run vertically. Splats that run horizontally across the back support the doors and prevent them from warping. These splats, shown in the rear and edge views of the door, are all 5/8 inch thick and 2 inches wide and stop 1½ inches short of the edge of the door that will be fitted with a latch plate. On those four doors that are hinged to other doors, the splats at the hinge joints between the doors touch. The splats are located so that the hinges are nailed through both the door and the splats. This provides additional support for doors and hinges alike. Take into account the positions of the hinges, shown in the hardware location A and B drawings, when you mount the splats to the back of the door.
Hardware
You now need to shift your focus from the woodwork to the construction of the hardware, as the doors must be mounted on the cabinet before the columns and crown molding can be installed. You may continue to execute the woodwork, but do not install the columns or crown molding until the doors are mounted on the cabinet. Before constructing the decorative hinge straps, decide whether to cut the entire design out of a piece of flat stock or shape the decorative fleur-de-lis ends on the hinges. The materials list specifies 2¼-inch-wide stock, which is sufficient to forge the decorative ends, but cutting them out of a single piece of flat stock requires 3-inch-wide stock.
In either case, lay out and cut the general shape of the hinges as shown in the drawings of the butt end and front end of the hinge. For this cabinet, not only are there twelve hinges connecting the doors to the frame, but there are also four hinges that connect the center doors to the right-hand doors. Adjust the lengths of the hinges to fit the specific doors, according to the hardware location A and B drawings. Cut around both the floret designs and the decorative ornamentation at the butt ends of the straps. Leave 1½ inches on the outermost ends of the hinge straps to form the spines of the hinges that connect the doors to the cabinet frame. Those hinges that connect one door to another require 13/16-inch-long tangs. Note on the butt end of the hinge drawing that the spines of these hinges are of a smaller diameter than those on the door-to-frame hinge.
There is no illustration for the end of the hinge buried beneath the decorative columns. W
e can assume that this hidden hinge is a simple rectangle that is 2¼ inches wide and no more than 3 inches long. Allow an extra 1½ inches on the 3-inch-wide stock for the tangs that form the spine. To be sure that the hinge supports the weight of the doors, drill holes for four mounting nails.
Form the spines of the hinges, referring to the instructions on page 10. Then form the decorative fleur-de-lis ends. First, cut the ears of the fleur-delis design loose from the strap’s center, either sawing them free or heating them and splitting them loose with a chisel. If the end of the strap is sawn rather than split, roughly form the tapering ends on the decorative ears, which can then be bent and shaped. In either case, bend the ears laterally (outward). Be careful when bending metal laterally; it may break if not heated enough. As the metal ears are stretched and pulled outward, and then bent around the mandrel, they should become slightly narrower toward the point. Execute a few sample pieces prior to working on the finished straps. Do not be concerned if your pieces lack perfect symmetry; neither do the originals executed by medieval craftsmen.
To give the edges of the hinge straps a truly hand-forged look, heat the metal until it is glowing and slightly distress the edges with a hammer. Similarly, to incise the strike lines in the flower petals and create the crosshatched pattern at the rear of the fleurdelis, heat the metal, set a cold chisel in the appropriate position, and strike it with a hammer. Do not hit it hard enough to cut the metal in half, but just hard enough to score the surface of the metal to a depth of 1/32 inch. After the hinges have been shaped, drill holes for the mounting nails at the positions indicated in the drawings.
Cut the basic shapes of the back plates for the door pulls and lock plate as shown in the drawings. Drill 3/16-inch-diameter holes for nails at the proper locations. Drill the hole for the door pull ring, located at the center of the door pull back plate, to a diameter of 3/8 inch. A skilled metalsmith has obviously chiseled the handle on the door pull. You can either commission a reproduction casting or bend a simple ring out of round or square stock. If you decide to bend your own ring, heat the stock (specified on the materials list) and wrap it around a 1¾-inchdiameter pipe. Cut the ends of the stock to form a complete circle. Finally, weld the ends together.
