Building furniture vs. cabinets

[Jesse Busenitz]

It's probably been discussed before but I didn't find it, but how does your construction from cabinets to furniture differ? More plywood/solid? Joinery? I'm getting ready to build a bedroom set for some friends and though I've built quite a few cabinets, this is definitely a little different building something that will be freestanding. Any good tips, suggestions, or books? The project will be a Mission style bed, armoire, and two nightstands.

[jack duren]

It's probably been discussed before but I didn't find it, but how does your construction from cabinets to furniture differ? More plywood/solid? Joinery? I'm getting ready to build a bedroom set for some friends and though I've built quite a few cabinets, this is definitely a little different building something that will be freestanding. Any good tips, suggestions, or books? The project will be a Mission style bed, armoire, and two nightstands.

Cabinets are paint by number and furniture is art. Yet both can be similar in ways. Here is a bed I built 10 or so years ago. You can easily find the cabinet maker in the bed. The second picture shows much more furniture making skills. Not to say the second bed wasn't made by a cabinet maker but that the artistry is in the bed....

[David Hawxhurst]

most modern day cabinets use some sort of sheet goods to make the carcasses. cabinets are fairly simple using mainly butt, rabbet and dado joints. solid wood is general used for face frames and rail and stiles while door panels can be sheet goods or solid wood. furniture is more often made from solid wood and uses many more types of joints like mortice and tenon, half lap, dovetail...etc.

[Mike Cutler]

Furniture has more hand work. Curves and such. Construction usually has to be a little stouter. A cabinet, kitchen or bath, is usually screwed into the walls and floor and then connected to each other. They get a lot of strength, just from installation. The also aren't generally moved around very much once they're installed.
Definitely more screws and fasteners in cabinet carcasses.

For furniture, I personally only use Q-sawn wood, or as close as I can get to it. Facesawn wood can have some spectacular grain appearance, but it's the design of the piece that should be at the fore front. Facesawn is also a little more unstable than Q-sawn.
For large fields, headboards, dresser sides, etc, with a highly figured, book matched, appearance, I think it's acceptable to do a veneer over cabinet ply, but many will only do it over the same species of wood, but of a lesser quality. Drawer fronts can be book matched veneer over the same species also.
Joinery is M&T joints and sliding, locking dovetails. Screws and fasteners should be kept to a minimum.

Bob Lang, Gary Rogowski, Darryl Peart, and more, have excellent books available on construction, design, and techniques. All are heavy into the Mission and Arts & Craft design elements.

[Lee Schierer]

I've built quite a bit of furniture and the only place I use plywood is for the backs of dressers and for dust shelves between drawers. Everything else is hardwood. I use poplar for the internal framing and non-showing parts. Everything else that shows is the finish wood. Most furniture will be used for more than one generation if it is well made. Cabinets may only get used until the next remodel and aren't subject to being moved around as much. As others have said finding good quality plywood can be a challenge and it will cost you. The other problem with using plywood is there is usually more waste as pieces don't nest nicely on plywood.

[Jim Dwight]

While I agree with the previous posts I will also say I like to make drawers out of 1/2 bb plywood with all machine cut dovetail drawers regardless of whether I'm making kitchen cabinets or a dresser. I also use plywood if the plans call for flat panels. My son has a bedroom set with flat panels in the headboard and footboard. The frame of the dresser is 3/4 veneer plywood. It is a WoodSmith plan. I like their cherry set, however, I've built it in cherry and oak. My daughter has the cherry, my son the oak. It is mostly solid oak. Anyway, another thing I make from plywood is slats to support the mattress. No boxed springs for me. I've made a couple solid platforms but I like slats about 12 inches wide the best. Narrower are too flexible and bigger is too solid.

Regardless of the material, the bed frame is likely to call for mortise and tenon. There are beds with all bed bolts but I prefer designs with headboard and footboard and bed rails. Then slats, mattress and you're ready for sheets etc..

Dresser and nightstands don't have to be a lot different from a kitchen cabinet. I like wood on wood which is normal for furniture. You could use ball bearing slides but it would be unusual. I did a wood on wood kitchen island in our last house. Drawers moved little harder but they also held significantly more.

[jack duren]

I've built quite a bit of furniture and the only place I use plywood is for the backs of dressers and for dust shelves between drawers. Everything else is hardwood. I use poplar for the internal framing and non-showing parts. Everything else that shows is the finish wood. Most furniture will be used for more than one generation if it is well made. Cabinets may only get used until the next remodel and aren't subject to being moved around as much. As others have said finding good quality plywood can be a challenge and it will cost you. The other problem with using plywood is there is usually more waste as pieces don't nest nicely on plywood.

Plywood has no bearing on a piece. In some cases plywood can be the best product used. Old and new construction shouldn't be confused in a piece based on the them older days. Plywood doesn't mean a cheaper build and in a lot of cases a more stable piece

Only time solid vs plys come into play is when the piece requires it or a customer requests it....

[David Eisenhauer]

IMO, furniture work requires a stouter, more stable workbench than cabinet work does. Also, furniture work requires different hold downs/vises/clamps/etc than cabinet work does. As stated above, cabinet work can be sort of "assembly lined" with the same setups over and over again. Furniture work tends to throw different situations at you more often than cabinets do.