Picture frame

Working in Pine. Pick boards with clean, straight grain, no major knots, and stress-released stock (no edge bow). Leave 5–10% trim waste — don't skimp on this buffer for larger projects.

• ·Moisture content must be ≤12% (8–10% ideal in dry climates). High-MC stock will shrink after glue-up and split tenons.
• ·Save the cleanest grain / colour for visible faces (top, seats, doors).
• ·Avoid knots > 10 mm on load-bearing structural parts.
• ·Hardwoods (oak / beech): sharpen tools before working — dull edges chip the stock and risk injury. Softwoods (pine / fir): raise plane angle and slow the cut to avoid tear-out.

Joint one reference face plus one 90° edge (square to the face), then thickness-plane the opposite face parallel to the reference. No jointer / planer? Buy pre-milled (S4S) stock and skip ahead.

• ·Joint the reference face first; check with a try-square that the second face is 90° to it before moving on.
• ·Planer passes ≤ 1.5 mm (≤ 1 mm in hardwood) — multiple light passes leave less tear-out than one heavy one.
• ·Leave 0.5 mm for sanding — don't plane to final thickness; sanding will remove another 0.3–0.5 mm.

Cut milled stock into individual parts per the cut list. **Note:** parts with tenons already include the tenon stock — don't add length. Mark each part on the side with its part-id (e.g., leg-l-f / apron-front) right after cutting so dry-fit doesn't turn into a guessing game.

• ·Cut longest parts first — long stock can become short, but short stock can't grow back.
• ·Mark the cut line with a try-square + pencil or marking knife, and keep the saw kerf on the waste side.
• ·Check both ends square after each cut — a plane can fix a slightly out-of-square end now, but not after glue-up.
• ·The cut list shows two numbers per part: "visible size" and "cut size". Joinery parts will differ by the tenon length — cut to the cut size.

• ⚠️ Double-check the cut list before every saw cut — you can't un-cut a board.

Assembly mode replaces traditional joinery with mechanical fasteners. **Pick one method and stick with it** — mixing makes alignment harder. (A) **Pocket holes** (fastest, beginner-friendly): drill 15° holes on the male part (aprons / stretchers / drawer sides) with a jig and drive #6 × 1¼" screws. (B) **Dowels** (cheapest): drill ⌀8 × 30 mm holes on both parts with a doweling jig, insert 8 × 40 mm dowels + glue. (C) **DOMINO** (most pro, needs a Festool): cut slots with the joiner, insert 5 × 30 mm DOMINOs.

• ·One method per build — pocket-hole aprons + dowel drawers makes alignment headaches.
• ·Drill pocket holes on the male part (apron / stretcher); mother (leg) stays clean. Hidden face up so screw heads never face the room.
• ·Vacuum every hole clean before driving — chips block depth and starve the threads.
• ·Drive the screw within 10 minutes of glue-up: glue is wet, screw clamps tight, then the glue cures.

• ⚠️ **Never point pocket holes at the room** — the visible face of an apron must face the wall or floor.
• ⚠️ Dowels must be a snug fit (finger-push in, mallet-tap home). Loose dowels = no joint.

Grooves for the plywood panels: set the width to the actual plywood thickness (nominal 6 mm sheets are often 5.5–5.8 mm) and the depth per the part drawing. Use a plough plane or a router straight bit, fence against the same reference edge, and run the whole set in one setting so widths match.

• ·Test with a plywood offcut first: it should push in by hand and not fall out.
• ·A through groove shows at the end of the stile — fill it with a haunch on the tenon, or stop the groove before the mortise.

Machine the inside rear rebate shown on each part drawing. Check width and depth on scrap first, then cut in shallow passes. Dry-fit glass and backer together with the specified clearance and secure the backer with removable retainers.

Assemble every joint without glue first. Target fit: pushes in by hand, seats with a light mallet tap, takes some effort to pull out. **Pare tenons, never mortises** — mortises are mother structure, you ruin them and the part is scrap.

• ·Dry-fit in the same sequence you'll use for glue-up — sub-assemblies first (leg frames, drawer boxes), then combine.
• ·Check 90° at every corner with a try-square; if it's off, you can still adjust.
• ·Measure both diagonals across the carcase — equal = square, unequal = racked.
• ·Tight tenons: pare lightly, 0.2 mm at a time, testing between cuts. Aggressive paring leaves a loose joint.

• ⚠️ Don't force-tight tenons home with a mallet — glue makes wood expand and the mother will split.

Combine the cured sub-assemblies (frames / drawer boxes / doors) with the main structure (top / sides / back). Thin PVA on tenon walls and inside mortises — 1 mm coat is plenty; thicker just squeezes out and is hard to clean up.

• ·Lay out all clamps before opening the glue bottle — PVA open time is 8–10 minutes, no time to hunt for clamps.
• ·Wipe glue squeeze-out with a damp rag immediately — dried glue blocks stain and finish.
• ·Measure diagonals right after clamping — if racked, release one clamp and re-clamp to pull it square before the glue sets.
• ·24-hour cure for full strength before releasing clamps and sanding. 6 hours gets you to handle-able but only half-strength.

• ⚠️ Glue-and-clamp the entire assembly in one continuous pass (within 10 minutes). Don't pause.
• ⚠️ Pad clamp jaws — bare metal will dent the finished face permanently.

Use 120 grit to remove plane marks, saw marks, glue residue. **Sand with the grain** — cross-grain scratches will not come out later.

• ·Hardwoods (oak / beech) with deep plane marks: start at 100 grit. Softwoods (pine / fir): 120 grit is fine.
• ·Use a random-orbit sander for efficiency; corners and edges by hand to avoid rounding them over.
• ·Ease sharp edges with a 1 mm chamfer — sharp arrises cut hands and lose finish first.

Move to 180 grit. Fully remove the 120-grit scratches before moving on — leftover scratches show through every finish coat.

240 grit final pass to prep for oil / finish. Vacuum and wipe with a tack cloth — any dust left will get sealed into the first coat as grit.

Thin coat of wood oil (OSMO Polyx-Oil / Tried-and-True / Watco Danish Oil) with a lint-free rag. Let it sit 15 minutes for the wood to drink, then wipe all surplus off with a clean rag (must wipe, or it dries sticky). Cure 12–24 hours.

• ⚠️ **Oil-soaked rags can spontaneously combust!** Lay them flat to dry or submerge in water before disposal — never ball them up. The exothermic oxidation will start a fire.

Once coat 1 is fully cured (24 h), burnish the whole surface with 0000 steel wool to knock back raised grain. Wipe clean with a dry rag. This step is what makes the surface feel silky.

Repeat coat 1: thin coat → 15 min → wipe surplus → 24 h cure. After two coats the surface is noticeably smooth with a warm sheen. Two coats are enough for daily use; high-wear surfaces (tabletops, seats) want a third.

Once all glue and oil are fully cured (~72 hours total), do a final check.

• ·Square: try-square on all four corners; diagonals equal.
• ·Level: spirit level on the top / seat — should sit flat in any direction.
• ·Stability: rock the piece — every foot should sit flat. If one leg lifts, plane the longest one down with a card scraper.
• ·Door reveals even at 3 mm, opens and closes smoothly.
• ·Finish feels silky-smooth, no grit or missed spots.