Shop Drawers

[gsmittle]

I just tried making some drawers for my shop, and somehow I cut the bottoms about 1/4" too short!

I used the method outlined by Bill Hylton in his router book, using a drawer lock bit to cut the sides, front & back, groove them and chamfer the bottom. I thought I allowed enough extra bottom to seat in the groove, but no such luck.

Any advice for the math-challenged on how to determine the drawer bottom size? What I did was clamp together a front, side, and back, then measured the width. Then I found the depth of the groove, and added double that amount to the first measurement. I did a test cut (too short), adjusted the length, cut all my bottoms and then discovered they were still too short. Blargh.

At least they aren't in real furniture, so I can glue some ply over the crack and be done with it.

Would doing pocket-hole drawers with the bottom screwed to the bottom of the box be easier to do?

This is driving me crazy! I'm beginning to wonder if I need a different hobby--or only make bookshelves....

Thanks for letting me vent!!!!!!

g.

[vrbradley]

I understand your frustration, and "pocket holes?"...YESSSSSSS a great and easy way to make drawers. Not the purest way, but easy and effective.

[Stormbringer]

What I did was clamp together a front, side, and back, then measured the width. Then I found the depth of the groove, and added double that amount to the first measurement.

g.

That's the meathod I would have used. How are you assembling the sides? Butt joints?

The only thing I can think of: When you pre-assembled and measured, were the draw front and back assembled so that they butted the face of the sides? Then, maybe during assembly. the front and back were butted gainst the "ends" of the sides making the drawer bottom area bigger, in turn making the bottom you cut too short?

Good luck

Greg

[JR]

Pocket holes? NOOOOOO. You'll hate yourself in the morning!

Sounds to me like you thought you had adjusted after the first test cut came up short, but didn't actally get adjusted. Any possibility you "adjusted" to the number you had cut to the first time?

This event is a real testament to the necessity of patience. Even after "adjusting" another test fit was in order before entering production mode.

If this sounds like I'm preaching, then trust me, I've done exactly the same thing more than once. Don't let it get you down. You'll soon be the lock-joint drawer expert of BT3Central.

JR

[cabinetman]

Pocket holes for drawers...M-I-C...K-E-Y, MOUSE.
A simple rabbet on the sides to accept the front and back works well. The sides and front can receive a 1/4" x1/4" dado (groove), 1/4" to 3/8" from the bottom edge to accept the 1/4" bottom. The back can be cut the height from the top edge of the drawer sides to the top edge of the groove. That way, the bottom will slide in , and get fastened to the underside of the back. This makes for a removable bottom in case of damage. The drawer can be finished without the bottom being in, which facilitates an easier spray job. When installing the bottom, slide in the bottom, square the box, then fasten the bottom to the underside of the back.

As for measuring for the length of the bottom (front to back), take one side and add 1/4" ahead of the rabbet edge, and the total distance at the rear behind the rabbet edge. For the width of the bottom (left to right), add 1/2" to the size of the front. This is assuming you are using 1/4" ply and the dado is 1/4" x 1/4". This joining method is by far the easiest, IMO.

[JimD]

I like to assemble the drawer to measure for the bottom. I cut it about 1/16 short of the groove to groove bottom dimension. One of the neat things about the BT3100 is the ability to just set the rip fence to the required dimension and slide the material through.

I like dovetail drawers - machine cut - but I sometimes use screwed together and even just glued and nailed together drawers. For shop drawers, I sometimes just use screws through the face and into the side with glue. I put the screws in a 3/8 hole and plug it with matching wood. It shows but is not objectionable to me for something like a shop drawer. Worst thing about it is assembly. A rabbet gives you a registration point for the side which eases assembly. Assembly is one of the many good things about dovetails. No clamps necessary.

My current shop drawers are mostly screwed together with bottoms nailed on the bottom. They are made of 3/4 thick softwood and suspended on wooden side slides - the sides of the drawer have a dado for maple slides. The only part I would do differently is the nailed on bottoms. They deflect and drag on the drawer below them. Setting it up 1/4 inch in a dado would have eliminated at least most of the dragging (and taken very little additional time).

Jim

[cabinetman]

I like to assemble the drawer to measure for the bottom. I cut it about 1/16 short of the groove to groove bottom dimension.

Having a square bottom fit the groove of the dado without any slop helps make for a square drawer, and keeps the drawer from racking.
.

[JR]

Having a square bottom fit the groove of the dado without any slop helps make for a square drawer, and keeps the drawer from racking.

Cabinetman, are you saying that you would want the bottom to have the exact dimension of the groove to groove dimension? As contrasted from a frame a panel configuration in which you'd normally make the panel 1/16" smaller as JimD suggested?

JR

[cabinetman]

Cabinetman, are you saying that you would want the bottom to have the exact dimension of the groove to groove dimension? As contrasted from a frame a panel configuration in which you'd normally make the panel 1/16" smaller as JimD suggested?

JR

We're talking about drawers, with plywood or solid sides, and a plywood bottom. So, yes, exact enough to allow it to be slid in after finishing.
.

[guycox]

Shop Drawers, Butt Joints -- come on guys keep it clean..

[cbrown]

Given the undersized drawer bottoms, I suppose one could improve the fit using the little rubber balls that are more often used in doors with floating panels.

Chris

[ragswl4]

Reminds me of my father's favorite saying, "no matter how many times I cut it, its still too short". A pretty common mistake that we all make from time to time. My most frequent mistake is routing a stopped dado. I usually forget about the radius of the bit. Oh Well, just another piece of wood.

[jemmy]

come on guy`s pocket hole butt joint`s for workshop drawers not so smart even i wouldnt be that bad, what about box joints? . Jemmy.

[gsmittle]

Thanks for all the suggestions/advice, guys. I didn't realize there would be so much discussion about drawer construction! Or so many different ways to build a simple shop drawer!

Once I cooled off, I realized that I used the too-small bottom to reset the rip fence to cut the "good" bottoms. From now on, I'll keep a red Sharpie with me so I can put a big red X on the bad ones. Plus I'll make sure the bad stuff is stored nowhere near the good stuff. Oh well, live and learn.

For the drawers I've already cut, I used a drawer lock bit for the front, back, and sides, so no butt-joint errors. What I think I'll do with the current drawers is pretty much what CabMan suggested. I'll recut the backs to fit inside the sides and rip them to fit above the drawer bottom. Then I can butt-joint them to the sides over the bottom and square the whole assembly. A little glue, a couple brads (I know, I know...), and I'm done!

Thanks again to everyone--it'll be a while before I'm ready to tackle dovetails!

g.