# Lock Rabbert for Cabinet Carcass



## Spitfire1 (May 18, 2016)

I am wondering if anyone has used lock rabbets to hold together the cabinet carcass. I am building some upper cabinets to hang in my garage. This is my first real attempt at cabinets. The plans I have simply calls for pocket screws but I've seen in one of my woodworking books using lock rabbets. Since these are garage cabinets I thought I might give them a try but I am curious if anybody else has any experience using this joint for anything other than drawers and what are some considerations?


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## nightguy (Aug 2, 2016)

I have used them for drawers and love them, cant go wrong with pocket screws either. I use shop projects to experiment with, be it joinery or dies and stains, finishes. So go for it, live and learn, for use in a real project if it works in the shop cabinets, it will work in a commission project, if not you learned what not to do.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Not worth the time & effort IMO.

I'm not a pocket screw guy, so if you think they work, use them.

For shop cabs (really all my cabs), I use butt joints and screws. All you're doing is screwing boxes together.
On end cabs or where screws will show, plug holes..


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

Spitfire1,

I like to use the locking rabbet joint on cabinet carcases, especially at the back. I like to mechanically join the back to the sides, since the cabinet back is used to hold the cabinet to the wall.

The only issue I have found is that it takes more time to spread the glue on the two mating pieces and the glue can begin to skim over. When I suspect this will be a problem, I will, for example, only glue the back to the sides and dry assemble the rest of carcase and then ensure the assembly is square. Once the glue has cured, I finish gluing the carcase together. Glue with a longer open time than typical PVA glue could allow the entire carcase to be glued together at one time.


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