eeu netd Ra eee eat Ce pW ese a Cee ee ee Pe Rea eu ea eeu drawer fronts. But the drawers ina Pre ECS Maa every day, enduring more use and Dee ee Une) chests, dressers, and other types of ST tee Rocka yas ewer Te MRC We ae Cem unica a ay RR Cem ed drawers offer improved conven- age na oe Set) Puy drawer-slide hardware, see Chap- Cee Rs Cres Coeur car alg ey Seta ooo UL kee Pane Ce a re Ceol aol Style, Joinery, and gre 9.76 Fy Building a Basic Drawer # Box, p. 78 Building a Dovetailed * Drawer, p. 81 Fy Making Drawer Fronts,BUILDING DRAWERS atid Eire aag Baltic-birch plywood eee cre imaterial. Void-free, ee Tar reece land strong. IN DETAIL. “day, when you buy Yain.-thick plywood, you may actually be getting material chat isnt quite that thick As is the case with solid lumber (a "1" board is % in. thick),nomi ral dimensions are different than actual dimensions. As you size parts for drawer construction, be sure co use actual measure- ments, not nominal ones, in your calculations. When grooving the drawer box sides and front to hold the drawer bottom size the groove to match the actual thickness of the nominal Yin, plywood panel TRADE SECRET ‘sist the temptation to PP fnish on only the inte= rior ofthe drawer box. The out side surfaces ofthe box should receive at least one coat of finish to help control moisture absorption and make the drawer e357 to wipe lean With applied drawer fronts.it’ important to apply fish equally to all sides and edges of the front. This ensures tha the wood will absorb and release moisture equally, reducing the chances of warping. Style, Joinery, and Materials M ost kitchen drawers consist of ovo major parts: the drawer box and the drawer font. The box is built independently of the front, then the two parts are screwed together: Building nak flexibility in design and construction. I usually drawers this way gives the eabine nore build overlay drawers, which means that the ddrawer front is Larger than the drawer opening. My fronts rypically oveslay che face frame by % in, Construction Details for Drawer Boxes Pocket-Serewed Box Box front oon all four sides. To learn about inset and partial overlay drawers, see Chapter 7.As with eabinet doors, the outer edge of the drawer front can be contoured or left square, with the edges simply sanded to remove sharp corners, Sometimes I drawer fronts and doors the same edge treatment, but it can also work well to use different edge treatments T specify two kinds of drawer fronts, For shal- ow drawers (with fromts less than 7 in. high), imnake the front fiom a solid piece of wood. For deeper drawers like to make the font in a Applied fron SN L Pocket screw Drive screws from te inside box to attach the applied front Pin 76,STYLE, JOINERY, AND MATERIALS JOINERY OPTIONS FOR DRAWER BOXES 6 eciding which joinery to use on drawers depends on the material the tools you have available, and the level of qual- ity you want to achieve. As shown in the photos on p.79, the pocket-hole jig that plays an important part in assembling face frames and cases can also be used to build drawer boxes. Here area few other joinery methods you may want to consider: = Rabbet and dado joint. Ths interlocking joint can be cut ‘ona router table or table saw and works well with plywood ‘or solid wood. Assemble each comer joint with glue and a couple of Ad finishing nails. = Locking-edge joint. This type of joint is cut on a router table and works best in solld wood. Different locking-edge bits are available, including those designed to make the drawer front part of the drawer box. The bit height and fence post tion must be adjusted carefully The drawer side usually runs vertically through the cutter, while the front runs horizontally. ‘m Locking-miter joint. You might describe ths joint as a 45. degree miter that interlocks with a tongue-and-groove, ‘This joine works best in solid wood and is cut with a special router bit, The locking miter is strong and attractive, but the cuts can be dificult to set up. The height of the bit and the position of the router table's fence must both be exactly right. (One part runs horizontally through the cutter the other part ‘runs vertically. ‘= Dovetail joints. More traditional than other joinery meth- ods, dovetalls are stil considered to be the best joints for premium-quality drawers. They work equally well in both solid wood and plywood. Through dovetails are used when drawer boxes are built separately from drawer fronts. Hal blind dovetails can be used when the drawer front is part of ‘the box or separate from the box. Both joints can be cut in a ‘small shop, using dovetail jigs that are avaliable from numerous manufacturers. (See the photos on pp. 8I-82,) s p Locking miter ‘Through dovetail Halftlind dovetail jointBUILDING DRAWERS TIP ee) ge eae Ce er Cee a) ene IN DETAIL bottoms of certain drawers are subject to heavy wear: Il know that a drawer will be used for storing pots and pans, | glue a sheet of plastic laminate tothe bottom panel before installing the bottom. Plastic laminate is durable, scratch resistantand easy to lean, Most plastic lami- nates are about Yi in. thick, this thickness needs to be added when you cut the groove for the bottom nthe front and sides of the drawer box. 78 frame-and-panel construction, as shown in the photo at right. I make both types of drawer fronts from solid wood. materials used for drawer boxes should be consistent with those used for the rest of the cabi- nets.Your choice will depend on the lumber you have on hand, your budget, and your preferences. For example, Y-in.-thick birch plywood is an excellent material for the sides, front, and back of drawer boxes. If you prefer solid wood sides, poplar and pine are popular choices. For even higher quality, ou can step up to hardwoods, such as maple and oak.The one material that remains constant is the Y-in.-thick plywood used for the bottom of the drawer: You also need to decide which joinery meth- ods will be used to build the drawer boxes. As shown in the sidebar on p.77, there are a number of ways to join the sides of the box to the front and back. Even though box joinery is not visible tunless you open a cabinet drawer and examine the corners it’s still an important factor in the overall design ofa cabinet, Make your decision based on. the joinery that appeals to you (or your customer) and the equipment you have available or would like to acquite. Building a Basic Drawer Box Pocket joinery can be just as useful in building drawers asi is in building cabinet face frames and cases.The drawing on p.76 shows how a basic drawer box is assembled using pocket-hole join- ery to secure the front and back to the sides. 1. Size the box. To determine the size of a drawer box and all its parts, you need to know what kind ofslide hardware you plan to use. (See Chapter 11.) If you're using unfamiliar hardware, make sure you buy it first and refer to the manu- Deep drawers can be frame-and-panel assemblies. facturer’ installation instructions. The side- mount slides that I use on most of my cabinets are installed in pairs; each slide requires a clear- ance of 4 in. Therefore, the finished width of the drawer box must be 1 in. less than the width of the opening, The drawers for a standard base cab. inet can be up to 23 in, deep, but L usually go with a 22-in, depth to match the Iength of the slide hardware. As for the finished height of the drawer, [ usually subtract ¥ in, from the height of the opening. Slide hardware that mounts under the drawer requites a shallower drawer box. 2.. Cut the box parts to their finished sizes. Make up a complete cutist ofall the parts you'll need to build the drawer boxes, then cut them, labeling everything as you go.You'll end up with drawer box sets that consis of two sides, a front, a back, and a bottom. Next, groove the sides and front to hold the bottom panel. The groove width most match the thickness of the bottom. You can groove your parts on a router table or table saw. 3. Bore pocket holes in the front and back pieces. Using my pocket-hole jig, drillSs ‘To assemble a drawer box with pocket screws, bore pocket holes on the outside face ofthe front and back pieces, these holes on the outside face of each front and back. (See the lefe photo above.) The pocket holes in the font of the box will be covered when the drawer front is installed; the back holes won't be visible unless the drawer is removed from the case, A shallow drawer ean go together with just « pair of holes at each joint, For deeper drawers, space holes 14 in. t0 2 in. apart 4. assemble the drawer sides, fronts, and backs. This isthe fist step inthe assembly process. IFyou have a pneumatic finish you cean tack the sides co the fiont and back so the four-part assembly holds together as you drive the screws. (See the top and bottom photos at right.) Take care to keep the parts properly aligned.-The groove for the drawer bottom should be continuous, and the bottom edge of the back shoul be aligned with the top of each side groove BUILDING A BASIC DRAWER BOX ‘Shoot a couple of brad nails into the drawer sides to hhold them in place and keep them from shifting. Jin the front and back to the sides of the drawer box with pocket screws.BUILDING DRAWERS PES rarer) for applied fronts, take Cee eee Ce ard PResurea the wood used to make Coke ree IN DETAIL ovetal drawer joints ware first used on fern ye mid- 600s. Woodworkers developed distinctive styles and ‘methods for creating doverals, making this joinery details lonymous with top-quality crafts rmanship. Today, furniture factories have machines that produce dovetall joints in sec nds. Traditional woodworkers still pride themselves on dove tals that are cut by hand. But in many small cabinet shops,a wide range of dovetail jigs and car- bide-tipped router bits are used to duplicate the look of hand: crafted dovetails quickly and precisely 30, Sanding the drawer is much eas bottom panel installed. 5. Sand and finish the drawer box. A¢ this stage, your partially assembled drawers are very easy to sand and finish. (See the top left photo above) I prefer to finish drawer boxes with a lear polyurethane or catalyzed lacquer. Unless you are using prefinished plywood bottoms, now is the time to finish those parts as well, 1g the drawer bottom, side grooves milled in the front and sides, ‘Complete the drawer assembly by screwing the bottom to the bottom ‘edge ofthe back. 6. install the drawer bottoms. Slide the bottom into place from the back of the drawer box, as shown in the top right photo above. Then hold the assembly square as you drill counter- sunk pilot holes for several %-in. screws. (See the bottom photo above.)Building a Dovetailed Drawer Ifyour aim is to build a masterpiece, then you need to assemble your drawer boxes with dovetail joints. This means investing in a dovetail jg and the one or two bits designed for i You can buy a jig and a single bit for cutting half-blind dovetails for less than $100, More advanced jig and bit sets can cost $300 or more. The good news is that conce you learn how to use this equipment, you'll have no trouble turning out a fll-kitchen’s worth of top-quality drawers. ‘The Katie Jig® that 1 use costs about $250 and is designed to be used with a router table or hand- held router. The jig enables you to cut through dovetails with variable spacing. Because the jig can be repositioned easily on wide stock, it can also be used to make dovetailed chests and other furni- ture. As with other through-dovetail jigs. pattern-cuting bit is required to cut the pins. ‘To cut the tails, use a dovetail bit guided by a pilot bearing. The Katie Jig’s only disadvantage is that it ‘works best with two routers—one for the pattern-cutting bit and one for the dovetail bit. By mounting two routers in my router table, T can dovetail all the parts for one drawer in less than 10 minutes. That's about the same time as it takes to assemble a drawer with pocket joinery. With just a single router table setup, it cam take a little longer. Here's how I build a dovetailed drawer using a dovetail jig: I. cut the parts to size. Assuming that your drawer parts are % in. thick, the cutting depth for both bits should be '%s in. This will leave Ye in to trim on each side of the finished box. Make the length of the drawer sides, front, and back ¥4 in. greater than the finished outside dimen. sions of the drawer. Dovetail joints should always BUILDING A DOVETAILED DRAWEF start with a half pin atthe edges. To achieve this, you may have to adjust the height ofthe drawer box slightly. 2. Lay out and mark the parts. Mark each corner 1,2,3,and 4 on both boards. The front and back will have pins, so mark them that way: ‘Also, write “top” on the top of the drawer and mark the inside of each drawer part 3. Adjust the stop blocks. Position the blocks to center the drawer pars on the jig Remember that each side should start with ‘When the bor’s sides, front, and back are in their proper tion, number each corner and ‘mark the inside face of each piece. ‘The adjustable stop blocks on the top of the jig keep one side and cone end of the box positioned over the aluminum guides. 81BUILDING DRAWERS een ity Ce ees Cg pleserve a durable finish ee Ra of the toughest finishes Tee Ce Ld Seer WHAT CAN GO WRONG ven with careful measuring, calculating, and assembly. is til possible for drawers to be lightly offin ther finshed width, making it impossible to nstall the drawer with standard lide hardware. I the drawer 20x is too narrow by ‘én. or 30, YoU can shim out one or Doth sides. Ifthe box is too. vide by YA in. or So,raise the lade on the table saw to the astalled height ofthe slide ardware. First remove any nails or crews to avoid cutting into netal with your saw. then guide he drawer box agains the rip ence to cut off small amount rom both sides. (See the photo claw) Ifthe drawer box nore than Yé in. too small or 00 big, make a new one in the orrect ste. With its dovetails completed and its bottom groove cut, this drawer box is ready for final sanding and assembly. about halfa pin, Use a square to make sure the stop blocks are square, 4. Clamp the drawer parts on the jig. Assays position the inside part ofthe board against the jig’ backing board. Place the pin board on the pin-cutting side ofthe jig and the tail bontd on the opposite side, then clamp both pparts to the jig. 5. cut the pin and tail joints. Use the pat tern bit on the pin side ofthe jig and the dovetail 1 set up two routers in my router table. One has. a pattern bit that is used fon the pin side of the jg. ‘A dovetail bit is used on the tal side. Slide the bottom into place after joining the front and back to one side, then glue the remaining side in lace, bit on the tail side. When you're done with one set of ends, flip the stock and repeat the process. Then repeat this cutting sequence with the remaining drawer side and end. 6. Test-fit the parts. See whether fit smugly and check the outside dimensions of the joints the drawer box. 7.. Cut the bottom groove. Cut a groove forthe bottom in the sides, romt, and back pieces. Locate the groove so that itis centered on.Check the box for square before setting it aside so the glue can dry. a pin. The groove will show on the outside of the completed drawer box, but you'll cover it with the applied front and the slide hardware. 8. Glue up the box. Give all drawer parts a final sanding, then apply glue and assemble the box, taking care to check it for square. ike to lay a drawer side on the table, spread glue on the pins, and then push the back and font into the drawer side, Then I slide the bottom panel into its groove and ada the final side, Clamps aren't necessaty ifthe comer joint fit snugly. 9. Trim the corners. If the pins and tails stand proud, you'll need to trim them flush, You can do this quickly using a ush-trim bi in your router. Making Drawer Fronts With the bores finshed ts ime to turn your atention othe applied drawer fronts As discussed at the beginning of this chapter, I build two types of drawer fronts: solid wood fronts and frame-and- panel fronts made just like cabinet doors.The panel fronts are used primarily on deep drawers. Both types are attached to the MAKING 1H you have distinguished grain or color patterns in your cabinet doors, select wood for the drawer fronts with the same characteristics. drawer box by driving screws fiom inside the box. Tl cover the installation process in Chapter 12, when I discuss drawer handles, pulls, and other hardware In the finished installation, the cabinets should have drawers that look good individually and cogether, with a pleasing overall composition of wood color and grain, Select the wood for drawer fronts carefally; you'll appreciate this extra atten- ion when the job is done. (See the photo above.) ‘The outside dimensions of the drawer front should be 1 in. greater chan che drawer’ face- frame opening. See Chapter 4 for instructions on building frame-and-panel assemblies. When you have cut the solid wood fronts to their Finished sizes and completed the frame-and-panel fronts, it} time to rout a decorative edge detail around the outside edges of each front. For a very basic edge treatment, use a chamfer, roundover, or beading bit in the router. [like the look of doing this edge detail with a panel-raising bit. DRAWER FRONTS