drawer attachment

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
ok if you arent doing dovetails and arent using the false frt method of drawers.. how do you attach yours i have tried one of those drawer lock bits and am NOT pleased with it.. first it burns the end grain of oak, and two the method of running the parts makes for a no stable setup ..at least the way i have been doing it.. i got three more to do and if i could get a better method or different style i would be interested.. thanks for the input..3/4" faces with 3/8 offset and the sides are 3/4 as well.
 
Could you router a beveled slot on the inside of the drawer fronts, then the corresponding angle on the drawer sides ends that would slide in the groove physically locking the pieces together?
 
I use the drawer lock joint, but I cut them on the table saw. I've never tried them on the router and I've always had horrible results trying to get dovetails to align properly.
 
Just checked Lou's HC and the drawer front is a sold board maybe 3/4", routered or cut down to 1/4" except for the wood that fits inside the drawer. So the drawer sides and bottom meet the backside of the drawer front and probably glued but each drawer also has three little nails with heads nailing the side of the drawer to this "tonge/edge" of the drawer front. Clear as mud? Sorry, can't draw on my computer. Well, I could but wouldn't be able to send that image and then my screen would have this weird drawing on it!!! :eek::huh::eek::rofl::rofl:
 
i have 3/4" thick frnts, that have a 3/8" rabet on all edges that will over lap the face frame by 3/8".. so i have 3/8" to connect my drawer sides to.. and i have heard from 3 sources that the drawers are nailed on theres... so when are NAILS OK? tryun to do things right but maybe the old timers had areason they done it this way:thumb::dunno:
 
i have 3/4" thick frnts, that have a 3/8" rabet on all edges that will over lap the face frame by 3/8".. so i have 3/8" to connect my drawer sides to.. and i have heard from 3 sources that the drawers are nailed on theres... so when are NAILS OK? tryun to do things right but maybe the old timers had areason they done it this way:thumb::dunno:

Larry that's the way we did it when i worked in a cab shop in NM. We built all our drawers that way.
 
larry,

how about biscuits and glue, a biscuit in the end of the drawer side and the back face of the drawer front. i'd be willing to bet that will hold better than nails. plus you wouldn't have holes to fill after. i would think you could do this with dowels as well.

my thoughts
chris
 
larry,

how about biscuits and glue, a biscuit in the end of the drawer side and the back face of the drawer front. i'd be willing to bet that will hold better than nails. plus you wouldn't have holes to fill after. i would think you could do this with dowels as well.

my thoughts
chris

The fronts on my desk are doweled on. Dowels sticking out of the sides of the draw box with holes in the draw front for them to go into.
I bought this desk ready made so the only way I found out that is how they attached them was they fell off.:rofl::rofl:
Can you say glue failure:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
larry, here's how i attached the front of the drawer to my wife's writing desk. i cut rabbets in the front and back, then glued and clamped, and shot some brads in them.
 

Attachments

  • drawer detail.JPG
    drawer detail.JPG
    106.1 KB · Views: 35
I'd rabbet the front to inset the sides, then use small dowels into the edge. Kinda hard to explain. Maybe the attached file will clarify.
 

Attachments

  • Larry.skp
    13.2 KB · Views: 11
Hey Larry,
I came across this in an old issue of woodsmith they attached the drawer front this way to lock the sides and front. see the picture below. Something to keep in mind for future reference.

Dan
 

Attachments

  • Drawer.01.jpg
    Drawer.01.jpg
    32.2 KB · Views: 18
I'm no help as the drawer-lock joint is my go-to method for drawers. Second favorite is a sliding DT. Dovetails I save for being fancy or just for fun.
 
Top