Fine Woodworking 2007 Building Furniture

From simple to refined, drawer

options for the furniture maker

B Y M A T T H E W T E A G U E

BUILDINGDRAWERS]

Drawers

Illustrated Guide to

W

hether it’s a tiny drawer in a jewelry box

or the wide, deep drawer of a dresser, all

drawers are little more than a box that

slides into an opening. There are nearly endless

combinations of construction methods that can be

used to build that box, but a few stand out as the

best blends of beauty, strength, and efficiency.

Drawers can be made of solid wood,

plywood, or a mix of both. Drawer fronts

often become the focal points of a piece,

showing off spectacular figure in a board

or sheet of veneer. They can be flush to,

recessed into, or overlapping the front of

the case, and they can be decorated using

beads or profiles. Corner joinery, at both

the back and front of the drawer, can

range from simple butt joints to variably

spaced dovetails. Drawer bottoms can be

made from solid wood or plywood.

The drawer joinery and materials you choose

should fit the type of furniture you want to build—

quick-to-make joints and inexpensive materials for

drawers in a utility cabinet, finely crafted joints and

quality materials for drawers destined for an heirloom

piece. Regardless, when it comes to building a drawer,

the most important joint is the one that connects the

sides to the front.

Strong joinery ensures long drawer life

Most stresses on a drawer occur at the front corners—

after all, a drawer is opened by pulling on the front.

Any action that isn’t straight in or out of the drawer

pocket also causes racking stress, which hits the front-

The ideal drawer

As you can see, there are a number of great ways to build a drawer. A utility

or light-duty drawer (top) might be a simple combination of a pinned rabbet

joint at the front, a back that’s dadoed into the sides, and a plywood bottom.

A high-end drawer (bottom) could have hand-cut half-blind dovetails at the

front, through-dovetails at the back, and an elegant raised-panel, solid-wood

bottom. And sliding dovetail joints (middle) fall somewhere in between.

Read on to learn how to balance elegance and efficiency for the job at hand.

From simple to refined, drawer

options for the furniture maker

B Y M A T T H E W T E A G U E

Drawers

W

hether it’s a tiny drawer in a jewelry box

or the wide, deep drawer of a dresser, all

drawers are little more than a box that

slides into an opening. There are nearly endless

combinations of construction methods that can be

used to build that box, but a few stand out as the

best blends of beauty, strength, and efficiency.

Drawers can be made of solid wood,

plywood, or a mix of both. Drawer fronts

often become the focal points of a piece,

showing off spectacular figure in a board

or sheet of veneer. They can be flush to,

recessed into, or overlapping the front of

the case, and they can be decorated using

beads or profiles. Corner joinery, at both

the back and front of the drawer, can

range from simple butt joints to variably

spaced dovetails. Drawer bottoms can be

made from solid wood or plywood.

The drawer joinery and materials you choose

should fit the type of furniture you want to build—

quick-to-make joints and inexpensive materials for

drawers in a utility cabinet, finely crafted joints and

quality materials for drawers destined for an heirloom

piece. Regardless, when it comes to building a drawer,

the most important joint is the one that connects the

sides to the front.

Strong joinery ensures long drawer life

Most stresses on a drawer occur at the front corners—

after all, a drawer is opened by pulling on the front.

The ideal drawer

As you can see, there are a number of great ways to build a drawer. A utility

or light-duty drawer (top) might be a simple combination of a pinned rabbet

78 F I N E W O O D W O R K I N G Photos: Thomas McKenna; drawings: John Tetreault

FWSIP08BF_AD.indd 78 6/6/07 4:25:29 PM