Serious question, a client in Boise asked me to build a cabinet with no visible fasteners at all

Sage Murphy · 2026-03-13T15:30:11.052106+00:00

They said 'if it's truly fine, you shouldn't see how it's held together,' and it made me reconsider my whole drawer box assembly method. Anyone have a favorite hidden joinery trick for that situation?

faith7416mo ago

Locking rabbets sound solid for the drawer boxes, but what about the face frames? @the_caleb, do you hide those joints too or just let the glue do the work?

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the_caleb7mo ago

Your client nailed it. @the_jason is right, it's the same with phones or cars now. You don't see the screws. For a drawer, I'd go with locking rabbets and a ton of glue. It's clean and strong. Dowels can work too if you're really careful lining them up.

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the_jason7mo ago

That client in Boise has a good point about fine furniture.

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