Repairing dresser drawers help

Jim Moore

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I'm repairing drawers in an old dresser. The drawers are joined with half blind dovetails in the front and full dovetails in the back.

Unfortunately, the dovetails in the front and back pieces were done with a router bit and have deep sockets with rounded bottoms.

The side pieces have regular squared edge dovetails.

The side pieces only have the top and bottom edges connecting with the front/back piece. The side piece inside edge has no support because of the rounded bottom.

I'd like to fill in the rounded bottom with a plug with a flat side, but thought there might be another solution I'm mising.

There is no glue in the joints and they stay together via friction fit.

I'm thinking about filling the bottom of the rounded dovetails and using hide blue in the dovetails.

Any advice and council most welcome. Also, why are the front and back dovetails blessed with seemingly dysfunctional sockets?

Thnaks,

Jim
 
Last edited:
What you have is typical of router-cut half blind dovetails. the 'socket' is generally deeper - and tapered - than the tails are. You say the fit is snug, so there's really no need to fill in the voids in the sockets. Just glue and clamp the joints and you'll be okay. Hide glue - either hot or liquid - will be fine.
 
Thanks for the guidance. I've glued the drawer back together with hide glue and the joints and tight even though there is a slight gap inside the drawer.
 
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