dresser drawer construction

[Stephen Sebed]

I will be designing and building a dresser soon and I am wonder how to construct the drawer boxes. In the past I used 1/2" plywood for the sides and 1/4" plywood (more like 3/16" or even a bit thinner) for the bottom, with the box just being glued and stapled together. I used this construction method on a computer desk and it works great but in a larger drawer with considerably more weight in them I'm not sure if it will be strong enough. I don't think that I am good enough to try dovetails yet, so what method of drawer construction would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has plans for a nice looking dresser or chest of drawers please share them with me.

Thanks,
Stephen

[Bobby Hatfield]

I will be designing and building a dresser soon and I am wonder how to construct the drawer boxes. In the past I used 1/2" plywood for the sides and 1/4" plywood (more like 3/16" or even a bit thinner) for the bottom, with the box just being glued and stapled together. I used this construction method on a computer desk and it works great but in a larger drawer with considerably more weight in them I'm not sure if it will be strong enough. I don't think that I am good enough to try dovetails yet, so what method of drawer construction would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has plans for a nice looking dresser or chest of drawers please share them with me.

Thanks,
Stephen

Stephen why not just 1/2" ply for all drawer parts, glue and staple in the bottom instead of in a groove.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Stephen,

I would recomend Bill Hylton's book called Chests of Drawers.

I have a pdf of the chapter on drawer construction. It is available on the Fine Woodworking website. I would post it but I think that might be a copyright violation, however you can get it here http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pdf/DrawerBuildingBasics.pdf

Hope that helps.

Noah

[Todd Burch]

Stephen, a huge factor on your choice of drawer construction depends on the mechanism you will use to get the drawer in and out of the case.

With modern ball bearing slides, you can almost use chewing gum to hold together a drawer box. (Obviously, I'm exaggerating a bit here).

If you are simply using runners, then you need to have a design that allows for a lot better "hold-togetherness".

So, what method will you use?

[Lee Schierer]

I use router made dovetails on all four corners. I use 1/4" Luan for drawer bottoms and have not had any failures. For really large drawers I use 3/8" plywood for the bottoms. Drawer sides are all 1/2" thick poplar.

I have several dressers on my website you can look at. It is at:

Lee's Woodworks (http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/)

I have drawings of most, though they don't show details like joint construction.

[Paul Regan]

This month's Woodsmith has a nine drawer dresser that looks interesting. I may give it a shot. The drawers are locking rabbit joints.
Good luck
Paul

[Ken Frantz]

By all means, use the side mounted drawer sides!!!! They operate so much better. In the kitchen cabinet business we always used them and if you have the "coins", go to the full extension guides. plus there easier to intsall because all you have to do is use a 1 X 3 (half of a 1 X 6) to mount the guide to that fit behind the face frame and the back.

KEN

[Ken Salisbury]

Here is a drawing of how I do it. The only change I make is that for larger drawers I substitute 3/8" ply for 1/4"ply for the bottoms.

I use poplar exclusively for drawer boxes because of it's stability.

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

If you like them, I think you can make a go at the dovetails. But unless your doing it by hand, you will need a router, bits, template... It will cost some cash - but it's a nice reason to buy new tools.

While dovetails are probably the king of drawer construction, there are many joining methods that can handle it. By the way, on of the most common repairs I do for folks, is repairing dovetail drawers with plywood sides. The glue from about 30 years ago seems to let go and the plywood starts to peel a part. Maybe this is when some of the newer glues first came on the scene. I usually stick with solid wood sides.

You can make plenty strong drawers with just the tablesaw. You can use lapjoints, or a rabbit on each edge, or a locking rabbit, or a box joint. You can also use biscuits or many other methods. I've not had a drawer fall apart using any of the methods I've mentioned.

Using rabbits fitted with a slider attached to the cabinet body, I've got items that are used everyday coming upon 15 years old. These are with lock rabbit joints and yellow glue. No failure yet. Also, the drawers in my shop cabinets are large and loaded heavy are made with a simple rabbit corners and yellow glue.

The most important part is to machine the joints with accuracy and create the largest and most ideal gluing surface.

I think about how the drawer will close when deciding upon the joint to use.

For example, if the drawer will close by the front of the drawer hitting the cabinet frame, I would use a mechanical locking joint such a lock rabbit or dovetails.

If the drawer's closure is halted by the rear of the drawer hitting the cabinet back (such as a full inset drawer), then the rabbit corners will hold up fine.

[Kevin Post]

I don't think that I am good enough to try dovetails yet, so what method of drawer construction would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has plans for a nice looking dresser or chest of drawers please share them with me.


If you have a dovetail jig, it's pretty simple to make drawer boxes. I do mine just like the drawing that Ken Salisbury posted. Practice using the jig with some scrap or plywood and graduate to the drawer boxes when you think you've figured it out. There are lock miter router bits that will make a very sturdy box as well.

When I make kitchen cabinets I make the boxes out of plywood and attach the 'false' fronts with a little glue and a coupl screws after the boxes have all been built.

Paul's suggestion about the plan in Woodsmith this month is also a good one. If you've never seen Woodsmith, their plans are very detailed and the dresser they made this month looks mighty handsome. My wife wants me to build one like it...

-Kevin

[Richard McComas]

I will be designing and building a dresser soon and I am wonder how to construct the drawer boxes. In the past I used 1/2" plywood for the sides and 1/4" plywood (more like 3/16" or even a bit thinner) for the bottom, with the box just being glued and stapled together. I used this construction method on a computer desk and it works great but in a larger drawer with considerably more weight in them I'm not sure if it will be strong enough. I don't think that I am good enough to try dovetails yet, so what method of drawer construction would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has plans for a nice looking dresser or chest of drawers please share them with me.

Thanks,
Stephen

If you don't want to do dovetails then I'd suggest you do like kens drawing but instead of the dovetails in the front use the joint in the picture below. This joint can be made with the table saw pretty easily.

1/4 inch drawer bottoms should be plenty for your project. I have some pretty good sized drawer in my shop full of heavy clamps, they are holding up fine.

Another excellent book by Bill Hylton is "Illustrated Cabinetmaking" it has lots and lots of drawing of how different pieces of furniture and cabinets go together.

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

What Richard shows above, is almost what I refer to as a lock rabbit. But, I continue the drawer front over the sides. This captures the area between the small spline and the drawer front and with a snug fit, everything locks together very strong.

[Bobby Hatfield]

I will be designing and building a dresser soon and I am wonder how to construct the drawer boxes. In the past I used 1/2" plywood for the sides and 1/4" plywood (more like 3/16" or even a bit thinner) for the bottom, with the box just being glued and stapled together. I used this construction method on a computer desk and it works great but in a larger drawer with considerably more weight in them I'm not sure if it will be strong enough. I don't think that I am good enough to try dovetails yet, so what method of drawer construction would you recommend?

Also, if anyone has plans for a nice looking dresser or chest of drawers please share them with me.

Thanks,
Stephen


Stephen here is a pic of a baltic birch utility drawer I sometimes use for kitchen cab drawers, very strong and heavy, with 1/2" birch bottom, fronts are attached from inside the drawer with special drawer front washer headed screws. Parts must be cut very precise to keep from having any spaces between sides and bottom and construction is just glue and 1/4" crown 1-1/4" staples.

[Stephen Sebed]

Thanks for all the suggestions I think I'll go with the locking rabbit joint with a 1/4" bottom.

I have a few more questions

1. Would you recommend using plywood or poplar?
2. What size would you make the drawers for a new dresser?
3. What type of slide would you recommend?

Thanks again,
Stephen

[Richard McComas]

Thanks for all the suggestions I think I'll go with the locking rabbit joint with a 1/4" bottom.

I have a few more questions

1. Would you recommend using plywood or poplar?
2. What size would you make the drawers for a new dresser?
3. What type of slide would you recommend?

Thanks again,
Stephen
1. Would you recommend using plywood or poplar?

Keep in mind my answers to your questions are just my opinion and there are many way and materials to get a job done.

If given a choice between plywood or popular I would chose the popular. I think solid wood drawers are more classy (if you will) than plywood for a piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers. If you have a jointer and planer to mill your own stock you will be able to attain more precise control over the thickness and flatness of the drawer parts thus making it easier to cut the locked rabbit joint. I just finished making 29 drawers out of Baltic Birch ply would using the joint pictured in my post above and there was enough variation in the plywood thickness to cause some joints to be a tad loose and some a tad tight. If you don’t have a jointer and planer then go with the plywood because you’ll never fine enough s4s solid wood flat enough to make drawers from. At least not where I get my lumber.

2. What size would you make the drawers for a new dresser?

That’s going to depend on the design and size of your chest. As someone mentioned you should get a book or go to a furniture store and look around to get some ideas.


3. What type of slide would you recommend?

This is always a hard one to answer because I really like the function of the ball bearing full extensions slide like KV or Accuride. However traditional methods of all wooden construction with dust panels here again can be a bit classier. I have to say I’ve used quite a few of the metal slides.

I hope this helps.