Hardware for joining two-piece cabinets

[Nate Perkins]

Hi,

I'm working on a china cabinet for the wife. It's a fairly big piece, a bit over 5' long and will be about 6-1/2 to 7' tall. I'd like to build it in two sections, where the top half is removable from the bottom half ... so that it can be transported easier if need be.

I'm looking for hardware to securely join the top to the bottom. I suppose I could use regular wood inserts and recessed bolts ... but I suspect there is hardware made for this particular purpose. Something like a mortised metal slot on the bottom, that accepts a hooked post from the top?

I Googled here and also checked the Lee Valley website, but didn't see what I was after. Anyone else have a suggestion where to obtain this kind of thing?

Thanks in advance, Nate

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 06:50:42 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Nate Perkins quickly quoth:

I've seen pieces simply stacked together, screwed together from the inside of the bottom piece with inserts in the top, linked via metal straps on the back, and pinned with rounded dowels. One was glued together, EEK!

Straps are the easiest. They simply keep the backs aligned and keep the top piece from sliding to one side or tipping forward. Simple ell brackets will work.

[nospambob]

[booger]

One of the oldest approaches is to leave a rectangular opening in the top of the lower cabinet, place the upper half on top of it and get it aligned where you want it to sit. Use a pencil/pen to trace the opening in the top of the lower cabinet onto the bottom of the upper half. Remove the upper half and using plywood/boards, create a rectangle inside the lines you just marked. When you place the upper part back on, the two pieces will stay aligned. This is where you would take a handful of good screws and secure the top half by running them through the top of the lower section into the bottom of your upper cabinet.

Norm did this, just this past weekend on an Armoir/Entertainment center. So you know it has to work. ;-)

[Nate Perkins]

"booger" wrote in news:_P5af.254$ [e-mail]:

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the replies. You've given me some good ideas.

Thanks, Nate

[Mark & Juanita]

Saw an article or piece in a book some time back where the cabinet maker used a sliding dovetail arrangement to hold top and bottom together. The top of the cabinet had a pair of dovetail pins attached to it, the bottom base had dove-tail sockets cut in it to receive the top. I've been keeping this approach in mind for the future china hutch. These were fairly wide and deep in order to provide good stability and strength.

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