Building Drawers?

[Bryan S]

One of the next steps in my current project is to build 7 drawers. I know that I said 8 in my last thread but another member pointed out there were only 7 holes, and that is when I realized I could not count.:dontknow:

It is funny how each project we tackle gets more complex. In the past I have only built one drawer. It was all ply construction, using a locking rabbit joint and had a false front. There will not be any false fronts on these, so I want the joinery to look better as well as be stronger and decided to go with half blind dovetails. Joe Scharle mentioned the I.D.I.O.T. rule in another post and it makes sense, so any more tips you would like to talk about?

Any pitfalls to avoid?

Ideas that would make the process/learning curve go smoother?

I do have the Porta Cable jig and purchased it a couple of years ago for this project. I did play around with it when I got it and have the setup close. Several have suggested poplar for sides and backs. I picked up enough for at least an extra drawer plus dialing in setups. It will probably set in the shop 2 to 3 weeks, if not longer before I start milling it.

 

[Bigdog72]

Measure twice before you cut and always dry fit.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Bryan, as you know, the PC jig (and many others) require fixed widths for full top and bottom half tails. If you built the drawer boxes with that restriction in mind, you're good to go. Next thing that comes to mind is, with half blind DTs the length of the drawers will be LONGER than the side piece itself. I know a guy who built once 4 drawers that stood proud of the case by 1/2". That dummy has never done that again :BangHead:.
Short drawers and (adjustable) drawer stops are good engineering practice :wink_smil.

Flush inset drawers/doors show a cabinet maker's level of expertise. Consider 1/8" all around gap as the maximum you're going to allow. That said, your drawer front is to what every other part is sized. I make the fronts loosely the same size as the openings, then plane/sand to fit after the drawer is glued up. I usually (when lucky) wind up with 1/16" all around clearance. Nobody will ever know whether your drawer sides are .500 or .485.
A trick for the bottom of the drawer front is to take material off the bottom of the front and leave the sides untouched. Gives the impression when the drawer is closed that the whole drawer is 'floating'.

Anyway, that's enough dutch uncle for now...

 

[JimD]

I like to cut the front, back and sides of at least a couple parts long to test the setup. I use a Harbor Freight (think cheap) jig on a short stand, about 6 inches high. That gets the cutting up higher which is more comfortable for me. I keep setup jigs and tools for setting the jig in a drawer built into the stand (dovetailed on all 4 corner, naturally). I put a template guide from Grizzly to get the 7/16 spacing I wanted (and to get a machined instead of cast template).

Most of my furniture is based upon WoodSmith designs. They are for 7/8 drawer spacing (1 3/4, 2 5/8, 3 1/2 etc). The drawer fronts are solid wood to match the piece with the sides dovetailed into it. I make the sides and back of 1/2 baltic birch plywood. You need to back cut it to minimize splitting but it saves a lot of time versus solid wood parts. I've used lesser plywood but it doesn't work nearly as well. Luan is fine for the drawer bottoms unless the drawers are really big. Then I use 1/2 baltic birch.

I usually stop the drawers with the back of the case. That requires getting the length of the sides right. I can measure existing drawers in my house to understand how much of the front and back should be substracted from the case depth to get the length of the sides. It helps that WoodSmith designs use a little raised panel effect on the edges of the drawer fronts. So you don't have to be perfect with the drawer depth.

I dovetail all 4 corners. Once the jig and router are set up doing the back takes very little additional time. For glueup, I just use an acid brush to put a little glue on the female side of the joints and pound it together. No clamps are necessary.

Be really picky about getting good right angle cuts on the drawer parts. Your joints depend on it. If you try to finese things by aligning the unsquare cuts with the jig, the drawer will not be flat. If you do not align the edge, there will be a gap in the joint.

Jim

 

[Mike Davis]

Go ahead and cut parts for 8, trust me on this. :dontknow:

 

[CrealBilly]

Don't care who you are but if you say drawers are not a PITA, you obviously have not made enough of them.

 

[Bryan S]

Dutch uncle away Joe This is what I need to hear. These will be flush inset and I am [STRIKE]planning on[/STRIKE] hoping for a 1/16 clearance all the way around.


Jim, more good stuff I do plan on dovetails all the way around.


Well spoken Mike there will be enough milled for extras on this one.

This is what I need keep it coming. :icon_thum

 

[Joe Scharle]

Here's another idea that may work for your project. Setback inset drawers.

These two drawers are set back 1/8" into the rail/stile foreground. It gives this plain end table some visual interest by providing a 'frame' around the drawers.

 

[b4man]

Bryan,
Please take WIP pix!!!
Nothin' speaks louder or clearer than a pic!

 

[Bill Rhodus]

Joe, HOW DID YOU KNOW I BUILT MY DRAWERS TOO LONG?!! I think this explains the odd noises in my shop.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Here's another idea that may work for your project. Setback inset drawers.

These two drawers are set back 1/8" into the rail/stile foreground. It gives this plain end table some visual interest by providing a 'frame' around the drawers.

Bryan, Joe's approach is good for two reasons. First, it gives a nice "shadow line" around the drawers to add the visual interest he mentions. Second, if the drawer reveal isn't exact all the way around, it makes it less obvious. Might be a good way to do your first set of flush drawers.

Christian Becksvoort, a Contributing Editor for FWW, talks about using a dime as a spacer on all four sides of a drawer. Calls it his "10 cent trick".

Bill

 

[JimD]

Cut the back a little narrow. You won't see it and sometimes the case ends up a little narrow at the back. You have to be careful with the bottom when you do this, however. 1/16 shouldn't mess up the bottom and might save a lot of aggravation.

I use 1/16 clearance sometimes but you better make a very dimensionally accurate and square case. I ususally cut parts for about 1/16 but by the time I sand flush I am at a little more than 1/16. If you want to be this tight, you better put the drawer together without glue and try it. Solid wood sides and back will also allow more trimming before it shows than will plywood. 1/8 is safer but looks a little sloppy. You might want to cut some scrap pieces and test your case dimensionally before deciding (like cut a simulated drawer front and see if it will fit at the back. Cut an oversized bottom and see if it goes all the way in.

 

[Weber]

Go ahead and cut parts for 8, trust me on this. :dontknow:

Amen brother!

 

[TBradley190]

Go ahead and cut parts for 8, trust me on this. :dontknow:

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto! Also if it hasn't been mentioned, mark all your parts. Inside, outside, up, down, front, and back, also it helps me if I cut my dadoes for the bottoms first to help me keep them straight. Did I mention to mark all you parts!!

If this were my project, I would have to use part# 8 for the ones I got backwards in the jig!:BangHead:

Tim

 

[Bryan S]

Bryan,
Please take WIP pix!!!
Nothin' speaks louder or clearer than a pic!

Oh I will

Bryan, Joe's approach is good for two reasons. First, it gives a nice "shadow line" around the drawers to add the visual interest he mentions. Second, if the drawer reveal isn't exact all the way around, it makes it less obvious. Might be a good way to do your first set of flush drawers.


Christian Becksvoort, a Contributing Editor for FWW, talks about using a dime as a spacer on all four sides of a drawer. Calls it his "10 cent trick".

Bill

Bill I really like that also. I can play around with that before I attach the stops.

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto! Also if it hasn't been mentioned, mark all your parts. Inside, outside, up, down, front, and back, also it helps me if I cut my dadoes for the bottoms first to help me keep them straight. Did I mention to mark all you parts!!

If this were my project, I would have to use part# 8 for the ones I got backwards in the jig!:BangHead:

Tim

Marking the parts with this project has been a must.