Fine Woodworking 2007 Building Furniture

Jig makes it easier to plane sides of drawers

It usually is necessary to plane the sides of an assembled drawer

to get a perfect fit in the drawer pocket. But it can be a chore to

hold the drawer in place for that task.

The typical routine requires that you clamp the drawer to

the side of a bench, take a pass with the plane, unclamp the

drawer, check the fit, reclamp, take another pass with the plane,

and so on.

This simple jig saves time and effort. It consists of two main

parts: a yoke that mounts in the end vise and a

support board that clamps to the workbench.

Once the jig is set up, you simply slide

the drawer in place and plane.

Slide the drawer out to

check the fit. The jig

provides support

so that the sides

stay flat. It also

holds the drawer

in such a way that

I don’t feel like

I’m stressing the

corner joinery.

The yoke is a rectangular piece of^3 ⁄ 4 -in.-thick plywood. A

1-in.-wide slot cut in the yoke accepts either the drawer front or

back. Attaching a hardwood cleat to the underside of the yoke

allows it to be clamped in the vise.

The support board has slots on each side to accommodate

drawers of different depths. I hold it in place by sliding a clamp

through one of the benchdog holes, which keeps the clamp

clear of the planing area. A bench hook also would work. By

flipping the piece end

for end and moving

the clamp to different

benchdog holes, I can

fit drawers of almost any

width or length. If I

can’t, I just cut a

new slot in the

plywood.

— M a r k

E dMu n d s o n,

sandpoint, Idaho

Plywood support board,

3/4 in. thick by 16 in. sq.

Plywood yoke, 3/4 in. thick Cleat, 1 in. thick

by 2 in. wide by

16 in. long

Slots to

accept drawer

A lot of woodworkers fill

smallish dings, dents, and

splits with homemade

putty made from sanding

dust and wood glue.

To make the putty less

visible, I go a half-step

further and use dust from

the same species of wood

that’s getting filled. To

ensure a ready source of

different types of sawdust,

I store dust from several

common wood species in

individual containers. A

sawdust source is never a

problem; I just empty the

dust-collection canister

on my random-orbit

sander after using it on

a particular species of

wood.

— M i c h a e l W i l s o n ,

Tuscaloosa, ala..

Extra

improved tabletop button

fits slot every time Back screw holds

button in place.

Front screw applies

pressure to apron slot.

An apron slot that’s a little too high

or low won’t make a difference to

this tabletop button. A kerf under the

working end of the button gives it the

flexibility to bend up or down as needed

to slip into the slot.

— PEtEr W a l lIn , Malmö, sweden

Tabletop Slot in apron

Button Kerf

10 F I N E wO Od wOr kI Ng

quick tips continued

FWSIP08BF_MW.indd 10 6/6/07 12:18:46 PM