By Tim Johnson
Eighty
years ago, before built-in cabinets were common, every modern homemaker wanted
a Hoosier cabinet in her kitchen. As a baking center, it was the last word in
efficient design and convenience, packed with labor-and time-saving features.
Millions of Hoosiers, almost all manufactured by companies in
Why not put a Hoosier in your
kitchen? Use it as a bread making center, a coffee bar, or to store dishes and
linens or pots and pans. Its still perfectly suited to todays modern
kitchens.
This Hoosier is loaded with
useful features. The center section slides in and out to maximize the
usefulness of the porcelain enamel work surface. Two drawers are mounted under
the work surface and slide with it, so their contents are always within reach.
A tambour door provides access to the cabinet without the nuisance of swinging
doors.
Although its a big project with
many pieces, this Hoosier cabinet is not hard to build. Its made from
dimensional 3/4-in.-thick wood. The cabinet joinery is simple, using dadoes,
dowels and rabbets. The doors and cabinet sides are made with routed stiles and
rails. The drawers are done on the tablesaw, and both the drawers and doors
overlay the openings, so fitting them is a breeze. All the hardware surface
mounts and you can buy the tambour ready to install!
Youll need a dado set for your tablesaw, a
router, router table, and bits (stile and rail, round-over, and flush trim), a
doweling jig and a drill. A jointer and planer are handy, but optional.
For materials, you need 40 board feet of oak,
one and one-half sheets of 3/4-in. A-1 grade oak plywood, two sheets of 1/4-in.
A-1 grade oak fibercore plywood, and 15 board feet of 4/4 birch for drawer
sides and runnersnot bad for such a large piece. All the hardware, from the
porcelain enamel top to the ant traps is available from companies that
specialize in the restoration of antique Hoosiers (see Sources). Your cost will
be about $475 for lumber and $300 for the tambour system and cabinet hardware.
If you want to dress up the interior, as we did, with internal bins and
canisters, youll spend another $200.
Straight Grain Looks Best
Give a sense of order to the cabinets structure by using straight-grained
material for all face, door and side frame pieces. Cut straight-grained stock
from the edges of plain-sawn boards or buy rift-sawn oak (about $50 extra).
Either way, its worth the effort.
Make the Doors and Cabinet
Sides First
It may seem odd to make doors before the cabinets are done, but its a good
idea. The doors are the first thing you see, so they should get the
best-looking panels (Photo 2). Besides, theyre
lipped doors that overlay their openings, so an exact fit isnt critical. Cut
all of the door and side frame stiles and rails (A1 - A6 and B1 - B9) at the
same time. Use flat stock. Bowed or twisted pieces will make your life
miserable.
Make these pieces into frames for the doors and
sides using stile and rail cutters (see Sources) mounted in your
router table. A reversible cutter set (Fig. A) wont break your
budget ($40 to $85) and making the change from one cut to the other only takes
a few minutes. Make coped cuts (Photo 1), then rearrange
the cutters for the profile cuts.
Assemble the routed frames and find panels (C1
- C5). Finally, glue the parts together into doors (Z1, Z2 and Z5) and cabinet
sides (D1 and L1).
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FRAME AND PANEL CONSTRUCTION |
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MAKE COPE CUTS in the end-grain of all of the rails first. A shop-made
sled holds them safely in position while cutting. Glue a block of wood with
one squarely cut end on top of a longer piece of 1/4-in. plywood. Screw on a
toggle clamp. The sled assures a square cut and the block acts as a backer,
preventing blow-out. |
BE SELECTIVE when choosing panels for the doors and cabinet sides.
Slide the frames around on the plywood until you find attractive panels.
Dont worry about wasting a little plywood. Locate panels for the upper doors
first. Then find panels for the lower door and cabinet sides. |
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EXPLODED VIEW OF LOWER CABINET. The lower cabinet is simply dadoed together, with an applied face frame and fitted plywood back for rigidity. The feet are glued inside the frame below the bottom shelf. The drawers slide on runners dadoed into assemblies that are screwed to the cabinet interior. Guides screwed to the top shelf contain the sliding center section.
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TRIM THE CABINET SIDES to width and the front
stiles to size at the same time. Routing the narrow front stiles is
dangerous. Instead, its good practice (and faster) to make them the same
width as the back stiles and cut away the excess width after the side is
glued up. |
The upper and lower
cabinets share joinery methods and have similar components. Make one and youll
have no trouble with the other.
Build the lower cabinet
first (Fig. B). After making the sides (D1) and cutting them
to width (Photo 3), square one end with a router and
straightedge, then cut the other to finish length on the tablesaw. Make the top
and bottom rails an extra 1/8-in. wide and the stiles an extra 1/4-in. long so
youll have plenty of extra height to square the sides. After the sides are cut
to size, cut rabbets in the back stiles for the plywood back. Cut the plywood
shelves (D2) and divider D3). Then cut dadoes for them, after using scrap stock
to set the depth and width. Fit the plywood back (D4) and then assemble the
lower cabinet (Photo 4).
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KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL, SQUARE GLUE-UP. Work on a
flat surface. Keep the bottom shelf from sagging with a long support block
under the center divider. Slide the back into place. Align the cauls and
clamps with the dadoed shelves. A shim centered on the cauls distributes
pressure along the joint; apply even clamp pressure front and back. Measure diagonals
to check squareness. Have help. If you dont have help, use glue that has a
long open time. |
OOPS! |
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The upper cabinet (Fig. D) is similar to the lower cabinet, but has a
middle half-width shelf (L5), which requires extra dadoes. It also has a rabbet
for the top shelf (L2) instead of a dado. Its easier to glue this cabinet
together in two stages. Keep the top shelf in place but unglued while gluing up
everything else and glue it separately later. 
FIG. D EXPLODED VIEW OF UPPER CABINET
The upper cabinet is dadoed, like the bottom cabinet, except for the
flush-fitting top, which is rabbeted. The tambour track hardware mounts to the
walls behind the face frame. Cabinet side brackets hold this cabinet above the
lower one leaving room for the center section in between.
Face frames (E1 - E5 and M1 - M5) give the cabinets strength and a clean appearance (Fig. G). Doweling jigs (see Sources) make assembly fast and accurate (Photos 5 and 6). Youll need cauls and at least a dozen clamps with 30-in. capacity to glue the face frames on the bottom cabinet and even more for the top. Or you can use a nail gun and glue and nail the face frames to the cabinet. After gluing, ease the side, top and tambour opening edges with a 1/4-in. round-over bit.
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CLAMP THE FACE FRAME pieces together after positioning them carefully.
Then, mark them for doweling. Make sure the drawer rails are properly spaced. |
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MARK EACH JOINT for doweling. One line drawn
straight across the joint marks both pieces for the doweling jig. Label both
pieces of each joint so they dont get mixed up. |
ITS IMPORTANT that face frames are square
and their parts positioned exactly. Its also good practice to make the
frames slightly oversized. Its easier to glue them to the cabinet when
theres room to adjust the fit. Make the outer stiles and upper rails an
extra 1/16-in. wide. After gluing, trim the excess with a flush trim bit in
your router. |
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DRILL HOLES FOR DOWELS. This doweling jig allows you to drill two
holes, even on narrow pieces, from a single pencil mark. Clamp the piece in a
vise. When narrow pieces have to be mounted off to one side for drilling, a
spacer block evens clamp pressure. I like to hold the jig while drilling to
keep it steady. |
Finish the
Lower Cabinet
Install drawer runner assemblies in the lower
cabinet. They fit behind the face frame so only the runners protrude into the
drawer openings (Photo 7). Make the birch
uprights (F1) first. They fit against the divider on the left and the cabinet
side on the right. To locate the positions of the runners (F2), set one of the
uprights in place behind the face frame and mark it for dadoes centered in each
drawer opening. Use this piece to set up and cut the dadoes in all four pieces.
Mill the runners from straight-grained birch stock so theyre flat and square.
Cut rabbets in their front edges so theyll extend beyond the uprights to the
front of the face frame. Then screw them in place.
The legs (G1) have long tenons for gluing
behind the cabinet frame (Fig. B, detail 2). With the cabinet
upside down, fit the tenons to the front inside corners of the cabinet, making
sure the leg shoulders butt solidly against its bottom edges. Then glue them in
place. Glue a rail (G2) to the back edge of the bottom shelf for the back legs,
rabbeted so it fits between the leg tenon and cabinet back. After gluing, add
corner blocks (Photo 8). Then drill holes
in the legs and insert the caster sleeves.
Turn the cabinet upright. Add guides (H1),
stops (H2) and ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) plastic strips (J) (see Sources) for the sliding
center section in the cavity at the top of the cabinet (Fig. B, detail 1). Make sure the
guides are perpendicular to the cabinet front and flush with the inside edge of
the face frame stiles.
Install the Tambour in the Upper Cabinet
Adapting a dedicated tambour and track system
made for a kitchen appliance garage (see Sources) saves the trouble
of making a tambour and routing tracks for it in the cabinet. Instead, simply
cut the plastic tracks (N1) to fit the opening and make an access slot in them
for the tambour (N2) (Photo 9). Cut the tambour
to width and then install the system following the manufacturers instructions.
Make and attach the front rail (N3). Drill holes through the bottom slats of
the tambour for fastening (Photo 10).
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BIRCH RUNNERS in simple frames support the side-hung drawers. The
dadoed uprights center the runners in the drawer openings. Screw these frames
to the back of the face frame and to the inside walls at the back of the
cabinet. |
GLUE THE LEG to the lower cabinet. Then glue
corner blocks to the leg tenon and cabinet frame. These mail-order legs (see Sources) are authentic Hoosier replicas, ready for skirts
and casters. |
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THE TAMBOUR SYSTEM is a snap to install. The
system works like a window shade, using spring tension to help lift and roll
the tambour, which travels up and down in grooves in the plastic tracks. |
CLAMP THE FRONT rail to the tambour and
attach it from the backside with screws. The tambour and rail rest on spacer
blocks that allow room for the clamps. |
Cabinet side brackets (Q) (see Sources) hold the upper
cabinet above the lower so the center section (Fig. E) has room to fit between
them. The center section slides inside the cavity at the top of the lower
cabinet, limited by stop blocks (H2 and S3) and the cabinet back. The porcelain
enamel work surface (R1) fits neatly inside the concave curve of the side
bracket. It contains a web frame for rigidity (Photo 11).
Three rails (S1) support the center section and
allow it to slide. The outer rails, spaced 1/32-in. narrower than the opening
between the lower cabinet stiles, limit side-to-side travel. Dadoed runners
(S2) in these rails hold narrow drawers (Fig. E). Cut dadoes in
the rails and glue the runners in them before drilling holes for the mounting
screws. Position the rails 11/4-in. back from the front edge of the porcelain
enamel work surface to allow a sufficient overhang once the drawers are in
place.
Make the
Drawers
All the drawers (parts T, U, V and X) are side
hung (Fig. C). Their joints are
made using simple tablesaw cuts (Fig. F and Photo 13).
The cabinet drawer fronts are lipped 3/8 in. on
all four sides so they overlay the openings. The cutlery drawer fronts have
lipped edges, but are flush top and bottom to maximize their depth. Drill
centered holes for the knobs before gluing the drawers together.
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ASSEMBLE THE WEB FRAME inside the porcelain enamel work surface. It
fits inside the lip. Fit the stiles first. They have access cuts in them so
the rails drop in place and slide into position. |
TRIM THE TONGUE on the drawer front. First cut a vertical slot, leaving
3/8-in. at the front (the same thickness as the door lips) and 1/8-in. at the
back. Then cut the tongue to length. |
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SIDE-HUNG DRAWERS . Dadoes in the drawer sides fit around frame-mounted
rails, allowing drawers to slide in and out. The assembled lower cabinet
drawers leave a 1/8-in. gap around the opening, which is covered by the
overlaying front. The dadoes in the sides center the drawer top to bottom and
allow 1/16-in. of side-to-side movement. |
THE CENTER SECTION. The porcelain enamel work surface is stiffened by
an internal web frame. Screwed-on rails hold cutlery drawers on dadoed,
side-hung runners. To install or remove the center section, simply lift its
front slightly so the stop blocks miss one another. |
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DRAWER CONSTRUCTION. The drawer joint is a simple tongued rabbet. The
drawer fronts require only two cuts (Photo 13). The sides are dadoed on the outside for runners
and on the inside for the drawer front, back and bottom. Extending the rails
beyond the drawer back is the 20s version of a full-extension drawer. |
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Rabbet the backsides of the openings at the top
of the doors for the glass (see Sources). Then create the
3/8-in. lip on the door fronts by cutting a 3/8-in. square rabbet around their
back edges (Photo 14). Test fit the
offset hinges to make sure the lip is the right thickness. Put a door in its
opening and lay a hinge on it. If the lip is too thick, the hinge wont lay
flat on the cabinet and the door will bind. First mount the hinges on the doors
(Photo 15), then mount the
doors on the cabinet (Photo 16).
Apply a Finish
This Hoosier is finished with a medium-brown
colored, oil-based gel stain topped with three coats of amber-toned waterborne
poly. Before using them, I made double sure these two different finish products
were compatible. First, both were made by the same manufacturer. Second, I read
the labels, which verified compatibility by name.
Gel stains are easy to apply and color surfaces
evenly. I used two coats because I wanted a deep color. Toning the poly (see
Just Finishing p. 106, December 1999 issue.) warms the color of the stained
wood. Each coat enhances the effect. Its an easy way to get a nice looking,
durable finish.
Before finishing, remove all of the hardware,
sand everything and remove the sanding dust. Dampen the surfaces and sand
again, lightly, because the waterborne finish will raise the grain, even
through the oil stain.
After letting the finish dry thoroughly, mount
the glass (Z3) in the doors, reassemble your Hoosier, and (have your spouse)
start baking!
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ROUND THE DOOR EDGES with a 1/4-in. bit after cutting rabbets around
the backs. The two adjacent edges of the small upper cabinet doors (Z2) are
not rabbeted. |
USE A SPACER to locate the door hinges and drill centered holes for the
screws. The hardware comes with plated brass screws, which break easily.
Either use a steel screw to cut threads in the holes first and lubricate the
brass screws before using them, or replace them altogether with stainless
steel screws. |
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MOUNT THE DOORS on the cabinet, centered in the openings. Their
3/8-in.-wide lips allow room for minor adjustments. A straightedge clamped
evenly across the top of the cabinet aligns the door tops. |
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Ref. - Qty. - Dimensions - (Parts)
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Ref. - Qty. - Dimensions - (Parts)
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