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The Colonial Dry Sink

In early America, long before the days of shower massages and whirlpool tubs, the dry sink was as commonplace and functional as any fully plumbed sink in a modern, American home. Used with a pottery basin and pitcher, it offered a recessed well on top to prevent the water from splashing out while washing or shaving. And although its original purpose has been made obsolete by modern-day plumbing, there’s still a place for this attractive piece of furniture in our homes.


The techniques used to build this project are simple enough, even for beginning woodworkers who are willing to take their time and move step-by-step through the various techniques. There’s nothing particularly complicated here. The majority of the components (including the drawer fronts) are assembled with dowels and the raised panel doors feature simple joinery, as well. When you’ve finished, you’ll have a handsome piece of furniture that will make a great addition to virtually any room of the house.


THE FACE FRAME & CARCASE


We built our example out of maple, but clear (or knotty) pine or even cherry would make a beautiful piece, as well. Start by cutting out the stiles and rails (A,B,C,D,E) used in the face frame. Making this assembly first will speed-up the construction of the entire cabinet. Using the horizontal boring mode on your Shopsmith MARK V, drill the required 3/8″ dowel holes in the stiles and rails as shown in the carcase assembly drawing. Glue and clamp these together, being careful to keep them square during assembly. As an alternative (to doweling), these stiles and rails could be assembled using a biscuit joiner and small, #0 biscuits.


Set this assembly aside and glue up the stock for the sides (F), bottom (G) and top (H). As an alternative, you may wish to make the bottom (G) out of veneered plywood. Once they’ve dried, sand their surfaces smooth. Next, use a dado blade set-up or your jointer to cut the 3/4″ wide x 3/8″ deep dadoes in the sides (F) that will be used to hold the bottom (G) in position…then cut the 1/4″ x 3/8″ rabbets in the backs of the side pieces (F) that will accept the 1/4″ plywood cabinet back.


Assemble the completed face frame assembly (A,B,C,D,E), bottom (G) and sides (F) using dowels (as shown) or biscuits. Clamp all pieces and check for squareness. Cut the braces (J) and top cleat strip (K) to length and mount them with #10 x 1-1/2″ flathead wood screws. Counterbore the mounting screw holes for the braces (J) so you can plug them later with dowel plugs. Cut the drawer guides (Q,R,S,T) to size and mount these to the carcase with screws and glue.



Helpful Items

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THE DOORS & DRAWERS


You’re now ready to fit the drawers and doors to the cabinet. Remember that the drawer fronts and doors will be 3/4″ wider and 3/4″ higher than the openings for them in order to leave a 3/8″ lip all the way around their edges. Start by cutting the door stiles (Z) and door rails (AA) to length, according to the Bill of Materials. Be sure to double-check your measurements with your door openings before you make any cuts. With your dado blade set-up, cut the required groves in the stiles (Z) and rails (AA) that you’ll need to put the door frames together. Then cut the tenons on the ends of the rails (AA). A Tenoning Jig will make this job much easier.



Next, tilt your saw table to 15 degrees and cut the bevel for your raised panel doors (BB). NOTE: We recommend using a shop-made jig or Shopsmith’s Auxiliary Fence to perform this operation more safely. Relieve the back of the door panels by cutting a small rabbet with your dado set as shown in the “Panel to Rail Detail” drawing. This is a “cut-to-fit” operation and you’ll want to be sure to use push blocks for optimum safety. Remove just a little of he stock at a time and stop frequently to test the fit of the panel in the grooves. To prevent moisture from finding its way into your raised panels, apply whatever finish you’re planning to use to your panels before you assemble them into the frame. Assemble the stiles (Z) and rails (AA) together with glue but DO NOT glue the panel into position. Friction will hold it in place quite nicely.



Now, cut the drawer fronts (CC) to size, then cut the rabbets on these and around the edges of the assembled doors. Set your Dado Blade and adjust your fence to make a cut 3/8″ deep and 3/8″ wide for the rabbets on the back sides of the d