I have used Steve Latta’s Face Frame first technique for several cabinets. When searching for a simple and efficient technique to build a sideboard or credenza for my wife’s precious dishes, I discovered that there was no need to make a separate section for the drawers to be placed in the center. The drawers would fit in the space between the two face frame cabinets once the tow side cabinets were placed square on the bottom frame.  The precision of Steve’s technique, and the use of shorter sections of wood for the two side cabinets make the center section dead square for precise drawer fitting. Originally I was to use Leopard wood for the top, but it was such a “busy” pattern that it would overwhelm the piece. I had two long walnut boards from consecutive slices of a walnut tree saved from over 40 years ago with similar matching grain patters to use for the drawer fronts and top. The matching Brazilian ebony inlays tone down the Leopard wood drawer fronts, and match the drawer and cabinet pulls.

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