Personally, I'd dado/rabbet the back and hand cut the front dovetails
with the Lee Valley jig you listed. I have the same jig, and cannot say
enough good things about it. (Except I marked the jig sides for "pins" and
"tails" because sometimes i get confused on which side to use!) In any case,
it'll give you good practice hand cutting them if you've never, and it's a
joy to learn. Make sure you have a good set of sharp chisels, and if you
like the fine pins on your DT's get 1/8" and/or 1/4" chisels as well.
I'd suggest poplar for the drawer stock. It works fairly easily, is
durable, and will take paint well. You can use it at the store bought
thickness (3/4") but I prefer to plane it to 5/8".
P.S. buy a small dorm fridge for the case of beer, it's no good kept in a
drawer warm! --dave
"bent" wrote in message
...
Making Drawers
Q 1: what material (MDF, or pine laminated pieces)
2: what thicknesses of material (Its gotta be ½", 5/8", 11/16", or ¾",
nom. or not)
3: what joints for front and rear (dovetail, rabbet and dado, lock or
bit)
4: what material and thickness for the bottom (white(hard)board,
plywood
or other)
5: max. Drawer width
My first choice for materials for making drawers is Home Depot. I don't
know
what to use. They will be installed up against an exposed stud wall in
basement. All drawers will eventually be behind the middle 4' sliding
mirror
door. Sides will be painted or covered with pegboard. Top will be a shelf
at
approx. 52" from floor.
All the light bulbs, all the widgets and hardware, all the screws and
nails,
etc. It may get heavy in some of these drawers. All will be full. Could be
rags. Large width drawers are for convenience not weight. Absolute
exterior
dimensions of the drawers will be approx.:
(3x) 4.5h" x 13.7"w x 18.5"d
(2x) 4.5h" x 21.2"w x 18.5"d
(9x) 9.0"h x 13.7"w x 18.5"d
(2x) 9.0"h x 21.2"w x 18.5"d (you could fit 8w x 7d empties inside except
the cases & 1/3" off top)
A case of beer is (1x) 9"h x 10"w x15"d
I am going to use side mounted ½" gap bottom supporting 18" roller slides
(from HD). Appearance is not important, so built with through dovetails at
front, and false door fronts will never be added. I may just drill or cut
pulls into the fronts to maximize depth. Fronts will all be painted white
to
match pegboard and wire shelving, and all else orange shellac flakes and
lacquer thinner. No face frames, only edge on ¾" mdf to support glides.
Utility, strength, durability, longevity. Planning same thickness for
front,
rear and sides, unless wrong.
Joints: I am willing to choose through dovetails by hand for the front and
spend on a hand dovetail saw and guide
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=41718&cat=1,42884. For the
rear join I have been thinking rabbet and dado.
11/16" solid laminated pine ain't bad, but I think I'd prefer to hear that
I
can cut a solid dovetail out of ½" or 5/8" nom. mdf by hand for the front,
and use a really fast machined joint, like a rabbet and dado, in the rear.
I understand a lock joint can be weak. I may have 4 gallons of paint in
these drawers on rollers. Is there any other type of router bit that can
create a quick strong joint?
E.g..
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,46168,46174
Haven't seen anyone mention rabbet and dado for the front.
Material: I can use that 11/16" solid pine sideways-laminated that comes
either loose or in plastic. Both have suitable surface, and no more
expensive than plywood laminated in the other direction. Great. But will
the
laminate come unglued? They did on my top doorjamb (the laminates split
3/32" at end x 3" long, but that was screw-stress related). Are they
biscuited? Are they lasting?
What about mdf? Can you cut a dovetail out of mdf? How does a lock joint
work in mdf? How does a rabbet and dado work in mdf? How is mdf for
drawers?
Thickness: Solid pine laminate only comes in 11/16" (actually not sure if
nominal). Should I be complaining it is too thick. Its not a full .750".
But
mdf comes in ½", and 5/8" nominal. That seems a better thickness than ¾",
or
even 11/16", no?
Bottoms: I know there are lots of thin plywood ( like approx. ¼" or mm):
which is good? What kind of core What about that thin stuff that backs
some
furniture. The cheap stuff. (Hard)board? Comes in white, etc?
Width: I can't remember why drawers have a limit to width and I don't know
if my plans exceed this. Am I all right? The 21-3/16"w drawers MAY get
split
bottoms front to back for bottom strength, but will they twist or
something?
Was that width rule by wall thickness, or twist; I can't say.
I have a 3 h.p. 10" table saw with a 1/8" 36-tooth carbide tipped
combination blade. I do not want to buy a dado or other blade(s) unless
necessary because I may not keep the saw long.
I have a ¼" shank 1-1/4 h.p. 9,000 -27,0000 rpm variable speed router, a
router table with a fence and mitre, and a 26- piece router bit set
including 1/2" dovetail and 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" straight bits. I am
willing to buy more bits if necessary. Like a 3/8" or 5/8" straight, which
I
don't know if I need also anyway?