Here it would be well to decide whether this is to be one of these sleek, "moderne" pieces, or something along the older lines. If it is to be modern, you would turn the side panel frames in to the inside, with the plain surface of the masonite or plywood outside. And the top would be "flush" as shown in the sketch marked "modern," whereas otherwise, it would have about a 54" overhang, and perhaps be given a molding supporting the overhang. In the old style, too, you would most likely use the frame side for the outside, and fit the panel with a mitered molding, as explained in Chapter XI (Getting Ambitious).

Now you have a cabinet-structure with sides, top and back, but with no floor, or bottom. This may be constructed as shown, with a "front board" specially cut to conceal the ends of the floor boards, which are shown nailed crossways for greater strength. By nailing the floor boards 3/4" set in from the sides, and 3/4" in from the front, (which necessitates an extra cross-piece, as shown) the main body of the cabinet may be set down directly on the base, making a neat exterior appearance.

An alternate scheme for a base in the modern manner is the set-in base, as shown, which necessitates a floor for the cupboard made of one or two boards placed long-ways, with one or two cross-cleats, fitted, on edge, in the frame of the base. This would not be necessary unless the cupboard were fairly wide or deep.

As for the general dimensions, these may be anything you want, within reason, and you can put in shelves on cleats as required.

The low cupboard brings us logically to the revelation of what may be done with the designing and building of simple units, as we shall see in a few moments.

The construction of these cabinet-doors, obviously, would be the same as the construction of doors for a built-in cupboard, including the fitting with hinges, latches or knobs. Locks are something else again, but we can skip them, for the moment, as hardware which needs extra-careful fitting.

The big idea in designing and building furniture units is that you get more furniture per dollar and per hour of your handiwork than is possible in any other scheme, and particularly if you are an apartment dweller, ever moving to another apartment, in the perennial hope that there won't be as many things about it that you don't like as in the one you are moving out of.

Let us suppose three more or less standard units, keeping in mind that the nature of units is interchangeability, or the standardization of over-all dimensions that will allow you to group the units in various ways, get a variety of uses from them, and have them always fit.

On the page facing ten varieties of units are shown from which to choose.

Let us see if any of these involve any special tricks in the way of construction.

First of all, there is a uniform base, which is no trick at all, being a simple frame made of 3/4" 3" strips with the ends set in, so that the front-board will make a neater front. Or you may make a base unit sufficiently high to clear the room base. It isn't a bad idea to put a cross-brace in these bases-it would keep them from getting knocked crooked in moving. If you are really ambitious you can glue 1" blocks, cut from 1"x 1" sticks, in the corners.

Designs for ten typical "build-up" units.

Now taking the ten units, by numbers, the first one is a cupboard. In order to achieve this modern sleekness of appearance, you will probably use heavy plywood for sides and tops, though the edges usually need a lot of sandpapering if they are to present the desired smoothness. Wide No. 1 white pine would be the best material, if not too expensive. You would want at least a 10" depth for these units, which means a wide board. (Width of unit, 3' 0", height 18" or 20".) The backs, of course, can be masonite or plywood, unless you mean to consider these units as actually permanent furniture. Even as permanent furniture, however, masonite would not be too bad.

The cupboard doors, made of plywood to avoid warping, would be of the 3/4" thickness, hinged on 3/4"x 2" uprights, set into the unit "box," with the faces flush with the edges of the "box." Within, a shelf, or not, as might be required.

The second unit, two bookshelves, calls for nothing more elaborate than a nailing in from the sides, needing only the usual care in marking off the location of the shelf on both sides and watching that the finishing nails (13/4" ones, at least) truly engage the center of the shelf ends.

The third scheme, designed for a few tall books, and some even larger books, such as are usually laid flat, simply means that you cut two uprights and nail in one horizontal, "H" fashion. Then shove this construction into the "box," and nail in from the top and bottom.

The fourth and fifth-here we have drawers, and again respectfully refer the gentle reader to Chapter XI (Getting Ambitious). Not that there's any particular mystery about building a drawer, but you do need to be a little extra careful about it. Most people will agree that it would be better not to have a drawer at all than one which doesn't work.

The sixth unit design is intended largely to give the effect of a deep base if you are massing two or three tiers of the units in a row. Like the cupboard unit (number one) it presents a blank expanse, and, like the cupboard unit, affords good storage space, or, if you approve of alcoholic beverages right in the home (and why not?), a handy cellarette.