Scott, that was good advice. A plunge router does make it easier to start a cut if you have to start it away from an edge. I wish I had one. An edge guide is a good idea, too. One is made for my router but I haven't gotten it, yet.
earlier, Scott Howell, wrote: >Hello Dale, well that is certainly some very helpful info. As far as >the drawer, I'm not overly familiar with how some of these joints look >because I've not looked that closely at the amazing number of joints. >I guess I should say that I'm just learning to be a woodworker. Well >at least a woodworker who builds things that are a lot nicer than what >I could have done in the past. I generally slapped things together to >hold a computer off the floor etc. and they were functional and not >very nice to look at. Hell some of the stuff wasn't even cut straight. >Now that I got a table saw and a few other goodies, my wife expects me >to make things that actually look nice and are functional. grin >So, I'll use your instructions on choosing the proper items to build >my drawer. I did by the way find a pretty good router that Sears was >trying to move. It's a Craftsman so it won't be total junk and it's >pretty nice in that you get both a plunge and fix base for it as well >as an edge guide which I thought might be a nice thing to have. I >figured a plunge might be easier to help start some of these um cuts >if you will than trying to tilt the router down into the work. I don't >know if it makes much of a difference, but that was some advice I got >and hey the price wasn't to bad at all. >So, again thanks, I got the idea and the good part is I can add this >to my desk even after it's already built and in place. I'm going to >use some 2 by 4s along the back edge and I found these nice heavy >brackets to hold the ends and front edge. I won't have the 2 by 4s on >the sides like my current configuration, but I might even just get >some legs, I haven't completely decided. >Thanks again. > >On Jul 18, 2008, at 10:01 PM, Dale Leavens wrote: > > > Hello Scott, > > > > There are many ways of making drawers. As you say, by far the > > strongest and best is dove tailing the sides into the front but this > > is not necessary for most of our needs. > > > > The simplest way is to just build a box with rabeted bottom to > > receive the bottom panel where you nail or screw the sides to the > > front and back then tack in the bottom and place a false front over > > the front of the box screwing it into place from behind through the > > front of the drawer box. The main weakness in this design is that > > the bottom wants to fit into the rabets on the bottom of the sides > > and front and rear of the box to hold it all square and, the bottom > > will tend to come away with loading in the drawer. Some add > > triangular cross section glue blocks and tacks to help this. > > > > A good feature is that by adding a false front, usually one that > > closes over the surrounding cabinet or face frame you can correct > > for any faults in the box or the drawer fitting. There isn't much > > good gluing surface in this sort of box drawer and they can work > > loose. > > > > One improvement is to dado out thin grooves around the bottom of the > > box into which the bottom is fitted. The bottom should be just a > > little small but these days if using plywood or particle board for > > the box that isn't so important because those laminated woods don't > > expand or contract enough to force joints apart. Usually a quarter > > inch straight cutting router bit to about half the depth of the > > thickness of the walls of the drawer is about right. Half inch thick > > walls should be adequate. > > > > An improvement yet again is to set the rear of the box into the > > sides. If you will be using a false front I recommend you do similar > > to the front of the drawer box. You can cut a similar dado > > vertically, still a quarter inch wide but for the rear of the side > > wall move it forward about 3/4ths of an inch so there is still > > plenty of meat behind to sustain the rear and cut a rabbet similar > > depth at each end of the rear wall of the drawer so that you are > > leaving a tongue to fit into the side wall of the drawer. Usually > > the best arrangement is to remove the rabbet material from the back > > of the drawer wall so that the inside of the drawer is that bit > > bigger. Gluing this up gives a much larger surface area for glue and > > it also provides a mechanical connection. > > > > You can do a similar joint at the front only you will have to make > > the dado much closer to the front of the side wall and this will > > strengthen the drawer substantially. Glue and pin the walls to the > > rear and front of the box taking care to slip the bottom into place > > before attaching the last side. Again, the false front will cover > > the unattractive end grain and can be made of a superior finish > > material. > > > > You can improve again on this, particularly if the drawer front is > > the finished front by cutting a stopped dado near each end of the > > drawer front. This front wants to be three quarters of an inch thick > > and the dado should be a little deeper maybe 3/8ths deep. It can be > > the width of the thickness of the side members which will slide into > > it but you can also remove a little from each face of the side wall > > to slip it into a narrower dado. This has the advantage of hiding > > any small imperfections in your dado cut. > > > > A stopped dado in this case means that you stop cutting the groove > > some little way short of it showing through the top edge of the > > front of the drawer. You could go right through but generally even > > if the side wall of the drawer is to be at the same height of the > > top edge of the front of the drawer you are better to cut the top > > edge of the side wall down to form what is called a haunch. it just > > looks better. You then glue and insert the tongue or the full end of > > the side wall of the drawer into the dado and you can put a couple > > of pins in on an angle from the point where the side wall meets the > > front so they pin through the tongue and into the front without > > passsing out to be seen.This is a pretty strong joint and the basis > > of a slightly more sophisticated and yet stronger sliding dovetail. > > > > The sliding dovetail uses a dovetail keyway instead of the dado in > > the drawer front and a dovetail type tongue in the end of the drawer > > wall. Usually this will be slightly tapered so they slide together a > > little better. When glued and slid together this forms an > > indestructible mechanical joint and loads of glue surface. They are > > a little tricky to cut and these sorts of joints take some pretty > > careful measuring and calculating to get a good square drawer and > > nothing but a good square drawer will satisfy. > > > > There is still another pretty good method where you cut a rather > > deep rabet at each end of the drawer front about half the thickness > > then fit the front edge of the drawer side into it and nail that > > into place. You can make this an overlap by cutting a similar rabet > > in the top edge and even the bottom edge so the front of the drawer > > overlaps the cabinet or the face frame. > > > > There is also, as you noted, the blind dovetail pins and tails of > > really high quality joinery. They can be cut by hand but I think it > > very difficult and slow for a blind person to do or they can be cut > > with a fairly expensive dovetail jig. These run from maybe 70 bucks > > to over four hundred bucks. I have made many such drawers since > > acquiring a cheaper dovetail jig but it is usually unnecessary. You > > want to use solid wood, not particle or composite board or even > > plywook, the router tends to tear it all up destroying the esthetic > > of the traditional dovetail drawer. The rather more expensive jigs > > allow variable spaced dovetails and other sorts of joints, extensive > > manuals and etchings on the tool to aid in set-up, I don't know if > > they are practical for a blind person to use and at three or four > > hundred bucks I am a little reluctant to buy one. If ever I get a > > chance to get up close and personal with one at a trade show or > > something I will surely have a good grovel and if ever I get one I > > will let the list know what I can. If I can make it work then > > probably nearly anyone can. > > > > Now cutting a counter top, I assume you are talking about mitering a > > 45 degree on each end of laminate to bring them together in a corner > > is that correct? > > > > Doing this on a table saw is going to be tricky and not done with a > > miter gauge. If you do it at all with a table saw you will need to > > fabricate a rather good sled to carry it through. Does this have a > > rear splash edge and a front rolled drip edge? If there is a rear > > splash reil then I doubt you will have enough depth of cut on the > > saw. You will most likely have to cut it with a hand/held circular > > saw or maybe a long bladed very carefully guided jigsaw. > > > > Hope these remarks are helpful. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Scott Howell > > To: <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com>[email protected] > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 8:23 PM > > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] making a drawer > > > > Hey folks, I am finally relocating in the house to gain additional > > space. I've got a plan for a desk/work surface, but I was trying to > > figure out how I could make a good solid drawer. I guess I could > > figure some of this out like making a groove in the sides to fit the > > bottom into and if I did this, what router bit would be best suited > > for making that type of groove and I imagine I'd have to find one that > > is the same thickness as the board I want to fit all the sides on too. > > Now as far as getting all the sides connected. I guess I could just > > run some screws into the ends and that would work, but is there a > > better way or a way that might not necessarily be better, but might > > make for a stronger drawer? I did a little reading on dovetail joints, > > but I suspect this is way out of my skill level at this point. I > > believe those joints are like fingers that interlock at a 90 degree > > angle and are I imagine either glued or just pressure fitted. In any > > event, any thoughts appreciated. > > If anyone is interested, I'm going to take two counter tops and use a > > piece of melamine (however that's spelled) and use that to make the > > corner piece of the l which will keep me from having to rip the edge > > of the counter top partially off or trying to rip a 90 degree angle on > > both halves. That is how it looks like they did the counter tops in > > our kitchen. They cut the two tops at a 90 degree angle and slapped > > them together. Nothing wrong with this but gee I got this nice scrap > > lying here, might as well try to put it to good use. Well actually > > this does bring up one other question. If I wanted to cut the top at a > > 90 degree angle, how would I use the miter cross cut tool on my table > > saw? I know that might seem like a silly question, but I haven't used > > the gage yet so not sure exactly how I would use that while pushing > > the wood through. > > > > tnx > > > > Scott Howell > > <mailto:s.howell%40verizon.net>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > Checked by AVG. > > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.5.1/1560 - Release Date: > > 7/18/2008 6:47 AM > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > >Scott Howell ><mailto:s.howell%40verizon.net>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com >Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.2/1561 - Release Date: >7/18/2008 6:35 PM John [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
