The China Cabinet
designed and constructed by the author circa 1991
a project  that became a monster

designed and biult by Ralph Klimek over a three year span

now contains some lost souls

This China Cabinet began life as a simple request of she who must be obeyed. She merely wanted a small, modest cabinet in which to display her  brac-a-brac. As for me, being a little inexperienced in the art of fine display furniture immediately overestimated its size and the fact that cost scales exponentially with size.  Coupled with my (at this stage in life) desire to please her every whim. I also grossly underestimated the construction time given my lowly skill level and that I was not a full time cabinet maker !

I set about with a will.  The project dragged on for just over two years, I was fed up with it and the boss was getting cross.  I finally finished it to the point of enamelling it, then came the ugly part. Parting will all that money to buy the glass and mirrors . I had no idea that glass and mirror could be so costly.  Despite numerous setbacks, including a mid project change of specification, it was completed and looks quite good, excellent in fact.....from a distance. By and large the project was a success despite my lack of skill and the boss's discouragement. I do not advise anybody to replicate it, it will break your heart and bleed your budget.

This was constructed with the aid of a Triton Work Centre, I could not have made the precision wood cuts any other way.


In a dark room with its built in lamps illuminated, the effect is stunning...at least that early vision of mine came good.

The construction method is un-orthodox.  First a frame was constructed with corner joints nicely morticed and interlocked. The frame material is heavy oregon square beams. The top is high density chipboard placed in a rebate on the top frame, as it the very bottom shelf.  The shelves are dowelled parallel pine boards and rest in mortices in the frame. The interior is very uncluttered and spacious as a result.  The back board , a large heavy plywood sheet, sits in its own rebate in the frame. Glass is sitting in its own rebate and loosely held down ( to relieve stress) with handmade beading. The three sheets of mirror also sit in their own rebates, loosely held in place by the back board.  

The unit as constructed is immensly heavy. There are permanent handles at the back to facilitate moving it. I now wish that I had incorporated heavy duty castors into the design of the feet, it would have made construction and transport so much easier.

The oregon material has proven to be very stable. It is easy to cut, plane and polish. It is easily shaped with a router. It is quite stable with respect to humidity changes. I wonder why this timber is considered " not suitable" for furniture ? Given its near immunity to vermin attack.

Mirrors are a very effective way of improving the visual appeal of any size cabinet....and they cannot be painted beige!

Electric lights are fitted, using reflector globes pointing backwards, to remediate direct glare. Paint was (at the time) very costly British Paints Black Enamel , when this was still a genuinely good brand. 

The doors and made with interlocking morticed corners secured with a hidden steel bolt to resist the turning moment induced by the large mass of the doors.  The glass sits in its own rebate and secured in place with aluminum strip.

At the time the frame corner joints were true and perfect, the gaps being nicely filled and enamelled. As the years have progressed and wood reacts to the changing humidity, the slight movement has resulted in the joins becoming visible. If there is a next time, I would hide the joins with a decorative cut line done with a router, so that the joints become a feature disguising the joins.

There is a front foot, offsetting any tendancy to fall forward , as this unit is extremely heavy. The major cost of this project was dominated by the cost of the glass and mirrors and my time. Even though it should  be considered a success, I shall not attempt anything this ambitious again. Life is too short; affection too fickle.

I believe the white powder that has grown on to the orginal gloss black has come from plastic objects that have been displayed over the years.