Step 5 - Casework Joinery
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 Today we will complete the joinery needed to hold all the case parts together. Yesterday we cut tenons on the rails, today we will cut the mortises that they fit into and the grooves that will house the panels. We start by mounting a dado blade set up for a 3/8" width and 3/16" in height on the table saw to cut the notches in the front, side stiles that will accept the ends of the front grid horizontal pieces. Using a precision crosscut jig, we line up the edge of the saw tooth with the first cut to be made. Again, these cuts must be perfect or the fit will be sloppy, and that means not only a joint that looks bad, but one that is weak as well. As we did yesterday, we gang-cut both stiles to insure that the notches are precisely aligned on each side.
 When those are done we cut the groves that will house the side and back panels in the rails and stiles that will frame them. It is important to be mindful of which face is "out" and where the piece will fit into the frame. The front stiles are different from the back stiles, and we have three rails: a top, middle and bottom -- we don't want to cut the groove on the wrong side!
 Next we lay out the locations of the mortises. The mortises on this project are too tricky to chop out with a mortising machine, so we cut them the old fashioned way; with chisels and a mallet.
 When all the mortises are cut, we assemble the rails and stiles -- using only masking tape, no glue -- to check the fit and alignment of the entire framework. If a little trimming is needed, we do it, carefully, with a chisel. We also check to see that each panel will come out square, and when all the panels are assembled, that the case itself will be square.
 Now we take careful measurements from the completed frames and trim the panels we glued up previously to finished size. We start by ripping the boards to the proper width. This insures that both edges are parallel.
 Then we install our cut-off sled and cut the panels to the proper length. The sled helps us get a good square cut across the ends. This is important because the ends will fit tightly into the frames and lend strength to the cabinet so it doesn't "rack". We have to leave a little expansion room at the top and bottom because the wood may swell a little across the grain, but it will not swell lengthwise.
 After sanding the panels smooth -- much easier to do now than after they're enclosed in the frames -- we slide them into their places and check the fit: does everything line up? Do the joints still line up and draw together without using force? If not, trim a little more.
 As each panel is completed, we tape it back together with the others and again check to see if they all fit together. As you can see, it's all looking good.
It's quitting time.
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