How do you build your drawers?

[Richard Dooling]

I generally use a sliding or French dovetail to join the sides to the front and a dado for the side to back joint. I like this combination of (relative) ease, strength and appearance.

[Mark Singer]

For fine furniture I hand dovetail fronts and backs. Sometimes half blind and sometimes through doves. Also variations like houndstooth etc. On these there are no mechanical slides , just wood to wood and it is a nice feel. Drawer bottoms are solid wood no plywood.

For cabinets that are more production in quality I use a Kreg Pocket screw connection that is strong and clean and works well with metal slides and drawer fronts. Sides are usually appleply or baltic birch . I have also bought very nice pre made drawer sides that are veneered , caped and grooved from States at Weber Plywood.

[Tim Lynch]

Hi Jim,

I put this out a while back...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=68368

I wonder if you have any tips on the process and what you might do differently.

I made another 8 drawers with this set up and tried scoring the plywood w/ a straightedge and razor knife and it indeed eliminated the tearout that I was experiencing.

Thanks,

Tim

[David DeCristoforo]

"The drawers tend to slam open and closed, and with more speed. The contents of the drawer hit the drawer front & back with each high speed slam."

You must have kids.....


YM

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Tim, I love the idea of using an auto feeder. how do you like it? Is that a shaper? And cutting the holes first to make 1/2 moons later is genius! To address the tearout, I use a backer board but that even doesn't elimate problem totally. That's why I make drawers taller then cut off ~1/4" top and bottom on TS post glue up. Comes out whizzer. But of course you can't do that when your cutting half-moons.

[Tim Lynch]

Hi Jim
Yes, that's an older Reliant 3HP shaper w/ a Delta fence and baby stock feeder. I love the feeder and wouldn't be without it. It's especially helpful when running stock vertically and makes everything seem a lot safer.

I like running larger panels and then ripping them to size afterward...it addresses the issue of blowout exiting the cut... just a leave a little extra on the big panel and cut it off.

I think if I had to put individual pieces through (say for solid stock) I would use a sled instead of the feeder. Of course, then I'd have to make myself a vertical sled too...

Curious how you do it?

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Hi Tim, Yup, I just use a primitive vertical sled. Just 2 pieces of 4" plywood stock screwed toegther. One lays horizontally on top of the fence and the other screwed vertically to front of other...that's the backer/ push piece. Then I use a feather board to keep work piece tight to fence.

Hi Jim
Yes, that's an older Reliant 3HP shaper w/ a Delta fence and baby stock feeder. I love the feeder and wouldn't be without it. It's especially helpful when running stock vertically and makes everything seem a lot safer.

I like running larger panels and then ripping them to size afterward...it addresses the issue of blowout exiting the cut... just a leave a little extra on the big panel and cut it off.

I think if I had to put individual pieces through (say for solid stock) I would use a sled instead of the feeder. Of course, then I'd have to make myself a vertical sled too...

Curious how you do it?

[Michael Wildt]

Hi,

Now that we have all the drawer experts on this thread I want to get some guidance on a project I have in mind. We have some build-in cabinets in the basement. They only have shelves, no drawers. So I was thinking of converting on of them. The drawers will be, rough measurements, 22" deep and 32" wide. I'm planning on using them with some internal dividers for CDs and DVDs.

Due to their size I'm considering using 1/2" BB ply, but with the internal dividers in, potentially, hardboard I'm not sure if the case should be increased to 3/4". That would allow me to dado some groves for the dividers. I would leave the bottom 1/2" and wasn't planning on adding any bracing for that. Bottom would be dado'ed in as well. I have also considered the Leigh jig for dovetails ;-) (nice excuse to get one).

- If using the miterlock router bit should I also nail or screw the drawer together ?
- Any recommendation on the brand of router bit for this application, sure many out there.
- If attaching a drawer front how can that be done such that the screws are, somewhat hidden ?

Thanks,
Michael
(Wood novice)

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Mike,

No nails are necessary. I use 2 Pony band clamps, one on top edge and one on bottom edge. I use the included metal corner brackets too.

I have 2 lock miter bits: a 3/4" I got from CMT (now Jesada) and a 1/2" from Rockler. Bothe are excellent. I think most mfgs. make them it's all personal preference.

I attach the drawer fronts using Blum drawer front adjusters. It's an ingenious method. First you drill stopped holes in backs of drawer fronts with (metric) forstner bit, then you drop in metal templates in holes you just drilled. Next place fronts on installed drawers and press in with hands. These templates have centers that mark spot where to drill holes on drawers. Remove templates then hammer in adjuster inserts, screw onto installed drawers until barely tight, close drawer and here's the cool part: There's a floating nut inside insert. you can wiggle fronts up, down and laterally up to 3/16" until the reveal is just right, open drawer and fully tighten screws. 1 picture is worth a thousand words. I've only now just recently watched Norm use this method on his current kitchen cabinet series (I think it was the island episode).
But again, I got this idea along with using the lock miter bit many years ago from Jim Tolpins "Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets" Tons other tips and jigs I got from this read...can't say enough about it. A must have for all considering the daunting task of kitchen cabinet design and construction or even smaller projects.

Side note: When puchasing drawer front adjusters, you also need to buy 1. 20 mm forstner bit if you don't have
2. enough templates for as many adjusters you'll have in 1 drawer (usually 2)
3. screws for your specific width

[Ed Peters]

The great thing about the lock miter is the setup for each corner. If you need a drawer 21 3/8" wide and 22" deep you cut the sides to those exact measurements. No further calculations are necessary as with a lock rabbet or 1/2 blind dovetails, for example. And when I'm making repetitive tasks like kitchen cabinet construction, minimizing mundane calculations reduces mistakes. Once you get the router table setup correctly, it's just a matter of pushing the sides through the bit, whether it's 1 drawer or 20...it's all one setup. I use 1/2" stock, set in dados for the bottoms, unless the drawer is really small. This makes the drawer even stronger, especially in a down shear situation. I hold each drawer together with 2 webbed band clamps. BTW, I rip the drawer sides slightly wider then I need. After the glue sets up, I cut them to height on the table saw.

Anyhoo, that's how I make the majority of my drawers, how do you do it?

That is exactly how I have been making drawers for the last 4 years. In fact, I have my lock joint tool permanently mounted in a router so I can just drop it in the table without the need to fiddle with the depth. Simply lock in the fence with dowel locators in holes drilled for both fence settings. All joints including the seams for the bottom are glued making a drawer of superior strength and the 1/2" baltic birch really is attractive when sealed. Oh, there is one exception. I only clamp long enough to send in a few brads to secure the joint until the glue cures.

Ed

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

That is exactly how I have been making drawers for the last 4 years. In fact, I have my lock joint tool permanently mounted in a router so I can just drop it in the table without the need to fiddle with the depth. Simply lock in the fence with dowel locators in holes drilled for both fence settings. All joints including the seams for the bottom are glued making a drawer of superior strength and the 1/2" baltic birch really is attractive when sealed. Oh, there is one exception. I only clamp long enough to send in a few brads to secure the joint until the glue cures.

Ed

Ed, Glad to see I'm not alone in my drawer making! Your dowel locator idea is intriguing. Can you elaborate on that or even snap some pics? After I have mine all set up by trial and error, I run some test blocks through for future templates. Although it just gets me close to final setup height, as each sheet of plywood can be different thickness and bit height needs to be retweaked. I like your idea.

[Steven Bolton]

This may have been asked, but is the lock mitre joint strong? I imagine there is quite a bit of gluing surface.

I have seen router companies that will see a white plastic set up for these type of bits. Do they help?

thanks

Steve Bolton

[J. Z. Guest]

I've made drawers using all of these methods except the pocket screws. I know if you all saw me demonstrate the lock miter, you'd be changing your tune very quickly. (As I said in my first post, drawers for cabinets not period pieces or fine furniture.) Give it a try.

Jim, next time you're making drawers, why not videotape it and put it up on YouTube? Then we CAN see you make them.

I've read that if you have to make more than a couple, once you're set up for lock miters or drawer-lock joints at the router table, it is pretty damned efficient.

So I do believe you, it's just that I will probably never make enough drawers that I'd prefer it over dovetails. Dovetails are good & strong, plus there's just something beautiful about them. My wife prefers dovetails, THROUGH dovetails even, so I think think that pretty much has most of the decisions made in furniture for my place!

[Denny Rice]

I think the reason Norm only cuts dovetails on the front of his drawers is two-fold. Number one is the front of the drawer reeives a lot more stress from the opening and closing of the drawer than does the back. Think about it you are pulling with your hand the front of the drawer either with a knob or other device and that puts a lot of strain on that joint. The second reason, and I might be scorned for saying this but how often do we pull a drawer completely out to where we see the back part of the drawer.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

This may have been asked, but is the lock mitre joint strong? I imagine there is quite a bit of gluing surface.

I have seen router companies that will see a white plastic set up for these type of bits. Do they help?

thanks

Steve Bolton

Steve, The lock mitererd drawer is extremely strong. You'd be impressed with how monolithic they seem when handled. No racking or creaking whatsoever.
I've seen these plastic setups as well. As I said in my last post above, I use a scrap piece of plywood, cut about the same size as those plastic doodads...and keep it in my router table drawer. works just as good.