Building Drawers: The Half-Blind Dovetail and Rabbet Joint Drawer
There are many, many ways to build drawers. I've tried several, but the half-blind dovetail/rabbet is my favorite.
This drawer is a classic I first encountered in a dresser I bought for $30 dollars on Craigslist. Although the dresser was falling apart and all the glue had completely deteriorated, the pieces of the dresser fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, making it easy to re-assemble just like new.
If you stop to think, you will realize that a dresser drawer, or any drawer, really, is just an open topped box, made up of five parts: the front, the back, two sides, and a bottom. The real difference between a strong drawer and a flimsy one is how those pieces are attached to each other.
How to Build a Half Blind Dovetail and Rabbet Joint Drawer
Recommended Tools:
A Tablesaw
A Router & Dovetail Bit
A Planer
Clamps
Chisels
Design: Decide what size you want your drawer. I typically make mine 1/8"-3/16" smaller than the opening it's made for so it will slide easily without binding.
The Pieces
1. Plane the drawer front to 3/4" and the sides and back to 1/2"
Most drawers have these dimensions in common. I'm sure you could use others, but these are fairly standard and work well for most applications.
2. Use the tablesaw to cut the front, back, and sides to your desired drawer depth.
3. Cut the front to the total drawer width, the sides 1/4" shorter than the drawer depth, and the back 1/2" smaller than the front. The diagram below shows why.
4. Cut a square of 1/4" plywood to 1/2" wider and 1/2" deeper than the inside dimensions of your drawer so it will fit into the slots you'll cut in the next step.
The Jointery
1. Cut a groove 1/4" wide and 1/4" deep into the inside surface of each of the four sides of the drawer. You can do this with a dado blade, a 1/4" router bit and fence, or two passes with a regular tablesaw blade. I generally use the last method because I don't have a dado blade and it's easier than setting up the router.
This is where the drawer bottom will fit.
2. Cut a 1/4" groove 1/2" from the back of the drawer sides and a 1/4" wide by 1/4" deep rabbet joint on both ends of the drawer back. This will hold the back and the sides together.
3. Clamp the two sides together and place a block beside them for the router to ride on. Clamp a straight edge to them and route all the dovetails into the front edges. You will have to move the straight edge for each cut.
To get perfect joints and save yourself some time, a dovetail jig can't be beat. These are fairly expensive, however, so for a more inexpensive options, simply clamp a straight edge to the top of your boards and move and reclamp it for each slot.
4. Create the half-blind dovetail joints to attach the sides to the front. This is the most time consuming part, and the easiest to get wrong. Take your time and double and triple check each cut before its made.
Clamp the drawer front face down to your work bench and route each slot individually. A small square works well because you can then control the depth of the slot as well as its position.
I used the drawer side from the previous step and marked the edges of the front. This gave me a visual reference to line the router bit up with and check my measurements.
5. Try to dry fit the sides to the front. Odds are they won't fit perfectly. Don't try to force it; you'll just split your work piece and undo all your hard work.
Instead pay attention to which joints are misaligned and shave down the sides with a sharp chisel.
If the side won't slide in completely, use the chisel to shave down the backs of the dovetails until the joint slides together.
Now you're ready to dry fit the whole drawer. Make sure the bottom is the right size, and the whole drawer fits with tight, square joints at each corner.
6. Dissassemble, glue, and clamp the whole drawer together.
You now have a very strong drawer that looks great and will last for years.
References
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/four-good-ways-to-build-drawers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints
This drawer is a classic I first encountered in a dresser I bought for $30 dollars on Craigslist. Although the dresser was falling apart and all the glue had completely deteriorated, the pieces of the dresser fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, making it easy to re-assemble just like new.
If you stop to think, you will realize that a dresser drawer, or any drawer, really, is just an open topped box, made up of five parts: the front, the back, two sides, and a bottom. The real difference between a strong drawer and a flimsy one is how those pieces are attached to each other.
How to Build a Half Blind Dovetail and Rabbet Joint Drawer
Recommended Tools:
A Tablesaw
A Router & Dovetail Bit
A Planer
Clamps
Chisels
Design: Decide what size you want your drawer. I typically make mine 1/8"-3/16" smaller than the opening it's made for so it will slide easily without binding.
The Pieces
1. Plane the drawer front to 3/4" and the sides and back to 1/2"
Most drawers have these dimensions in common. I'm sure you could use others, but these are fairly standard and work well for most applications.
2. Use the tablesaw to cut the front, back, and sides to your desired drawer depth.
3. Cut the front to the total drawer width, the sides 1/4" shorter than the drawer depth, and the back 1/2" smaller than the front. The diagram below shows why.
The Jointery
1. Cut a groove 1/4" wide and 1/4" deep into the inside surface of each of the four sides of the drawer. You can do this with a dado blade, a 1/4" router bit and fence, or two passes with a regular tablesaw blade. I generally use the last method because I don't have a dado blade and it's easier than setting up the router.
This is where the drawer bottom will fit.
2. Cut a 1/4" groove 1/2" from the back of the drawer sides and a 1/4" wide by 1/4" deep rabbet joint on both ends of the drawer back. This will hold the back and the sides together.
3. Clamp the two sides together and place a block beside them for the router to ride on. Clamp a straight edge to them and route all the dovetails into the front edges. You will have to move the straight edge for each cut.
To get perfect joints and save yourself some time, a dovetail jig can't be beat. These are fairly expensive, however, so for a more inexpensive options, simply clamp a straight edge to the top of your boards and move and reclamp it for each slot.
4. Create the half-blind dovetail joints to attach the sides to the front. This is the most time consuming part, and the easiest to get wrong. Take your time and double and triple check each cut before its made.
Clamp the drawer front face down to your work bench and route each slot individually. A small square works well because you can then control the depth of the slot as well as its position.
I used the drawer side from the previous step and marked the edges of the front. This gave me a visual reference to line the router bit up with and check my measurements.
5. Try to dry fit the sides to the front. Odds are they won't fit perfectly. Don't try to force it; you'll just split your work piece and undo all your hard work.
Instead pay attention to which joints are misaligned and shave down the sides with a sharp chisel.
If the side won't slide in completely, use the chisel to shave down the backs of the dovetails until the joint slides together.
Now you're ready to dry fit the whole drawer. Make sure the bottom is the right size, and the whole drawer fits with tight, square joints at each corner.
6. Dissassemble, glue, and clamp the whole drawer together.
You now have a very strong drawer that looks great and will last for years.
References
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/four-good-ways-to-build-drawers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints
Very nice information...amazing post.. Thanks for sharing..
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