Ledger board would be my choice. A French cleat eats an inch of space and leaves space for dust and spiders. I'd put a cleat across the inside to screw thru into the wall so the back of the cabinet does not have a structural function. Set the back 1/4" from the wall so you can accommodate any unflatness of the wall and maybe scribe the sides to fit.
That's why you have planes.
Jim, with respect, modern glue does not make an end grain glue joint into a strong joint. I’d accept the argument instead that we build beyond the necessity minimum strength but they can be done for many reasons outside of strength such as ease of assembly, de-mount ability, Durability over time and to minimize distortion from wood movement.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Tom,
My plan was to mount the french cleat flush with the back, and cut the wall mounted portion to the inside width of the cabinet. I was planning on doing this so should i move or have to move the cabinet, i can easily remove the cabinet from the wall without having to take the plane bed out.
As an update for anyone interested, i decided to give dovetails a shot instead of heeding the advice of a rabbet joint. I didn't realize how long it would take to cut the dovetails. I've been at it for hours and im still not done.
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Some people cut five minute dovetails. For me it is an exception if a dovetailed box is done in five days.I didn't realize how long it would take to cut the dovetails. I've been at it for hours and im still not done.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Jim,
I marvel at people like Frank Klausz and Rob Cosman who can cut the joint in minutes. I find chiseling to be the longest part, and I dont have enough skill yet to be able to fit right off the saw.
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And the carcass is done. One corner of joints came out nice and tight. Im happy with it.
Funny how fast my last joint went. I started to get more confident with the saw and learned the less waste you leave with the saw at the shoulder, the easier and faster the waste removal is.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Yea, that's because you get all warmed up and ready to go! Looks really good James, great job on the dovetails.. and they do get faster too
~mike
happy in my mud hut