Joinery - Desk project

Greetings, Matthew: I try to help a little. First, you didn’t mention what power tools you have, so i’m assuming you have them. You mentioned ply and cedar. From your drawing you’re making a desk with storage shelfs behind the door? Two pull-out drawers? Will it be just setting next tothe file cabinet? If so, then we’ll start.
(1) You can attach the top in one of several ways. With figure”8’s”, and no glue, or like you said, screwing and glueing cleats underneath, or cutting rabbets on the sides and setting the top in them, if the top is going to be flush with the sides. Don’t glue the top down, cause it could cause some problems down the road.
(2) You can attach the front lip by either just glueing it on flush, bisquits, or nails filled with putty. Just glueing will work fine.
(3) The sides are rail and stiles. If they are 3/4”, cut a 1/4” groove in the rails and stiles and center stile. Not a 3/4” groove. This is best done on the table saw with a 1/4 ” dado blade, or two passes with a 1/8” saw blade.
You’ll have to make 1/4” tenons on each of the stiles to fit the groove. Stub tenons will work(about 3/4-1” long). Cut the 1/4” ply panels to fit, glue it up, and good to go.
There will be others come on and give you better advice. More experienced cabitnetmakers. They know how to do it.

From your drawing, looks like dados and rabbets will work for the joinery. Hope this helps a little.

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One other thing. I told you not to glue the top down. I meant if you used the figure 8’s. If you use the rabbet joinery, you will cut a 3/8’s x 3/4” rabbet, set the top down in it, and glue it down. Sorry.

-- Everything I like is either immoral, illegal, or fattening !!!!

The panels are best done with a t&g cabinet set on a router rather than some silly jig on a tablesaw.
I think the t&g is more like 3/8 on the one I use.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

Sorry to come in from this angle…
What is the clearance from the floor to the underside of the drawers.
If you want anyone to use that desk by sitting at it… make sure their legs can get in…
Otherwise it will just be used to stack things on.
Method 2 looks logical.

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“some silly jig on a table saw”
mics_54 what do you against a table saw jigs, what did they ever do to you?... lol

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

1/4” groove. Yes, that’s what I meant. Editing original post to correct that. The power tools available are a table saw, radial arm saw, router, planer, bandsaw, and a small jointer. I had a heck of a time get the jointer to work right, but it’s doing pretty good now. Haven’t messed with the bandsaw much yet. They were both purchased at an auction. I don’t have too many bits for the router, but will purchase them as needed.

Behind the door will be a safe, so it’s pretty much open behind it. Here is a pic without the filing cabinet, door, and drawers.

This below is a picture of the entire project. It’s pretty much in three pieces and I haven’t yet completed the model. The middle part would be where the computer and chair would go.

On question 2, part of the worry was due to what can be seen in the photo above. In the middle portion is where the chair would be and where I was mostly worried about it breaking off. Knees hitting it or something. With it being just glued to the edge of plywood, I didn’t know how strong it would be and how much abuse it could/would take? I probably should have posted that picture earlier or explained the concern better.

On the router suggestion. I hadn’t thought of it and I like it. I don’t really like our table saw since the fence is a pain to adjust. Each time it needs moved, it stops being square to the blade and I can’t find any adjustments for that portion. It is better than our old one though, since the table is bigger and the fence locks down on both ends. The router just sounds easier to me.

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jlsmith5963 :) I knew some one would like that! I have nothing against jigs really, it’s just much easier to make the panels with a cab set.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!