Oaken Gearbox

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...

Edge joining two boards can be one of the more intimidating techniques in woodworking. If the edges on each board aren't completely smooth and flat, your panel will have a big, ugly crack in it. In this post I will describe how to get a perfect joint every time using only hand tools. If like me, you have an inexpensive table saw, or just work with boards with the 'factory' edge on them, they probably don't have a clean enough edge to just glue them together and call it good. With some very simple tools though, you can accomplish the same thing that a $400 jointer can. Tools For the Job: - A Jack Plane. This is really a nifty tool. I just bought the cheap one from Home Depot. It works okay,  although the blade needed to be sharpened right out of the box. - A Dowelling Jig. This isn't strictly necessary, but will let you make a much stronger joint. I bought the self-centering one from  Rockler . It's a little bit pricey, but when I bought it, it was...