I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

FWIW. I will be building about 8 drawers. I will be using poplar for all
drawer components but the bottom, where I plan to use luan "1/4"". I want to
dovetail front and back of drawer and will use my Porter-Cable 5116 dovetail
machine(why do they call it a "machine" anyway). Seems all straight forward
but I have never made drawers before. Largest of drawers will be aprox
15"x19". Applicable comments encouraged.

--
SwampBug

"Swampbug" wrote in message
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

IDIOT!

Not you ... "inside of drawer is outside of tree"

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

LOL! Thanks!

--
SwampBug
"Swingman" wrote in message
...
"Swampbug" wrote in message
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

IDIOT!

Not you ... "inside of drawer is outside of tree"

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to additional
drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like () rather than )(.

"Stephen M" wrote:


"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to additional
drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like () rather than )(.

So if you are using stable wood in your shop in Arizona and plan to
ship the piece to a home along the Gulf Coast, should the IDIOT
mnemonic be changed to ODIOT or IDIIT?
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

On Mon, 6 Feb 2006 11:58:00 -0600, "Swampbug"
wrote:

I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Make them like this:

)_____(

Not like this:

(_____)


FWIW. I will be building about 8 drawers. I will be using poplar for all
drawer components but the bottom, where I plan to use luan "1/4"". I want to
dovetail front and back of drawer and will use my Porter-Cable 5116 dovetail
machine(why do they call it a "machine" anyway). Seems all straight forward
but I have never made drawers before. Largest of drawers will be aprox
15"x19". Applicable comments encouraged.

You mention nothing about how the drawers will be used nor how deep.
The larger drawer may need a muntin depending on what it will store.
Make sure all sides are square and flat (an out-of-shape drawer is a
terrible thing.)

So if you are using stable wood in your shop in Arizona and plan to
ship the piece to a home along the Gulf Coast, should the IDIOT
mnemonic be changed to ODIOT or IDIIT?

In theory, yes. In practice, find quartersawn stock.

"Stephen M" wrote:

So if you are using stable wood in your shop in Arizona and plan to
ship the piece to a home along the Gulf Coast, should the IDIOT
mnemonic be changed to ODIOT or IDIIT?

In theory, yes. In practice, find quartersawn stock.

That's what I thought, and why I have a problem with such rules of
thumb. one really needs to think about them. More pragmatically, I
live in a 4-seasons area, and my shop shares two walls and a door with
air conditioned/heated living space, and no opening to the outside. So
if wood is stable in my shop, a rule of thumb like IDIOT needs to be
reversed when I am building in the winter.

Guess it's just one more think I need to think about...
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

Sorry, , ,They are to replace drawers in kitchen cabinets and are about 3.5"
deep but for two which will be around 9" deep. I just spent about 6hrs
tweaking that PC5116, , ,cantankerous lil thang! The original drawers had no
drawer front as such but was formed by framing with lap molding, or cabinet
door edge molding. It didn't look bad but it just fell apart.

--
SwampBug
"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Feb 2006 11:58:00 -0600, "Swampbug"
wrote:

I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Make them like this:

)_____(

Not like this:

(_____)


FWIW. I will be building about 8 drawers. I will be using poplar for all
drawer components but the bottom, where I plan to use luan "1/4"". I want
to
dovetail front and back of drawer and will use my Porter-Cable 5116
dovetail
machine(why do they call it a "machine" anyway). Seems all straight
forward
but I have never made drawers before. Largest of drawers will be aprox
15"x19". Applicable comments encouraged.

You mention nothing about how the drawers will be used nor how deep.
The larger drawer may need a muntin depending on what it will store.
Make sure all sides are square and flat (an out-of-shape drawer is a
terrible thing.)

Stephen M wrote:


"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree"
or something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to
additional drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like ()
rather than )(.


Isn't that backwards? I was taught that the wood tries to straighten
out the growth rings. If so, and the drawers start out with the rings
like (), if they straighten out to a || shape, the drawer sides will
look like )(.

--
It's turtles, all the way down

"Stephen M" wrote:


"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...
I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree" or
something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to additional
drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like () rather than )(.


Okay, I'm following what to do in either season to get the result you
mention in the other season. But WHY is () preferable to )(? Is it
because of greater strength in the center of the joint to resist the
movement than there is at the end (where at least the last 1/2 pin is
glued on only one side and has less mechanical locking)?
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

Larry Blanchard wrote:
Stephen M wrote:
"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...

I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree"
or something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to
additional drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like ()
rather than )(.

Isn't that backwards? I was taught that the wood tries to straighten
out the growth rings. If so, and the drawers start out with the rings
like (), if they straighten out to a || shape, the drawer sides will
look like )(.

Methinks he was describing the shape of the drawers sides and not the
growth rings... so yeah. (but not backwards)

er
--
email not valid

Inside of drawer is outside of tree.

That's what Frank Klausz says on my "Dovetail a Drawer" video.

Mike

"Enoch Root" wrote in message
news:H_qdnVHchJCfxHXenZ2dnUVZ_tCdnZ2d@forethought. net...
Larry Blanchard wrote:
Stephen M wrote:
"Swampbug" wrote in message
news:W6MFf.352147$0l5.169176@dukeread06...

I recently ran across a "rule of thumb" for orienting grain on drawer
components. It was something like" inside of drawer, outside of tree"
or something like that. Could someone verify that for me please? TIA

Yup. That's correct. It means that if your drawers cup due to
additional drying (a pretty fair bet), the corners will look like ()
rather than )(.

Isn't that backwards? I was taught that the wood tries to straighten
out the growth rings. If so, and the drawers start out with the rings
like (), if they straighten out to a || shape, the drawer sides will
look like )(.

Methinks he was describing the shape of the drawers sides and not the
growth rings... so yeah. (but not backwards)

Correct. I could have said that better to compensate for the acii art.

Okay, I'm following what to do in either season to get the result you
mention in the other season. But WHY is () preferable to )(? Is it
because of greater strength in the center of the joint to resist the
movement than there is at the end (where at least the last 1/2 pin is
glued on only one side and has less mechanical locking)?


Sort-of. If you assume that the endgrain gluing is completely useless the
last useful glue area (from bottom to top) is the plane formed by the top of
the top tail. () pulls the essentially unglued part of the joint
closed. )( pulls it apart.

-Steve