As a final sub-assembly, I glued the bottom and the fixed shelf together. Here, I used some clamping squares to keep the front edges in the same plane so that they'll be even with the inset drawer front later.
After the glue dried, I cleaned the enclosed drawer cavity with mineral spirits in preparation for applying Rubio Monocoat. Having access from three sides made this a good time to pre-finish that area. I applied some blue tape on the to-be-glued edges to keep them free from finish. Even when you're careful, it's not hard for a stray finger to spread that oil/wax finish where you don't want it.
Applying the finish went smoothly. I didn't attempt to finish the side panels that would enclose the space. It should be easy enough to get those strips when I complete the remainder of the finishing later.
With the sub-assemblies completed, I prepped 38 Dominos (19 per side) by sanding a small bevel on an end of each one. This will help them to find the mating mortises on the side panel, and when trying to align that many Dominos at one time, it's almost a necessity. I glued all the Dominos into the two sub-assemblies and was then ready for the final big glue-up. I did double-check the height of all the exposed tenons to make sure they were all properly seated. I didn't want another blow-out accident on a side like I had on the top.
I did do a partial dry assembly, just the see how things were aligning. I didn't fully seat the Dominos - just tapped in enough to confirm they would track into the mortises without too much fussing.
It was time for the big stressful glue-up. I bought some Titebond II Extend just for this, because I knew I could use all the time I could get. I was too preoccupied to bother with photos, and there were some anxious moments, but it all came together in the end. A diagonal clamp was needed in the front to tweak it square. With no bracing in the front to prevent racking, it may spring back once the clamp is removed. But it was only like 1/32"-1/16" off, so I'm not going to sweat it.
