During this three day seminar I'll be designing and building a small hanging cabinet in front of a large crowd while explaining my process and answering questions. Although I have made many similar cabinets, I return to it as a teaching tool because it contains so many lessons about good case construction — an essential furniture form. The ideas can be expanded and used for a large chest of drawers or a whole variety of other case pieces. 

Topics to be covered include: How do you build a strong cabinet simply and efficiently, choose appropriate materials, build with solid wood and allow for seasonal wood movement (yes, even in California they have to deal with this), build in drawers and the structure to support them, make a strong case back, and build and hang a door with butt or knife hinges?  I will also show some appropriate decorative details such as moldings at the top and bottom, highlighted case corners, and shelf edges. I might even be able to include a secret compartment.

Naturally hand tools will figure prominently in this demonstration, which ones to use, how to tune them, and how I use them efficiently for the work at hand.