Nightstands, part 2

With the the sliding dovetails connecting the front stretchers to the legs made, I turned my attention to the sides.  One thing that concerned me was how well Titebond III would work on sapele.  Because it is oily, I wiped it down with alcohol (I don't use mineral spirits in my shop) and glued it immediately.  I banged on it fairly hard and the joints seem sound.

I really wanted the sides to be precisely square so I shot all four sides.  The never-ending debate about bevel-up vs. bevel-down planes will never end but I do think that a low angle bevel-up plane has a distinctive advantage for use on a shooting board when planing end grain on a wood like sapele.  I was concerned that the low angle would lift the grain on the other sides, but it didn't.

To my hand, this plane is much more comfortable to use on its side than a bevel-down plane because the frog and blade assembly gets in my way.

The glue-up was uneventful:

Here's what the two cabinets look like, ready for runners and drawer fitting:

Sapele is really starting to grow on me.