Different Woods

[Tom Conger]

<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Was curious if most of you used a different wood for the sides and back of a drawer for it's visual effect, cost effectiviness, or some other reason I am not aware of.

I am making a table out of mahogany with a drawer centered in the apron. I was planning on making the sides and back of the drawer out of maple, but due to a malfunction of my tape measure, (surely it wasn't me reading it wrong!), I now have a bunch of scrap mahogany that I can use.

So, is it design, cost, or visual appeal?
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[Dan Oliphant]

Tom,
For me it would be none of the above. The drawer sides take a lot of wear and tear during use so I want a hardwood that is going to stand up to the use and not waist something that can be used in a better way. I have used maple for runners, and sides along with poplar. Po[lar is quite common for drawer runners, sides, and bottoms.

[John Timberlake]

Mahogany would certainly work for the drawer sides and back, but I usually go with a contasting color wood for the look and cost. Maple is a good choice as is oak or quartersawn sycamore. Poplar is also a good choice if cost is the main concern. Any of the these woods give reasonably good dimensional stability.

[Richard Wolf]

I just like the traditional look of poplar for the side. I usually build in cherry or mahogany so the poplar stands out well.

Richard

[Alan Turner]

For drawer parts of real, working drawers, I favor hard maple. It is hard, wears well, and is usually a contrast to the other woods I am working with. I tis pretty easy to find hard maple with a regular grain, which is a big advantage when fitting a drawer.

Interestingly, it is not the most stable of woods, IMHO, but still it is to me the right wood for the task. I also use hard maple for the drawer runners.

[Tom Conger]

Thanks for he responses.

Going to use hard maple for the sides, back, and runners. The contrast will look good. Plus I am going to *attempt* to join it with sliding dovetails. That should make a nice looking drawer. If I can control the blowout. And if I can set the router right.

We'll see, I have not yet attempted any type of dove tail yet.

[Tim Sproul]

Plus I am going to *attempt* to join it with sliding dovetails. If I can control the blowout. .

You're doing overlay fronts? At the least, the fronts have to be wider than the drawer box and the sides longer than the case allows...unless you're thinking a dovetail rabbet. The sliding dovetail to join the front to the sides isn't traditionally used with webframe casework/flush fit drawers....and because of the need to have the front wider than the drawer box, isn't the most efficient design for maximizing storage space in casework. Use of a sliding dovetail to join the back to the sides isn't unusual....though a dado was more common, I think.

Regarding blow out when routing the sliding dovetails - keep your drawer stock wider than finished width...rout the dovetails and then rip to final width kist (how about, 'just' ) before assembly. This will have you rip any blowout off the boards....and for the fronts, you may find you get blowout both entering and exiting while routing.

[Kent Cori]

I've used soft maple as well as poplar with good results. The costs are not very different.