Framing, in cabinet-making, requires the same precautions as in Joinery, when it is required to form large surfaces, for, owing to shrinkage, and warping of wood, large even surfaces can be formed only by means of pannelling.

The width of the style of a frame should be one-sixth of the whole width of a compartment of the frame; the tenons should be one-fourth of the thickness of the framing, and the width of a tenon not more than five times its thickness.

But, where surfaces of considerable width are to be formed without an appearance of framing, whether those surfaces are to be veneered or not, we should avoid framing them with other pieces where the grain of the wood is in the contrary direction, for the difference of the shrinkage of the two ways of the wood is so considerable, that it can scarcely be expected to stand without either warping or splitting when confined. Where warping is to be prevented, we strongly recommend that holes should be bored through, and strong iron wires inserted, at short distances apart, across the piece. These would act as clamps in preventing warping, and, at the same time, would not be affected by the shrinkage in width.

Angles are formed in various ways, depending chiefly on the object of the work. External angles of mouldings are either simply mitred, or rebated, or both rebated and mitred together. Internal angles are generally grooved together, with the outer edges mitred. Where the front edge only is to be mitred, a dovetail groove is made, and rather narrower at the back than at the front, so that the tongue tightens as it is driven in.

When a strong firm connection is wanted, and the wood is to be joined end to end, dovetailing is to be preferred. When the dovetails are not to appear, they may be formed by the method called lap-dovetailing; and, when the dovetails are cut through, it becomes the kind used to join the angle between the front and end of a drawer. When a joint is to appear as if it were mitred, the method of dovetailing employed is called mitre-dovetailing. The apparent edges are in this case always mitred to a depth of about an eighth of an inch. There is also the method of joining by keys; the parts being neatly mitred, then saw-kerfs are to be made for the slips of wood called keys, which are to be inserted with glue when the joint is put together.

Drawers are mostly dove-tailed together, but variously made in other respects. Well-seasoned wood should always be used, as otherwise the drawers are liable to break at the joints; the tenons should always be in the direction of the grain of the wood. In morticing, care must be taken that the mortice and tenon are neatly fitted, neither too loose or too tight, and the parts well glued when put together.