Do I need a rabbet?

[Dwayne Provo]

Hello, I'm designing a TV stand/cabinet and have a question about installing the back panel.
Is a rabbet necessary for the back panel? From the picture(back removed for clarity) you can see I will be screwing the panel to the upper rail, the center shelf, and also the bottom. This should keep things from racking. The top rail, shelf,
and bottom are all inset a half inch from the back of the legs as I plan on using 1/2 plywood. But I was going to
just butt the panel up to the legs and not rabbet into them. This is my first cabinet piece.
Cabinet material: Maple solid
Cabinet dimensions: 50Lx25Hx18D
This is also my first post on Sawmillcreek.
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[Wayne Lomman]

Dwayne, you will get a better finish if you do rebate. It's best to fix the back on all edges. Also, if the fit is less than perfect, a rebate means you aren't looking directly through a gap. Any gap is at right angles to the line of sight. Welcome aboard. Cheers

[lowell holmes]

I would do a rabbet. It will make it look finished.That is a nice design. Did you do the graphics?

[Dave Zellers]

Yes to the rabbet and maybe consider using 1/4" for the back. It would be plenty strong.

[David Eisenhauer]

Welcome to SMC and another yes to the rabbet. I have built lots of case goods with a 1/4" plywood back inset in a full "circle" (all the way around) rabbeted recess. The 1/4" inset back holds everything square and together, with the 1/4" adding that much less weight to the furniture. I have also used the same 1/4" ply for the panels in the side frames.

[Lee Schierer]

I am assuming that this is a back view of your cabinet. With the design of your legs, I can see where cutting a rabbet could be difficult. Another option would be to glue 3/8 x 3/8 cleats to the inside of the legs so that the back edge lines up with the cross piece, shelf and bottom. This would hide any slight gaps between the back panel and the legs. They would not be visible from the front when you open the doors. As others have mentioned, 1/4" plywood is sufficient for the back panel. Don't forget to cut openings in the back panel for cords where they will be behind the electronics so they can't be seen.

[Bob Vavricka]

I think I would use 1/4" plywood as several others have suggested, but put a groove in the legs for the plywood to slide into from the top. This takes care of the gap issue. If not a groove, then I would do as Lee suggests and use some cleats on the sides.

[Dwayne Provo]

Thank you all for the advice. I will switch to a 1/4" back panel as suggested and rabbet it into the legs. I didn't think about the 'see through'. That makes sense. That was indeed a pic of the back. I'm designing it using Sketch-Up. This will accommodate a 50' TV.
Here are two more pictures along with another question;
This entire cabinet will be solid wood. Do you see any issues with wood movement? Arrows represent anticipated movement
for all major panels which should be from front to back. So essentially the entire cabinet will expand and contract from front to back.
351557351558

[Jamie Buxton]

Thank you all for the advice. I will switch to a 1/4" back panel as suggested and rabbet it into the legs. I didn't think about the 'see through'. That makes sense. That was indeed a pic of the back. I'm designing it using Sketch-Up. This will accommodate a 50' TV.
Here are two more pictures along with another question;
This entire cabinet will be solid wood. Do you see any issues with wood movement? Arrows represent anticipated movement
for all major panels which should be from front to back. So essentially the entire cabinet will expand and contract from front to back.


That should work for expansion and contraction.

Here's a different thought... Hinged doors that are much wider than they are tall bother me. There's a pretty long lever arm pulling down, and a short lever arm resisting that pull. In the case of your inset doors, any play in the hinges will let the door sag a tad, and rub against the case. I'd change to four doors.

[roger wiegand]

I made the mistake of not fully detailing and finishing the back of a cabinet I made because it was going to be against the wall and invisible. Sure enough, we moved and that piece needed to sit against the back of a sofa, where the back side was clearly visible. Retrofitting a faux finished back for it was an interesting exercise, one I'd just as soon not do again, though it came out fine. So yes, I would rabbet the back, or better use a full frame and panel construction for the back.

[Dwayne Provo]

The door shapes are not really my favorite either but I'm gonna live with it. The size was driven by several other
design factors that I wanted; most of which were keeping the total height down. Thanks for all the advice.
I will post pics of the project when completed.