Printable View
1st time making drawers. Did some simple box joints, but the joints aren't perfectly center. When I join all 4 sides of the box, and lay them on a flat surface. Two are off the table by a 1/16, and the other two are flush.
Well I was planning on running a groove to place the drawer bottom in, but now I dont have a surface to align to my tablesaw or router.
Is there a simple solution?
When you make drawers, you do your joinery (maybe dovetails) then assemble the box. Use tape to hold it together if you need to. Then set up a slot cutter bit in your router table with the height equal to where you want your drawer bottom slot. Run the box around and cut the slot. If you need a wider slot, raise the bit and make another cut.
Then disassemble the box and use a chisel to square the slots in the corners (alternately, round the corners of the bottom). You have a slot that perfectly aligns.
Mike
Ahhh yes.. that sounds like a great idea.. and im sure i have a slot bit I have never used too.. THanks
Set up your fence and trim the width of the drawer side so that the bottom edges are even by cutting the two sides that are touching the table so that all four sides touch. Then cut your grooves. Assemble the drawer and then trim the top edges so they all are also even.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian Anguiano
Adrian = a hand plane will make quick work of it.
Or you can do it like Lee said.
Mike - you're usually spot on ...... except this time.
Its grooves first, THEN joinery. I don't know of any faster, easier, more accurate way.
I don't understand why you would assemble it, cut the groove then disassemble it and mess around squaring up corners.
Is it because you're worried about the groove showing in the front?
No, I find this approach to work very well and to produce grooves that align perfectly for insertion of the bottom. If you do the pieces separately, any small error will cause the grooves not to line up - one will be slightly higher than the other. Then, you have a choice. You can cut the groove that's too low a bit higher to get it to align with the other groove(s) but if you do that, that groove will be too big.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Engel
Or, you can cut the groove that's too high a bit more on the bottom of the groove, but that will leave a visible gap between the top of the groove and the bottom of the drawer.
The slot cutter approach where you cut the groove once the joinery for the drawer is completed (and that joinery is often dovetails) guarantees that your grooves will line up. An additional advantage of this approach - when you're using dovetails - is that you don't have to worry about your groove showing on the side if you didn't position a tail properly to cover the groove.
Someone taught me this technique and I've always thought it was a brilliant approach to cutting grooves for drawers.
[I'll add that when doing dovetails it's very easy to get one of the sides slightly higher or lower because of a slight error in making the dovetails. If you do grooves first, they will not line up. I'll also add that the OP's experience of having the sides and front not line up perfectly demonstrates how easy it is to have an error.]
Mike
[Note for the OP: you still need to get the bottoms of the drawer lined up. I'd probably use a hand plane. Once I had the bottom pretty flat, I'd cut the groove as I describe.]
I am with Mike. I manufacture the joints first and then the grooves.
I cut the joints, then grooves, then assemble. I'm curious though if you assemble and cut the groove do you have any kickback in the corner when the bit hits the oncoming wall? I tried to rabbet an assembled picture frame years ago and had that happen
Slot cutter bits usually come with multiple sized bearings so that you can cut grooves of different depths. I often use 1/4 or 3/8 inch for the depth of the groove, depending on the thickness of the sides (which are usually narrower than the front). So choose your bearing before putting the slot cutter in your router table.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian Anguiano
You probably know this, but I offer it just to be sure.
Mike
I never had that problem. The slot cutter is sharp, and the drawer is heavy. And you should keep a good grip on it. I never noticed any unusual forces with doing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Cooper
But go slowly when reaching the corner.
Mike
Mike, when you say you need to have the bottom of the drawers lined up, what exactly do you mean?
Looks like my slot cutter is 1/2" deep. Id prefer 3/8 or 1/4" in my 3/4" drawer... and dang whiteside makes their money on bearings. 13 to 16 bucks for a bearing.. the cutters are cheaper ha.
Lee, not a bad idea. I'm scared each drawer the amount i need to trim is different, so that requires multiple setups.
Let's say that one side is a bit higher than the other side when you assemble the drawer. If you put the drawer in that way, it will be sitting crooked in the case. You need to have the bottom of the two sides "even" so that when you put the assembled drawer into the case the drawer front is straight up - the sides of the front are aligned with the sides of the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian Anguiano
By trimming the sides, you may also have to trim the bottom of the front of your drawer. But let's say that if you did that, there would be a gap on the top of your drawer. Then, instead of trimming the bottom of the sides to be even, glue a piece to the bottom of the "short" side and then trim it to be even with the other side.
You can usually buy different size bearings from anyone who sells router bits. If you have a Rockler or Woodcraft store near you they may have a "bearing set" of different sized bearings.
When I said slot cutter, I mean something like this. You buy cutters in different widths and a set of bearings. You can buy just one arbor and change the cutter, or buy an arbor and cutter together. I have a few different width cutters - you don't need a whole lot because you can usually make multiple passes to get different widths (raise or lower the bit slightly with each cut). Hope that's clear.
Mike
Even the ones at MLCS at that link, are 7 bucks a bearing. I have the same ones but whiteside. I have the one cutter (1/4"), 1 arbor (7/16"), 1 bearing (1/2"cutting depth)
I couldnt find any aftermarket 7/16" ID Bearings with 1 1/8" OD which would give me a cutting depth of 3/8"
Ill just get the whiteside bearing.
I got what you are saying now. I did the finger joints in pairs, so the fronts are identical, and the sides are identical in their errors. So they will be nice and straight. I will trim them all on the tablesaw after its all glued. Then attach the wood face.
Thanks again.
I have used the slot cutter technique when making some trays. If you do not have dust collection through your router table insert plate, there is a tremendous build-up of chips. Caught me by surprise the first time. I had to stop once or twice to clear the chips so I could see where the cutter was going.