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8 fact-checked facts about cabinets and cabinetmaking, each with the reason behind it. 4 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.

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The basics

What is a cabinetmaker?

AnswerA craftsperson who builds fine furniture and cabinets

Cabinetmakers build quality wooden furniture, from cupboards to desks.

What is a 'lazy Susan' in a kitchen cabinet?

AnswerA rotating tray that brings items within reach

Lazy Susans spin so items at the back of a corner cabinet are easy to reach.

Going deeper

What is a dovetail joint?

AnswerInterlocking wedge-shaped 'pins' and 'tails'

Dovetails resist pulling apart, which is why they're used in drawer corners.

Why are the layers in plywood glued with their grain at right angles?

AnswerTo make the sheet stronger and less likely to split or warp

Cross-graining spreads strength in both directions and limits movement from moisture.

What was a 'cabinet of curiosities' in Renaissance Europe?

AnswerA collection of rare and unusual objects, forerunner of museums

Collectors displayed natural wonders and artefacts in rooms or cabinets that inspired early museums.

Botanically, what makes a wood a 'hardwood'?

AnswerIt comes from flowering, mostly broadleaf, trees

Hardwood and softwood describe tree type, not hardness: softwoods come from conifers.

Expert level

What is the German term for a cabinet of curiosities, meaning 'wonder room'?

AnswerWunderkammer

Wunderkammer literally means 'wonder chamber' in German.

Which 18th-century English cabinetmaker published 'The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director' in 1754?

AnswerThomas Chippendale

Chippendale's pattern book spread his furniture designs across Britain and beyond.

Know these cold?Today's round is five questions like these, 20 seconds each. Your streak and level follow you to every arena.Play today's round