Video

Ep 11: Sizing the kumiko grid

Using a tablesaw sled, Mike creates the grid for the decorative kumiko which will then tell him the dimensions of the door.

By Michael Pekovich Feb 18, 2020

	Spice up your work with kumiko By Michael Pekovich #259–Jan/Feb 2017 Issue Learn how to enhance your furniture with this Japanese latticework technique
	How to create kumiko at the tablesaw By Mike Farrington #274-Mar/Apr 2019 Issue Smart jigs simplify this complex design

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Videos in the Series

Ep 1: Hanging Wall Cabinet with Mike Pekovich–Intro
December 17, 2019

Through-dovetailed case, through-mortise-and-tenons, half-blind dovetailed drawer, frame-and-panel door, and a beautiful kumiko panel–Mike Pekovich's hanging wall cabinet video workshop packs a lot of techniques into a small piece.
Ep 2: Laying Out and Rabbeting the Case
December 17, 2019

Mike Pekovich begins the wall cabinet project, laying out all of the carcase parts, systematically marking where joinery will go, and rabbeting the case on the tablesaw with the help of an L-fence.
Dovetailing on the Table Saw
December 24, 2019

Mike Pekovich demonstrates how to cut tails quickly and efficiently on the tablesaw using a sled and a custom-ground blade.
Ep 4: Hand-cut pins with a twist
December 31, 2019

Behold the power of blue tape! Mike's dovetailing master class continues as he demonstrates his now famous method for cutting consistent and precise pins by hand.
Ep 5: Fitting the dovetails
January 7, 2020

In this episode, Mike continues on the case dovetails cleaning up the baseline with a router, and paring the pins to a perfect fit.
Through Mortise-and-Tenon Layout
January 14, 2020

Learn how to systematically lay out both the mortises and tenons using blue tape and clever spacer blocks.
Ep 7: Drilling and chopping mortises
January 21, 2020

Mike heads to the drill press to hog away most of the material before cleaning up the through-mortises at the bench.
Ep 8: Cutting the tenons
January 28, 2020

In this episode, Mike Pekovich cuts the through-tenons in his hanging wall cabinet and demonstrates his methods for fitting them. He also shares his tips for accurate handsawing and his overall build strategies and how they affect accuracy in everything he builds.
Ep 9: Prefinishing and gluing up the case
February 4, 2020

Before gluing up the hanging wall cabinet case with only two clamps, Mike prefinishes the case parts with his simple wipe-on shellac method.
Ep 10a: Making the door frame
February 11, 2020

The door for Mike Pekovich's wall cabinet quickly comes together as Mike creates the frame with stub tenons and grooves at the tablesaw.
Ep 10b: Creating the door panel and dry-fitting
February 11, 2020

Mike rabbets the door panel and adds grooves for the decorative muntons. Then he uses a shoulder plane to finess the door joinery before dry fitting the door.
Ep 11: Sizing the kumiko grid
February 18, 2020

Using a tablesaw sled, Mike creates the grid for the decorative kumiko which will then tell him the dimensions of the door.
Ep 12: Door glue-up
February 25, 2020

In this episode, Mike Pekovich glues up the frame-and-panel door, using shims to keep the panel square. There is even a little drama as Mike chases a gap that many would leave, and later regret.
Ep 13a: Fitting the door
March 3, 2020

A well-fitting door is something to be proud of. To ensure success, Mike starts off by mounting a hinge strip, and taking the time to make a proper jig for hinge mortising.
Ep 13b: Mounting the door hinges
March 3, 2020

Once the door is fit in the opening, Mike demonstrates his tricks for mounting the hinges to make sure the fit remains perfect.
Ep 14: Door details
March 10, 2020

In this episode of his Hanging Wall Cabinet video workshop, Mike Pekovich adds muntins and proud pins to the door, adding even more detail to the cabinet. He also gives some insight into why he includes these subtle details in his designs.
Half-Blind Dovetailed Drawer – part 1
March 17, 2020

In this three-part episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking you through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.
Half-Blind Dovetailed Drawer – part 2
March 17, 2020

In part two of this episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking you through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.
Drawer Grooves and Glue-Up
March 17, 2020

In part three of this episode, Mike builds a drawer for the cabinet, taking you through his ever-methodical methods for perfect half-blind dovetails.
Ep 16: Shiplapped back boards
March 24, 2020

In this episode, Mike buttons up the case with a perfectly spaced shiplap back and mounts the french cleat from which the cabinet will eventually hang.
Ep 17: Fitting the drawer
March 31, 2020

Mike fits the drawer of the wall cabinet, which is not an easy task given how wide and shallow it is. Also, you'll see what happens when a drawer gets stuck in a carcase.
Ep 18a: Kumiko–Asa No Ha pattern part 1
April 7, 2020

In part 1 of three part episode, Mike uses specialized paring blocks to create the parts that will fill in the decorative kumiko panel.
Ep 18b: Kumiko–Asa No Ha pattern part 2
April 7, 2020

In part two of this episode, Mike begins placing the kumiko pieces into the grid, creating the beautiful latticework.
Ep 18c: Trimming a kumiko panel to size
April 7, 2020

Finishing off the panel, Mike trims it to size, and adds a paper backer to the kumiko panel.
Ep 19: Simple shellac and wax finish
April 14, 2020

Mike demonstrates one of his favorite finishing methods, which allows him to fully finish the cabinet in one sitting.
Ep 20a: Installing the shelf supports and hardware
April 21, 2020

Finishing up the cabinet, Mike installs the support for the shelf, and talks about hardware choices and how they affect the look of a piece.
Ep 20b: Installing a bullet catch–Conclusion
April 21, 2020

In the conclusion of this series, Mike installs a bullet catch in a clever, frustration-free way–from the outside of the case.

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About This Video Workshop

I teach quite a bit and this wall cabinet is probably one of my favorite things to teach. It's not that big of a piece, but it packs in a ton of woodworking information. There's dovetailed case construction, through mortise-and-tenon joinery, a traditional dovetailed drawer, and a frame-and-panel door. Between all those things, that's 90 percent of the things that you need to know to build just about any piece of furniture. There are a… More about this Video Workshop

Comments

pqken | Feb 19, 2020 04:21am | #1
Kumiko on the table saw? Kumiko screams for hand tools.

BenStrano | Feb 19, 2020 08:50am | #3
Worry not, it's just for the grid.

Dwarf75 | Feb 19, 2020 05:58am | #2
Love this video workshop! Mike is so concise and precise in his explanations that I've been using some of his tips already on completely different projects!

BenStrano | Feb 19, 2020 08:51am | #4
That's the idea! I'm usually unlikely to build projects that we shoot, but I learn a ton from these masters that wind up being applied in everything I build!

pqken | Feb 19, 2020 04:42pm | #5
A good video set and nice cabinet for sure. I like to finish up in a relaxed manner, sitting at the bench, laying out and cutting the Kumiko adds to the satisfaction of completing a piece such as this.
Bubba_7591594 | Feb 22, 2020 09:51am | #6
I'm pretty new to woodworking. I'm going to give this Hanging Wall Cabinet a shot. Is there any reason to NOT make this out of pine, or something cheaper than white oak. I'm sure I'll learn a ton (nice way of saying, I'm going to screw this up) and I'd rather not waste the extra $. Any other suggestions on wood species?
jbarduhn | Feb 22, 2020 10:19am | #7
Pine would be fine I’m sure. Pine and softwoods can be frustrating though if your chisels and blades aren’t super sharp because they have a tendency to dent and crush and “fray”. Just a heads up. I can usually find a cheaper hardwood like Poplar or something that’s on special in “shorts” section of my supplier when I want to try something new or just stay on the cheaper side of things. Hope that helps.
eddo234 | Feb 22, 2020 11:14am | #8
The video is very helpful, but is also very flat, milky gray. Just a little color correction would give it much more dynamic range and make it less painful to watch.
Patteous | Feb 22, 2020 10:43pm | #9
I was just about to start a White Oak wall mounted whiskey cabinet. Love Mike's design aesthetic. definitely going to emulate this build for my project.
USS_Ranger_Vet | Feb 23, 2020 09:38pm | #10
A popular wood for furniture is yellow pine, also called ponderosa pine. I made my bed out of it 30 years ago. It still looks great.
not_enough_tools | Feb 24, 2020 10:33am | #11
Video editor for 20+ years - As an instructional video, you really don't want lot of deep shadows and bright highlights that can obscure details (shadows) or blow them out (highlights), so sacrificing a bit of dynamic range for clarity is a good call. Of course, if you're making an artistic piece, that's different.
Nice job Ben.
eddo234 | Feb 24, 2020 12:05pm | #12
not_enough_tools, As a video editor for 20+ years (me for nearly 30), you should know the difference between shadows and dynamic range. These videos don't sacrifice "a bit of dynamic range", they sacrifice a lot. Having details in shadows doesn't require flattening a video to the point of 1970s TV. Look at most of the videos on Fine Woodworking and you'll see that they look so much better, and show detail much, much better. I was only trying to give constructive criticism. Just look at the FW home page and compare this video with all the other images on the page. This video literally pales in comparison.
Bubba_7591594 | Feb 24, 2020 12:40pm | #13
I've been paying attention to the subject. I've learned tons and am about to start this project myself. I'm going to look for some yellow pine (thanks jbarduhn).

With regards to the last couple of 'video quality' messages. I wonder if you're as critical of your own woodworking skills. The knowledge that is being given here is priceless and explained perfectly in my opinion. To focus and comment on video quality, in an open forum like this, is kinda silly I think. (I expect this comment will bring on the wrath of all the keyboard cowboys out there. Go ahead and spout off, I'm heading back to my table saw.)
JimReed | Mar 17, 2020 07:21am | #14
Curious about the blade Mike is using in the tablesaw-- is this just a combo blade like a Forrest WWII or is it a flat-bottom box joint blade? BTW, absolutely love Mike's videos and calm instructional style! Thanks, Jim
Savit | Aug 29, 2020 12:55pm | #15
Can you let me know the type of wood used for the Kumiko grid? Is it poplar?
I know the width is 1/2". Is the thickness 1/8"?

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