Bedside Table

[Jeff Posten]

I'm in the process of designing a pair of somewhat contemporary walnut nightstands/bedside tables for a friend of the family. This is my first significant project outside the immediate family and am trying to make things simple. I've been looking over many design elements from other craftsmen and I was curious if the front rails serve as a structural piece? Every drawer seems to be enclosed by a top and bottom rail. Does this simply prevent the piece from being squeezed from the sides? Could I just make the front "apron" the face of the drawer? I like that I wouldn't have a seam between the rails and the drawer face. Very clean looking.

I would then use 1/2" wooden drawer runners, set back a few inches from the front, to support the drawer from below, as well as a stop to prevent the drawer from pulling completely out. So I guess I would cut the drawer sides slightly shorter to accommodate runners? Would you put one on the top and one on the bottom (on each side), or just one on the bottom and have the top of the drawer side ride against the underside of the top? Or, would you dado the side of the drawer and use one runner on each side? The drawer face/aprons are 6" tall.

I will also mention that there will be a bottom shelf to add side to side support.

Additionally, as the piece is only 18" x 18", and the aprons are going to be <14" between the legs, would a haunched tenon be necessary? Could I get away with simple mortise and tenons?

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

[Jeff Posten]

...like this

nightstand2.jpg

Thanks again,
Jeff

[Craig Matheny]

Jeff you might want to post this question also on the wood workers forums those guys are great

[Dave Richards]

You'll probably want some rails between the front legs but they don't have to be huge and they could be positioned to fall behind the drawer front instead of above and below.

[Sam Murdoch]

You'll probably want some rails between the front legs but they don't have to be huge and they could be positioned to fall behind the drawer front instead of above and below.

This is a good option if you must have a rail. One or both could can serve as stops for the drawer. Normally the top rail will also help to provide a hold down for the top, and in the case of a front apron with a drawer set within, the apron provides structural stability which, in this case, your lower shelf can address. Having said that I think that you can do without the apron or rails for such a small table, but if you have any doubts Dave's idea of setting the rails behind the drawer is a good one.

Don't know what you mean about keeping the drawer runners back a few inches. Why not bring them to just behind the drawer front? Bottom or side runners will be sufficient - yes, one on each side. The side runner dadoed into the drawer sides solves the lift problem as you slide the drawer, but having a block attached to the back of the drawer that slides along the underside of the top will work too. It's a question of elegance, craftsmanship, or simply preference. For an occasional use small drawer a stop is an option but not really necessary.

Yes, a simple mortise and tenon will be fine.

[Dave Richards]

It sounds like you want a fairly contemporary look to your table. So perhaps you could do something like this. I made the legs 1-1/4 in. sq and as you can see, the aprons are flush with the outside of the legs.



You could make the legs slightly fatter (1-3/8 in. sq.) and get a reveal with no trouble.



For the rails behind the drawer front, you could even do half-lapped joints for a small table. It is common to use dovetails into the tops of the legs to join the top rail. This would give a great deal of resistance if someone was to kick the leg at the foot. You could use dovetails or you could probably get away with pegging the half lap with small dowels.

As for drawer runners, the kickers and runners can be the full depth of the table. I drew them so they are all identical. They can be glued to the aprons and give you the spacers so the drawer can't shift left to right.

[Jeff Posten]

Thanks all.

Dave, thanks for the drawings (and advice). They help tremendously. Did you use Sketchup or another program? I've been struggling to learn Sketchup. Seems so simple with the limited tool-set, but I struggle with accurate placement and moving items once they're down (still haven't determined if this is even possible). I miss my old drafting table, triangles and pencil...

Again, thanks so much. I'll keep you posted on progress and will ask questions as needed.

Jeff

[Dave Richards]

Jeff, Yep, that's SketchUp.